Writing Update - June 2026

Well, here I am. Almost half of 2026 has passed, so it's time to assess my writing progress for the year.

Unfortunately, the last couple of months have been fraught with surprises from a publishing platform and a newsletter service, which means I've wasted more time than I care to think about on those issues.

I did a complete redesign of my website so I could have nice landing pages and stop using Books2Read (and to make the site more flexible with many browser sizes). A hefty time sink... And I now no longer have my titles available at any of the small retailers because I pulled them from Draft2Digital.

The newsletter problem isn't too bad (yet), but I had to deal with streamlining forms and welcome automations. It completely disrupted my flow last week.

Oh, and trying to focus on writing with kids home for the summer is always a trial. Especially when I'm attempting to prepare one of those kids for college in fall. I spent all day yesterday making a list of dorm items and shopping Amazon Prime Day for many of them. Writing time? Hahahahaha.

Anyway, I've complained enough. Before the tribulations above, I actually had a greatly productive year. So let's see where I'm at, shall we? And if you want to revisit my goals, you can check them out at 2026 - A Novel In A Year!

2026 Publications

❦ Hell Of An Unlife (Devil Made Me, 4) - Published on May 27, 2026

Yay! Moira's story arc is finally complete. Now go look at the Hell Of An Unlife landing page on my shiny redesigned website. While you're there, maybe buy a copy?

❦ Once Gorgon Bitten, Twice Shy (Magic Morsel, 2) - Late Fall/Early Winter 2026

I'm still on track to complete and publish the novel in a year. Kind of. The first draft is DONE! Quite an accomplishment writing that in five months. Though my revision notes exploded on me, unfortunately. I've started the revision, but I'm currently about two weeks behind schedule. And I now have an unexpected vacation planned in October, so we'll see if I can get everything in order before then (eek!).

2026 Writing Progress

❦ Drafted 78,145 words of Once Gorgon Bitten, Twice Shy (and revised 3,225 words so far).

❦ Edited & Published 17,095 words of Hell Of An Unlife.

❦ Dead As Dreams (Saga of Souls & Dreams) audiobook. Didn't expect this one, did you? Well, it's super early stages. I'm taking narrator auditions on ACX for it right now. Aiming for royalty share because I don't currently have a lot of startup cash. I figured it was time to dip my toes in the audiobook waters.

❦ Okay, I missed March for blog posts, and I'm skipping June for my newsletter. Life happens.

❦ Capricon was awesome this year! Hey, I sold books (actually sold out of Fairies - Fractured and Uncut). And I'm going to register for next year this week! ;)

❦ Social Media - I was posting more often... But my patience and exhaustion level for dealing with social media has dwindled. It's taking a backseat due to all the other stuff that's more important.

❦ Marketing - I've actually been experimenting with Bookbub ads for the Devil Made Me series. Planning a Facebook ad soon.

❦ SPFBO XI - Sadly, Leave No Dragon Stone Unturned didn't squeak into the semi-finals. Alas, I write on! And all 10 finalists will be announced by the end of this month - I plan to highlight them in my next newsletter.

❦

See, it's not all doom and gloom. Just recent doom and gloom. Hopefully the Universe is done throwing speed bumps in my path and I can get back on track with the revisions of Gorgon Bitten. If not, then I'll push the publication to 2027 if need be. Must be flexible. Let's see how the second half of 2026 actually treats me...

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...

Writing Update - June 2024

Why yes, it's that time of year again where I talk about how nothing has gone to plan, everything has blown up in my face, and my goals have been scrambled beyond recognition. XD

OK, OK... I'm being a tad dramatic. Honestly, while my plans have been lightly beaten, they're not as over whipped as they could be at this point. If you don't remember what my hopes for the year were back in January, go visit the post 2024 - Just Chill.

Without further ado, onto the updates.

2024 Publications

❦ Magic Morsel - Kindle Vella Episodes - I've finished writing and scheduling all the episodes for the first serial! A new episode goes live every Friday, with the last two episodes scheduled to be posted on Friday, August 16. So, if you've been intending to read it, pop on over to Kindle Vella and give it a go.

❦ Intricate Agony (Fortunes of Fate, 8) - No longer planned for 2024 (see details below).

❦ Leave No Dragon Stone Unturned (Magic Morsel, 1) - Working title for the revised first serial of Magic Morsel into a novel. Possible publication this year still to be determined.

2024 Writing Progress

❦ I added about 38,000 words to Magic Morsel to reach the end of the first serial, which clocks in at 73,967 words. Yay, words!

❦ Intricate Agony... I actually started drafting this in April and got 4,850 words written. Unfortunately, I wasn't feeling the story. I have ideas aplenty, and I know how it will unfold, but I'm having issues with my main character. He's feeling like too much of a wet noodle. Plus the initial draft is insanely heavy on description, which is a departure from my usual style. I needed a break to let things settle and think things through, and I'll get back to it at a later date. This means there's no chance of publication this year, though. Sorry if you've been eagerly awaiting the next Fortunes of Fate story!

❦ What do you all think of Leave No Dragon Stone Unturned for the first Magic Morsel title? I like it, but I'm definitely biased. ;) I've started in on a read through of the scenes, making notes for my world bible and revision plans along the way. This is taking longer than expected. And as I note down some questions I need to answer about this world (at least to myself, even if it doesn't show up in this novel), I realize the fleshing out of details and answering questions before I dig into revisions might take a while, too. So, right now I'm not sure if it'll be published this year or next. I may also be taking August off to tend to kids and house, which will disrupt my plans as always.

❦ I've sent out 4 of my 8 planned newsletters, 3 of which had SHU-WPF Spotlights.

❦ Capricon in February was fun! Met up with a couple writer friends, relaxed, bought yet more dice... I'm hoping we can go again next year.

❦ Facebook Ads were pissing me off, so I'm taking a break from them. I'm planning to run one in July, though, as Dead As Dreams will be discounted. Actually, several of my titles will be discounted on Smashwords for the whole month of July. Check out the Summer/Winter Sale starting on July 1!

❦ Finally, I entered Dead As Dreams into the SPFBOX contest (Self-Publishing Fantasy Blog-Off 10)! I'll have a more detailed update about that in my next blog post.

And that's my writing year so far! Trundling along, moving forward, making progress. All good things. I still wish I'd move faster, due to all the stories I want to write and release into the world, but I'm trying to remind myself not to be too hard on myself. Just chill, right?

Writing Update - June 2023

Yup, it's June. And every June, I wonder how the year is zooming by so fast. I'm also amazed at how quickly plans can change from one week to the next.

I'm of course talking about the publication of Dead As Dreams. May was a horrendous, anxiety-ridden month. And I'm glad it's in the rear view, but it forced me to change my plans. Again. That plan I had posted back in April? Boom.

I'll survive, though, and so will my writing. I just ended up juggling this year's plans a bit. Seems like this always happens. Maybe I should stick to making a 3-Month Plan instead of a 1-Year Plan. It might save my sanity slightly if I do - lol.

Anyway, if you'd like to see what the original plan for the year was, take a look at 2023 - Year of Death and Dreams. Otherwise, updates below!

2023 Publications

❦ Immortal Woes (Fractured Fairies, 1) - Revised and Expanded - July 12 - This ebook will be FREE at all online retailers!

❦ Fairies - Fractured and Uncut (Fractured Fairies, 1-7) - July 12

❦ Dead As Dreams (Saga of Souls & Dreams) - Fall 2023 - So this pretty much swapped places with the Fractured Fairies Collection.

2023 Writing Progress

❦ Revise Dead As Dreams - I've revised 45,256 words so far, and I'm estimating about 14,000 left to go. See, I just need a little extra time, so unless my world completely implodes on itself, fall of this year is a totally doable publication window.

❦ Revise/Expand Immortal Woes (Fractured Fairies, 1) - As of today, I've revised 3,071 words of this. My hope is to finish tomorrow, adding at least another 500 words. The original word count for this story was 2,500, so it'll be about 1,000 words longer!

❦ I've sent out 3 of the 6 Author Newsletters as well. But I haven't kept up with one blog post per month, sadly.

So I'm chugging along, even though not everything has gone as planned. After I finish the Fractured Fairies Collection and the revisions of Dead As Dreams, I'm likely going to shake my drafting plans up a bit as well.

We'll see what I tackle once I'm done with the revising and editing! Heck, maybe I'll even post about it once I decide. That 3-Month Plan idea is looking more and more tempting...

Dead As Dreams - Update and Cover!

I'm nearing the end of April and I'm not done with the revisions of Dead As Dreams. The main revisions were supposed to be completed in the middle of this month. Clearly I was too optimistic in planning my release schedule with this novel!

That said, I'm still making great progress. I'm approaching the 90k mark, which is 3k more than the draft was before I started revising it (with at least 10k left of that initial draft to wade through). The back half of the novel is getting a major overhaul, though, and that's slowing things down. More like a rewrite, actually - more often than not, the old words are getting chucked into the cut document, making way for fresh storytelling. It's looking like I might exceed the 100k word goal, possibly by 5k or more.

And I don't want to rush through it. This novel has been in the works for so long that I feel it deserves the time and attention before it sees the light of day.

This isn't a gloom and doom post, though! I'm focused and determined to finish. My original goal was to publish Dead As Dreams at the end of May. However, it's looking more like mid to late July now. So a couple of months delayed. Not too bad, right?

Anyway, I would like to leave everyone with a teaser. The cover! It's mostly finalized, but if I get any suggestions for tweaks between now and when I put up the pre-order, it might change a bit. Enjoy the cover, and happy reading!

Writing Update - June 2022

Is it writing update time already? How are we almost halfway through the year? Wow, time certainly does fly. Especially as an adult. How I miss those long summers as a kid...

OK, I'm getting off track. Seems like the theme of the year for me. Lots of distractions abound. Mostly life-related ones. Still trying to even out things with my health (physical and mental) and Youngest's mental health. Plus my dad passed earlier this year.

Now summer is throwing me for a loop with the million kid-related events scheduled (I try to not over-schedule stuff - I've never been a do everything parent, but Eldest seems to think she should do everything - she needs better time management skills, but I'm so not the one who's capable of teaching them to her - sigh). Plus the house is in a state of disarray due to an attempt at organization (decreasing the DOOM boxes) and projects (that need the organization done before they can be completed).

Through all the life distractions, though, I've been able to at least get some writing done! I'm not exactly where I wanted to be for progress at this point in the year, but I'm not at a standstill. So, let's take a look at what I've accomplished so far, and what I plan to juggle and change for this year's goals. If you'd like to see the original 2022 writing goals, visit 2022 - Keep the Momentum Going.

2022 Publications

❦ Nymphs Need Love Too (Fractured Fairies, 5) - It lives! I published this back in April, so go snag a copy if you haven't yet.

❦ Dead As Dreams (novel) - Unfortunately, I have to delay the release of this until 2023. More details about it under 2022 Progress.

❦ Do Not Go Gentle (prequel short story to Dead As Dreams) - Yes, I've added this. Since I'm pushing off the novel, and I've had the idea for this short story for some time that's related to said novel, I'm hoping to publish this in Fall 2022.

2022 Writing Progress

❦ Revise, Edit, and Format Nymphs Need Love Too - DONE!

❦ Revise Dead As Dreams - Though I'm no longer publishing this in 2022, I'm still working on it. The revisions are just going slower than expected. I've clearly changed as a writer since I last touched this, and it needs more work than I thought! I've revised 32,406 words so far. About a third of the way through, and the back half needs a lot more work than the front half. This is still my main project. I will not put this novel off again!

❦ Draft, Revise, Edit, Format Do Not Go Gentle - This is the new story. And since it's related to Dead As Dreams, weaving this into my schedule at least keeps me anchored in the same world as the novel. I'm aiming for a minimum word count of 5,000, but not sure where it will land once done. I've drafted 520 words on it so far.

❦ Draft at least 8 Magic Morsel episodes - I actually drafted 10 episodes (8,979 words)! I'm up to 39 episodes of Magic Morsel published. I'd love to get back to this at some point this year, but it all depends on revision progress with Dead As Dreams.

❦ I've sent out 2 Newsletters already, and I'll be sending out 1 more this week (maybe even today). And I've stuck to 1 blog post per month here on Born to Write - maybe I'll increase these again one day, but right now... life.

Yes, progress. Some shifting around of goals, though. It's OK. As long as I'm still moving forward instead of treading water. We'll see where I'm at again come the end of 2022. Until then, happy reading, all!

Writing Update - May 2021

I felt it was time for a writing update. Though as I started writing this post, I realized I'm behind on posting Chapter 27 of Chains of Nect! Oops. It'll have to wait until next week or June (I'd say the first week of June, but since I'm due for my second vaccine, I may be out for the count that week). May has been a bit of a crazy month. =P

Anyway, I can at least say I'm happy with my progress for the year so far. I feel much better than I did at this time in 2020 as far as my writing goes, though May has been a bit of a bumpy month for motivation.

The best thing for 2021 at this time - I'm ahead of schedule! I know, kind of crazy, isn't it? I always feel perpetually behind most years. I guess I aimed my goals in the sweet spot this time. If you want to peek at my original 2021 plan, here's the link: 2021 - This Year Has To Be Better.

2021 Publications

❦ Well of Solitude (Fortunes of Fate, 7) is out in the world. It felt amazing to finally publish something again.

❦ Bytes Bite, And So Do Fairies (Fractured Fairies, 4) is on track to be published in July. Hopefully I'll have a cover reveal next month!

2021 Project Progress

❦ Obviously I finished the revisions and edits for Well of Solitude. Yay!

❦ Revisions on Bytes Bite, And So Do Fairies are complete, and edits are scheduled for next month.

❦ The first draft of Nymphs Need Love Too (Fractured Fairies, 5) is complete! It came in around 10k words.

❦ I've already added 1.8k to the first draft of Gemini's Echo (Zodiac Aegis, 1). Here's hoping I exceed the 42k goal on that this year (knock on wood).

❦ I've been blogging at least once per month (sometimes twice), and I'm mostly on top of the newsletters. I've lapsed on posting my Year of Cats pictures on Instagram... I might have to blame video games for forgetting about that one so often - lol.

As you can see, I've had a pretty productive writing year already!

If I happen to finish the first draft of Gemini's Echo early, I'll dive into another one of my projects waiting in the wings. Should it be the Dead As Dreams revision, the Downward Spiral draft, the next Fortunes of Fate draft, or continue Zodiac Aegis with Taurus's Aura? What do you think?

Happy reading and writing, all!

It's Been A While - June 2020 (Writing Update)

The Staind song aside (yes, it's stuck in my head now), it has been a while since I posted. Actually, I was supposed to post last week. And I had the post all written up. Then the new Blogger interface ate it. Yes, gobbled it up.

I was having issues with the new interface to begin with (30 minutes to add tags to my post, no thank you), and I'm decidedly not thrilled with it. Heck, I was furious with it last Thursday. So, I'm now writing up my posts in Scrivener, and I managed to revert back to the legacy interface on Blogger (and I'll keep it like that until they pry it from my cold, dead hands).

I'm a little less cranky about it. OK, not really, but I'm currently channeling Grinka.

Yes, I'm back to writing! And though it wasn't on my schedule, I'm drafting the next Fractured Fairies story, currently titled Bytes Bite, And So Do Fairies. And I already have the urge to write the next story, too.

Thankfully the anxiety has lessened a bit, and I'm done homeschooling my kids for the school year. The world is still in a bit of a tumult, obviously, but I won't get into my feelings over all of it because then the anxiety starts to rear its ugly head, and I can't have my mental health completely deteriorating on me.

For now, I'm writing again, and that feels great. Who knows what will happen come Fall, though - more homeschooling? Until then, I'm going to keep plowing ahead.

The yearly plan has been completely uprooted, of course. I never seem to learn with this whole planning thing. It never works out. My best laid plans don't just go astray, but blow up in my face in spectacular fashion. I kind of do feel like Grinka sometimes. Let me tell you, her current plans aren't unfolding as she wished either. Per usual, it's all the fairy siblings' fault.

Anyway, here's how the year currently stands. If you'd like to compare it to my original plan, you can find it on the 2020 - Keep On Rollin' post.

2020 Upcoming Publications

❦ Well of Solitude (Fortunes of Fate, 7) - Fall 2020 - Yes, I've now pushed this out 6 months later than originally planned. It's also the only publication that I now have planned for 2020.

2020 Project Progress

❦ Chains of Nect: Obsidian's Obsession - Rough draft complete - yay! And I've already sent out one of the brand new chapters in my Author Newsletter, which means I'll be posting it here in July, as well as on Wattpad.

❦ Bytes Bite, And So Do Fairies (Fractured Fairies, 4) - Again, this wasn't on the original plan for the year. I'm almost 7k into the rough draft, though, and I might have 2-3k left. I really needed to let loose with Grinka, Syndago, and the fairies before getting back to more serious stories.

❦ Well of Solitude - I'm about 4k into the revisions of this. I'd just started working on it when the pandemic hit the fan, so to speak. Once I finish the rough draft of Bytes Bite, I'll be returning to this. However, I was wrong, it likely won't turn into a novella. My brain finally resolved some issues I had with the story, but it means more of a re-write for half of it, instead of just a revision. I'm hoping it will still come in around 16k when all is said and done.

❦ Dead As Dreams, Fortunes of Fate 8, and Downward Spiral are now all on pause. I'm not sure when I'll reschedule them. It completely depends on what school looks like for the kids in Fall. Drafting is much easier than revising with the kids around, and humorous fantasy flows a lot better while all the serious stuff swirls around in reality. I think planning only one project at a time is the best bet right now.

❦ My main goal for the rest of the year is to keep on plugging away and pushing forward. The good thing is, even with all the anxiety, the ideas never stopped coming, and some are bugging the hell out of me. I want to write all the things NOW. So, once I'm done with the Bytes Bite draft and the Well of Solitude revision, I'm going to let my brain pounce on whatever project asserts itself the most next (at the moment, that's another Fractured Fairies story, but that could always change).

❦ Nope, not discussing blog posts or newsletters. No way.

That's what things look like for me, though. I hope among the tumult, you've all been able to find at least a sliver of focus on something (anything, maybe even reading). Now let's hope I don't have to type this post up a third time.

Life, the Universe, and Writing, aka Writing Update - September 2019

I know, it hasn't even been three months since my last writing update, but this post seemed appropriate now. Would you rather I post again about Summoners War? I didn't think so.

This time, I'm just going to note a few things and try to keep it brief (this is difficult for me, of course, as I tend to ramble on if you haven't picked up on that already).

2019 Fall Updates/Notes

❦ Blogging is being dropped down to sporadic. This will allow more time for me to focus on writing! So, after this post, I'm not sure when the next post will be. Hopefully before the end of the year, unless life sweeps me away.

❦ Thorns Entwine the Blade (Trinity Torn, 2) is now planned to be released in November 2019, due to my editor's schedule (and me overestimating just how much I could get done during summer with the kids home).

❦ Though the release date for Thorns has been pushed back, I have completed both the major revision and the consistency edit. The manuscript is currently waiting at my awesome editor. Once she gets it back to me, it will be on to final edits and formatting!

❦ I'm easing into my new writing schedule with both kids in school full-time. Last week was an odds and ends week, but this week I started in on the draft for Well of Solitude (Fortunes of Fate, 7). And yes, I've settled on Solitude. I wrote nearly 3,500 words in just two days. This is amazing for me, and I think I'll enjoy this new schedule once I get used to the routine! Now to figure out where I'm going in this story, especially since it seems like it wants to be longer than I originally expected...

❦ I've added a new Mantra for myself, as I didn't want to wait to add it until next year: Embrace My Process. This is to help remind myself that I shouldn't feel like I'm "doing things the wrong way". I have to ignore the "you should do it this way" voices that are all over the internet, particularly in writing groups/forums. I need to do what works for me because I'm not everyone else, I'm me, and if I try to do what works for everyone else, I'll just struggle and waste time. I know, this seems like a simple realization, but it really only sunk in when I started watching Becca Syme's The Quitcast. So, I'm trying to allow myself to embrace my strengths as far as my process goes (no, I haven't taken the test to determine my strengths, but she's gone over a couple already that I know I align with).

I think that's it, finally! Pretty short, right? For me at least.

Oh, one more thing. I watched Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Why did it take so long for me to watch it? It was amazing! Not going to do a whole blog post on it because I'd probably just be gushing. But I hope they make a sequel!

Until the next blog post... Happy reading!

Writing Update - June 2019

I figured it was about time I posted a writing progress update. I'm still not quite sure how it's almost the end of June, but here we are -- half the year gone! Eek.

At least I don't have that writer's guilt like I did this time last year.

Why not? I've made progress. Lots of awesome progress. So much progress that I have a tentative release date that I actually think is feasible for Thorns Entwine the Blade (Trinity Torn, 2).

Of course, that could all explode in my face. I'm knocking on more plywood...

If you want a reminder of my goals for the year, pop over to my 2019 - Determination post. And here's what's happened in 2019 so far (and if you want to scroll to the end, you'll see the tentative release date for Thorns):

2019 Project Progress

❦ Though I didn't have it listed in my 2019 goals, I published Born of Blood and Spells: 13 Dark Fantasy Stories & Poems in March. I'm glad I had the chance to get this extra side project done!

❦ As mentioned, I upped my blog posts to once a week again for a while. Then I decided it was too much extra work right now. Got to focus on writing and publishing books, right?

❦ That one picture a day on Instagram thing? Yeah, that fell by the wayside. I got sick and enmeshed in other tasks. I'm still hoping to post more often on there, but it might not happen this summer.

❦ Newsletter has been released monthly, and while I'm a little behind on Critters critiques, it's not so bad that I can't catch up before I need to submit Well of Solitude (Fortunes of Fate, 7). And yes, that's the title I've landed on. Finally.

❦ I've drafted a couple of scenes for Well of Solitude, but it's mostly been put on the side until I finish revisions of Thorns.

❦ Finally, I'm only two chapters away from finishing the main revision of Thorns Entwine the Blade! And I'm pretty much on schedule for the year (after a few ups and downs, it all evened out). Now those last two chapters need the most work, and my final word count is going to be higher than estimated, but that's OK. Once this revision is done, I'm going to do a quick consistency edit, which shouldn't take more than a month, and then send it off to my editor!

I suppose that means you might want to hear the tentative release date for Thorns? Remember, this is still a maybe. It depends on my editor and how Fall kicks off for me. But if everything works out as planned...

Thorns Entwine the Blade will be released in October 2019!

So, three years after Mind Behind the Mind was released, the sequel will finally be out in the world (the exact same day if I want to release on a weekend -- heh). I know, a long time span between. Life, I tell ya. Better late than never?

I'm pretty darn happy with my progress so far this year. It's not at the level of many other indie authors, but I'm still moving forward, and that's what counts. Here's hoping the second half of the year is as productive as the first half!

How have you all been doing on your yearly goals? Whether it be for writing, school, or any other projects?

Goodbye 2015, and Hello 2016!

Wow. What a year 2015 has been. I laid out a plan for myself back in April, and I think things are coming along rather nicely. Of course, I'm not even halfway through the Baker's Dozen Experiment, and completing that will be my main goal for 2016.

So far, I've published 3 items, a total of 5 short stories in those publications. I've also posted 21 chapters of Chains of Nect to Wattpad and my blog. Here's hoping I can keep the momentum going through the next year.

Of course, I had to sit down and reassess some things. The Baker's Dozen Experiment will continue, however, I've decided to pause my progress and posts on Chains of Nect. I have other projects that I feel need to be moved to the forefront, especially since my reception on Wattpad hasn't been strong. This doesn't mean I'm not willing to change my mind, if enough people request for me to continue Chains of Nect. Feel free to post here or use my contact form to request I continue it sooner rather than later. If enough people ask for it, I'll definitely shift things around!

I will have one final chapter of Chains of Nect that will be posted to Wattpad on January 1, and subsequently posted to my blog on January 6.

Aside from that change, here are some highlights of my goals for 2016:

❧ Publish 9 more short stories for the Baker's Dozen Experiment
❧ Publish my novel Mind Behind the Mind to finish off the Baker's Dozen Experiment
❧ Complete a revision of Dead As Dreams
❧ Write a Fractured Fairies Christmas story for next December
❧ Start writing Thorns Entwine the Blade, the sequel to Mind Behind the Mind
❧ Draft 2-3 other short stories
❧ Find some beta readers for the Mind sequels (if you're interested please contact me for more info - you do not need to be a writer to be a beta reader!)
❧ Blog once per week - stay tuned for The Adventures of Karriya the Wizard!
❧ Continue critiquing, participate more in Broad Universe and on Kboards
❧ Read, read, and read - I'd be happy to take any recommendations

So, here's hoping 2016 is as productive as 2015. May the toddler be an angel, the eldest child not whine, and the kittens become fat, lazy non-tree climbing cats. Oh, and the house self-clean itself. Too much to ask for? Nah, I don't think so (as I listen to the toddler freaking out at her older sister).

Also, if you're a writer who would like some camaraderie while working toward monthly goals, please join us in the Writing Quest group on Facebook. I'm now running it as a group instead of separate monthly events, and anyone is welcome to join!

I hope everyone has a happy start to 2016. What are your hopes and dreams for the year to come?

"Dancing in the Wind" Cover Update

I've been sitting on this for a while because I needed to update things in all of the stores. And then things like writing kept getting in the way. =D

Anyway, here's the new cover for "Dancing in the Wind"!

I also reformatted everything for Amazon, B&N, Kobo, and Smashwords (Smashwords also distributes it to iBooks and some other stores). Things look a little nicer, plus I added some back matter (About the Author, Newsletter Sign-Up, Connect Online, and Other Stories). If you purchased a copy already, you can probably contact who you purchased it from to get the updated version (it's not a new edition, since there were no changes to the story or front matter).

Also, if you've read it and liked it, please leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads! Reviews are one of the best things you can do for writers, aside from buying their stories and books. ;)

You can also find a snippet on one of my older blog posts, HERE.

That's all I got for today. I hope you all like the new cover. I know I do!

NEXT UP: Chains of Nect: Obsidian's Obsession - Prologue

Chains of Nect - Blurb and Cover Reveal

It's time for an update! Aren't you all so lucky. Don't care about what's going on with me and my progress? Feel free to skip the post. But I can't promise you won't miss something super crazy awesome if you do.

The Plan is unfolding nicely, so far at least. I've been posting parts of "Dude in Distress" to Wattpad twice per week now. The last section is due to be posted on July 10. So, if you're curious if the unicorns manage to save Dom from Big Bad Girl, please pop over to Wattpad to read the story.

Chains of Nect will roll out on Wattpad starting July 17, and there will be a new scene posted every Friday. I already have two scenes good to go, and this month I'll be participating in Camp NaNoWriMo which should net me several more scenes--it's nice to be ahead of the game, just in case something happens! (Like last week when I got sick and my writing schedule went to hell.)

Interested in reading the prologue of Chains of Nect 8 days before it releases on Wattpad? Then you should sign up for my newsletter (form is to the left) because the first issue will go out on July 9 and include a sneak peak of the prologue. The main goal of the newsletter is to announce my upcoming publications, but I'll also have some bonuses in them now and then. If you're worried about your inbox filling up, I'll send no more than one per month, sometimes less frequently.

Oh, but you want to know what Chains of Nect is about? Of course, of course. Here's the blurb:

Obsidian successfully plays the game expected of her, passes the tests, and is accepted as a Guardian. Though she jumps through the hoops, she doesn't want to follow the precepts at all, to guard the portals but never open them. She believes its a waste to not explore the worlds within, like her ancestors had. How can they protect themselves if something comes through the portals if they don't know what's in them?

Obsidian's appointed mentor, Damian, is a straight-laced young Guardian, who can't contain the young dedicant. He's always believed the laws are in place to protect all of Nect, but Obsidian starts to make him question his own principles. She doesn't allow him any time to examine the possibilities, though, and he has to decide between reporting her or standing by her side to protect her from whatever horrors she stirs up.

Will the Guardians end Obsidian's life, or will something from another world get to her first?

Not enough for you? Fine you've talked me into it. Here's the cover!

I've also been playing the Short Story Submissions Game. The intention of this game is to gather as many rejections as I can. Yes, I know, the point should be to get as many acceptances as I can, but if I aim for that, I'll just depress myself. Here are my tallies for 2015 through June:

Submissions - 28
Rejections - 25
Acceptances - 1

I may not hit 100 rejections this year, however I hope to hit at least 50! And yes, you noticed, there's one acceptance. I had that story listed at the top of The Plan. "Bloodstains" will appear in a limited time fall anthology through Dingbat Publishing (anthology title and publication date still to be determined). That should be a fun set of stories.

I'm also still running Writing Quest every month--feel free to join us if you have some writing goals.

I think that's all as far as writing goes. Probably leaving the state of my house out of this post is the best idea (scary pretty much sums it up). I get writing done and everything else gets neglected. Go figure. Though the evil kitchen is due to be remodeled this month, barring more delays.

I feel like I'm forgetting to cover something, though. What do you think? Is there something else I should have touched on?

NEXT UP: Crazy Necro Antics - Wedding Bells Part 2

Rolling Into 2015

Oh, here it comes...my annual goals post! It wouldn't be a new year without one. ;)

Looking back at 2014 briefly, I'm at least happy to see that I've made progress. I'm through Ch. 24 on my first revision of Dead As Dreams. Nice progress for someone chasing around a 1-year-old all day, dealing with the needs of a 6-year-old, attempting to give attention to a husband, and making sure the house doesn't fall down around all of us (I'm not sure how successful I've been on that last one - something always suffers - ha). Along with revisions, I wrote a few chapters on a new novel, got back into the swing of critiquing, and re-did my website. Go, me!

I'm hoping I can keep up the momentum for 2015. And yes, I do have my 2015 One-Year Plan drawn up. Here are the highlights:

❧ 5-10 Writing Related Hours Per Week (this is a lot while tending to that aforementioned 1-year-old, honest - more hours per week as she gets older)
❧ Read 3 Hours Per Week
❧ Complete 1st Revision of Dead As Dreams by July 31, 2015
❧ Complete through Ch. 27 2nd Revision of Dead As Dreams by December 31, 2015
❧ Synopsis of Dead As Dreams
❧ 10,000 to 20,000 Words Added to Another Novel
❧ Edit and Revise Current Completed Short Stories
❧ Complete 3-4 Short Story Rough Drafts
❧ Keep Short Stories in Slush Piles
❧ Indie Pub 2-3 Short Stories by Year's End
❧ Add 1 Part to 1 Ongoing Story on Wattpad Per Month
❧ Keep Critiquing
❧ Blog Once Per Week

Not too crazy of a list, I hope. I've mostly been hitting my monthly goals lately, so I'm confident I can manage most of the above. I'll try to do a rejections gathered tally when I do occasional updates here - I want to see how high I can get!

I'll of course still be running Writing Quest. January is already up! Come join us if you have some writing goals of your own.

What are your hopes and dreams for 2015?

NEXT UP: Lavender Legacy - Ch. 4

Writing Journey

I came across this picture to the right while looking for something suitable to use for my writing updates. Aside from it being a beautiful picture (it's a Public Domain picture on Pixabay), it reminded me how grand of a journey writing is. I write about many journeys in my fantasies, but I have to remember that I'm on my own journey as well, and one where I'm taken to many different worlds.

A journey where I cross countless bridges.

This bridge is a bit of a lonely view, but I'm not alone on this adventure. Not only do I have companions travel with me during parts of my journey (friends, family, acquaintances, business associates), but I also know that many writers are on their own journeys, and our paths may cross--we may traverse the same bridges even at one point or another.

A lot of times I get discouraged because unlike the end of a novel, it's impossible to see the end of the journey. Heck, like most writers, the end of the writing journey doesn't come until breaths no longer pass my lips, and I don't want to know when that end is around the corner. It's not only the end though that's elusive, but even the next path I'll travel, the next bridge I'll cross. It's like a Choose Your Own Adventure. I can make a choice to go one direction, but I can never be sure exactly where that direction will take me.

It seems futile, doesn't it? That doesn't stop me from remaining on the path, even if I've needed to take rest stops along the way due to life (life is that big monster in the path with sharp teeth and bloodshot eyes--after a while, it gets bored and wanders off, allowing me to continue).

This was supposed to be an update, but I guess it's turned into more of a reflection. No, the life monster isn't growling at me right now. I've actually made steady progress on revisions of Dead As Dreams. I also re-designed my website, as well as adjusted a few things on the blog. I sent The Mind Behind the Mind out for consideration to another publisher last week, and my short story "Ode to Buses and Libraries" got put into a slush pile the week before.

Though I don't have any new publications to report, I'm proud of the steps and choices I've made on my journey recently. Keep watching my word count trackers in the left column if you're curious how I'm doing. And if you're a writer on your own journey and would like to cross paths with me and some other writers for a bit, please join us at Writing Quest. I create a new event each month on my Facebook author page.

For now, I'm curious where my current choices will lead me. And if they make me go back across the bridge (rejection), I'll just cross another (more submissions, and even some indie publishing).

You'll be seeing a lot of this bridge in the future, whenever I post my updates and writerly ramblings.

NEXT UP: What Am I Writing? Another excerpt from Dead As Dreams!