Ebenezer Post: 2024 Edition

Hello, and welcome!

This post is titled and formatted with a not-so-subtle nod to Charles Dicken’s character from A Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge.

The only real connection with that classic story is that this special, once-a-year newsletter takes an in-depth look at my writing projects from the past year, what I’m currently working on, and what I hope to accomplish in the year ahead. No ghosts, no introspective realizations about the meaning of life and Christmas, just writing projects past, present, and future.

Without further ado…

Past Writing Projects

2024 was an exciting year for getting things up and running here on the website. In addition to the end-of-month newsletters, I posted a satirical series on fantasy tropes one-to-two times each month. (You can read the whole series here.) I also posted 52 free short stories from my book, Collected Short Stories: Volume One. You can read the stories here or purchase a paperback copy here.

I wrote the rough draft for an upcoming book in my whimsical fantasy series, Tales of Minz (more on that in a later section), and started putting it through the editing process as well.

Speaking of the Tales of Minz series, I redesigned and re-released the first book in the series, A Cobbler’s Tale, and published the second book, A Lamplighter’s Tale, at the same time. That being said, reformatting, designing and editing the first book at the same time as I was trying to get ready to publish the second book is… not something I’d care to repeat. That massive project took up a lot of my writing time, but I’m pleased with how the books turned out, and I’m excited to keep adding to this satirical series as time goes on.

The first round of revisions to the third book in The Tale of Rose and Ed are done. My good friend and editor, Nic Gartner, and I continue to hone the story, but we’re really pleased with the progress to this final addition to the trilogy. If you haven’t read the first two books yet, check them out! A House Named Haven starts the Bode family’s tale, and it continues with the second book, The Storytellers. If you enjoy stories about stories and their importance in our lives, I think you’ll love these books.

Present Writing Projects

What am I working on right now?

As far as new stories go, I’m making my way through another rough draft for the fourth book in the Tales of Minz series. My goal is to release one of these books each year, so the draft I’m currently working on will be published sometime in 2026.

While that might seem like a rather excessive amount of time (especially since I’m writing the draft now before 2024 even ends), I’ve learned not to overpromise when it comes to my writing projects. Things come up, and I’d rather not say something is going to happen if it isn’t. The draft is going well, though, and it’s been good to explore a different form of storytelling with this addition to the Tales of Minz series. It’s still whimsical, it’s still wild, but it’s got so much more too.

I’m also in the middle of editing the third book in the Tales of Minz series, A Librarian’s Tale. As the title suggests, the book is about a young librarian who would rather just find a cozy corner where she can avoid people and read a good book, but she’s forced to go on an impossible quest to save her family, her library, and the world of Minz as she knows it. Along the way, she meets friends and foes, and must use all of her kindness and cleverness if she wants to get to the end of her story.

This third book in the Tales of Minz series has been such a blast to write. It’s also been a behemoth. The rough draft clocked in just shy of 100k words (which, I know, for some fantasy authors isn’t all that impressive), and the editing process has been slow but enjoyable. I’m hoping to be done with editing, formatting, and designing the cover art in the coming months so that I can publish A Librarian’s Tale around the middle of 2025. You can be sure to find a post or two about it before its release date!

As I wrote in the section above, revisions continue on the third book in The Tale of Rose and Ed. My good friend and editor, Nic, and I have been working asynchronously on this project for a little over a year now. I’m so thankful that he’s been editing this trilogy since the beginning. Without Nic, the story would be far different—and not at all better. We’ve got one big round of revisions to go through yet, but we’re hoping to have everything tied up with a neat little bow and ready to release sometime in 2025.

The Tale of Rose and Ed is such a foundational part of my writing journey—it holds such a special place in my heart for many reasons. I’ll be sad when it’s all said and done. Publishing A House Named Haven back in 2021 was my first real foray into sharing my writing with more than just my family and close friends. I’d like to think that I’ve learned a few things about writing and publishing since releasing that first book. I made mistakes—and I’m still making them. But I’m also learning and growing, and that’s been such a blessing.

Future Writing Projects

This is the most ambiguous section of the Ebenezer Post because I don’t know if I’ll find time to work on these projects this upcoming year. Remember what I said about overpromising?

That being said, here are a few things I’d like to squeeze in time for in 2025. Some of these projects might not see the light of day for a while, but stories take time to gather and grow. I’ll order these possible projects from smallest to largest.

Thinking of new content to add to the website, I’d like to start writing about some of the books I’m reading. (If you’ve been following the newsletter posts, I’ve mentioned this idea before as a “Reading Corner” on the website.)

I’m not always comfortable promoting my own writing (even though I do it because otherwise the books won’t sell), but I think sharing the stories that other people write is easier. There’s so much good content out there, and letting other people know about awesome books that we enjoy is always worthwhile in my opinion. So, look for some appreciation posts about books in the new year!

Short stories hold a near and dear place in my heart. From 2021-2022 I gave myself the challenge of writing one a week and then posting them on my website (Collected Short Stories: Volume One). I had so much fun writing this stories, I’ve decided to do something similar in 2025. Not one short story a week—I don’t think I have time for that since I still have several other projects on my plate—but one a month seems a bit more manageable.

Coincidentally, I have a 1925 Underwood Typewriter that I’ve been slowly working to restore over the years. It’s still a beautiful machine, and I’d like to write some things on it, especially since it’s turning 100 this next year. I’ve always been fond of personifying inanimate objects and the idea of this typewriter sitting around unused is honestly heartbreaking. It deserves more. I’m thinking these short stories might be an excellent way to make use of a classic writer’s tool.

As far as “new” writing projects go, I have two on the back burner that I’d like to move to the front of the stove at some point in 2025. One has been simmering for a while now (nearly four years, in fact), the other hasn’t even started to boil. Wow, I really leaned into the food/cooking expressions there. Apologies…

The story that’s been simmering is a children’s book set in a magical world, with the beautiful themes of friendship and bravery woven throughout. I’ve actually written the rough draft already, but it needs a good amount of rewriting, so I’m considering it a new project. I’ve even briefly featured the world itself in one of my short stories (Merle the Merchant-Mage), so it’ll be nice to build that world even further with this story. Who knows? Maybe I’ll have more to write about this book in next year’s Ebenezer Post…

The story that hasn’t even started to boil is the fifth book in the Tales of Minz series. To be honest, I haven’t even started thinking about what that one will be about, but if I have an idea about a character or story, I’ll likely jump in headfirst and see where it goes. This is the last project on the list because if I don’t get to it in 2025, I’ll get to it, Lord willing, in 2026.

In Summary

That’s all I have at the moment for this Ebenezer Post! I have a lot of irons in the proverbial fire, and next year, I’ll try to juggle all of those irons at the same time. Is that advisable? Probably not. Will I drop one or two? Most likely. But will I pick them up and keep going? Hopefully!

I love telling stories, and I’m thankful for the opportunities to keep telling them. You’re part of the reason that’s possible, and I appreciate your willingness to read what I write more than you can possibly know. I truly am grateful! If you read and enjoy my books, short stories, or blog posts, I’d be honored if you left a review or recommended my writing to a friend who might enjoy it too!

One final connection to A Christmas Carol before you go. In the words of Tiny Tim: God bless us, everyone!

Until next time,

Al