Unless you’ve been seriously out of the loop like these lucky folks, you don’t need me to tell you that 2020 has been a crazy year thus far.

In a lot of ways, my experience over the past few months has been more fortunate than most. In my day job I work in a hospital, and I thankfully haven’t had any concerns about furloughs or layoffs. Of course, essential work has been, needless to say, bonkers.

My kids never physically went back to school after Spring Break and did eLearning until school officially ended for the year last week. In a strange way, it was a good thing for my oldest — he struggled a bit adjusting to his first year of junior high, and school-from-home was an opportunity for him to focus purely on academics and not be stuck into group projects, which his school seems to be in love with for some reason.

Between all that, and the accompanying lockdown and disruption of routine, my writing output cratered. Say what you will about the quality of Starbucks’ coffee (I’m an iced tea guy, myself), I didn’t realize just how much work I got done sitting in there. There’s more to a routine than I guessed, and I’ve struggled to adapt. As a result, I’m a bit behind schedule. On the bright side, we’re talking about a few months rather than a few years. I’ve been waiting for the next entry in a few series for a long time now, so I know the feeling.

Plans, at least, haven’t changed. I’m about 75% done with Pax book 4, The Sacred Radiance. As soon as I finish my first draft and passthrough, I’ll hand it off to the publisher and start work on Pax book 5, The Dragon and His Wrath. After that, it’s time for the next book in the Z-Day series.

Stay healthy, stay safe, and let’s hope that the second half of 2020 makes the first seem like a bad dream!