Last July I changed the banner on this website to feature the artwork from my novel in progress, Jeep Thompson and the Lost Prince of Venus, with a solemn-ish pledge:
The purpose of this temporary banner is to remind me, every time I service the blog (in other words, every day), that I need to write some Jeep words today. Every day I manage to write blog words and day-job words, but I let too much time lapse between Jeep words. This is me declaring I’m going to get serious again about the Jeep words.
… and …
I’m not going to mention this again. The only clues I intend to give regarding progress are that when the novel is finished, I will replace the blog banner as noted above, without fanfare.
I am officially, these nine months later, declaring defeat — or at least a judicious retreat. I have not made significant progress on Jeep’s story in the ensuing months, and so, rather than a daily reminder of a stalled project, I am replacing it with the artwork from one of my successfully completed projects, it’s going to be all right, a lovely book of essays now available at an e-tailer near you.
For more than a decade now, the world has gotten angrier and meaner and more afraid. Log into your favorite “social media” site, anytime, and someone will alert you about some outrage, someone will warn you about some threat, and someone will be shouting down voices of reason and calm and peace.
This book has a simple but powerful message: Never mind that the world is scary and raging; if you reach inside to a calm place, you’ll find the most basic of truths: It’s going to be all right. Oh, change is inevitable, and tomorrow will not look like yesterday, but it’s going to be all right.
Is Jeep shelved permanently? Of course not, and when she finally appears on the scene, a storm will be taken. The daily reminder that she hasn’t yet was just grinding down my Muse, and let me tell you, that Muse doesn’t like to be ground. And so we will celebrate her latest success, rather than a work in progress.
And if you’d care to check that book out by clicking here, who am I to discourage you?