Wow, is the first month of 2018 done already? Seems like it flew by in a whirlwind of writing and reading and LEGO. Oh wait — because that’s basically all I did this month.
January Wrap-Up
- First of all, the good news: The first draft of Steel Empires #5: Steel Shadows is DONE! Final word count clocked in at 85,836 words. You have no idea how happy I am that I don’t have to stress about cutting 15k+ words like last year.
- While letting that first draft simmer a bit, I also finished major edits for book 4, Steel Time, and sent them back to my publisher. In addition, I wrote up my acknowledgements and the back cover text, and the book is on its way to layout!
- Now it’s back to revising Steel Shadows, which I’m about 1/4 done with. I’m enjoying it, so that’s a good sign, right?
- In the midst of all that, I also beta read a novel for a grad school friend. IT WAS SO GOOD, YOU GUYS. When it’s a bestseller, I’ll totally get to say that I got to read it first.
January Book Reviews
- It Takes Two to Tumble (Seducing the Sedgwicks #1) by Cat Sebastian (5 stars)
- Smuggler’s Run (Star Wars: Journey to The Force Awakens) by Greg Rucka (3 stars)
- Starstruck (Bluewater Bay #1) by L.A. Witt (4 stars)
- “Christmas Past” (Chronicles of St. Mary’s short story) by Jodi Taylor (5 stars)
- There’s Something About Ari (Bluewater Bay #2) by L.B. Gregg (5 stars)
- The Weapon of a Jedi (Star Wars: Journey to The Force Awakens) by Jason Fry (3 stars)
- Hell on Wheels (Bluewater Bay #3) by Z.A. Maxfield (5 stars)
- Lone Wolf (Bluewater Bay #4) by Aleksandr Voinov & L.A. Witt (4.5 stars)
- Before the Awakening (Star Wars: Journey to The Force Awakens) by Greg Rucka (4 stars)
- The Burnt Toast B&B (Bluewater Bay #5) by Heidi Belleau & Rachel Haimowitz (5 stars)
January Speculative Chic Contributions
- Resolution Project 2018
- Roundtable: Favorite 2017 Read
- Better Late Than Never: Reading A Wrinkle in Time in 2018
February Goals
- Finish revisions on Steel Shadows and get it out to my beta readers!
- Note to self: Find beta readers…
- I’ve added another convention to my list! The weekend of Feb. 9-11 I’ll be attending Farpoint in Hunt Valley, MD (just north of Baltimore).
- And at some point, I need to start thinking about the presentation I’m giving in March for the Uniontown Public Library’s 2018 Author Series. I’ll be discussing how alternate history can be used to create amazing stories!
How’s 2018 working out for all of you? Have you accomplished any of your New Year’s resolutions? I did mine! (See my Speculative Chic post about reading A Wrinkle in Time.)
Now, time to get back to work on Steel Shadows. I have my biggest LEGO set to date to build once it’s off to the beta readers!
