Writer-publisher David House suffered a double-whammy this fall. First, the nation's economic crisis and decline in consumer spending made 2009 begin to look like difficult timing to publish a second major novel. Second, the author's wife lost her job in late November.

  "Times are getting tough all over Earth, House said. "With our household budget in a squeeze, I need to delay publication of The UFO and the Wizard until a better time for both my personal finances and for readers too. I also need to focus my energy on my second job as an editor and on helping my wife find a new job."

  It's impossible to estimate a publication date for The UFO and the Wizard because of the uncertainty of the job search and of the nation's economy, but 2010 is the target for now.

  "This is the worst time to lose a job, as many readers probably know," House said. "The unemployment rate in Oregon jumped just as my wife needed to find a new job. So we'll just have to deal with that first, then get the Space-Worthy Chronicles moving again"

  Yet readers may not need to wait an entire year. House may move up publication of one of the short novels – something about the length of Survivor Planet.

  "Obviously, it takes less time to write a novella and less investment to print one than it does a full-size novel such as The Key to Space," House said. "It's not only less expensive to produce a small book, it's also less expensive for readers to buy, so that would be a win-win."

  One story is a clear candidate for moving up to 2009: Lords of the Dark Nebula.

  "Although this is a darker tale than Survivor Planet, Lords of the Dark Nebula can fit early in the series and doesn't need to be read in any particular order, just like Survivor Planet," House said.