It’s JUNE, it’s SUMMER, and I am SO READY FOR IT!
The Dragon’s Mark
I decided late last month that I probably wouldn’t be
able to finish the story in time for the anthology deadline (which is,
coincidentally, the end of this month) but I am definitely going to start
sharing it here on my blog! I am really liking how it's turning out. I've managed to craft characters unique enough that, as with Princess of Undersea, I can steadily build toward a certain outcome, while still leaving my options open in the process, and not telegraphing absolutely the whole thing ahead of time. I think readers will enjoy the twists I've put on it! I’ll wait till I finish it completely before
posting it, and I’ve decided it will be on Saturdays, so stay tuned!
I’ve finished Chapter 14, and I’m only halfway through the
Aberon “debacle”! I managed to throw a few references to the “proverbs” from
Draft 1 in there, without becoming cumbersome or detracting from the story at
all! Things are shaping up nicely, and I’m looking forward to charging ahead
full speed! This new plan is working out very well, all things considered. My hope is that Callista is coming off as less of an airhead (or at the very least, annoyingly blind sometimes!), though I am noticing that she is overthinking constantly, which tends to get irksome when the whole story is told from her perspective... but at least we're getting to the part of the story with a lot more moving parts, so there should be plenty to pull her out of her own head!
Princess of Undersea Reviewer Tribute Story:
"What Happened To Simon"
If you’re following me on Facebook, you’ll know that
recently, in celebration of reaching 600 followers, I announced the premise for
the “reviewer tribute tie-in story”, in addition to the names I’ve based on the
reviewers themselves. P.S., I still have room for 2 more, and one of those 2
might end up being a very important character, so if you’ve read it but you
haven’t left a review yet, I suggest doing so as soon as possible! Meanwhile,
I’ve just completed the part that ties into the original story… Now on to the
“fun part”, where I start introducing the different characters I created based
on those of my “First 8 Reviewers.” They loved them! (To read the note with all
the information I’ve shared so far, click on this link -->
“What Happened To Simon” Facebook Note
WATTPAD
The #Wattys story competition has begun! I tried entering a few stories last year, and of course, they didn't quite make it... So I'm trying again next year! I had about 3 stories that met the qualifications, and 2 of those are fanfictions. Here are the links, if you are interested at all in giving them a comment or a vote to help support them!
Alice's Adventures In Storybrooke: https://www.wattpad.com/story/144808728-alice%27s-adventures-in-storybrooke-a-crossover A Once Upon A Time/Once Upon A Time In Wonderland crossover fanfiction.
Beginning after Episode 8: "Home" (some spoilers) of Once
Upon A Time in Wonderland, this is the tale of how Cyrus, Alice, and Anastasia
end up in Storybrooke while Genie!Will ends up in the Enchanted Forest,
beholden to his former acquaintance, Jasmine, who only wants to be free of Lady
Drizella, her mistress, and find her true love, Allan of Dale. Now the reunited
heroes must team up with Regina, Belle, and Mr. Gold to defend the town from
Jafar and lift the genie curse, while Ana goes to the Forest to find Will.
Since We Found Serenity (A Firefly Fanfiction): https://www.wattpad.com/story/127404144-since-we-found-serenity-a-firefly-fanfiction
(Post-"Serenity" film) It's been a long time since
Kaylee and Simon Tam have given any thought to the old smuggling crew. Six
years, in fact. So many changes during that time-but when a simple heist job
turns into something much bigger, Captain Reynolds needs their expertise, and
the crew must once again band together against the overreaching Alliance-or the
galaxy is doomed.
The Clan of Outcasts: https://www.wattpad.com/story/108059534-the-clan-of-outcasts-wattys2018-nominated
It started with a series of pictures for character
inspiration. It exploded into a long series of fascinating twists and turns.
In a faraway kingdom, there are those known as Gifted--possessors of superhuman abilities that set them apart from regular humans. The King is dead, the Crown Prince has disappeared, his brother is a prisoner in the palace--and the Royal Council has officially branded all Gifted persons as Outcasts.
But that kind of power cannot remain suppressed for long.
One stormy night, a desperate escape marks the beginning of an uprising that
will change the face of the Realm forever.
Beyond that, I have one story that I recently began posting, so here's to new changes! A Writer's Tale is joining Wattpad, beginning with Book 1: The Dragon's Quest! Enjoy the snazzy new cover, courtesy of Pixabay, and here's the blurb:
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"Do something you've never done before. You never know
how it all might turn out."
Laura is a writer and published author who resides well
within her comfort zone. When her editor recommends she write something "a
little less realistic" than the cozy, contemporary stories she'd been
writing, Laura is more than a little unsure about the idea, though she intends
to give it her best shot, on a typewriter she recently purchased at a garage
sale.
The methodical writer could never have imagined that the
typewriter hid an incredible secret.
Coaxed through a magical portal and into the fantasy world
of Phantasm, Laura must team up with a fairy, an arrogant juvenile unicorn, and
an unscrupulous dwarf to aid a Dragon in his mission to accomplish a task to
earn his Name, if she wants to make it back to the safety of her home in the
real world!
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I've excerpted it a few times here on the blog, (You can find the excerpts listed on "The Shelf") but if you're interested in reading it in full... You'll need to follow this link: https://www.wattpad.com/story/150865241-a-writer%27s-tale-1-the-dragon%27s-quest
BIG CHANGES:
Summer Schedule
Oh yeah! So this summer, rather than succumbing to
aimlessness or wasting the opportunity to take advantage of free time for the
sake of not having obligations, I’ve decided to implement a schedule of
consistent, daily writing time, and a consistent, daily reading time as well.
(Because, as you will see in a moment, I have a lot of reading to catch up on!) Hence, every day over the
summer, I’ve allotted approximately 2 hours when my creative energy is at its
highest, during which I can choose a location either in the home or outside it
to dedicate to writing as much as I can, making my word goals and keeping a
forward momentum on all my projects. You see, this is because I have yet to
meet my monthly word count goal, and I’ve noticed that I have quite a few
stretches of days when I don’t feel like writing at all. Work has been tough
these last couple months, kind of draining me during the week, and I only have
so much time to make up the slack on the weekends, so I’m thinking it’s time
for a change! June will be the
month that I successfully hit my word count goal, and I hope to at least finish
the short stories, if not the novel as well, over this summer, so that I can
get beta readers, get it edited, and get a publishing action plan in place,
come the fall!
Bookish Summer Blog Hop: JULY
This is the special July event I mentioned earlier! Yes,
thanks to Jo Linsdell, I’m in another Summer Blog Hop! This one takes over
the month of July, and you’ll be seeing a lot of book titles and author
recommendations that you won’t want to miss! I’ll be sure and make an intro
post of all the questions and the hosting blogs, so you can access them there.
Meanwhile, this weekend I will add all previous blog hops under the “About Me” tab above, so
you can find out what I’ve participated in before! This is going to be so much
fun!
READING GOALS
Yes, as I mentioned along with my summer schedule, I have
reading goals for the summer! I’ve been managing 1 or 2 “Reader’s Reviews” per
month, and I want to see if I can’t work that up to 3 a month, at least for
June, July, and August. I have more than 40 unread books under my “Pending
Reviews”, and I want to see if I might be able to whittle that down a bit by
the fall.
As far as physical books are concerned, I have three from
the library that I need to read: All The Crooked Saints by Maggie Stiefvater (since I enjoyed her writing
style in the Raven Boys Cycle so much!) and Grey Sister by Mark Lawrence (waiting paid off! It only took a
month after the release—and there I was, ready to pluck it off the shelf!), and
End Game by David Baldacci (the
fourth book in the AMAZING Amos Decker series!)—but before I can read that last
one, I need to read The Fix,
which is the third book in the series. I also have Uncommon Type, a collection of short stories by none other than
Tom Hanks, but those two are on my personal shelf, so I don’t have to return it by
a certain date like the others.
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So there you have it! Lots going on this month—but I feel
optimistic so far! Here’s to a productive summer! How about you? Do you have
any summer plans? Feel free to leave a comment and let me know! Maybe we can
cheer each other on!
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