Last month I talked about burnout. Here’s a link to that, in case you need a reminder:
(Wow, that’s a new layout….)
First off, thanks to some folks who reached out and gave me advice on burnout. I’ve actually learned a lot about it, and in retrospect I should have clarified that I was more “burned out” than dealing with chronic burnout. A great analogy I heard it being depressed vs. having depression. Now, if I hadn’t caught it in time, it would have become chronic burnout, but while I’m not 100% better, it’s still better than it was.
Of course, at the moment I’m physically sick (not COVID, just some kind of bug or maybe allergies that makes me tired and light headed).
But on the upside, I’m actually planning to attend in-person conventions again. This isn’t entirely new — I started attending them last year — but more “new to me” in that I’m focusing on European conventions. When you’ve been doing US conventions as long as I have, you start to internalize what shows you are likely to hit, when they hit, how much room and travel will cost, and so on. Now, it’s like I’m learning it all over again. I’m learning that travel is a bit cheaper, and I can use trains as well as planes. And I have done a couple of conventions on this side of the Atlantic before. But managing it for myself from here presents new skills to learn or re-learn. Still, I’m excited to figure it out!
Related, I’ve also been sorting out the business side of things here in England. I’m getting set up as a self-employed freelancer (what’s known as a “sole trader”), and I’ve reached out to a tax accountant to help with my taxes (which are generally easier, but still tricky for me for a couple of reasons). I’ve filed a trademark for “Pugmire” in tabletop RPGs here, and I’ve started getting everything nailed down to get money from my clients to me without having to incur fees from my US-based banks. I’ve also been accepted as a full member of the Writer’s Guild of Great Britain!
Even more exciting, I’ve been accepted into a new space! It’s five minutes’ walk from my flat, which is perfect, and it’s a small group of artists who cowork together. My desk isn’t exciting, but it’s great to have a place I can go to a couple times a week that isn’t staring at the walls of my flat.
So while I’m not completely settled in, the major obstacles are cleared!
News Roundup
Now that the UK branch of Pugsteady is up and running, what news do I have to share?
As mentioned, I’ll be at the UK Games Expo this year. I won’t be working a booth, but I will be running a few games!
Speaking of Realms of Pugmire, I just finished reviewing the edits for the manuscript, and it’s now in the hands of layout. I also got the jumpstart back from editing, so that’ll probably get to layout soon too! Due to the vagaries of art direction, there’s a good chance the jumpstart might get done earlier (it’s shorter, and thus less art needs to be purchased), but both are moving ahead!
In future book news, I’ve already started getting drafts for the soon-to-be-retitled Tome of Enemies for Realms of Pugmire, and I’ve started talking to a potential developer for the “cat book.” I had originally considered splitting the cat material across two books, but I’ve changed my mind on that, so now all the core cat material will be in one book for ease of access. More on that when we hash out the details!
My Media
I’m still binging Star Trek: Deep Space Nine — it’s a long show! I did get that DVD set I mentioned last month, and I’ve been steadily ripping them to digital format for backup and to watch on my tablet. I also found another eBay prize, which was a DVD ROM full of Star Trek comics from the 60s to the early 2000s. I was the only bidder, so even with postage and packing it was less than £4! I’m looking forward to reading through these, particularly the DC comics run from the 80s and 90s, which I remember reading as a kid. I’m waiting for it in the mail, but it should be really fun!
I’ve also started a digital subscription with Clarkesworld Magazine, which is a sci-fi fiction magazine. I’ve read my first issue (#199), and was really impressed with the quality of both the writing and the epub. If you like short fiction, I highly recommend it!
And with that, I’m going to lie down for a bit. See everyone next month!