The Next Big Thing

Hello, guys and girls! Some of you may have seen on a few other blogs authors talking about the Next Big Thing. Well, the lovely and talented, Sloan Parker, tagged me to take part and answer a few questions about a WIP (work in progress) or my next book release, so here I am, talking about what will hopefully be my next big thing! My thanks to Sloan for inviting me to take part!

1.) What is the working title of your book?
      Adapting Instincts. This will be the fourth book in my Instincts series, so it needed to have "Instincts" in the title ;-) With each of the Instincts books, I try to have the first word as being relevant to the what the characters are experiencing or the theme of the story. "Adapting", fits these main characters rather well because they're both adapting and coming to accept changes in their lives and their emotions toward one another.

2.) Where did the idea come from for the book?

       This idea came about quite a long time ago, even all the way back to when I was writing Natural Instincts, Book 1 in the series. There's a character who returns throughout the series in a small role, Carl Anderson. I knew I wanted to write a story for him, and I was also fascinated with another character from that first book who had a small role, Egill Dalgaard. When I sat down to write the third book in the series, Loving Instincts, I felt there was chemistry between the two of them and somehow, someway, I needed to get them together.

3.) What is the genre of the book?
     Gay Paranormal Erotic Romance. Vampires, baby! Yeah!

4.) Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
      Oh man, this is always the hardest question! I think most every author ponders with each book who you'd like to see play your characters in a movie, but for all my guys in my books, I still haven't found that right actor for any of them.

Gackt

Adapting Instincts would be tricky to cast, especially for the role of Egill, because  finding a six foot seven, burly guy with bright red hair and a Norwegian accent might be difficult ;-) I can't even think of any actors who would fit, even with dying their hair red and cutting out the accent. Carl would probably be a little easier to cast. I'd need someone with boy-next-door hotness, but not too young, since Carl is in his early thirties. See what I mean about how I can never find that perfect actor for my guys?!

It would be just as hard trying to cast the other guys, Titus, Andreas, and Daniel. Age Alex Pettyfer about 10 years, and he's got potential for Titus. For Ryunosuke, I'd be all over Gackt! Um...for the role, I mean. Okay, next question!

5.) What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
     When Carl Anderson's actions endanger the life of his vampire lover, Egill Dalgaard, he must decide whether to walk deeper into vampire society, or turn his back on the only man who's ever made him feel secure. Or something like that. It's so hard to fit a 67k word novel into one sentence!

6.) Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency/publisher?
      It'll be represented by a publisher, MLR Press, where the others in the series are published.

7.) How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
      It took me about three months to finish this one, which is actually very fast for me, but I was working under a hard deadline for it. Then after the first draft, I did about a month of revisions before turning it in. The average for me from first written word to submission is closer to six months. I had to really push hard to finish this one faster, which is what led to me needing to take a break from writing for a while. I was just a tiny bit wiped out.

8.) What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
      Besides the other books in the series, I really don't have a clue. There are a lot of great vampire stories in the gay romance genre, but I can't think of any with vampires or a "world" quite like what I've created. Really, I don't like to compare books, whether to books I've written or that I'm reading. It may seem that comparing stories about vampires would be like comparing apples to apples, but to me, it's really not, because every author creates a unique vision in the story they've written. Rather than try to hold one book up against another, I prefer to enjoy each book I read on it's own strengths and individuality.

9.) Who or what inspired you to write this book?
      Even though early in the series, I felt I wanted to do more with Carl and Egill, it was really my readers who inspired me to give a story for them serious consideration. Emails, messages on Facebook and Twitter, asking about them and if they'd get a story were great encouragement. My thanks to everyone for that!

10.) What else about your book might pique the reader's interest?
        Well, I really think this is a book that if you've read the others in the series, you'll enjoy it. Some familiar faces will pop up, a lingering question or two from the last book gets answered, and of course, it's got plenty of hot action in it. But more than that, it's a love story, and is focused on the building of a new relationship and overcoming doubts to find the courage to pursue your heart. If that's the kind of story you enjoy, hopefully you'll like Adapting Instincts!

My thanks again to Sloan for tagging me to answer these questions. And if you'd like to see some other big things coming from a couple fantastically talented authors, Jambrea Jo Jones will soon be talking about her Next Big Thing, and later next week, so will Melanie Tushmore. Be sure to swing by their places and see what they've got going on! Thanks to everyone who read about my next big thing, and I hope if you decide to give Adapting Instincts a read when it releases in March 2013, that you'll enjoy it!

Book News and a Great Review

Hey, ladies and gents! Yes, I'm still around! I know, I know. I haven't posted here in forever, and I'm so sorry for that. Sometimes I wonder where the time goes. I do know 40 hours of it goes to the EDJ every week. You know, if it wasn't for that, I could get so much done! But there's no way I'm going to taint this blog with EDJ talk. This is meant to be a happy place! And so, onto happy things!

First, an update on Conquest Book 7, FEELING THE RHYTHM. For those who have been following my progress with the book, you know my editor and I were shooting to have it release by no later than December of this year. Well, we're going to make that. In fact, we're going to beat that. I'm pleased to announce that as of right now, FEELING THE RHYTHM is slated to release on November 23rd at MLR Press! My editor and I have been hard at work on it to hit this date. Now, as always, the release date is subject to change, but it's looking good for the 23rd. I'm going to pull a little sneak peak excerpt from it to share with everyone soon.

So with the Conquest boys getting ready to hit the scene again, that brings me back around to the vampires in the Instincts series. Along with working with the rockers, I've also been writing like a crazy person to get  the next Instincts book in to my editor by a November 15th deadline. The good news is, I did it! And it has a title; ADAPTING INSTINCTS. It's another novel length book, though shorter than the others in the series. As it stands now, it's sitting at 67K words, but I could always gain some or lose some during editing. That book is slated for a March release, so it'll be my next release after FEELING THE RHYTHM.

With those two books finished, I'm currently between writing projects, and I plan to keep it that way for a little while. I'm going to take a break to recharge and refresh, and I'm not sure what my next project will be. Or even how long my break will be. It might be a couple weeks, a month, or until the end of the year. It'll last until the urge to write gets too strong to hold back. So you might not hear any new writing news from me for a while, but that doesn't mean I'll be a complete stranger. Who knows? Maybe I'll even have the time to get the Weekly Inspiration posts going again!

Last, but certainly not least, I'm very excited to share a great review for NATURAL INSTINCTS, Book 1 in the Instincts series. This review came in with perfect timing since I just finished writing the 4th book! It was reviewed at one of the hottest review sites around for paranormal themed stories, Bitten by Books, and I'm thrilled to say it received a 5 out of 5 rating! Hooray! My thanks to the reviewer, Booktaster, for taking the time to read it and write up the wonderful review, and to Bitten by Books for posting it on their site. If you'd like to check out the review, please click HERE.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is that. An update on all I've been up to. I hope it sounds like good news!

Giveaway at The Romance Reviews!

Hey there, ladies and gentlemen! Some of you may have noticed a while back I posted a little badge over to the right for the One Year Anniversary Party of The Romance Reviews. If you've visited there, you know there have been some fun events going on and TONS of giveaways being offered. Well, tomorrow, March 20th, you'll have a chance to win one of my books, NATURAL INSTINCTS, in either print or ebook, winner's choice! Woo hoo! And yep, I will sign the print edition if that's what the winner would like.

To be entered in the giveaway, there's going to be a question relating to the book, along with a link that will provide the answer in case you don't know it. You can see some of the questions for other books that are up now. Answer the question correctly, and you're put in the running for the giveaway. Easy!

For more info on the event, you can either click on the badge to the right, or go here: http://www.theromancereviews.com/event.php

Here's wishing The Romance Reviews a very happy anniversary! Good luck to all who enter the giveaway!

The Pets of the Instincts Series

Hey, everyone! If you've read my vampire novels in the Instincts Series, which is only two books at the moment, NATURAL INSTINCTS and ENDURING INSTINCTS, you know there are a few secondary characters who are very important to the main ones; the pets! I'm talking about Bull the English Mastiff, Kuma the Akita Inu, Lynx and Hemingway the Maine Coon cats, and of course, Dakarai the African Lion.

For the past few months, I've been writing the first draft of the 3rd Instincts novel. And I'm nearly done! Woo hoo! It'll still be a few months before it's released....since I have to obsessively polish it before turning it in, then it'll have to go through editing, but it's nice to almost have the first solid draft complete. As I draw closer to the The End, I thought it'd be fun to post pics of a few critters who look similar to our furry heroes in the books. I should probably say, though, in a way this post could be considered a slight spoiler, since Kuma doesn't appear until ENDURING INSTINCTS, but I guess it's also not that big of a spoiler seeing pics of one of the characters :-) Hope you guys enjoy getting this look this look at them!

Bull

Kuma

Lynx

Hemingway

Dakarai

NATURAL INSTINCTS Wins Best GLBT Vampire Book of 2011 at TRR!

Hey, guys and gals!  I have some exciting news to share with y'all.  You may remember a post I did a while back mentioning how NATURAL INSTINCTS had gotten nominated at The Romance Reviews for their Best of 2011 Awards in the GLBT Vampire category. I'm absolutely thrilled to announce...it won!  Hooray!  I'm elated and grateful for the honor, and especially so very appreciative to everyone who voted for it. Thank you, so very much!  And another big thank you to the folks at The Romance Reviews for holding the awards and letting me be a part of it. I'm still incredibly flattered!

Here's a full list of all the winners in the Paranormal categories: http://www.theromancereviews.com/bestbook.php

There are so many wonderfully talented authors who won and who were nominated. I think it's impossible to look at all of them and not add books to your TBR list! I'm thrilled to be in their company!

And to continue the good news, the sequel, ENDURING INSTINCTS, received a wonderful review from Top 2 Bottom Reviews, where it earned 4.5 out of 5. Yay! Thank you to the reviewer, Michele, for taking the time to read it and write up the review. Here's the link for those who'd like to see: http://top2bottomreviews.wordpress.com/2011/11/20/enduring-instincts-by-s-j-frost/

And now, I shall go on with my happy dancin' :-)

                                                                                                             
                                                                                                             
                                                                                                             
                                                                                                             
                                                                                                             
                                                                                                             
                                                                                                             
                                                                                                         

NATURAL INSTINCTS Nominated for Best Book 2011!

Hey again, everyone!  I know I just posted an update on my writing and reviews, but I wanted to do a seperate post for this because I'm beyond excited about it.  I got word that my first vampire novel, NATURAL INSTINCTS, has been nominated at The Romance Reviews for Best GLBT Paranormal - Vampire book of 2011!  Woo hoo!

This is such an honor and I couldn't be happier!  Now that it's been nominated, people can vote for it to win.  If you'd like to vote, here's the link: http://www.theromancereviews.com/bookvote.php. You have to scroll down to the GLBT Vampire category to find it, but it's going up against some wonderful authors, so please, vote for the book you truly enjoyed most.  I'm just thrilled to have been nominated!  Also, there are so many incredible authors and books in these awards, I'm sure you can find lots of your favorite stories and authors, and probably even some new ones for your TBR!

My thanks and gratitude to The Romance Reviews and to those who nominated NATURAL INSTINCTS.  I'm truly flattered and very appreciative.

And now, I'm off to happy dance :D

    

                                                                                                               

New Release News: ENDURING INSTINCTS

Ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to announce the upcoming release of my next novel, ENDURING INSTINCTS.  This is my second vampire story, the follow-up to NATURAL INSTINCTS and Book 2 in the Instincts Series.  As of right now, it's looking good that it'll release this Friday, September 30th, at MLR Press.  Barring any unforeseen circumstances, that is.  Within a couple weeks after it goes live on the MLR site, it'll branch out to Amazon.com, and later to other book vendors and will also be available in print. 

Hope everyone who decides to pick it up will enjoy it!

BLURB:
Vampire Daniel Valente struggles to live on his own, now that his master, Titus Antonius Calidus, has found eternal love with another.  Carrying mental and emotional scars, he lives in loneliness and feels as though he's lost who he once was.

Ryunosuke Kimura has known Daniel for hundreds of years, and loved him for many of them.  Even though he believes Titus is the only one Daniel wants to give his heart to, when he hears Daniel needs his support, he rushes to be with him.

With Ryu at his side, Daniel's confidence returns, and with it, he sees the enduring love Ryu has always had for him.  As they grow closer, new threats from old enemies arise, and if Daniel and Ryunosuke are to spend eternity together, they must first defeat the past.

News & Reviews

See?  I really haven't fallen off the face of the earth!  I know it seems like I haven't been around much here, or any of my usual haunts lately, and I apologize for that.  My personal life has been challenging my author life for a while now, but hopefully soon things will balance out.  Despite those challenges, I'm writing whenever I get the chance, and I'm happy to say I've finished another book.  Woo hoo!  This is the sequel to my vampires in NATURAL INSTINCTS.  It's title will be ENDURING INSTINCTS, and once I write the blurb, I'll post it here for you guys.  That'll probably be a little while yet before I have that finished, though.  I still have to put one more coat of polish on the manuscript before sending it to my editor at MLR Press, then I'll get working on the blurb.

Along with that, I'm ecstatic to announce that NATURAL INSTINCTS received a very
high honor.  It was given a Golden Blush Award at Literary Nymphs!  I can't even begin to describe how flattered I am, and I'm so thankful to the reviewer, Chocolate Minx, for the beautiful review.  For those who'd like to see the review, here's the link: http://literarynymphsreviewsonly.blogspot.com/2011/07/natural-instincts.html

                                    



Also, BLACK HEART DOWN earned 4 out of 5 stars at Jessewave!  I was happy to see this!  Many thanks to the reviewer, Lasha, for her great review!  If you'd like to see it, here's the link: http://www.reviewsbyjessewave.com/2011/07/20/black-heart-down-conquest-5/ 

And that's not all for the rocker boys.  BLACK HEART DOWN also earned a very high honor.  It was named a Joyfully Recommended Read at Joyfully Reviewed!  Hooray!  I don't even know where to begin to express how thrilled I am!  I just have to give my thanks to the reviewer, Lisa, for writing up the wonderful review!  And here's the link to that one: http://www.joyfullyreviewed.com/recommended-reviews/july-2011-recommended-reads/black-heart-down-by-s-j-frost

So as you can imagine, I'm super happy bouncy with these reviews!  I can't express my thanks and appreciation enough to the reviewers who took the time to read my books and write these reviews.  They definitely gave me a big smile :D

Reviews, Reviews, Reviews!

Hello, everyone!  I'm working on getting caught up on a lot of writing business today, and part of that is sharing with all of you some fantastic reviews I've gotten lately.  Just recently on Fallen Angel Reviews, four of my Conquest books, CONQUEST, NO FEAR, KEYS TO LOVE, and BLACK HEART DOWN, were all reviewed.  Each of the received 5 out of 5 angels, and earned being Recommended Reads.  Woo hoo!  Thank you so much to the reviewer, Teresa, for taking the time to read the books and write up such wonderful reviews!  For any who would like to see the reviews, here are the links:

CONQUEST: http://fallenangelreviews.com/2011/June/teresa-conquest.htm
NO FEAR: http://fallenangelreviews.com/2011/June/teresa-nofear.htm
KEYS TO LOVE: http://fallenangelreviews.com/2011/June/teresa-keystolove.htm
BLACK HEART DOWN: http://fallenangelreviews.com/2011/June/teresa-blackheartdown.htm

Fallen Angel Reviews is a fantastic review site overall and well worth checking out for other well written reviews.

Also, I happened to see that my m/m vampire novel, NATURAL INSTINCTS, was reviewed at Top2Bottom Reviews, along with BLACK HEART DOWN.  Both got wonderful reviews with NATURAL INSTINCTS earning a mark of 5 out of 5, and BHD receiving 4.5 out of 5.  Many thanks to the reviewers there, Michele and Lisa, for reading the books and writing up these great reviews!  Here are the links to those:

NATURAL INSTINCTS: http://top2bottomreviews.wordpress.com/2011/05/13/natural-instincts-by-s-j-frost/
BLACK HEART DOWN: http://top2bottomreviews.wordpress.com/2011/05/31/black-heart-down-by-s-j-frost/

Top2Bottom Reviews is another awesome review site, focused especially toward gay romance.  So if m/m is what you mainly like to read, definitely be sure to check them out for the dish on hot books in the genre.

I guess that about covers it in review news for me.  And can I just say one more time...Woo hoo!  I'm just so incredibly happy with these reviews and grateful to all the reviewers who wrote them.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!

S.J. Update

Hey, everyone!  I thought it was about time I gave a little update on what I've been up to lately, especially since my regular visitors here have probably noticed I haven't been the most efficient in getting up Weekly Inspiration and Song of the Week posts.  Things have been pretty crazy for me the past few weeks, both on the writing front and on the personal life one, but I do have some good news on the writing side.

First, the big news.  This week I'm going to have a new release.  It's one of the reasons I haven't been getting the regular posts up, my editor and I have been working very hard to get it ready to come out no later than this Thursday, May 5th at MLR Press and maybe sooner.  And what is this new release?  Why, it'll be my next m/m rock star novel, BLACK HEART DOWN.  Woo hoo!  I'm really excited to bring the BHD guys to the stage, along with some friends of theirs from another certain band ;-)  For those who'd like to see, I've also put up an excerpt from BHD on my website: http://www.sjfrost.com/

I'm sure everyone who knows how slow of a writer I am are surprised by me having two novel releases out so close with NATURAL INSTINCTS and now BLACK HEART DOWN.  Between my and my editor's schedules, it just sort of worked out that way.  I'm by no means any faster of a writer!  So, my next release after BHD probably won't be until late summer/early fall.

And what will that release be?  At this moment, I'm thinking it'll be more vampires in the sequel to NATURAL INSTINCTS.  I'm currently working on the first draft of that one.  Now that BHD is getting ready to release, I'll be giving the vampires my full attention and don't plan on starting any new projects until they're handed into my editor.  After they're finished, I'm not entirely sure what I'll work on next, but maybe my classical violinist and rock drummer, who will be from an all new band of Scottish kilt wearing rockers.

So that's what I've been up to.  Hope it all sounds good to everyone!  Things should be getting a little more back to normal here this week with the regular posts.  Thank you all so much for your support!

Awesome review for NATURAL INSTINCTS at Jessewave

Hey, everyone!  I just had to pass on that over on Jessewave my new m/m vampire novel, NATURAL INSTINCTS got a very nice review and 4.25 stars out of 5.  Woo hoo!  I have to give a huge thank you to the reviewer, Feliz, for taking the time to write such a thoughtful review and for their praise of the story.  I was beyond thrilled to read things in the review such as the world building was unique and the story stands out among other vampire books.  Thank you! 

For any who'd like to check out the review, here's the link: http://www.reviewsbyjessewave.com/2011/04/26/natural-instincts/

Great Review For NATURAL INSTINCTS!

I'm very happy to share this news!  My new m/m vampire erotic romance novel, NATURAL INSTINCTS, was reviewed on Dark Divas Reviews, and received a 5 diva rating and the honor of being a Recommended Read!  I'm beyond ecstatic!  The review itself is wonderfully done and I can't thank the reviewer, Lasha, enough for such kind praise.   

To see the review, please CLICK HERE.  And now, I'm going to continue with my happy dancing :D

New Release: NATURAL INSTINCTS

Ladies and gentlemen, I'm thrilled to announce the release of my m/m vampire erotic romance novel, NATURAL INSTINCTS!  It just went live at MLR Press!  It's available on their website in many ebook formats, and soon will be available at other vendors and in print. 

I'm very excited about this novel with it being my first foray into writing vampires, and I hope all who read it, will enjoy it.  To view it at MLR Press, CLICK HERE.

And now, a big welcome to the world to my main characters, Andreas Nikandros and Titus Antonius Calidus!

Blurb:
Andreas Nikandros has one focus, to kill the vampire he believes murdered his sister, and he knows with their greater strength, the surest way to kill a vampire is to become one.  As a zoologist, he’s used to looking at the world from a natural standpoint, but when he sets out on a quest to find a vampire to Turn him, what he finds in Titus Antonius Calidus is the last thing he expected.  Titus has lived for over a thousand years, and in that time has only ever given his heart to one man.  As they follow their natural instincts, they discover something truly worth living forever for, each other.

Cover Art and Blurb: NATURAL INSTINCTS

You've all heard me talk a lot about the m/m vampire erotic romance novel I've been working on, and now I'm very happy to unveil the cover and blurb for it.  I love this cover.  The Chicago skyline, the two guys embracing, I love it!  Really, really love it!  I can totally see the guy in back as my vampire, Titus, since he's more formal in his dress, and my human, Andreas, in front, as he's more casual.  Along with it being so very pretty, it's also special because my friend and fellow author, Lex Valentine, is the artist.  If you want some scorching hot reads with great characters, you have to check out Lex's books.  She's writes m/m, as well as m/f.  Here's her website for those who'd like to take a peek at her work: http://www.lexvalentine.com/

And now, ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to introduce you to Andreas Nikandros and Titus Antonius Calidus in my upcoming m/m vampire novel, NATURAL INSTINCTS.

BLURB:
Andreas Nikandros has one focus, to kill the vampire he believes murdered his sister, and he knows with their greater strength, the surest way to kill a vampire is to become one.  As a zoologist, he's used to looking at the world from a natural standpoint, but when he sets out on a quest to find a vampire to Turn him, what he finds in Titus Antonius Calidus is the last thing he expected.  Titus has lived for over a thousand years, and in that time, has only ever given his heart to one man.  As they follow their natural instincts, they discover something truly worth living for, each other.

Coming soon to MLR Press

S.J. Writing Update

Hey, everyone!  I thought it was about time I gave you all an update on what projects I'm working on and what's up for release, especially since I have a little more of an idea of things and what direction I'm heading with stories this year since my last update.  There are currently three main projects I have in the works at the moment, and they are:

1.) NATURAL INSTINCTS - An m/m vampire erotic romance novel.  This one is finished and we're going to be working on edits with it this month.  Depending on how fast I can work, there's a chance it could be releasing this February, early March at the latest, and it'll be published at MLR Press.

2.) BLACK HEART DOWN - This is another m/m rock star novel.  Those who have read NO FEAR might recognize BHD's name ;-)  I have a rough draft finished on it, and have gone through a couple rounds of polishing, but there's still more work to do before I officially hand it in.  I'm hoping for it to release before summer, but that wicked time thing and not having enough of it always comes into play.  It'll also be published at MLR Press.

3.) HEARTSTRINGS - An m/m contemporary erotic romance about a classical violinist and a rock drummer.  And nope, sorry, the drummer isn't Conquest's Brad.  The drummer is from a new band no one's met yet.  I'm in the process of writing this one at the moment and don't even have a finished draft yet, so I can't even begin to predict a release for it.

While those are the three main projects occupying my time, I do have many more planned for down the road.  Two ideas I have that I'd like to at least start writing this year are a longer work featuring Brandon Alexander and Shunichi Miyamoto from the Conquest series, and an m/m samurai historical.  And I haven't forgotten about Conquest's Brad.  I wouldn't mind fitting in working on a story with him leading, too.  I also have hopes of writing a sequel to NATURAL INSTINCTS, which could get moved up in the list if my vampires are well received by everyone.

I can't thank you all enough for the support you give me and I hope everything sounds good!  I'll continue to try my hardest and put out the best work I'm capable of delivering for all of you!

What has S.J. been up to?

It hit me last night that for all the posts I've put up since launching this blog, I haven't really given an update about what I'm working on.  I get bad author points for that!  Sorry!  So, let me try and catch everyone up with what's been going on in my little writing world :-)

For the past couple weeks I've been working on a novella, tentatively titled FINDING A DREAM, and just last night, my awesome editor sent the first round of edits on it back to me.  I'm really excited about this story because if things go the way I'm hoping, something special might be getting done with my royalties for it, along with my editor's.  I'm going to hold off on saying what until things are finalized, but I will say the story involves a couple characters from the Conquest series, Brandon Alexander and Shunichi Miyamoto. 

And my upcoming m/m vampire erotic romance novel, NATURAL INSTINCTS, is also finished and will be going into edits in the next few weeks.  We're thinking maybe a January-ish release for its release, but please don't hold me to that.  The holidays could slow me down with working on edits when I get them, but I'll definitely try my best to get them done as fast as I can!

Let's see, what else...  Oh yeah, more rockers.  Those who have read NO FEAR and KEYS TO LOVE might remember the band Black Heart Down.  I have a rough draft finished for their story, centered around two band members in particular.  It's another novel length work, and its tentative title is BLACK HEART DOWN, because you know, I'm creative like that ;-)  But BHD it slated for after the vampires, so probably looking at the first quarter of 2011 for those boys to take the stage.

Well, I think that's about it for all the immediate projects I've got in the works.  Here's hoping they all sound good and readable to everyone!