As I said in my last post, I am trying my best to get shit done. I have been making some new book covers as some of my books are in need and if you read my last post, I clearly can't afford book covers (if I hear anyone say a premade is only $50 or whatever, I can't afford that $50, I've been dealing with housing problems all year, however, although I can't really afford it because it is for a long term thing in putting my portfolio together so I can seek employment as I intended when I finished university all those years ago, I do have Adobe and one month of Adobe is the cost of one very cheap premade book cover, I've made quite a few so far, plus numerous social media posts, Story Time etc so it is paying for itself as I put together my portfolio, which I really need to get better at and make it more diverse but I do have a good few years to do so, I don't plan on searching for a new job, preferably in a different country under a different name until my son finishes school, but otherwise, back down south). 

The first new one is for Ketamine Addicted Pandas, which I have put forward for the Books of Horror Indie Author Brawl. 

Then I did Stef and Tucker Book Two Jordan because that cover was horrific, especially when compared to the third Stef and Tucker book (Flowering Penises). The entire Stef and Tucker series can be purchased here. 

Then I gave a new cover to the first Stef and Tucker book. I don't plan on updating the other three Stef and Tucker covers, especially that third one which is a freehand GIMP masterpiece of flowering penises. It did take a few updates to get amazon to approve it because the back text blended into the background no matter what colour I tried (in the end, I partially erased part of the background). I do plan on at least releasing Stef and Tucker 6: Anal Exorcism in 2024. I wrote it in note form last year, so it is there and then going back to my notes from 2015-2016 for the Stef and Tucker book that follows that one (I can't remember the title, but I guess this is what happens when you can finally return to some older projects). 

Then I made a brand new book cover for January's godless release. This one actually took hours. Each one of those needles and stars needed to be individually sized and placed even though the entire thing was done in Adobe Express and Photoshop Express, which are a lot simpler than Photoshop itself (I did the bulk of the other covers in Photoshop, which is fun relearning, although I only can use it on the iPad right now, I still need to sort the harddrive on this computer to run that and InDesign and possibly Illustrator, but I don't want to talk about Illustrator, for now, the iPad fulfils all my film editing needs, although we shall see when I go to create a new title sequence for Story Time). 

And if you've been following my social media, especially instagram, I have been making some pretty posts. This one is for There Are No Dogs This Christmas and The Dog Dies At The End, both of which are exclusive to godless. I've been trying to at least run my selfies through Lightroom to get used to using it but I don't always have time. 

I don't know when I'll next get to post. I'm trying my best to get stuff done and boost my book sales while I have a brief break from dealing with this awful house that should have been fixed properly 8 years ago (or is it 9 now?). I have recently released a new print onto Redbubble as well. Hopefully, I'll be caught up soon and won't have to relive the trauma of 2008-2018 (although if I do, at least I can be single while doing it so it won't be as traumatic and I'll be able to bounce back quicker). 

So there will hopefully be a bit of a break in the housing problems over Christmas so I can get stuff done (my son's bedroom needs a new ceiling as if the housing association only just a few weeks ago made the connection between shoddy repairs that don't last two storms, leaks and water damage damaging the plaster). I'm still waiting for that to be approved, so it shouldn't be done between now and the New Year. 

I've actually had to point out to adults how dealing with these repairs that should have been dealt with years ago has eaten into my income. I've lost nearly every weekend this year to dealing with the house, moving things, painting things, etc. This means I have been unable to write, promote or make plans. I guess after a break of a few years from dealing with this level of stupidity, we're back here. I seriously wonder how these people survive to adulthood. You don't even need empathy to comprehend how a particular problem can impact someone's life (in my case taking all my spare time so I couldn't earn the extra money I need to do more than beyond exist, although at least I can now afford to exist since my payrise, so I have that going for me). You just need some common sense and a small amount of intelligence required to see cause and effect.

I've had problems with people that are that fucking dense causing issues in my life since I was a child (yes, I do have family members who are that fucking stupid - yeah, they did help me land in social housing to begin with and yes, I do fucking resent it). And because these people are being so stupid, I have to document them as well which takes more time blah blah blah. (If you are new here, for legal and medical reasons, I have to document everything that can impact my ability to work, there are potential CRIMINAL not civil charges involved, this goes back to 2008 as it seems not being allowed to work created more problems for me than I knew of until mid-2018). This is applies to everyone. I know some people think they're special but they're not. 

I am planning on using the time during the Christmas break to get all of my self publishing releases for the year done. This does include at least Stef and Tucker 6. I did plan on releasing 6-9 this year, but the house and those idiots at the housing association who seem to think it is no big deal if the repair doesn't work (this also puts my actual job at risk because I can't get into the office, etc). I have filed a complaint about how I've been treated, how this affects my son's health and how it is impacting my ability to work both at my actual career and in terms of writing and art. And I think they were somewhat able to comprehend that if I can't work, I can't pay rent. That is pure and simple. I am hardly living a life of luxury here. I am still living hand-to-mouth, still paying off a lot of debts (some from family emeshment, some from financial abuse, including but not limited to not being allowed to work in the field in which I am qualified to work in, both are now considered domestic abuse and therefore a criminal offence).

I had to drop Story Time halfway through Spooky Season because I just couldn't keep that going while dealing with the house for any longer. I was and remain exhausted. I have purchased a copy of Necro Sutra 3 and will be doing a one-off on Story Time with it and hope to be back on a schedule sometime next year with fancy new title sequences etc. 

I obviously haven't worked on my cut-up project since January, which is ashame. Writing cut-ups helps with writing fiction (and actually helps in my marketing career). I did actually buy some materials for it last year, so I'm hoping to dig those out soon (still waiting on these idiots at the housing association to sort themselves out). Because I've invested money in this, I kinda need it to pay off quickly. I can't afford to leave projects on the back burner. I should be able to by this stage in my life and I was starting to get somewhere between 2018 and the lockdowns, but then one of my relatives starting acting up again and created a bunch of pretty severe problems that I am still dealing with in terms of debt (and people wonder why I don't feel wanted or that I should be around, seriously, just leave me to it, and I will disappear, removing all traces of me if I am that intolerable, I plan on changing my name and everything, but I can't go anywhere if I can't earn the money to do so). I did start writing a little cut-up, just messing around while I was waiting for potatoes to boil, but I don't know what direction that is heading in. I'm not sure if it'll earn back the costs of those materials because this seems more like a long-form one. 

I also haven't really worked on We Gave the World Synthpop Dreams. When I have time, I have deadlines right now. We Gave the World Synthpop Dreams, much like Snow White, is one of those projects that won't have an immediate payout so I have to focus on other things. I did plan on having a balance between longer term things like We Gave the World Synthpop Dreams and self-publishing this year, but the house and some other stresses had other ideas. 

Hopefully if I manage to complete everything I plan on self publishing during 2024 over the Christmas break, I can work on my other projects. I also had some larger scale art projects planned as well. I haven't purchased materials for those as I already have them. So it is just stuff I already have and saving boxes, which I've done. And I'll hopefully get some new things on Redbubble. Right now, I've been updating book covers that need it while trying to rest and unwind in the evenings (i'm not going back to 2008-2018 where I had no time to rest, that broke my mental health and physical health). I know I usually knit or draw while watching TV, but I've been feeling anxious about my lack of productivity and need to get good at using Adobe again. I was going to post these new book covers in this post, but it has turned really negative (obviously I have some intense feelings at this year's bullshit and I've only been posting about the two biggest problems, there's been quite a few others too) so I'll put them in another post before I write for an hour and then get ready for bed. 

​As this website won't be regulary updated until things stablise again, the best way to keep track of releases and what is going on is through my social media. My facebook profile gets the bulk of the updates. And hopefully things will even out during 2024 and hopefully the housing association will stop fucking up and people will stop taking their problems, stupidity and insecurity out on me.