A good friend of mine, and blogger (alesbianandherlaptop.com), suggested to me creating blog posts every so often with updates about everything I have going on. With this month being almost entirely dedicated to finishing the writing for Aradia the Witch, I thought now would be the best time for an update so that I don’t have to spend hours researching and writing about any specific topic. Plus, since I haven’t done a post like this before, I have a lot to inform new readers about all the work I’ve done up to this point. So, let’s get into it.
The Blog
Obviously talking about every single post I’ve made since the conception of this blog would be a lot. If you’re interested in social commentaries, with a little bit of research and data to back it up, take a look at the archives. You’ll find posts about sexism, ethics, gaming, mental disorders, relationships; the list goes on and on. I have a passion for studying and dissecting all sorts of cultural and societal phenomenon, so no topic is off-limits. This blog has really developed into a sort of place of teaching, where I try to share an objective, well-researched point-of-view (leftist leaning, but research typically backs leftist talking points). There is also the Magisters side of the blog, though only Dungeons and Dragons nerds would be interested in my breakdown of my custom roleplaying game’s world and magic system. (That side of my blog isn’t as popular, and that’s okay!)
I plan to continue a minimum of two posts per month, one for the regular blog and one for the Magi side. Some drafts I have going are: Villainization of LGBTQIA+ (in media), and Was Thanos Right? (Logistics of erasing half the universe). For the Magi side I plan to finish the lore for the classes, and then creating a personality quiz to see which major/minor (class) might suit you best. Fun for new/old players (and people who have never played)!
Books
For those of you who may not know, I have published two books in the last year and a half. Colors, a magical-realism apocalypse, and Stand-Up Comedy for Introverts, a comedy memoir (and social commentary). Both available on Amazon, they also have merch (t-shirts, mugs, rugs, you name it) that you can view on my blog or purchase at Threadless.com.
Obviously, as I stated before, I am working on a third book, Aradia the Witch. It is a fantasy romance that ends in a bit of horror. I describe it as a Studio Ghibli tale turned Brothers Grimm. The writing should be done by the end of this month, and then the art by the end of August, and ready for publication by September 17 (my birthday)!
Other Stuff
For the most part I’ve focused on this blog and my novels. I do have a Tiktok account (@JohvanTheAuthor) that I occasionally post things about my books like teasers, insights, inside jokes. I’ve really focused on building an audience, though my social medias (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) have become less active just because they are less likely to grow an audience compared to Tiktok.
I do plan on trying to keep my social medias a bit more active, but my focus will be on Tiktok and even streaming soon. I plan to start streaming (again) at the beginning of August, not only games but things about my writing. I want to do some streams promoting my book, especially a birthday/publication day stream.
Hope these updates helped you find something interesting. I will be doing updates about every quarter (four months) unless something important to promote comes up. I don’t see myself posting enough or doing enough interesting things in my life to update more frequently. This update doesn’t have anything about my life because I’ve really just been sitting at home writing and gaming (what’s your pandemic looked like?). Please do leave a comment about anything you are excited for, any topics you might want me to cover in the future, or any updates about your own life you’d like to share.