MathiasCavanaugh.com

It’s taken some time to get my head wrapped around the things that I need to do. You might have noticed that since my last post was April of last year!

Sometimes life just throws too many changes at you at once and things you love to do get pushed aside. For me, what was pushed aside was my writing.

I have been working on it, just not at a pace that was conducive to success. It was more at a pace that allowed me to keep it on the back burner while life sorted out all the other little and big things going on around me.

But in the end, the plan remains unchanged. I am going to keep writing with the intention of getting a publishing deal OR self publishing.

Because of the hectic pace of life this past year, I have focused on my short story projects. Specifically The Yoke and The Flames. Also, my two short stories that are prequels to my Daughters of Fate project have received a bit of attention.

The Daughters of Fate project is still moving forward and I do still plan to publish bits and pieces of it online as they come out in a workable draft. Right now, chapters 1 through 4 are the focus. Draft of draft is about 50% done.

The Yoke is about as good as I can make it. It is preparing for submission to a major writing competition this first quarter of 2016. The Flames will be a second quarter submission. By that time I hope to have the first four chapters of Daughters of Fate up for everyone who has been patiently waiting.

Outsider has made quite a bit of progress as well, and is coming along.

Under the Darkened Moon is still out there and I am preparing some new queries for it. It may get another “Final” edit, and if there are no takers it will be up on Amazon in the next year or two.

So that’s where everything stands. Hope the new year is treating you all with luck and joy. I’ll be talking to you soon!

It has been a while? Hasn’t it?

Know where I’ve been? Dealing with a lot of stuff!

But that stuff is starting to come to a close and I am going to get back to writting in the near future. I’ve got a lot of new perspectives on a lot of things that I think will make me a better writter. When crap happens, sometimes it is for the best and I think some of the things that I have been quietly working on show a much deeper and more emotional aspect than I previously displayed in my writting.

Someone who read a short blurb I re-wrote for my in progress Awakening (Book 1 of the Unmaker’s Saga) said to me, “My, aren’t you a bit more jaded than before!” I suppose that I am. And I don’t suppose that is a bad thing either.

I’ll be honest with everyone. It’s going to take me a bit of time to get back in the groove of writting and posting here. But I do plan on it.

I still plan on publishing chapters online for Daughters of Fate.

I am contemplating what to do with Under the Darkened Moon after not getting any sniffs at that.

I think that I am going to be working simultaneously on Cry of the Golden Wyvern and Outsider simultaneously while scattering in other projects as I feel the need to change things up. Outside is currently approaching 80-90% done of the first draft as I have been quietly working on that story.

It’s been a bumpy ride, but I’m still here. And I’m stronger and better because of everything I’ve had to go through!

Hope I haven’t lost too many of you along the way due to my innactivity and I look forward to reconnecting with all my friends I’ve made due to the website.

When last I posted, I mentioned the idea of writing a novel on this site, and publishing it, as I go.  I’ve actually been working on this, believe it or not.  I’ve been toying around with the opening chapters for Daughter of Fate, and things are going pretty well.

The rough part, so far, is knowing that as I publish chapters they will be set in stone – good, bad, or indifferent.  I’ve had to think long and hard, not just about the overall plot, but also all the little sub plots that will eventually make up the story.  If I were to decide, say, in Chapter 30 that a character named Jimbob was required and that he needed to be introduced earlier on in the story, but wasn’t, well … that just sucks! (more…)

This idea is something that I’ve been pondering the last few days.  I’m thinking about writing a story, a full novel, and posting the entire thing here on my website as I go, a chapter at a time.

Doing this will require a serious commitment of time though.  It means that, in between writing all my other stories, I will have to find time to regularly commit to finishing and posting chapters here.

I’ve been thinking about using my recently dusted off, and unfinished, novel Daughters of Fate for this experiment.  The story is there.  It just needs rewritten from the previous attempts.

However, the idea intrigues me.  And it would be very interesting to see if I can do it.  From a standpoint of being disciplined enough to regularly post updates, I mean.  And, of course, to see what kind of feedback I get.

Spent some time last night and today laying out the plot of a new short story idea that came to me out of nowhere.

Title: Ayra’s Fall

It’s a story about what happens when an Angel entrusted with keeping the world safe fails in her task.  So watch this space for updates on this title, and of course other ongoing projects.

So, 2014 is underway.  Time to layout the plan for this year.

As of right now, I am still shopping my manuscript for Under the Darkened Moon around.  Been a little lazy about it, and will keep chugging away.  Nothing’s changing on this front.

I now have 3 short stories that, I think, and so does my focus group, are ready to go out into the world.  These will be submitted to various contests and publications throughout 2014 to see if they can garner any attention.

Hopefully one or more of them will be noticed and published.  If not, I plan on releasing them in various formats for download.  Plans are right now that they will be free, in preparation for what might be the need to self-publish my manuscript at some point in the furture.

I’ll keep everyone appraised of my progress on these plans as the year unfolds.  Wish me luck!

At the risk of adding even more to my already crowded plate, I have decided to resurrect two very, very old projects that were once dear to me.

These are two of the first novels I attempted to write, and later adandoned to other interests and were sacrificed due to lack of time.

I will get around to adding pages on this site for both Daughters of Fate and Circle of the Hunt as time permits me to. (more…)

It’s hard to know whether or not I have too many ideas that distract me from my other, more pressing projects.  For example, I’d really like to get the first drafts of Her Lovely Blood and Cry of the Golden Wyvern done.  Plus I’d like to make progess on Awakening, which is the first book of the Unmaker’s Saga.
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Well, it’s been a long time since I updated this site!  There has been a lot of things going on in my life from a divorce, shifting to being a single patent of my two wonderful children, and, surprisingly in the midst of all that, meeting the woman of my dreams.

So yeah, this site has been a little neglected!  I’ve still been working on my writing though.  I have several short stories either done or near done, and work on my second novel, Outsider, has been slow but steady.

I have taken a hiatus from looking for a publisher for Under the Darkened Moon, but hope to resume down that path soon.

I have some plans about expanding the contents of this site a little as well.  We’ll see how that goes.

I also want to thank everyone who has supported me and shown concern over this past year.

But, for now, keep watching this space.  New stuff coming soon!

Some people have no shame.  I see it all the time with authors who give their own book a “5 star” rating on Goodreads and other, similar sites.

And the worst part about it is that they aren’t even shy about it.  They plop it up there and are almost so proud that they are beaming with joy over their actions.

Does any author really not like their own work?  If they don’t, they why are they publishing it?  It is sort of implied that, when an author publishes a book, they think it is a great story that other people should read.  But to advertise this by giving it a rating in such a bold manner is, frankly, outlandish behaviour that to me borders on narcissism.   Especially when you consider how willing other people are to give even average works five stars whether for free, for a little quid pro quo, or even for money. (more…)