State of the Golden Age

Several of you are asking where we are on the various projects so let me take a moment to give you a status report.

The last of the major edits for the paper version of Quarter Share have been sent back to Ridan. We should be clearing the last of the “clean up” edits in the next few days in order to have the books available at Balticon at the end of May.

Owner’s Share will be the next book, but I’ve not been able to give it the attention it deserves for a number of reasons. Putting the edits together for Quarter Share hasn’t really made as much difference as this next bullet…

I’m losing my Day Job at the end of June. Some of you know I work for a national research and development institute dedicated to helping support education for children with the most severe disabilities — blindness, deafness, and significant support. That work depends on Federal grant funding. With the recent economic downturn and some fundamental changes in the way grants are awarded, we’ve been unable to secure additional funding and so my day job is going away at the end of June. This has been rather a tougher blow than I’d anticipated but I’m recovering.

What all this means is that, after June I’ll have a lot more time to devote to creative pursuits like writing and recording. I”ll also have a lot more incentive to do so. The situation is far from desperate here, so please don’t fret on that score. I’ve got many prospects for teaching in the fall and with the pending release of the dead tree scrolls, my status as “second income” here at Casa de Lowell is secure. It just will be more “second” than “income” for a few months.

Owner’s Share will be out this year but it looks more like “Summer” than “Spring” at this point. The sequel to Ravenwood is likewise on the table. I really need to find a place for Cape Grace in this line up, too.

In addition to that, I’ll be producing the podio version of Michael J. Sullivan’s Avempartha for Ridan and I’ve still got voice work with a couple authors out there. It’s shaping up to be a fun ride.

So, thank you all for you continued support. We’re moving on with creative pursuits and I will still be at Balticon at the end of may. I better be or Paul will shoot me. I’ve got nine events on the schedule already, including a reading, an autograph session, and a book party!

Stay tuned for more news and, as Ishmael would say, “Trust Lois.”

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20 Responses to State of the Golden Age

  1. Abbie says:

    :'( I’m sorry. That’s rough. If I can help, let me know.

    If anyone reading this blog wants to hear more details of Quarter Share’s publication story, I did an interview with Nathan over here: http://cowrycatchers.com/?p=441

    I think I asked at least some of the right questions. ;)

  2. Victoria says:

    Hey Nate,

    very sorry to hear about the day job. I work in bioscience and I can feel for you, a lot of people I know are struggling to stay employed.

    Maybe you should start a personal blog besides the book one. It might feel like you have an outlet for progress, news and anxieties over the next few months, it will keep your fingers agile and I think the people here would cheer to have a more continuous source of news to satisfy their curiosity and impatience. Just a suggestion !

    V.

  3. Amy says:

    Nathan, I’m sorry to hear you are losing your job. :( But knowing who you are you’ll make the best of it and come out better than before. We’ll support you as we can by buying Quarter Share when it comes out. Looking forward to the book and the new stories!

  4. Shannon says:

    Nathan, My thoughts and best wishes are with you and your family. I’m very excited about supporting you when Quarter Share is released. Please let us know if there’s more we can do to help!

  5. Nate says:

    Gosh, that was fast response, folks.

    I’m doing well here. It’s been coming for a long time and I had some hope of alternate employment at the university up until a week or so ago.

    What has to happen now is that I need to stop think of myself as an unemployed (or soon-to-be) academic and start thinking of myself as a full time writer.

  6. scott pond says:

    Nate, as the others have said, sorry about the day job. That’s a tough row to hoe, as they say (still don’t know who “they” are… been looking for a long time, but to no avail). The good thing is that even in economic depressions, there are always avenues for creative and driven individuals such as yourself. As one door closes another opens… as “they” say.

    With the possibilities for teaching “freelance” and the prospects in the literary sphere branching off, I’m sure it will be a short “vacation”.

    As your other faithful fans have said, we’ll (meaning myself as well) can and will do what we can to help you and and support you, not just limited to satisfying our own needs for the “dead tree” version of your wonderful work(s).

    Anything we can do Nate, PLEASE let us know.

  7. I echo everyone else’s response — I am truly sorry to hear about losing the day job. I have to believe that someone with your skills and talent will land in a good place, but it’s not always easy to find that silver lining. In the meantime, I look forward to helping out in some small way by purchasing one or three of the upcoming limited edition hardcover and paperback editions of Quarter Share. It truly is a time for the crew to step up and help out our Captain while we are all sailing in deep dark together.

    Best of luck, Nate.

  8. Nate says:

    Thanks, everybody.

    I’m cautiously optimistic that there’ll be more teaching in the fall and I’ve got a LOT of summer free now to do the writing and reading thing. Stay tuned and keep listening. I really appreciate the support.

  9. Hade says:

    OK, that settles it. Now I’m buying two ;)

  10. MidwestGuru says:

    I’m sorry to hear about the day job. I can make you this promise though: I will buy at least 1 copy of every paper book you produce and will probably be buying extras as gifts. I never get tired of listening to the audio versions and wish to share with friends and family that don’t listen to audio books.

  11. Scott Roche says:

    Glad you’re taking it in stride. You’ve got a great attitude about the whole thing (no surprise) and I know you’ll come through this just fine. “Trust Lois” indeed. See you at Balticon sahr!

  12. Ryan says:

    Well Mr. Lowell, writing is clearly a gift, and if this turn of events allows you more time exploring that gift, then I for one am eager to see the results. Your writing has been inspiring to me and I am eager for the print editions for my personal collection.
    …Enjoy the ride.

  13. Chris Rose says:

    Nate, sorry to hear your news. However on the glass half full side of things it may mean more of your work quicker…. Which can only be good news for us and hopefully your writing and narrating career. Awaiting with bated breath the release of Quarter Share. I also notice from your note above that you are going to collaborate on a podio version of Michael J. Sullivan’s Avempartha, I have just ordered my copy of Emerald Storm direct having previously caught up with the other 3 on a recent holiday and am delighted to learn there will be audio versions as well, is there some legal issue preventing you starting with the first Riyria instalment and if so is it likely to be resolved?

  14. James says:

    Isn’t it typical of the Government that it prioritizes giving billions of dollars to a failing car company over helping a research institution that helps disabled people. I know where you are coming from in the unemployed department, as I have been jobless for nearly a year. Thankfully I have finally found work, but it is only temporary (and worse, the work will prevent me from getting to balticon). But if anyone can make a living as a writer, it is you. Every single person I have introduced your work to has, without exception, loved it and gone on to listen to most or all or your other books. Now that you have them coming out in print, I will be able to introduce your books to some people I know who refuse to listen to audiobooks.

  15. Nate says:

    @Chris Rose – the Avempartha decision was theirs. It’s the one they wanted me to work on first.

  16. Jess Davis-Heim says:

    The planners at Balticon are struggling with scheduling it seems… I was wondering if you knew what day you would be book signing. It’s a long drive from Maine and I don’t want to miss you! Thanks!

  17. Nate says:

    I do! Let me put together the whole schedule of public events and post that …

  18. Elizabeth says:

    I was delighted to find Abby’s link to your interview in her comment. To be honest, I’d already planned to buy printed versions of your books just out of principle. However, I’m now quite eager for Quarter Share to be printed and available! Though I’ve listened to the story too many times to count, it will be very interesting to see if the differences are noticeable.
    The interview also gave me quite a list of “new” stories to go look for. Is there a master list of your voice work available anywhere? Thanks!
    Though I’m sorry to hear your grant was canceled, I must congratulate you on your future as a full-time writer and perhaps voice actor and teacher. Without a doubt, your books are only going to get even better more numerous. Yeh!

  19. Stephanie says:

    All I can say is.. I wanna hear more. :) Keep up the great work!

  20. That’s so cool Nate! It’s really fun to read about you having a book signing, I can’t wait to get my copy of Quarter Share! Your work has been the main one to inspire me to pursue podcasting my ficiton, and as a fan, your stuff is my favorite out there. I really appreciate all the content you’ve provided us and I’m really excited for all the new content to come!

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