Announcement: Second Story, Tom Cat And Murder Mittens
Added 2023-04-05 23:04:04 +0000 UTCHello everyone. First, let me say thank you all for your support. Last month was really rough on me. Screwing up a major plot point and having to rewrite several chapters, getting deathly sick where my brain felt like it was melting, and then losing power.
You amazing people who have stuck with me, thank you. Your words of encouragement helped me greatly. I haven't been as active in engagement, in Discord or on RR since there has been a lot of pressure on me.
Patreon numbers have been going down slightly, which was something I always knew would happen. But it is a tremendous source of stress, more than I thought it would be. Thankfully I have prepared ahead and have written a second story, Tom Cat And Murder Mittens.
It is being released on Royal Road, and while it is still pending approval, you will be getting chapters as part of Patreon. Yes, there will be no cost increase or change. In addition, Systemic Lands will remain my priority until the popularity of another story I am writing overtakes it.
While RR hasn't approved the initial release yet (I expect them to in the next day or so), I would ask for your support on RR by favoriting, following, and leaving and advanced review there, while being aware not to mention other stories.
There will be a 10 chapter release on Patreon, with a goal of 2 chapters a day, but this may fluctuate a lot more than the Systemic Lands, just based on having the juice to write 4 chapters a day. I don't plan to fiddle with the release rate or schedule of the Systemic Lands, but any additional stories may change their release rate at any time for any reason.
I am trying to catch up on the comments and housekeeping, but it is a struggle when I have so much to write. Discord is the best way to engage with me. https://discord.gg/zDxXfzEVcF
If you need the Patreon role, feel free to PM me or ping me on Discord if it doesn't automatically apply.
Now get ready for a lot of chapters for Tom Cat And Murder Mittens as part of the initial release.
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After losing her mother, Mittens the cat must find her forward in life after gaining the aid of a System and thrust into the high stakes assassin life that her father Tom Cat engages in on behalf of the Covenant Church. The Covenant Church relentlessly pursues and crushes all threats to its supreme authority, from Ancestral Spirits to snake cultists. Mittens must keep the System hidden while she grows stronger. Strong enough to chart in her own course in life despite being labeled a bad creature.
This story, while having dark background with the Covenant Church and the System, is on the grayer to lighter side of things due to the main character Mittens. I would classify the story as light gray in terms of story telling. There is violence and while Mittens and her father are assassins, they aren't killing people without purpose. The setting would be comparable to the 60s to 80s on Earth. There is technology like cars and electricity, but no internet.
Comments
The issue is that there is no more growth with the Systemic Lands. I don't plan to stop writing it, but Patreon has flatlined. Other authors have written second stories and have had great success as long as they keep both up. I have a set amount of living expenses and then after that comes book expenses. Since I am going the self publishing route, paying out of pocket for the editors, audio book, ect. I need at least 1,000 Patrons. It is just the sheer amount of money required to actually publish a book and the expenses behind it. It all adds up. While I love writing, I do have bills to pay and took a huge reduction in terms of lifestyle to be able to do this and not go broke. It is animals, because I wanted a modern setting, but without modern politics and drama. It helps to have the stories very differently thematically so I don't get confused. As for not keeping up, well, this month and next month are huge push on my part to get Patron numbers up. As for adjustments, they might happen, it all depends. Other stories don't do daily releases. I have been doing 2. In a week or two, I might adjust things, it all depends on how well I am doing mentally and can keep up with everything. Last month, I just got hammered in so many ways it isn't even funny, but I still kept going. Thank you for your support. :)
Mister Vii
2023-04-07 05:13:17 +0000 UTCMm. Yeah, there being days with 0 or 1 release of systemic lands is probably the cause for a loss in numbers. While you still post a ton, especially compared to some authors, slowing down is something that will always cause some people to lose interest. The fact that you have that happen and are now working on other story/s is probably concerning for some people as well. Why not just focus on systemic? Do 4 chapters a day, release 2 a day, build up a backlog for when you get sick or whatnot? All things people, including myself on that last point, will wonder. All that being said, it's great to work on something else, even if it's little things on the side that you'll never release. Helps be creative. As for this story, the title makes it sound goofy as hell, like some new-age tom and Jerry with some added lgbtqrstuvwxyz type of shit. Synopsis sounds a bit interesting, but why not just make it humans so the story might be able to be relateable? A large portion of a story being great is being able to put yourself in characters shoes. Cant do that when im reading tom and jerry in my head, and especially cant do that with a main character named murder mittens. Theres not a single human being in existence who could tell me their name is murder mittens and id believe them. Gl, I'm still enjoying systemic lands, ty for your hard work!
ZaA
2023-04-06 00:33:53 +0000 UTCLooks interesting... Would have made an amazing Not April Fools day announcement on April Fools Day.
David Burchfield
2023-04-05 23:27:51 +0000 UTC
