Well, well, well, October. Fancy seeing you here. The final third of 2026. The last quarter of the year.
Which, frankly, seems impossible. But it always does at this time of year, doesn’t it? If I looked hard enough, I’m sure I’d find old messages and posts with my name attached, saying something to the effect of “whoa, is it really almost 2024?!” and “Omg it’s almost 2019” and, and…
Come to think of it, I have distinct memories of struggling to remember to date things as –00 and –01, without the familiar 199-.
You know what, let’s not think of that.
Gheist Updates
This month, I’m thrilled to be giving a presentation at my home-town library, sharing my process for writing fictional monsters. Not only is this lining up to be a fun presentation on one of my favorite topics, but I’m bracing myself for the surreal feeling of setting up my laptop in one of the same library classrooms where I sat in story hours and writing clubs.
I don’t live in my home-town; I wound up in a different, equally tiny town about 40 minutes down the road. Between here and there, I’ve lived in a few different states across the country. What a wonder it is, to be returning to my home-town library to talk about my own published book.
On top of that, as an indie writer, I’m always trying to expand my reach; researching local bookstores, applying to writing podcasts (I’ve got a few more interviews coming out!), and all the while navigating social media.
Just as exciting, I’m also going to be appearing at a fall author festival, and I’m hoping to connect for some further in-person events. I can’t share many details now, but I’ll be posting updates on social media.
I’m currently on a writing hiatus, taking a much-needed break before I crash fully into creative burnout, but somehow I’m spending just as much time (if not more) thinking, talking, and writing about my books.
Bludeye Beach
As you probably know (if you’re reading this newsletter), my debut novel Bludeye Beach released in January of this year. What you also probably know (but maybe not), it’s the first in a series of four.
That wasn’t my original intention.
In November of 2023, I sat down for a monthly writing challenge to get 50,000 words out about a ridiculous notion that was basically three steps away from Stardew Valley fanfiction. Back then, I was on the tail-end of some very serious creative burnout and writing blocks; I hadn’t been able to seriously commit to a story in years.
Backing up even further, I’ve always wanted to be a writer. I’ve always been possessed by clouds of stories, characters, places that never existed but I was desperate to see. I went to college for a creative writing degree, and while I didn’t have a ton of discipline for finishing novels, I was writing more consistently than ever. It was also in college that I discovered NaNoWriMo; for what it became, back then and for a decade since, it was the most reliable source of writing for me, and for that, I’ll always be grateful to it.
But in November 2023, the last NaNoWriMo I took part in, it had been a long, long time since I’d really had passion for writing anything. I had ideas I liked, stories I’d abandoned but wanted to return to.
To be completely honest, the thought of giving up on writing entirely had occurred to me more than once. I was on a different career track. I was trying to put my life together. Maybe, I thought, it would just be easier to forget I ever wanted to see my book on someone’s bookshelf.
So when I had a stupid idea about a girl who fell in love with a boy in a creepy, monster-infested town, I thought: what do I really have to lose?
The most writing I’d done before 11/2023 was for a Dungeons and Dragons campaign, where I found life-giving joy in creating an entirely unique world. Fantasy cities, magical artifacts, divine gods; it was a relief to be able to return to my massive notes document during my lunch breaks. A single town filled with monsters was a much smaller scale than that, but I applied the same joy to making this fictional place. Local businesses, local gossip, local monsters. And because this was just a stupid story that didn’t really matter, I could put in everything I wanted. A library connected to a coffee shop? Sure. Gay dad drama? Hell yeah. A spooky cave to explore? Say less.
In a single month, I drafted over 120,000 words, and Edie Grayson was forever a part of my life.
In the next couple months, I decided two things: this was going to be the first book I published. And there were going to be more.
Looking Forward
There’s a ton more history between then and now, but I’ve been spending a lot of time remember November of 2023. A year later, I wrote the sequel, Return to Bludeye Beach. And last November, I wrote book three, Below Bludeye Beach. And in a month, I’m going to start the first draft of the last Bludeye Beach book, Bludeye Beach Forever.
I have no idea how I’m going to feel when it’s finished. Probably, I won’t feel anything at all, because finishing a draft is the first step in a long journey to book completion. Even if I try to imagine further touchpoints – publishing book four, holding all four books in my hands – it just feels surreal.
I’m going to write the final quarter of this series. But it’s not going to be the end of anything.
Thanks to Edie Grayson and Bludeye Beach, I’m not sure I’ll ever be willing to entertain the thought of quitting writing, ever again.
Stay safe, vote early if you can, and never forget that there’s always another chance.
-Eli
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