I'm a Bad Blogger

If you haven't figured it out already, I am terrible at remembering to post in my blog. I suppose, most of the time, I don't think that I have much of interest to write here. I mean, I know I can talk about anything I want here. This is my space.

Except my life consists of work. Writing. My fur-babies.

So, like always, a bit of an update on where my writing is sitting. Since that is really what we are all here for. Right?

Feathers & Fae

I have queried several agents since the story has gone through multiple editing stages and other than the tiniest of tweaks, it is finished. I am really excited about this story. So keep your fingers crossed that someone replies to my queries. I've put in a lot of hard work on this and I would love to be able to get the story out there.

Depths of Darkness


I am still picking away at this story. I`m getting closer to have the first draft finished and then I will be pushing it through edits above everything out to have it ready to go for this fall - like I have said I would. I am not backing down now, but we are hitting busy season at work. This means I am lot more tired which can often translate into less writing.

Still, I am going to get this done. I promise. In the meantime, another little aesthetic for you.

Other Writing

I have made a few decisions regarding what is coming next. I have decided that I might put Tomorrow's Past on hold for a little bit, but I am still determined to write. It just needs a bit more time until I am ready for it.

I have alse been plotting a new YA High Fantasy series. So far I have 3 - 4 books vaguely planned in my head. As soon as Depths of Darkness is done, I will be looking into developing this idea more fully. It's not a type of work that I have seen before and I have yet to find a contemporary for this subgenre. I am thinking that it will be an incredible story.

Not to mention that those few I have trusted with this new idea have been even more excited than I have been about it.

I have a couple of other things that I am working on in the back of my head and I few things that have been lifted from slushpile back into the "I could work with this" status due to unexpected feedback and ideas. However, I will talk about those another time. Promise.

One Step Closer

I haven't forgotten about those few of you who read my blog. I've just been consumed with editing and writing and building up my social media following.

I've been working a lot with more knowledgeable writers than myself so that I can be a better writer and a better marketer of my books. I've been learning more about different aspects of the industry in preparation for going with traditional publishing for Feathers & Fae.

Speaking of which, after all these rounds of edits I have added at 31K words to the length of the original draft. That is... a lot of words. Right now I am waiting on one last read through from my incredible beta reader before I send it on to my just as amazing editor in early June.

I've been learning about creating novel aesthetics as well. As you can see, here is a little teaser for Feathers and Fae that I created. I haven't done a lot on this novel in regards to image creation, but it's been fun learning how to do this and other promotional type things.

I have also been hard at work on Depths of Darkness. I have been sincerely picking away that storyline, working out plot twists and all that fun stuff. I am hoping to have the first draft finished within the next 30 days or so and then I will be moving straight into editing and revision stage since I am expecting to release this novel sometime this fall.

Which means, of course, I have been working on promoting it within my social media accounts as well. I'm really hoping you all enjoy this darker story in the Sinners & Saints series.

Other than that, those that enjoy my work, I have now joined Ko-Fi which is a way for those who appreciate me and the work I do to donate a few dollars to help me out. Right now, that money is going to go towards helping me get a new laptop that doesn't shut down at random and inopportune moments. It would be nice to do my writing without fearing that I may lose it all if I look at my computer the wrong way. So feel free to...

Other than all of that, I have been working on plotting out a new YA trilogy of a style that I don't believe has been done before. It's going to be exciting developing this unique world and characters. I wish I could tell you more about it, but until things are more set in stone, this fantasy series is going to remain on the side of hush-hush.

May I have a word?

I noticed that it's been about a month since my last blog post. Feathers and Fae has been completed and is soon to be shipped off to my editor and then to a publisher. YAY! I am one step closer to getting that book published.

So that means I have spent most of the intervening time working on other things.

And by other things, I mean I took a vacation to visit my family. They were surprised. My mom cried. It was awesome.

And I am working on Depths of Darkness.

No joke. I started from scratch doing a total revision of what had been written previously. I am pretty much at the spot where I ended the last novel, but I am 12K words ahead of where that previous attempt sat at and there is still a bit more of the old work to get through.

I also released the official and FINAL version of the Depths of Darkness cover.

Let me tell you, this cover makes me excited. I seriously get butterflies in my heart looking at it. It took a lot of work and some feedback from my glomp of writers, but I am happy. (Obviously).

Want to see it? Yeah, of course you do. I would never just wax on about something like this without actually showing you what it looks like.

 Do you like it as much as I do?

Anywho, back to the writing of this novel I go. It is scheduled to be released this fall, but I can't publish what isn't edited and I can't edit what isn't written.

Wish me luck!

Why would you want to be a writer?

Today I edited just over four chapters worth of Feathers & Fae. I was up and at my computer this morning by 7am. It's nearly 8pm now. Seems like a lot, doesn't it? That was my Saturday because Monday through Friday I work at a normal job to pay my mortgage and bills.

I'm sure you probably did something a lot more interesting. I drank coffee. I ate easy, but unhealthy food. My head and back ache. And I am worried that all this work will be for nothing. That no one will pick up the book and it will never be read.

It's silly right?

Except, it's not. This is what it means to be a writer. Not everyone is going to be Stephen King or JK Rowling. Most writers aren't going to have that kind of success. Putting in countless hours on a novel that may never see the light of day is a very real possibility.

So why do I even want to do this?

Because I am a writer. I can live with the weekends lost to unpaid work. I can live with crappy diet. I can live with the intense fear and insecurity because I would rather be doing nothing else. I am a writer. 

Time Flies When You're Stressing Out

Sometimes - far more often than any of us would like to admit - life throws you a curve ball. My new year has been a bit of a curveball.

And you know what? That's okay. That's life. It happens. I can't beat myself up over that.

My truck broke down mid-road trip. I had to buy a car that I cannot afford. Seriously. No lie. The entire car payment is how much into the negative I go every month right now. You might see how that could be a little stressful.

And to be honest, the last thing on my mind was writing. However, I seem to be doing much better as I've been working through editing a couple of chapters a day on Feathers & Fae. I am really excited a about this. Of course, in the process of editing I also happened to realize that I totally glossed over something I had been hinting at for a couple of chapters previous. Oops!

Tonight I shall be working on correcting that slight omission. With luck I shall have this over to my incredible editor to look over it.

One last thing before I bid you all a goodnight and get to working on this novel - I would like to introduce you to the newest member of my family.

This is Nahni.

She is a 10 month old Australian Shepherd that came to me from a not so great situation.

It's been less than a week, but I would like to think that we are starting to bond. It's going to be tough goinng as she has never had the chance to be a real member of a family before. Even the stairs were new and scary for her, but that's alright. She's a smart little cookie.

I am eager to see how she grows over the next few months. Watch for more pictures of her on my instagram feed!

And now, back to your regularly scheduled programming.... In my case, that means it is time to get writing!

Happy Holidays!

Post NaNoWriMo is a time of rest. I mean, I need it. because my wrists are on fire, my brain is exhausted and I feel the need to be extra productive at my day job. Not to mention any graphic design projects I picked up during November and put off until December need to be done.

Most of the time this break is a lot longer than a couple of weeks. Never intentionally, but it tends to happen. As of yesterday, I am back on the writing train. There is no long rest for me this time! As much as I would love to just chill out and enjoy the holidays, I have promises to keep to my readers and my editor extraordinaire.

As for my NaNoWriMo project? Blessings of the Damned is not quite finished. We're so close to the end of the story, but there is still a couple of key scenes yet to go before that one is ready for a read over and the key decision on whether or not I will start the editing process.

As for Feathers & Fae, I am two more chapters into editing.  That means 10 are done and 15 are left to go. I think I may make some significant changes to the ending on this go through. I'll know for
sure when I get there. Of course, here I am writing a blog post instead of editing another chapter. Forgive me? I am still hoping to have Feathers & Fae done by or shortly into the new year so I can submit it to TOR Publishing. (Please keep your fingers crossed on that for me).

This just leaves Depths of Darkness to work on at that point. I hope to make a solid run on that one and have that first draft done early in 2018. At that point, I will have to figure out what to write next between editing this novel and Blessings of the Damn (if it makes the cut). I've been looking at some of my older work and there are a few stories that I have longed to go back to so that they can be rewritten. I also have a few unfinished novels (and one novella) that seem worthy of my attention.

I'll figure out what I am going to do when I get to that point. Until then, enjoy your holidays - whichever ones you choose to celebrate - and I will make a good attempt at enjoying mine. 

After the Storm of NaNoWriMo

Now that you’ve had a little time to rest your wrists you might be wondering what to do now. You’ve written a novel or at perhaps just part of a novel, but you did it. You made it through thirty days of creative insanity. You deserve a break. Although, I am sure there are a few of you out there still writing.

So what do you do when NaNoWriMo is over?

I often feel as though there is something else I should be doing after that first little break. I dedicate so much time to writing for the last 30 days that it seems strange not to be doing it any more. If you’re like me, then maybe you should keep writing. Not at the same pace perhaps, but keep at it. If your novel is calling to you - listen.

If you’re one of the lucky few who finished all the way to ‘The End’ then take a break, get a bit of distance from your novel, then feel free to go back and edit. Don’t be afraid if your writing makes you cringe or if that beginning just doesn’t really work because your story ended up going in a different direction. These things happen. This is why we edit our work, which is a whole different ball park.

Maybe editing isn’t your thing and you feel like you’ve already written enough for now. No problem. Catch up on those shows you missed. Let your friends know you are still alive. Make amends to loved ones for your long absence. Shout to the rafters “I did the thing.” Be proud of what you accomplished.

This is the end of the wonderful, creative insanity that we fondly call NaNoWriMo. I’m glad we were able to do this together. I would love it if you would all take the time to fill out this really short survey.

Now, just like most of you, I’m going to go and sleep for a week. Maybe call my parents to let them know I’m still here.