I’m glad you asked. I’ve been busy writing. Actually, I took 3 weeks off in January to holiday in Tasmania. Let me tell you, if you haven’t been down to visit one of our first penal colonies, you must go. Do it now. I’ll wait.

Lots of wonderful memories and photos and experiences came from that trip, and it also recharged my creative batteries. As such, my writing has been off the charts, though intermittently, I must admit.

So what have I been working on during those short and intermittent bursts of creative activity?

Lots of things! All of the things! And this last week I have managed to cut back to two projects. Well, maybe three, but that depends on whether my main character continues to attempt to kill himself off.

So, what’s coming up this year then? You know by now that I hate (really hate) putting my schedule out there. I’ve done that twice now, and I’ve not delivered. This year though will be THE year I get my butt into gear and do what I’m told. And that is, get some more things published! For people to buy! And to read! (Hopefully. Though you know, buy my book and don’t read it. It’s totally up to you. Who am I to tell you what to do with my book once you’ve handed over your hard-earned?)

Okay, so, without further ado, here is what I plan to release this year, for your reading (and buying) pleasure:

1. Division 10 – My near-future take on the crime genre has newly minted Detective Sarah Price tackling crime in Division 10, aka the Badlands as the locals like to refer to their little piece of paradise lost. It’s a haven for prostitutes and publicans, drug lords and wanna-be gangsters, and other down-on-their-luck inhabitants. It’s an age of privatised police forces where you get what you pay for – which in the Badlands amounts to exactly nothing. The only law left in town until Detective Price turns up is ex-cop/sometime PI/bounty hunter/cabbie Rachel Murphy, who keeps the peace by staying out of anything gang-related that doesn’t concern ordinary citizens. Her theory, which is still in the testing phase, is that the dregs of society will kill themselves off soon enough, and that she doesn’t need to do much to assist them. This will be a series of novellas and novelettes that I hope will be fast-paced, action-oriented, and focused on the characters as much as the crimes. Stay tuned for the release date of the first book in the series, and sign up to the newsletter (if you haven’t already) to get a sneak peek at some deleted scenes.

2. The Pertwhistle Project – Those of you who read my old blogger blog will remember a sneak peek of this series that I put up last year. This will be a serial/series set in a steampunk version of Australia, where I take liberties with history and science, all in the name of saving Stella Pertwhistle’s Uncle from the gallows in London. Along for the ride will be a motley cast of characters, not least of whom is Stella’s ex-lover Darcy O’Donnell, forger extraordinaire, and the woman who (so she says) made Sherlock Holmes into the folk hero we know today. So, airships! Mechanical contraptions! Doctor Boyle’s Famous Elixir! Miss Elliott’s Infamous Whiskey! Plus bush rangers, gold mines and a nefarious plot to rob the mint!

Along with those two major projects, I’m working on various plot ideas for YA titles that I’ll work on in between the major series releases. The series are the priority though, so I’ll announce the YA titles when they’re closer to publication. Which could be this year, or next year, or, you know, never.

I also have another series in production, tentatively titled The Legend of Eli Crane. I came across Eli during my first and only attempt to complete Nanowrimo a few years ago. He walked into a bar, got shot, and stole my heart (as well as some souls that didn’t belong to him). He keeps trying to get himself killed though, so he’s in character-purgatory until he behaves himself enough to warrant a shot at a starring role in his own series. Depending on how the other two series go, I might give him another shot in a couple of months.

On a bit of a side note, I’m also trialling a new productivity hack called the Pomodoro Technique, which effectively cuts my writing time into bite-sized segments, with little breaks in between. I hardly feel like I’m writing! I’ll see how I go with it, and might do a separate blog post on my success or failure using the technique.

So, there you go. Things to look forward to. And again, if you haven’t already, sign up for my newsletter. As I said earlier, I’ll be releasing some sneak peeks and some deleted scenes from the upcoming series, and you wouldn’t want to miss out on that now, would you?