Life Finds a Way #IWSG | Elements of Untethered Realms #newrelease

The Insecure Writer's Support Group was founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. October's co-hosts are Dolorah @ Book Lover, Christopher D. Votey, Tanya Miranda, and Chemist Ken. Please visit the other participating blogs.

October's Question: How do major life events affect your writing? Has writing ever helped you through something? For those of you who have been following my blog, you can probably make an educated guess on how I handle writing during major life events. Frankly, I am not as capable of writing when life drains my energy. The good news, though, is writing is something I come back to as soon as I'm able.

Writing also helps me understand the world. I wouldn't be the person I am today without it.

What are your insecurities this month?

By the way, I made an appearance on the new IWSG Anthologies' blog last month. Visit my post about reading short stories.

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Though I still am finding myself lacking energy towards the end of the week, I did complete everything I needed to do for Untethered Realms. The ebooks of Twisted Earths, Mayhem in the Air, Ghosts of Fire, and Spirits in the Water have been updated. Elements of Untethered Realms is published in print and ebook formats, and I even updated Fantasy Uprising, which no longer includes Reborn but five short stories from my People of Foxwick and Their Neighbors. I've also been working on my short story for a certain anthology too.

In October, I plan to finalize my submission for that anthology as well as turn my sights to writing Entangled, a UR Worlds novella.

What are your goals for October?

2018 Stats

21,215 words written

43,416 words edited

306,748 friends' words edited

From USA Today bestselling and popular science fiction and fantasy authors comes Elements of Untethered Realms, a supernatural compilation of the anthologies Twisted Earths, Mayhem in the Air, Ghosts of Fire, and Spirits in the Water. These forty thrilling tales feature authors Angela Brown, Jeff Chapman, Cathrina Constantine, Julie Flanders, River Fairchild, Gwen Gardner, Misha/M. Gerrick, Meradeth Houston, Graeme Ing, Simon Kewin, M. Pax, Christine Rains, Cherie Reich, and Catherine Stine.

Available at Amazon, Kindle, Google Play, iTunes, Kobo, and Nook.

I Want to Believe But Trust No One #IWSG | Bookworm News #SpecFic

The Insecure Writer's Support Group was founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. September's co-hosts are Toi Thomas, T. Powell Coltrin, M.J. Fifield, and Tara Tyler. Please visit the other participating blogs.

I apologize for skipping IWSG last month. I was deep in an autistic burnout that left me physically ill (sore throat, headache, no energy, and eventually swollen lymph nodes and laryngitis). The mystery illness lasted over two months and took two rounds of antibiotics, some corticosteriods, and several sporadic days off work where I would sleep 12+ hours at a time to start to feel better. I'm still not at 100%, but I am finally getting more energy to do things.

Optional IWSG Day Question: What publishing path are you considering/did you take and why?

My path to publication may have started with small publishers, but I prefer self-publishing and plan to continue publishing my own work for the foreseeable future.

Why you might ask? In my school days, I was never much of a group project girl. I just didn't trust anyone with my grade, and I'd been burned by such groups in the past. I have similar feelings toward publishers. I do believe most are honest, knowledgeable, and do their best for their authors, but I prefer to keep the control and do things myself. That way I know the work will live up to my rather high standards.

What are you insecure about today?

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Because of the burnout, I was slow in proofreading Elements of Untethered Realms, which I finished on August 30. We're still on schedule to publish the anthology collection in early October. I'm waiting on any proofreading changes the authors want to make on their stories. Then I'll make changes to the print document and create the ebook versions as well as update the single anthology titles too. Then it'll be publishing time!

This month, I'm taking down Reborn, Determined, and Marked from retailers and Reborn from Wattpad. The reasons why are here. This change also affects Untethered Realms' box set Fantasy Uprising. We'll be putting up a second edition which will include several short stories from my People of Foxwick and Their Neighbors instead of Reborn. I'm hoping to make the changes to the box set and have it reloaded to sites soon.

I also have a short story idea for a certain anthology--you can probably guess which one--so I'm hoping to write the story and have it edited before the deadline.

I also want to start seriously planning to write Entangled, a UR Worlds' story.

We'll see how things go.

What are your goals this month?

2018 Stats

20,257 words written

43,416 words edited

303,449 friends' words edited

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Since I missed August's bookworm news, I've decided to add it here.

BOOK READ

Elements of Untethered Realms by Various Authors (myself included)

BOOKS RELEASED IN AUGUST

Nightblood by Elly Blake

Queen of Thieves by Katherine Bogle

Eye of Truth by Lindsay Buroker

Bloodlust by Midnight by Deanna Chase

Hunted by Darcy Coates

What Gods Incite by Clara Coulson

Shadow on the Stairs by Blair Daniels

Blackout by Dannika Dark

Harley Merlin and the Secret Coven by Bella Forrest

Relic by Alan Dean Foster

Iron Bones by Yasmine Galenorn

Quintus by Kym Grosso

Serpentine by Laurell K. Hamilton

The Immortal Queen by Jennifer L. Hart

A Girl of White Winter by Barb Hendee

The Fated Sky by Mary Robinette Kowal

Do Not Go Alone: A Posthumous Mystery by C.A. Larmer

Catwoman: Soulstealer by Sarah J. Maas

Elemental Thief by Rachel Morgan

Seafire by Natalie C. Parker

Echoes to Ashes by Ainsley Shay

Queen of Iron and Blood by Melissa Wright

The Girl Who Sees by Dima Zales

Ever Evolving Goals #IWSG

The Insecure Writer's Support Group was created by Alex J. Cavanaugh. July's co-hosts are Nicki Elson, Juneta Key, Tamara Narayan, and Patricia Lynne. Please visit the other participating blogs.

Optional IWSG Day Question: What are your ultimate writing goals, and how have they changed over time (if at all)?

Ultimate Goal #1: Take over the world, Pinky.

Oh, whoops, wrong list. Writing goals, writing goals, where are you? Ah, here is the list.

My current ultimate writing goal is to produce enough work that sells to supplement my retirement in 24+ years. When I first started writing with publication and profit in mind, I had hoped to eventually make enough money to write full-time, but I've decided I'd rather not have my main income tied to the whims and fancies of readers and retailers. The market is too unreliable for my anxieties to put all my faith in my books selling. But it would be nice to make enough where I could retire early.

Of course, most days I'd settle for breaking even. Heh.

What are your insecurities this month?

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First off, thank you so much for your comments on my post about The Fate Challenges! For some reason, Blogger wasn't sending comments to my email, but I tried to visit everyone who commented.

So my proofreading goal didn't quite work out as planned. I was placed on a new medication that drained me of all my energy. I struggled to just stay awake at work and get the day job work done. *sighs* My energy levels are a bit iffy still, but I think I'm doing a little bit better. *crosses fingers* This month's goal is to finish proofreading all 571 pages of Elements of Untethered Realms.

What are your goals this month?

2018 Stats

20,257 words written

17,708 words edited

106,163 friends' words edited

Springing into Writing? #IWSG

The Insecure Writer's Support Group was founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. May's co-hosts are JQ Rose, C. Lee McKenzie, Raimey Gallant, and E.M.A. Timar. Please visit the other participants.

OPTIONAL IWSG Day Question: It's spring! Does this season inspire you to write more than others or not? In the past, I have found a spurt of energy once the weather starts getting warmer. Usually in April and/or May, I'll write and/or edit more than usual. This April found myself with low energy still, but I'm hoping to make progress in my May goal. *crosses fingers*

What are your insecurities this month?

Tick Tock: A Stich in Crime is now available! Featuring the talents of Gwen Gardner, Rebecca M. Douglass, Tara Tyler, S. R. Betler, C.D. Gallant-King, Jemi Fraser, J. R. Ferguson, Yolanda Renée, C. Lee McKenzie, Christine Clemetson, and Mary Aalgaard. Congrats!

Available at

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Kobo | Smashwords
Add it to read on Goodreads.
Check out the Tick Tock Mysteries blog!
And their Facebook page.

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As mentioned above, I had a low energy month in April. I did a tiny bit of formatting for Elements of Untethered Realms (Forthcoming October 2018), but I did not work on my story for Untethered Worlds, except for thinking about the story and potential scenes. What words I did add (a little over 2500) involved a document I plan to print out and take when I find a doctor to help with some mental health issues I've been having.

My goal this month is to continue working on Elements of Untethered Realms. I am in the print formatting stage. After that, we'll need to create the book description and settle on cover art. Once everything looks good digitally, I'll order a print proof for one last proofread. I figure this goal will take the next few months.

What are your goals for May?

2018 Stats

20,257 words written

17,708 words edited

80,236 friends' words edited

When It Pours #IWSG

The IWSG was created by Alex J. Cavanaugh. April's co-hosts are Olga Godim, Chemist Ken, Renee Scattergood, and Tamara Narayan. Please visit the other IWSG participants.

IWSG Day Question: When your writing life is a bit cloudy or filled with rain, what do you do to dig down and keep on writing?

If March is any indication of what I do when it's hard to keep writing, the answer is I don't write. *sighs*

Last month was hard. It started out all right, but I received a Tetanus booster on March 5 during my yearly physical. I've never had a reaction to any vaccination before, but this one got me. I had a rash around the injection site for a week and my entire body ached. I still have a swollen, painful-to-the-touch lump at the injection site, and it's been almost a month since the injection. Then I somehow locked my sacroiliac joint with my pelvis on the left side. I was hoping it would fix itself, but it didn't. On March 26, I went to the chiropractor. The area isn't locked anymore, but I'm still having muscle spasms and pain from it. I've purchased a sacroiliac belt to stabilize the area, so we'll see how that works. If not, I'll have to return to the chiropractor.

So the increased pain meant less energy, so there was no writing in March.

That said, I am hoping to get the pain to more manageable levels so I can get back to writing. *crosses fingers*

What do you do to keep writing?

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So my March goal of rewriting/editing 20,000 words in Forged did not happen. In fact, I've been thinking a lot about Forged and what I want to write in the future. Right now, I'm all into sci-fi, which makes it hard to write YA epic fantasy. I've consider unpublishing Reborn and Marked and making the shift to writing science fiction under the name CN Reich as opposed to Cherie Reich. But I hate the thought of leaving the few people who have read and enjoyed Reborn hanging. Plus, it'll be another year or more until I'll have enough research to write The Triliths Portals the way it needs to be written. So I do still plan to rewrite, edit, and publish Forged and Destined.

But I need a break from it too.

So for the next few months, I plan to focus on the print/ebook versions of Elements of Untethered Realms (forthcoming October 2018) and my UR Worlds story (forthcoming 2019). My UR Worlds story, though fantasy, involves a protagonist who is studying physics and astronomy, so I'll be able to indulge it my scientific knowledge while working in a fantasy world. My hope is that I'll be ready to rewrite/edit Forged once I finish the print proofread of Elements of Untethered Realms and the first draft of my UR Worlds story.

We'll see how it goes.

What are your goals for April?

2018 Stats

17,708 words written

17,708 words edited

78,718 friends' words edited

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.

Spirits in the Water Available for Preorder and Twisted Earths now Free on Retailers #anthologies #scifi #fantasy

Spirits in the Water is now available for preorder. The fourth Elements of Untethered Realms anthology will be released on October 3.

A haunted journey on a riverboat, water sprites borne of pennies, preternatural creatures, ancient serpents, and the Lady of the Lake lurk in dark waters. Raging storms and magical rainbow fountains. Water is spectacularly beautiful but also treacherous.

Gwen Gardner gives us Shake, Rattle and Row. Harlow Grayson has the chance to rid herself of a pesky ghost but she must first brave a haunted riverboat and recover a family heirloom. What she finds might be more than she can handle.

Jeff Chapman offers The Water Wight. When a drowned girl changes her mind about suicide, Merliss and her associates face a fearsome, preternatural creature.

M. Pax presents The Wallows. Evernee Weems wants to escape this world in the worst way. Her daughter needs everything, the rent is being raised, Evernee’s job barely pays minimum wage, and she has little hope for better. Inside a puddle is a different reality. She jumps in, happy to trade her problems for a life in which worries don’t exist. Or do they?

Angela Brown gives us Extraordinary. Puberty hits Angelique like a gut punch and brings about a change, forcing an unexpected revelation about her past. All seems well until a vicious storm tears through her Texas community, and Angelique learns there are worse things than a little change.

River Fairchild presents You Can’t Go Home Again. A young woman, filled with regret about the past, goes on a journey and discovers more than she bargained for.

Simon Kewin offers us The Waters, Dividing the Land. Hyrn the horned god of the woodlands is learning the meaning of fear. Death magic blights the land, threatening everyone and everything. To save what he can from spreading corruption, he turns to the ancient river serpents, but they’ve grown old and distant and may not hear his call at all.

Christine Rains gives us Frozen. A necromancer is on the frozen moon of Saturn where the dead do scream.

Meradeth Houston presents The Flood. Sometimes a flooded kitchen isn’t the unluckiest thing to happen to you.

Catherine Stine offers Maizy of Bellagio. April still searches for her mother who vanished nineteen years ago from the fountain at Hotel Bellagio in Vegas. Can Maizy, a water sprite who works the fountain’s pink colors, begin to help the three generations of eccentric women tortured by this tragedy?

M. Gerrick gives us The One Who Would Wield the Sword. Nikka is supposed to be nothing more than dragon bait so a real dragon hunter can do his job, but the Lady in the Lake has other plans for her.

Cherie Reich presents The Folding Point. Aimee’s fight against those who banned paper magics has begun.

From USA Today, Amazon bestselling, and popular science fiction and fantasy authors comes Spirits in the Water, a supernatural anthology of eleven thrilling tales. Spirits in the Water is the fourth, long-awaited Elements story collection from the dynamic and inventive Untethered Realms group.

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

Add on Goodreads!

Read some excerpts from Spirits in the Water.

To celebrate the release for Spirits in the Water, the first Elements of Untethered Realms anthology Twisted Earths is now free on all major retailers. Pick up your copy today!

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