This is my pen. There are many like it, but this one is mine.

My pen is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life.

Without me, my pen is useless. Without my pen, I am useless.

Hello everyone! My pen and I are here to say we are still working away diligently! Here’s a quick update:

I am about to break 60k on my first draft of the Tree Y’Edenel, which concerns me a little because I’m not yet a quarter of the way through the story I want to tell in this book. At the rate I’m going this may end up over five hundred pages and that’s….well, as much as I like a big meaty book, I think that’s a bit much. I’m still going and will until I get the whole first draft done, but then the red pen is going to come out and I’m going to be cruel with myself and cut a lot of it down. So wish me luck on that!

For a quick refresher, the Tree Y’Edenel is the second in my twelve book Immortal Elements high fantasy clockpunk series, after Vhantalya.

Speaking of, I’m finishing up my current round of edits with Vhantalya, and on the 8th it goes to my copyeditor! I’ve added quite a few more scenes based on feedback from the last round of betas and it will be going to out again to a couple of new betas at the same time it goes to the editor. If you have beta’d on Vhan before you probably will not get this final round-it’s nothing personal, but most of you first betas have read it about two or three times now and I really just want a couple of new perspectives on it. If you are a previous beta and REALLY want to read it again on this round, let me know and I’ll make it hap’n, cap’n.

I still have some surprises coming along with it as well that have started to arrive, but I want to wait until all are accounted for before I open that box for y’all, so stay tuned for that! Hopefully it won’t be a long wait.

My first round of betas for Reboot have started to trickle in, and I have to say, I’m very excited about what I’m seeing in the feedback already. I’m really looking forward to everyone’s thoughts. Friday is the deadline to have your beta feedback returned! If you are a beta and need more time to finalize please let me know!

I’m continuing to work on this year’s book covers. I have scrapped the Tree’s cover at least twice, just not happy with the direction it was going. I’ve also had some hand pain so it’s going a little more slowly than I would like. I think the one I’m working on now is gonna be a winner though! As soon as I get it done I’ll update the front page.

Let’s see, let’s see, what else? Ah yes! Book pimping time!

As many of you know I’m trying to carve out time in my day to make sure I keep up on my reading. Since last I posted I have finished three books:

On Kindle AU: Under the Whispering Door, by TJ Kline: I highly recommend. I thought it was a whimsical, well done story that had me crying at more than one point. Fun characters, a queer romance, and just the right touch of humor…how can you go wrong? I’d never heard of TJ Kline before but I am looking forward to reading more from them!

Boots: A Puss in Boots Retelling, and the Wolf and the Hawk, both by Julian Greystoke. I really enjoyed both of these, though there were a few typos that snuck into my copy. Julian writes very sweet, compelling character driven novels that are decent length, but are so fun that they feel much shorter. Her new novel Adventurer Mage is on my list, and she is quickly becoming one of my favorite character driven writers!

For Audio Book: I listen to audio books while I do my arting. I finished Stephen King’s Fairy Tale (always a fan of Stephen King for reasons, so I won’t gush too much here except to say, long slow burn in a meaty book which I *adore*) and am now on Babel, by RF Kuang. Guys. Guys. Babel is *excellent*. I’m about to the halfway point. It is an amazingly written commentary on racism and colonialism set in an alternate London where the science of language makes magic. It is not a fast or a light read, and it digs deep into some very charged political realities on race, poverty, inequalities of education, and the deep intricacies of linguistics and the very real spoken art of language. The audiobook is done superbly but if you listen a bit of a head’s up. There are more than one voice actor, and it took me a minute to realize the additional voice was for the footnotes. So bear that in mind!

Lastly, my bedside book is still Billy Summers, also by Stephen King. This one is going to take me the longest to get through because my bedtime is usually taken up still with writing and/or rereading what I’ve written, but I’m still chipping away at it. I’m just about to the halfway point. Again, Stephen King, so I won’t gush except to say that I’m enjoying it, and if you like a bit more crime novel thriller than horror it might be worth checking out.

Okay, back to editing! I hope everyone’s 2023 so far is going well, and thank you for following!

As you may or may not have noticed, the site has gone through a slight revamp. I’ve moved the books for last year onto a new page, Coming Soon!, and updated the front page with the three books on schedule for this year.

Covers will be updated as soon as I get them done!

I’ve also updated the Future Projects page.

Current, tentative timeline for this year is as follows:

The Tree Y’Edenel starts today with plans to go to betas on May 1st.

May 1st I start So My Grandma Summoned a Demon, which should be ready for betas on September 1st.

Which is the day I start Ferry Tail, with plans for betas by EOY.

Meanwhile, I am still intent on Vhantalya debuting this Summer! As soon as I have her last edits back from betas I’ll get those done, then she goes to an actual copy editor. I’ll have an official debut date out when I have that feedback in hand and know what I’m working with final edit-wise. I’ll keep you posted!

Special thanks to all my betas and everyone who took the time to help me reach my goal last year. I’m looking forward to this one being even better!

If you want to beta any of my three books this year, please email me with the title of the book you want to read and ‘beta read’ in the subject line and I’ll get you on my list.

In the meantime, Reboot went out to betas on the 30th! If you wanted to beta for Reboot and didn’t get a chance to raise your hand, or if I missed you somehow, please let me know ASAP and I’ll get it to you.

For those beta reading Vhantalya’s final round I’m hoping to hear from you very soon! Let me know if you need more time, I’ve already talked to one or two who will and gotten feedback on a couple more already.

Thank you, and may everyone have a wonderful, unforgettable (in a good way) 2023!

I hope everyone who celebrates holidays in December had wonderful ones. We’re closing in fast on the New Year!

I updated my book order yet again to make sure that I am doing one book in each series with no more than a year between them. That means that I will be starting the second in the Immortal Elements series, the Tree Y’Edenel, in just a couple of days!

The first book, Vhantalya, is on track for a summer release this year, so more to come on that!

Speaking of which, I have gotten a couple of the final betas back already but still need a few more. Only a few more days, my betas! Please let me know if its going to take you a bit longer: with the holidays I know people are busy and may need some more time.

Reboot is going out in two days! If you have already signed up to be a beta you will see that in your various inboxes Friday afternoon. Please let me know if you haven’t gotten it by Saturday morning and I’ll make sure I didn’t miss someone. If you are interested in beta reading for Reboot, please email me right away from the email address you want it sent to, and I’ll add you to the list.

If you are interested in beta reading for any of the three books coming up this year; The Tree Y’Edenel; So My Grandma Summoned a Demon; and Ferry Tail, please email me with the title of the book you’re interested in and ‘beta read’ in the subject line and I’ll get you on the list. For my standing betas (you know who you are), you will get each one by default unless you tell me differently, so please let me know.

2023 is going to be an exciting year writing wise! Stay tuned!

Hello everyone out in TV…uh, Book Land!

The home stretch is in sight! Both for the year, and for my book Reboot getting to beta readers! Nine days left until I send this bad boy out. If you haven’t already and you have any interest in beta reading for this book (or any other!) please send me an email with the subject line Reboot Beta Read to get on the list. Or if you want to beta for another book, swap the title out for whichever one you’re interested in. The more feedback the better!

As for Vhantalya, I have some exciting things brewing in that arena that you’ll hopefully see soon. Now some good news and some bad news.

The bad news: when indie publishing a series or part of a series, I have come to learn that it is best in gaining a readership if the second in the series comes out as close to the first one as possible. Since I am now taking this tack with Vhan and likely book 2 and 3 of the Immortal Elements series as well (at least), I’m having to shuffle things again. Right now, I didn’t have book 2 scheduled to write until 2024, but that isn’t going to fly if I want a relatively quick release date for that on the heels of Vhan. So, I’m sad to say (really sad, I really want to write this one!) So My Grandma Summoned a Demon is getting bumped back to mid 2023, and Ferry Tail is getting bumped back to EOY 2023. As You Witch will take The Tree Y’Edenel’s spot in 2024.

The good news: That means that my first revision draft of the Tree Y’Edenel will be starting January 1st! I am aiming for a summer release of Vhantalya, and if I can keep the same writing timeframe for Y’Edenel that means book 2 will release summer 2024. I will keep on the schedule of doing at least one of the Immortal Elements books per year at minimum going forward, so that readers will not have to wait forever for the next installment.

I’ve uh…also added a couple more books to my overall list and schedule, which I will update on the site soon. I’ll post again when that’s done.

For any Stephen King fans or fans of slow-burn fantasy, I am currently reading both Fairy Tale (the slow burn portal fantasy) and Billy Summers. I recommend both, but then I’m a sucker for King.

Till next time! And remember, get those Reboot beta read requests in if you haven’t yet!

Happy Holidays to everyone!

Hey everyone! We’re getting down to it, the end of the first year of my publishing journey, and what a year it’s been! Bit of a rocky start, with only two of the three books I had scheduled this year meeting their goals of getting to beta readers, but I will definitely take it.

Vhantalya is currently in the hands of the last round of beta readers and I should be getting my last wave of feedback around the end of the year. I have decided with this book that I am likely going to indie publish. While I can’t find any evidence of it online with various plagiarism checkers and what not, I’m pretty sure I posted the original first draft of Vhan in its entirety on a couple of message boards. Granted, this was years ago, but I’m pretty sure I blew right of first publication for this. I’m getting some ads together and some marketing, so you will see those updated here as soon as I have them in hand. The good news is, that I should have some ARCs of this going out sometime early next year, and the book itself up for sale no later than mid-year 2023. It will probably be sooner but I want to give myself a little more leeway in case I hit some roadblocks. More to come!

Reboot is nearly ready for its first round of beta reads. I’m finishing up my initial edits now. This will be going out by hook or by crook by EOY as well: I’m aiming for Friday the 30th. If you haven’t already and are interested in beta reading for Reboot, please make sure you email me and get on my list. As always, all beta readers will get a free copy of the book as part of their beta reading agreement.

Come EOY I will be updating this page as well, moving this years’ works to a new page and moving the next three on my list to the front page. All three next year are stand-alone novels. All dates below are tentative and subject to change because I am terrible at estimating time, especially with editing 😀

2023 will be the year of laughs! First up on the docket will be ‘So My Grandma Summoned a Demon’, an urban fantasy. First draft expected to be done by April 1st, 2023, and to beta readers by June 1st.

What do LARPing groups, squirt guns with holy water, old ladies crocheting pentagrams, and that bitch Tina in Accounting have in common? They’re all in my next book, So My Grandma Summoned A Demon! First draft starting Jan. 1st! I’m so excited to begin this story!

Second will be ‘Ferry Tail’, a story I began a while ago and am also very excited to finish! First draft expected to be done by July 1st, 2023, and to beta readers by September 1st.

Eugenia Sackhat is a witch whose dearest wish is to become truly wicked, but her heart just isn’t in it. Lysette, her orphaned hostage, is determined to help her by hook or by crook, so they can both get their ‘happily ever afters’. Eugenia has a special gift; she can fly without a broomstick. Now she has been given a mission from the United Coven of Wicked Witches- use her unique gift to rescue a princess from a tower. But princess-rescuing is what heroes do, and if she succeeds she’ll be further away from wickedness than ever before.

How can Lysette and Eugenia rescue the princess and still get everything they want? And who is the real danger: the werewolf that imprisoned her in the tower, or the very princess they are trying to save? Or is it all just one big ferry tail?

Third will be ‘As You Witch’. This one, I dreamt up one night – literally – from start to finish. First draft expected to be done by Oct 1st 2023, and to beta readers by EOY.

Arkayna Canmore is a dashing hero, a warrior, and the heir to her kingdom’s throne. She is set to marry Imogen Clarence, a beautiful, tender-hearted young woman who knows nothing of battle or adventuring. Imogen is the heir to a neighboring country, and the marriage is set to secure a treaty and merge their two lands.

Ark and Imogen are meeting for the first time on the day their engagement is announced. Everyone in the realm has been invited…except Mags, a nasty witch who lives deep in the forbidden and treacherous forests of Staiawai. In true snubbed witch tradition, Mags appears at the engagement party and kidnaps Ark. Now it’s up to Imogen to rescue her intended from the witch’s clutches before it is too late, and her betrothed is lost to her forever.

I will also be working on covers during this time and will update the website as I get those completed. 2023 will also be the year I start looking for agents and to get Reboot traditionally published, so fingers crossed on all that!

To everyone, have a very wonderful holidays and stay tuned!

So a few weeks ago I was at my Dad’s house and he asked me what I found the hardest about writing. My answer to him basically amounted to ‘sexy scenes’ (I can write romance just fine, but when it comes to describing someone’s physical attractiveness or actual sex scenes I have a very difficult time. Yeah, I fade to black a lot. I could never be a romance author).

Well, I was wrong. Because as I have found out just recently, the two hardest things for me about writing are now without a doubt a) editing, and b) estimating how long it will take me to do said editing.

I did promise you all that I would have Reboot ready for beta reads by the end of September. Then, the end of October. Now, as you can clearly see just by taking a gander at the ol’ calendar, that’s gonna slip past as well. I have a very strong start on my Reboot edits and I know where I’m going and what I’m doing, but there is no way it’s going to be done before Nov. 1st. So now I’m aiming for the end of November. Sorry guys (Caro, please no stabby stab the next time I see you!) I feel it would be a disservice to send it out for beta reads when I know it’s not ready.

For Vhantalya, I have taken everything into consideration from my beta readers and am making great strides on the last round of edits. Based on feedback, I have added a new beginning scene and a new more fleshed out ending. The bulk of the grammar and general typos have been corrected. I have two more new scenes to write (should be fairly small) and a pass at a couple more things and it’ll be ready for round two of betas. This, I’ll definitely have done by the end of November.

Now, the big one; Scarlett…

**sigh**

I’m actually getting the writing moving now. I just broke 80,000 words (I was on 90,000 when I lost the original draft last year). It’s going more smoothly than it was in the beginning and I’m pretty confident I can make my ‘end of the year’ goal for the first draft to be done. It’s clear to me now though that I cannot write nearly as fast as I used to, and editing is *not* my forte.

Still, ever forward.

In the meantime, I’m working on increasing my reading as well (other works than just my own). I’ve had several very good book suggestions that I want to read, and I plan on sharing and reviewing them a bit here when I get them finished. I also have a Goodreads page if anyone’s interested in checking that out. When I actually get something published I’ll update to an author profile there.

Current reads: Fairy Tale, by Stephen King; Oil and Dust by Jami Fairleigh, and The Good Kings, by Kara Cooney.

I’ve rethought my book order and tweaked it a bit, shuffling a couple of things around. I am going to put in one of my new ideas next year, bumping the Line series back a little as a result.

Next year is going to be the year of humor, with So My Grandma Summoned a Demon, Ferry Tail, and As You Witch up on the docket. I have updated my page to reflect these changes.

I’m already starting to get feedback from my beta readers on Vhantalya, with some very good notes and suggestions. One more month until all feedback is due and the final draft rewrite of that will begin to move forward. After that, the agent hunt is on!

I’m very excited to see what the rest of the beta readers have to say about Vhan. Reboot is well into its second draft, and my Scarlett rewrite is now up to 22,000 words. Still on schedule for those to go to beta readers as well. As always, if you have any interest in being a beta reader for any of my stories, please, email me with the title of the story and ‘beta read’ in the subject line.

Until next time!

So I really need to learn that whenever I say ‘I’ll have that updated/done in the next couple of days’ what that really means is ‘eventually’.

In my last blog post I said that I’d get my Future Projects timeline updated with my new story ideas. That was over a month ago. My slow, procrastinating self has finally gotten that done, with my official story count now at 44 WIP.

Scarlett is moving steadily (if a bit sloppily) on its first draft rewrite, standing now about 17,000 words. I’m steadily chipping away at my second draft/edit of Reboot, and apparently I have enough future work to keep me busy until rapture!

Next year should be a fun one! Two of the three works I have in progress next year are my humor/fractured fairy tale pieces that are just a hoot to write (and hopefully, to read!)

Well, back to it. Until next time!

“Ok, I’ve done six different edit read-throughs of Vhantalya, it should be good to get to beta readers now.”

**sends to beta readers**

**immediately starts to reread it again**

Look at my beautiful field of mistakes and typos! Isn’t it glorious?? Shall be a bountiful harvest!

**beats head on desk**