Bunkers and towers, oh my!

Hey everyone!

First I have some news.

The last 3 or 4 or 5 chapters of Asgard Awakening 2 will be going up around the 23-ish.  There are also several chapters done of Engineering Ludus, and I will put those up after that.  I just need to finalize the contract with the author and do some editing.

And of course, by the end of this month, I'll be working on Delvers 4. :)

In other news, I had a conversation with Melli a couple days ago about WMDs and doomsday weapons.  She wasn't area of how truly messed up bio weapons could be, for example.

Anyway, by the end of the convo, she was like, "That is messed up.  Maybe we should build a bunker."

I asked, "And make one floor my office, full of Fallout stuff?"

"Of course. But we still need a tower too."

This convo definitely got the wheels spinning.  2020 has been a not-so-great year for me professionally, so it's premature to be thinking seriously about any costly home additions, but it's fun to talk about right now!

I think the plan right now is to add a two story tower on one end of the house with an enclosed roof/top level.  Then that structure will have a basement, and a storm cellar coming off of it, maybe with some storage to one side.

Ultimately, one level of this thing could be my new office, which would be super cool because then I could climb to the top, open the windows, and write while looking out over the surrounding area.

:)

Now I want to talk a little bit about why I shared this with you all.

For many years of my adult life, I lived below the poverty line.  During this time, as an avid reader, I was interested in the lives of some of my favorite authors.  

I actually began reading Jim Butcher's Dresden Files the first year it came out.  Over the years of Jim's career, I've followed him and read everything he's written.  I got to meet him--long before I published, and then again after publishing too.  When Jim was able to buy a ton of acreage to host his own LARP stuff if he wanted, I was super happy for him.

It seems like there are a lot of people in the world who are famous for being famous, or who get rich or richer by just existing.  I try to ignore that stuff and focus on how much I love it when creators who have made worlds or arts that I love get a break.

When I see good news about my favorite authors, people who have developed the worlds that got me through bad times, sad times, great times, and everything in between, it makes the world seem brighter.  Whether it news of someone's story being made into a movie, or Brandon Sanderson getting a huge deal to finish the Wheel of Time, or Larry Correia buying a mountain, it's all made me happy.

Some of you have been with me from the very beginning, and this group really gives me some of the most powerful creative motivation I need to keep going.

This group is composed of a huge variety of people--some really, really successful folks, and some folks who are barely scraping by.  The only commonality is that you believe in me...which helps keep me excited about my job.  While I am not rich now, maybe I will be one day.  And one way or another, I want to take you all on the journey with me to prove that sometimes, people can achieve their dreams through nothing but a refusal to quit and with lots of hard work.

Having a castle, or at least a tower, has always been another dream of mine, even since I was a kid.  

Talking to Melli about this sort of thing again, finding out she's supportive of it, and even brought it up herself, has just reminded me of all this stuff.  The fact that one day I might achieve something silly like having a tower, and that this might inspire other people is really cool...but also very humbling.

And more importantly, the world is full of a lot of negativity right now.  It's fun to share something positive with people who matter to me.

So...I'm sharing two of my greatest goals--to one day be a full time author living in a castle(ish).  I've achieved half of that.  The other half might be a few years off, but if/when it happens, you all will be the first I will tell.

-BC