Progress Report 2025 Week 30

You might remember from last week’s post that I ran into a problem getting paperback proofs for Dreams of Deucalion Book 2: Flanking Maneuver. Did Amazon fix the problem? Was it something I did? Also, I had to wrestle with an unfortunate truth this week. It’s a truth that directly impacts which audiobook I can work on — and it’s only one. What’s up with that? Before we dive in, let’s look at the key performance indicators for the week.

Last Week’s Progress By the Numbers

It was a tough week. After a record-setting performance, I’ve fallen back below 10,000 words for the week.

The week felt longer than it was. There was only one major Real Life Family Event (RLFE), but in addition to that, my son and I drove to Pittsburgh on Friday. For those of you who live there, how in the world do you navigate your downtown? It’s all torn up, even beyond what I’m used to here in Ohio!

Plus, Google Maps directed me to take one downtown street that was cobblestones. That weren’t smooth or even. I had to stop, in the rain, and put down the windows in my son’s pickup to see if I could fit between the cars parked along both sides of the street! That was while the side sensors were screaming at me.

I swear, I think I aged five years on Friday.

But despite that, Wayland’s Hammer Book 2: Resistance Movement continued forward. I had to create some new military hardware for Gerhard Wimmer and Moritz Lehner’s closing chapters, and that was a lot of fun. No, I’m not being sarcastic. I really enjoy that kind of world building! So while I didn’t hit 10,000 words, I’m not unhappy with the progress.

Amazon Technical Support Delivered

Last week, I talked about the challenges I had ordering proofs for the second book in Dreams of Deucalion. I did not want to publish before reviewing the proofs. I trust Vellum, and I trust the physical processes Amazon uses to print the paperbacks. However, I want to make sure my readers have the best possible experience. So, I wanted to review the proofs first.

Late Monday, after I’d published last week’s update, I finally got an e-mail to order the proofs. By mid-day Tuesday, I had received an e-mail for every order attempt I had made. I ordered the proofs, and two days later, they arrived on my doorstep. And guess what? They were flawless.

You might be able to tell based on the new featured image for this post, but I published Dreams of Deucalion late last week. If you haven’t already, you can order Special Recon here:

It’s on sale for a limited time at $0.99. I hope it’s something you will enjoy!

I’ll be honest: I was relieved that I had not somehow screwed up uploading the book. I’m also grateful that Amazon got it taken care of. This experience reinforced a conviction I have: I’m not going to plan any elaborate hard launch. I just don’t control enough of the process.

Audiobooks: A Target Rich Environment

I’m trying to make time to work on the Amazon Virtual Voice version of Evolution’s Hand Book 1: Executive Action. As of June 11, 2025, I’d only finished 30 of 115 chapters. Yeah, it’s my fault for writing such a freaking long first book. The bottom line, though, is that I’m less than 30% done.

I also have the complete audio recording of The Sword of Sirius Book 1: Red Flag Warning from a pre-professional artist. She did a great job. I really want to publish it. There are a few obstacles between me and that goal. Optimistically, I’ll need to:

1. Run the WAV file through Adobe Audition and mark the chapters
2. Export the individual chapters from Audition
3. Import each chapters, one by one, into Adobe Podcast to normalize the levels and remove background noise (there’s not much, but ACX, Amazon’s audiobook publisher, is not forgiving)
4. Review ACX’s submission guidelines and ensure I have everything ready
5. Upload the audio files to ACX

That’s assuming that ACX accepts what comes out of Adobe Podcast. I’ve never produced an audiobook before, and the voice actor has never recorded an audiobook on this scale. So, it’s a learning process.

I’m glad I splurged on Adobe Creative Suite. I can add Adobe Audition to my toolset without additional cost.

Not only that, but I really want to use Amazon Virtual Voice for Dreams of Deucalion.

This week, I had to admit: I just don’t have the time I need to pursue all three goals simultaneously. Not if I want to keep writing new material. Let’s face it: new material is more important right now than any single audiobook.

I’ve decided to focus on The Sword of Sirius Book 1: Red Flag Warning first. If I can get this process working, then I’ll do two things next:

1. Commission the voice actor to create The Sword of Sirius Book 2: Collapse Zone
2. While she’s recording that, I might begin work to create Dreams of Deucalion Book 1: Special Recon in Amazon Virtual Voice; or I might commission The Sword of Sirius Book 3: Firebreak, depending on performance numbers from books 1 and 2

It’s tough not to be able to do all of these things. But pretending my situation is otherwise isn’t helping, so I’m going to make decisions based on reality. I’ll only write fiction.

Progress against Last Week’s Goals

Here’s how I did against last week’s goals:

1. Work with Amazon tech support to resolve the issue with the paperback version of Dreams of Deucalion Book 2: Flanking Maneuver. Done! I appreciate the work that Amazon and its tech support team did to get this working.
2. Write Moritz Lehner’s plot turn 2. Started! Lehner and Wimmer’s plot turn 2 are intertwined, and they’re running longer than I had thought. But I like how they’re coming together!
3. Write Gerhard Wimmer’s plot turn 2. Started! See #2.
4. Writer Owen Payne’s plot turn 2. Done! Payne stepped up this week! I could not be happier with what he brought to the table.
5. Continue working with the Amazon Virtual Voice audiobook for Evolution’s Hand Book 1: Executive Action. Dropped. See “Audiobooks: A Target Rich Environment,” above.
6. Begin working with the human narration for The Sword of Sirius Book 2: Red Flag Warning. Done! I’ve learned enough about Adobe Audition to know how it’s supposed to output an audio book. I’ve also run test output through Adobe Podcast, and the results sound great.

Goals for the Week in Progress Report 2025 Week 30

Here’s what I hope to finish this week:

1. Finish Gerhard Wimmer’s plot turn 2
2. Finish Moritz Lehner’s plot turn 2
3. Finish Wimmer’s resolution
4. Finish Lehner’s resolutin
5. Finish Owen Payne’s resolution
6. Begin marking individual chapters within the WAV file for The Sword of Sirius Book 1: Red Flag Warning. The goal is to get 25% of the way through the file.

What Do You Think?

There’s not enough time to do everything you need to maximize success. How do you deal with that? How do you get yourself to accept that? I’d love to hear your perspective in the comments!