Greetings, awesome people!

It’s that time of year again; the weather is particularly steamy, Halloween decorations are starting to pop up in grocery stores, and a brand-new edition of the GODZILLA NOVELIZATION PROJECT’s patented (and long-winded) STAUS REPORT is ready and waiting to be read!

Since the fall of 2018, I’ve used these bi-annual reports to keep all of you updated on every aspect of the project, provide insights into how each ongoing book/story/timeline/other project is going, and to take stock and look at the progress that’s been made. Some of these updates have had more things to discuss than others, but I’m happy to say that this report has some pretty exciting things to discuss, as well as a HUGE announcement that’s been a long time coming!

So sit back, get comfortable, put on your reading glasses (if you’re lucky and don’t need reading glasses, feel free to skip this step), and check out the status of every GNP project, as well as what’s in store for readers like you in the coming months! Let’s dive in.

THE NOVELIZATIONS

GODZILLA: THE UNOFFICIAL NOVELIZATION

Not much to say here, except to reiterate that crafting Chapter 3 has been a bit of a creative challenge! I’ve discussed it elsewhere, but in short, the next few chapters of this particular novelization will be unique challenges that I’ve been slowly tackling over the last few months. Due to currently focusing on other novelizations, work on this particular adaptation has been slow. However, this is a book that I get asked about frequently, with many readers telling me that this is their favorite adaptation on the site. So if you’ve been waiting patiently for Godzilla: Chapter 3, don’t worry… it’s coming!

KING KONG VS. GODZILLA: THE UNOFFICIAL NOVELIZATION

As I said in the last status report, the adaptation of this film (which is based on the legendary original Japanese cut of the film, unavailable in the United States until recently) has been a unique and exciting opportunity for the GNP.  To be able to present Honda and Sekizawa’s original, hilariously satirical vision to western readers is truly an honor, and it’s something I’m definitely taking my time on.

Only Chapter 1 has been completed and posted thus far, and my continuing research into the period (specifically the Japanese “Economic Miracle” and its effects on television, advertising, and big business) has prevented me from converting my outlines into further chapters. However, this remains another popular adaptation on the site (despite consisting of a single chapter!), so once I feel satisfied with the research, work on the next chapter can continue.

MOTHRA VS. GODZILLA: THE UNOFFICIAL NOVELIZATION

As mentioned last time, the next chapter of this adaptation (and the next “in universe” newspaper article penned by Akira Takarada’s character, Ichiro Sakai) has already been outlined and given a fair amount of research. The next part of the story will begin with the Sakai article, and then move into the examination of the “monster egg” by our heroes… and one very smarmy villain. This isn’t one I’ve worked on for a while, but I’m hoping to dedicate some time to it soon. Stay tuned!

ALL MONSTERS ATTACK: THE UNOFFICIAL NOVELIZATION

Two chapters in, and this adaptation remains a joy to write. The most recent chapter was received very well, and work on the next one is on-again, off-again. Research into the tumultuous era that produced this unique story is ongoing, and putting this oft-derided film into its proper historical context remains a massively important part of this adaptation. Since the last chapter’s publication, I’ve done a lot more research into Japan’s late-1960s “Traffic Wars,” and even wrote an in-depth article on the subject that got a shout-out from Steve Ryfle! I’m not sure when the next chapter is coming, but I hope it’s soon.

GODZILLA VS. HEDORAH: THE UNOFFICIAL NOVELIZATION

Ah yes, the big one. As of this update, this adaptation remains the longest novel on the site, currently sitting at seven chapters. In fact, this particular book is dangerously close to nearing the halfway point of the movie! The chance to take a film so infamous for is visuals and translate it into the written word is a thrill, and often times a serious challenge. But I’ve been enjoying it immensely, as is evidenced by how much work has been done on the book. I still consider it the frontrunner for becoming the first finished GNP novelization, and with this being the 50th anniversary year for the Godzilla vs. Hedorah, you can expect more chapters to be coming between now and the end of the year!

GODZILLA VS. GIGAN: THE UNIFFICIAL NOVELIZATION

Talk about a fun novelization to write! I’ve always loved the characters in this film, and having the opportunity to explore them deeper is a true thrill. That fun has been reflected in this novel’s progress; at four chapters and counting, Gigan is now the second longest book on the website! Readers have really been enjoying this one, and I’m happy to announce that the next chapter is being written as we speak.

GODZILLA VS. MEGALON: THE UNOFFICIAL NOVELIZATION

Godzilla vs. Megalon is another book I’ve put on the back burner over the last few months. While readers were enjoying it, I hit a few snags and decided my creative energies were best directed elsewhere. That said, Chapter 2 is still being converted from an outline/notes to actual chapter. I’m not sure when to expect this one, but rest assured, it’s coming!

GODZILLA VS. MECHAGODZILLA: THE UNOFFICIAL NOVELIZATION

Unfortunately, the status on this book remains the same as the last time progress was shared a few months ago.  Much like Mothra vs. Godzilla, a surprising amount of research is required to make this novel authentic.  Specifically, knowledge of the history of Okinawa, its past and then (1974) current relationship to Japan, and its unique religious background are all necessary in presenting an accurate portrayal of the setting of the story.

The good news is that research into these topics is going well, if slowly.  Once I have acquired the necessary knowledge to accurately portray the setting of the film, then work on the next chapter will resume.

GODZILLA VS. SPACEGODZILLA: THE UNOFFICIAL NOVELIZATION

This is the most recent novel started on the site, and as of this writing, it is planned to be the last for some time. As mentioned elsewhere, the focus of the project is now squarely on crafting new chapters for already started books. The entire idea behind having multiple adaptations being worked on at the same time was to give the site some variety during its early days, and after two-and-a-half years, I felt that the variety I was looking for was finally in place.

That said, the adaptation of Spacegodzilla has been wonderful to work on, as it’s always been a personal favorite film of mine in the franchise, as well as a film that I feel is far better than its reputation. I haven’t dedicated much time to Chapter 2 lately, but I’m hoping to jump back into it after doing a bit more work on Hedorah.

GMK: THE UNOFFICIAL NOVELIZATION

Without getting too much into the story here, this is a particularly special adaptation for the GNP. This book was a special request from a wonderful Godzilla fan named Josh, a young man whose bravery in the face of life-altering health issues continues to humble me. More than two years after #GodzillaforJosh started trending on social media, I couldn’t be more thrilled that Josh is thriving and remains both loved and supported by Godzilla fans far and wide.

First and foremost, this book is for him. The next chapter will be coming before too long, and I can’t wait for both Josh and all of you to read it.

GODZILLA AGAINST MECHAGODZILLA: THE UNOFFICIAL NOVELIZATION

As mentioned elsewhere, this story is a unique one for the project as it is being told from MULTIPLE perspectives, including jumping between first-person accounts of the film’s events (such as the Prologue taking Akane’s perspective) and traditional third-person chapters. The final result should make for an interesting (and hopefully coherent) read that continues to be an exciting challenge to write! The next chapter will assume a new perspective as the events following Godzilla’s initial nighttime attack are seen through the eyes of the government, specifically Kumi Mizuno and Akira Nakao’s characters.

THE SHORT STORIES

CASEFILE: “MATANGO”

This one – no pun intended – has been an interesting case. The story – told as an “in-universe” testimony delivered by the film’s sole survivor upon his rescue – currently consists of five parts, plus an introduction. After dedicating a lot of time to writing what I estimate to be half the story (meaning that you can expect it to clock in at ten parts once it’s done), extenuating circumstances in my life caused me to stop for a while, and when work on the GNP resumed, I began working on another adaptation instead. With much of my focus on other books at the moment, this is one of the stories I haven’t touched in a hot minute. Rest assured, however, that Part 6 has been fully outlined, and half written, so this tale of madness and mushrooms should be continuing soon…

THE TINY BEAUTIES AND MOTHRA

Since the last status report was published in February, this story has become the latest addition to the GNP’s collection of shorter tales. It was a joy to write, and since it was all written in one go, it stands as a complete story that will receive no further updates, additional chapters, or future tweaks. Unless I spot a formatting issue or a typo, of course. But other than that, it’s done and ready to read!

THE TIMELINES

Ever since launching the Timeline section of the site, I have been absolutely blown away by the amount of attention it has gotten. Even on days when the novelizations receive little web traffic, all of the timelines get an often shocking number of views. It’s been humbling to see that all the hard work that goes into researching, cataloguing, and writing the (sometimes obscure) facts in these timelines is being appreciated and enjoyed by fans!

Work on the timelines has slowed in recent months due to focus on other projects, but work is still being done behind the scenes on research for future updates. Look for events from several drafts of the shooting script for the 1998 film (which has led to some interesting discoveries!), several publications released to promote the film, both the adult and junior novelizations, episodes of the animated series, two Godzilla: The Series comics, and even the GameBoy game coming to the Sony Timeline in the near future!

The Anime Timeline continues to be one of the site’s most popular pages, even with more than two years having elapsed since the release of the final film in the trilogy. Expect additions pertaining to the events of Planet of the Monsters to be published to the timeline sometime soon.

The MonsterVerse Timeline is long overdue for an update, especially with Godzilla vs. Kong having been released since the last status report. Researching and updating this timeline is an ever-evolving process, especially with the bevy of new lore that’s come out surrounding Godzilla vs. Kong. Info on the events of Kong: Skull Island and new details about the ancient war between Godzilla and the Kongs is due to hit the timeline at some point soon.

Lastly, there’s the Showa Timeline. This project has been a long time in the making, and when it was finally launched last year, the response was… well, overwhelming. I’m talking HUNDREDS of hits on the website within the first few days of its publishing. Talk about an amazing reception! I’m not sure when the next update will be coming, but I’m hoping it’ll be a big one to make up for the long wait!

THE “MONSTER MUSINGS” BLOG

Remember that big announcement that I mentioned above? Well, it has to do with the new direction that I’m planning to take the Monster Musings blog. I’ll jump into my plans further down in the update!

EVERYTHING ELSE

As always, there’s a LOT more going on behind the scenes of the GODZILLA NOVELIZATION PROJECT than it might seem! There are a ton of chapters that have been outlined, and a number of concepts that have been documented for future use. Research on various aspects of the series continues on a daily basis, and new opportunities for collaboration and promotion are manifesting for the project, including merch production, potential audio books, and more!

In the past six months since the previous report, the GNP has published several new chapters, an entire new short story, and has collaborated with a bunch of other kaiju-related creative endeavors to continue spreading the love for giant monsters. I’ve appeared on the Monster Island Film Vault podcast twice, discussed Planet of the Apes (which is definitely not a kaiju film, but absolutely a film I love talking about) on Kaiju Weekly, did a bit more voice acting, edited two new issues of Kaiju Ramen magazine, and wrote an article on Ray Harryhausen for the most recent issue. Also, a low-budget kaiju film I acted in hit Blu-ray in the United States a few months ago, which was particularly exciting!

Through it all, I’ve been blown away by how supportive each and every one of you continue to be. Whether you’re a casual visitor to the site or one of my wonderful Patreon supporters, it’s your kindness, dedication, and willingness to take time out of your day to read my work that truly fuels this project. You’ll never know how unbelievably grateful I am for each and every one of you.

And speaking of Patreon…

IT’S TIME FOR A BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!

Before I end this progress report, I wanted to make an announcement that I’ve been super excited to share, and it has to do with Patreon, the Monster Musings blog, and a decision that’s been a long time coming…

If you’ve kept up with my previous progress reports, you’ll know that the Monster Musings page on the site is a page that doesn’t get a lot of updates. While I’m proud of the material that I’ve published for the blog, keeping up with all of the writing, re-writing, editing, and formatting needed to create each one while also writing full chapters, short stories, timeline updates, articles for magazines, and non-Godzilla original books/stories that I’m developing is just too time consuming for me at the moment.

That said, abandoning the Monster Musings blog is absolutely not something that I want to do. Quite to the contrary; I really want the idea of behind-the-scenes blogs (and general pontifications on all things kaiju) to be a bigger part of not just the GNP, but of my overall contributions to the Godzilla fandom.

This desire ties into something else that has been a big priority for the project: updating the GNP’s Patreon offerings. Transforming Patreon into a more exciting place where the community of readers that has sprung up around the GNP can gather, support the creation of the books, discuss the stories and Godzilla in general, and have fun in a positive space is something that is deeply important to me.

And so, with that in mind and after months of nailing down the idea, I’ve finally found a solution that I really think could be the beginning of something new and fun for the GNP and its readers…

THE GNP IS OFFICLALLY LAUNCHING A PODCAST FOR PATRONS!

Yep, you read that right. The project is throwing its hat into the kaiju podcasting ring! Allow me to explain…

Earlier in August, I put out a call to my Patrons and general readers asking for feedback on the idea of a new podcast made especially for supporters of the project. The consensus from Patrons and non-Patrons alike was that the idea was absolutely worth pursuing, with one reader even saying that they’d gladly become a Patron just to hear such a podcast. Talk about flattering!

And so, after experimenting with a de-facto “Episode 0” several weeks ago, I decided that enough interest existed among readers to give this a shot. And so, I’m happy to announce that, at long last, the Monster Musings blog has officially been resurrected in podcast form!

Here are the important details: beginning right now, access to this podcast will become a perk for ALL Patreon supporters of the GNP, meaning that as little as $1 a month will grant you access to each episode! The show will run weekly (or bi-weekly, it’ll depend on what frequency you guys want), with new episodes being posted exclusively to Patreon on weekends. What exactly will this podcast talk about? Well, a bunch of things! Mainly, the podcast will do what the original Monster Musings blog did: take deep dives into topics related to the development of the GNP’s stories, offer behind-the-scenes looks into how I create the books, address creative challenges as they come along, answer questions from readers, and even delve into historical, production, cultural, esoteric, philosophical, or random topics related to Godzilla and kaiju. One episode might discuss the writing process behind the GNP’s adaptation of Godzilla vs. Hedorah, and another might talk about how awesome Orga from Godzilla 2000 is. Pretty much anything is on the table, including episodes about the creative process, balancing work with personal life, the importance of constructive criticism, inspirations and influences, and more.

I even had one reader — longtime supporter and good friend Michael Hamilton from Kaiju Weekly — offer to come onto the podcast to just chat about Godzilla-related stuff, so having discussions with GNP readers and other creative people within the kaiju community is also something that I’m hoping to do!

If all of this sounds exciting, here’s some more good news: the first episode of the newly rebranded Monster Musings podcast will be dropping for Patrons TOMORRROW, August 28th! This kickoff episode will cover the development of the GNP’s latest short story, The Tiny Beauties and Mothra, and will feature topics including the significance of the original 1961 Mothra, the awesomeness of Shinichi Sekzawa, what Mothra means to the Godzilla fandom as a character, and how/why I wrote the story the way I did. I think it’ll be a fun way to start the podcast, and I hope readers will consider supporting the project for a chance to listen to the episode and all future instalments!

………………………………………………

Whew, we made it! Another GNP status report is now in the can, and if you made it this far down the preceding wall of text, I thank you for sticking with it until the end. I feel it’s important to keep you guys in the loop, so hopefully these reports are appreciated.

That said, I’d like to wrap up by, once again, thanking you all for your support, your encouragement, your patience, and your faith. Being able to pursue this dream is an incredible gift, and doing it without readers would be a difficult challenge, to say the least. It has been one heck of an amazing three-and-a-half years, but I assure you, we are just getting started. There will be much more to read, more camaraderie to be enjoyed, and (hopefully!) more fun to be had. I hope you’ll all continue to come along for the ride.

Thanks to you all! Stay happy, stay safe, and, as always, Long Live the King!