So it’s 2020 and time for me to finally make do on that promise of publishing.

Is it possible? Not exactly.

In 2019 I kept my blog posts to a minimum so I could focus on the novel.

Somewhere around the middle of last year, I finally finished my 6th draft, coming in at 43 chapters and 120k words.

At that size, my editor Jesse indicated I was no longer in the small project margin, and the cost of editing increased.

I really can’t argue with that, as Jesse is a top-notch editor, and worth the price. Unfortunately I’m really not at the stage to afford a top-notch editor.

And with other life projects taking centre stage – my son, and building a new home – I had to put the novel on hold.

Now at the beginning of 2020, the house is complete, and my son if fully integrated in my life, so I’m seeing clearer how my finances stand, and how my time schedules.

I have since reached out to Jesse, discussed what I can offer, and he has agreed to resume. Looks like writing is on again.

Once editing is complete, I’ll dig into another draft, send it for proofreading, and following would by my final version.

Based on how long it took me to revise the 6th draft, completing a 7th and final version sounds intense for a deadline of December. That’s 2 more 120k revisions, plus editing, in little over 10 months.

And there’s also that second novel, the Chronicles short story collection. Best to leave that alone for now.

So I’ll blog while the editing is going on, with a guest post focus for value, and go mostly silent when the revision starts back.

In the meantime, I’d like to share my top choices for sci fi fantasy that I wholeheartedly recommend you check out in 2020.

Note this isn’t a list of new releases, just things that I’ve recently seen, or plan on watching.

Books

I didn’t read anything new last year, instead rereading two old favourites. If you haven’t already, definitely pick these up:

Before They Are Hanged (The First Law #2): My favourite read of 2015. I love the journey of Bayaz and his group, beginning at the ancient city-port of the Old Empire, over the Great Plain, across the mighty river Aos, then all the way to the edge of the world. This is book 2, but do yourself a favour and read the entire First Law trilogy.

The Final Empire (Mistborn #1): My favourite read of 2017. It’s exciting to read about young street urchin Vin meeting expert bandit leader Kelsier, discovering her mistborn powers, and plotting a rebellion to take down the Final Empire. Truly a masterpiece.

In 2020 I’ll resume reading, as I think it’s necessary to sharpen my writing. This year I’m going with a Warhammer theme:

WolfBlade (Space Wolf #4)
Sons of Fenris (Space Wolf #5)
Wolf’s Honour (Space Wolf #6)
Shamanslayer (Gotrek and Felix #10)
Kinslayer (Gotrek and Felix #11)
Zombieslayer (Gotrek and Felix 12)

TV Series

There are so many interesting sci fi fantasy TV series out now, it makes me dizzy.

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance season 1: An old classic by Muppets creator Jim Henson re-imagined for modern times, the story of the Skeksis terrorising the Gelfling with their search for immortality is dramatic. This world is full of lore and culture, the puppets charming and lively. Definitely my favourite for 2019

Vikings season 8 (or season 6, I think): Vikings had me from season one, but after Ragna died, things started getting messy. I’m not sure what his sons Bjorn and Ivar have planned now, but it’s probably something bloody interesting.

The Mandalorian season 1: The Mandalorian starts caring about his baby Yoda bounty and flees across the stars while being pursued by other bounty hunters. Nothing revolutionary here, but it’s still Star Wars.

See season 1: After mankind survives some catastrophe, they emerge from caves centuries later without the sense of sight. The few who can see are hunted as witches. Baba Voss learns his children have this gift, or curse, and fights to protect them.

His Dark Materials season 1: A remake from the 2005 Golden Compass movie based on the His Dark Materials books, I’m hoping this HBO series get’s the story right.

The Watchmen season 1: I’m not exactly sure what this superhero show is about, but IGN rated it as best TV series of 2019.

The Witcher season 1: Based on the books by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski, and made famous by CDPR’s video game adaptation, the Witcher follows Geralt as he wanders the Continent hunting monsters for coin. When he calls on the Law of Surprise as a reward for one of his kills, his faith becomes intertwined with Ciri and Yennefer. The timelines can be confusing, but at least that Toss a Coin for Your Witcher song is catchy.

Lost in Space season 2: The Robinsons continue their adventures across space as they try to get to Alpha Centauri. This season really picked up the pace, but that boy-robot relationship is still annoying.

Pricard season 1: The greatest starship captain of all time returns to the chair for another go of boldly seeking out new life and new civilizations. Count me in.

Attack on Titan season 4: And the greatest anime of all time is back for the final season. I can’t wait to see how Eren and the others deal with the land across the sea that’s infecting their island with man-eating Titans.

Movies

After all the new TV releases, I’ve really lost touched with movies. I don’t even know what’s coming out this year, but there’s only one that really piqued my attention.

Joker: Party clown Arthur struggles with the tribulations of life and eventually trips into the psychotic killer we all know from the D.C. universe. If you can handle a slow build up, this one hit’s with a gruesome punch line.

Games

With virtual reality, more power than Donald Trump, and even a new console war happening in summer, this is the greatest generation to be a gamer. Unfortunately, I don’t have time for all the 9-out-of-10 time consumers.

Well, maybe I have a little time.

Skyrim: This open world game is almost 10 years old, yet there’s a reason why it still appears on every top-10 list. Sent to Skyrim to be executed, you escape thanks to a dragon attack. What follows is a quest across hills and valleys as the Dragonborn. At least, that’s what is supposed to happen. My mage character has gotten lost in his obsession for power. I’ll be playing this well into June.

Super Mario World: And this ultimate game by Nintendo is almost 30 years old (damn, has it been that long). I still remember ripping open my Super Nintendo around 1994 and being amazed at what was then gorgeous graphics – stomping goomba’s on mushroom tops, flying through forest levels, and then there was Yoshi. I’ve had a retro game itch lately that I plan on satisfying later this year.

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So what do you think of my plans, and which books/TV shows do you like? Let me know in the comments.