Monday, June 23, 2025

This is the sixty-second installment of West Wind, your daily drop of thoughts, ideas, and info for this Season. June is Accordion Awareness Month, so increase your awareness by listening to some of my favorite artists and soundtracks! Find any you’ve missed in this easily navigable index.

Of Monsters And Men is my favorite Icelandic folk-rock band, not only because of their unique style and sound, but also because of their liberal use of accordions! They’re definitely going for more of a sea-shanty vibe than the homey, rural feel of most of the accordions I’ve featured so far, but that is never a bad thing. For more, check out Little Talks and King and Lionheart.

Another week, another step forward in the year. Since we’re just about in the middle of the calendar, it’s a good time to take a look back at what’s already happened. Selling books is my primary source of income in my publishing journey, as the CSL subscription plan hasn’t taken off quite yet. That’s alright, though, since as of today I’ve made more book sales than I did in the entirety of last year, despite selling half as many books! Last year, 13 out of the 22 books sold were ebooks, while this year all 11 of them have been paper copies. That seems to be what people want, so I’m going to focus on making as many available as I can.

Looking ahead, I’m always reminded of the projects I have planned out, and those that never got off the ground. I have a hard time working on more than one thing at once, and sometimes even just one thing. So, here are the notable books or stories that haven’t seen the light of day yet.

Counterbalance

The next book in the Euphony of Seasons series (but not book 2 [why does he keep saying that?]) is a little bit darker than Paper & Feathers was, but only a little. There’s a lot less danger and darkness in these stories than in most fantasy nowadays, which is proving to be the popular thing.

The basic plot involves Sel, a Veliagos hunter turned traveling minstrel, who’s running away from something, or maybe she’s running towards something, it’s hard to tell. She encounters Lierza, a young Cervinaeus who definitely is running away, and Fate tangles them together for the remainder of their journey. Expect to see lots of new things like more of Als Solare, new Sartelie transformations, and some other surprises.

Unlike the other books so far that have been released first in ebook, then on paper, and finally in audio, Counterbalance will debut all three formats are complete and ready to go. It will take a while longer than a staggered release, but it will be better, I promise.

The Over and the Under

This is a story that I’ve been working on for quite a long time, and centers around a young couple arranged to be married in a rigid, though not oppressive culture that lives in a city of white stone high in the mountains. They find an underground settlement beneath their feet, and must learn to survive in their new environment. The ordeal will test their wits, strength, and their bond.

Originally, this project was meant to be a visual novel, with full art of each character and background images. That may happen, but it will likely end up being a Twine story with meandering paths rather than branching ones. This means the player won’t be able to dramatically change the outcome of the story, but will be able to influence the path that the characters take between each major event. It will also end up being narrated, because that makes everything more awesome!

There’s lots more ahead, thanks for staying subscribed, and be sure to enjoy your day!