Where I’ve Been

As many of you have noticed, I haven’t been around much these days. I mean, I’ve been here, just not around in those social media circles we get so attached to. Not that there’s anything wrong with that (okay, for some people it is, but I won’t go there).

So I guess the question isn’t, “Where have I been?” so much as it is, “What have I been up to?”

I’m not going to lie, becoming unemployed was a big kick in the teeth. It brought my moral down to negative 32, and for a while I wasn’t doing much of anything except laying around with Jenny (who also became unemployed) and complaining. I wasn’t writing, podcasting, or reading. I did eat lots of chocolate and ice cream though, I remember that much.

Then a spark came. A glimmer of hope to make some sort of income. You see, Jenny and I had been freelancing for a company that built websites geared toward specific niches. We wrote content for these sites, saw how they made their money, and thought, “Hey, that’s pretty easy.” With new found determination we picked ourselves up and started building a couple of websites. The result is Jenny’s amazing website, KidWonderful.com. I went in another direction, and created something that is completely separate from the James Melzer you know and love. Therefore, I cannot tell you what or where it is, since it’s something that is for me, and me alone. How am I going to make money off of it? Trust me, I am. We have another one in the works, but mum’s the word on that for now.

So once we got those off the ground and running, I turned my attention back to freelancing. I am still unemployed, but have been doing some side work for the same company I got laid off from (with the hopes to return someday), and I have a consultation tomorrow morning with another company that will hopefully reap some sort of benefit.

Through it all, we have been supported by amazing friends like you, who have graciously donated your time and money to help us continue on with our journey to get married. You have done stuff that has amazed us, made us cry, and made us stay up until the early hours of the morning eating English muffins and talking about what amazing people you are. So thank you, from the bottom of my heart.

Now, on the writing front. Many of you are wondering where Hull’s Landing is. It’s coming back very soon. I started writing it and releasing podcast episodes on my website. Then it appeared on Podiobooks.com. From there I got to thinking about how I could get it to as many ears as possible. Most people podcast their novels on their website and Podiobooks, but I wanted to do something different. I enlisted the help of Paul E. Cooley who agreed to put it in his feed on Shadowpublications.com. What’s that you say? Two podcasters working together to spread content that appeals to both parties listeners? Yeah, go figure. Anyway, he started releasing episodes on a weekly basis and was a bit behind everyone else. Now that he’s all caught up, I can begin releasing new episodes again so that everyone will be in sync with one another. Got it? Good.

I have also begun receiving edits on Escape: A Zombie Chronicles Novel from Simon & Schuster. These are BIG edits. There’s a lot of work that needs to be done on the manuscript which is going to make it better. In fact, it will be so different from the podcasted version of the novel that I may just have to podcast it again when it’s finished.

So that’s where I’ve been and what I’ve been doing. I’m not gone. Not dead. Not buried. On the contrary. I’m ready to refocus my efforts on doing the things that are most profitable for me. If that means I’m not around Twitter or Facebook as much, so be it. There will still be stories, podcasts, and content for you to read here, but to be honest with you – I’ve kind of enjoyed the break from social media, so I don’t know if I’ll ever come back and use it the way I did in the past.

As always, you’re all amazing, and thanks for your continued support!