Like a lot of people, I've found life in 2020 to be a wild ride. I haven't known anyone, personally, who has been directly effected by Covid-19, but it has certainly been a major disruption for those who have been ill, and we have all had our lives turned upside down in this era of social distancing, mask mandates, and wide-spread economic turmoil triggered by lockdowns.
Losing my day job in March freed up a lot of time, but the uncertainty of the world—and the closed-off nature of life in these constantly changing and unpredictable times—left me feeling unmoored and listless. What I had, at first, hoped would be a time of concentrated creative productivity turned into a monotonous merry-go-round that seemed to simultaneously be turning maddeningly slowly AND passing too quickly. Every day seemed so much the same that I was never quite sure what day it was, and yet, suddenly, it was July.
As it dawned on me that half of the year had slipped by, I buckled down and began to address some of the pending issues I'd hoped to address.
As you can see, if you are on my blog, reading this, my website (WordsMatterESW.com) has undergone a full facelift. This included back end work like changing my hosting company, redesigning the look and feel of the site, and (trying) to move some of the old blog posts from the last ten years over to the new location. Some things were lost, but overall, the new site is cleaner, simpler, and easier to navigate. I hope you like it.
My novel, In Loco Parentis, is finally available for purchase. I made the first attempt to write this book in 1995. It's now available to the public.
In addition to the retail paperback version of In Loco Parentis, I am also selling a limited edition hardcover version of the book, exclusively in person and on my website. This is the first hardcover book I've sold, and I'm super excited. Only 100 of these will ever be printed. Signed and hand-numbered. You can order it at my secure online store via Gumroad.
I am also putting the finishing touches on a very special collection of my writing which will include all the published books AND some extra surprises. The title of this collection is Butterfly Effect and it will be a limited edition hardcover book. The book is available for pre-order, and I anticipate the publication of the book to be by mid-September. You can see more on the Special Limited Edition page of this website.
There will be more announcements, expanded services, and some other publishing surprises throughout the remainder of 2020. Stay tuned.