October vanished in a whirlwind of trying to get everything done before leaving for my 10-day trip to Israel, then the vacation itself. Did I get everything done? Of course not. But I had a fantastic time meeting many family members from around the world and checking items off the bucket list, so it was a month well spent.
I’m jet-lagged, exhausted from travel, and possibly fighting off a cold, so it sounds like a great time to start working on a brand-new project! I’m not done with the world of the Steel Empires series, and some of the secondary characters keep talking to me, so my next major endeavor is three (and a half) novels of queer paranormal romance. I’m jumping forward a few years in the timeline after the conclusion of the Steel Legacy and giving a few other familiar faces their own happily ever afters.
So far, I have book titles, character plans, trope ideas, and absolutely no series name. No matter what, 2023 is going to be an adventure for all of us.
October Wrap-Up
- I completed my first round of revisions on Steel Legacy and send it off to my beta readers! It’s nice to take a mental break from that book for a bit, but I look forward to receiving their feedback in December.
- I’ve made a solid start on the business side of things for the self-publishing venture. Is it weird that I find that as interesting as the creative stuff?
- I read two craft books last month on writing character arcs and developing romance storylines to prepare for my shift in genres, and I’ve got two more books in the queue on both topics.
- I’m using what I’ve learned in those books so far to figure out the plots of the paranormal romances. I’ve thrown out and redeveloped a ton of ideas so far.
- And finally, I had an incredible time in Israel! Did you see my pictures on Instagram?
November Goals
- NaNoWriMo is the name of the game this month! I’ll be working on the first draft of the prequel novella, Earth & Water, which will explore what brings Kane Nalamas and Archer Sophin together in Steel Magic.
In Case You Missed It
Around the Internet
- I’m now on BookBub! Please consider following my profile there for other reading and writing goodness.
On the Website
- I’ve gone to the dark side: Visitors to my website will be invited, once a month, to sign up for my email newsletter via a pop-up.
Book Reviews
- The Fae Queen’s Captive (Peculiar Tastes) by Sierra Simone (5*)
- Best Served Cold by E.M. Denning (5*)
- The Emotional Craft of Fiction by Donald Maass (5*)
- Storm Front (Immortals Descending #1) by Iris Foxglove (5*) | RECOMMENDED
- Flames of a Falling God (Misbegotten #1) by Searby Gray (5*)
- Attraction (Mobsters + Billionaires #3) by Kelly Fox (5*)
- Safe and Sound by E.M. Lindsey (5*)
- Rising Tide (Broken Chains MC #5) by E.M. Lindsey (5*)
- Shattered Pawns Series by Jennifer Cody (5*) | RECOMMENDED
- The Kite by N.R. Walker (5*) | RECOMMENDED
- Devil’s Mark (Reckless Damned #1) by Lark Taylor (4.5*)
- Like I Wished (Heather Bay #2) by Charlie Novak (5*)
- Senseless (The Game #9) by Cara Dee (5*)
Those are some lovely pics. And all the best with NaNo this month! So awesome that you’re actively applying what you learned in the craft books, as I have this tendency to read and think I have it all down, lol. Anyway, thanks for this post!
Thanks! Once I finish reading/highlighting a craft book, I create a word document and organize all my notes into something that I know will be useful to the way I work. It’s all about learning styles, I guess.