Tag: The writing journey

Happy (Book) Birthday!

Published by J. Robert Matthewson on February 28, 2026

Frieren, Fern, and Stark from "Frieren: Beyond Journey's End" sharing a large strawberry and cream birthday cake topped with several candles

On February 28, 2025, I released my first self-published novel on Amazon. The culmination of 3 1/2 years of steady, constant writing, rewriting, revising, and editing. In short, a metric crap-ton of hard work.

Writing Tales of a Stranger Sister has been one of the most fulfilling & satisfying experiences I’ve ever undertaken, and I will always be proud of both the effort exerted and the results it produced.

What I didn’t know at the time was that only after teh book went live, then began the real, much more thankless work — Promotion and Marketing.

That has been much less fulfilling and satisfying undertaking. Frankly, it’s been mostly aggravating and frustrating. It’s not enough to simply say you have a thing that you’ve poured your time and love into, and it might be worth spending a few bucks to see it for yourself. Rather it feels like you need to become an online Personality™, creating a constantly stream of Content™, usually at the expense of trying to actually create more of that thing you actually want to make (i.e. more books).

After a year of attempting that, (while simultaneously dealing with various offline trials), I think I’ve come to the realization that I’m not particularly good at it. I mean, I’m not gonna stop trying to promote or sell this 400+ pages of words and feelings, but I’m going to stop worrying about trying to create a set amount non-book, non-story content for both this site and my social media accounts and focus more on creating the next novel (which I think has finally, truly gotten rolling), and post Content™ when I need a break from the writing grind or have something I’m genuinely excited to talk about.

That said, I did want to take a moment to reflect on my first full year as a self-published author. Truly, none of this would even be possible without the help and support of my amazing editor, self-publishing guru, sounding board, best friend, and, oh yeah, spouse — S.E. Robertson/C.A. Moss.

I will be eternally grateful to everyone who took a chance on my book, whether they bought it at the full price, during the periods when it was discounted, or even for free. I’m especially grateful to the handful who felt it was worth the time and effort to share their feelings about it in the form of reviews. Each one was truly and genuinely appreciated.

In the last year, I went from being exclusively on Amazon to selling on dozens of platforms and I think that was a positive move and am looking forward to taking advantage of the expanded availability in 2026 and beyond for both Tales and future books.

Lastly, while the results haven’t always been what I hoped so far, I’m glad that I was able to participate in multiple group promotions during 2025. The opportunity to put my book alongside other indie and self-published authors has been a unique experience and one I’m looking forward to replicating in 2026.

Which leads me to the next bit of business: Upcoming group promotions!

In a bit of Book Birthday Serendipity™, Tales of a Stranger Sister will be 50% off from March 1st through 7th exclusively on Smashwords as part of their Read An Ebook Week sale!

Banner ad for Smashwords' Read An Ebook Week sale. featured a cartoon woman in an orange shirt and white pants laying on her stomach reading from an ereader. Underneath is the text "www.smashwords.com/sale"

I have also submitted to two other promotions this spring and once I hear word if I’ve been accepted to either or both, I’ll be sure to give the specifics here as well as on Bluesky.

Lastly, some news for the semi-distant, yet still-rapidly-approaching future. Both S.E. Robertson and I will be attending Confluence 2026 in late July and will be selling and signing our books in the dealers’ room. More details will follow as we get closer to it, but if you happen to be in the Pittsburgh area then and appreciate sci-fi, fantasy, & horror books and art, then we hope you’ll check it out (and perhaps swing by the dealers’ room to say “Hi!”)

Now, let’s blow out these candles and cut this cake already! I call dibs on a frosting flower.

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Looking back and moving forward…

Published by J. Robert Matthewson on January 19, 2026

A gray-brown tabby cat looking up as the camera-holder with one eye open. — Rest in Peace, Burghie. You were the bestest fuzzy boy.

Okay, so this particular blog post is a few weeks overdue. I had planned to look back on the year that was and look ahead to 2026. I had a full outline and everything. Then life happened this last month and, frankly, the last thing I ever want to think about ever again is 2025, so that into the trash that outline went.

My spouse and I had to help the sweetest fuzzy boy to ever grace this planet find rest after a prolonged battle with kidney disease. He gave us eight of the most wonderful years any creature can bestow on another and it simultaneously feels both like we were cheated and yet it was more than we could ever deserve. He was love itself wrapped in fur. He is missed and will be missed until the day I can no longer miss anything because I will cease existing.

Goodbye, Burghie, my fur-son. I am grateful for every day I was privileged to be your Cat-dad. I love you.

A Gray-brown tabby cat sitting in the edge of a desk looking at the camera — The view from my writing/work desk for almost 8 years.

Honestly, the last month has felt like a year in itself and a hard year at that. I’m just going to let it and 2025 as a whole fade away and instead only remember the period for three things:

I have an amazing spouse, partner, and friend and I could not have made it through this year, and especially these last 4 weeks, without them. I could not possibly imagine a better human companion to have by my side on life’s journey.
I’m still proud to have released my first novel in 2025 and finally fulfill a long-delayed dream of 30+ years.
I returned to therapy and found a therapist who’s a better fit for me. I’m very glad to have another tool in my toolbox when it comes to whatever 2026 decides to throw at me,

Speaking of 2026, I don’t make resolutions when the new year arrives. I instead prefer to set actionable goals for myself, express hopes for what’s to come, and try to have positive intentions about my actions in the new year.

My biggest goal is to complete at least one draft of something in 2026, be it novel, novella, novelette, short story… Something. Anything. 2025 was a bit of a lost year for me, writing-wise, so getting back into my writing routine and redeveloping the consistency that helped me complete Tales of a Stranger Sister will no doubt do wonders for both my mood and attitude in the upcoming year.

I hope that some of those out there who bought my first novel will read it and feel strongly enough about it to want to write a review.

As for intentions, I want to make more of an effort to take better care of the doughy meat-suit my brain dwells inside. I want to connect and reconnect with people, both friends and family as well as the communities I am part of. Lastly, I intend to try and do the most good I can, when circumstances allow for it, and accept that I cannot single-handedly fix everything, but that does not mean I cannot make some things better in some small way.

I don’t know what’s in store in the year 2026, but I hope there’s some good coming, for all of us.

A gray-brown tabby cat sleeping on a brightly colored bed — And to also take the evergreen lesson from Burghie – to rest when rest is needed.

And if it doesn’t come, that we make some good for each other.

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Let the 6 weeks of not giving a f*** about my diet commence!

Published by J. Robert Matthewson on November 24, 2025

The Staff of Aburaya bringing forth a feast from Studio Ghibli's Spirited Away.

American Thanksgiving is upon us and thus kicks off six weeks of perpetual “cheat” days as we barrel full speed into that glorious amorphous blob of weeks lovingly referred to as “The Holidays.”

I’m not one to go gung-ho over Christmas and I’m firmly of the belief that the famous fat man needs to stay away until at least the turkey carcass has been carted away. That said, there are things about this whole time of year that I do enjoy and look forward to. I love decorating the house the weekend after Thanksgiving with my Spouse, blasting nerdy Christmas music, drinking hot cocoa and figuring out which geeky ornaments make the cut this year for the tree. Giving gifts to friends is something I like doing, even if sometimes it’s frustratingly hard to find the quote-unquote “perfect” one for them.

But tops of the list is the food, both consuming and preparing. From making Pecan Pie for Thanksgiving to helping figure out our contributions to various holiday meals, tis the season to nom often and voraciously. Yeah, I know, the guy who dedicated maybe 20% of his first novel to descriptions of food likes to eat. Shocking, I’m sure.

Anyway, in honor of the season, I’d like to use this space to share what I’m thankful for in 2025.

First, for the 19th year in a row, I’m most thankful for my amazingly awesome (and awesomely amazing) spouse, S. E. Robertson/C. A. Moss. Having them in my life, makes it better and they help make ME want to be a better person.

Next, I’m incredibly thankful that I was able to finally achieve the dream that sat unfulfilled for 30+ years and published my first novel. I am thankful for anyone who gave it a chance and especially thankful for those who had kind things to say about my debut effort.

I’m thankful that I’m back in therapy and seemed to have found a therapist that is a good fit for me and what I need right now. 2025 was a rough one, mental health-wise, but I feel like I’m starting to right the ship as we approach 2026.

Lastly, I’m thankful that I’m finally, if slowly, finding my feet again writing-wise and have begun earnestly crafting the next novel. Expect to hear more about that in this space in 2026.

But before we get too far ahead of ourselves, we still have 6 weeks or so of 2025 and that means holiday sales and deals! I’ll be participating in Smashwords’ End of the Year Sale. I’ll be back with more details on that next week.

Lastly, as we are about to be inundated with mistletoe and holly 24/7 (if you aren’t already), I just had to share the strangest and yet most delightful interpretation of the holiday season’s most famous icon. May I introduce you to a Santa… with muscles?

Blu-Ray of the cinematic trainwreck from noted racist, Hulk Hogan, Santa with Muscles.

No! Not him! (Seriously, fuck that dead racist.)

Kazushige Sanda, Shiori Fuyumura, and Hitoshi Amaya from "SANDA" from Science Saru

This guy! Jolly Ol’ Saint Kick Your Ass. Jacked Frost. Badass Santa. Kazushige Sanda.

Once again, my spouse has found another bizarre, but utterly amazing Anime for us to consume and SANDA is quite possibly the most interesting interpretation of Santa Claus I’ve ever had the pleasure to experience. If you have a Prime subscription, it’s worth checking out. At least it’ll give you another reason to use it until Fallout season 2 starts.

Okay, that’s gonna wrap up things here until after Turkey Day. If you celebrate, whether with blood family, chosen family, or found family, I hope the holiday and the whole upcoming season stress-free and there is joy to be found for you and yours.

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Learning lessons and getting back to work…

Published by J. Robert Matthewson on September 1, 2025

A large stream with small waterfalls set against a backdrop of autumn foliage. Taken by me in 2022.

Welcome to September. The spiritual end of summer, if not the meteorological or calendrical one. That also mean its the beginning of fall, and while we sadly get very little of it in my hometown these days, it remains my favorite season, nonetheless.

Okay, so last time we spoke I got pretty vulnerable about my fears concerning the then upcoming Narratess Indie Book Sale. So, how did it go? Were my fears justified?

Well, both yes and no. My sales for all three days combined were anemic, and that would be putting it very politely, so my first real chance at exposing my book to a large number of new eyeballs was met with a deafening yawn, which was exactly the reaction I wanted least.

That said, it wasn’t zero and I am grateful for that. So, to the handful of people who took a chance on my debut novel this month, you have my sincere and heartfelt thanks and I hope that my story is an interesting experience for you.

Staying focused on the positive, the sale did generate my first sales in the UK and Germany, so now I can say my book has a presence on three different continents (waves at Australia and my first international reader.) That’s pretty neat.

And while I did not get the desired results from joining the Narratess sale, there were things about it I did appreciate (as well as some criticisms) that I think will help me plan future marketing attempts.

In terms of the things I liked about it, the sheer volume and variety of titles being offered was amazing and truly shows the breadth and depth of what is being offered by independent & self-published writers and storytellers whose stories would never have had a chance to earn their creators money, let alone even be seen just 15 years ago due to the nature of traditional publishing. That in itself is a win for everyone, regardless of sales generated.

The other thing I really appreciated was how the sale website was set up, displaying the titles being offered in the sale randomly with each refresh, meaning that new books were always being shown each time the page was loaded. It made it feel like a thumb wasn’t being put on the scale, which is very much appreciate by those who work in niche genres and styles. It also had a filter search, making it easy to find books in your preferred taste in genres.

That said, the website did have some issues in regard to the filters, which seemed to treat everything as an AND, and never as an OR, meaning that unless you absolutely wanted a book that was both A AND B, it would not show books that were A OR B, which can be frustrating.

And while the website was built to show all sorts of books with no deference given to any specific titles, the author community participating was very much not of the same mindset and most social media posts promoting the sale and making recommendations seemed to keep pushing the same dozen or so titles. By the end of the weekend, it felt less like “Here’s a great sale with over 300+ unique titles to check out!” and more “Hey! Here’s your chance to grab these dozen books on the cheap and if you have a spare buck or two after that, maybe grab on these other books, or whatever.”

Finally, there were the bundles. I’m not opposed to bundles. I think they are both effective tools to promote multiple artists/projects and great for consumers who may have such limited disposable income that taking a chance on unknown piece of art is legitimately hard to do financially. My problem is running both a sale and bundles within the sale. Basically, the bundles got a ton of promotion before and during the sale and if your book wasn’t in a bundle (and there can be many reasons why you might not wish to participate), then you were relegated to “Oh and maybe buy these other books if you have any money left.”

That said, there is no sour grapes here and I will not begrudge anyone else any success they had last weekend, whether they were in a bundle or they had wrote one of the more popular titles being offered. Their success was earned and deserved and did not come at my expense. I can be both disappointed in my own lack of success and happy that others found some of their own.

This experience has not soured me on group promotions. I do plan to participate in another in October, though that one is much more genre focused and while my book isn’t a textbook example of the genre in question, it shares enough characteristics to be in the same neighborhood if not on main street. I’ll have more here about that when the time draws closer.

The other thing this experience has not done is deterred me from writing my next book. Indeed, the lack of interest in my book during the sale has only added fuel to a fire that had been smoldering for most of the summer. Taking a month off has also given that fire some much needed oxygen and it’s once more burning brightly to the point where I’m writing 4-5 sticky notes a day at work, so that I remember to type them up when I get home in the evening. I’m back to work, starting the first draft of what I’m pretty damn sure will be my next release. Some writers need coffee and scented candles to find the mood and energy to write. I apparently need video games and spite. I can accept that about myself.

Anyway, I’m not ready to drop any details about the before-mentioned next book, but I do feel I’ll be talking about it in more depth sooner rather than later, so stay tuned to this space for that.

Before I go, I wanted to take a quick moment to give both a hearty congratulations and much deserve plug for my awesomely amazing and amazingly awesome spouse who releasing their 12th book today! The Strangers’ Sanctuary is an authentic and beautiful story and I am incredibly proud to have been part of its creation as both an alpha and beta reader, but as also as a general cheerleader and sounding board as they worked on it. I honestly cannot recommend this book highly enough because any praise I give it would feel inadequate. This is a book that will make you feel… all sorts of things, but you will feel something, that I promise you. It’s an experience and its one I think worth exploring for everyone.

Trope (ish) graphic for The Strangers' Sanctuary. Tagline: When home betrays you, build a new home.
Mockup in center of ereader and paperback with cover: a woman and a man leaning on a fence, gazing over a hilly landscape.
Left side text:
* queernorm world & mostly queer cast
* thorny themes, cozy setting
* small-town festivals & gatherings
* supportive mentors
* found family (when the first one fails you)
Center text: cover: maybarros.carrd.co
Right side text: a small-scale fantasy novel with trauma, triumph and community

Okay, that’s it for me for now. If you have it where you are, then enjoy your fall. Take a walk, wear a sweater, enjoy some foliage, sit by a campfire, drink some cider, & perhaps even read a book or two.

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Narratess Sale: Where Excitement Meets Terror…

Published by J. Robert Matthewson on August 22, 2025

Banner for the Narratess Indie Book Sale. A Dragon with a small pile of skulls and a ringed planet are surrounded by several dozen books.

Text: Indie Book Sale

indiebook.sale

Fantasy, Sci FI & Horror

August 23 - 25

Banner designed by Arden Powell

As I mentioned in my last post, Tales of a Stranger Sister will be part of the upcoming Narratess Fantasy, Sci-Fi, & Horror Indie Book Sale.

While this won’t be my first time running a promotion, this will be the first time I’ll be part of a large-scale group promotion. I had hoped to be a part of the last Narratess sale that was held in April, but of course, when I had learned it existed, the cutoff for signups had already passed, so I ran a solo promotion that same weekend to, well, ah… let’s say results, and just leave it at that.

Honestly, this is something I’ve been looking forward to ever since I published my debut novel. Living with a self-published author for these last 11 years, I’ve gotten to see how these group promotions tend to go, and my spouse/editor/publishing guru always seems to come out on the other side of these ventures seeing very positive results. So, now’s my chance to be a part of this and, honestly, it couldn’t have come at a better time for me.

We’re coming up on the six-month anniversary of the release of Tales of a Stranger Sister and sales, so far, have been… uh… Well, I won’t say they’re disappointing because I legitimately worried that no one would actually want to read my book at all, so the fact that a dozen people were willing to take a chance and give me actual currency in exchange for my work is something I will never not be both thankful for and in awe about.

That said, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t wish that number was more. I’m proud of this book and, dammit, I think there are people who would absolutely love it if they found it. It’s just been hard finding those people and putting it in front of their eyeballs, despite it feeling like I’m doing everything short of hurling copies at people’s heads and screaming “READ THIS!” So, this is my first real, true opportunity to expose my book to a large number of people and, in turn, hopefully generate sales, and, more importantly, eventually generate more reviews and ratings which can only help boost its footprint in a vast internet ocean (Footprints in the ocean? Sorry, I think that metaphor got away from me.)

So, I’m excited for this weekend to finally see what my story can do with actual exposure to a its potential audience.

And I’m equally terrified.

Because there is also the chance that it completely fails to generate any interest with the indie book-buying public, and I will no longer have that excuse that sales have been slow because no one knew it existed. I would have to face the fact that I might have created something that no one wants, or worse, even if it was something they wanted, what I’m offering is mediocre or even bad. That I am a bad writer who wrote a bad book and the best I can hope for is a dozen readers who are too indiscriminate with their disposable income and too kind to tell me to eff off with my bad book.

So, yeah, I got that running in the back of my mind. Good ol’ imposter syndrome with an unhealthy dose of insecurity. Boy, what a fun blog entry this turned out to be, huh? Aren’t you glad you stopped by?

Okay, enough of that! I’ve always said that I wrote and self-published this book the way I did because I wanted to have the freedom to make the creative decisions I wanted to make and to let the book succeed or fail on my own terms. So, I guess we’ll see, won’t we?

That said, as there are over 300+ books in this sale, written by fellow indie authors from all across the vast spectrum of humanity, I should also do my share to support them as much I hope they’ll support me. So, here are a selection of some of the titles I plan to pick up this weekend to help carry me through the fall and winter reading season (Please click on the book below to see the full-sized image and description):

Narratess Indie Book Sale Ad for "Non-Player Character" by Veo Corva

Text:
Tar and their found family role-playing group get transported into the world of their game in this cosy queer portal fantasy for adults

Narratess Indie Book Sale Ad for "Journey Home" by May Barros

Text:
Amara e Luiza are witches in a queerplatonic relationship. Luiza leaves of a quest through space and ends up finding trouble. Amara follows, hoping its not too late.

And, of course, I’d be a real dingus if I didn’t also give a hearty, full-throated endorsement of my amazingly awesome and awesomely amazing spouse’s own entry for the sale:

Narratess Indie Book Sale Ad for "How I Became a Therapist in Another World Vol. 1-4" By C.A. Moss

Text:
Reborn in a Fantasy world, a queer 30-something therapist finds new friends, new purpose and a bit of romance while untangling the mysteries of the otherworld.

Seriously, it’s great, and you should grab a copy this weekend if you haven’t gotten one already.

And also speaking of my better half and partner in literary crimes, their newest novel, The Strangers’ Sanctuary, is now available for pre-order and will be out on September 1st! It’s amazing, honest, & authentic. A genuinely good read, so check it out if small-scale fantasy is your proverbial cup of tea.

The cover form The Strangers' Sanctuarty by S.E. Robertson. Vover features a male and female figure standing next to a fence looking at a road leading to a building in the distance.

Anyway, I hope you all find some books this weekend that scratch whatever itch your imagination has at the moment and if mine happens to be that particular backscratcher, then thank you! Thank you so very much!

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Updates from Vacation Land…

Published by J. Robert Matthewson on August 9, 2025

A scene from "Laid-back Camp" in which one of the main characters relaxes in a camping chair by a fire next to a calm lake.

We’re a week into my August self-imposed vacation from writing, and the results so far have been interesting. I do feel like taking the time away from sitting down every evening to write has let my brain get some much-needed breathing room and as a result, new ideas are already beginning to flourish.

The biggest benefit of this has been that I think I finally nailed down what my next project will be. It’s an idea I first came up with like 5-10 years ago, but really, it was just a setting without an actual story attached, so the idea kinda just sat there waiting for an actual story to come along.

I think I finally have the beginnings of that story. Now, this comes along with a lot of big ol’ caveats. I only have a handful of story beats even remotely fleshed out in my head and on paper, but what I have is the general 10,000-foot up view of what acts 1, 2, and 3 will be about, along with some character notes, and some other general hodge-podge mish-mash of scene ideas and plot points.

Nothing that makes feel like I must cut the vacation short and rush back to the writing desk, but enough to also not make me dread that rapidly approaching time when I will. I’m excited about starting this new project but not necessarily chomping at the bit.

Yet.

So, what else have I been do with this time away from the literary grindstone? Mostly getting our new gaming rig set up with all the stores and emulators I’ll need for the next wave of games. I did treat myself and picked up the Silent Hill 2 remake from Bloober Team when it was 40% off on GOG.

Silent Hill 2 holds a special place in my heart as a video game. Both it and its precursor mark the first time a video game made me feel legitimate dread and unease while playing, which is quite the feat for any game from the PS1/PS2 era. The first game’s atmosphere was something that few “horror” games had attempted in the 90s, as most preferred to rely on the classic jump scare. The sequel, however, might just be not only the best written horror story in video game history, it might be one of the best stories, period. Now, nearly 25 years later, a remake built for modern graphics expectations arrived and I’ve been eagerly waiting to travel once more into the quiet, foggy town of Silent Hill.

I played the original PS2 version of Silent Hill 2 at least a half-dozen times, so I’m well versed in the story and the narrative twists and turns James’ journey takes him through. I wondered if I could possibly feel that same sense of dread and foreboding playing this graphically superior version.

The short answer: Yes. I find myself tensely gripping my controller as I try to navigate even the earliest parts of this story. The game not only looks absolutely gorgeous; the atmosphere of isolation and loneliness has been perfectly preserved. Logically, I KNOW I shouldn’t be running into anything too difficult or deadly this early on, and yet, I’m cautiously creeping along wondering if even the most basic monsters will eat my face. Indeed, the limit amount of combat I’ve seen makes me realize that if I can avoid it, that’s the smart play because James is as physically fragile as he is emotionally (which is as it should be, IMO.)

As it is a remake of a late 90s/early 2000s game, it definitely retained some game design elements from that era, for good and ill. Just been stabbed? Better drink an energy drink! That’ll patch you right up. Now, why would you think that you could walk up those stairs? Can’t you see the single bucket blocking your way affixed to the earth like it was Mjölnir waiting for Thor. That is something you absolutely definitely could never EVER just STEP OVER. Nope.

On the other hand, the voice acting is much improved from the original. I mean, the original part 2 was leagues above part 1’s, but even then, there were bits where you could tell Konami was not going to pay for a second take, which leads to some, um, interesting choices on how the actors read their lines. In the remake, it’s clear (so far) that the actors took the time to try and understand their characters and match the performance to them.

Anyway, I’m not even out of South Vale and I’m taking this playthrough deliciously slow (also, I’m avoiding playing too close to bedtime because I do not need THAT running through my brain as I sleep. Further updates as warranted.

Next, as we’re firmly into August, let’s look back at July’s sales figures for Tales of a Stranger Sister:

Well, it’s not zero, so that’s something, at least. Do I wish it was more? Oh, most definitely, but I won’t say that the two people who took a chance my debut novel is nothing, either. I’m still blown away that anyone would want to read my book, so the fact that there have been multiple someones is something I will celebrate.

I won’t post a graph of Kindle Unlimited page reads for July because, well, there were none. In the last five and a half months, there’s only been one complete readthrough and one where someone got five pages in and noped out (which is their right, and I won’t begrudge them that.)

That leads me to my next bit of business. My current term on Kindle Select / Kindle Unlimited runs out right before the end of August and I think it might be time to leave the program and go wide for the ebook version. It’s a shame, really, because Kindle Unlimited actually pays me MORE per full read than what I charge for the ebook version, but it doesn’t matter how good the royalty rate is if NO ONE is reading it there, so this is the official announcement: Tales of a Stranger Sister will be leaving Kindle Unlimited on August 27th. If you are interested in reading it with that service, please download it as soon as possible as if you download it before it leaves the program, you will still be able to read it using Kindle Unlimited after it leaves.

Once I get the book set up on other ebook services, I’ll make the announcement here, so stay tuned for that as well as for some other ebook-related news in the next week or so (fingers crossed.)

Okay, I’m gonna wrap up things here for now. I’m hoping to have some good/interesting news in the next week or so and if it comes, I’ll share it here. So, until then, stay cool folks.

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Taking a break…

Published by J. Robert Matthewson on July 27, 2025

Calvin and Hobbes sitting under a tree, resting, next to a sign that says "Time out". Ary by Bill Watterson — Art by Bill Watterson (1994)

Okay, so let’s talk writing and productivity and, more specifically, the lack of it. Ever since I published Tales of a Stranger Sister, I’ve been trying to make real, substantial progress on my next book.

Results have been… well, not great to be honest. I’ve attempted to start three separate projects in that time and while I penned several thousand words across these three projects, I wouldn’t exactly say I’m satisfied with much of it. I think I have three interesting and fun ideas to write about, but what I don’t have is a single story amongst the three, and certainly not one that would fill a novel.

As I said in my last post, this last year has been interesting. Between finishing the debut novel, jumping into promotion and marketing mode (“BUY MY BOOK!“), career changes, family health issues both human and feline, and the state of the world being what I could charitably describe as “a radioactive septic tank fire”, it’s possible that it all might just have been a touch too interesting for me.

But beyond that, I spent over two and a half years straight working on Stranger Sister. Every day. It became a habit, a part of my daily routine and, frankly, it’s been hard to break free from the mindset of needing to sit down and tweak that text just one more time.

Lastly, and to be at my most blunt, I’m tired. I’ve been adjusting to a new life routine that is very different from the life routine I had while drafting and editing Stranger Sister. It just feels exhausting to force myself to tack on trying to create a new story every evening. It’s starting to become where I now resent the time I set aside every evening for writing. A time which I normally love but am growing frustrated with because nothing I writing right now feels like it’s moving me toward my goal of having a second book.

I am well aware that resentment than easily morph into hate and loathing and I very much don’t want to hate the time I spend writing. So, knowing that, I have made some decisions on what my next moves will be in both the short and medium term.

I’m going to take a short break from writing. Not a hiatus. More like a vacation. Possibly even a working vacation.

Until the end of August, I’m taking some time for myself. I’m not stepping away from writing 100% during the next 5 weeks or so, but I’m also not going to force myself to sit at my laptop for 1-2 hours every night trying to force words for a story that just isn’t coming right now. If I get ideas about one of my premises that might finally blossom into an actual story, I’ll take the time to write it down. If I do nothing writing related that day, I won’t angst about it. No pressure. No writing or creative obligations for 5 weeks.

I plan to catch up on some media I’ve backlogged for the last 4 months, play some games on our new gaming rig, and even read a few books from my TBR pile that I’ve neglected for far too long. In other words, expose and immerse myself to other stories and let myself get inspired again. Get out of my head and let someone else steer my imagination for a while. Honestly, that usually helps a lot when I find that I’m spinning my wheels.

As I said before, this will be a bit of a working vacation. I still plan to promote Stranger Sister during this period, and indeed I have some plans in the works for late August in terms of both promoting and expanding the availability of my debut novel. So, I will obviously have to still dedicate time to that, but I’m feeling optimistic that it will ultimately be productive for me as a creator.

Now, seeing that this is day one of my self-imposed writing vacation, that means I managed to write 1200 words of notes on a story premise I backburnered five years ago and an entire blog post today.

…

Because of course I did.

Tomorrow. I’ll start my writing vacation tomorrow.

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Another trip around the sun…

Published by J. Robert Matthewson on July 13, 2025

The character No-Face from "Spirited Away" eating a slice of cake

It’s my birthday weekend! I’m now, officially, in my “Late 40s.” So, um… yay? Yay.

No, seriously, yay! YAY, even! This has been a, let’s say, interesting year to say the least, but I’m still kickin’ and I’m still moving forward every day, even if it’s only a few measly millimeters (Yeah, I’m throwing metric at all yinz.)

This year has been marked by some drastic life changes for me and my spouse, some health drama, and, of course, *wildly gesticulates out the window at the world* all THAT. But in the end, my spouse and I are still standing and even, dare I say, thriving.

Probably the thing that had the biggest impact on my life in the last year was that of some upheaval in my professional life. I prefer not to go into the specifics here, but it looks like I’ve come out the other side of it finding myself in a similar, if possibly slightly better (in some ways) place. The second biggest thing was some medical drama involving my awesomely amazing and amazingly awesome spouse. Again, we’ve managed to come out the other side of it relatively fine, everything considered, to which I’m extraordinarily grateful to the universe for.

Which brings us to the third most impactful item of the last year: Finally publishing my first novel. But what do I mean by impactful? Do I mean it has impacted my life financially? Uh… no. Not really. I’ve sold maybe a dozen copies in the last 4 1/2 months. Has it impacted my life in terms of fame? Again, no, because A.) I write under a pen name, and B.) even if I didn’t, I’ve, again, sold maybe a dozen copies so the number of people who are even aware I wrote a novel could all sit comfortably on a city bus.

The characters Chihiro and No-Face sitting on an empty train at night — Conceptual depiction of the fans of my book all gathered in one place

And yet, I can’t help but feel like the simple act of creating a book and putting it out there has changed my life forever, even if I can’t define how in easily tangible ways.

Anyway, as it is my birthday, let’s talk gifts. I decided to give myself a gift this year and bought my spouse and I our first high-end dedicated gaming PC. I have been a console gamer for years, but was getting steadily frustrated with not being able to play everything I’ve wanted to because it was either A.) exclusive to a console we didn’t own (e.g. The Last of Us), or B.) already on a console generation beyond what we already own. So, instead of dropping money on yet another console that won’t have like 35% of the games we want to play/try available for it but will cost several hundred dollars and take up space we don’t have on our entertainment center, I decided to make the investment to buy a gaming PC. The biggest benefit of which is that like 97% of console exclusive titles are available on Steam for PC and I’m now set up to play all the upcoming games in the franchises I love or have been meaning to try for years, but couldn’t due to lack of correct console.

In any case, I’m practically giddy with anticipation about playing Borderlands 4, Silent Hill 2 Remake, Silent Hill 1 Remake, Silent Hill F (Wait, a non-Remake Silent Hill and it’s written by the team behind Higurashi?! Well, sign me the eff up!), The Last of Us I & II remasters, Grand Theft Auto VI, The Outer World 2, and somewhere in the far, FAR distant future, Elder Scrolls VI and Fallout 5. Oh, and the library of some like 200+ games we’ve already accumulated from Steam, GOG, and Epic. Also, I love watching my spouse play some of their favorite games, so even when the joystick’s not in my hands, I’m being entertained. That’s the classic win-win.

Moving from gifts for me, let’s talk gifts for YOU (Yes, you reading this!). That’s right, I’m pulling a Hobbit and using my birthday as a chance to give gifts to others For the next 24-hours or so, the ebook version of Tales of a Stranger Sister will be 0.99¢. That’s nearly 66% off! Heck, let’s be generous and say it’s practically 67% off! If you’ve been thinking of checking out my debut novel, or you have and know someone who might enjoy it, then today’s the day to grab a digital copy!

So, looking ahead, what’s on the horizon for the next trip around the angry flaming ball in the sky? Well, besides all the gaming I’m about to do? This next year will be interesting as I try to balance marketing the book I’ve already written while continuing to try and pen the next one. Do I expect to have a second book out by the time we meet back up here in a year’s time? Honestly? Probably not, but I do fully expect to have a clear idea when it will be ready for release as I hope to be fully engaged in the revising, rewriting, and editing phases of that project by that time. I’m not making any promises other than I’ll work hard and try my best to not make anyone hoping for another book wait an unreasonable amount of time. As I get closer to a finished draft I’ll more likely than not start sharing details of the next story, so there is that to look forward to.

So, let’s put a bow on this chat and close it out by telling anyone reading this the following:

Thank you!

Thank you for checking out my site and blog. Thank you for following me on social media. Thank you for checking out my book. Thank you for especially buying it. Thank you extra especially for reading it. Thank you extra EXTRA especially for rating and reviewing it. A year ago, I wondered if any of the previous statements could ever be true, but they’ve all happened and that might just be the best gift of all.

It’s time for another go-round on this 584-million-mile ride on a ball spinning at 1,000 miles per hour as it flies at 67,000 miles per hour through effin’ SPACE.

Anime characters riding and screaming on a roller coaster

So, please, keep your hands and arms inside the vehicle at all times.

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Navigating down the river and into a much larger ocean…

Published by J. Robert Matthewson on July 2, 2025

The character Anne Shirley, a red-haired girl in a simple dress, sitting in a small boat that has sprung a leak and is filling with water.

Ever since Tales of a Stranger Sister debuted in March, it has been an Amazon exclusive. In terms of ebook sales, that will continue to be the case until at least the end of August, at which point I will have to make a decision as to whether I should leave Kindle Select and start selling on other ebook retailers.

However, as my Kindle Select membership only impacts the current availability of the ebook version, that does not prevent me from announcing that the paperback version is now available for sale outside of the Amazon ecosystem through Draft2Digital.

So, if you’ve been holding off on trying my book on the principal of not handing one of the frankly too many creepy billionaires another penny of your money, then this is some, albeit probably tempered, good news.

Full disclosure – the paperback is more expensive outside of Amazon. However, I am by no means trying to get rich off my audience. I chose a price that simply kept the same royalty-rate as I earned on Amazon, the paperback version already being smallest royalty of the three options currently available. Honestly, this is not so much about trying to make more money (I am barely making any as it stands now) and more about offering my potential audience an alternative if they are not comfortable shopping Amazon under the current world circumstances (which, hey, I totally get.)

As I am no longer on only one marketplace, I have created a books2read page and link to make it easier to see where my book is currently available for sale. As of this posting, it is still only Amazon, but in the next two weeks, it should (hopefully) begin showing up as a print book for sale from a number of different book retailers worldwide. I will be updating the links as these retailers start listing it. Anyway, here’s that link:

https://books2read.com/stranger-sister

I hope this minor tweak in availability will help those looking for a story like mine find it. And of course, to those who have already found and read it – Thank you for giving my book a chance. I sincerely hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed creating it.

Update: Tales of a Stranger Sister is now available as a paperback at Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, and Booktopia (for our friends down under.)

Moving on, It’s July, so that means a whole new batch of sales data for the previous month. Let’s see if I managed to top my Scrooge McDuckian fortune that was last month’s take of one cent…

A sales chart showing 1 book sold for the month of June

Another sales chart showing 804 pages read through Kindle Unlimited in the month of June

Okay… This is a lot better than a penny. After not selling a single copy in almost 2 months, it’s nice to see the blip of life on the sales chart again. Honestly, I’m more intrigued by the KU page reads this month. It appears that someone tore through the book over the course of a 4-5 days at the beginning of the month and a second person has started it at the end. So, at least the kindle select exclusivity isn’t totally going to waste.

Well, that about wraps up this update. I always feel at a loss as how to end these posts, so… Cats?

Two grayish-brown American shorthair cats laying on a blue couch. — Cats.

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Midsummer!

Published by J. Robert Matthewson on June 22, 2025

Hi again! A happy, and hopefully not-sweltering, midsummer/summer solstice to everyone who reads these little snippets of my thoughts. May the longest day and shortest night of the year bring you good times with good weather and with great people.

A field of yellow dandelions under a cloudless blue sky with the sun shining down on everything

Without going into spoilers, midsummer features very prominently in Tales of a Stranger Sister, so I wanted to talk a little bit about that here. Honestly, those chapters were probably my favorite to write during both the initial draft and subsequent rewrites, and it was one of the few times during the whole process where I never struggled to move from one word to the next. A chance to put into words those feelings of pure, unadulterated joy is one of the memories I’ll most treasure as I look back on creating this book in both the near and distant future.

More than anything else, those chapters were definitely the most fun I had during the whole process, and I certainly made sure to indulge in describing as much wonderful summer food as possible. Much of it was based on, or at least heavily inspired, by the food I would indulge in as a younger man during the long summer months, and while we’re still a few more weeks away from the best sweet corn of the season here, every time I re-read those passages while editing, I could taste it in my imagination.

The other part that was an absolute joy to write was the midsummer night bonfire sequence. Again, without giving any spoilers, that whole sequence has been something I’ve wanted to do in a fantasy story for a long, long time, so I’m eternally grateful that I had the opportunity to do so with my debut novel.

Anyway, to those who’ve read it, I hope you felt the joy that I felt crafting those chapters, and to those who may be thinking of giving my story I try, I hope it brings to mind pleasant memories of long warm days, short warm nights, good food, and better company.

And to help set a mood for those chapters and for summer in general, here’s a piece of music from The Gothard Sisters that will hopefully inspire thoughts of summer festivals full of merriment and wonderful food under clear, blue skies.

Until next time, stay cool, everyone!

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