The last few months have been a whirlwind for me. Life at the day job has become the day and evening job as my ship ramps up operations. In addition to that, my command has been preparing and carrying out its Physical Fitness Assessment, which, as someone who does not do that well, I struggled to prepare for and complete. I did complete it satisfactorily, though, for which I’m grateful.

In writing, I worked rather feverishly to complete a rewrite on my novel, working with a freelance editor who helped me whip it into shape. I’ve begun sending it out to agents and as many of you know, that process comes complete with lots of rejections. That has honestly affected my mental health in ways I thought I was prepared for but clearly wasn’t.

Finally, there have been a number of societal events lately that have pushed me to the stops. I don’t have the energy for all the anger I feel, nor do I have the bandwidth to keep up with all the anger Twitter feels. I’d quit Twitter for good, but that’s where the authors are, so that’s where I am. I did have to take a break for a bit though. It just got too much, and it’s not like Twitter anger is productive anger. It’s just people yelling into their own echo chambers.

So I recognized my own limits. I hate admitting that. Being a man places certain expectations on strength and drive/ambition, and non-existent limits. I hate that I found my limits in just about every non-family area of my life. But wow…did I ever find them. Thankfully, I do have a great family life. I have a safe place where I can come home and decompress and recharge. I hope you have that too, and if not, I hope you find it.

In writing News, I want to update you on a couple of things. First, the idea of apocalypse fiction, which you may remember me mentioning earlier in the year, has just not found the level of traction I wanted. I’ve pitched the topic to a few magazine editors and haven’t received anything close to the reception I’d hoped for. Well, this happens sometimes, and so I, like many authors, pivot to something else. Which leads me to…

In the near term, as mentioned earlier, I’ve started submitting my crime novel to agents. No takers so far, but I’m hopeful that it will find a home at some point. I’ve also pitched a story idea to my local (regional) newspaper, the Virginian-Pilot, and they’ve conditionally accepted the idea provided I write it on-spec. I realize that’s a lot of caveats. I’m doing my best to deal with them. It’s part of the writer’s life, I’m afraid.

So that’s what’s going on for me at the moment. I look forward to updating you next month with some good news!