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