Another Busy Week!

Hey! How are you today? Hope you had an awesome week. I can't believe July is almost over.

A few weeks ago I completed the first edit of my upcoming novel, Fallen Destiny. And this week, I read the proof. From start to finish. Yeah, I worked really hard on this edit. I enjoy smoothing out stories, especially when the editor's cool suggestions push me to make the book even better. Smoother. I was obsessed and totally distracted all week because it's all I could think about. LOL

This is what I said on Bluesky the other day: I'm at that stage of the proofreading where it's eating my brain & I can't wait to get back to it, but need a break because I have to eat, sleep, etc. 😅

So true. I felt like that all week.

Anyway, here's the tagline for the book: How does a demon, hired by a mysterious nun, find a lost angel?

Think Hellboy x Constantine with a twist of Supernatural, and that's Destiny's story. It's a cozy fantasy with a mystery. It's a bit UF, and definitely has a pinch of horror. There's a love story in there, a road trip, and features a found family.

I'm very excited about Destiny's tale, which will be released late this year from Brigids Gate Press! I'll keep you posted.

Asides from going for daily walks, sleeping, eating, and spending time with hubby, I didn't do anything else. 

Well, that's it for now. I'm going to enjoy the weekend with my husband because I need a mental break. 😃

Have an awesome weekend!!

PS. The graphic I posted above is Destiny, and I made it via Picrew, which is a doll maker website I've been using for years. Human artists upload their art and users can make cute versions of themselves, or characters. This isn't AI. I despise gen AI slop.

Busy Week Full of Words

Hey! How are you today? I hope you're well and finding some happiness and fun during the shittiest timeline ever. 🙄

Every single morning there's a new stupid and cruel thing happening. It's awful to watch. I wish people had paid proper attention and saw exactly what we did. But hate means more to some people than anything else. It's a shame.

See the lovely demon girl above? That's Destiny. She's the main character in my upcoming novel from Brigids Gate Press. Why am I talking about her? Well, I spent this week revisiting her story during an intense round of edits, which I completed early this morning.

It was nice to catch up with Destiny, Kenan, and all the other occultish characters. It's a stand-alone cozy/urban fantasy novel about a demon who is hired by a nun to find an angel. 

You know, Hellboy x Constantine. 😁

Oh, just a quick note about the graphic I posted here. I made this on a website called Picrew several years ago. Picrew is a doll maker website where human artists upload their art and users can make cute versions of themselves. Or as I like to do, my characters. This isn't AI. You all know how I feel about AI. I despise gen AI and don't use it for absolutely anything. Personally, I don't understand people's dependency on it, but that's a different story.

I just wanted to make it clear that the graphic I made isn't AI slop. It's from a cool doll maker website I've been using for years.

Anyway, let's get on with the rest of the post. LOL.

As I mentioned above, I spent all week working on edits. It's been a while since I last read this novel, so I paid special attention to everything. Really happy with the result and I'll keep you updated on the cover, release date, etc.

Although I spent most of my time editing, I also squeezed a bit of writing into the week because my two vampire boys are loud and demanded I keep telling their story. I added another 2k words, which brings the total to 5,600. Yeah, this one's going to be a much longer one.

I didn't get a chance to continue my Kallax organising, but my bookshelves are a WIP, so that's okay.

Well, that's about it for now. I'm kinda mentally and physically exhausted right now, so having a three-day weekend is going to be great. Yeah, my husband is taking Monday off because the 7th is my birthday. 😊

Have an awesome weekend!!

Busy, busy...

Hey there! How are you today? As I mentioned in the title, this week was a busy one.

Last Saturday we got the latest Covid booster (finally available in Oz) and had to take it easy over the weekend because of the usual side effects: headache, sore arm, tired, sleepy. We had plenty of snacks, stayed hydrated, and took several naps. Almost a week later, I think that the hardest parts are over. Well, I did wake up with a killer headache this morning that eventually subsided, but sucked a lot of energy out of me. 🫤

Anyway, onto what I got up to this week.

The other day, Cemetery Gates Media revealed the fantastic cover for my upcoming debut short story collection! And it's beautiful. Hit the link if you'd like to see it, or scroll down a bit. Seriously, it's stunning and totally fits the dark vibes. Luke Spooner/Carrion House nailed it. I absolutely love it!

So, that means that I spent most of the week working on the final proofread of 17 short stories. Yikes. I'm SO excited, and very proud of this book. I can't wait to share it with the world. Actually, I've already seen a few ARCs in the wild, which is SO freaking cool!!

Not long to go now. The release date is: January 28!

Since I've been working on something else and my husband had an RDO on Thursday, I put my WIP aside for most of the week. But I still got a chance to add some words and have been taking a bunch of notes on my phone.

So, here's my progress for this week:

• Monday:  17,037 (+2,661w)
• Friday: 21,309 (+4,272w)

Not bad! I managed to cross the 20k mark, and that makes me happy. I'm having such a great time writing this story. The images, situations, dialogue and words are coming as fast and clear as the draft I finished writing last month. This character has a LOT to say and this POV is revealing heaps of stuff I didn't expect. Things that will affect both stories.

It's exciting. ☺️

To be honest, I don't think I'll finish the first draft of this story by the end of the year, but that's fine. I'm just going to keep going until I reach the end because I'm loving every minute of it.

I also had the pleasure of reading an amazing ARC. An upcoming novelette called Reap, Sow by S.H. Cooper that I thought was dark and awesome. Here's my review.

Well, that's it for today. Just thought I'd post an update because blogging again is something I'm really enjoying.

Have an awesome weekend!!

Checking In!

Hey, it's been a while! How are you? Is everything okay in your part of the world? Over here, we're in the last month of autumn (which felt a lot like summer until a few weeks ago) and we're currently stuck in the middle of some very shitty weather.

If you've read my posts through the years, or follow me on social media, then you know how much I dislike the rain. A couple of days are fine, but when it stretches out for over a week... I get irritable. I even start getting headaches. Ugh.

Anyway, enough about that.

Can you believe it's May? Yikes.

I've been MIA from my own blog for quite some time because I fell down an editing rabbit hole. Seriously. I edited an 85k-word (supernatural murder mystery/thriller/horror/ghost story) novel in March/April, and a 55k-word (SF horror) novel during April/May. Actually, I just finished the latter last night.

When I say edit, I mean EDIT. Both books required plenty of work, but the 55k one pretty much involved a rewrite and even a new direction. Now I'm very happy about how they turned out. ☺️

I'm not squeamish about editing because I'm always willing to do whatever it takes to make the story better, deeper, and stronger. I'm dedicated to making each book as awesome as I possibly can, and I think a good editor definitely helps to turn a good story into an excellent one. 

These two books were edited by Austrian Spencer. And man, does he dig deep into the characters and story. If you're looking for someone to thoroughly edit your book with the sharpest eye and true commitment, you should definitely check him out. What he helped me achieve with these two stories is amazing. Seriously.

Oh, and if that wasn't enough. I also edited a 30k novella in April, which I almost forgot about because my brain is scrambled. LMAO.

As you can tell, I've been very busy editing the nights away during the last few months. I did manage to squeeze in a little reading here and there—plus read/blurbed an awesome ARC—but my main focus while my husband was at work was the editing. It's always a fantastic experience but I think my brain is going to leak out of my ears if I don't take a break.

For the rest of the month, I want to spend some quality time reading. And daydreaming about a bunch of ideas. I even have a vampire story creeping up on me. One that won't leave me alone and wants to beat all the others to become the frontrunner. 😅

We'll see how that goes, because I still haven't done the final proofread of my two short story collections. They got left behind during the maelstrom of edits. LMAO.

BTW, I also celebrated the release of my myth & monsters novel, THROUGH THE BLUR. Have you checked it out yet? If you like your horror with a bit of Greek mythology and a dysfunctional family, you might enjoy it. 🐍

Well, that's it for now. Hope you have an awesome week!

 

More Revision & Some Editing!

Hey! How are you today? It's been a SUPER busy week, and it's left me feeling mentally exhausted. To be honest, the shitty weather didn't help. 😫

I'm SO glad the weekend is finally here!

Anyway, my goal for this week was to get through the third draft of the unhinged/wild novel I'm currently revising. So, I got stuck into it on Monday afternoon and ended up reaching the end by Wednesday night. Yay! It always feels good to reach this point because it means the story is almost done. There's only one more check left to do: to read the whole thing on my Paperwhite.

Actually, it's already sitting there waiting for me. LOL.

The word count is now: 70,932.

That's right, this story has made it past the 70k mark. I mean, I knew I was going to make some additions, but also deleted quite a bit. Not sure what the final-final word count will be, but that's next week's problem. 😅

After finishing such an extensive revision, I like to give myself a bit of a break. So the intention was to take Thursday, Friday and the weekend off to recharge my batteries. BUT!! Edits hit my Inbox on Thursday morning and there's no way I'm going to leave them there. Especially since I'm determined (obsessed) to get my WIP finalised next week...

So, I got stuck into the edit and managed to get it done. Sure, I kept working into the early hours of Saturday morning, but I was determined to get it done because I want to enjoy the weekend. I really need these two days off so I can be clear-headed when I start the final read-thru on Monday. Oh, and I have to decide on a title...

Well, that's it for now.

I'm going to enjoy the weekend with my awesome husband. And now that the weather has changed and the sun is back, I hope it sticks around for a while.

Have a great one!

April Update!

Hey! It's been a while, so I thought I'd pop in and post a little something about what's been going on this month. 😊

But firstly, how are you? Hope this month has treated you well.

I've been very busy during April. 

The month started with a long weekend. It was an excellent, relaxing break with my husband. We don't celebrate religious holidays, but definitely celebrate public holidays! LOL.

After that, I've embarked on not one, but TWO different full edits. Yep. I edited a novella (40k) and a novel (50k). It was a bit of work (especially the novel because it needed extra attention) but I really enjoyed re-reading these stories and doing everything I can to make them even better.

That's the thing about revision/editing. It's always a LOT of work and at the end of each round I feel like my brain has turned to mush, but it's ALWAYS worth it. Always. And to be honest, I enjoy the process.

So, now I'll hopefully take the rest of the week off and catch up on some reading. Oh and by the way, today is also a public holiday.

Another thing that happened is that an anthology that I have a story in was released by Cemetery Gates Media:

My story is a Creepypasta shortie called The Hags from Merricktown and features a creepy pair that may or may not have been inspired by real people I've experienced in my own suburb. 😳

You can grab a copy HERE.

Well, asides from the above I've been walking heaps, keeping up with the awesome Yellowjackets, and finally caught up on Saga. The other day I realised that this is pretty much the only comic book series I'm still reading. I used to enjoy The Walking Dead and read into the 100s, but gave up because I didn't like the direction of the story arc. To be honest, I don't even know if it ended yet or not.

I've been so caught up in my own writing that it wasn't until last week that I managed to catch up on some reading. I'm really behind on review books and the many awesome books I've bought myself. I'm hoping to get stuck into some of those this week.🤞

That's it for now. I hope you all have an awesome week!

Tracking Words & Pages

 

Hey! How are you today? It's time to post another New Year tradition on my blog. I've been posting a screenshot of my previous year's Word Count Tracking Sheets for a while. So, why stop now? 😁

So, here are my 2022 stats:

Total words written: 160,534.

Total pages revised 3,843.

Although 2022 turned out to be an extension of the previous two years, as far as WTFuckery? was concerned, I managed to complete several writing goals. And the most exciting thing was finishing up my leftover Revision Projects. As well as completing another NaNoWriMo.

That explains almost 4k worth of revision pages and the bulk of the yearly word count! 😅

If you're wondering where I got this very handy spreadsheet, it's something Sidney Bristol used to annually share on her blog. Although this side of her blog hasn't been updated for a long while, you can still get your hands on the basic spreadsheet HERE. All you have to do is update the year yourself.

Either way, I wanted to give her the credit she deserves because I LOVE using this spreadsheet and have been doing so for years. It's so helpful and helps keep track of my daily, monthly and yearly productivity.

This post only covers my actual word and page count stats. If you're interested in a more detailed list, the other day I posted a breakdown of my 2022 Goals.

Yesterday, I setup my spreadsheet for 2023 and have already added new words and revision pages.

Anyway, here's to another productive year!

It's Time to Revise!

That's right! After completing an edit last week, this week I got stuck into another Revision Project. 😁

So, how are you? It's been a while since I blogged because hubby had annual leave in April and I took a small writing break. We had a great time together, but now it's time to get back to business. 

Here's my progress:

• Monday: 64/153pgs (56,333w)
• Wednesday: 117/145pgs (51,639w)
• Thursday: 136pgs / 48,049w

I'm actually (really) glad I reached the end of this one, because I felt like putting it aside several times... 😟

I wrote the original draft of this story back in 2019, so it's another one of those projects that I've had lying around for too long. And that means I was able to look at everything objectively, which is why I spotted what didn't work pretty early on. Even though I decided to cut one of the three POVs, I read and revised the whole thing. 

On the one hand, this certain POV provided some cool insight into a particular character. But mostly, it ruined the mystery/intrigue/horror and softened the creepier parts of the story. So, it had to go, but I waited until I was done.

Working on this draft reminds me of my March revision. Like that one, I continually found myself wondering if this story was going to work at all. Although I like the main darkness and the sheer weirdness of this small town, there seemed to be something missing. And after catching up with everything, I know what that is.

I'll now spend a few days pondering how to fix all the things I didn't like during the third draft. And I'm actually looking forward to it. 😁

Well, that's it for now. 

Have a great week!!

Tracking Words & Pages

 

Hey! How are you today? It's time for me to post another New Year tradition on my blog.

I've posted a screenshot of my previous year's Word Count Tracking Sheets for a while now. 

So, here are my 2021 stats:

  

 Total words written: 159,431. 

 Total pages revised 6,109. 

Although 2021 was another shitty year full of ups and downs because Covid-19 continued to screw things up, I still managed to stay focused on a new writing plan of getting through as many Revision Projects as I could without turning my brain to mush. 😅

Stories always help me cope.

If you're wondering where I got this very handy spreadsheet, it's something Sidney Bristol used to annually share on her blog. Although this side of her blog hasn't been updated for a long while, you can still get your hands on the basic spreadsheet HERE. All you have to do is update the year yourself.

Either way, I wanted to give her the credit she deserves because I LOVE using this spreadsheet and have been doing so for years. It's so helpful and helps keep track of my daily, monthly and yearly productivity. 

This post only covers my actual word and page count stats. If you're interested in a more detailed list, the other day I posted a breakdown of my 2021 Goals.

I've already set up my spreadsheet for 2022 and look forward to adding all my progress. 

Here's to another productive year!

September's Revision Update!

 

Well, I know it's Thursday, but today I finished my latest Revision Project so I thought I'd pop in.

How are you?

The Covid situation around here still sucks. The numbers have been just below 1k daily this week and the vaccination numbers are going up, but I doubt I'll ever fully get over this pandemic. I intend to keep my distance, stay away from most public places and will avoid crowds forever. I've developed a serious case of people phobia and this virus scares the hell out of me. 😫

Anyway, I was actually preoccupied this week because I got stuck into the final read-thru of my latest WIP.

Here are the stats:

• Monday: 62/207pgs (74,247w)
• Tuesday: 135/206pgs (74,100w)
• Wednesday: 207/207pgs (74,035w)
• Thursday: 212pgs / 74,009w

Monsters is now DONE! Yay. 😃🎉

I'm VERY EXCITED about finishing this project because I put a lot of hard work into it to make the story better and stronger. I ended up cutting over 3k words, blending chapters, rewriting sections, sharpening scenes, and tightened everything until the finished product became the story I envisioned at the very beginning. Back in 2018.

Actually, I wrote the first draft of this novel back in September 2018. So it feels kinda awesome to have it finished exactly three years later. LOL.

Finishing this project also means I can update my 2021 Revision List again: 

1. April: Full edit of Wall of Dolls
2. May: Full revision of Destiny
3. June: Full revision of Victoria
4. August: Full revision of Possess
5. September: Full revision of Monsters

I'm happy about the progress I'm making with these first drafts. They all sat on my hard drive collecting dust for too long, so it's nice to actually complete and file them away as done. So cool.

I think that's about all the words I can manage tonight. Every second I put into this story was totally worth it, but my brain feels like mush now. I'm in desperate need of a mental break. 

Actually, we have a long weekend coming up and daylight savings begins, too. Happy about spending three days with hubby.

Have a great one!

PS. Have you seen Midnight Mass yet? If you haven't, you totally should because it's a fantastic show.

August's Revision Update!

Well, it's Friday and I thought I'd pop in to post an update.

Things in NSW are going from bad to worse. We've been suffering through this half-arsed mockdown for 8 WEEKS now and instead of getting better, the case number are getting out of control. We've had 600+ cases for three days in a row. Hotspots are no longer reported and the contact tracing is not of the gold standard calibre they always bragged about. 😫

This is alarming, scary stuff made worse by the fact our state government is delusional. They fucked up from the beginning and refuse to accept responsibility or tighten the meaning of essential worker. And now, people are dying and our hospitals are under pressure.

It's awful and so frustrating because we can't do anything about it. But that's what happens when people keep voting for right-wing governments that DGAF about them. 😑

Ugh.

It's best to concentrate on the good parts: hanging out with hubby, going for walks, enjoying nice meals and getting back into yoga.

Oh, and this happened:

• Monday: 40/202 (76,764w)
• Tuesday: 69/202 (76,536w)
• Wednesday: 144/201 (76,355w)
• Thursday: 205pgs / 76,077w

I actually reached The End yesterday, but it always takes me an extra day to tidy up any last-minute changes and checks. Plus I have to rename the files, format to double space and update all my external drives. And clear away the many post-it notes + random pieces of paper I've accumulated. LOL.

I'm super excited about finishing another WIP. Yay. 😁🎉  Especially this one because this is a novel I wrote back in 2017 and I worked really hard to make this story stronger. I fixed all the inconsistencies, cleaned up the writing, trimmed the fat, changed the direction of several subplots, altered the timeline and even wrote a new ending. Yeah, this isn't a linear book. 😁

Really happy and proud with the outcome. I put my poor main character through a LOT, but I love where her dark journey leads. 😁

So, finishing this project also means I can update my 2021 Revision List again:

1. April: Full edit of Wall of Dolls
2. May: Full revision of Destiny
3. June: Full revision of Victoria
4. August: Full revision of Possess

Looking good! I still have a bunch of WIPs to get to, but this is great progress. I set myself a serious goal this year, and so far I'm sticking to my plan. Even with the sad state of the world.

I almost forgot to mention that this week I also proofread The Wired City and The Bone Factory for the upcoming paperback release. So, yeah, it's been a super busy week!

Anyway, I think that's enough chatter for now. I need to take a breath, because I feel like I've been holding it in all week, and give my brain a break.

Have a fantastic weekend!

A Bit of Editing

Hello again!

Well, this week, it was back to editing for me. This time it was the final edit of my upcoming YA horror novel, Wall of Dolls.

Because I'm such a double checker (or is that glutton for punishment? 😂) of course I read the whole thing again. This time felt more like a proofread. I even managed to get lost in some of the creepier scenes. And that's a great thing because when I'm revising/editing, I'm super critical with my story.

This also made me realise that I'm pretty much done with this story.

Anyway, this is how it went:

• Monday: 119/218pgs
• Tuesday: 218pgs
• Wednesday: Checked & emailed back

I'm SO excited!! Yay. 😄🎉

I worked really hard on this book. I wrote this about three/four years ago so my writing has changed/evolved quite a bit since then and I wanted to make the final result as good as I could. And with my editor's help, I was able to make a lot of improvements/changes to make the story better and even creepier. I'm serious, thanks to Liz, I ended up cutting three chapters, blended two into one, strengthened family bonds, softened some unnecessary sharp edges and even added new stuff.

Yep. I'm very happy with how it's turned out and can't wait to see the finished product!

After finishing the edit, I took a mental break. And this apparently means going through my books and DNFing the hell out of stuff that doesn't grab me. 😅 I actually DNFd 13 books on Thursday and 11 on Friday.

A lot of these books ended up being Richard Laymon books I found in a thrift store a few years ago. I was so disappointed because I was looking forward to checking out his books and they turned out to be such shitty sexist dribble. Ugh. 😑

Anyway, now it's time to enjoy the weekend. Have a good one!

A Week of Editing!

Yep. This week I only had one goal: to get the second Wall of Dolls edit done. And I'm super excited to report that I did it! Yay.

Today, I finished up the last section, went through all the notes I'd written for myself, and checked all my changes. Then, I emailed it to my editor. 

I'm really excited about how this story is shaping up. I've had a soft spot for these girls since the moment I brought them to life, but working with a great editor has really helped sharpen the narrative and trim some of the excess. I love the editing process because I don't shy away from cutting and making changes. My editing process is definitely hack & slash. Although, I also do plenty of adding when needed. 🤣

Anyway, this is how the edit went:

• Monday: 62/224pgs
• Tuesday: 133/222pgs
• Wednesday: 203/218pgs
• Thursday: 219pgs

As you can see, I wasn't kidding about the hacking and slashing because the page/word count pretty much dropped after every session. LOL. But it's a good thing!

I'm very excited about Quin's story and can't wait to see what it looks like as a finished book. Not to mention the cover—can't wait to see how that turns out.

Well, now it's time to take a bit of a breather. And then enjoy the weekend with hubby.

Asides from all this editing—because it's pretty much all I did during the day while hubby was at work—we've been keeping up with the washing, walking, yoga and jogging. It's mostly been a cycle of editing and working out all week. No wonder I'm exhausted as soon as my head hits the pillow. 😴

I also didn't read anything. That's right, there was no reading this week. Well, technically I read my own story, but that doesn't count. LMFAO. But I did watch the most beautiful and perfect series finale for Wynonna Earp. It was AMAZING but also heartbreaking. 😭💔 I'm going to miss this show SO much.

Okay, that's about it for this week's update post. I hope you're all having a great week.

Speak to you later!

Back to Revision

After a week away from my current WIP, I got stuck into the next round of revision.

This is what I like to call the read-thru. It's when I read the novel on my Paperwhite. Changing devices is a great way to see the story differently, and anything that doesn't work REALLY stands out: typos, excess, repetition, inconsistencies, etc.

I started on Monday, and honestly thought it would take a week to get to the end. But as soon as I started, I realised this draft would be a bit more involved than expected. Why? Because I want to make this book as creepy and strong as possible. The atmosphere, imagery and format need to complement each other, as much as the plot and characters.

By the end of the week I reached 65% and made pages & pages of changes. I've cut SO many words that the total w/c has dipped below 80k. I cut anything that bogged down the action and/or slowed the story.

Writing is such a balancing act. Background, setting, dialogue, action and atmosphere all need to fit together and move the story forward at the right pace. As much work as this story is turning out to be, I don't mind. I'm determined to make sure this book ends up as close to my vision as possible.

Some stories take longer than others to become what they need to be. Some stories don't change much from first to final draft. And some, like this one, evolve in some way every step of the way.

That means the story is eating my brain. It also means that I've spent every single moment during Mon-Fri daytime working on it. So there's been no reading for pleasure. No updating files/pics. The only thing I slotted in was watching The X-Files because I'm loving S11.

Now my March writing plans need to be revised because I'd originally slotted two lots of revision for this month. Yeah, a bit ambitious and it's not gonna happen.

Asides from the read-thru, walking (twice a day) and spending time with family, we started watching iZOMBIE S4... and decided to quit it. The new season is just so ridiculous and pretty much destroys everything that made the show so awesome, fun and clever.

Such a shame when that happens.

Anyway, it's been a busy week, so I'm looking forward to taking the weekend off.

See ya! 😀

Some Kind of Goals

Well. It looks like 2017 is in full swing. I know that it (technically) started a few weeks ago, but I don't think it's ever too late to talk about goals.

I've said this before and I'll say it again: I don't do New Year's resolutions. The word resolution sounds so bogus to me, and everyone forgets about them by the end of January. So, I make goals. I do that all the time, not just at the beginning of the year.

Anyway. Friday the 13th seems like a good time to post my plans.

These are the things I would like to achieve this year:

• Get back into regular yoga workouts
• Continue my daily walks 
• Aim to write more than 110k words
• Complete the editing process for RAISING SOME HELL (Elsewhere #2) COMPLETED TWO ROUNDS OF EDITS BEFORE SAMHAIN CLOSED
• Celebrate the release of RAISING SOME HELL during first half of the year SAMHAIN CLOSED SO BOOK WON'T BE RELEASED
• Complete the editing process for TYING THE KNOT (Sierra Fox #5.5)  SAMHAIN CLOSED SO BOOK WON'T BE RELEASED
• Celebrate the release for TYING THE KNOT during second half of the year SAMHAIN CLOSED SO BOOK WON'T BE RELEASED
• Be super excited & proud & happy to have ALL my Sierra Fox World stories published in the one place (Samhain Publishing) SAMHAIN CLOSED SO BOOK WON'T BE RELEASED
• Revise, finalise & sub my 2016 YA NaNoWriMo novel (by end of year)
• Write at least 6 short stories & sub a few to professional markets
• Write at least two novels (first drafts)
• Write at least two novellas (first drafts)
• Continue to sub my 80's YA novel
• Take part in NaNoWriMo
• Read 100 books
• Catch up on a bunch of TV shows we've fallen behind on

There you have it! There's my list of goals for 2017. It's a more ambitious list than last year, but I'm determined to try as hard as I can to achieve these goals.

Actually, I spent this week working on round 1 edits for RAISING SOME HELL and I'm halfway through. I intend to finish it next week. *fingers crossed*

I go out of my way to walk around the river every morning. And because it's summer, hubby and I have been going on evening walks. Now we just need to squeeze yoga in there somewhere...

Do you make yearly goals?


ETA. On February 11th I crossed off 5 goals, not because I completed all of them (though I did complete TWO rounds of edits before the news broke) but because Samhain Publishing announced they were closing at the end of February. 

Tracking Words & Pages

At the beginning of 2015 and 2016, I posted a screenshot of my Tracking Sheets for the previous year. It helped to see how many words I wrote, how many pages I edited/revised. It also helped me see which months were more and less productive.

Thanks to Sidney Bristol, who shares these very awesome Tracking Sheets on her blog at the beginning of the year, I'm able to do just that. And since I downloaded the 2017 spreadsheet the other day, I thought I'd post last year's summary:

You can download your own copy of the Tracking sheets HERE.

As you can see, I managed to write 110,543 words and revised 2,752 pages. While they both sound like decent numbers, I would love to do way more this year.

I was convinced that 2016 would be a much easier year to get stuck into writing/revising. Then my main publisher closed, which sent my motivation into a spin. Then they opened again, and I made a few decisions... Yeah. Weird.

Last year's writing highlights were:

• HELL OF A RIDE was released in both eBook & print format. (Spin-off from my Sierra Fox series)
• I finished a YA novel set in 1989 (that's three drafts during first half of the year) & started sending queries. (Some interest, but not enough for any agent to champion)
• I wrote, revised & subbed three short stories, after not writing any for years. (Got rejection from two anthologies)
• Wrote a 65k creepy YA novel during NaNoWriMo. (My 10th NaNo!)
• Started a new Idea Notebook because I got so many during 2016.
• Thanks to a fellow author, I was finally able to disentangle myself from the hideous nightmare that was DB/EP. (This was a huge thing because these assholes injected 2015 with so many nightmarish situations)
• I signed two new contracts with Samhain Publishing, which now really means all the novels I've written in Sierra's world will be published in the one place. (Though technically, one was a re-sign)

I suppose my productivity doesn't look so bad when listed together. LOL.

Let's hope this year is even more productive!

*fingers crossed*

Keep Track of Them Words

Around this time last year I posted about the very cool Tracking Sheets I'd found via Twitter. More specifically, I mentioned they were very handy spreadsheets made by author Sidney Bristol.

 

Since I just downloaded the 2016 versions, I thought I'd post my 2015 summary.

 

 

Last year's totals surprised me because 2015 wasn't a particularly great writing year. My productivity, inspiration and creativity took a downward spiral when I started dealing with several publishing issues that I had no control over. Those issues aren't completely done yet, but I've managed to move on.

 

Leaving the bitterness, disappointment and negativity associated with this behind is the only way to move on. Because I sure as hell am not going to let outside forces cripple my writing enthusiasm again. No way. And if that means taking a year to just do what I love best--write--than so be it.

 

Still, in spite of all of the above, I managed to write 162,503 words and edited/revised 2,828 pages.

 

I'm actually quite happy with that because it means that I wrote two first drafts, edited two books, revised two more and found my way back to writing. Yay! Not to mention that I signed the contracts for the two SIERRA FOX spin-off novels. That means all of the books set in Sierra's dangerous UF world will be available in the one place.

 

January is usually a slow month for me because my daughter doesn't start the new school year until the 29th, plus the start of the year always feel sluggish and out of sorts. But I'll get myself back into the groove soon enough.

 

In the meantime, if you decide to check out or use the tracking sheets, be sure to let Sidney know on her blog or on Twitter. After all, offering this for free is an awfully kind thing to do. 

 

Let's call 2016 the year of happy writing! ;)

 

 

 

October is 'ere!

That's right! It's Michael Myers month, everybody.

 

Also happens to be the birthday month of both my hubby and my daughter. And the time to celebrate all things spooky. That time of year where all I want to do is read scary books and watch horror movies. When it's time to start listening to The Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack.

 

I might be listening to it right now... :)

 

Wow. I can't believe I've been MIA for so long. OMG. I think this is my last real post. Back in August! O.o Seriously, was I trying to set some kind of record? Nah. Just been caught up doing a bunch of things, and not feeling well. The change of season always gets me.

 

I even lost my voice last week. Luckily, it's back now.

 

Shortly after the above blog post, I received the first round of edits for HELL OF A RIDE. While it was awesome to return to Lavie's world, and I had a great time strengthening everything, it almost broke my brain a little. LMAO. It took me almost two weeks to do, which is way too long for me. But the results were great!

 

Then I took a reading break before the second round came back. This time around, I actually enjoyed it a LOT more and managed to get it done in half the time. Not to mention that my new editor--Laura--pointed out a bunch of things that needed fixing. After I did, the story is definitely shinier. And the love story at the core of it is deeper.

 

I'm so proud of Lavie & Saul's story, and am super glad that Laura is just as excited about it.

 

I'm not sure when the FLE round will come back to me, but I hope it's not next week. Hubby has a week off work, so I won't be working on anything. It's going to be a nice break. Though it'll probably go way too fast. :/ Still, I'm gonna enjoy some time alone with him.

 

So, what have I been doing this week? I've been wrapping up a few guest blog posts that I committed to. I've also been thinking a lot about new story ideas. My daughter and I watched SERAPH OF THE END the other day. It's one of her favourite animes. Though she loves a LOT of them.

 

Hubby and I also binge watched S1 & S2 of PENNY DREADFUL. What an AWESOME show! I love the humanity, the wickedness, the ideas, and the darkness of the world. I can't wait to see more of what these characters get up to.

 

There's always something to do around here. LOL.

 

Anyway. That's about it for now. I just wanted to pop in for an update.

 

Have a great weekend!

Tracking Sheets

I'm the kind of writer who likes to keep tallies. Whether I'm writing a first draft, revising, or editing I always set a goal date, which means setting smaller daily goals to get the project done by that certain date. I also write down how many words/pages I get done/through each day.

I usually do this by marking the amounts on a calendar I print up at the beginning of every year. But this makes it hard to keep a running total. So when I was reading through tweets early last year and someone retweeted a link to a spreadsheet an author had put together, I decided to check it out. And loved what I saw.

The very helpful author was Sidney Bristol.

I used Sidney's 2014 Tracking Sheets for every project I worked on last year.

Here are my totals:

If you want to take a closer look, click on the image and check it out.

 

I love how there's a tab for every month, as well as a summary breakdown of Monthly Total Words Written and Monthly Total Pages Edited. Turns out that during 2014 I wrote 217,197 words, and revised/edited 3,440 pages. Yikes! That's a lot of revision. LOL.

 

The spreadsheet I use is also the pretty version with monthly inspirational quotes, which I think is an awesome detail. Actually, the attention to detail in the whole thing is amazing. So the fact that Sidney is willing to share her hard work for free is a very kind gesture indeed.

 

I've downloaded the 2015 Tracking Sheets and have already started using them. If you click on this post, there's also an explanation attached.

 

This is a free resource that I found very handy last year, so I wanted to chat about it, and also share the link. If you decide to check it out and the tracking sheets work for you too, be sure to let Sidney know on her blog or on Twitter. Because like I said, it's really nice of her to offer this to everyone.

 

Happy writing!

 

Looooong Time No Blog

OMG. Seriously.

 

It's been ages since the last time I posted an actual update...

 

I just checked and it's actually been almost a month. I mean, sure, I've posted several book reviews and a Q&A. I even posted about the print release of ON PINS AND NEEDLES, and the blurb for Sierra's last book. But an actual post... My gosh.

 

So, why have I been MIA from my own blog? Well, May was a very busy month. I completed A STITCH ON TIME R2 edits. And then got stuck into the TORN FROM THE SHADOWS print galley. Followed by the FLE for ASoT this week.

 

Yep.

 

Wow, listing those three things doesn't capture just how time consuming those three things were. LOL. But trust me, they were. And also mentally exhausting. But you know what? I loved every minute of it because I got to spend more time with Sierra & Co. It's very exciting to have so many SIERRA FOX releases going on this year. Love it! :)

 

It's hard to let go of Sierra and her world...

 

Anyway. I actually finished the FLE this afternoon and sent it back to my lovely editor. Now there's only one more step to go: reading the ARC. I can't believe we're SO close to finalising her series. It's sad, and exciting.

 

Asides from that, I've been reading a bit, doing other stuff and trying to stick to my workouts. There's just not enough hours in the day to do all the things I want to do. O_o

 

I've also got several stories simmering inside my brain. Snippets and scenes pop in at random times, but I haven't had a proper chance to write everything down or even brainstorm. Better start doing that, or I'm going to risk losing some of it. Which sucks. Trust me, I know because it's happened before.

 

Now I'm looking forward to enjoying the long weekend with hubby, daughter and kitty.

 

Have an awesome one!