Good Things Are Coming - The Next Bridge Novel and the Future of This Blog

Followers of my Twitter feed will no doubt be aware that I've been hard at work on the sequel to the recently-released The Know Circuit since October of last year. With the long holiday weekend, and an extra day taken off of work, I hope to conclude the first draft of this novel if not this week, within the next two weeks. In the past, I've serialized the Bridge novels on this blog in full, giving the entire story away for free before packaging each novel as a paperback and eBook, hoping that ad revenues will grow enough to generate some revenue. This has not happened. There simply isn't enough traffic on this site to justify continually giving the novels away for free, and sales of the other versions have done well enough to make the idea of a free serial novel somewhat silly. As I discussed earlier in my post on pricing, it no longer makes sense. So what does that mean for future Bridge novels and for this blog? Good things, actually.

As I've said, both Under the Amoral Bridge and The Know Circuit will remain on this web site for the foreseeable future. But without a new novel to drive traffic to this site, what should I do with this blog, other than post updates on the new novels, links to reviews on my work and other appearances? I've always believed in giving the fans a little something for nothing, that is what I intend to do. Starting in mid-August (providing I finish the next novel on time), I plan to release free short stories set in the Bridge universe at the rate of one a month. These stories will vary in size and subject matter. Not all of them will feature Bridge - he will have cameos in some of them, but not all. You may see many peripheral characters from the universe I've established starring in their own little adventures. This is a way for me to flesh out some areas of the setting without having to create an entire novel centered around Bridge, as well as to explore some concepts that may not otherwise make any sense as a Bridge story. Two of the stories are written in rough form already, and I have ideas for at least six or seven others. Keep following my Twitter feed for updates on when you'll see some new stories. This series of stories will be known as Tales from the Bridge Chronicles, and once there are enough of the stories, I will likely bundle them all up and release them as a lower-priced eBook. If demand is strong enough, they may even end up as a paperback.

As for Bridge himself, there's that third novel and a fourth is in the back of my mind. Today, I want to announce the title of the third Bridge novel, which I hope to release either later in 2010 or early 2011. And so, I announce that the title of my third Bridge novel is:

if [tribe] =

You can read that as "if tribe equals."  I'm really excited about this story and the changes it will make to Bridge and the people in his circle. It's topping out at a bit longer than The Know Circuit, and I know fans of The Bridge will love it.

Check back with me often and thanks for your support!