The topic top of mind today is about taking risks and trying new things. As I’ve matured as a writer and publisher, I’ve found both joy and hardship in taking risks. To a rational mind, there’s symmetry in the idea of risks not always panning out. I accept this, but accepting doesn’t make the consequences less daunting. If you’ve been reading Jamie McFarlane works for very long, you know that I like to shake things up and try new storylines.
Here’s a question for you, do you remember On a Pale Ship? I loved writing this story, but I made a critical mistake in the beginning. Methodically, I told a story about each new crew member and showed their extraordinary abilities. One woman was essentially an acrobatic cat burgler, another man was large, very strong and had a big heart, another was a sharpshooter who rarely missed what he aimed at. The risk I took was that I killed each one in turn as I introduced them. Fine. You’re right. That’s a horrible start. The thing is, like in Princess Bride, they were only mostly dead, which meant they were partially alive. Most readers set the story down before they got to the good part.
As a writer/publisher who lives on the income of my creative works, having a dud is kind of painful. I write a story every three to four months. If I get it wrong, well, let’s hope I have some savings. Fortunately, in a previous career, I figured out how to put money aside for rainy days.
Now, here’s the great side of taking risks and trying new things. Occasionally, we get it right. Earlier this year, I found myself at a creative crossroads. I needed to start a new project, and I wanted to break new ground. I love the Junkyard Pirate series, but I’ve written a whole lot of military science fiction. The Oldest Starfighter did reasonably well, but it’s follow-on Rogue Commander struggled to make the grade.
As I was discussing this with Cindy, she really pinned me down, asking me what I wanted to do. The problem with this question is that within the answer, there’s an aspect of fear. Choose the wrong project and it’s a failure. For every creative ever, every stumble translates to I’m a failure. In the cold light of day, it’s easy to debunk that translation, but also, fear isn’t about logic. For a couple of weeks, we kept coming back to this question about what I wanted to do vs. what I thought I should do.
Finally, I realized, I wanted to write stories like I had with Privateer Tales. For me, this looks a lot like putting together an unlikely crew and put that crew up against unusual problems that they will struggle with. And from this, I hatched the idea of Rix Banner, a bright, hardworking mechanic from the 1950s being thrust into a highly advanced civilization. The big reveal is that Rix’s real superpower is common sense and a lack of fear in learning new things.
From all of this, Boltguns and Duct Tape emerged and I’ll tell you, I was sweating the release. Would my readers like it? Would I find new readers? I love that the answer to this is that Boltguns and Duct Tape was very well received and continues to attract old and new readers, alike. If you haven’t checked it out yet, please, give it a try. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
Speaking of risks, though. Something you might not know about me is that I really enjoy experimenting with food and drink. Cindy and I constantly challenge each other when we’re out to dinner to find the weirdest thing we can on the menu and give it a try. It’s not uncommon for this to work out poorly. Fortunately, things she finds to be untenable, I often enjoy and the reverse. It’s not uncommon for us to each buy a cocktail and then switch after the first drink. It’s a fun game and it’s really spiced up date nights.
At this point, you might be wondering why the feature artwork for this post is a spaceman, sitting in a bar, contemplating a green drink. This is where I chuckle. The green drink is one of our experiments. And I can say, without reservation, that it is the worst drink I have ever tasted in my life. So much so, that I finished the entire thing, just to embed the experience into my brain as deeply as possible. The drink is called Fisherman’s Folly. Are you feeling adventurous today? Here’s a link to the recipe: Fisherman’s Folly Cocktail
If you’re not inclined to check it out but are interested in what makes it so pungent, it starts by taking a spritzer filled with fish sauce and spraying each glass prior to pouring matcha tea, sake, pickle juice, grapefruit juice and gin from a shaker. And, of course, this is now Philo and Rix’s favorite drink. You should classify this as a dare, not a recommendation.
In other news, I am thrilled to report that I’m 90% complete with the newest Spaceship Mechanic novel, Jump Drives and Coffee Stains. With holidays and editing, it’s likely that we’re looking at a Feb 1st release. Also, for those interested in Drakon Prince, you’ll be interested to hear that I’ve reclaimed publishing rights from the original publisher. This means, I’m free to write the next story in that series. I fully plan to release not one new story in that line, but three more for a total of four. I don’t know when I’ll get all of that done, but it’s coming!
