I'm alive!

So... yeah. I forgot to turn off billing for February. Sorry about that. I planned to make an announcement later in the month, but I guess I'm doing it now.

Okay, so... what's going on? Where've I been? Am I okay?

Well, I've been taking a well-earned break for the past 6+ months. I was a little burned out, maybe a lot, and I needed to get off the hamster wheel. So it wasn't a COVID thing or family problems or anything else. Just me.

Then what've I been doing? Lots of personal and family things, but also lots of Nick stuff and work-work.

As you can see from the screenshots, I've been hard at work on a new website. I wasn't planning to release it till March, but I guess I'm making the announcement now, especially since Patreon charged you for February. I'll talk to my server guy and see how quickly we can change over to the new site so you can see for yourself. Stay tuned!

In the meantime, let's talk about what I've been doing. I mean, you paid for it, so here goes...!

The website. The old site was fine but difficult to update. I created it in 2004 in the Web 1.0 days and haven't really updated the underlying code since.

The new site is built on Divi in Wordpress. It's also responsive, which means it works well on your PC, your tablet, and your phone. It's also easier to update stories, post links, etc.

Even better, I can link it to your Patreon account, so I can give you special access to things only patrons get.

New models. I've been updating the models for many of the characters in the SCSU. Some of the original models stopped working, or I only had 20-40 images, or... whatever.

As you can see from the screenshots, I have a new model for Susan. In a strange quirk of fate, the model's name is Susann (two N's). I have new models for other characters as well, like Beth, Elaine, and more of your favorites.

New characters. You already met some of them in the Christy series or the Epilogue, along with the new Allie books, but I've been adding models for characters like Allie herself, Ginny, Tiffanie, and more. Each model has several galleries, along with links to where you can find more of them.

The Next Generation. I'd originally planned to write a series with the Next Generation of characters—Susie, Carly, and McKenna—but I had some problems with the storyline. However, Big Ed and I were talking yesterday, and we came up with a brilliant solution. I'm still working out the details, so I'll make a longer announcement when I'm ready.

The Allie books. I still want to finish the second book, and I have the outline for a third, which will be the last in the series. We published the first book on Amazon Vella, but we'll probably go with more traditional e-publishing options for it and the others (Kindle, Smashwords, etc.). When? Soon.

New chapters/stories. Yeah, about that... I haven't written anything new since last June. Like I said, I was a little (a lot?) burned out and needed a break. However, I'm a storyteller at heart, so I haven't lost the itch.

I have some really fun plans for a next-gen series with Susie, Carly, and McKenna, although... well... I'll save the details for a full announcement. In other words, you'll have to read to find out.

New Patreon Tiers. I need to update the tiers here on Patreon, especially since I'm not planning to release new stories for at least several months.

Free Newsletter. I have a mailing list ready if you just want updates about new stories. I'll post an announcement with the signup link as soon as it's ready.

In addition, Big Ed has plans for more e-book releases of Universe stories, as well as wider release of the main stories. We'll announce those through the newsletter as well.

What else? I'll start posting some of the updates from the new website. Patreon has a euphemistically named "Trust & Safety" team (censors, basically), so I can't post certain images, but I'll see what I can do.

I'll also tell you more about the next-gen series. I'm really excited about it, especially after Big Ed's suggestions yesterday.

In the meantime... I hope you're healthy, happy, and safe. Thanks for sticking with me through months of radio silence. I've been working more or less constantly since last October, just not writing. I'll get there, though.

If you were around in the 2007-2015 drought, you know how I work. I have long bursts of creativity followed by long periods of R&R. I'm being more deliberate this time, so hopefully we won't have a repeat of the past.

Wrapping up... That's the (early) update. I'll start posting more in the next weeks, and I'll definitely post a sign-up link for the free newsletter if you don't want to continue your Patreon membership.

Thanks again, and thanks for reading.

- Nick