Past, Present and Future

Six months of TFTD – Thank you for being here!

Past

Time flies, especially when you are writing. Six months have passed since I contemplated creating a Substack account in early March without realising that I had been subscribed to several non-fiction newsletters on Substack for years!

Up until then, I had never visited the Substack website. I didn’t have the slightest clue what a “Substack” was, let alone how to use it or what name to choose. At first, I left everything at its default settings, and only after a few posts did I hone in on the name and the “branding.”

True to the Bard’s motto, I thought I’d play it by ear…

So I took my trusted D20 and rolled… and changed the name to Tales from the Defrag (TFTD), a term used in my upcoming novel, tweaked my About page, moved the publishing schedule from Monday to Wednesday, and started participating in Substack’s Office Hours, which I admit I am doing far less since Notes went live.

My first post was about Branching Narratives in Interactive Fiction using Twine. It was sent out to three recipients and resulted in two new subscriptions. I was thrilled and anxious to post more. It took me four more non-fiction posts until I found my rhythm, alternating between Lore and Fiction posts. And that is what I have done thus far. A Flash Fiction piece followed by a Lore article. Until Carter. I did not want to interrupt the weekly chapters. I hope you don’t mind, I will do the same when Carter Part Two is ready. Let me know what you think about this release cadence.

In hindsight, instead of that “Coming Soon…” post (now deleted) I should have made an introductory or index post, maybe.

Why have a Welcome Post? To lay out your plans, schedule, frequency, content strategy and benefits for new and paid subscribers, pinned to the front page, as I did here. Of course, you don’t have to. You could put all that in your About Section, but I have a feeling it won’t get read that much there. What do you think about pinned Welcome/Index posts? Yay, or Nay?

Present

Summer is over, and I have returned from my short trip from Pollensa Bay (37ºC) to Paris (15ºC, actually, right now it is 33°C again, Summer is back on!) in what was a 10-hour trip thanks to delayed flights, hail storms, and four missing passengers who turned up after their luggage was unloaded from the plane sitting on the tarmac for a whole hour. You want the full travel log of all the mishaps, including the mild case of food poisoning on Day One (I blame the Anchovies)? Have a sunrise picture instead.

07:11 – Sunrise at Pollensa Bay (iPhone 11 Max Pro)

An old British couple was getting reading for a morning swim next to me. The shallow water was nice and warm. Unlike Agatha Christie, I did not write a word while at Pollensa Bay, which was not a problem. I observed. I soaked in threads and yarns for tales to come.

Spherean Update

At present, I finished Chapter 10 of Spherean, i.e. halfway through the first draft. A critical point. The midpoint. Coincidentally, I am at 40k words, which is to say there are 40k more to come. Next up will be a Qlev pod post, potentially. Senator Bosso, a devious, vile man of intrigue and mischief, has a certain preference when it comes to putting his status on display.

Senator Bosso’s Dominator Pod Preview

Senator Bosso’s Dominator Pod – Rear View (Preview)

Quantum Levitation in Spherean works at “room temperature” (unlike LK-99) which allows for a multitude of floating vehicles (S-Zero, JCAB) operating within the Spheres that protect the remaining cities and their inhabitants from cosmic radiation. More on that in the next Qlev Pod post.

Future

What does the future hold for TFTD?

We have come from zero to almost two hundred subscribers in such a short time, and I would like to thank every one of you for joining me on this journey to finish my first novel, serialise my first novella, publish my first poem, and compile my first flash fiction collection along with my first foray into audio recording and narration with TMWWD.

A lot of firsts, with more to come! CARTER Part 2 later this year, and paid subscribers will receive the E-book of CARTER Part One shortly.

Here’s a sentence from CARTER Part Two, which I may or may not use. Spoiler alert! You may want to read The Chronicles of Samuel Carter if you haven’t done so or skip the next passage.

People hear the name Beaumont and think of the devil. Fear the name, they say. Fear it. And when you hear it: Run. Run as fast as you can. Don’t look back and run, run until your feet carry you no further. I say, think of the devil running for his life when he hears the name Beaumont and believe me, hell will want for new management lest it freezes over. Fear the name they say, and they are right, for things far worse than death follow in its wake.

Also, we’ll have more flash fiction stories, all twelve compiled into a Flash Fiction Collection E-book AND Audiobook as a “Thank You” to paid subscribers for Christmas.

E-Book and audiobook coming Christmas 2023 for Paid Subscribers

Of course, we’ll have more Spherean Lore articles, a potential podcast about a certain man who wouldn’t die and his lost love, and an audiobook. Soon.™

I have recorded the first chapter of 1984 and will slowly but surely continue and put the whole audiobook up on my YouTube channel once completed. Here’s a sample of an early test recording:

The recording continues…

Foto Friday

There is more! What about all the photos? I have taken tens of thousands of photos over the years. Would you like to see more photos? A “Foto Friday” (FF) Section mayhaps? Stuff like this?

Skyrock – Kukup Beach, Yogyakarta, Indonesia (Canon 50D, B+W ND10)

I am hesitant to send out more than one mail per week. What do you think? Or maybe a Photo Story Post (PSP) now and then? Let me know in the comments below.

A lot of things are happening on TFTD and I hope you enjoy all of it. If you do, please consider a paid subscription. It comes with those spiffy perks mentioned earlier. E-Books, Audiobooks, access to the whole archive, and that fuzzy, warm feeling you get for supporting my work.

A Thank You

A big thank you to all of you! I hope you continue to enjoy TFTD, and I am deeply grateful for your support and encouragement.

I would be remiss if I did not mention at least a few incredible individuals I have met on my Substack journey thus far.

when hope writes

Nadia is one of the kindest, supportive, and creative minds on Substack, plus you can make your own rustic eggs “Benedict” now!

SLAKE

Nathan is a wordsmith of the finest calibre, but don’t take my word for it, his “To lament the sky” has only been featured by

Substack Reads

.

Story Voyager

Claudia is one of the most enthusiastic CliFi writers I have come across here on Substack, and it permeates her stories. Dive into her marvellous world with Human Island.

One Word

Ever since Taegan posted his One Word Video, I have been enthralled by his visual storytelling.

And now, back to writing, recording, editing, reading and all the things each day brings. Here’s to the next six months!