Writing Update - May 2017

I figured I was due for an update, especially since I've shifted things around. I swear, my life is pretty much a constantly changing mass. Which drives me bonkers when I try to make a plan or a schedule, and then... BOOM! It makes my eyelid twitch.

Of course, a three-year-old who interrupts me every five seconds doesn't help. And I'm mostly not exaggerating. This blog post is proving a test of patience and it may take me all day to finish it.

Anyway, I suppose I should get on with it before I drive my few readers away, huh? =D

I have made lots of progress, which is a good thing! Just not as much progress as I'd hoped by this time of the year. Since I love lists, I'll break this down into mini-lists.

Completed 2017 Publications and Goals

❦ Mind Behind the Mind (Trinity Torn, 1) is now wide! I even have it available on Google Play, along with the rest of my titles. The Trinity Torn Series page has all the major places you can purchase it.

❦ Patreon! Yup, it's live, and I'll be posting another flash story this month and a poem next month. I'd appreciate your support so I can justify the time it takes to prepare the stories and poems to post!

❦ Edge of Sorrow (Fortunes of Fate, 6) was released in March. It's wide, so take a look at the Fortunes of Fate Series page if you might be interested in grabbing a copy.

❦ Dreams in Shadow (Fortunes of Fate, 1) is now available in paperback! It's just a small, slim one and only $3.95 on Amazon. The ebook is still free on Amazon and other ebook retailers!

❦ Haunted Unicorn Publishing is up and running, and I'm offering simple, but clean ebook formatting. (Developmental editing may be offered once fall rolls around.)

2017 Project Progress

❦ I am almost at the 60,000 word mark for the first draft of Thorns Entwine the Blade (Trinity Torn, 1)! I am hoping the momentum and excitement of nearing the end will propel me to complete the first draft this month. Then I'll need to do some quick tweaks that I already know need fixing, and then it's off to beta readers. Plus, I have the cover art! I just need to add the text. And my newsletter subscribers will get to see an early cover reveal (so sign up to your left if you want to see it - I won't be doing a public cover reveal until later this year).

❦ I've been thinking a lot about Hell On Wheels (Devil Made Me, 2). The thinking stage is just as important as the writing stage. ;) But I'll be making the cover this month, and I'll start the first draft after I finish wrapping up the Thorns first draft. If you haven't read Hell Hath No Fury (Devil Made Me, 1) yet, you may want to check it out before Hell On Wheels is released! Just take a look at the Devil Made Me Series pages for links.

2017 Publication Changes

❦ Dead As Dreams is on hold again. That poor novel keeps getting the short end of the stick. Instead of working on revisions of Dead As Dreams the second half of the year, I'll be plowing into revisions of Thorns Entwine the Blade! Yup, I'm swapping these two out. I'm aiming for an early 2018 release of Thorns, hopefully March at the latest.

❦ Hell On Wheels will probably be out more like September or October now, since I'm a bit behind schedule for the Thorns draft.

❦ GSD vs. Everything is paused for now. I haven't made any progress on it this year. It's my side project, so I'm a bit disappointed, but not crushed. Time and energy is at a premium nowadays, and this is one of the things that keeps getting pushed aside.

I think that's it! Man, I never feel like I've done that much or enough until I start listing things. Hopefully there won't be any other huge changes to my plans this year. Well, finding more time and squeezing in more writing so I can publish more books would be welcome. Guess I'll just have to keep dreaming.

Haunted Unicorn Publishing - Ebook Formatting

Time to try more new things! What, you think I'm taking on too much? Let's hope not. ;)

Haunted Unicorn Publishing is the imprint I've been using on my titles since I started indie publishing back in 2012. I've always considered expanding it and actually publishing other writers' books. Right now, I'm not going to go quite that far. Baby steps!

At this time I'm offering Ebook Formatting Services. Well, my alter ego is the one headlining it all -- I figured using my real name in correspondences for that part of my business would be a good idea, since it's not like I'm trying to hide who I really am as Alexa Grave. Alexa Grave can keep the writing hat, so my alter ego can have the business hat (way to compartmentalize - hehe).

Anyhow, I'm offering simple, but clean, Ebook Formatting. This means no bells and whistles. No fancy embedded fonts, drop caps, or images (aside from the book cover). Sometimes I think all of that gets in the way of the story, which writers and readers alike know, that's the most important thing in a book!

I've used trial and error in the last year to come up with an ebook formatting process that works for me. One that when I look at it looks nice and streamlined. No added flourishes (I admit, though, I like a little flourish on the paperbacks).

Sticking to simple also helps with the varying different ereaders out there. If you keep it basic, you're less likely to run into errors on say a Nook reader even if it's flawless on a Kindle. You can find Epub and Mobi samples on the Formatting page of the Haunted Unicorn Publishing site (made with my bent sense of humor, of course).

All of the details and the Ebook Formatting Request Form link are on the Haunted Unicorn Publishing website, but I'll list the basic pricing structure below. Also, now through March 31, 2017, you can get a 33% discount off of the word count prices (not the extra fees list)! Head on over to the Haunted Unicorn Publishing Facebook Page to find out the discount code. You need the code for the discount! Please consider Liking the Facebook Page while you're there. =)

Oh, and I also hope to start offering Developmental Editing by the end of the year or beginning of next year! It depends on the toddler and if she's ready for some form or preschool in fall (we're getting there).

I'll leave you with the Haunted Unicorn Publishing motto (and of course the formatting prices)!

Read on! It’s all about the story!

❦

Current Ebook Formatting Prices for Haunted Unicorn Publishing

***Please check the Formatting page of the Haunted Unicorn Publishing website to confirm that they haven't changed and for other fees.***

❦ 9,000 or less words — $9
❦ 9,001 – 45,000 words — $18
❦ 45,001 – 75,000 words — $27
❦ 75,001 – 105,000 words — $36
❦ 105,001 – 135,000 words — $45
❦ 135,001 – 165,000 words — $54
❦ 165,001 + words — Please fill out the form and Haunted Unicorn Publishing will send you a quote.