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R.I.P. Summer, 2019

R.I.P. Summer, 2019

Phew! <—that's me blowing out a combined breath of relief and dismay. 

Summer is over, at least where I live. It’s full-blown autumn now.

Status update:

And after a busy few months (where I didn't get much writing done), I am now back into work mode. 

What this means is that I've been busy with many of my writing projects. And I mean projects. I listed out all the stories I have in various stages of completion right now, and there are about ten. Ten! active works-in-progress. Yikes. No wonder I was feeling so overwhelmed this summer. 

Some writers keep a lot of different things going at once and never give themselves a chance to slow, but I find I actively work through about 3-4 projects at a time. Still, even 4 stories is a lot to juggle and keep in mind. Most of my projects are somehow related, like set in the same world as the Canens Chronicles, but others are completely different.

What happens is that sometimes things end up on the back burner, like my Broken Time project, which I'm still thinking about frequently, but letting brew and simmer until air finish up with the Canens Chronicles series.

It's times like these that I wish I was a faster writer. I wish I could push through these projects and be happy with them in 4-6 weeks, but I just can't. Each story I write requires several full drafts, and I always seem to need a good break between finishing a draft and starting on the next one. That's why I cycle through so many projects, so that I can work on something while I let another project rest. But it also means I have a lot of projects in different stages that all need some level of my attention.

New Releases:

I'm hoping for a late October release for book 2 in the Canens Chronicles (Fire & Frost). But shhh! Don't tell! I haven't set any preorders up yet, but you’ll be the first to know when I do.

I am rereleasing "The Bear in the Forest" the end of this month though, so if you never picked it up from the JL Anthology "From the Stories of Old," and are interested in supporting me, you can find it on Amazon and Kobo for preorder. Soon, it will also be available on Barnes & Noble and Apple Books.

In the meantime, my goals for September are this: finish my final draft of Fire & Frost (so I have October to copyedit and proofread); write a new short story for the JL Anthology #9 (mythology this time, yay!); and work on a co-writing endeavor of mine in the contemporary/urban fantasy fiction realm (really excited about this actually!).

Other news:

If that's not enough to be getting on with, my son started kindergarten a couple of weeks ago, and I'm still struggling with the time adjustments it's put on the family. We’re getting up an hour earlier, so that means my writing time is cut down by an hour, or else I'm so tired at my daughter’s nap time that I can't keep my eyes open. I haven't yet learned how to fall asleep at 8:30 p.m. so that I can get up refreshed at 4/4:30 and have my two work hours in the morning like normal. Ugh. 

So, we’re still adjusting. Kids take a lot of time and effort, and some kids take more than others. Coupled with my own sleep needs and other life requirements, it's been a challenge for me to write lately. But I will persevere! Eventually, all of Winter’s story will get told, and I'll be wondering who I get to spend my time with next… 

We've also been trying to squeeze in a few camping trips before autumn turns too cold. The leaves have already changed (it's hard to find green leaves anymore), and it's a ticking clock until the snow hits (#truth). Now that it's September, snow could come any day, really.

So with all that in mind, all the outside around-the-house projects to finish before it snows, and trying to soak up as much of the late summer sun as we can before it's too cold to play outside, it's gonna be a busy month!

Photos:

We enjoyed Ophir Creek campgrounds this past weekend, where we looked for bears (none), saw a mama and baby moose, saw tons of moose hunters, went on hikes, picked (and ate) blueberries, and skipped rocks on the river banks.

Good times!

Fire &amp; Frost Cover Reveal!

Fire & Frost Cover Reveal!

Thoughts on June

Thoughts on June