Greetings, citizens of the Pizza Kingdom!
Thank you all so very much for reading Ferdie and the Elementals!
Ferdie was my first novel. I've been writing it with somewhat wavering dedication since November of 2023. I've made many personal and financial sacrifices, and spent hours of studying various materials to make it a reality.
And, I'm sad to say I'm not too sure it was worth it.
In the end, despite my effort, Ol' Ferdie and the crew aren't getting a lot of attention. Turns out, there isn't much of a market for Isekai Harem Satire filled with 80s movie references. Who'da thunk it?
Because of my poor writing ability and hipster doofus inability to give an audience what it wants, it seems this book will meet a fate similar to its MC.
There are many flaws you could point to in this novel, but I think the biggest one is that it's not very focused. It's an adventure story, a drama, a comedy, a satire with elements of sci-fi and cyberpunk and orwellian futures and magic and fantasy and so many other things that it's hard to really grab on it. I wanted people to like my story, but it's a Frankenstein's monster. And unless it's Halloween, ain't nobody down for no patchwork freaks.
I should just give up writing. I clearly don't have any natural talent for it.
And yet, I really want to keep trying.
Though the end product is disappointing to me, making - and actually finishing - the biggest project of my life has proven to be one of the most meaningful experiences imaginable. And after working on this project and dabbling in others for so long, it's getting harder by the day to imagine my life without writing. Even though I finished Ferdie only one day ago, I already feel bothered by the absence of something meaningful to do with my time. Well, blasting through Baldur's Gate 3 with a full party of Wild Magic Sorcerers is pretty damn fun, but still...
And besides, I too many ideas left in my head to just give up after one measly novel!
Speaking of which, I very much hope you will join me for the next great adventure! Who knows what the next one will be about? Magic pizza? Evil rats? Powered up pugs? Ideologically-possessed dragons? Tyrannical unicorns? Rampaging bunny girls? Hell, maybe even Ferdie will get his chance at redemption...
You will see more later this year!
Until then, subscribe if you haven't already, and keep your eyes peeled for future updates. I have plans to set up Discord, X, and other social media accounts. And, I can't promise anything right now, but I also intend to make the audiobook version of Ferdie available at some point on Youtube, and possibly Rumble, Soundcloud, and Spotify.
I'm also considering getting a new cover done, and making some D&D 5e-compatible character sheets and custom classes for Ferdie, Althea, Zazel, and the other characters!
I'm almost tempted to make- Nah, I'm too lazy for that.
Anyways, thank you all so much for reading! It really does mean a lot!
I truly do appreciate all of you. And, there are a few extra based and pizzapilled readers that deserve a little extra recognition:
@npm (Neal P. Martin) is a great author and an even greater guy. He's been very, very generous with me behind the scenes, sharing with me his sage advice and years experience and wisdom in professional writing. He was a big help and an even bigger inspiration. His most recent book Hell Runner Kade is my favorite read on the site and well worth the purchase on Amazon. I got my copy, and if you have even a little chest hair, you'll go get yours right now!
@crackedhalo has been super friendly and helpful behind the scenes as well, and her knowledge of the storytelling craft is very tight. I've been enjoying her story, Yellowjacket, immensely during the past few months- its one of the very few stories on this site that I can bare to read - it has become something of a weekly reading ritual for me. If you're cool with slow burn contemporary dramas and want a break from cultivators and overpowered spell flingers and such, give her book a try!
And though I haven't heard from him in a while, I wanna thank @edrperez for being a great early supporter of the story. He makes short stories here and there... Who knows when the next one will come out?
(Check out their stuff below!)
Until next time, citizens! Farewell!
What did you think of Ferdie? What do you think I should do next?
