4 Dec 2022

Dear readers,

It's been a year since the end of Volume 2 and so I thought that an update on Volume 3 was in order.

It's been a crazy 2022 for me. I won't get into the details, but while I can read in 5 minute chunks, I really need 2+ hour chunks to write, and those have been sorely lacking this year. Still, coming into fall, I had finished a more detailed outline of Volume 3 and had begun drafting the first few chapters.

Then, two weeks ago, my daughter was born 32 days early. Fast forward to today and, all things considered, the family is doing well. But as I'm sure you know (and if you don't, you should look it up) having a newborn is an exhausting exercise. Despite nominally being on parental leave from my job (i.e., not working), I have even less free time than before and I don't really see myself regaining that free time within the next several months or, in any event, writing. Of course, if that time does appear, I'd love to dive back into writing this story (indeed, I've started yet another read-through because I do enjoy it and there's a bit of a dearth this time of year), but I'm doubtful that time will appear.

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So, where does that leave us?

I'm going to go ahead and post (clearly marked as SPOILERS) the rough drafts on the chapters I've begun, as well as the outline for the rest of Volume 3 and a little (but not all) of the worldbuilding background. You're of course free to ignore this and wait however long for the actual Volume 3 to come out, but I'm sure some of you just want to know where it ends. I may not post those segments today, but they'll come up this month as I can find the time for the minimal reformatting needed to get it postable.

Also, if you're looking for another serial reincarnation story, you may enjoy The Endless Isekai. It's not technically a reincarnation story, but it has a similar feel and, like Candlelit Lives, each "life" is relatively brief. I will forewarn though that it has a melancholic sense of humor.

Also, while my writing time has been severely impeded, my reading time is still doing pretty good. If you're looking for something else good to read, my recommendations thread (link) has been updated relatively recently with a bunch of stories.

In any event, I thank you for your prior readership, as well as those commenters and dm'ers who have asked about the upcoming volume or sent well wishes on the birth.

Best,

luda305