Hello

To new readers and old, welcome to Tim Allen Stories! This post features Castles in the Air, Part 3, the final installment of a mash-up novella set in a faux-Medieval/“Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser”-style fantasy/English cozy-style mystery. 

Before we get to that, I have to acknowledge that it’s been several months since my last post. If you’ve been waiting for this last installment of Castles in the Air, I sincerely thank you for your patience. But that begs the question of what delayed this post for so long? What’s been happening behind the scenes? And what will happen next?


(Introduction continues after Shortcuts)

Shortcuts


I told myself that I needed to take a break for the holidays, and that I would finish this last installment after New Years. But when I still wasn’t writing months later, I knew something was wrong. I did begin writing then, but my progress was painfully slow, and to my surprise,  painfully stressful. What could be the cause?

Friends went on an exciting vacation to Europe, and they suggested I should get out of my rut and travel too. But I’ve done my share of traveling already, and the thought of packing a suitcase again held no allure. On the other hand, I did realize I needed to take some sort of  “vacation” from my daily, humdrum life.

I did find a local and nascent writing community, which I think is a critical resource for any writer, and something I desperately needed. But just as the community was growing, external events out of anyone’s control quashed the burgeoning group. The post mortem is still undecided. 

However, I felt that as long as I was healthy, and had no deadlines except my own, I would eventually finish rewriting Castles in the Air. But then two distressing medical situations bookended my daily life and made me reevaluate things.

Right now, one-and-a-half things are clear. The “one thing” that is clear, is that I felt deeply obligated to finishing Castles in the Air, Part 3. If you’ve been loyal enough to stick with me through Castles in the Air, Parts 1 and 2, and an all too long hiatus in between, then I wasn’t going to let anything prevent me from finishing Part 3.

The challenge of any story, and especially a long one, is to “stick the landing.” That is, to write an ending that justifies the time and attention already spent by the reader. Despite Part 3 being 20 percent longer than originally planned, I hope it sticks the landing.

The “and-a-half thing” that is clear, is that I should probably produce Tim Allen Stories in another format. I have a rough idea of what that means, and I will be working on refining that idea in the future. 

Meanwhile, I’m going to take a break from writing new content on a regular basis. I might write an essay or two, or I might get crazy-inspired and post the two Kevin Galwynn sequels I have planned. But I’m not making any promises. 

In the meantime, this site will remain up until further notice. So, if you haven’t done so already, there’s plenty for you to read and I hope, enjoy. 


Backstage

I’m planning to have a more traditional format for my stories. If my plans come to fruition, I let you know here.

Shout-Outs

Try Gene Ambaum’s Library Comic, a web comic about… libraries. Gene and a cadre of his favorite artists, such as Willow Payne (see the “About” page on his site), publish a humorous web comic that is ostensibly about libraries, but is as much about human nature as anything else.

Trust me. Try it. Have a laugh. Maybe discover a new book or some amazing merchandise. Check out Library Comic.

Library Comic is published twice a week, on Monday and Wednesday. Book reviews are also published twice a week, on Tuesday and Thursday.

❖ ❖ ❖

A special shout-out to Shaina Krevat, who is an excellent author and YouTube advisor. Shaina provided me with valuable insights into the process of self-publishing your writing. If you’re thinking about self-publishing, Shaina’s YouTube tutorial might be just the thing you’re looking for!

Watch her YouTube posts at youtube.com/@shainak or visit her web site at shainakrevat.com 


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