Chapter 31, Finally · 9:13pm Sep 16th, 2022
Kept you waiting, huh?
Business first. XXXI: Of Resurrections is being released alongside this blog. Nine months is a long wait, and it shouldn't have taken me this long, but alas here we are. I think it's a pretty good chapter! It's been reviewed by no less than five of my editors, with a sixth unfortunately being too busy with work to get more than a quarter of the way through it. I'm very excited to see what everyone thinks.
So what else have I been up to? I typically shake my head in disapproval at authors who blog about drama or their lives without putting out the content that people presumably follow them for, so as a rule I never publish a blog if I'm not releasing a chapter the same day. That means my account has in many ways taken on the appearance of a dead body for the past nine months. Seeing as I'm here now, I thought I'd use the chance to share a bit, for those of you that, for whatever reason, actually care about that kind of thing.
My lovely composer Noc has put together several minutes of new music in preparation for this chapter's eventual audiobook release, which I expect will probably be two hours or more of content on Skijiramaz's channel! He's even uttering some madness about scoring the entire thing like a movie instead of "just" making excellent orchestral soundtracks for Skij to use as he sees fit. This is of course an insane proposal, and he's very busy with music commissions on the side, so I wouldn't blame him if he decided against it. But it's a neat idea, so we'll see, won't we? Here's a sample:
I listened to this a lot while writing this chapter. Someone send him money.
I don't have any new fan art to show you, but really who would make fan art for a dead fic anyway, right? It's been difficult to find time to write this year, and to be honest I'm not exactly sure why. I think I take on too many obligations and waste too much time. I run tabletop campaigns, I design ops for my Arma3 unit, I work on commissions for my alt, and I try to find time to socialize with my friends and family. I feel like I should be able to do all this and find time to write this story for you all. There are times where I've wondered if maybe I'm depressed, but to be honest I don't feel depressed. I just feel like this gap is a result of a personal weakness of mine, an inability to properly manage my time and focus on my projects. I'll try to do better.
The big news to share with you all is that I'm enlisting in the military. Nothing silly like the USMC, of course. I've already sworn in to the US Air Force, and am currently in the process of applying to the US Space Force. I'm very excited by it on a conceptual level, and I've heard a lot of great things, and I'm sure it's quite concerning for you to read about that considering there's still an entire third act to go until this story is presumably finished! But don't worry; I'm dedicated to finishing Sunken Horizons at least before I leave for basic training. Chapter 31 was initially planned to be the final chapter (plus an epilogue), but as the draft approached 20k and I looked at the list of scenes I had yet to cover I realized, hmm, I'm gonna need another chapter.
So one more chapter, then an epilogue. After SH is complete I have some side story ideas, but I don't know if I'll start on those before or after going through training. It'll last 8 weeks, and I don't know when I might be heading out, but it could be as early as October! And after that, Uncle Sam will be bankrolling my horse fiction, and I can finally start saying "yes" to all those people that ask me if I'm a veteran—even though my military experience will quite likely be doing IT work on a satellite base somewhere.
I don't have much else to say. I don't think anyone is interested in a detailed review of my gaming habits over the last nine months, but I can tell you that right now I'm dipping my toes back into Foxhole as it approaches it's 1.0 release. They added trains! I'm replaying the Homeworld games, too, getting ready for Homeworld 3. Above all though, you can rest assured I'm committed to finishing this story. I promised myself when I started writing it that I would finish—the entire point of starting it was to prove to myself I could finish—so I can't move on to write anything else until I do. And I definitely intend to write for as long as I live. We'll get there.
Thanks for tuning in. As always, I'd encourage enthusiastic readers to come hang out on Discord or contribute to my Patreon. Some madman recently started giving me $100 a month. I don't know who he is and he won't respond to my email, but thanks, dude. Every dollar really means a lot and makes a difference, but one hundred dollars is a little shocking. Wild.
Enjoy the chapter. I hope to put 32 out within a month.
You deserve the best GG, thank you in advance for your service.
n’ I hope this secret benefactor reveals himself soon—he’s therealhero!Well there it is again. I go thinking about a story out of the blue that I haven't seen update in quite a while and then it goes and gets an update one or two days later.
Wish I could make that magic happen at-will with a few others.
Thank you soo much, Goldenwing. Your the Horizons' series is very good and well written. I'm saddened that and end is in sight, but relieved that it will be finished and not forever dead. BTW I've read the 2 books twice through! Its a master piece!
First I'll say congrats on your enlistment! I just retired from doing 20 years in the USAF. Doesn't matter if you stay in for 4 years or 20, it may not all be roses and sunshine but it's an experience you will grow from.
I can wait the long haul but I truly hope this trilogy never turns into a deadfic. Super interested in the story. Unfortunately for statistics, I'm one of those that waits for a book to be done before I sit down and binge it so while I might not show up in your active readers as you're writing, know I'm sitting here subscribed for updates and anxiously awaiting more!