July Wrap-Up & August Goals

While I had high hopes for finishing the first draft of Earth and Water in July, I’ll admit my track record for the past 2 years hasn’t been the best with these aspirations.

Then the spouse went to Puerto Rico for work, and I decided last minute to take a week off and join him. (Literally, I made the decision while driving home from a convention in Pittsburgh and walked on a plane less than 24 hours later.) I had an amazing time writing at a cool cafe, an outside bar, and by the pool, along with hanging out with some of the spouse’s cool coworkers in the evenings.

Oh yeah, and I got to write those awesome two words the day I got home.

Updates & Upcoming

Steel Legacy (Steel Empires #7): With the editor — publication date TBD
Earth & Water (Steel Bonds #1): First draft complete, coming in at around 78k words! I’m currently working on a full read-through so I can send it to my editor, beta readers, and sensitivity reader by the end of the week. I’m excited to start really digging into the nitty-gritty of the self-publishing journey, and even more exciting, searching for cover art! I’m aiming for a Fall 2023 release.
Blood & Ink (Steel Bonds #2): I’d love to do some solid brainstorming and start crafting my outline for Asaron and Gan’s book this month.
Other WIPs: I’m planning at least 2 more books in the Steel Bonds series, and depending on the scheduling, I might sneak another secret project in there.
Events: No travel plans for August, but I tend to say that and then flee the state, so we’ll see where I end up.