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**

Vhantalya is now officially in the hands of the beta readers! If you emailed me to be a beta reader for Vhantalya and don’t now have a copy in your inbox, please let me know.

Tomorrow, I’m going to start assembling all my notes on Scarlett and start my rewrite on that, and my work on the second draft of Reboot shall begin.

Today, I’m going to take the day off. I need a breather!

Happy Father’s Day to all the Fathers out there, and most especially my own. Dad, you gave me a passion for storytelling and have always supported me in my writing and accepted me for who I am, no questions asked. I’m glad you’re my Dad, and I hope you have the best Father’s Day!

Hello everyone! I know I haven’t updated in a bit, I’ve been very diligently working, and now I have news!

Five years ago, on Friday June 16th, 2017 at 10:43 am, I wrote the first chapter of a story that I have since titled ‘Reboot’. Today, on Thursday, June 16th, 2022 (though sadly not at 10:43 am), I finished the first draft of that story, writing the final words.

First draft is done! Whew!

I’m going to leave it rest for a day then read through it again and prepare my notes for my second draft. There are some threads I need to tie in, a scene or two that needs changing or rearranging, some characterization to flesh out, and a whole lot of typos that need un-typo-ing.

I expect to have Reboot to beta readers by fall. If you are at all interested in beta reading for Reboot, please send me an email with ‘Reboot beta read’ as the subject line.

Beta readers for Vhantalya: I expect to have the final edits done by this weekend. Unless something goes horribly wrong, you should be getting an email with the manuscript and questionnaire by Sunday evening (Pacific standard USA time for those that aren’t locals).

Once that is sent off, I will be beginning the redraft of Scarlett. I am aiming to have that redone and possibly even to beta readers by the end of the year.

Lastly, I have finished the cover for Reboot! As I’ve mentioned before, I do all my own book covers. It has been updated to the front page, but for those who missed it there or don’t want to click *all* the way back, I have included it in this post. I will also be putting it up on my art site, http://www.Melaradark.art

I would love feedback on the cover, good or bad! Does it grab you? Would it make you want to pick up the book and check out the synopsis? Please let me know!

That’s right! The first draft of Reboot is in the home stretch!

268 pages down, 118,000 words (120,000 by Saturday evening). Only a few more chapters to go.

I should probably get started on a cover…

Vhantalya is ticking along as well. My last little polish up is taking more time than I anticipated but I’m still confident in being able to send to beta readers by mid-June. I’m getting there, I promise!

I have some more story ideas that I need to add to my timeline as well. When I’m finished with the first draft I’m going to take a day or two before I do my first reread and shred session, so I may add up my additional ideas onto my timeline then. Fortunately (for my fingers, my sanity, and my wife’s sanity) all of these are stand-alone, no new series.

Aaaand now that I said that I’ll get an idea for a new series. Just watch.

As soon as Vhan is off to the beta readers and I’ve started my second draft of Reboot I’ll start (re) writing my ‘first’ draft of Scarlett again.

Can you believe we’re almost halfway through the year? It feels like just yesterday I was screaming over losing my nearly complete manuscript, now I’m screaming over starting it over again. Ah, how time does fly!