Progress Report (Patreon)

'Tis not Friday, but Saturday, and thus I find myself a day late to our weekly meeting. For that, I can only apologize.

As you're aware, Book One was (finally!) released on Thursday, and to tell you I've been overwhelmed would be the understatement of the century.

It has been... a rollercoaster. Or, more fittingly to the Rose's world, it has been like riding Billy for an extended period of time. My head hurts, my nerves are flaring, and there's an uncomfortable sore spot right at the base of my spine that I can't get rid of, no matter how much I try.

Dramatics aside, I meant to write this progress report yesterday, as I always do, but when I finally sat down, COG emailed me with an issue that required my immediate attention. Legal procedures, contracts, and certificates of residency are never fun to look at, but alas, they are important. So, again, I do apologize.

For those of you who have tried the game, or are in the process of trying it, I hope it has lived up to your expectations — whatever those may have been. I hope you enjoy it. I really, really do. It's a project born out of love, and I do love it, but nothing is without its flaws, and I'm very aware of mine.

So far, the reception... has been beyond my wildest dreams. I know it is still so early, and there are so many more people who will try it, and of those, some will rate it, and those ratings won't be as kind as I've seen so far. Which is completely fair, of course. I want to grow as a writer and a storyteller, and for that, I will stumble and trip along the way. What matters is that, of course, I never abandon the race.

I want Book Two to be better than the first one. Not even better, I want to make it so that people even forget the beginning. So, when my head is calmer and my nerves cooler, I'll read all the reviews. I'll learn and process.

But, as of now, I've been given nothing but a lot of love and support, and it has been like a rock in the middle of a storm. Your own comments on the release post gave me the biggest smile. So, thank you all! Thank you for being here in the first place. ♡

As for progress: I, once again, have to admit that writing has been difficult. My head, my whole person, has been focused on this release. It is frustrating because writing has always been like a soothing balm on my spirits, but this last week has only made me think of Book One. It made me think of it so much that I actually have something I'll change in the next patch.

I'm not aware if you know of the "Nero" plotline in Book One — you can remember his name and later learn that he was emperor. You can even write about it in your journal, but the fact that I'm unaware if you even know of it is exactly the problem. It shouldn't be something that lies behind choices— Nero has a significant weight in the overall plot of the series, and the MC ( the reader!) should know of him.

So, simple enough, I'll make it so that you have to notice Nero's portrait on the old armor in Chapter One. And in Chapter Four, you will connect him to Emperor Nero. It's such a simple change— I just have to make a small adjustment in the text— but I believe it'll make the book better. It's a pity I didn't think of this before the release, but well, good thing I can send COG a patch. 😋

That's what I'll be doing today and tomorrow. I also have a few typo reports to fix, and after I send that email, I can say that Book One is truly put to rest. I'm sure there'll be a few more typos here and there, but that takes less than five minutes to fix.

My schedule was pulled under my feet, and like a fool, I was sent flying into the air. Excuse my rocky beginning of this month— the Bonus content and the Interactive scenarios, etc, are all coming, you won't have any less content this month.  It just might take a bit longer than usual. I also want to post the closed Alpha of Book Two next month— preferably, with both the prologue and chapter one, but if I can't refine chapter one enough in time, then I'll just release the prologue and add chapter one at a later date.

The goal for next week? Get my head back on track! Finish this scene of chapter one and write the first Bonus Content— a moment with Alain. I'll publish this month's Ko-fi scenario on Monday so that you have something to read while I work.

I feel like I'm apologizing again and again but bear with me just one more time because I realize how scattered-brained and downright frantic this report reads. But that's how I'm feeling — see how writing is proving to be difficult? 😄

I hope you had a gentle beginning to your weekend. Find rest, find joy in the simple things. I'll meet you on time next week. Of that, I so swear. 🌹