Chapter 171 IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT #2

It's with a heavy heart that I'm taking a month off.

The step down to two chapters a week a month ago wasn't just a result of mounting stress from work and writing and pregnancy, but also from starting to have cardiac events in September. We were hoping that they were getting better, with diet changes and a slowdown on the novel cadence, but this past Tuesday I went into the hospital for over twenty hours while they ran tests and tried to figure out why I ended up on the floor of my office at work.

Luckily, I'm still around, but I've spent the last couple of days slowly chipping away at Friday's chapter while having time off from my day job, against my wife's better judgement. I've suffered from low grade stress throughout that just won't seem to quit.

Desperate times call for desperate measures, and we've made the tough decision to hang this up until we get some answers, or I see a marked increase in health. My stress must be minimized as much as possible.

Without approval, this text was taken from the author's publication page; the chapter there helps sustain their ongoing work.

To that end, I'm going to be taking a one-month break, as my first job is still the breadwinner, and I need to provide for my family (my wife doesn't work). It wouldn't feel right - and would honestly cause me stress - to accept money when I wasn't producing content, so Patreon payments will be paused, too. However, if you're a new member trying to sign-up to get through the end of book 3 you're probably still going to get charged. I think it only impacts current subscribers.

This journey has meant the world to me, and I'm incredibly reluctant to let it go, even for a little while. I have so much more story to tell and intensely desire to see Cal's adventure through to the end (and yes, there will be an end, currently outlined roughly to Book 9).

Thank you to you all, my wonderful readers and supporters. Your encouragement and willingness to let this newb entertain you has been one of the greatest experiences of my life, even if it is a wee bit stressful.

You will be missed. Godspeed to us all.

Jon