Writing Log #28 - January release & 2026 plans

Big month! Feels nice to have started the year with a new release, even if it is just a preview. Less nice to have already had my first ER trip too, but what can I do. (Self-deprecation aside, I have followup appointments, new medication, and the prospect of a gym membership to look forward to because as long as there are things I can do, I'm going to do them.)

【 Sanctuary 17223 】

• Web novel launch: basic admin work, including minor website updates, and chapter 1 scheduling on Tapas, RoyalRoad, and Wattpad

• Art: 1 mini comic + 2 social media doodles

• Volume 2: assorted notes/brainstorming

I have some marketing plans for spring that'll hopefully help make the print version and physical merch happen. For now, I pushed work on Volume 2 towards the second half of the year. There'll still be mini comics and standalone art though! :D

【 The Absurd Theatre of Eric Hanada 】

Formerly Witches Must Die. I'm afraid witches still die in this.

• Chapter 1 (DEU): Scenes 1 - 4: First revision; beta reader feedback; release revision ✓

• Chapter 1 (ENG): Scenes 1 - 4: Translation (first draft); first revision; release revision ✓

• Chapter 2 (DEU): First draft +4,600 words (Scenes 1 and 2 ✓)

• Art: Cover art, chapter 1 illustrations 1 & 2

• PDF/EPUB QA (thanks again to subvertebra for formatting the book!), all the itchio stuff, admin work, blah blah, we know how this goes

This right here's the plan for the first half of the year - people responded really positively to it and I might as well keep the momentum going! Here's chapter 1 if you haven't seen it yet. It's free and a fun little appetizer for what else is to come (such as some of that good spice in chapter 2).

I'm delusional enough to believe in a summer release for the full book, which would be less than half the time I spent on Volume 1 of Sanctuary 17223, so good luck to me. For both financial and health reasons I currently do need to pick one to be my priority - everyone who knows me also knows how much I hate having to think of money, but ideally, I'll get either series to do well enough to also support the other (by removing the need for other paid work) :D

Other than commissions & editing jobs, I also wrote a guide for other creators on how to improve their own commission game because boy howdy, do we all need to support the entire indie scene more. Thanks as always for sticking around, I hope to have some nice art next month as well as a finished chapter 2.