*sigh* The Future of Furry & Flo *double sigh*

Right.  Good morning.  So it’s been over a year since I blogged.

You know, it always feels like I’m going into a confessional like back when I was a Catholic boy anytime I RARELY post on this site.  I feel like a bad friend for not blogging more and telling you what’s been happening in my world.

Seriously, though…I mean…it’s not like anyone is actually READING this thing anymore, are they?

Well, if so.  Hi.  This is the blog I’ve been dreading for some time, but I need to grab the edge of the super sticky Band-Aid and give it a good yank.  Sure, there might be momentary pain and a couple of random hairs that come off with it, but it needs to be done.

Okay, here goes…

Remember that little series of books I wrote?  Furry & Flo?  The one about the 4th grade girl who moves into an apartment across the hall from a 3rd grade werewolf?  I had plans to write like 10 books in the series and people seemed to love them and their wacky adventures?  Those ones?

Yeah, well…sometime last year, I was told that Book 6 (The Solemn Golem) was going to be the last Furry & Flo book Capstone was going to publish.  To say I was devastated was a real understatement.

But why, Thomas?  Why would they stop publishing those books?

Well, it’s like this: Publishing is a business.  If people don’t buy the books, there’s no incentive to keep publishing them.  Simple.

Why didn’t YOU publicize them, man?  Jeez…

I did all I could.  I went to school visits where kids bought a bunch of ’em.  I did a couple of readings at bookstores.  I trumpeted how much I loved the books (shamelessly) from the mountaintops…or the really big hills we have here in Minnesota.  But at the end of the day, they didn’t catch on as well as we would’ve liked.

Okay, I get that.  But I’ve read all 6 books.  The Solemn Golem ends on a cliffhanger!  Are you just going to leave them _____________ ??? (spoilers omitted)

No!  That’s the big thing and maybe the tiny silver lining to all of this.  I’m going to write 2 more books and make them available FOR FREE as eBooks.  I can’t, in good faith, leave the handful of people who have read the books (and care about F&F) hanging.  Maybe people will snap up the eBooks and finish the arc, maybe not.  I guess I don’t want to be the guy that said: Sorry folks.  Nothing more to see here!

I thought you were going to do 10 books, Troupe.  10!!!

I did too, Fake-Question-Asking-Voice-From-the-Internet.  I did, too.  I had big plans for a few more books in there, but ultimately, I know I can nicely close the gap and give F&F a proper ending in 2 books.

So…that’s my plan.  I’m almost done with Book 7 and I’m working out some details to have illustrator/genius/all-around great guy Stephen Gilpin do some illustrations for them.  I’m also hoping (fingers crossed) that I can make them look like the original 6 books, so that if you’ve got ’em on your Kindle (or whatever), they look like they go together.

Does that mean you’re done writing other stuff?

Oh, gosh, no.  I’ve got an insane writing schedule already this year (hence the lack of blog posts!) but I’m going to crowbar time in to give Furry & Flo the ending they deserve.

When?  When are we going to be able to get our mitts on F&F 7?  And what about #8?

If all goes well, I plan to have Furry & Flo 7: Portal Bounce ready to rock sometime in Spring.  Furry & Flo 8: Big Bad Dad will drop sometime in the fall.

So, that’s the story!  Whew.  That wasn’t so bad.  I mean, it still hurts little and my ego is still kinda bruised. I’ve got that weird oval, Band-Aid shaped red mark on my arm, but the cut is finally staring to heal.

We got this.