 Here we go again! This past Wednesday was like a beautiful whirlwind. Yours and Mine launched successfully!
I’m so grateful to everyone who supported me: those who pre-ordered; ARC readers; and those who took the time boost my posts on social media. Y’all are the best! And…good news! I had such fun with Yours and Mine that I’m already working on my next romance novella. It’s still in the Serrulata Saga universe and will center around a side character from Book Two and a yet-to-be introduced White Rider. I worked on the initial outline this week and—whew—I think y’all are going to be in for a real treat. And this is new territory for me—a m/m romance! There will be much more to come on this. Until next week, stay safe and well, y’all! A Thing I Enjoyed This Week Cheesy. Christmas. Movies. I’ve started watching them in earnest this past week and I can’t get enough. Some of them are simple, where others (looking at you, Princess Switch 3) are over-the-top hilarious. They’re a welcome escape from reality and a great way for me to relax after work. ‘Tis the season!
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 Pumpkin pie for breakfast. Hello, all!
As you’ve probably noticed, I’m posting early. I’ll be taking time away from this blog and social media this holiday weekend. My brain needs a break! I wanted to use this space to say thanks to everyone who’s been on this journey with me so far. I had no idea there would be so many ups and downs being a self-published author. If you’ve read Gathering of the Four… if you’ve left a review… if you’ve recommended it to someone… or even if you’ve just noticed my book exists… thank you so much, from the bottom of my heart. Being part of the indie author community has given me the opportunity to not only meet fellow supportive authors, but it’s encouraged me to read more books by indies. Below is a list of ten indie books I really enjoyed reading this year. (Maybe you’ll want to pick up one or two for yourself?) The Roots That Clutch, A.E. Bross A Touch of Death, Rebecca Crunden Metanoia, Juniper Lake Fitzgerald The Home I Find with You, Skye Kilaen When Awakens the Heart, Duckie Mack The Oracle Stone, Talli L. Morgan Amulet of Wishes, Rita A. Rubin Tales of Solomon Pace, Alan Scott His Lordship’s Secret, Samantha SoRelle Crown of Aster, Emmaline Strange Oh, and don’t forget… Yours and Mine will be released on 12/1! Have a great holiday weekend!  This seal seems proud of itself. Kinda like me! Well, Book Two’s initial edits are complete.
I know! I kind of can’t believe it, either! This WIP…this behemoth I’ve been struggling with for most of this year…this next installment of the Serrulata Saga is as finished as it’s going to be in 2021. I thought about holding onto it and maybe giving it one more read but I’m not sure that would be the best idea. I think over-editing can actually be detrimental to a project. There’s nowhere for Book Two to go now but into the inboxes of my reading partners. But, of course my brain has not stopped whirring and I’m itching to start outlining the next book—another romance!—in the series. Much like Yours and Mine, this will be a spin-off. (Reminder! There’s still time to pre-order Yours and Mine! It’ll be released December 1!) All I have so far are the characters’ names and a very rough idea for a plot but, well, that’s how the Serrulata Saga got started in the first place. I haven’t quite decided if I’m going to start outlining in December or wait until 2022. Stay tuned, though. You know I’ll bring you updates here if I have ‘em! A Thing I Enjoyed This Week Those of you who stop by here often know I’m a bit obsessed with retellings of Ancient Greek myths. I was recently able to pick up a copy of Aridane from my local library and I enjoyed it. The story is simpler than, say, the Iliad or the Odyssey, so my only criticism is I think the book could have been a tad shorter, but it was an entertaining read overall.  Fall foliage. Well, hello there Serrulata Saga pals!
It’s been a week since I bemoaned the fact that I am editing Book Two. I’m happy to report that the process is actually going quite well. I’m not as terrible of a writer as I thought! I am running into a few challenges, however, when it comes to the consistency of some details. For instance, I forgot how old I made a side character in Gathering of the Four, and accidentally aged him up in Book Two. I haven’t come across anything major, but I do think I’m going to do (yet another) read through of Gathering of the Four before I do my final read through of Book Two before sending it off to my critique partners. (Say that last sentence three times fast!) So, editing is going well, but I have to admit I’m woefully behind on beefing up my marketing skills. I know it’s something I need to educate myself more about and I know it doesn’t come easy, but—argh—I kinda just want my books to sell themselves? Or to give up entirely? Once I’m finished with Book Two and have sent it away, I will actually concentrate on really, truly marketing my books. You heard it here first! A Thing I Enjoyed This Week This week has been a bit disjointed for me, since yesterday was a federal holiday and I was off from the day job. (Days off in the middle of the week always throw me.) I was, however, able to stay on top of my exercise regime and ate (mostly) food that is good for me. So, this week, the thing I most enjoyed was giving myself a pat on the back!  It's begun. And I sound so enthusiastic about it!
Joking aside, editing has always been the most difficult part of the process for me. While I (mostly) enjoy reading my own words, I do sometimes struggle to remember details about every character, despite having them all written down in my notebook. I’m terrified I’m going to forget something crucial and, in doing so, destroy what little credibility I have as an author. I know it is only the first edit. I know I still have to share this work with my writing partners. I know my editor still needs to do their thing. I know, I know, I know…and I’m still worried. I’m still scared I’m not good enough—not really an author. My imposter syndrome is strong. On the positive side, I did manage to get through more chapters than I expected this week, so I am ahead of schedule. A silver lining indeed! A Thing I Enjoyed This Week Earlier this year, The Bitter Southerner put out their Summer Reading Roundup. I’ve been fortunate to grab many of their recommendations from my local library—and I suggest you do, as well. As the days get shorter and the weather grows colder, you might be looking for a good read to get lost in. This list is an excellent place to start!  Sunset. Halloween. All Hallows' Eve. Samhain. Or just another day of the week.
Whether you plan to celebrate this Sunday or not, I wish you peace. Have a great weekend!  Storm's comin'. I did it, y’all!
Last Friday I finished the first draft of Book Two. It took a lot of effort to buckle down and get that final chapter out, but I did it. I might wind up changing it, because I’m not sure I really like what I did to a few characters at the end there, but at least I have something to work with. After celebrating over the weekend with too much wine and some trashy TV, I am committed to taking a break from everything writing for the next two weeks. Sure, I’m still getting ideas for my next book and jotting them down in my notebook, but I have vowed there will be no editing sessions until November. Despite feeling fantastic all weekend, I woke up in a yucky mental place on Monday. I got very down on myself and could only focus on my failures. It was as though my successes didn’t even exist. There was a storm in my brain. I’m not sure what caused it. I’ve spent my entire adult life trying to figure out why my mind whirrs and my emotions spiral. I do know, however, that when this happens it’s often a sign I need to take a step back. Slow down. Give myself a break. And there you have it! A Thing I Enjoyed This Week Those of you who follow me on Insta know that every Friday I listen to a podcast called The Last Action Critics. (Disclosure: I went to high school with one of the hosts, Ian. He and I have been friends for approximately 11,000 years. I also sponsored one of their recent episodes.) Ian and co-host Will focus on action movies both good and bad. If you want a refreshingly hilarious take on the genre, I suggest listening. Over the course of an hour they discuss TV shows they’re currently watching, bad action movies that need improvement, and the latest action movies to hit the theaters (and/or streaming). If you need many laughs, head to your favorite audio streaming service and search for The Last Action Critics. You won’t be disappointed.  The struggle is real. Argh. It’s true. I have one more chapter to write and I’m at a loss.
I started the draft of Book Two earlier this year with great ideas about where I wanted to take my characters. I crafted a detailed outline, which I’ve mostly stuck to. Now I find myself at a loss. My MCs are where they need to be, for sure, but I’m struggling with wrapping their story up for now. I don’t think it helps that, according to my plan for the Serrulata Saga, I might not write about my MCs much in 2022. I know that sounds strange but I have two side novellas I want to start. Plus, I think I need a break from my MCs. Maybe that’s why I’m wrestling so hard with how to end Book Two. Are my MCs sick of me? Am I tired of them? I have a writing session planned tonight. I think I’m going to just start typing and see where we all wind up. It probably won’t be pretty, but at least it will be words on the page. I can always change everything after I do my initial read-through next month. (That’s one of the great things about being a self-published author, by the way. I make my own rules!) Fingers crossed I come up with something I like later today! Reminders!
A Thing I Enjoyed This Week My hold on A Thousand Ships at my local library became available this week and I devoured the book in two days. Folks who know me well know I’m very interested in Ancient Mediterranean history and myths. This book does not disappoint! Told from a variety of perspectives, this book puts the women and goddesses of the Trojan War in the center of the story. Highly recommend!  Cover design by Sarah Waites Hi all!
I’m posting a day early this week because tomorrow is a Day of Errands and Adulting for me. (Ugh, I know.) In case you missed it, I had some pretty big news this week. ‘Yours and Mine: A Serrulata Saga Romance Novella’ has an absolutely gorgeous cover that everyone can now see! (I got the final files for this one in mid-September and—trust me—it was very hard waiting until earlier this week to show it to y’all.) ‘Yours and Mine’ will be available on December 1, but if you’re as excited about it as I am, there are a few ARCs left. Hurry and get yours now! You can, of course, pre-order, too. In other Serrulata Saga news, Gathering of the Four is now available in hardcover. I think it’s neat KDP is now offering this option and, of course, picked one up for my own bookshelf. A Thing I Enjoyed This Week The MCU isn’t always my cup of tea, but I decided to give What If a shot and I have to say, I liked it overall. A few of the episodes were a bit of a ‘miss’ for me, but others were unpredictable, which I found refreshing. The animation style was neat, too! If you’re looking for something fun to watch, I’d say this is a good fit.  Cover design by Sarah Waites In case you missed it, the Serrulata Saga looks a bit different than it used to.
If you follow me on social (Twitter and Insta), you’ll see some updates there and, more importantly, Gathering of the Four has a new cover! These changes align with what I have in store for my cover reveal for Yours and Mine, happening next week. A reminder: newsletter subscribers will get to see this brand new romance novella cover first, so you should sign up. In other news, I’m happy to report that I am almost there—and I mean really almost there—when it comes to completing the first draft of Book Two. I only have three more chapters to complete. If I stay on schedule, I should be done with this first draft before the end of October. I’m incredibly proud of myself! If you had asked me where I would be with this project at this time last year, I would have laughed in your face about being so close to the finish line with the second book in this series. Now the Serrulata Saga is, well, closer to being an actual saga. There is, of course, a lot more work to get Book Two out into the world. First, I have to sit down and—oof!—actually read what I wrote. Then I’ll need to polish a bit before sending it to my betas. Then I’ll need to incorporate their feedback. After that it will go off to my editor for their first look. Much more to do…and I’m trying to take it one step at a time and not get ahead of myself, but it is hard for me sometimes. Blogging here about what I’ve achieved and what I still have to do really does help keep my anxious brain from darting from one thing to the next without taking time to process or plan. With that said, three more writing sessions to go. Only three! A Thing I Enjoyed This Week I’m incredibly lucky to live a pleasant walk away from my local library. Lately it seems that every book I’ve ever requested put on hold has become available, so I’ve walked to and from the library more often and it has been a real joy. With the autumnal equinox happening, I’ve been mindful about taking time to express gratitude. Being able to travel to and from a place where I can pick up free books is fantastic the more I think about it. Support your local library if you can! |
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