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Hello again from the Mojave!

It’s been a while, hasn’t it?

To be honest, there’s something about being back here again that feels weird. Like I’m stepping into an old life. Yes, I haven’t been online much over the last few months (or years?). But I haven’t stopped writing. Far from it, in fact. But we’ll get to that later on in the post.

For now, let’s get to the reason you are here.

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Three of my books are gone 

Island of Legends, Tundra of Terror, and Monstrosity were unpublished.

Why?

Island and Tundra are gone because Primal Publishing is basically closing. I believe the parent company will still be active in other arenas with a new plan, but publishing books is no longer a major part of said plan.

To be upfront and honest with you, I found out about this change long before we reached a deal to part ways. They were happy with the books I gave them, but they wanted to focus more on visual mediums like YouTube and film. This is why the third novel in the Godqueen Trilogy, which was nearly completed, was never released.

There might be some limited paperback stock of both books available on Amazon for now, and there is stock at Raven’s Bookstore in 29 Palms. But after that, they are gone.

I wish Primal well in their future endeavours and hope to see their efforts culminate on the big screen someday. I’ll be first in line for a ticket. We parted on good terms and I’d be more than happy to work together again in the future.

Monstrosity, on the other hand, was a far more disheartening experience. It was also a big part of the reason I stepped away from the “publishing world” almost a year ago.

Long story short, I was far from happy with the final novel for various reasons, but I tried not to let that show. Behind the scenes, I felt the publisher was in trouble. My experience was plagued with lies, unapproved changes, and inexperienced/downright rude editors. But I didn’t want to break off our contract. I wanted to show up, do the work, and go home with my head held high knowing I did my job. Maybe that’s a bit egotistical looking back, or maybe it’s just called being a professional. Not sure I care either way, especially after what happened next:

I wasn’t paid for Monstrosity.

I was to be payed in monthly instalments that never arrived, and I knew for a fact that the novel was selling (and getting positive reviews). Eventually, I felt like enough was enough.

I reached out and made it clear I was unhappy. I needed my royalties on time, not to mention reliability in general. Remember, this comes after nearly a year of inconsistencies and downright rude interactions with staff. Normally, I wouldn’t care so much about money, but by this time I’d had enough. If I was ever going to hand them another book (I was signed to a two book contract) I needed change on their part. I was doing my job, and they weren’t. 

Without getting into the drama of it all, I ended up getting the owner of the publisher involved. He proved to be very reasonable. I don’t know how much he’d want me to say about what we talked about, but I had my criticisms validated. It was the first time I felt heard since the experience began. Still, we both knew I was done at the imprint. They agreed that my demands were justified, but they simply couldn’t guarantee anything with their current infrastructure.

We agreed to part ways, and I got my rights back in full despite some more drama along the way. I am now free to re-publish both Monstrosity and release the second novel in the contract.

So that’s what happened. Mostly.

But the pain wasn’t over…

This all fed into a bit of a professional depression. When I came out of it, I began to pour my time into several larger novels. These are still very much works in progress that we will hopefully get to talk about someday in the future. 

Otherwise, I was tired of the “publishing world” and tried to avoid author talk, social media, even the podcasts I once loved. I didn’t want to hear about the changes over at Audible, the AI situation, or just about anything else. I wanted to be with my characters and put them in new, interesting situations. I wanted to craft worlds and stories, regardless of whatever crusade the “author community” deemed more important then the continued happiness and joy of writers. I wanted no part of it, and still don’t see the appeal. I’ve had enough drama; I just wanted to write.

That said, I needed a new plan. The main reason I’d signed with other publishers was to avoid putting all my eggs in the self-publishing basket. It was about security, and obviously that didn’t work out. Maybe there is a very obvious lesson in all this. Maybe I should continue to strike out on my own, do things my way no matter what. Pass or fail, I would control everything. But then there’s the money; books were piling up that I could not afford to publish without cutting huge corners.

For a while, I didn’t know the answer, and tried even less to care. I just sat down, wrote, and prayed I’d see a light at the end of the tunnel. Sometimes, I felt like a train in the night, not seeing the light because their wasn’t one yet. I could only hope that by the time the sun rose, I was far closer to the end then I could have guessed.

I don’t think I’m near the end, but I’d like to think I’m much closer to the answer than I thought. One step at a time, I’ll get there. And the next step is doing something I haven’t done in a long time; something that feels strange and a little unnatural. But that’s always how it feels when I release a new book.

Yep, it’s finally time for…

The Mothman of Mt. Shasta comes out October 30th. You can pre-order it by clicking here.

I’ve promised this book for far too long. Everything that happened with the other publishers, plus life just getting me down, led me to retreat further into the creative side of the work and away from the business end of things. But the creative process soon overwhelmed me, too.

Eventually I realised that, counting Mothman and the three recently unpublished novels, I had at least eight novels in limbo. Most of these were an edit or two away from publication, and not a heavy edit by any means. Others needed a re-write or heavier plot surgery, but I felt the majority could be completed with roughly a week or two of dedicated work.

When it finally dawned on me just how backed up my release pipeline was, I couldn’t help but feel a little terrified. Maybe I’d never finish anything ever again.

It all felt like too much.

When Summer rolled around, I forced myself to take the hot and dry months off from everything but the most soul-inspired writing. I needed to re-group and prepare for the journey ahead, and in that time I received several blessings in my personal life. These made the end of the tunnel look a little brighter, as they came with security and hope for a brighter future outside my writing career, something I did not foresee even days earlier.

Then, not long ago, I looked at the manuscript for Mothman sitting on my shelf and knew it was time to get back to work.

I logged back onto the various distribution platforms and braced for the worst. As expected, my sales weren’t great. I’d done almost no marketing after Monstrosity came and went. On top of that, my social media presence was non-existent on purpose. (Note: This is part of the reason I’m letting you guys know about the Mothman pre-order here, since I’m giving serious thought to abandoning social media altogether. I want to see what momentum this book can gather without Facebook/Instagram/Twitter. I’ll probably send out a newsletter soon, but I don’t think I’ll post at all about the new book for weeks.)

Initially, my plan was to give the novel an extended preorder window at least one year long. I decided not to do this for two reasons:

1. I think that strategy was less a marketing idea and more the product of burnout, anxiety, and exhaustion. At least when it came to this book, anyway.

2. The novel was ready to go, and I’ve made readers wait long enough after the cliffhanger ending of The Batsquatch of Yellowstone.

However, I still plan to experiment with longer preorders going forward. Monstrosity, which will get a new title, will go up with an extended preorder window after a fresh edit. I think that book has a lot of potential, and I want to give it the best shot possible at success. 

Next up will likely be a short story collection that’s been on hold since 2023. I already have the cover, so I might try to get that out for Halloween 2027. Fingers crossed on that one. I love all these stories, but they need some TLC before I can say with confidence that they’ll reach you next year.

As a side note, I want to say I feel bad for Chat Lutzke, the cover artist for the collection, as he hasn’t been able to show off the amazing cover he designed back in 2023. Sorry Chad, but the wait shouldn’t be much longer now. The stories are locked in, they just need an edit or two. Hopefully.

The Godqueen Trilogy, in full, will re-release after Island and Tundra have been re-edited, expanded, and polished. I may spread those books out over a year or two, or they may all release in the same month or day. No ETA on this, as I’ve yet to dive into those edits.

Beneath, the second novel in the Monstrosity contract, will also get a new title and will likely be released with less fanfare, as it was always a shorter novel by design. I plan on returning to that book soon, but I would not hold my breath for a release date in the near future. Still, anything is possible.

There is also the Opus cryptid novel which I am re-reading now. As of this writing, I’ve found no major issues with it, so this may get a place in line after the rebranded Monstrosity hits shelves. Maybe even before. Who knows?

Jason Long 4 is nearly done as well, but I foresee plot surgery in my future. Hopefully, the issues I’m seeing here can be resolved with a day or two of locked-in editing. My hope is that we won’t have to wait too long for this one, but I’ll likely wait to make any plans until after Mothman comes out.

Other projects, such as any Asher Bryant novels/stories, and any T-REX sequels, may work their way back into my schedule someday. Right now, I need to focus on the novels that are further ahead and clear my decks. Once that’s done, I’ll get back to work on those.

Can you see why I was feeling overwhelmed?

When I really get going, I’m a borderline compulsive writer. I sit down and I don’t stop until I’m exhausted. Eventually, I end up in a situation like this with novel upon novel piling up. This inevitably leads to creative depression, and I start seeing the manuscripts as failures rather than accomplishments. Or, rather, I felt like I failed them. I couldn’t give them the love they needed, and that love only comes from readers like you enjoying them. Staring at the books felt like looking at puppies that weren’t aloud to go play outside. They all deserve to see the light of day, but the resources (money) to properly publish them elude me, and that still hurts. That’s why I sought out other publishers. But, of course, that didn’t work out either, which didn’t help the cycle one bit.

Now, upon re-reading this before publication, I can see where people would shout an obvious answer: just use AI.

For now, my AI stance is this: If I can’t do it, and another human shows up for work that treats me with respect and dignity, I will use the human option every time. Even if it’s not perfect from a technical standpoint. Even if it means spending more money. The human always deserves a chance to prove themselves and earn a fair paycheck.

However, if the human fails to do the job or causes needless drama, that’s when I need to research AI. Right now, I am continuing to give people chances, but I am not a bottomless pit of money or patience. People have failed me at all steps of the process. They have taken my money and delivered subpar work, or just run off. I obviously don’t work with these people anymore. In smaller cases, where the human can’t do exactly what they said, or charges me more than expected, I will give second chances and forgive. But I do not forget, and I will not continue to use any human that makes these mistakes repeatedly.

The day an AI cover or audiobook knowingly graces my books would be a sad day, but a necessary one for my mental health and wallet. But I pray it never comes around at all.

However, I will say AI videos fascinate me. Authors will soon have the ability to create their own feature films and television shows based on their novels and short stories. We can’t ignore that. For authors that would never otherwise have their works adapted, this will be a game-changer. This will blow the gates off film and television the same way KDP and Amazon blew the doors off self publishing. Maybe I am wrong, but I see a future where new novels can launch alongside an AI movie created by the author. I see this going exactly the same way self published books did; initially being perceived as subpar or not good enough for the mass market, but soon being embraced after a few creatives deliver stories beyond anyones expectations. Real film will become prestige (again), and AI will be the stomping ground of the driven creator without millions to back them up behind a film camera. All the studio meddling you hear about that ruins good films will be a relic of the past. All it will take is one creator and a computer to compete with the MCU or Star Wars. The power to access the most popular and controlled storytelling mediums of our day will be accessible to everyone.

I can’t ignore that vision, and I think I’ll see it come to pass over the next ten years or so. Maybe sooner.

For now, all I can do is keep going.

That’s the answer I foresee, at least for now. Let the future handle itself. Keep writing. Don’t stop. Even when manuscripts pile up, I shouldn’t let anything stop me.

Yes, I will stop. I will burn out. But I will always return to the writing. It’s always worth it. Someday, all those books will get their time to shine. Heck, maybe one day I can rely on that pile of work and take a real break or, Heaven forbid, a vacation.

…yeah, I don’t see that happening either. Of all my daydreaming, visions of rest and relaxation are perhaps the most fantastical.

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I’m hoping this winter will be more productive. Maybe I’ll get Jason Long 4 or Beneath done. Obviously, editing other novels will need to be a part of that journey as well, but I think the key is to balance edits and writing for me on a daily basis. It’s not one or the other; it needs to be both. I always need to be producing more words, though it always leads to burnout. Maybe someday I’ll find a way to avoid it, but I’m rather doubtful at this point in my career. I’m approaching ten years of actively writing, and so far I see no hope in sight of things getting easier. But maybe I’m too much of a pessimist. Who knows?

Anyway, that’s what I’ve got. Go check out The Mothman of Mt. Shasta, and I hope that next year, you’ll see a couple more of my books hit shelves. 

I’ll see you in time,

-S.T. Hoover

Hello from the Mojave!

Well, the title says it all!

Earlier this week, I signed a two book contract with Raven Tale Publishing! Raven Tale is a relatively new imprint of Dusty Saddle, one of the leading Western fiction publishers working in ebooks today. They are currently working to expand their roster of horror/creature authors, and this lead to them to learning about me and my work.

Most of you know I publish the majority of my books through my own small press, but I’m always on the lookout for new and interesting opportunities to help my work reach new audiences. Raven Tale approached me and, after some negotiation, we’ve agreed to do two horror/creature books together!

Here’s what I can tell you about the books I’ve agreed to write at the moment:

Megabat Resort

A mystery author attempts to save his failing marriage by bringing his wife to a high-end Maldives resort that appeared in one of his novels. What he doesn’t know is that a rogue scientist is also staying at the resort and experimenting on the local fruit bat population. And, of course, those experiments go horribly wrong! When the dust settles, our author friend and the scientist are all that can stop the infected, bloodthirsty bats from leaving the island and taking over the world.

Tessie (Working title)

A recently widowed captain must take a group of rowdy teenagers and a grieving family out on Lake Tahoe, but the fishing hasn’t been good for months. Something has gorged itself on all the trout in the lake, and it just took a bite out of their boat! Now, the survivors are forced to band together until rescue crews arrive. But in the tense moments between attacks, emotions run high, and our crew must face the demons that lurk within themselves while fighting off a beast of myth and legend.

What does this mean for my other books?

Under the terms of the contract, I can continue to self-publish my other novels. I can also continue to work with other small presses like Primal Publishing. So Mars will still get her well-deserved revenge in Hivemind Godqueen, and Jason and Glock will soon return in The Mothman of Mt. Shasta!

Also, the publisher has clarified that I can include folklore/cryptid creatures from my books with them in my other novels, and vice-versa. The only stipulation is that their origins must be different. Similar to how the Sasquatch has different origins in the Godqueen Trilogy, The Opus, and in the Jason Long novels, I can write about them again for Raven Tale as long as it’s not the same Sasquatch. So someday, if enough people ask for it, Jason Long can still fight Tahoe Tessie or a giant bat.

Of course, this means that I will largely devote my free time to these books for the next few months, at least. However, I have some great updates regarding future releases that I’m going to share below!

What’s next?

There are two books I’m currently trying to finish for my small press. Those books are The Mothman of Mt. Shasta, and a horror/speculative short story collection. All I have to do is finish editing them, and covers for both books are now done and waiting patiently to be revealed!

Oh, and I haven’t forgotten about the next book in the Opus, which I finished earlier this year. But I’ve put that one on hold until I have all my ducks in a row, so to speak. But it’s coming, I promise. Just not as soon as I would like it to.

On top of those, Hivemind Godqueen is nearly complete. I think this last book is shaping up to be the best of the trilogy, though it has exploded in length beyond my expectations. Admittedly, I should have seen this coming given everything that needs to be wrapped up and everything our heroes need to do first. It’s possible that I’ll trim it down just a little, but this will absolutely be the longest novel in the series. As of this writing, the current draft is longer than the first two books in the trilogy combined, and it’s my second longest novel to date!

I’ve also begun working on short stories again outside of the horror and monster genre. I think that I’m going to try submitting them to magazines, which means it could be a while before any of these stories reach you. But I’ve wanted to see my name in the classic sci-fi publications (among other magazines) for a while, so I’ve now made that a personal and professional goal. If nothing else, I want to embrace the hustle of it. I want to follow in the footsteps of some of my favorite pulp authors, and the sci-fi space is one of the few remaining areas with good, widely available publications. But I’m also on the hunt for any good western magazines looking for stories. It’s been a favorite genre of mine for as long as I can remember, and after years of chipping away and plenty of false starts, I recently completed a western story that I love, and I mean LOVE. But, sadly, it appears to be too long for the current market, as far as I can tell. But if anyone knows any western publications looking for stories over 10,000 words, I’d love it if you could point me in the right direction!

In any case, I’m crossing my fingers that I can sell a story to one of the heavy-hitters within the next 5 years! 

I think that’s all I’ve got for now! To be blunt, these last few months haven’t been great, but recently I’ve been feeling far better about myself and my work. Here’s hoping that things keep looking up, and that new readers can find my work thanks to Raven Tale!

Oh, and if you’re looking for some of my best monster/creature stories ahead of my books with Raven Tale, I’ve got a few recommendations!

Click here to check out the Jason Long novels! A disgraced LAPD cop turns cryptid hunter after accidentally bringing the first Sasquatch to science. And things only get crazier from there! Book 3, The Mothman of Mt. Shasta, will be out soon as well!

I’ve also got a weird western about an outlaw that finds and raises a baby T-Rex. It’s included in a collection of other monster stories. You can check that one out by clicking here.

Oh, and if you like your creature features with a touch of the bizarre and a few gut-punches, I’d recommend the Godqueen Trilogy. Those books follow the (sometimes unwilling) employees of a genetic engineering company that builds cryptids, prehistoric beasts, and creatures from classic fantasy novels from scratch. Click here to buy or learn more about the series.

I’d also love it if you checked out my latest release, Dear Departed Strangers, which is a ghost story set in my multi-genre Opus universe. DenCom, a secretive mega-corporation, binds a fictional universe through its appearances in thriller novels, cryptid books (coming soon), and now a ghost story featuring the CEO long before he was a part of the company.

And that’s it! Now, I’ve got to get back to work and get all these books done! 

I’ll see you in time,

-S.T. Hoover

A pivotal year of my career will soon come to an end. But as I look back on the promises I made at the beginning of the year in my previous “2022 In Review, 2023 In Theory” blog post, I am left disappointed in myself. But that’s nothing new.

But I can take some comfort in the fact that I simply couldn’t have foreseen a great deal of what came to pass this year. I could have changed things. I could have handled some creative problems I encountered differently. But the past needs to stay in the past. So with this post, I fully intend to put 2023 behind me and focus on what I pray will be a busy and prosperous 2024.

But if I don’t remember the past, I am doomed to repeat it. And that’s what this post is about: Remembering our mistakes and, bizarrely enough, celebrating them. Learning is hard, and it only comes with failure. So, I treat each and every one of my mistakes with the reverence and respect they deserve. Each taught me a valuable lesson, and that can’t be ignored.

That said, I can not forget the good things that happened and the progress I made toward my goal of a lifetime author career in 2023. Although this can be hard for me, I need to celebrate the good and the bad things that happened in equal measure. If all I do is look back on my mistakes, I’ll feel like all I do is make mistakes. And the hardest part is that, while some dreams came crashing down, others flourished despite my creative and personal tribulations. I would not say the distribution was equal, but the seeds have been planted to tip the scales. I just have to keep my head on straight long enough to tend to those seeds and watch them flourish.

I am in a far better place mentally than I was even a couple months ago, and the creative work has begun again. So, let’s dive into what went wrong, what went right, and what we can expect from the future.

But this year, I will make only one promise. More on that later.

Anyway, let’s get into it.

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Failures

Last year, I started the post with my accomplishments and saved failures for later in the article. This year, I want to end things on more positive terms. Plus, I enjoy getting the hardest part of anything I do out of the way first. So, with that in mind, let’s dive in.

I promised at the beginning of the year that I would try to publish six novels in 2023. As you can see, only one book made it into your hands. The reasons for this are two-fold:

One: Life just got away from me. I tried to make more happen than I could, and I crashed. I got a lot done, but not enough to make that ambitious goal happen. I was doomed from the start, and I’ve learned a great deal from this mistake. But, strangely, it was a blessing in disguise because…

Two: The Beast of Big Timber needed room to breathe. That little book did far better than I thought it would, and even early in the year I knew I had something special on my hands when pre-order numbers shot past any book I’d published before it. And, when it just kept doing better and better, I gave it some breathing room. That room gave me time to evaluate exactly what I did right and contemplate how I might repeat it. Plus, I knew that putting out a new book when my latest was getting all the attention might swing the almighty algorithms in a direction that would take readers’ eyes off Beast. That new book might be just as good, if not better, but as Jason Long would no-doubt say, “don’t leave fish to find fish.” As in, don’t put out a new book when the one you have is still doing very well. So I waited at first, and then I found myself in a position where I couldn’t write or edit a new book even if I wanted to.

But, all that said, I’ll give a brief update on some of those projects I announced in the previous post:

One of these novels I shelved indefinitely, that being The Anubis Contingency. That novel was part of a trilogy that I still love, but that I want to dedicate more significant research and world-building time to. So, for now, that whole trilogy is on the back burner.

Asher Bryant 2 is still in the works, and I would love it if I could pencil it in as my next project. But for the last year I’ve taken a step back from that sequel because, to be honest, the first book sold well but didn’t receive as many reviews as I had hoped. Feedback on that novel was minimal, which was surprising because a lot of readers picked it up. When the book finally got reviewed, though, the response was positive. The novel currently boasts a solid 5 stars on Amazon, but that’s only with 2 ratings. I really don’t know what happened here, and it’s made me nervous to continue the series when initial sales were good, but feedback has been slow. It makes me think something is wrong, and it could be a lot of things. It could be my marketing, the characters, the cover, the ending, and literally anything in-between. I just don’t know, so I’ve only chipped away at the second novel and shelved my original plan for writing 5 of them until I know for sure what readers like and don’t like about the series.

Feedback is so important to writers, and readers should never belittle how much good an honest review can do for a writer’s career, and for that reader’s future enjoyment should they return to that author’s work. Authors need to know what readers want, and if readers don’t tell them, all we can do is give it our best shot. Sometimes, that’s not enough. Without further input on the series from readers, I’m worried I was just “nose blind” after that year of writing the novel and couldn’t see my own flaws. When no one tells me anything, I can’t get better. Maybe the series is fine, but I just don’t know and want to give it more time before I write another book.

But I have written a new Asher Bryant Adventure. It’s just not a novel.

Early this year, I was asked to take part in the Desert Writers Guild’s 2023 anthology. The theme was History: Past and Future, and I could think of no one better than Asher Bryant to take on a short historical adventure out here in the desert. Plus, I’d been looking for an outlet to experiment more with him as a protagonist and see what I could improve, so I took the plunge. I got to work crafting a story about a lost Mohave artifact supposedly hidden in Wonder Valley, California that climaxes on a hill I hiked on and lived in the shadow of in 2020. Just as I was about to complete the story, I found out that I had been told the wrong guidelines for the collection. I swear I had originally been told the story needed to be under 5,000 words, which I was already struggling to achieve. But the limit was actually 1,500 words, if I recall correctly. So, I put that story aside, not sure if I’d ever return since there wasn’t an obvious outlet for it. But recently, Asher started calling out once again, so I completed Draft 1 of the story at nearly 9,000 words, which I feel serves the story better, as 5,000 words would have been far too short as it was. So, there is a new story I need to revise, during which time it will probably accordion into and out of the 10,000 word range repeatedly, but I don’t know what to do with it yet. Maybe I’ll publish it on its own, or pair it with the previously published Asher Bryant story The Golden Key and another story or two I could write, creating a collection.

Anyway, that’s what Asher is up to. We’ll see how things change and evolve as the year begins.

Last year, I also announced that I would write Swim 2. Unfortunately, I can’t tell you a lot about the plans for that novel as negotiations are ongoing. However, I can give a reason for the delay: Faryl, the co-author of the first novel, has taken an extended break from their creative life. Before they made this decision, we completed a thorough outline for Book 2 that I am thrilled with and a rough outline for book 3, but the future of the series remains unclear. They would like to see the book written and the series continue through, and possibly beyond, our 4 book plan. But negotiations on that front are ongoing. When I know more, I will pass any updates along just as soon as I can.

Lastly, the DenCom stories have flipped in publication order. The Benedict prequel will now come out first, and the DenCom cryptid spinoff will come later. Continuity wise, it changes nothing since the prequel takes place so far in the past and already had almost nothing to do with the cryptid story anyway, so no worries there. But neither story will be ready this year. The prequel could have been if I’d done my job, though. The editor came back with fantastic (and thorough) notes after their first pass, but I just couldn’t bring myself to get back to work until far later in the year. But now, it’s back with the editor for the final round, albeit a few months later than expected. We’ll talk more about the future of this book later in this post.

The books themselves aside, I feel like I’ve failed to connect with my audience this year. Social media has been a tough beast to tackle for me, but I’m doing what I can to get over it. That said, I still feel like I’m just screaming into the void sometimes with no hope of being heard beyond a few loyal followers the algorithm thinks deserve to see what I have to say. I appreciate everyone who follows my page, not just the high-engagement crowd, and I want to make sure everyone gets to see what I post regardless of how often they engage. And this is coming from someone who rarely engages with his favorite artists and is frequently punished by Facebook for this himself. No joke, my favorite band put out a new album this year, and I totally missed the news because I wasn’t liking their posts! I think liking the page should be enough to let these sites know you want to see someone’s content, but I guess I’m in the minority.

But all that said, I’ve tried to diversify how readers can find me and interact with me, but that also proved to be fraught with failures this year.

One such failure that may (or may not) be apparent is that Publisher’s Cluttered House, a podcast which I co-hosted, didn’t release an episode all year. This stems from the same issue that has held up production of Swim 2. My co-host (and co-author of Swim) is taking an extended break from their creative life, and that meant Publisher’s Cluttered House went on hold. This was particularly hard for me, as I really enjoyed hosting the show, but thankfully it’s not dead.

Just like with Swim 2, Faryl wants to see the show continue, and so do I. But they are not interested in staying on for the time being, and officially left the show earlier this year, leaving the podcast firmly in my hands. However, I’m not confident in my abilities as a lone host, and while I might experiment with that option in the coming months, I’m currently on the hunt for a co-host. Maybe more than one if the chemistry is there in practice recordings. So, if you are a creator that knows me (or doesn’t) shoot me a DM and maybe we can schedule a call or a “pilot” episode to see how things go.

Once I know the future of the show is solid, I’ll update everyone once we’ve decided on a release model.

Another failure, which admittedly fits in more with connecting with fellow authors rather than readers, was that I had to cancel my trip to 20BooksVegas at the last minute. For those that don’t know, 20BooksVegas is one of if not the largest self-publishing conferences in the USA. I’m lumping this in here because, as I’ve said before, I’m not confident in my ability to communicate with readers. I was looking forward to learning a great deal about the industry and new ways I could reach new and current readers alike. Sadly, a few days before, I found out my house sitter wouldn’t be able to make it, and with only days to find someone else to watch my animals here in the desert, I knew it was a lost cause. However, I’m told there will be a new convention in 2024, and I will see if I can’t make it this year depending on how things go.

And I guess the last semi-failure of the year was YouTube. I preface it with “semi” because I didn’t really try to be active on that platform on purpose. I love making YouTube videos, but they’re just to time consuming. I’d like to give it another shot in 2024, but uploads will probably be sparse, and that’s if I post anything at all. But I do plan on doing a release party/livestream for whatever my 10th book happens to be. I just don’t know if it’ll be on YouTube. But if it goes well, maybe we’ll make it a tradition.

And that is all the failures I can recall at the moment. But now that I’m good and depressed, it should make the next section of this post far more enjoyable.

Let’s dive in.

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Accomplishments

The Beast of Big Timber killed it this year.

More eyes are on my work than ever before. New readers are finding my work thanks to Beast, and I couldn’t be happier with how it’s done. And now that the amazing audiobook hit shelves, listeners are loving the book just as much as readers are! This has been the little book that could, and it’s done so well that…

The Batsquatch of Yellowstone, the sequel to The Beast of Big Timber, is almost done! This is the first thing I’ve written almost entirely after my creative funk, and I think it’s a worthy follow-up that readers will love! My plan was to get it to Alpha and Beta readers before Christmas, but I decided to hold off on that until the new year since everyone is so busy right now. This book will probably come out after the DenCom prequel novella, but it could always snag that 10th slot. We’ll just have to wait and see on that one.

Speaking of which, that DenCom novella (almost novel length now) is due back from the editor in January. I really think readers will love what I’ve done here. It’s my first time telling a first-person story in The Opus, and I could think of no better character to attempt in first-person than Benedict. This first story about his past takes us to a haunted house on the beaches of northern California during a pivotal point in Benedict’s life. It’s an emotional journey that finally gives fans more of the supernatural side of DenCom they have been craving.

And, speaking of more DenCom, we’re finally getting that Hail to the King audiobook! Keegan Reese, who narrated The Beast of Big Timber, has signed on to narrate Hail. I approved the first 15 minutes a few weeks ago and I couldn’t be happier! We’re hoping to have it ready sometime in the summer of 2024!

On the anthology front, I appeared in 2 new collections, one of which I had the honor of organizing.

In Conclusion was the third and final in a series I worked on with the Write Stuff Authors Group of Canton, Ohio. The theme this time around was one I am still proud of: Write from your deathbed. If you were dying, what would be the last thing you ever wrote?

We presented the concept long before Covid, but the pandemic lead to some truly moving and raw submissions that were left largely un-edited on purpose. Sadly, I will admit that everything that happened this year, coupled with communications issues with the group that I’m now 2000+ miles removed from, lead to a far more time-consuming and frustrating venture than I was ready to take on at the time. Had I known what was coming, I never would have taken this on, and doubt I will again anytime soon. But, with this already being planned as the final anthology in the series, I did all I could to get it out, and while I failed many times along the way, I am still proud of the collection.

Mr. Ridding, We Collapse is a loosely DenCom-adjacent story I wrote that was published within In Conclusion. I wanted to tell a story about how I would feel if I could never finish The Opus. I then paired that concept with my thoughts and reflections on something that is often overlooked about Covid: the friendships and connections that it, and our opinions of it, took from us. The collection is print exclusive, but I do plan to re-publish my story later, as all authors kept immediate re-print rights. Where it will go, I do not know yet. But I do plan on making it more widely available, perhaps in a collection of DenCom stories later on. It could also possibly appear in an upcoming horror collection, but I’m not sold on that idea yet. We’ll see what feels right at the time.

Shortly after In Conclusion came out, the Desert Writers Guild released History: Past and Future, which my story The Hangman’s Tears appears within. As you read earlier in this post, I originally started an Asher Bryant story for this collection, but when I learned the true word limit, it forced me to change my plans. Luckily, I once again found inspiration in the desert.

Early this year, our car broke down in Las Vegas while we were in town for a wedding. Since we had no way home and a hotel was out of the question since we had dogs waiting for us (we lived close to Vegas, but not Uber close (trust me, we tried)), we rented a car and drove back. However, over the course of the following two weeks, we had to make two additional trips to Vegas, and during each visit we’d stop at the Kelso Depot, an old train-station turned visitors’ center for the Mojave Preserve. It was between some of these trips that I wanted to learn more about the building. It wasn’t long before its haunted past came up and I started reading about the supposed “ghost zombie” that haunts the halls. After some additional research, I knew I had to write about it, and the resulting story made it into the anthology.

The Hangman’s Tears is currently available in paperback form within the Desert Writers Guild’s 2023 anthology listed above, but I will republish it in time. There are 2 collections I’m currently preparing that it could appear in.

And, for my final accomplishment of the year, I made my first public appearance since Covid-19!

As a member of the Desert Writers Guild, they invited me to join them and sell my books at the 29 Palms Book Festival. It went incredibly well, better than any first show I’ve had the honor of attending before! And, to top it off, I shockingly made the cover of the local paper’s article talking about the event! I joked that it was the first time I’ve been in the newspaper without “Wanted: Dead or Alive” written under my name, but I was truly shocked and honored that it happened. Fun fact: I didn’t even know about it until my grandparents called to tell me they got the paper that morning and saw my face in it!

Oh, and I almost forgot: I also made a guest appearance on the Atomic Shaman Sweatlodge podcast! Although I could tell my podcast skills were a little rusty (and that’s assuming I ever had any) I had a great time and I hope that I can join them again someday. And Keegan Reese, the narrator of The Beast of Big Timber and the upcoming Hail to the King audiobook, also was a guest pretty recently, so go check both episodes out if you haven’t already!

And that’s all that’s coming to mind right now. I can’t thank everyone enough for supporting me this year!

Now, let’s dive into our last topic of the post…

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What’s Next?

Since Christmas just came and went, I’ll start off by saying I’m trying to figure out how to release the DenCom Christmas story I’ve worked on for a few years.

For those that don’t know, I spent roughly six Christmas seasons chipping away at a fun, non-cannon story about Benedict visiting Michael and Aron for Christmas. He gets into some corny Hallmark-movie style fun along the way, and Santa Claus even shows up!

Not really…

Maybe.

But a year or two back, that tradition came to an end with the completion of the one and only DenCom Christmas story, tentatively titled A DenCom Christmas.

Or so I thought…

This year, some of our friends at DenCom started calling out, and I took time out of Christmas Eve to write two more short DenCom Christmas stories. One centers around Michael Ridding stopping a terrorist attack in Palm Springs and is appropriately titled Michael Ridding Saves Christmas, while the other is a currently untitled story about the DenCom Knights being sent off on a special Christmas Eve mission. And there’s still one more story about the cryptid hunters in the upcoming spinoff novel I want to write, but it’s hard finding anything Christmas related that could be considered a cryptid that isn’t copyrighted. Once I figure out what that cryptid story will be, I think I’ll compile all of them into a collection.

However, I wanted to figure out a way to sell it with all the proceeds going directly to charity. I’m currently still searching for a platform that has this option built-in. Sure, I could list it on Amazon and send the funds myself like some authors do, but I would rather the money just go directly where it needs to go. Plus, Amazon takes a while to pay out, so I’d rather find an alternative that would avoid lengthy processing times. Oh, and Amazon would likely take a large cut of the earnings. I know there will always be processing fees to contend with, but I want to be sure I can donate as much of the proceeds as possible, and I’m not convinced working with Amazon is the way to go here. But I doubt they’ll make all these changes anytime soon, if ever, so I’m still looking for the right platform. And once I know that platform exists, I’ll start revising the stories and see if I can publish them the following Christmas!

But in the more immediate future, The DenCom prequel story about Benedict will probably come next, then The Batsquatch of Yellowstone. The cover for the prequel still needs work, but I did receive the final version of the Batsquatch cover recently. It honestly blew me away. A.A. Medina, the designer, went above and beyond to make this cover pop right off the screen! Keep your eyes pealed for that reveal sometime following the launch of the Benedict prequel novella. Unless Batsquatch gets bumped up, of course.

After those two, I think it’ll either be that horror short story collection, or a standalone creature-feature I’ve been working on. But I’ve been toying with sending the latter off to a publisher. I have 2 publishers in mind it could work for, and I’d like more of my work to reach small presses so that I don’t keep all my eggs in one basket, so to speak. But if need be, I have a cover ready, so I might just put it out myself and try to submit a different book if this one isn’t what they are looking for.

Admittedly, the DenCom cryptid story could be next after the prequel novella or Batsquatch. I completed work on it and plan to send it to the editor right after they’re finished with the Benedict novella, but the cryptid story is quite a bit longer than my typical novel and will likely require far more time to edit.

There’s also a chance I could finish the final novel in the Godqueen Trilogy and publish that, since Primal Publishing has officially asked me to write it. But they haven’t given me a deadline. Primal Publishing is really laid back, which is the reason I really like working with them. So it’ll get done when it’s ready. But that said, I’d like to get the bulk of the work on that finale done this year so I can be sure I’m putting a bow on it before readers forget what the first two books were about (lol).

But I’m not promising that any of those books will come out next year.
Yes, the DenCom prequel should be ready. So should the Batsquatch book. But I’d like to think I’ve finally learned my lesson about making promises. I can have all my ducks in a row, but that’s not enough anymore. It never was.

So, here’s what I’m promising:

More books.

Sometime.

Someday.

Maybe this year, maybe not.

But there will be more books unless I drop dead first. I just don’t know when anymore, and I don’t want to say when I think they’ll come out because that’s almost always doomed the book to being late, or just getting shelved all together.

So, that’s what we’re looking at as far as new books are concerned.

When it comes to previous releases, there’s going to be some re-branding taking place. I recently had the cover of Siron re-done and it’s gained some visibility from this change, so I plan to rebrand Michael Ridding and Hail to the King next. This is partially out of desperation, since I lost the original files I need to create the new audiobook cover for Hail, and I’ve tried to use the old style for the Cryptid book and the Benedict novella to no avail, so I’m changing things up.

I’d also like to dive into some more short stories this year. I’ve got a cover secured for that new horror collection, and a few of the stories are ready. The title story still needs to be finished, but I’m only a few days of hard work away from completing it, and I’m thrilled with what’s on the page so far. I think it’ll be a fun addition to my backlist.

I also have another monster-themed collection in the works that will (hopefully) include a sequel to the first Sheriff Riker story, T-REX. There are actually two stories about him that I want to write, but I don’t know which one would be the better first choice. But a few other monster stories are almost ready to publish alongside it. I just need to decide which novella will act as the tent-pole for that particular circus.

Stand-alone stories in other anthologies and magazines are always a possibility. However, I like to keep my re-print rights, and that’s not always an option. I don’t mind signing away exclusivity rights for a few years, but I eventually want the story to fall back under my control.

Otherwise, I look forward to what my creative future has in store.

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Conclusions

A promise made is a promise broken. I’m tired of making promises to people I can’t keep, and vice versa. But I can only keep up my end of it, should I offer to in the first place. So, in the end, 2023 was the year I learned to be honest. I hope.

There are just some things I can’t do, and I know that now.

So, for now, I’m going with the flow. Books will come when they’re ready, and when it makes sense to publish them. I’ll continue to fight to expand the books I already have into new markets like audiobooks and physical bookstores, but I won’t let it dominate the time I have to create. I will do all I can to use my time wisely, and I will fail. But maybe along the way I’ll do something that makes every failure feel like a footnote.

Anyway, 2023 was a year. But it’s unfortunately, and thankfully, almost over. Good and bad are a seamless continuum, and I expect nothing more and nothing less out of 2024. I’ll see you there.

And, as always, I’ll see you in time,

-S.T. Hoover

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Recently, Prehistoric Magazine, the publication that spawned Primal Publishing, published an interview with me in their December 2022 issue. With their consent, I’ve reposted the interview in full below for those who did not get a chance to read the interview when it appeared.

Oh, and if you haven’t already, click here to subscribe to Prehistoric Magazine! Or click on the logo above.

Anyway, let’s dive in!

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Q: What kinds of creatures will we be seeing in this book?

A: Given the arctic setting, the book largely focuses on ice-age creatures. We do get our fair share of dinosaurs and mythical beasts as well. Our villain pulls out all the stops, sending everything he can at our main characters. From T-Rex to orcs and everything in between, there’s quite a menagerie on display.

Q: How have you upped the ante from Island to Tundra?

A: This time around, we kick things off with a massive reveal that I won’t spoil here, but I’ll give you the basics: A major character who died in Island of Legends isn’t dead! From there, the story is propelled forward after our main character’s infant son is kidnapped.

I wanted to tell a story that asks the question “How far is too far?”, even for the sake of saving your child. How much of you is left after you’ve given all of yourself to the fight? Questions like this drove the plot forward for me and continue to drive me forward as I work on the third book.

Q: What role do creatures play in your fiction?

A: With few exceptions, creatures can serve two roles in my fiction: First and foremost, creatures are a narrative device that drives the characters forward, forcing them to confront parts of the world and themselves they fear. Secondly, the creature itself must be a character, facing the same trials and tribulations as the human characters in its own way. It may be subtle in the best of cases, but the creature needs to be a character, and not a secondary character at that. Too many times, the monster gets top billing while the human characters end up stealing the show. Both need to be treated with equal respect when balancing the narrative flow, even if the creature is just there to fight the main character once to move the plot ahead. Even if it’s just there for a chapter, it can’t be window dressing. It needs to have a purpose and a voice in its own way.

Q: What are your favorite kinds of creatures to use?

A: I’m going to be selfish here and say Kaiju first and foremost, even though they don’t play a huge role in this story. I mainly wanted to stick to small-scale creatures in this novel that would help me build the foundation of the third entry in the trilogy, and possibly a sequel series if there’s enough demand. So, I stuck with some of my favorites: dinosaurs, ice-age beasts, and genetic monstrosities made in the likeness of famous fantasy and sci-fi creatures. All have their place in this story, even if it’s just to let you know they exist and plant seeds for more novels.

Q: This series is a departure from the usual Jurassic Park-style thriller, and it takes quite a few risks, both in content and in choice of creatures. In what ways do you feel this helps the series?

A: In the first book, I had a line of marketing that still holds true: “Island of Legends takes the work of Michael Crichton to a whole new level. Dinosaurs aren’t enough for Xmortem, and they aren’t enough for S.T. Hoover!” I always try and take the genre I’m writing in to cool and interesting places, and sometimes, that leads me to push the limits of what’s considered acceptable. Don’t get me wrong, I love the books that color inside the lines, so to speak, but that’s just not the creator I am. I can color within the lines and create a fun story, but why not doodle some cool stuff on the sidelines as well? It may not be better than the foundation of what these thrillers tend to present, but it adds interest and intrigue that my readers enjoy.

Q: Without going into too much detail, describe Mars as a protagonist. What makes readers want to root for her?

A: Everyone loves a mother trying to save her child, but I wanted Mars to be so much more than that. I wanted her to be likeable in her own right, as well as driven by more than just the desire to save her son. I wanted her to feel betrayed, abandoned, and above all else, limitless. I don’t like characters who say, “I can’t do that,” be they female or male. Even if they fail, they need to get back up again with that same attitude that got them so far already. It doesn’t always work out that way, but that just makes Mars an even more real character in my eyes. In addition, I also wanted to give her some flaws, both physical and mental. I can’t say much more about that without getting into spoilers, but suffice to say that in this book, Mars will have all her strengths put to the test.

Q: You write a wide variety of fiction, from the mysterious DenCom Thriller series to the ambitious Asher Bryant Adventure series to experimental standalones like Siron. How have you integrated the experience from writing these different genres into making the Godqueen Trilogy as unique as it is?

A: In a lot of ways, the Godqueen Trilogy is a sandbox for me. I wanted to create a universe where anything goes, so far as creatures were concerned. I could bring in anything and everything I wanted, no matter where the creatures came from. The creatures I could feature in DenCom are limited due to the in-universe “magic system”—if it can even be called that—and Siron, while fun, was a standalone with limited sequel potential, if any. And Asher was a direct response to those few limitations the DenCom universe has.

I love being able to cut loose and not having to worry about any in-universe limitations governing the MacGuffin or monster of the story. And in Godqueen, I wanted to expand on that by creating a situation where any creature imaginable could be brought into existence. Mythical, supernatural, or extinct, it could be reconstructed in flesh and blood, and that got the creative juices flowing like never before. Literally any creature could show up, any monster could appear and serve a purpose in this series, where in my other series’ universes that are much narrower, crossing the streams—so to speak—could lead to a confused and even disgruntled reader base.

From the get-go, the existence of any creature is possible in the Godqueen Trilogy, and that’s why I love it so much!

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