What Is in a Name #IWSG | Fate of The Fate Challenges

The Insecure Writer's Support Group was created by Alex J. Cavanaugh. June's co-hosts are Beverly Stowe McClure, Tyrean Martinson, and Ellen @ The Cynical Sailor. For a list of the other IWSG posters, click here.

OPTIONAL IWSG Day Question: What's harder for you to come up with, book titles or character names? For me, character names. I tend to land on a book title much easier than come up with however many character names I need, especially characters' last names. I'm terrible figuring out last names and that's the reason why no one in The Fate Challenges has them. LOL!

What are your insecurities this month?

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Last month went fairly well, despite beating my head against the wall trying to create the perfect file and cover for the print version of Elements of Untethered Realms. I spent way too many hours on it, but I'm so pleased with how it turned out. It's one beautiful book. This month's goal is to proofread at least half, if not all, of the 570 pages (242,000+ words) in Elements of Untethered Realms.

What are your goals for June?

2018 Stats

20,257 words written

17,708 words edited

81,684 friends' words edited

If you read my newsletter, you've already read this part...

This year, especially in May, I've been thinking about where I want to take my writing, particularly concerning The Fate Challenges and my current passion leaning toward science fiction rather than fantasy. The thinking involved math too.

If I can rewrite/edit an average of 1,000 words per hour and proofread 2,000 words per hour, it'll take me around 260 hours to finish Forged and 360 hours to finish Destined. 620 hours, not including the time it takes for my critique partners to edit Destined, wouldn't be too bad if I could work 20-40 hours a week on it. With a full-time job and health problems, which cause low energy levels, 20-40 hours a week won't be happening anytime soon. Plus, there is the passion part too. I stand by my plans for The Fate Challenges, but I want to start writing science fiction sooner rather than later. The more time I spend with The Fate Challenges, the less I'll have for what I really want to write.

So how much time do I think I can give to The Fate Challenges a week? I've settled on 2-3 hours, which I could either do in thirty-minute intervals throughout the work week or all in one day, depending on my energy levels. In theory, I should have time to work on science fiction too, if I limit how long I work on The Fate Challenges.

At 2.5 hours a week, it'll take me nearly five years to complete Forged and Destined. I don't want future readers to continue to wait that long as some readers have already waited over four years for Forged. With that in mind, I've made the decision to unpublish Reborn on retailers/Wattpad, Determined from my website, and Marked from retailers. I will do so after Labor Day (US) as I will need time to update websites and such.

After Untethered Realms publishes Elements of Untethered Realms and I'm finished writing my story for Untethered Worlds Anthology #1, I plan to start working on The Fate Challenges again (near the end of this year, early next year). I'll likely start at the beginning with a light edit on Reborn, Determined, and Marked before continuing on with Forged and Destined. When I'm at the proofreading stages for Destined, I plan to start publishing the series again. Perhaps the stories will be re-titled too. I'll keep you all updated as who knows what the publishing world, or the world in general, will look like in the next 5-6 years.

Though I am sorry it'll take much, much longer to complete The Fate Challenges, I must admit I feel good about this decision, especially since it means I'll be able to start working on science fiction later this year. Right now I plan to start on a duology set around a 1,000 years in the future on Mars and Earth. The idea came to me while reading an article on SpaceX. You can use your imagination to fill in the details as I won't say much more. Yet.

Writing All Wrong #IWSG | Stargate's #DriveToRevive

The Insecure Writer's Support Group was created by Alex J. Cavanaugh. March's co-hosts are Mary Aalgaard, Bish Denham, Jennifer Hawes, Diane Burton, and Gwen Gardner. Please visit the other IWSG participants.

So February was a pretty epic fail on the writing front. I'm proud of what I rewrote/edited for the 3-4 days I worked on Forged, but I should have done more. A combination of lack of energy and an obsession for all things Stargate and physics helped me to push Forged to the side. At the rate I'm going, Forged may come out this year. It may not. I need to get back into rewriting it, though. But I also kinda need to watch Stargate and read about hyperspace, parallel universes, antimatter, dark energy/matter, etc. And then I have this idea for a science fiction series that does involve an Einstein-Rosen bridge portal (like Stargate with a device to travel between planets but many differences too), but I keep telling it no. At least until The Fate Challenges are published.

I must admit I'm pretty insecure about my special interest taking over all else.

What are you insecure about?

IWSG Question: How do you celebrate when you achieve a writing goal/finish a story? See. I knew I was doing something wrong. I never celebrate when I achieve a writing goal or finish a story. Maybe if I did, it might help to get to that "the end." I also don't write "the end" on a finished draft either. I'm weird like that.

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March's goal is pretty much February's goal as well as January's goal. Write 20,000 words in Forged. If I accomplish that, then I'll be up to 38,000 words rewritten/edited. *crosses fingers*

2018 Stats

17,708 words written

17,708 words edited

78,718 friends' words edited

March 8 is my 36 birthday. To celebrate, anyone who enters this month's giveaway will win a copy of one of my ebooks. Please one entry per person.

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Attention all fans and potential fans of Stargate. We're trying to show our support to our favorite sci-fi series and perhaps get an additional series set in the Stargate universe.

To do so, there will be two tweet parties: one on March 9 (US) and one of March 10 (World).

Please stop by and tweet/retweet if you can. For more information, please visit Joe Mallozzi's blog also follow @StargateNow on Twitter.

2018 Goals #IWSG #amwriting #amediting

The Insecure Writer's Support Group was created by Alex J. Cavanaugh. January's co-hosts are Tyrean Martinson, The Cynical Sailor, Megan Morgan, Rachna Chhabria, and Jennifer Lane. Find the other IWSG participants here.

Happy New Year! It's hard to believe 2018 is upon us, but we've made it.

In 2017, I wrote 111,465 words and edited 908,937 words between my own work and other people's work. I've been on a writing hiatus since October 24, but I'm back writing as of January 1. And I'm trying to be more realistic of what I can accomplish. *crosses fingers* We'll see how it goes.

In 2018, my goals include:

• Publish Forged (The Fate Challenges #2) in mid-2018.
• Publish Elements of Untethered Realms (Elements of Untethered Realms 1-4) in October 2018.
• Rewrite and start editing Destined (The Fate Challenges #3) for a 2019 release.

I also hope to read at least twenty-four books, continue to critique for my critique partners, and schedule in the occasional breaks.

What are your goals for 2018?

OPTIONAL IWSG Day Question:What steps have you taken to put a schedule in place for your writing and publishing? For over two years, I wrote every single day. I don't plan to do quite that, but I am trying to do better about having reasonable goals and scheduling in some downtime too. For me, I need to remember writing is part-time. I have a full-time job, and it's too hard for me to treat writing as one too. So my plan is to have monthly goals and take one day at a time.

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Since I'm trying to be more realistic about my goals, here is what I hope to accomplish in January.

• Rewrite/edit 20,000 words in Forged.
• Edit my friend's novel.

Yep, that's pretty much it. Five thousand words or so a week and I'll meet my writing goal, but I'm hoping to spend a few days writing/editing more so I can take a day or two off here and there.

Here's to a productive 2018!

A reminder: Bookworm News has moved to the last day of the month.

A Writing Hiatus, or When Just Keep Swimming Isn't Enough #IWSG

The Insecure Writer's Support Group was created by Alex J. Cavanaugh. November's co-hosts are Tonja Drecker, Diane Burton, MJ Fifield, and Rebecca Douglass. Find the other IWSG participants here.

Okay, it's time to bring up some insecurities this month, and I apologize for a longer post than normal.

This year has been a much rougher one than I could have imagined or even talked about until now, and I must admit I'm reaching my physical and emotional limits. I don't do the best with change, and there have been too many changes this year that have taken their toil. To name a few:

1. The whole political election and its aftermath. Sometimes I wonder if we're living in the backstory of a dystopian novel.
2. All the natural and unnatural horrors happening within the world. It seems like a new one occurs every day.
3. Overall, I do enjoy my quiet day job as a library assistant in a small academic library at a higher education center, but we've had ten staffing changes since December. At a place with around twenty employees, I've found it a lot to handle.
4. My grandfather passed away in February. Logic brain acknowledges and accepts that not only are all four of my grandparents dead, but also that everyone I know will die. Unless we find a way to stream our consciousness to the internet or something, of course. Emotional brain didn't get that memo, and when my grandfather died, emotional brain suddenly realized all her grandparents were gone. It hit me harder than I expected.
5. Chronic pain is draining my energy. After two back injuries and various other injuries throughout the years as well as not coping with emotions well and having a hard time even understanding them in myself (Alexithymia), I've developed chronic myofascial pain syndrome and chronic tendinitis. I take the bare minimum of pain pills and muscle relaxers I can get by with and still function (3 or 4 on the pain scale most "good" days), but pain is hard to live with day in and day out (since 2008). I'm just getting slower and slower.
6. Number 5 doesn't help my generalized and social anxiety disorders. And I'm getting tired of having panic attacks every week when I go grocery shopping. Nor does #7 help with the anxiety either.
7. I mentioned I don't like change, but I may have a neurological reason for it. Every so often, a very close relative would call out something I do as "autistic." I didn't pay much attention to it until April's Autism Awareness Acceptance month, and several of my autistic friends started posting symptoms and other information about autism in adults. I started to see myself in those posts. So I did some research and asked my relative why they said what they did. Well, it turns out their psychiatrist mentioned I sounded like I was autistic, and she does have a background in how autism presents itself in women. So I'm 98% certain I'm autistic and would consider myself self-diagnosed, although I do plan to seek a more official diagnosis once I have collected and compiled more data, have the funds, and find the courage (see #6) to find someone to diagnosis me. And if the government (see #1) doesn't make it harder for people with pre-existing conditions.
8. My dad is remodeling the interior of our house. We've lived there since 1989, so it's time to replace the floors and paint and all, but my sanctuary is gone. Everything is different, and it's all just too much.

I've been keeping my head down, blinders on, and swimming along, but now I've come to a Niagara Falls' high waterfall, I'm trying my best not to take the plunge. Something needs to change before I break down, either physically or emotionally. I've been cutting back on things, and I don't have much left that I do beyond the day job and writing. Since the day job pays the bills, I've decided to take a month off, maybe even two, from writing and editing my own work. I fear that if I don't take the time off now, then I won't have a choice later on. It has happened in the past.

After all, I've been working on my own manuscripts every single day since July 1, 2015 through October 24, 2017 (over 615,000 words written!). With being a writer part-time seven days a week, working at my full-time job 5-6 days a week, and everything else, I just desperately need a break. Even though I feel really guilty about it and it hurts not to stick to a routine.

What does that mean for The Fate Challenges and Soul Reaper series? Soul Reaper is on an indefinite hiatus, but I do plan to dive into Forged content edits when I come back to writing in a month or two.

During my hiatus, I plan to read more. More fiction. More nonfiction about writing. More about autism (seriously it's my new special interest). I plan to play video games, watch TV, and just rest up so I'll be in a better mind-space to get back to writing come December or January.

November 1 question - Win or not, do you usually finish your NaNo project? Have any of them gone on to be published?

• NaNoWriMo 2009: Virtuoso - Finished (first draft), not published
• NaNoWriMo 2010: The Cassandra Project (originially titled Sarah's Nightmare and then Missing) - Finished (first draft), not published
• NaNoWriMo 2011: Starred - Finished (first draft), not published AND The Last Prophetess - Not finished, not published
• NaNoWriMo 2012 and Camp NaNoWriMo 2013: Reborn - (Rewrite) Finished, published 2014
• NaNoWriMo 2013: Forged - Eventually finished (first draft) in December 2015, will be published in 2018 AND Reigned - Not finished, not published

For all you NaNo participants this month, keep on writing and try writing an extra word or two for me too!

2017 Stats: 111,229 words written and 907,704 pages edited (my work and for others)

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BOOK READ AND REVIEWED

I Think I Might Be Autistic: A Guide to Autism Spectrum Disorder Diagnosis and Self-Discovery for Adults by Cynthia Kim

SPECULATIVE FICTION BOOKS

RELEASING IN NOVEMBER

Omega by Jus Accardo

Rosemarked by Livia Blackburne

The November Girl by Lydia Kang

Mark of Fire by Richard Phillips

Sacred Seas by Karen Amanda Hooper

Void Wyrm by Chris Fox

Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson

Twelve by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

I Think I've Said Too Much #IWSG | October Goals | Bookworm News #SpecFic

The Insecure Writer's Support Group was created by Alex J. Cavanaugh. October's co-hosts are Olga Godim, Chemist Ken, Jennifer Hawes, and Tamara Narayan. Find the other IWSG participants here.

October's question: Have you ever slipped any of your personal information into your characters, either by accident or on purpose? The simple answer is yes.

I think it goes back to the guideline of "Write what you know." It would be nearly impossible to write without pulling on some sort of emotion, action, etc. that we've experienced in the past, even if we present it in a different way or from a different view. I think experience leads credence to our imagination.

That said, I have purposely written about events that happened to me. The best example is Once upon a December Nightmare from Once upon a Nightmare: A Collection. The main event that sets up the story actually happened to me in December 2002. I played off what occurred and expanded it into a horror story. Yes, even the dead deer were really in that clearing.

My unpublished YA contemporary novel Starred also features true incidents that happened while I participated in musical theater.

And I'm sure I'll find new things to insert into new stories too.

Don't forget about the IWSG Anthology contest! I had an idea in mind for a story, but I didn't know how to narrow it down to 3500-6000 words and didn't really have the time to write and edit it for the November 1st deadline. Plus, it took kept turning into a horror story in my head. So good news, I have a new horror story to write some day. Bad news, I have no story to submit for the next IWSG Anthology. Oh, well.

What are you insecure about this month?

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For the past couple months, I've created a Word document to keep track of important dates, overall things I need to do, and then daily goals. It's really made a world of difference. So I did quite well on my goals for September.

I formatted a manuscript for a client. I proofread, formatted, and published Spirits in the Water (Elements of Untethered Realms #4). I edited the outlines of A Soul to Reap, A Soul to Keep, and A Soul to Take as well as reached the midway point in my novel Destined. I even found time to update Once upon a Nightmare: A Collection, the ebook and print versions.

I've also been thinking of my old Gravity series, and I have an idea of a new direction to take the characters. Now I don't know when I'll get back to it, but I'm excited about the new starting point.

As for October's goals, they include:
- Continue editing Destined. The third novel in The Fate Challenges series is over 92,000 words so far and will likely be as long as Reborn (around 95,000 words). I hope to be 75-85% finished with this edit by the end of the month.
- Update the print version of People of Foxwick and Their Neighbors with the new map and a few other minor tweaks.
- Write the outline for A Soul to Give (Soul Reaper #4).

And that's it. October is a lighter goals month than the previous ones.

What are your October goals?

2017 Stats: 105,864 words written and 885,566 words edited

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BOOK READ AND REVIEWED

Spirits in the Water by Untethered Realms' authors

SPECULATIVE FICTION BOOKS

RELEASING IN OCTOBER

Spirits in the Water by Untethered Realms’ authors

Amazon | Google Play | iTunes | Kobo | Nook | Smashwords

Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao

Tool of War by Paolo Bacigalupi

Devils and Thieves by Jennifer Rush

Paper Butterflies by Lisa Heathfield

The Goblins of Bellwater by Molly Ringle

Berserker by Emmy Laybourne

Ally by Anna Banks

Never Apart by Romily Bernard

Seize Today by Pintip Dunn

27 Hours by Tristina Wright

Blood in the Water by Angela Roquet

The Uncrossing by Melissa Eastlake

Fairday Morrow and the Talking Library by Jessica Haight and Stephanie Robinson

Strange Weather by Joe Hill

Harry Potter – A History of Magic: The Book of the Exhibition by J.K. Rowling

Cold Spectrum by Craig Schaefer

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Twisted Earths (Elements of Untethered Realms #1) is currently free.

Amazon | Google Play | iTunes | Kobo | Nook | Smashwords

Once upon a Nightmare: A Collection is 99c for October.

Amazon | Google Play | iTunes | Kobo | Nook | Smashwords

I Never Intended to Be a Writer #IWSG | September Goals | Bookworm News #SpecFic

The Insecure Writer's Support Group was created by Alex J. Cavanaugh. September's co-hosts are Tyrean Martinson, Tara Tyler, Raimey Gallant, and Beverly Stowe McClure. Find the other IWSG participants here.

September's Question: Have you ever surprised yourself with your writing?

YES! All the time.

While growing up, I never intended to be a writer. Though I've always had a great imagination, I was rather dreadful when it came to writing papers in English classes. The main reason was because I missed learning how to write a paper in high school, and I didn't learn how to write one until a college English class. In high school, I went from regular English 9 to Advanced English 10. Advanced English 9 and College-Bound and regular English 10 learned to write papers. I missed that all so important step. *sighs*

So, as you can probably imagine, I hated writing. In fact, I even told my AP English 12 teacher that I was going to move to a foreign country so I'd never have to write in English again. *laughs* Because I thought I was inept when it came to writing, every time I read something I've written since I've become a writer, I'm surprised and amazed.

Has your writing surprised you? What are your insecurities this month?

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August was a surprisingly good month for completing my goals.

I finished editing Forged (The Fate Challenges #2), and it's now with my critique partners. I completed my outline edit of Destined (The Fate Challenges #3), formatted the manuscript, and have started editing it. I'm hoping to finish this edit by November 15, and I'm planning to work on Destined during weekdays.

I've been using weekends to work on Soul Reaper series, and I'm making progress on editing the outlines so I'll be ready to start edits and write books 3-5 eventually. I was hoping to start writing A Soul to Take (Soul Reaper #3) in October, but now I'm thinking I should finish the outlines and edit the books I've already written before writing A Soul to Take, especially if I want to have 1-2 Soul Reaper books published before the end of next year. We'll see how it goes.

A big shout out to Christine Rains for finishing her urban fantasy series Totem. All nine novellas are fantastic reads!

Untethered Realms is gearing up to publish the fourth Elements of Untethered Realms anthology. Spirits in the Water will be released in early October, and my story "The Folding Point" is in it. In August, I was busy reformatting the previous anthologies and getting some images ready for #4. Besides being one of the editors and having a story in the anthology, I am also the final proofreader and formatter. It's so much fun to see all of it come together.

Here are my September goals:
- Continue editing Destined. Ideally, I'd like to be at the midway point by the end of this month.
- Format, proofread, and publish (likely as a preorder for an October 2nd or 3rd release date) Spirits in the Water.
- Continue working on the outlines for Soul Reaper series.

What are your goals for September?

2017 Stats: 99,493 words written and 766,670 words edited

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BOOKS READ AND REVIEWED

True Shifter by Christine Rains

The Hook Up by Tawna Fenske

SPECULATIVE FICTION BOOKS

RELEASING IN SEPTEMBER

Sleeping Beauties by Stephen King and Owen King

The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding: A Fiendish Arrangement by Alexandra Bracken

Nyxia by Scott Reintgen

Warcross by Marie Lu

Jane, Unlimited by Kristin Cashore

There’s Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins

The Han Agent by Amy Rogers

Fireblood by Elly Blake

Invictus by Ryan Graudin

Black Bird of the Gallows by Meg Kassel

Summoner by S.D. Grimm

Zero Point by Adam Quinn
One Dark Throne by Kendare Blake
Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
Werebiker by Paige Cuccaro

Become an Editor and Discover Your Pet Peeves #IWSG | Bookworm News #SpecFic

The Insecure Writer's Support Group was created by Alex J. Cavanaugh. August's co-hosts are Christine Rains, Dolorah @ Book Lover, Ellen @ The Cynical Sailor, Yvonne Ventresca, and LG Keltner. Find the other IWSG participants here.

August's question: What are your pet peeves when reading/writing/editing? As a reader, I didn't have many pet peeves beyond "too much description." I didn't really have any when I started writing, except head hopping and trying to figure out "show vs. tell." But when I became an editor, I'll admit certain grammar things quickly became my pet peeves. The one that irks me the most is one I am guilty of not using properly in the past until I read a manuscript where, I kid you not, the author had used that particular phrasing—and mostly improperly—nearly every single dang sentence.

That pet peeve is the overuse and improper use of participial phrases (verb+ing/ed + rest of phrase). The correct way to use them is for the participial phrase to be happening simultaneously as the independent clause (subject + verb) as well as for the participial phrase referring to the nearest noun. I used to be rather loose with my participial phrases, but man, editing that manuscript cured me. Now I cringe when I see one referencing the wrong noun or just being overused.

Of course, if the story is good, I can even overlook that particular pet peeve.

What is your pet peeve? Do you have any insecurities this month?

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As for my goals, July turned out to be a very good month. I helped my friend with formatting and proofreading two of her novellas and critiqued a third one. I also made a lot of progress in Forged and hope to finish my edits by the end of this weekend or early next week. I have realized I need to add a chapter, which will create ripples I'll need to fix in some chapters afterwards, but I still think I can get my edit finished and sent to my critique partners next week. *crosses fingers* I also updated my websites and social media with new banners and updated information. And I caught up on reviewing the books I've read.

I have quite a few goals I'd like to accomplish in August. These goals include:
- Finish editing Forged (The Fate Challenges #2) and send it to my critique partners.
- Add in proofreading changes to my short story "The Folding Point" forthcoming in Spirits in the Water (Elements of Untethered Realms #4) and design the headers for the eleven stories.
- Edit the outline for Destined (The Fate Challenges #3), format the manuscript, and start editing it.
- Edit the outlines for the Soul Reaper series (A Soul to Save, A Soul to Kill, A Soul to Reap, A Soul to Keep, and A Soul to Take). I need to finish this particular task by the end of September, so I can start writing A Soul to Take (Soul Reaper #3) in October.
- Format and proofread the last novella in my friend's fantastic nine-part novella series.

What are your goals for August?

On July 26, WildMind Creative published an interview of me. You can read the interview here.

I also discovered on August 1 that Marked (The Fate Challenges #1.5) was selected for AllAuthor's Cover of the Month competition. You can vote for Marked here.

2017 Stats: 89,339 words written and 677,315 words edited

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BOOKS READ AND REVIEWED

Shadows Fall (Totem #7) by Christine Rains

Descending Moon (Totem #8) by Christine Rains

SPECULATIVE FICTION BOOKS

RELEASING IN AUGUST

Project Pandora by Aden Polydoros

Reincarnation Blues by Michael Poore

Halls of Law by V. M. Escalada

Ekata: Fall of Darkness by Dominique Law

Blood and Thunder by Angela Roquet

Spellbook of the Lost and Found by Moïra Fowley-Doyle

Descending Moon by Christine Rains

True Shifter by Christine Rains

The Hearts We Sold by Emily Lloyd-Jones

The Third Kiss by Kat Colmer

Thanks for stopping by! I'll be mostly offline August 25-September 4, so I've decided to turn off the comments feature on this post as of August 25. I'll be back with a new post on September 6 for IWSG!

A Lesson Learned #IWSG | Writing Goals | Bookworm News | Smashwords Sale

The Insecure Writer's Support Group was created by Alex J. Cavanaugh. July's co-hosts are Tamara Narayan, Pat Hatt, Patricia Lynne, Juneta Key, and Doreen McGettigan. Follow the other IWSG bloggers or sign up for the blog hop here.

July's question: What is one valuable lesson you've learned since you started writing?

Although many answers come to mind, the one that sticks out the most is that each writer's journey is different and valid. We may have many things in common, but we each find our own way to write and that way is just as valid as any other way. Too many times we get caught up in the "rules" of writing, but they are just guidelines. It's up to each of us to find what works best.

For example, I'm a plotter. I need an outline before I write the first page. I will also come up with ideas and not get around to writing them for months or even years. The outline is where I learn the story. Writing that first draft is where I learn the main characters. In edits, I expand upon the world and solidify who people are. That's my process.

Yours will most likely vary, and there's nothing wrong with that.

What are your insecurities this month?

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I'm writing up this post on June 27, even though it won't go live until July 5. Why? I'm off work from June 28-July 4, which means no access to unlimited internet and a fast internet connection.

After all I completed in May and early June, I've felt rather exhausted the past few weeks. I did catch up on blog comments and emails; however, I did not write any new reviews, edit the outline for Destined (The Fate Challenges #3), or update my websites/social media. I did finish editing the stories for Spirits in the Water, helped my friend with her fantastic novella series, and I made progress in editing Forged (The Fate Challenges #2).

My July goals include:
- Continue editing Forged.
- Continue helping my friend with her novella series.
- Catch up on writing reviews for books I've read.
- Update my websites/social media.

Oh, I also realized that July 1 is my two year anniversary of writing every single day. Since I'm editing a lot, the added words are much fewer than writing-writing days, but so far I've worked on a project and gotten new words down every single day since July 1, 2015.

What are your goals for July?

2017 Stats: 84,951 words written and 513,456 words edited

(January 1-June 27)

In June, I read Sacrifice Moon by Julie Fortune. This is a Stargate SG-1 series book, and I loved it. If you're a fan of the show, you should enjoy it too.

SPECULATIVE FICTION BOOKS

RELEASING IN JULY

The Legion of Flame by Anthony Ryan

MIND: The Vision by Jenn Nixon

Lost Boy by Christina Henry

Ash and Quill by Rachel Caine

Cracked Open by Susan Kaye Quinn

Enigma by Tonya Kuper

Age of Swords by Michael J. Sullivan

Bannerless by Carrie Vaughn

Heroine Worship by Sarah Kuhn

Shadows Fall by Christine Rains

Children of the Fifth Sun by Gareth Worthington

Gork, the Teenage Dragon by Gabe Hudson

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Smashwords is having its month-long sale from July 1-31. You can get the Untethered Realms' anthology Twisted Earths for free, my fantasy short story collect People of Foxwick and Their Neighbors for a dollar, and my paranormal horror collection Once upon a Nightmare for just 99c.

FREE

Coupon Code: SW100

Twisted Earths on Smashwords

$1.00

Coupon Code: SSW75

People of Foxwick and Their Neighbors on Smashwords

$0.99

Coupon Code: SSW50

Once upon a Nightmare: A Collection on Smashwords

The Month of All the Things or Keeping It Simple, Take 2 #IWSG

The Insecure Writer's Support Group was created by Alex J. Cavanaugh. June's co-hosts are JH Moncrieff, Madeline Mora-Summonte, Jen Chandler, Megan Morgan, and Heather Gardner. Follow the other IWSG bloggers or sign up for the blog hop here.

First of all, I owe everyone an apology. I completely and totally failed at visiting blogs in May, but I do have a good reason for being absent online. Or I hope you'll think it is a good enough reason. You see, a promotional opportunity came up for Reborn for mid-June. At first, I planned to just update the files for Reborn (second edition) and leave everything else as is, but since I haven't done any real promotion since, um, like 2015, I thought I should be like Alexander Hamilton and not throw away my shot. So I tossed Soul Reaper aside and pivoted toward The Fate Challenges and basically did all the things I'd originally planned to do January-April and didn't do in May. It was a pretty crazy four weeks, but I'm proud of the work I've done, even if it meant abandoning emails/social media/blogging.

So the lesson, children, is be like Alexander Hamilton and don't throw your shot away. *smiles*

That said, I am still striving for simplicity and hope to reach it one of these days.

June 7th IWSG Day Question: Did you ever say "I quit"? If so, what happened to make you come back to writing? I haven't said "I quit" to writing. Publishing, yes. Writing, no. Writing has become such an intrinsic part of who I am. I need writing. It's too cathartic to me to give up. At least at this time. Will there come a day where I'll say "I quit"? It's possible.

Have you quit writing? What are your insecurities?

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As above, I mentioned doing all the things the past four weeks. I did finish the outline for A Soul to Take (Soul Reaper #3), and I had started reading through A Soul to Save and creating my A-Z Glossary for the Soul Reaper series when my well-laid plans were tossed aside in favor of The Fate Challenges. So what all did I do? I'll tell you.

I designed new covers for The Fate Challenges. It wasn't my first time designing a cover, but it was my first time for doing more than adding fonts and other minor changes to it. I am pleased with how they turned out. As you can see, I went with symbolic images, and I do feel like the covers tell the stories.

I hand-drew (pen/pencil) new maps for The Fate Challenges and People of Foxwick and Their Neighbors. I scanned the images and used paint.net to add the compass images and the fonts.

I formatted and designed the cover art for The Cherie Reich Sampler, which is available for free to newsletter subscribers. The Cherie Reich Sampler contains Part I of Reborn, Once upon a December Nightmare from Once upon a Nightmare: A Collection, A to Z Flashes of Foxwick, and "Lady Death" from People of Foxwick and Their Neighbors.

I re-formatted and uploaded the e-versions of People of Foxwick and Their Neighbors and Once upon a Nightmare: A Collection.

I added in nearly 600 minor changes to Reborn, re-formatted the e-version of it, and uploaded it to retailers. Because of the changes, I have put Reborn on sale for 99c through the summer.

I line-edited and proofread Determined (a bonus novella set within The Fate Challenges) as well as formatted it. Determined is available for download for free from my website only.

I did content edits and line edits and proofread Marked (The Fate Challenges #1.5) as well as formatted this novella. Marked is available through several retailers. Visit My Books to view links for Reborn, Determined, Marked, Once upon a Nightmare: A Collection, and People of Foxwick and Their Neighbors.

Let's see. I also designed the chapter headings for The Fate Challenges and edited several stories for the upcoming Spirits in the Water anthology. There is an excerpt from my story "The Folding Point" on the Untethered Realms' blog. I have recently gone through the outline to Forged, so I can begin editing it this month too. I also updated my blog look (new banner, colors, etc.).

Hmm, I think that's all I did in May and early June. I might just fall over now.

My June goals are:

- Start editing Forged (The Fate Challenges #2).

- Revise the outline for Destined (The Fate Challenges #3).

- Catch up on emails and social media, including blogging.

- Edit the rest of the stories in Spirits in the Water.

- Help my friend with her novella series.

- Update my websites.

- Catch up on reviewing books. I think I'm like seven or eight books behind right now. Maybe more.

What are your June goals?

2017 Stats: 81,641 words written and 474,634 words edited

The most recent book I finished reading (besides my own over and over again) is Rachel Morgan's Glass Faerie (Creepy Hollow #7). I loved, loved, loved this book and series. If you haven't read it, you should. Seriously.

SPECULATIVE FICTION BOOKS

RELEASING IN JUNE

The Space Between the Stars by Anne Corlett

Executed by RR Haywood

The Halloween Children by Brian James Freeman and Norman Prentiss

The Waking Land by Callie Bates

Marked by Sin by Jasmine Walt and Debbie Cassidy

Blood Vice by Angela Roquet

The Hundredth Queen by Emily R. King

Kiss Me, Kill You by Larissa C. Hardesty

Atlantis Reborn by Gloria Craw

Secrets of Skin and Stone by Wendy Laine

Pew! Pew! – Sex, Guns, Spaceships… Oh My! by Various Authors

Fata Morgana by Steven R. Boyett and Ken Mitchroney

Escape Velocity by Jason M. Hough

Resurrection America by Jeff Gunhus

Reborn by Cherie Reich (Second Edition)

Determined by Cherie Reich (Author Website Only)

Marked by Cherie Reich

Hero Lost: Mysteries of Death and Life Release #IWSG | May Goals | Bookworm News #specfic

The Insecure Writer's Support Group was created by Alex J. Cavanaugh. May's co-hosts are Michelle Wallace, Nancy Gideon, Tamara Narayan, Liesbet @ Roaming About, and Feather Stone. Follow the other IWSG bloggers or sign up for the blog hop here.

First, thank you for your comments on my previous IWSG post! I've decided to be kinder to myself by focusing on 1-2 projects a day. Sometimes I still think I have to do ALL the projects NOW, but I know I do not.

May's optional question: What is the weirdest/coolest thing you ever had to research for your story? Maps and map making. Creating a map for the Kingdom of Amora made me realize how much I needed one from the start. I plan to redo the maps I've drawn in hopes to make them even better. *crosses fingers*

May 2 was the release date of the next Insecure Writer's Support Group Anthology, Hero Lost: Mysteries of Death and Life. As part of the first anthology, Parallels: Felix Was Here, I know how much of an honor it is to be a part of these anthologies. Congrats to the authors!

Can a lost hero find redemption?

What if Death himself wanted to die? Can deliverance be found on a bloody battlefield? Could the gift of silvering become a prison for those who possessed it? Will an ancient warrior be forever the caretaker of a house of mystery?

Delving into the depths of the tortured hero, twelve authors explore the realms of fantasy in this enthralling and thought-provoking collection. Featuring the talents of Jen Chandler, L. Nahay, Renee Cheung, Roland Yeomans, Elizabeth Seckman, Olga Godim, Yvonne Ventresca, Ellen Jacobson, Sean McLachlan, Erika Beebe, Tyrean Martinson, and Sarah Foster.

Purchase in Print

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Books-A-Million

Purchase the Ebook

Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Nook | iTunes | Kobo

Yeah, I totally did not accomplish all my April goals. I am currently caught up on helping my friend with her novella series and am waiting for her to finish the last novella so I can find out what happens. I've been working on editing the stories for the upcoming Untethered Realms' anthology Spirits in the Water. I am also almost finished with my outline of A Soul to Take (Soul Reaper #3) and have started the A-Z Glossary for the Soul Reaper series.

As for The Fate Challenges, I'm hoping to get back to editing it in June. Unfortunately that means the second edition of Reborn and the release of Determined and Marked won't be until July/August instead of May/June. Hopefully it won't take me longer than August to publish them.

So, for May, I've decided to keep my goals simple. My goals include:

- Finish the outline for A Soul to Take. I've written 2-3 sentences for the last few chapters, but I want to expand upon them. So far the outline is over 13,000 words and I have four chapters left to outline.

- Read through and create an A-Z Glossary for the Soul Reaper series. This will include A Soul to Save, A Soul to Kill, A Soul to Reap, and A Soul to Keep. Around 215,000 or so words to read through and write up the main things (names, dates, places, terms, etc.) so I can finish the series (A Soul to Take, A Soul to Give, and A Soul to Bare).

- Edit anything my friend has coming my way for her novella series.

- Edit the stories for Spirits in the Water. We have eleven short stories in this anthology, which will be released in October. So far I've edited two out of the eleven.

What are your May goals?

2017 Stats: 76,231 words written and 342,475 words edited

BOOK READ

Rose Daughter by Robin McKinley

I still haven't written up any reviews lately. I must admit I'm a bit burned out with reviewing books in a more official capacity. As for Robin McKinley's Rose Daughter, I did really like this book--four stars! I read it because of Beauty and the Beast coming out in theaters in March. It has a different take on the "tale as old as time." McKinley has a beautiful way of writing, but I found the poetic prose sometimes got in the way of the action and slowed the pace. Beauty was charming, and I enjoyed the magic and world building.

SPECULATIVE FICTION BOOKS

RELEASING IN MAY

Free Space by Sean Danker

Violet Grenade by Victoria Scott

Owl and the Electric Samurai by Kristi Charish

Assassin’s Fate by Robin Hobb

Hero Lost: Mysteries of Death and Life by Various Authors

Star Wars: Rebel Rising by Beth Revis

Dragon Bones by Jasmine Walt and Ines Johnson

Dragon Teeth by Michael Crichton

The Battlemage by Taran Matharu
When Smoke Rains Down by Cecelia Earl

Four Steps Forward, Two Steps Back #IWSG

The IWSG was created by Alex J. Cavanaugh. April's co-hosts are Christopher D. Votey, Madeline Mora-Summonte, Fundy Blue, and Chrys Fey. Visit the other IWSG bloggers here.

The "steps" I am alluding to in this post's title involve months. It's already April, and yet I'm already two months behind in my goals. I must admit it is making me question (almost) everything. If I complete half my goals this month, it'll be a miracle. So insecurity, I'm feeling it in spades this month.

April's IWSG question: Have you taken advantage of the annual A to Z Challenge in terms of marketing, networking, publicity for your book? What were the results? I did use the A to Z Challenge one year to create a flash fiction book set in my fictional world of Foxwick and its neighbors. I've sold 30 copies of A to Z Flashes of Foxwick and have given away 2269 copies. Not bad for a collection less than 10,000 words.

As for my March goals, I pretty much still have everything left over from March to do in April. I did finish editing a friend's novel, and yesterday (April 4), I finished writing A Soul to Keep (Soul Reaper #2). The novel, my ninth completed one, came in just under 80,000 words.

Despite my April goals, I would do well if I could remember I'm not a full-time writer. I tend to forget that. So we'll just see what I can do this month.

Here is my to-do list for April:

- Edit two novellas for a friend.

- Edit Marked. This goal will contain a content edit, a line edit, and a Kindle proofread.

- Edit Determined. This goal will contain a line edit and a Kindle proofread.

- Outline A Soul to Take (Soul Reaper #3).

- Create mock-up covers for Reborn, Determined, Marked, Forged, and Destined.

- Read through and create a glossary for the Soul Reaper series. I have around 217,000 to read through so I can catch up where I'm heading in the series. I know I've gotten details wrong, so it's important not to make things worse. *sighs* Yes, I should have taken better notes all along. Next series, I promise.

I don't expect to get through that last goal this month, but we'll see.

2017 Stats: 61,770 words written and 275,965 words edited

In March, I read Alex J. Cavanaugh's CassaDawn short story. I really liked it. It's a fun read, although I would have liked a little more buildup surrounding Byron's conflict. I will write a proper review soon. I'm nearing the end of Rose Daughter by Robin McKinley. It has such beautiful descriptions, although I wished for more action. I've enjoyed how it plays off the Beauty and the Beast tale.

Have you seen the Beauty and the Beast movie? We went the Saturday after it premiered. It was magical.

SPECULATIVE FICTION BOOKS

RELEASING IN APRIL

Toward a Secret Sky by Heather Maclean

Red Sister by Mark Lawrence

Gauntlet by Holly Jennings

The Witchwood Crown by Tad Williams

Tyrant’s Throne by Sebastien de Castell

Skullsworn by Brian Staveley

Long Black Veil by Jennifer Finney Boylan

The Castaways by Jessika Fleck

Glass Faerie by Rachel Morgan

Defy the Stars by Claudia Gray

The Breaking Light by Heather Hansen

True North by L.E. Sterling

Given to the Sea by Mindy McGinnis

Rescued by the Space Pirate by Nina Croft

Stolen by the Space Pirate by Nina Croft

Saving the Space Pirate by Nina Croft

Star Struck by Kalli Lanford

Falling for the Billionaire Wolf and His Baby by Sasha Summers

Drakon’s Prey by N.J. Walters

Once Bitten by Heather McCorkle

Brimstone by Cherie Priest

Locked Tight by Susan Kaye Quinn