The life of an author can be chaotic—especially for a part-timer like me. When a creative spark hits, you have to act.

Someone recently asked me why I don’t just focus on one book at a time. Why chase multiple narratives at once? That’s a fair question. As an Industrial Engineer, it makes perfect sense to build a plan and then execute it. And I love planning—especially storylines. But detailed outlines? Those can feel a little too constricting. I’d rather dive into the words.

So that’s what I told him.

But then I admitted the truth: sometimes, my characters don’t follow the plan. And sometimes, a character from another story entirely demands attention. A new voice shows up, insisting I set the current manuscript aside and listen.

Do I stick to the plan? Force the character back in line? Ignore the one being a squeaky wheel? I’ve found that I can’t. I have to oil that wheel, chase that rabbit, or rethink the arc I thought was locked in.

They say there are two kinds of writers—plotters (those who outline) and pantsers (those who write by the seat of their pants). It’s a useful starting point, but it’s also wrong. Most of us live somewhere in between. I do.

And that brings me to why I sometimes have multiple books ready to launch all at once. It’s not always ideal, but sometimes it’s necessary.

In 2023, I released Wealth & Wisdom, Aligning Finances to Faith, and Secrets of the Veil within months of each other. Why flood the market with books when each one needs its own marketing space? Well, the nonfiction books weren’t written for sales. I wrote them to help people. And Secrets of the Veil was so different—an epic fantasy with spiritual weight—that it didn’t feel like competition. It worked out.

Now it’s 2025. And while time flies, this year feels a bit like déjà vu.

I have three books ready. One is a nonfiction project I’ve chosen to hold back while I focus on launching the others. In April, I released The Curse of Magic—a novel that’s been with me longer than any other. But while polishing that manuscript, two very different voices barged into my imagination: Sticks and Stone.

Their story, Burnt Ends, is unlike anything else I’ve written—and it may be the most fun I’ve had writing to date.

Since patience has never been my strength (I still try to get my wife to open her Christmas gifts early), I’ve decided not to wait. Burnt Ends is available now at books.by/bernonbooks#burnt-ends—and it’s a couple of dollars less than the Amazon price.

Why wait until June 3 to grab it on Amazon when you can get it today? You’ll find my other fiction titles there too, including The Curse of Magic and Secrets of the Veil. All available now at books.by/bernonbooks.