The Literary Street Team

What's on the horizon?  Well, there's a long list of new projects we will work on after our priority projects have been completed.  Keep in mind that Drake has also quacked a strong interest in writing another collection of short stories this year, too - flash fiction this time... so because I'm at the mercy of a headstrong bundle of feathers and flippers... nothing is EVER written in stone until it's published!
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~The Last Strand (a science fiction novel)  This one is a bit challenging because in the five years that it's been in development, Drake has changed his mind about the POV and the Climax... and he has new ideas for technology... so... at this point, we have absolutely no reasonable expectation regarding when it'll be finished.  Muses like to take their time with these things.

~American Plague (a four-book political thriller series)  It's possible book one of this series might come out at the beginning of 2026... but more likely, it'll be at the end of next year.  Although Drake has had some really good ideas for this project lately, it's a little complex to write a series (who knew?) so we're working to make sure all the small details are connected in the outline properly before we publish the first book.  Drake and I are completely baffled at the thought that other authors "pants" their way through a series.  It sounds a lot more confusing doing it that way.  We'll stick to our passionate plotting, thank you... if only to retain our own sanity.

~The Crimson Key (a swashbuckler fantasy novel)  This one has a synopsis, but not much more than that.  We need to build out the plot outline and work on character maps  before we can even think about the actual writing part.  However, the idea of writing about pirates, and adding his own little twist is exciting to Drake.  If you're curious... a sneak preview is hidden inside our romance novel,

A Tryst of Fate. 

~Hot Cocoa (a collection of anecdotal essays)  It turns out that after writing fiction for so many years, flipping his tail feathers around to write essay is more challenging for Drake than he anticipated.  We don't want it to be a dull read, so we're taking our time with this one.  We're hoping that it turns out to be on the more humorous side, and that takes a bit of time... unless you're Kristoffer Gair!

~Take The Reins (a young adult mystery novel)  This project has been a curiosity for Drake since winter 2023, when a friend posed an interesting question about young people solving mysteries, without the end result sounding too much like an after-school special or an episode of Scooby-Doo (not that there's anything wrong with either of those things).  We have a synopsis and a general idea of the track for this story... but it'll need more developmental time, and a really solid outline before we can even consider when it might see the festival circuit.  And... Drake tells me this one may require travel and research, so there may be a southern horse farm and boarding school in our future.

~The Passionate Plotter Guidebooks (Indie Author guidebook series)  We still have four more to write in this series, and we expect the entire series will be finished by the end of 2026, or before.  Non-fiction is kind of like kelp to Drake.  It's the bill cleanser in between fiction projects.  We've got all the material from over ten years of teaching creative writing workshops in schools and community centers... we just need to regurgitate it into a digestible format for writers.  Most of these books are complete, we just need to add the final tweaks and a few more worksheets.

~Chloe Chimpanzee's Clutter (a children's picture book; book three in the Smart Ears Safari Club series)  Right now, this book doesn't have a target date, but we'll keep you posted.  It turns out writing about a chimp with ADHD learning about the difference between listening and hearing is a lot of fun to write.  However, we're committed to keeping the same artist that we collaborated with on Henry's and Emmett's books, and he's doing other projects right now.  This story will come about when the time is right for both of us.

-Sealing Wax: (an epistolary novel). Drake and I have been playing with this idea for a while, but it's not something that's completely taken shape yet.  At this point, it's still just ripples in the pond.  In this genre, the story is told by letters written between characters; usually just two people; but you know Drake, he can't make anything simple.  We're not sure yet where this is headed... but Drake LOVES the cover art.  Sometimes, he can be tremendously inspired by a visual hanging about... you never can tell with ducks.

~The Scribe's Apprentice (a historical-fiction novel)  If any of you have tried writing or reading this genre, you know how complex it can be.  So Much Research!  We have what we think is a great synopsis for a retelling of the myth behind the lost Library of Alexandria... But, oh my gosh, the amount of work involved is astounding.  For those of you who brave writing historical fiction, you have our deepest respect.  Don't expect this one out into the wilds anytime soon, but know that it's definitely a thing, and it'll happen... eventually.

~ The Trial of Snow White (a fractured fairytale).  This project began as one of Drake's short stories, and since, it has morphed into a full-blown novel; partly because some readers asked for "the rest of it" and partly because a fun idea came to us one night last winter when Drake checked in from New Zealand.  So, we've got the synopsis, plot outline, character maps, and about 25% of the story written... now we just need to finish it.  It might be released sometime in 2026 or maybe early 2027... we'll see.

~ The Guidebook To Hell (a fictious travelouge)  So, when we wrote Free Will, we compiled a bunch of extra material about heaven and hell, to flesh out all the little bits of the novel.  Even though most of this sort of background stuff never makes it to the published page, this time, it just might.  We're contemplating publishing a hardcover special edition of Free will sometime in 2027, which will include The Guidebook To Hell... mostly because so many of our readers have been asking for it.  It will most likely be novella size in length, but it'll be presented as supplemental material, rather than a stand alone book.  It's got a lot of super-fun stuff in there, it just needs a bit of polishing before we can share it with everyone.

So yeah, it's a lot, but Drake and I enjoy writing and the wonderment that comes with storytelling.  We can't imagine doing anything else with our free time... except perhaps reading, drinking cocoa, and sleeping.  As hobbies go, sleeping is a big hit with Drake!