So I noticed, not too long ago, that I was getting pretty close to 500 posts on this blog. That’s a lot of writing, over the last nine years I have had this blog, especially since there have been a couple of fairly lengthy hiatuses — hiati? — lacunae in those years. The majority of those posts are pretty substantial, some running to several thousand words and hours and hours of effort; though some are just short comments or jokes or links. But still, 500 posts seemed like a lot, and also a number worth celebrating.

And then I hit a wall, when my family crisis happened in October. That last post before the crisis was #497. And a month or so ago, I posted an explanation as to what was going on and why I hadn’t been following the carefully established once-a-week-new-post pace that I had maintained fairly well for about 16 months at that point; that explanation was #498.

Last week I posted about politics, and my desire to take up the fight. I will have more to say about that — but also, I couldn’t help but notice (though of course I already knew) that that was post #499. Which meant this one was the big one.

So what to post about? More politics? Teaching, which has been the bulk of the last 499 blog posts? I thought about a book review, because I have a good one to write.

But then this happened. I did it. It came in the mail.

Volume III of The Adventures of Damnation Kane.

This is not, of course, the finished book, because that will not be the cover image; my wife had a great idea for it, and she is prepping the board for the painting. (**Please note: if for any reason she is not satisfied with her image, then I will use something else for the cover; probably some old painting of pirates which is in the public domain. I’m just trying to say that the plan is for all three books to have original Toni DeBiasi covers, but if they don’t then they don’t, and so be it.) I printed one copy with a nothing cover as a galley proof so I could do one last edit of the text, which I find easier when it is printed on actual paper.

But the book is written. The story is done. This is the end of the Adventures of Damnation Kane.

Here they all are.

So this is my 500th post: it is announcing to all of you that the book is done, and it will be published and available within the next two months. And I am very, very proud of me.

Thank you for reading, to all of you who read, for whatever you read. If you are reading my pirate books, you’ll have one more to buy pretty soon.