So – obviously – writing a story a week ain’t gonna happen. Don’t take this as whining or excuse-making (not that I can stop you from taking it however the hell you want to) but about 16 hours a day, 5 days a week, I’m either at work, or going to or from work. I get an hour or two a day to spend with my wife and kids. On the weekend, while my amazing wife is at work, I try to spend most of my time with my boys. So trying to juggle my current book projects with an entire finished short story every week is a bit much and will probably lead to me forcing out sub-par material just to make quota.  Not my bag. If I’m going to do it, I’m going to craft it and care about it and make it worth my time.  Let’s be real here.  It took me three years to write Hot Sinatra. Three. Years.

I’ll be honest. Three weeks into January and I almost finished ONE story. The algebra solves itself.

I know there are many among you fellow writers who will decry my lack of fortitude and call me a whiney, non-committal bitch. That’s fine. If you’re one of those people who has a perpetual story machine endlessly cranking into the cold pre-dawn mists, never slowing, never ceasing… more power to you. I certainly wish I could turn it on like a faucet and set my ass down to 3 or 4K per day. You just may be a “better” writer than I. You may be more dedicated than me. Who am I to say?

Me? I yams what I yams, and I know my limitations.

Therefore, I have amended my previous ambition from a story a week, to a story a month. I think 12 stories in a year – good stories, solid stories, finished stories – is a fine accomplishment, especially if I also meet my goals as far as long-form projects go. I’m still struggling with the aches and pains of first-draftery on Keys to Steam and Salvation, and I still have plans for first drafts (or close to) for Für, Sam Hampshire, O’ Sweet Nothin’ and a sequel to Hot Sinatra. I want to have much of this done by WWC 2014 in August so I have them ready to pitch. I think that’s a pretty full slate. It will also give me more room to plan and execute what stories I do write with a more cohesive strategy. I’m currently planning to alternate crime stories with more speculative fiction, starting with something special for next month, hopefully to debut here during the Bloody Valentine Blog Hop on Feb 14.

Also, I’ve realized that it may be something of a folly to post each full story here, especially if I want to  submit them elsewhere later. For most stories, you can therefore expect an excerpt and a small write-up, archived up there under #ASAM. Expect a couple of Moss Cole stories, maybe a Foxy Thunders appearance and at least one story featuring the White Tiger, Captain Lettington of The Queen’s Own. There may be zombie sexcapades, space terror and more coming-of-age awkward shenanigans. There could even be a Sam Hampshire ghost-bust-a-palooza. Who knows? Hopefully there will be twelve stories that knock some socks off.

That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it… for now…