Greetings to all my followers! I hope your summer is going
well. Mine is definitely shaping up! I do believe July will be my most
productive month thus far!
WRITING GOALS
What Happened To Simon: A Princess of Undersea Reviewer
Tribute Story
First things first, this story is pretty much
finished—namely that I cannot write any more of it until the last two reviews
come in—so if you haven’t reviewed it yet, I strongly encourage you to do so! I
think those reviewers I attributed rather enjoyed the characters I made for
them—you would, too! I’ve posted the first bit of the story on Facebook—follow
this link >HERE< to read it, if you have an account.
A bit about it: Those who have read my novella might
recognize Simon as one of the young men in Prince Nathan’s patronage, and also
a participant in the ill-fated boating “accident” that quite literally threw
Nathan into the path of mermaid princess Ylaine. One of my early readers
pointed out that it was kind of unfair to introduce Simon and allude to a rich
backstory, just to kill him off immediately afterward. This reader wondered
what might have happened if Simon also survived, but nobody on Overcliff knew
it. It took a few months, but I hit on an idea, and with the addition of
throwing in characters based on my first 10 reviewers, I am finally able to
reveal What Happened To Simon.
The Dragon’s Mark
Oh boy! I am so excited! My dragon-infused rendition of
Cinderella is nearly finished! Granted, it’s about a month too late and more
than twice as long as it was originally intended to be... but I am very pleased
with the outcome and I cannot wait to share it with you all!!
A bit about it: If you were following this blog back in
2014, you probably saw when I posted “The Suggestion Box, Volume 2!” Otherwise
known as “The Legend of the Ecrivaine,” it used the randomly-generated (from
willing friends and acquaintances) lists to tell a continuous story of an
unsuspecting girl who gets swept up into an adventure full of intrigue and lost
rings and a dragon that needs to return to his own dimension. It was VERY fun
to write, and I am happy to report that the parts I re-purposed for my
Cinderella story (namely the Dragon, the lore behind it, the Dragon’s Mark
concept, and the Ring) fit incredibly well, and though the first few parts
might sound familiar to those who have read The Legend of The Ecrivaine, (or
who will go back and read it at some point during the perusal of this blog
post), bear with me because once the main character shows up, things are going
to get quite a bit different! A few ideas I added are the setting, a small,
fictional town in Southern Italy in the 1920’s/1930’s (because they talk about
The Great War) governed Mafia-style by a large extended family, and all the
residents must abide by the Family’s Rules and swear fealty to the Family;
also, my main character, Stella, is shunned and despised because she has this
strange skin condition that looks like a cross between dry skin and dragon
scales. It scars and warps her features—but nobody can explain where she got it
from. Fun times!
The Last Inkweaver
After a couple weeks where I battled to get this one rolling
again, we’re finally back at it! It's kind of amazing how the new "courtroom" scene played out--not quite the kind of involvement that I thought Callista would have, but it worked pretty well--I just have to make sure things don't get too incredible in an upcoming scene, or I just might have to go back and rewrite what I've already done. The amazing thing is that I've had to subdivide the same chapter twice--when I made the plan, I didn't realize just how much stuff was going to actually happen, and how much time various conversations take... But I don't mind! The word count is creeping up there, and it's all good!
A bit about it: Poor Callista is having a tough time believing in the purpose of her journey and facing the consequences of her choices as following Morgianna’s advice leads to her being publicly humiliated, she rejoins her friends to discover that they’d sold most of the clothes she brought along with her, and they are no closer to catching up with the convoy. Despair is setting in... But all is not lost! They’re about to receive help from someone who knows about the Wordspinners, so perhaps this will motivate Callista to continue tracking down the Inkweaver!
A bit about it: Poor Callista is having a tough time believing in the purpose of her journey and facing the consequences of her choices as following Morgianna’s advice leads to her being publicly humiliated, she rejoins her friends to discover that they’d sold most of the clothes she brought along with her, and they are no closer to catching up with the convoy. Despair is setting in... But all is not lost! They’re about to receive help from someone who knows about the Wordspinners, so perhaps this will motivate Callista to continue tracking down the Inkweaver!
My Bookish Summer Blog Hop
This summer’s blog hop is underway! For your convenience, I
have linked all the corresponding questions in the [Introductory Post] so if
you haven’t seen it, want to get caught up, or maybe even answer the questions
and get in on the discussion, feel free!
The reason I enjoy doing blog hops is because of the
networking aspect. I get to answer questions on my FAVORITE TOPIC, I get to
find people with similar tastes to mine, and I get to support bloggers like me.
I know how discouraging it can get when it seems like I write something that I
think is cool or fascinating, and post it, and it gets either very few views,
or lots of views with no responses. I love interacting with other readers,
bloggers and authors!
I am hosting another post this Friday, which just means that maybe I'll delay "Flash Fiction Friday" to Saturday... No big deal, I know, just a heads-up for those who actively follow my blog!
I am hosting another post this Friday, which just means that maybe I'll delay "Flash Fiction Friday" to Saturday... No big deal, I know, just a heads-up for those who actively follow my blog!
Word Count
I am officially (still, as of this post!) over my word count goal for today! This is why I am so
thrilled to be giving this update—it’s exactly what I’ve been trying to do for four months now! I am
definitely going to be able to achieve this month’s goal—and then, let’s hope I
still have enough going on that I can maintain that lead going into August and
back to work! It’s been really fun to challenge myself, and I think a large
part of being able to do this is my strategy of setting a daily writing time.
Granted, on a full-time work schedule I might not be able to have this much
time to spend, but at least, with forming this habit, and having enough
projects to keep the words flowing, I should be able to at least continue
writing consistently, even if I may have to diminish my goal over the months.
WATTPAD
Snazzy new cover I am proud of! :D |
ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN STORYBROOKE 8 Votes, 7 Comments
SINCE WE FOUND SERENITY 14 Votes, 5 Comments
THE CLAN OF OUTCASTS 3 Votes, 1 Comment
In the last month, I completed the Grimm/Supernatural
crossover KEEP PORTLAND GRIMM, started posting the first of an old series A WRITER’S TALE #1: THE DRAGON’S QUEST, and just this weekend I launched a
new(old) fanfiction, the first one I ever wrote for the show Grimm, called READ BETWEEN THE LINES. That one in itself isn’t very long, but immediately after
it, you’ll have the sequel, FAIR TRADE to look forward to!
READING GOALS
Featured Reviews
I may have had only one review posted in June, but I was successful in completing an “indie book” early this month (review is >HERE<) so that leaves me plenty of time to get another book read! The book I finished just last week was Dreamtime Dragons, which, as some of you know, contained my short story, “Arthur and The Egg.” I took this opportunity to read the other submissions and holy moly! You’ll just have to read the review to find out what deliciousness is in store for you! Currently reading Beasts of Babylon by E. A. Copen. If that name looks familiar on this blog, I have read and reviewed the first book in her urban fantasy/ paranormal investigator series, the Judah Black Novels. (That review, for Guilty By Association, you can find >HERE<) I really loved it, and I’m already intrigued by some of the characters in this new book, which leans more toward the horror genre, so I am really looking forward to what this adventure has in store! My goal is to have 2 more books finished by the end of the month, bringing this month's total Reader's Reviews to THREE!
Books On My Nightstand
Yep, that’s 2 books out of 4 finished! I finished reading All
the Crooked Saints by Maggie Steifvater
(every bit as full of heart and intrigue and magic as her Raven Boys Cycle!),
and End Game by David Baldacci,
the fifth book in his Will Robie series. Electrifying and gripping as ever!
Coming up next, I am currently right in the middle of Grey Sister by Mark Lawrence, the second book in his Books of the
Ancestor series—and his first with a female MC, and he’s doing a fantastic
job of it! Nona Grey is equal parts
compelling and frightening—and Keot keeps things interesting! After that, I’ll
round it off with The Fix,
another David Baldacci book, this time returning to his Amos Decker
series—because why not? Always
fun to see the world through the eyes of such a special mind as that character
has!
<<<<<<<>>>>>>>
So that’s where I’m at so far! Feel free to ask me any
questions, or share what you have going on!
Catch You Further Upstream!
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