Have Faith
Tomorrow will be another beautiful day
Hey! Did you tune in?
Scheduled programs and proper timing are a lost art as we move into a new quarter century.
The world’s now on demand, but for certain entertainment that has always been the case—notably relevant for me, the way a book waits for you to pick it up rather than the other way around.
Maybe there’s an ebb and flow to expectations, but I doubt we’ll ever really know.
All I can hope for is that you enjoy the show.
Live on the Air
The interview with Samuel N. Harris last Friday was a success!
I had a lot of fun spending the hour talking mostly about Maneus.
My tome of a novel is not always the easiest to approach, but I believe I was able to communicate why I think it’s worth reading.
More than the heady structure and historical weight, I have always wanted to be a storyteller and Maneus helped me achieve that goal.
I wanted to entertain an audience with my book on the stage.
I wanted to build a world where people are not afraid to ask difficult questions and explore complex ideas.
Nunca tenha medo do seu inimigo
Quando não é você que começa a brigar
Também nunca ande de cabeça baixa e bem danado
Pois nem tudo que cai do céu é sagrado
Never be afraid of your enemy
When you didn’t start the fight
And never walk with your head down and damned
Because not everything that falls from the sky is sacred
Although the more I put it into words, it became clear that Maneus is my heart screaming in a violent rage:
I want to be comfortable being me.
In less dramatically spelled statements, I also had to deal with a bit of whiplash as I jumped into the interview. It had been a good while since I thought so much about my inspiration and motivation for writing Maneus.
I forgot some of the oddities that were in my head while working on my modern epic. There was a long process of moving from a scribbled audio drama to discovering novel ways to combine fantastical journeys and generational trauma.
That’s because I’ve been focusing much more on Rhean these past few months.
My new story is still in the same world, but it feels drastically different. Much more of a classic fantasy adventure and much less of a strange artistic voyage.
Rhean Release
Speaking of Rhean, the physical book should be ready in a matter of weeks. I’ve had a few people proofread the rough draft and am happy to share they were all satisfied with the story.
I still need to figure out all the formatting and do another read through the text, but that is more a formality than a cause for a longer delay—all the little details that need to be checked before printing.
Even with extra sets of eyes having looked over every word, I’m sure many typos were missed. I know there will be oddly spaced blocks of text. Rhean the book will never be perfect—and that’s okay.
If anything, putting together broken fragments matches the theme of the story in a beautiful way.
Before I dive too far down the deep end, the important bit of information is that I’m thinking a release is likely either mid-may or earlier.
So, mark your calendar (in pencil) and I’ll let you know a more definitive date in the weeks to come.
Light Everlasting
There is also a new shadow forming on the wall. That silhouette of what I originally planned to write when I dropped hints of a new book last winter.
Another novelesque piece of prose by John M. Bauer.
Of course, it’s something with a strange title:
It’s worth mentioning that with this nascent idea, I have also signed up for the new season of Buildspace. I think I’ll use that as a motivational push—a way to force myself to get it out and into the world on a deadline.
I don’t have any naive expectations of winning, but it is always nice to have more eyes on my work.
Besides, with the new season starting on my birthday, I felt like I had to join!
Until next time.
Cheers,
JMB