Planning

Where I’ve Been & What’s Coming Up – I Hope…

It’s been a while since posting here on the blog. I’ve been struggling with health issues all year, so the summer was very busy in that regard. I’m still on a long, slow mend, but making a little progress. I’m heading back to some rehab, but it’s not as bad as last March.But rather than dwell on health, I prefer to share some of what’s going on with writing plans. The schedule is now jumbled, so I’m updating that on the news page. Also, I’ll get to a major shift in priorities in an upcoming post. Suffice it to say I’m going back to my writing roots. I’ll get into why and what it means later.

But rather than dwell on health, I prefer to share some of what’s going on with writing plans. The schedule is now jumbled, so I’m updating that on the news page. Also, I’ll get to a major shift in priorities in an upcoming post. Suffice it to say I’m going back to my writing roots. I’ll get into why and what it means later.

My immediate plans are to complete work on The Unseen Hand, Volume 2 of The Cursed Mage Case Files. My hope is to release it by Thanksgiving though it looks like that schedule may slide some.

The good news with the upcoming book is the artwork. I’ve ordered the cover from my artist and hope it will arrive within the week.

The delays with this book have been many and mostly physical. Energy and focus have been a big problem all year. This improved to the point where I could spend more time on it. However, all the backlog of the year of working in fits and spurts left me far behind on other needful tasks, some of which will be announced here in the coming days.

I made a lot of progress on all fronts out of my stagnation. Then my health dropped another major distraction on me. I developed a sudden eye infection. I was unable to keep my eyes open and had to make an emergency visit to the local eye hospital on a weekend. Then there were frequent drops, treatment, and more appointments.

This emergency kept me from working on the book for over a week. Oddly, or maybe not so odd in the end, I had an eye problem when I published The Bow of Destiny in late 2015. It turns out these were related. I was diagnosed with rosacea affecting my eyes. The ophthalmologist told me it’s often diagnosed from eye issues.

Now, I’m getting back in the swing more but still working around post Covid limitations. I’m getting better at working around them, but still have to do “working breaks”. But I’m making steady progress. This post is a good sign of that fact. I’m managing what feels like a new normal. As a result, revision of The Unseen Hand crawls forward.

I’ve even been able to make a few plans about other books and begin some much needed changes to the site as well as update books. Announcements are coming about multiple changes and developments and I think everyone will like them all.

My sincere hope is to launch more entertaining books for readers. If only I don’t have any more setbacks with health.

All that being expressed, I’m sorry I haven’t posted more here. I truly have been consumed with health concerns and just haven’t had the energy and focus to spend time on Archer’s Aim, let alone a new book. Things are progressing, just not as quickly as I’d like. Stay tuned, I’ll get to the next launch and more books beyond in due time. More to come about other holdups in the near future. In the meantime, please see the News page for some updates as I get back in the proverbial saddle, even if it’s with limitations.

Also as a closing note, I am catching up on lost time this week with several posts. The schedule will settle down next week.

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10 More Ways to Survive a Monstrous Halloween Encounter

Halloween can be a tough time of year. After all, you have to go out at night when all the monsters really get out. You could run into nearly anything at this time of year – and it gets dark early! Want to go for that evening run? You better be prepared for anything from the menacing neighborhood dog to – gulp – a werewolf. Here are some thoughts on how to survive an encounter with a werewolf and maybe even make a friend.

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Be prepared for this possible encounter in several ways. First, remember that a wolf wants to chase something so don’t run – and certainly don’t scream since both reactions will just get this monster’s prey instinct going.

2. The next way to be prepared is to go out with some dog treats. This is a great way to make friends with a menacing dog – right? Just think of a werewolf as merely a troublesome dog – just one that needs a bit of special handling.

3. Remember, a werewolf is a person too – just confused by the sudden change into a dog. Wouldn’t you be? So do what you should with a dog and calmly take charge of the situation. Toss some treats to the werewolf while using some reassuring words in a calm, firm voice all in an effort to gain its trust.

4. Really take control by getting some training done without hesitation. Think you can’t? Many dogs will learn to sit rather quickly and this is a person inside a wolf’s body so they should pick up commands rather quickly. To do sit, show the treat and then, while saying, “sit”, move the treat over the werewolf’s head. I know these are big but they slouch and much like a dog, they should sit when interested in the treat. Remember to give the treat palm up.

5. You really don’t want to get bit by a werewolf because, well, you don’t want to be one. To discourage mouthing and snapping like a dog teach this monster the “leave it” command. This means pulling back you hand and saying the words, “Leave it.” This should work since you’ve already gained a certain amount of trust.

Just an aside here, but you can try escaping anyway but you may need some help!

6. Need to get this big beast under further control? Teach it the “down” command. From a sitting position and a treat in your hand, say, “Down,” as you lower your hand between its forepaws. The werewolf will be so interested in the treat it will go down. Repeat a few times to reinforce these commands (get the werewolf up by using the word and raising a treat over it’s head).

7. If you think this might become a monthly issue make sure to keep a big chew-bone handy for full moons.

8. Also, if you find that your werewolf wants to jump up on you – and many dogs do – simply turn away without saying a word so that it learns it will get no attention whatsoever from you. It will learn that the behavior isn’t acceptable.

9. If this is a recurring issue and you find that said werewolf is having a tough time with good behavior, try to talk about what’s really going on with a dog behaviorist. Seriously, these trainers can do a lot of dogs, why not werewolves?

10. Last thought, if the werewolf sleeps on your porch or in your garage take care how you treat the person in the morning. Leave them a change of clothes nearby so they can get dressed and offer them a good breakfast. After all, they’ve been a wolf all night and that can be a little disconcerting as well as embarrassing. Oh, and don’t offer them food like it’s a treat and certainly don’t use commands on them – that’s just awkward.

At this point, you’ve hopefully made a friend out of both wolf and human. After all, dogs are man’s best friend, why can’t werewolves be included too?

If your good with dogs, what’s your best tip for handling a werewolf? What do you think would be a favored treat by a werewolf? Please share your thoughts and ideas in the comments section.

About the Author

P. H. Solomon lives in the greater Birmingham, AL area where he strongly dislikes yard work and sanding the deck rail. However, he performs these duties to maintain a nice home for his loved ones as well as the family’s German Shepherds. In his spare time, P. H. rides herd as a Computer Whisperer on large computers called servers (harmonica not required). Additionally, he enjoys reading, running, most sports and fantasy football. Having a degree in Anthropology, he also has a wide array of more “serious” interests in addition to working regularly to hone his writing. The Bow of Destiny is his first novel-length title with more soon to come.

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Upcoming Fantasy Titles by P. H. Solomon

Hey everyone! It’s been a while. I’ve taken some time away for health reasons, but I’ve begun work on books for the rest of the year so here’s the latest news.

The Bow of Hart Sage/World of Denaria:

The Bow of Hart Saga:
- The White Arrow – I expect to release this book in print on 3/15/21 or thereabout. This will complete the series in print and I hope to make all three print books available as a bundle at some point. I’ll announce this development if it is possible at a later date, probably late in the year.
Empire’s Deception Trilogy (parallel to The Bow of Hart Saga)
- Face of the Goddess: This book is in rough draft.
- Monk’s Gambit: This rough draft is almost finished.
- Deception’s Veil: This final book of the two series is in planning stages
- This series is not on the schedule for release this year, but book 1 could make it onto the 2022 schedule depending on time available and the same could happen during the latter part of next year.
The Bow of Hart Saga (sequel, series title pending): This series is in planning stages and will follow the events of The Empire’s Deception Trilogy series. I do have some development ideas written about this series but it is likely a 2023 release depending on other projects already on the schedule.

The Cursed Mage Case Files:

The Order of the Dark Rose – print is underway. I had intended to publish this format in November but I was sick and really had not time to complete this. It’s underway and I hope it will be ready in April. I’ll announce the date as soon as I can.
Book 2 of the series is titled The Unseen Hand. I’ve started revision work on this book to get it to my editor for March. My intended publication date is late April or by mid-May if all goes well. There’s quite a lot to do so this date may slide some.
Book 3 of the series is not titled but I’m thinking of something like, The Infernal Plot. While book 2 is with my editor, I’ll revise this draft and hopefully have it edited in April with a release date during the summer. Again there’s a lot of work to be done to get this to publication so this target may slide to close to Labor Day as necessary.
Books 4-6 are roughly outlined so I hope to begin writing them within a few months as time allows. My intention is to publish these during 2022 but there’s no set schedule yet.

Black Glove (series title pending):

A Charm in the Hand – this book is drafted and it’s revision almost complete. I’ll send it to my editor by early April with hopes of publication for this first in series novel in the Fall of this year. My fingers are crossed to get this in this year but it is well along in the process, it’s just a matter of my editor’s schedule.
I’m working on a rough outline for the entire series which is why it is behind the books of The Cursed Mage Case Files. I have some good ideas for several books including book 2. Work on these next books will begin later in the year.

Lost Treasure of the Airship Pirates:

All Things Forgotten – this book is drafted and has been reviewed by my editor. Since it is a LitRPG-ish series, the book requires some further development, but I hope to complete revision to hand it back to my editor late in the year. My expectation is to have the series outlined this year and this first book ready for publication early in 2022.

The Broken Shield Chronicles:

Tentative Title – The Lost Princess – This book has an almost completed rough draft which will require some revision. It’s also a LitRPG-ish series that will have more books. I intend to outline the series later this year and prep the release during 2022, but no date is set just yet.

Anthologies:

I might squeeze another anthology in addition to Curses Dark and Foul into the mix this year depending on my available time. I’ll announce anything development with these as the year progresses.

That’s all I have in development or scheduled for this year and 2022. It’s a good thing I’ve got so many rough drafts ready and I can dictate others as the year moves along. Much of my schedule beyond those already written is fluid and based on demand/popularity. I’ll be working on early reviews more with the next releases than I have in the past so let me know if you are interested in an ARC when the time comes for The Unseen Hand.

That’s a lot to share at the moment, but I have not been active here on the site for a while so I felt it was important to let everyone know what’s coming up. I’ve been under the weather a lot for several months so I’m just now getting back in the swing of things. My blogging schedule is not set at this point but I hope to keep a regular schedule to 1-3 weeks since I’m busy with a number of book projects. The blog may be more active than that if I have time but I’m not sure I will unless it’s close to a book release.

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