Hey, everybody. Yeah, I’ve been a little quiet around here as of late, there’s been a lot going on. People coming and going from vacations, hobbying, writing.

Thought to speak to the latter first.

Work has begun on my new alien invasion series, code named INVASION1. The first chapters are out behind my paywall on Patreon. I plan on this being a trilogy, a story of a world gone mad because some interstellar visitors drop by and give the human race a hard time. Not because they want somethng from us, because they don’t, but because we are in the way of their incomprehensible pursuits.

Also, as you may know, my latest complete trilogy is out on Amazon. The Ohio Rifles series has been a bit of a success story, I’m pleased with how it’s been received. If you haven’t had the chance to check it out, simply follow the link above.

I wanted to do a First World War era alt-history for a long time, and Rifles was my stab at it. Dunno. I have an idea that when you write fiction, you should at least attempt to tread the path less taken. Maybe to look at things differently than others. With Rifles, I think this happened. What can I say? The results speak for themselves. It sells, and peeps seem to like what they’re buying.

This is good.

However, I’m not resting on my laurels. My plan is for the next book in the Storyteller series to launch in August, followed by the opener for the alien invasion thing around Christmas. Four titles this year- this is my goal.

Around other stuff, I’ve also decided to have a crack at violin repair. I’ve discovered that this is a dark art, and I needed a not-too-terribly valuable instrument, but one with potential, to start with. Witness below, an eBay Strad copy, about a hundred years old with tons of problems.

Cracks galore, plenty of problems to learn from. So, I started the process with a butter knife, some glue, and chunks of wood. Here’s approximately where I’m at now with this thing.

I think I’ve done some five repairs on the top plate alone, with some 14 patches, or cleats, glued down. Also, I found that I had to fabricate a new bass bar, the old one was completely inadequate. See above. my next step is to shape what I made, then I’ll glue the thing back together. Of course, then it’s the question of how it will sound when played.

Good question.

When this project is finally over, I’ll do a longer post here as to what all went into the violin above. Trust me, it’s been a lot of work and a learning experience.

More later, but I thought to keep you all in the loop.