May: the Update

The month started off with a bang as book 3 of The Salon of Enchanted Beauty released on the 1st! The Sleepless Beauty is available in ebook form at your favorite retailer. If you join my patreon on the Bronze Dragon tier or higher, you'll receive the ebook at the end of the month as part of your patron rewards. It will also be added to the library for the non-merch tiers end of June or beginning of July.

Upcoming Release Schedule 2023

The Beastly Perfume (The Salon of Enchanted Beauty #4) --> July 3rd (ebook/possibly paperback)

The Salon of Enchanted Beauty #5 --> September 4th (ebook/paperback)

The Salon of Enchanted Beauty #6 --> October 30th (ebook/paperback)

Paperback versions of TSoEB #1-4 are estimated to be released in July. Hardback is still under consideration.

Audiobook versions will go into production over the summer but no projected release date yet.

Other projects

Märchenverse:

Book 1 is on the agenda to release sometime this year. Once TSoEB is prepped for all its 2023 releases, then I can turn towards editing this. My goal is to finish it by end of July.

No projected release dates on book 2 so far. The rewrite is still simmering away on the back burner, though I have generated some ideas for it. I probably wouldn't get around to working on it until 2024 most likely.

Magic Academy:

A few more ideas have been tossed into the pot to simmer, but no written progress so far. However, a recent binge of cultivation webnovels has definitely brought some inspiration.

Kagerou:

This poor baby keeps getting neglected unfortunately. I still want to get this released because I really want to share the fun with you! However, paid projects take priority.

Lastly, the goals for May

1) Finish writing The Salon of Enchanted Beauty #6

2) Get The Salon of Enchanted Beauty 4-6 edited, formatted, and up for preorder as ebooks.

3) Write a few chapters of Kagerou

That may not seem like a lot, but this month is packed with other events that will get in the way. Wish me luck! I shall do my best and try not to end up in another distracting reading binge.

2023: The Plan

 2023 approached like a freight train and has been since time spend up
last October, however I have had some time to cobble together some plans in-between the usual chaos filled holidays.

First of all: PUBLICATION. 

It will happen and hopefully will repeat many times this year. One reason for refocusing onto "The Salon of Enchanted Beauty" is for the simple fact that I can complete short stories and publish them faster than novels. I will be attempting a modified fast release schedule with one story published every 6-8 weeks. Wish me luck!

The first goal for publication: 

Release book 1 in January (ebook and hardback). A stretch goal is to release an audiobook for it in February or March. I won't know the timing for sure until I being the audiobook creation process for which I'm still in the researching stage. Audio versions will be released on Patreon first (Platinum Dragon tier) before being made available to the public.

Other publication plans: Ideally, I would like to release Märchenverse book 1 before the 20 books to 50k conference in November.

Social Media plans and goals:

 A total revamp and refresh is coming/is in progress! New content, new graphics, and just a clearer idea, for me and for you, as to what each platform will offer. Look forward to a post on this topic later this month or in February. Whenever I have the time!

In person event plans:

One sentence: Let's go 20 books to 50k Las Vegas!!! There will be an author signing on the last day (November 11th) so please plan on coming by to shop and chat! 

I'm also hoping to join a local author book fair in Spring if I have enough books published and in stock by then. More details on that later~

That's all! Or at least that is all I can think to plan for from my current perspective. Perspectives change as we grow, so please check back for monthly updates on my progress and plans. I want to keep you all closer in the loop in 2023 (a new years resolution I'm clutching tightly too!)

What kind of goals and plans do you have for 2023?

2022 in Review

What a year it has been! I was not expecting the rollercoaster that 2022 turned into. 

The big high (and biggest distraction from writing) has been the new job I started back in February. I finally took the first step on the long journey of my career as a librarian. I found a niche job hiding in the basement of the central branch of a public library. What do I actually do? I catalog and process new materials. But hiding in the basement sounds more mysterious. I don't have to interact with the public aside from the rare occasions on which I venture out from my basement abode to help upstairs. The last time I did so, I ended up manning the teen desk amidst a horde of 7th graders on a tour of the library. Yikes! But for the most part, my position is an introvert's paradise. Books and hardly any people around!

To be serious, I have quite enjoyed my new job even though I had to put writing and publishing plans on the back burner for most of the year while I wrapped my head around the massive change in routine and location (moving to another city is not easy, regardless of the size of the move). However, I was finally stable enough to pull that back into focus in the fall of this year. That led to a retargeting of my publication plans towards the short story series "The Salon of Enchanted Beauty" while pushing back the "Märchenverse" series till a later date. Novels take so much more time than short stories to edit and I am terribly slow at editing to begin with. If I wanted something published before next spring, a short story it would have to be. 

In November, I attended, virtually, the 20booksto50k Las Vegas conference. Virtual only after plans to go in person fell through (drat cars and how expensive repairs can be!) It was highly inspiring and has only solidified my determination to attend in person next year. I'm extremely excited to buy my ticket next month!

Now, onto what you really wanted to know from this update: what projects am I working on and what is my progress! 

1) The Salon of Enchanted Beauty

As I mentioned above, this is the series that is at the forefront of my energy and attention. It's a cozy fantasy series of long form short stories following the misadventures of a sorceress named Philliya Wridall as she runs a magical beauty salon.

Status:

Book 1: In editing and pushing for a January 2023 release (I hope!!)

Books 2 - 4: Written awaiting editing

Book 5: Halfway written

2) Märchenverse

The series of sci-fi novels which cover various rewritten and adapted fairy tales from classics to lesser known tales. I do love this series, but pushing it back for now was the right step. I'm still eager to get this done and published! I can't wait to share it all with you. If you are impatient, you can join my patreon to read the original first draft of book 2 in the library.

Book 1: In editing

Book 2: Awaiting a complete rewrite.

Book 3: Writing, floundering, rewriting, etc. Horror is not my strong point when it comes to writing.

Books 4-8: Planned and waiting in the wings to tempt me to focus on them instead of what I should be working on! How rude of them. lol

3) The fanfiction - Kagerou: A Pathfinders Journal

I know, I know. I keep promising that this one will get done, but it keeps getting pushed back in favor my non-fanfiction series since I'm just your basic human who has to prioritize money over fun. 

Book 1: In the process of rewriting and editing

Book 2: Planned but no timeline set for actually writing it. 

Books 3-6: Possible and advisable if I want to complete the entire adventure path, but I don't want to count my chickens before they hatch.

4) The magic academy (series? webnovel? who knows at this point!)

This one is shaping up to be my longest work ever at a projected 300k+ words if I cover the four projected plot arcs, but it needs a serious world building overhaul before I can dig into rewriting and writing it. Apparently I am not very practiced at building magic systems and this book needs one that's pretty solidly planned out...yay me...

Book ?: Partially written, but needs planning and a rewrite.

5) Survival 

Aka the R rated sci-fi book/series I've been trying to write for years. It is also partially written, but needs a major restructuring and planning before I can even attempt to begin again. In other news, my brain has decided it's more interesting to work on plot arc #2 instead of #1. So I have made some progress? Brain! Focus!

So there you have it! Those are the major projects I'm attempting to guide towards publication. That doesn't mean they are the only projects bouncing around in my brain or on my PC, however! I don't lack for ideas (ever), but the other projects are on hold for now so I can try to focus my limited energy and time on the most viable series for publishing. (Though, check out my patreon for glimpses into the archives and chime in on whether a project should be pulled from cryostasis!)

Which project are you the most interested in? Are you leaning towards fantasy or sci-fi?

So long 2022 and thanks for all the fish! 

The Mid Year and Juggling

Photo licensed from Depositphotos

It's already July. Wow.

I'm astounded at how fast time is flying past this year. I thought it was time for me to do a check in on my writing goals I set back in January. How did I do? Some I accomplished and some I won't. I'm not displeased, however. Rolling with the punches is the best way to stay on track the best I can with my scattered brain.

Writing goal #1: releasing a new social media story. 

Status: Checked off and it's still running though I took a break from it for a while. No Return is live on IG and Patreon every Sunday.

Writing goal #2: launching the webnovel Kagerou.

Status: The novel is being rewritten and edited. I'm still on track to begin releasing it sometime later this year.

Writing goal #3: Finally completing and publishing book 1 of Märchenverse.

Status: Most likely won't happen this year. I had too much of a delay earlier this year. I have made progress on books 1-3 however. I haven't yet started draft 2 of book 1 but I have started to line things up that need fixing or adding. Book 2 is slowly pushing its way out the chrysalis to show me the new form it will take during the rewrite. Book 3 has almost completely replotted itself and just needs more work on the middle section before I can start it again from scratch to have a much more horrifically terrifying story that it was before. Wish me luck. I am NOT a horror writer...

Writing goal #4: Attending my first 20booksto50k conference in November.

Status: Car decided it wanted to use up all my available funds so, alas, I must postpone this until 2023. I shall attend virtually and still take days off of work to focus on that, however.

And why all the huge delays and postponements this year? 

That all comes down to my one non-writing goal: to land a full-time job. 

I did it!! Back in January I finally received an offer to start a full-time job at *drumroll* a library! Yes, that was the job I was hinting at in the previous post. I'm now a Library Assistant who gets to hide in the central library's basement doing cataloguing. It's fantastic and right up my alley, but it did require a move and a complete halt on the writing front for months while I unpacked and got settled into my new job and city. So, now that my brain has had time to adjust, I'm finally getting back into the groove for writing. 

First up on the writing schedule? Finish Kagerou and get that ready and waiting in the wings to start. July marks the running of Camp NaNoWriMo and I'm hoping to use that to motivate me enough to accomplish at least half the rewrite.

Second, back to Märchenverse and try to get as much of that done as quickly as possible so I'm prepared for any other road blocks that may pop up.

While you are waiting, I would suggest popping over to my patreon. I recently finished updating the patreon library and I've started posting occasional book reviews. I'm hoping to post a little more consistently over there with new content. But, writing comes first before updating here or on patreon so please forgive me for inconsistency. 

Happy 4th of July and enjoy your holiday weekend!

Photo licensed from Depositphotos

Looking Ahead to 2022

I can hardly believe that 2021 flew by so fast. I landed a new job, got rid of an old one, and the time flew by in a blur while I was adjusting. I didn't get much written in the last half of the year due to that, unfortunately, but I'm finally reengaging now that the holiday season is over (thank goodness that it is! I definitely burnt out during it).

And so now, as I face down the coming year ahead, I see a year full of potential and possibilities. And that also means change and lots of it. Some decided and actioned by me and some foisted upon me to which I must adapt. So I thought I would officially write down my goals for the year so that you might have a glimpse into what possibilities I see lurking in 2022.

Writing goals:

1) The first goal I wanted to accomplish this year was to whip up a new social media story to air on my Instagram. It's a small experiment that I hope you all enjoy. I can check off this goal starting tomorrow when it begins releasing!

2) The second goal is a bit further out. I know I've been promising to finally get around to relaunching the rewritten Kagerou novel for quite a while now. I'm aiming to get it started this year (possibly spring). No idea when I'll get around to writing the second novel as that depends on where in my crowded writing schedule it could fit.

3) The third and most important goal: the completion and publication of Märchenverse. Book 1 is still needing rewriting and editing and I'm midway through the little prequel. Book 2 need a complete overhaul of a rewrite and I'm in the beginning stages of writing Book 3. That said, I am hoping to publish Book 1 in the fall of this year. *crosses fingers* So, I would hope to have books 1-3 written and edited by then so I could write book 4 during NaNoWriMo.

4) The fourth goal (numbered so by virtue of being the last scheduled to happen), is to save up for and attend the 20booksto50k indie publishing conference in Las Vegas next November. If I accomplish goal #3, then I can hopefully participate in the book signing event at the end of the conference and sell some physical copies of my new shiny book. But, I will need to save up the money! It isn't cheap and I've got publishing costs to pay before then.

Non-Writing goals:

I only really have one big goal for this year and it's the same one I've had since before the great plague killed the job market: get a full-time job! I've been switching from part-time to part-time for jobs and I'd like to nail down one that is full-time so I can finally get full benefits (and possibly finally latch onto the bottom rung of a career track). Now, if I do get that job, that's the big unknown factor as to how the writing goals will progress or if they even will progress at all for a time. And I might be completing this goal sooner rather than later as I currently do have a possible job (with a move!) lined up at present. We shall see what happens and I shall roll with it. If I go radio silent for a while, that probably means I got the job and am completely focused on adapting to the new situation and learning the ropes. 

Hopefully I'll remember that I wrote this post at the end of 2022 so I can see how much I checked off, or not, over the course of the year. As with any goal setting, I'm aiming to knock off every single item on the list! 

Do you have any goals you want to tackle in 2022? If you don't mind sharing them, comment below! 

Happy 2022 to you all and may this year be better than the last for all of us!