Like most people, I’m a busy guy. No doubt, countless others — like any working mom with young children — are busier. Frankly, that’s a contest I have no desire to win. Less busy is my goal.

Being an author is a full-time job. Unfortunately, I’ve yet to give my writing career the attention it deserves — a fact unlikely to change before I retire from the day job. Until then, writing takes a backseat to other priorities.

This is my first year without a new release since 2012. I blame a self-induced identity crisis. Getting all up in my head about who I am as a writer kept me from writing another word. Sage advice from Mom, Charlie Cochet, and Tali Spencer got me through. Thanks to them and the folks at Dreamspinner Press, my fourth novel, Whippersnapper is scheduled for release January 29, 2016. Watch for the cover reveal and preorder links in mid-December.

I didn’t meet my goal of a book a year, but neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night interferes with my weekly blog post. It’s what I do. By 8:10 (Eastern) every Monday, devoted fans can count on another load of bull from the crotchety old man.

Staying a month or two ahead on blog posts frees up weekends for my Work In Progress. The farther ahead I get with posts for the blog, the more time I can devote to my next project. For the last year or so, whenever I get far enough ahed to free up time for writing,  out of nowhere, something knocks me on my ass and eats up all my writing time. Happens every damn time.

This year, taking three novels through the publication process at the same time has consumed most of my writing time. Two of them are now mostly ready to go, and the third — having been published by a different division of Dreamspinner in the past — won’t require so much work. Now I’m ready <fingers crossed> to tackle my next novel.

I’ve been toying with a project for the last few months. So far, only three chapters are written — and I keep changing them. I haven’t really figured out where I’m going with the story. Distractions don’t help matters any. Hopefully, the light will come on soon and I’ll make some forward progress. I’ll keep you posted.