Photo by Rodion Kutsaiev on Unsplash
Hello, everyone! If you're seeing this, it means you signed up for my newsletter at some point in time. Don't worry, I'm not going to flood your inbox. I do like to give you guys regular updates, though. Let's get started!
What Am I Working On?
Photo by Joel Timothy on Unsplash
The Blackbriar Coven: I’ve finished the read-aloud draft of this one. Next up is formatting and marketing research. Woo-hoo! If all goes as planned, this first book should release later this year.
The Bed and Breakfast Between Worlds: This one has been my main focus for the last couple of weeks. I went through reader comments and just finished the read-aloud draft. Since then I’ve been working on my query letter and synopsis and finalizing my query list.
Spirits of Salt and Sea: Now that the previous two books are done, I’ll be jumping back into this one. I’m hoping to finish draft two this month.
Amhrán Gan Choinne: Still working on this one here and there. I’ve had a few fun ideas for it, but am still taking my time.
Fun With Friends: Those of you who read Phillip Drayer Duncan’s Blade Mage series will be happy to know I’m about to start editing this one. I’m hoping to complete it this month as well.
What Have I Been Reading?
I’ve finally finished In Sunlight and in Shadow by Mark Helprin. Like I said before, I’ve been reading this one for a while (I kept getting distracted by other books). It wasn’t my favorite book by him, but it was enjoyable. He’s released two new books since this one was published, so I’ll have to pick them up at some point.
I’ve also finished my re-read of the Hakumei and Mikochi series. I had to slow way down because the newest volume was shipped to me and didn’t arrive until well after the release date. (And I’m still not happy about it.) I didn’t want there to be a long gap between reading volumes 12 and 13, so I slowed down to account for that.
This is my favorite cozy series (and one of my favorite series period), and it’s always fun and comforting to come back to it. The newest volume was delightful, and I’m getting ready to jump back into the anime now.
Now that I’ve finished the books mentioned above, I’m jumping into a new one, The Elsewhere Express. It’s about a magical train, which I’m a sucker for, and I’m enjoying it so far!
What Have I Been Watching?
Stranger Things is done! I love this show, and wouldn’t mind starting the whole thing over again. We might just do that at some point this year. It’s crazy watching clips of those earlier seasons and seeing how young all the kids are.
Phill and I have been watching Peaky Blinders. Phill’s already seen most of it, but never finished. A Peaky Blinders movie is releasing in March, so we decided to go through the show before it comes out. There are six seasons and we’re creeping up on the end of season two, so still a ways to go.
Phill and I have also been watching the new season of Fallout. This has been a fun one, and is (so far) the best video game adaptation I’ve seen.
What Have I Been Playing?
I’m finally in Rohan! It’s a big area, so it will take me a while to make my way through it. I’ll probably stick with LotRO for the next several months, though there are a few more cozy games I’d like to try at some point.
My Elf minstrel, Aiwelin, still in her winter witch garb
What Have I Been Listening To?
Another “something different” for this month.
There’s a channel on YouTube called Pandora Journey that puts together instrumental videos for writing, studying, etc. The one below was one of the first ones I found, and is still my favorite. They’ve removed a couple songs from the video since I first found it, but I was able to find them elsewhere (shared separately below). It’s two hours long, so I encourage you to give it a listen the next time to you need background music while working, choring, etc.
February Events
Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash
Our big event this month is Superstars Writing Seminars, which is held in Colorado Springs every year.
This is one of my favorite conferences. It focuses on the business side of writing and has sessions for both indie and traditional authors. By the time you read this, we’ll have less than a day left until we leave.
(And to those of you reading this who will be there, I can’t wait to see you!)
Language Corner
In this section I like to share words from languages I’m learning. This month I’ve chosen more Irish words.
Patreon, Ko-fi, & Substack
I post once a week on Patreon about all sorts of things: writing, books I’m reading, things going on in life. Once a month I also share sneak peeks of whatever book I’m working on. It would mean the world to me if you considered joining.
I am also on Ko-fi, which is sort of like Patreon, but with one key difference: you’re not locked into a subscription. Ko-fi allows patrons to donate however often they’d like to creators they follow. No subscriptions if you don’t want them, no commitments, and you have control over when and how you donate. At this point my Ko-fi page exists solely to allow one-off donations.
I decided to try Substack, since I’ve seen so many people join it recently. I’m curious to see if I like it, if it’s any better than some of the other platforms out there, or if maybe it will be worthwhile long-term. Time will tell.
Get in Touch
I'm always happy to answer questions about my books, about writing in general, or whatever else strikes your fancy. Send me a message!