It has been quite the year! I’ve been away from my website and from my newsletter for most of the year, but I haven’t been neglecting my writing. Read on to learn what I worked on in 2019 and what I have planned for 2020.
Personal Change in 2019
First, and most importantly, this year was a huge year in terms of personal change. My husband and I welcomed our first child, a daughter, in April of this year. My due date was May 1, but she decided to make an early entrance and arrived on Easter.
I shelved all my writing for the first four months of her life to try to figure out this thing called Parenthood, and I’m glad I did. People can tell you being a parent is difficult and challenging and exhausting, but it’s hard to grasp what that means until you’re in the thick of it. And we were in the thick of it for sure.
Personally I needed that time to adjust to my new household role, life, body, schedule, mind, emotions, etc. And I think recognizing that and taking the time I needed allowed me to refill my creative well and take care of myself.
An Old Project Renewed
When I decided I was ready to pick up my writing again, I revived an old project I started back in 2014, before the idea for Amethyst in Ashes took hold of me. I really wanted to finish this manuscript, a YA Contemporary/Sweet Romance, because I believe in the story, and after three and a half years away from it, I knew I had improved my skills enough to make it worth writing and reading.
In August, I reread what I had already written and spent some time trying to really find the heart of the story. I think I had about 30,000 words in the draft at the time. Now, I’m hovering around 85,000 words and have actually finished the story! After I made it through the draft the first time and started on my edits, I realized something wasn’t quite right. The POV needed to be changed. Originally, I wrote it in 3rd person, but it became clear as I revised that it needed to be in 1st person. So, I took another few weeks and hacked it apart…again. I’m finalizing my edits right now before I send it out to beta readers, and I’m actually enjoying the story again. I’ll have more info on it soon!
Amethyst in Ashes Goes International
Libraries in both Canada, and wait for it…FINLAND!…have purchased copies of Amethyst in Ashes. It’s a surreal feeling to know that people I don’t know, in other countries, might be reading about Talullah’s adventures. I’m still in awe that this is a thing that can happen, and I am so incredibly grateful that those librarians took a chance on my book.
Talullah Book #2
In spare moments, I’ve also been brainstorming for the second book in the Sezna Seer Series. I needed time away from Talullah’s world to digest what happened in the first book and to think about what kinds of consequences her actions will illicit in the following books. That’s another reason why I decided to work on the YA Romance instead of jumping right back into Talullah’s story. Slowly, it’s coming to me, and the more I think about it, the more excited I become to return to River Hill, Praeteriti, and the other Worlds Talullah and co. will adventure to in the future.
What’s in Store in 2020
If becoming a parent has taught me anything, it’s the importance of flexibility. Nothing ever goes according to plan, and everything takes about three times as long as I think it will. That said, here are my loose goals for next year:
- Publish YA Romance
- Publish Talullah Book #2
That’s it. I have to keep it short, because the second one on that list is huge in itself. It took me three years to write/revise/publish the first book in the series, and I really do not want that kind of slog again. Granted, I learned SO much during those few years and writing that book taught me an immeasurable amount about writing and publishing that I won’t need to relearn this time. So, fingers crossed I can get it done in a year or less. Eventually I want to be able to release two books per year, but we’ll see how the tide rolls.
If you’re interested in my inspiration for my books, check out my Pinterest boards. That’s where I bookmark the bits of magic I find online. Right now I’ve just got the one for Talullah, but I’ll probably be adding one for each new book idea as they come to me.
As always, send me a message or find me on Twitter or Instagram if you want to chat.
