Prompted by a stray memory, I checked back to the first message posted to this website, the "Introduction". It was created on August 21st, 2023... over ten years ago. I didn't start writing or sharing stories in the Empyrean Dreams universe until later that year, but it's been almost ten years for me, too.
That's impressive, if only for managing to keep a website going that long. I grant that my updates have slowed to about one per year, but it's not totally quiet yet! Plus, the previous Empyrean Dreams stories are all still here, all the books to date are still available for sale via links, and I'm still writing new stories.
Speaking of which... Third Time's the Curse, the next book in the Tales of the Scape Grace series, is very nearly complete. I should be announcing its availability soon, here and on our Facebook page. After that, I'll start writing "Biological Clock," the second of two short stories that will eventually become Stchvk Casefiles #2 (the first story, "Binding Threads," is already written).
In the meantime, Empyrean Dreams will be attending Erie ComiCon yet again this year, from September 8th to the 10th. Come on down if you're in town! If so, also, our books are available on the shelves at Books Galore and Werner Books, here in Erie.
What's next? My goal for 2024 is more promotion: more sales venues, targeted advertising, and possibly, a move to a different publishing platform. Amazon is a handy centralized platform with a low entry cost for self-publishing, but it's... well, Amazon. I'd like to find a printer who also offers some direct promotion, even if it's a pay-for-views arrangement.
You're welcome to help with that goal. Share your Empyrean Dreams books or tell a friend about one of our books or the whole series. Sales will hopefully follow, but right now, we'd like to get more (positive) attention.
- Nathan
p.s. I've considered something like Patreon as a source of funds for advertising, publishing costs, travel costs to attend Cons, etc., but so far, I've been kept too busy to guarantee regular output. Besides Empyrean Dreams, I ghost-write for a client and create and publish card games... and those are just the paying projects. If one of those jobs picks up, great, and I'll let you know if Empyrean has to pause. If not, though, I certainly have enough ideas for this setting to give it more frequent attention, and maybe set up a channel with regular updates. For one thought, I keep wanting to write a series of short stories about the history of the Scape Grace, those ten years that passed between Escape from Grace and The Wreck of the Untranslatable... a lot of interesting things can happen in ten years.
