June Wrap-Up & July Goals

I hit a great productivity groove this past month! It’s amazing how much you can get done when your cats insist on waking you at 6 AM every morning. And your spouse is on another continent for 3 weeks.

Okay, I guess I missed him. And I do love the cats, even when they are loud and think knocking over lamps is an adequate substitute for an alarm clock. But I also had a blast reading lots of books, seeing friends at StokerCon, and writing a ton of words in the last few weeks. The end of the current WIP is in sight, which made it all the more difficult to dedicate today to marketing and social media.

Since we’ve reached the midpoint of 2023, now is a perfect time to check in on two major goals. Per Goodreads, I’ve read 187 books (novels and novellas) so far this year. I’ve also completed the first draft of 29 of 39 projected scenes in Earth & Water, leaving me with the epic dark moment and finale! …And the 3 spicy scenes I may have skipped along the way.

Summer is my favorite season by far, so here’s to another month of success!

Updates & Upcoming

Steel Legacy (Steel Empires #7): With the editor — publication date TBD
Secret Project (Phase Two): Sometimes crazy shots in the dark don’t work out, and unfortunately, my story didn’t vibe with what the editor intended for this particular collection. However, he told me he plans to invite me back for next year’s project, and I already have rewrite and new submission ideas for this particular story!
Earth & Water (Steel Bonds #1): First draft (still) in progress! 58.5k words down, which doesn’t look like a huge increase from last month but involved lots of progress on rewriting previously drafted scenes into new perspectives. 10 scenes left in the outline!
Other WIPs: I’ve got 4 books in the brainstorming phase, which include 3 more novels in the Steel Bonds series and another future secret project
Events: I’ll be back in Pittsburgh for Confluence from July 21-23!