I swung into November, literally, by attending an amazing sword technique workshop hosted by the Highlander himself, Adrian Paul, on Halloween. If the Sword Experience comes to your area, I can’t recommend it enough. I learned a lot, and what I was already familiar with was a lovely refresher. I look forward to incorporating those elements in my writing.
November itself was a bit stranger. I started National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) strong, but the American election tripped me up more than I expected. I spent a week scrambling to catch up, but then the positive good stress of using NaNo as motivation turned into the negative stress of feeling like I was irrevocably behind, so that became a wash. (My failure to “win” has absolutely nothing to do with the new World of Warcraft expansion that dropped last week. Don’t be silly.)
Only one month left in the crazy year that has been 2020! I remain optimistic for 2021, even as I will continue to stay home as much as possible and wear a face mask whenever in public. If this means I have more time for reading and gaming, I can’t really complain.
(Also, please wish a happy birthday to my mother today! She’s the self-proclaimed president of my fan club, and I couldn’t ask for a better supporter of my writing over the years.)
November Wrap-Up
- I did not “win” NaNoWriMo by writing 50k words in 30 days. Instead, I wrote 22k words during the past 30 days, putting me at a total of 40k words written of Steel Empires #7: Steel Legacy in total. (I also leveled my main in WoW back to max level in 4 days, but shhhhhh.)
December Goals
- Add at least 10k words to Steel Legacy, bringing the total word count to 50k.
- All the other projects in my life are house-related that I’m working on with the Spouse, so I won’t bore you with the details.
In Case You Missed It
Book Reviews
- The Hero and the Hidden Royal (Royal Powers #2) by Renae Kaye (4 stars)
- Blood of the Sun (Path of Ra #3) by Dan Rabarts & Lee Murray (5 stars)
- Marquis of Secret Doors (Royal Powers #3) by Lynn Lorenz (4 stars)
- Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall (5 stars)
- Conventionally Yours (True Colors #1) by Annabeth Albert (4 stars)
- Enemies Like You by Annika Martin & Joanna Chambers (5 stars)
- Three Player Co-op Series by Allyson Lindt
- Looking For It (Three Player Co-op #1) (4 stars)
- Waiting For It (Three Player Co-op #2) (4 stars)
- Asking For It (Three Player Co-op #3) (4 stars)
- Bad Habits (Wages of Sin #1) by Onley James & Neve Wilder (5 stars)
- The Game Series by Cara Dee
- Top Priority (The Game #1) (5 stars)
- Their Boy (The Game #2) (5 stars)
- Breathless (The Game #3) (5 stars)
- Abstract Love by Sara Dobie Bauer (5 stars)
- He’s Come Undone (collection)
- “Appassionata” by Emma Barry (4 stars)
- “Unraveled” by Olivia Dade (5 stars)
- “Caught Looking” by Adriana Herrera (4.5 stars)
- “Yes, And…” by Ruby Lang (4 stars)
- “Tommy Cabot Was Here” by Cat Sebastian (5 stars)
- Heart of the Steal by Avon Gale & Roan Parrish (5 stars)
