Writing Update - June 2025

Holy shit, what an awesomely productive writing year so far! I have to scream it to the four quarters as loud as possible, as it's an insane rarity for me.

*shouts as loud as I can about how much writing I've gotten done*

OK, now that I've gotten that out of my system, let's get down to business. First order, my word counters to the left. Right now it's just my For Funsies tracker, and this is because I totally haven't been updating the current project one while plowing through shorter titles. Too much of a pain in the patoot. I'll bring it back when I start drafting another novel, which will be later this year. *knocks on wood*

For a refresher on what my goals for the year were, visit 2025 - Double Time?... or don't. You can read on without any context. Fine by me. XD

2025 Publications

❦ Leave No Dragon Stone Unturned (Magic Morsel, 1) - April 16, 2025

Yes, it was published on time (actually slightly early, as my original target was late May). Right now you can find the ebook and paperback on Amazon, and it's also available via Kindle Unlimited. Barnes & Noble also has a paperback version. The ebook will be available at all other major online retailers in October (and at that time it'll no longer be in Kindle Unlimited).

❦ Intricate Agony (Fortunes of Fate, 8) - July 30, 2025

Wait, wasn't I going to publish this one in fall? Yup. I'm currently revising this story (which clocked in close to 12k for the initial draft), and it should be ready to move to the editing stage in a couple weeks. Plus my newsletter subscribers are getting a sneak peek of the cover today!

❦ Hell's Bells (Devil Made Me, 3) - Late Fall/Early Winter

Not only am I publishing titles early, I'm also adding a third to the publication list this year! The first draft has been written, and wow, Moira is as snarky as ever. A little bit of Christmas in Hell, too.

2025 Writing Progress

*takes a deep breath* This is going to be a fun list!

❦ Revised 35,023 words of Leave No Dragon Stone Unturned, and edited all 79,516 words. Published, as stated above.

❦ Drafted 11,509 words of Intricate Agony (and I'm currently 5,866 words into the revision).

❦ Drafted 14,184 words of Hell's Bells.

❦ Drafted 15,942 words of Hell Of An Unlife (Devil Made Me, 4) - What the hell (excuse my silly pun)? This wasn't on my original list of goals! Well, I wrote it anyway, and I'm still way ahead of schedule. This is the last title in the series, and I'm aiming to publish it in Spring 2026.

❦ Excluding editing, I've written and revised a total of 82,524 words so far this year. Over halfway through my For Funsies tracker. O.o

❦ I'll be sending my 5th newsletter out today, and I've actually written a blog post every month.

❦ Had fun at Capricon with my writer friends. Fiddling around with Amazon Ads for Leave No Dragon Stone Unturned and the Trinity Torn series (the latter is no longer wide, but in Kindle Unlimited now for a while). Facebook ads were pissing me off again.

2025 Writing Goal Changes

Aside from what was mentioned above in the other sections, I've also decided to veer off into another direction than what I originally had planned. Following the path that leads to the greatest dopamine hit!

❦ Downward Spiral (Urban Unicorn, 1) is back on the postponed list. I had so much fun with Lila and the wacko characters in Leave No Dragon Stone Unturned, so I intend to dive into the next Magic Morsel novel instead! Title still to be determined. I'll likely draft it first and then settle on another twisted idiom.

❦ Not only do I have revisions and edits to do for Hell's Bells now, but I'd like to clean up Hell Hath No Fury and Hell On Wheels a bit. Not heavy revisions - likely an edit to line up better with my current voice/style.

❦ Shhh, don't tell anyone, but I'm starting to get the itch to return to the Trinity Torn series. No way am I starting the draft of the third novel this year, but I may try to read through the previous titles and note down all the threads that need tying up. I'm really hoping I can end the series in the next book (making it a trilogy)!

❦

What a long post! That's good, though. It means I've been keeping busy. And Double Time has been working splendidly. Oh, yeah, I'm still on the Yes Writing, Screw Cleaning bandwagon, too. Woe is my poor house. Maybe it'll get more attention next year. Or never...

Leave No Dragon Stone Unturned - Excerpt

Finally, another new release! Leave No Dragon Stone Unturned (Magic Morsel, 1) was originally on Kindle Vella (a platform that's been buried six feet under) in episodic form. Now I've rewritten it into a novel!

The ebook is currently only available on Amazon, including Kindle Unlimited. It will be sold at other online retailers later this year. And the paperback version is at Amazon now, plus will be available on the Barnes & Noble website in a couple days.

I love all the crazy characters in this book, and I'm itching to dive into the next title in the series. Hopefully you enjoy reading it as much as I loved writing it! Here's an excerpt from the novel, dropping you right into the middle of Lila Mandrake's world.

❦

My apartment door opened, and Tyler slipped out. “Children, keep it down.”

“Marcus is holding my Aura Sniffer hostage.” I crossed my arms under my chest, realizing Ty’s insult fit the bill too well.

Tyler humphed. “Is this official M.E.A. business?”

“Yes.” Marcus peered over his shoulder. “I need to talk to your client, Ash.”

“Uh, that’s not going to happen. He passed out after we hauled him onto Lila’s couch. Kai’s keeping an eye on him for now. Once he’s able to speak, we’ll let you know.”

Though Ty had been at odds with me earlier, his current calm and nonchalant attitude reassured me. Then again, he scorned Marcus -- if faced with a different M.E.A. agent, his approach would have been more cautious.

My ex glared at me. “Then I guess we wait.” He tilted his head, pressed his palm to his temple, and staggered. “Woah. What the heck? What did you do to me?”

I skittered back. “Nothing. Honest!” Sure, I wanted to take credit for whatever was happening to him. I’d dreamed of payback so many times. Gammy’s voice in my head had always stopped me, though.

“Did he drink the ginger ale?” Tyler dodged Marcus, who wobbled and grasped at the air.

“Yeah.” Uh-oh.

Ty cringed. “Magic and mischief, help me. I’ve been experimenting with it.”

Marcus pressed his back to the wall and slid down it. “The room’s spinning.” His words slurred.

“You what?” Tyler loved concocting new potions and improving our drinks. Only a liquor license was required to sell any brews that qualified as alcohol, unlike our emergency potion stash. “And you left it behind the bar?” I always cautioned him about testing his experiments on our customers, though it occasionally fell on deaf ears.

“I told Kai not to use it, and Marcus is the only one who ever drinks the stuff. Didn’t expect him to show up tonight.”

That made both of us. “Well he did, and he drank it. What’s it doing to him, and how are you going to fix this?”

He sighed and extended his hand. “Even?”

Through the years, whenever we’d gotten into a tiff, we squared the odds and then shook on it. Hey, it had worked since grade school.

“I guess.” I accepted the handshake. Now he could no longer hassle me about taking on Ash as a client, but I also wasn’t allowed to give him a hard time about the potion.

“So I manipulated the molecules to equal about six shots of alcohol, while keeping the taste the same.” He rubbed his chin. “Quite a delayed reaction, and the impact of the booze hit him all at once.”

“You mean, he’s drunk?”

Ty nodded. “I call it Insta-Ale.”

I burst into laughter.

“Just had the idea to whip up a countermeasure in case he came calling again. You know, to avoid the situation of you making another mistake.”

The uncontrollable cackling prevented me from responding, only a few wheezes escaping. Maybe I actually owed Ty. Nope, we weren’t even. Best present ever.

Eventually I got a hold of myself. Kind of. “So now we have two drunk guys on our hands?” I giggled. “Once Marcus sobers up he’s going to be furious.”

Tyler glanced at Marcus. “Yeah.”

“What--?” My ex sucked in an unsteady, deep breath. “What iz diz? Tounge’z numb.”

“And that’s not a side effect I expected.” Ty shook his head. “Guess it needs more tweaking.”

I knelt next to Marcus, unable to stop another wave of laughter. “You’re drunk, you idiot. So much for you not drinking while on the job. You better stay here and sober up before you contact your boss, huh?”

He snaked an arm around my neck. “We could zpend da time togeder.” That oh so familiar lust filled his eyes.

I squeaked, snatched the Sniffer from his hand, then wiggled out of his embrace. “Pass.” Hastily backing away to the opposite wall, I wrestled with dialing down my hormones.

“You’re not going to leave him here with me, are you?” Ty planted his hands on his hips and frowned at Marcus. “He’ll be livid if you skip out while he’s in this state.”

I shrugged. “Need to take my opportunities when I can. I’ll deal with the repercussions later. Get him onto a couch in one of the meeting rooms, and make sure he doesn’t have any other adverse side effects.”

Not wanting to start another argument, I hustled down the stairs. I had an elf to track, in between snickering over my drunken ex.

❦

A half-elf walks into a bar...

Sounds like the start of a bad joke, right? Lila, owner of the Magic Morsel, agrees. As a tech mage who manages the only neutral ground in the Triopolis area, she’s skilled at brokering deals between humans, fae, elves, and a range of other magically inclined people.

Mourning the passing of her grandmother, she’s determined to maintain Gammy’s track record of no major incidents. Then Ash walks into the bar, a half-elf carrying a mysterious item that calls to her.

Agreeing to his request for her services, the deal slides sideways, and she feels obligated to hunt down the stolen object. Her decision leads her to the edge of the Ruins, a forbidden, fallen city shrouded in a cloud of wild magic.

Unfortunately, Lila risks losing her mind among the crumbling buildings and chaotic lightning.

Pull a stool up to the bar in the spellbinding world of Morthmagica, where you’ll discover magic, quirky characters, snarky humor, and slow burn romance. What’s your potion of choice?

2025 - Double Time?

Well, we're over a week into 2025, and I'm already hammering away at my yearly writing goals! There are too many projects I want to work on, so I'm trying to up my output, using the lure of oh-shiny-new-if-I-finish-sooner. We'll see how long I can keep it up, though. Must get past Quitter's Day at least!

I also need to publish a couple titles this year, since last year ended with me only finishing my serial episode posts for Magic Morsel on Kindle Vella. My optimism is high right now, and I actually have hidden goals underneath my typical goals.

Double time. What does this mean? I have a certain word count planned for each week - that's my minimum, and the goal that would mean I'm still trucking along at a regular pace. But my extra goal is doubling all of it.

The information below does NOT include the double time, as it's mostly a personal challenge. Plus I'd rather not promise the world and only deliver half. It'll be a nice cherry on top if I have extra announcements and/or publications later in the year, though, won't it?

Here we go with the mantras. No change, as they're perfect for me.

2025 Mantras

❦ Just Write.

❦ Trust My Instincts.

❦ Focus.

2025 Upcoming Publications

❦ Leave No Dragon Stone Unturned (Magic Morsel, 1) - Spring 2025

❦ Intricate Agony (Fortunes of Fate, 8) - Fall 2025

Looks a lot like last year, huh? Well, aside from actual date estimates. This time, though, it's novel publication for the Magic Morsel title, after a revision (not too extensive, though). Leave No Dragon Stone Unturned might also be available on Amazon only for the first three months, releasing on other online platforms in Summer 2025.

2025 Writing Goals

❦ Yes Writing, Screw Cleaning - This should probably be a mantra, but it's me prioritizing more than anything - lol.

❦ Finish the revision of Leave No Dragon Stone Unturned - I've been getting through this at a nice clip, so this goal will be in the bag in no time.

❦ Edit & Publish Leave No Dragon Stone Unturned - I'm excited to release this as a novel!

❦ Draft, Revise, Edit, & Publish Intricate Agony - No stalling out on it this time. That means prodding my blah protagonist into action.

❦ Draft Hell's Bells (Devil Made Me, 1) - One of those projects I've been itching to return to.

❦ Draft Downward Spiral (Urban Unicorn, 1) - Yes, I'm pushing off the Zodiac Aegis series in favor of this series. We'll just say... Reasons.

❦ Newsletters - 9 planned/scheduled, and this year I'll be focusing on exclusive cover reveals and excerpts of my current work-in-progress. And I hope to build my list, too - so if you've been thinking of subscribing, Sign Up Here!

❦ Born to Write - Aiming for one post per month again.

❦ Networking & Social Media - Heading back to Capricon in February, and this year I'll be reading an excerpt from Dead As Dreams. If you'd like more info on when, shoot me an Email. And as far as social media goes, it's kind of hit or miss. Per usual, I'll keep posting on my Facebook Page with updates as needed. I hope to post pics to Instagram more often, but that can be crochet heavy at times. And Tiktok... Who knows if it'll even be around next month!

❦ Marketing & Promo - More fiddling with Facebook Ads. We'll see if I attempt any other ad platforms this year.

And that's what I hope to accomplish, minimally. I keep thinking if I can double time everything, I'll write so much more and jump into my extra goals! So here's hoping that excitement keeps me sustained, and I mash out ALL THE WORDS this year (without killing my keyboard).

Do you have any crazy goals for 2025? And how has the year treated you so far? If you're a writer looking to share your goals with a group of other writers throughout the year, please consider joining us at Writing Quest!

Writing bullet journal pic below of my current January progress.