So, uh, what happened to 2021 being better than 2020? Perhaps next year will be better— [Insert inspirational and upbeat monologue here!], so, let’s keep our fingers crossed for a better 2022!

>>An aside. Know what makes bad days go faster? Reading. Check out this list of excellent books—Gnats is included in this group promo, so if you liked it, you might find another favorite here… and, at the same time, make Gnats more visible to new readers!

That longwinded opening said, here’s my recap for what went on in my writing life this year. Oh, and at the end is an opportunity, so be sure to read on!

Allodasos

The first two novellas of my Allodasos series have been published! Gnats in February and Sinkhole in October. In addition to these, the Allodasos short story “The Final Battle of the Third Sphere” was published in the third issue of The Common Tongue Dark Fantasy Magazine in June. Finally, I released “On the Nature of Gnats” short in January for free to newsletter subscribers and “An Eidolon, Named Night” in October on Amazon.

Links
Book 1: Gnats
Book 2: Sinkhole
The Final Battle of the Third Sphere
An Eidolon, Named Night

The Macy Blush Collection

In my 2020 review, I mentioned that I had written The Wizard’s Staff. Well, I released it in February, and it EXPLODED. So I wrote more. And then more. Now, that’s book 1 of The Macy Blush Collection, a series of short novellas parodying Dungeons and Dragons campaigns and romance novels. And by exploded, I mean the series has already sold over 10,000 copies. Holy crap! The first three have already been narrated onto Audible by Dahlia Thomas. The next couple Audible books are in the works—I give her too much crap for how awesome she is. If you’re reading this, thanks! Oh, and the book Quickies With Macy Blush is free to newsletter subscribers, so if you haven’t got it yet, be sure to do so!

Links
The Wizard’s Staff: A Spellbinding Romance
The Wizard’s Tower: A Spellblinding Sequel
The Wizard’s Package: A Spellbinding Anthology
An Unembellished Backstory: The Brief Autobiography of Macy Blush
Cantrip Love: An Amorous Adventure
Quickies With Macy Blush

Short Stories and Poetry

While most of my concentration has been on Allodasos and Macy Blush this year, I did get a couple short stories and poems published as well. These include (in order of release):

“My Roommate is a Spider,” in In Parentheses, vol. 6, issue 3 (Winter 2021).

“Joining Adhemar,” in SHIFT, vol. 3 (2020/2021). pp98-99.

“First Contact,” on 101 Words (2 February 2021).

“Farrow,” in The Dillydoun Review, issue 4 (May 2021).

“A Division,” on 50-Word Stories (11 October 2021).

“Modern Dating,” in LEON: Literary Review, vol. 11 (1 December 2021).

The Rejection Counter

Just as I included last year, here’s my trusty rejection counter! This is my way of keeping myself motivated through rejections and long spurts of no response. You can be published if you don’t put yourself out there—here’s my proof to show I’ve put in the effort!

The ticker is at 357 submissions spanning 78 unique pieces, meaning I added 7 works and accumulated 164 letters of various degrees of encouragement from publishers that ultimately said “no.”

I’m not crying. You are.

2022

Enough of the past—let’s look at some slated projects for next year!

For Allodasos, book 3: Colorblind will arrive on January 7th. Yes, next week! Following that will be Stoneface (stay tuned for a cover reveal in the next couple of days) and then Uncommon Law. You’ll also be getting novella 6: Anmauth later this year and possibly even novella 7: Bone Orchard!

Now to the Macy Blush Collection. Dwarven Fetishes: Culture Shock in the Bottlegrip Clan Halls is tentatively slated for February 14 alongside Legend Lore: Macy Blush, non-fiction anthology 1 that it will be included in. Later in the year, you’ll also be getting (should time allow) Beauty in the Eyes of the Beholders, Asstro Projection, and Lute & Loot.

Preorder Links
Allodasos 3: Colorblind
Dwarven Fetishes: Culture Shock in the Bottlegrip Clan Halls

Opportunity!

Last but not least, here’s the final bit of information… And this one is an opportunity for you! A planned project for next year is to release a small anthology of Macy Blush-like micro-fiction/flash fiction — and I want to include some works from people who are not me! I’m not rich, but I intend to compensate any accepted pieces with both cash and a free print book. And don’t worry, you keep all rights to your work, I just ask for the right to publish. For more information, click on the cover of the anthology below!

Stay safe and well everybody,

Here’s to hoping for a better 2022!

~B.S.Roberts