A completed Empire map (and other coronavirus projects!)

Today is March 15. And you know what Julius Caesar would tell you, right?? “Cave Idus Martii.” That’s Latin for “Beware the Ides of March.” In case you don’t know the story, Caesar was warned by a seer to be extra careful on March 15th, but he blew the warning off and got himself assassinated.

Moral of the story: Don’t be like Caesar and blow off warnings.

I learned the phrase and the story in Latin class in seventh grade, and it stuck with me because that was the day I got my very first period! I also got the flu the same day. March 15, 1991, was not a great day for me.

And this year, the Ides of March also isn’t a great day for many people. In most of the world, COVID-19 fears are keeping people inside and away from their friends and neighbors.

“This is not a snow day”

After watching pieces of an informative Joe Rogan podcast with an infectious disease expert, I have been convinced that for once it’s not just media hype, and we need to take this seriously. I’m sharing it below. I didn’t watch the whole thing. You can get the message from the first ten or fifteen minutes. Or you can skip all that and take this line to heart:

Don’t roll your eyes at coronavirus. It’s a big deal.

My spring break is suddenly very different

For spring break, I was planning to fly home to Atlanta to see friends and family. I haven’t been back home in over two years and I was really looking forward to the trip. But I was routed through Seattle, the epicenter of the pandemic in the U.S., where I would have an eight hour layover, then I would fly on to Atlanta, the busiest airport in the world. From there, I would drive to South Carolina and see my bestie, who’s had bronchitis for three+ weeks, and then spend the rest of the week with my parents, who are both in their late sixties, both have asthma, and oh yeah, my mom has a rare genetic disorder in which her immune system is basically F-d.

So yeah, I canceled that.

And with the high school where I’m student teaching shut down for three weeks (one week of closure + two weeks of scheduled spring break), I suddenly have an unprecedented amount of free time on my hands! As I’m trying to take social distancing seriously (so should you, btw), that means a whole lot of time at home over the next three weeks.

For my readers, that should be taken as good news, because…

1. I finished the pencil version of my map and now I’m inking it in.

Take a look! The map is finished after only two days of social distancing!

My next step is to ink it in, which I have already started. After that, I will do a watercolor version. And I will make copies available for anyone who wants to purchase one… I also might give some away (hint, hint!). So stay tuned on my progress. I will be posting updates to my Instagram / Facebook pages, and giveaways will happen in my newsletter.

UPDATE: I finished inking the map in. You can find it here.

2. I’m organizing a big “Lesfic for the Pandemic” event.

I am in the early stages of pulling together a whole bunch of authors for a “Lesfic for the Pandemic” event. It will include a Facebook party and discounted or freebie books from a boatload of lesfic authors. It’s our way of keeping everyone’s spirits up in this time of social distancing, and encouraging everyone to just stay home and read!

Stay tuned on that… I will be making an announcement about the details once I have them ironed out in my newsletter and social media.

UPDATE: Complete details available here.

3. I just started messing around with something called WorldAnvil, where you’ll be able to get exclusive content about the world of the Chronicles of Dorsa.

I’m working on a new project that will enable my readers to get exclusive content about the world of the Chronicles of Dorsa, including details on the magic system, all the noble houses, the history of the Empire, the small men, and much more. I literally just started last night so I don’t have much to show yet, but with spring break, I should have a fair bit soon.

Keep in mind that I’m not anywhere close to done with writing books within this fantasy universe; I’m already planning another trilogy set about 800 years prior to the current trilogy for my next act, so pretty soon, things like Empire history, mythology, magic, etc. is going to get increasingly complicated!

In all likelihood, I’m going to make some of my WorldAnvil content free for everyone — like world maps, for example — but other content will be exclusive for paid users. I’m not doing that to exploit you, I’m doing it because I’m a poor graduate student who hasn’t had an income for an entire school year and I need a way to pay the bills!

Don’t worry, I will make the first paid tier pocket-change low so as to make the exclusive content as accessible as possible to as many people as possible.

4. Non-book related social distancing to-do-list!

Meanwhile, I’m planning some spring cleaning while I’m stuck at home, Marie Kondo-ing my whole dang house! This should also be a good time for me to get a proper home gym set up, what with trying to avoid the boxing gym and the Y.

What about you?

So? How’s the social distancing going in your neck of the woods? Anyone else home from work or telecommuting? Everyone okay out there?

Be cautious but not panicked; don’t hoard toilet paper; and take care of each other out there. <3