Workmanship Writing Fall Newsletter
Hello everyone!
It's been awhile since I've written one of these. If you're new, welcome aboard!
In May, I published my fantasy novel, Anthemia: Kingdom of Heroes. It has been amazing to have the dream of this novel being released come true. Marketing is hard and making sales isn't easy, but the positive response from readers has been fuel for pressing on. There are two great pieces of recent news for the novel. One, I had my first in-person book signing. It was a great experience to get to speak to potential readers face-to-face, make the book pitch, and have them return with their copy for me to sign moments later!
That same weekend, my ebook was in a sale for fantasy ebooks. In that weekend, thousands of readers downloaded my book! Now, some of those may get buried in a tbr pile, but just knowing a portion of those people are reading my work is amazing! I'm working to get Anthemia on IngramSpark in additon to Amazon. My ebook is also on sale this Monday for Cyber Monday!
The second book of the trilogy is well under way. I had most of the first draft written when the book 1 was published. I've been rounding it out with more scenes and revising it. This draft should be ready for its first round of readers soon. I won't give too much away about the story yet, besides the fact the characters find themselves in the thick of war in book 2. As I have revised and continue to revise, this aspect of the novel is essential for the plot's success, but also a challenge. For research and inspiration purposes, I read A Hobbit, A Wardrobe, and A Great War by Joseph Locente. It was a non-fiction book, about how Tolkien's and Lewis' experiences in WWI influenced their fantasy novels. I recently finished it, and it was an amazing read that makes me stoked about how I can deliver a powerful experience for my readers.
Aside from writing, I worked at a day camp over the summer. As that experience was ending, I interviewed for and was accepted to work as the local middle school's English Language Development teacher. The new position is a lot to learn, and plenty of work but I enjoy it and it's going well. Meeting the demands of the new role have eaten into time for writing, but as I adjust into it, I'm relearning how to balance it all.
I'm loving my local Anglican church family. The last few weeks, we have had a rich study of C.S. Lewis' Abolition of Man in Sunday school. Reading that alongside A Hobbit, A Wardrobe, and a Great War, was impeccable timing. The two books layout the secular ideologies the church must resist and stand against, and the Enemy's strategies have not changed much since Lewis' day.
Our church is also blessed by the joy of moving into our own building come the new year! This is a tremendous answer to prayer, and a testimony to God's faithfulness when we wait on Him.
While the work set before me isn't easy, it's work I feel meant for and purposeful in. I have that, and much more to to be thankful for this holiday season. I'm super excited for the future of my fantasy trilogy, and as rounds of readers read the book 2 draft, I plan to use that time to branch out and test other projects(I’m thinking more poetry and testing out sci-fi!). I'm itching to return to or try out new ideas. Stay tuned for book 2 updates, and other writing endeavors!
The best is yet to come!
God bless,
Stephen Ritchie
P.S. Here is a picture from the recent book signing, a link to a recent blog post, and a link to my novel!
