Category: Newsletter

What a whirlwind year!

I moved to the Pacific Northwest to be near siblings and parents with blessing of fond farewells from dear friends in Indiana. Thanks to the encouragement of many the first book is steadily making its way to the presses. So many blessings, permit me to name just a few as we prepare to nestle in for the holidays:

THANK YOU

• Jesus – for your sacrifice and providence, my doubts and periodic tantrums not withstanding, I owe everything to you.
• Acelyn, Tori, Chris and Judy – 20 years of family connections in Indy. May your endeavors be blessed and bring light and life.
• Laurie – for unfailing cheerleading and late night discussions that inspire and encourage. Without you the book would not be hitting stores soon.
• Aaron – for hours of counsel, wisdom and intellectual friendship as I endeavor to bring science and faith together.
• Jim, Andy, Kat, Tim and Chris – for years of dear friendship, good times and adventures living in worlds made of dice, painted figures and a litany of literary lols as we make fun of ourselves.
• Sarah, Ana, Travis, Lucy, Prosper, Schaefer, Jude, Ruth, and Levi – for opening your hearts and hearths to a newcomer in the Northwest. Your kindness, charity and encouragement made a hard year much easier.
• Dennis and Cindy – for sharing Thursday’s with me while I tried to find my place and bring Seven Words to Xulon Press.
• Carrie – for friendship and support through hard times and believing in me to do it.
• Barlow’s Restaurant – for lending one of your booths to a stray.

A great big thank you to Xulon Press and to the editor and staff who have supported me in this process. In addition, thank you to all who have helped with research, late nights in coffee shops, and long phone calls. Publication plans are proceeding well, and the first book, Seven Words: Storge, is in the final stages of editing, and my goal remains to be ready by Christmas this year. Also, the draft manuscript for the second book, Seven Words – Phileo, is now about 90% complete.

A shout-out to just a few of the people (to respect privacy I do not name them here, but they all know who they are) as well as the places that have been my evening haunts or daytime support.

My sweet child and family are still in Indiana, for your encouragement and the most excellent all-natural berry jam ever to make it across the country to my table.

My friends in Indy and Grand Haven, whose hospitality, games, and adventures have been a wonderful source of entertainment and encouragement.

ZESCO Restaurant Equipment Distributors – for your staff’s support and encouragement

Sahm’s Place, Indianapolis – Thanks to all the waiters, managers, and waitresses who stopped by to offer their encouragement.

Los Rancheros Indianapolis – For the hours of great Mexican food and people, and for being the diner that let me write while they cooked!

My brother, sisters, and parents are in Washington for their constant support during the move.

EDMO – Thanks to all the staff for your support, for welcoming me to my new home in Washington, and for your interest in this work.

Barlows Restaurant – Liberty Lake for the warm welcome and the refreshing Huckleberry Mule, and tons of coffee during a summer of settling in.

In lieu of a nano-stream this week, I have some exciting news for everyone. Over the last couple of weeks, I have been working with Xulon Press to get the first installment of Seven Words into print. I am pleased to report that the manuscript is now undergoing editorial diagnostic review, the first stage in the publication process. So, thank you to all fans, contributors, and visitors of The Potters Clay Life site for allowing me to get this far. I hope to make an official announcement of the publishing date within about a month. This means that if all goes well, books will be available this winter, so stay tuned!

I will return next week with another Nano-Stream story snippet to wet the pallets of my fans and visitors alike. Remember, each story is tied directly to the main series, allowing everyone the freedom to explore a world before purchasing any of the books. So, whether you’re a casual observer or a die-hard fan, enjoy the ride, and God bless you all.

In loving support of my child, who is bravely entering the world of small business and local artwork, I want to provide a shout out to her Grand Opening notification on Instagram. Christ’s love encourages us all to support one another and show kindness and love towards everyone. In fact, He made it a point to say that even those who do not share our love of Him show good will toward their children. How much more then, should those who love Christ support the hopes and dreams of their children?

The stars of heaven declare the glory of God, though they have neither temple nor savior (Psalm 19:1). Therefore, I want to take a moment to thank God for the beauty that he gave to me by supporting local artists and creators that He brought into my life – my child and her mother.

• Green Door Studio (Indy) Or on Facebook

Greetings from the Author of the Seven Words Series. I have exciting news for everyone who has been a fan of this labor of love. The project is on schedule for its release this fall. Beginning in June I’m going to do my best to commit to weekly updates on this site for my fans, you know who you are! My intention will be to publish at least 1 of the 7 books each year while continuing to support the fans and expand the world with Nano-Stream stories, artwork and more.

Here is a sneak peek into the work done so far.

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• Book One – Storge
  Enters into final edits and review by my chosen publisher, Xulon Press, this fall. The goal is to have the book in stores for Christmas 2025!
• Book Two – Phileo
  Is in manuscript development and at about 30% complete.
• Darbles: This simple dice game is featured in both Book One and Book Two, although originally intended as a story element, backed by popular demand of my truest fans two prototypes of the game have been made, will be featured in Book Two and are in playtest phase. If all goes well, this game will be made available to fans on my upcoming online merch store.

Although still in the novel’s pre-release state, Seven Words is making good progress and the team of reviewers and members is getting a couple of updates soon! One of them is a custom font and the early primer on the Sekhut language, a construction language (conlang), specific to one of the central societies in the novel. Work is starting on integrating elements of the cuneiform inspired runes into The Potter’s Clay Life site. Over the next several months the site will start to get new content inspired by this alphabet which was designed by the great folks at Vulgarlang.com.