Writer of stuff, author of stuff. Funny stuff? Crazy stuff! Oddtastic science fantasy adventure insanity.
Wandering Fortunes Chapter 24: I Love a Parade!
Wait. There’s a love plot?
If you want to see where this is going sooner than next month, you can take a look at my Patreon! Patrons can see chapters a month early, as well as extra regular updates. You can also give to my Ko-fi for an early chapter or a signed copy of a book!
About a year and a half ago our protagonist friends arrived at New Zhopolis, and discovered a seedy hive of wretched folk out for no one but themselves. (A few months later they found some good folk though.) Now we’re now and they’ve arrived at a new kingdom on a new planet. What will they find at their new home? It’s as big as New Zhopolis, but warmer, shinier, more colorful–but is it nicer? Join them as they explore their new home in Chapter 22: The Pearl Kingdom.
If you want to read the next chapter in a hurry, they go up a month early on my Patreon, which also has weekly updates of what I’m currently working on and other behind-the-scenes odds and ends for people who give monthly pledges. You can also give a single donation at my Ko-fi and get the next chapter early.
Just as today begins a new year, so today brings a new world for our friends in Wandering Fortunes with Chapter 21: A Fresh Start. They’ve fled their old home planet of Zhop to escape the mafia-infested planet-wide military, and they’ve arrived at the planet Derantu. But before they enter their new home proper they have to pass through Salenth Kingdom customs, and it’ll be up to them to prevent Top from ruining everything.
Also, either today or tomorrow I plan to post a 2018 retrospective like I did a year ago for 2017. It’ll include a look back, how I’ve failed (and maybe even succeeded), and what I hope to do this year. Watch for that. (And of course, a new Odemon will go up today. If you didn’t notice I took last week off and did an Odemon year retrospective on Mastodon and Twitter.
Here we are, chapter 20 of Wandering Fortunes, the longest chapter in the novel so far and the end of part 1! Alden and his friends have to flee Zhop from the Zhopian Guard. They get what family they can and make a great escape–or at least an adequate escape–well, I certainly hope it’s adequate. With the way things look, they might need a leg up–but the Zhopian Guard might even shoot that leg off! The jerks. I don’t even know if they’ll make it…
Of course, you can find out more about what will happen sooner, you can give to my Patreon or make a one-time Ko-fi donation. You’ll get to read chapters early and pretty much find out more about what I’ll be posting for the next rest of the year.
Got a brand-new chapter up today, and it’s the beginning of the end for our protagonists. Can’t say heroes, what have they done that’s heroic, anyway? Alden has a job with fellow Zhopian Guard members to take out a group of conspirators, but it’s not what he expects at all…
This is basically the chapter I refer to as “the one where things start to go to hex”. “and it’s a bad hex”. “like, a hellish hex even”.
In terms of editing this book, last week I finished editing chapter 20 which ends the first act of the book (as you can see by the Table of Contents… well, I think you can figure it out.) I’m on my way with this thing! Maybe someday I’ll be so far ahead in editing that I won’t be always uploading chapters that already have stuff I need to edit because of things I’ve done later. But that’s the nature of the free in-progress serial story!
The next chapter of Wandering Fortunes is available to read! In Chapter 12: Unbalancing Act, Alden and his friends apply to join the Zhopian Guard, a police force for the city of New Zhopolis. Before they join, however, they have to pass an interview–a head examination–basically Top is doomed from the start. If Alden and Ropak can pass their interview, they’ll have to figure out some way to get Top to–provided the beach ball doesn’t eat the interviewer first.
With this, an entire year’s worth of Wandering Fortunes is now up. That still puts us under a third through, though!
I’d like to make note as well right now that this coming month will be a little different. Instead of the beginning of the next month, the next piece of writing will be released December 20th–less than three weeks away. Ooh, I wonder whyyy? To accommodate the early schedule, those giving $3 or more on my Patreon–who ordinarily receive new pieces on the 15th of each month–will receive it five days early on December 10th, just over a week away. Join up to see what the fuss for this month is all about! Or if you just want to give one dollar, you’ll still get weekly updates on why I’m so slow what I’m up to. Check it out!
There’s a new species profile up, and it’s a doozy! The Schalindra, formally introduced in the last chapter, are a set of monstrous villains who are treated as such. They’re gross and horrible, yay! They also all look so widely different that it’s like, how are these all the same species?? You know how all dogs are dogs? Imagine that, except alligators are also a dog species. No one’s ever looked into how this is though because the Schalidnra probably killed and ate anyone who did.
They’re not nice. But who in New Zhopolis is?
An update on Darmenzi: the book isn’t coming out this year. Sad, I know. Still too much to do, including more things I’m adding to the plate that I want to happen around the time the book releases. It should be coming out in January though so it’s not like it’s too far away. Other projects will be coming, as well!
I have a job interview tomorrow though so if I get a dayjob (or nightjob as the case may be) things may slow down a bit. But I’ll never stop working!
Finally, Patreon continues to be a thing with a new chapter releasing soon! Check it out if you’re cool!
Chapter 9: No Hobo features the first kind clerpson our friends encounter in New Zhopolis. At least, let’s hope he turns out to be friendly–it’s hard to trust anyone in a big city like this. At the bottom of the city, though, depressed and alone, it seems he may be their way to make it in the city. Or at least live in it. Also features the sudden appearance of another character, a strange-looking one whose appearance raises even more questions than Top’s look does. Well, those questions will keep coming next chapter, so whatever.
I don’t think I’ve mentioned this yet, but I got some information from my editor and soon it will finally be time to charge full steam ahead on finishing Darmenzi! Yes, that’s still a thing that’s going to happen! Kind of crazy to think it’s been nine months since its last chapter was posted on here, but it’s been edited to be way better and I hope I can get this out before the year’s end! (If not, I may very well shoot for two years to the day after the second edition of Slubes released.) I’ve never been strong on the advertising front, but I hope to change that. oh no
And remember, I have a Patreon where you can read these new chapters half a month early. Chapter 10 will come in mid-September. Plus, you can get a free ebook copy of Darmenzi a month before the final release!
oh and you can make a word mandatory to appear on my website, more on that later
This article might be the most bizarre piece of fantasy this year yet: What If Trump Had Won As a Democrat?
At least now I don’t feel bad if something in my novels is somewhat unrealistic.
Chapter 4 of Wandering Fortunes is here, a little late. Now that Top lives with Alden and his family, it’s time for them to adjust. Or maybe not. Aside from more Top silliness we get to see the inside of Orville’s shack and get to know Alden’s family a bit more. Plus this features the first of a few scenes featuring a huge amount of food!
As always there is Patreon, funds from which would help me not kill myself trying to get everything done ASAP so I’ll complete everything before I have to go back to a dayjob I want to kill. Also I need to update that a bit, I wanted to make some changes. Thanks for reminding me, me. Let me add that to the to-do list. SPEAKING OF WHICH:
Duth Olec's Cuckoo Cosmos 