I Am Taking a Sabbatical From Writing

For those of you who wondered where I've been for the past few weeks, I can assure you I am alive and relatively well. That being said, however, my family is going through a major transitional period.

A long story short, I am coming out of retirement and the family is relocating to New England this summer where the housing and job opportunities are better (and where there is snow). We are currently in the process of packing, job and house hunting, and preparing for the move. The past two months have been intense, and the next six to nine are going to be insane. Because of the time commitment, not to mention the emotional and physical commitment, I have decided to take a sabbatical from writing.

It took me a long time to come to this decision, but it is one I had to make. It's been over a year since I last released a new novel, and it will be at least eighteen months before my dark political thriller MAG: Mutant Assassin Group is cleared by the CIA's Publication Review Board, is placed with an agent, and is published. Since there will be a significant gap between publications, I plan on using the opportunity to make the move to New England and settle into our new life.

This does not mean I'm giving up on my career. My novels and anthologies will remain on Amazon. I will attend book signings and conventions, although after this summer they will be mostly in New England (I do plan on coming back for Spooky Empire every October beginning in 2018). I have also begun the research into the sequel for MAG, and am in touch with representatives from the CDC and FBI. And I'll be available for any other project that might come my way. It just means that for the next eighteen or so months, Scott M. Baker will be spending very limited time on trolling the social media and on marketing. I'll still be available on my private Facebook page.

My young adult persona, Josh Matthews, will remain active. Hell Gate was released only four months ago and the sequel, which is due out this October, is complete and already with the publisher. With everything going on in my life, I do not have enough time to effectively devote to both career tracks, and have decided to concentrate on the one that is the most productive at the moment.

This is not goodbye, but see you soon. I'll occasionally post on my social media to let you all know how things are going with the move or on any projects that are pending. I will keep in touch, and hopefully will have some kick-ass stuff to share when I return full time.