5/5/24
Happy Cinco de Mayo, Revenge of the Fifth, or simply May 5th. I hope you did something fun on this lovely Sunday. I finally got my faulty mattress replaced today. There's been a dent right down the middle for years, and for some reason it never clicked that mattresses aren't supposed to have dents. I spoke with the company I bought it from, they measured and said a four inch dent means it's defective, and I went and picked out a new mattress. I sleep on it for the first time tonight, so I have my fingers crossed that I'll sleep well. Aside from that, my weekend has been all about spring. My sister came over and helped me plant my annual garden. She does a wonderful job with the window box every year, and I got my vegetable seeds planted, so we'll see what grows. Unfortunately, the trees and bushes are all in bloom, so I've been sniffling and fighting off a sinus headache. Pluses and minuses with spring, I guess. All of which means I haven't had the time or energy for writing. I haven't touched any of my stories. They're all clamoring in my head: "write me!" But I needed to strip my old bed this morning to get ready for the mattress delivery, then run to the grocery story so I'd have food, and then get some other chores done too. By the time I actually had a moment to write today, the energy was gone. Plus, I received the second round of edits for The Chef so what limited energy I've had all week has gone to that instead. I will say, The Chef looks amazing. The story turned out to be everything I hoped when I first thought of the idea of a chef getting angry because someone was waving a bloody sword near his pot of bubbling oatmeal. Now that the second round of edits is complete, I should get a release date and we'll start working on the cover. I should have more exciting news to share about it soon. In the meantime, I'm off to explore my new mattress while hoping the allergies go away. Happy spring, everyone!
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4/27/24 I decided it was time to start knocking places off my bucket list, so I went ahead and planned a trip to Japan. While I was planning I had an epiphany: if I was going to fly fourteen hours to basically the other side of the world, was there an opportunity to see more than one country? I added South Korea to my plans. Finding a trip took some time, since I wanted to see everything (impossible) and to do everything (also impossible). I settled on a trip that was ten days in Japan with an authentic Japanese-style onsen experience, and five days in Korea that included a day at the DMZ. The entire experience was magical. I went during the peak of cherry blossom (sakura) season so I saw a ton of gorgeous flowers, got to sleep on a proper futon in a tatami mat room after soaking in a traditional hot springs bath, and in Korea I was able to explore a tunnel in the DMZ the North Koreans dug during one of their failed plots to invade the south.
I can definitely see the architecture featuring in a future story I write. Massive wooden columns holding up multiple floors, intricate carvings everywhere, and the beauty of the sweeping roof lines could all make an appearance. Also, some of the defensive formations were unique to this style of building, so I would like to incorporate that into a book too. I don't know in which book just yet, but you will see it at some point. Possibly in a story tentatively titled Cantrip, which I haven't yet added to my actual to-do list. I had hoped between the fourteen hour plane ride to Tokyo, or the fourteen hour plane ride out of Seoul heading home, or on one of the lengthy bus trips to get to various destinations, I would have time to write. All I was able to work on was the opening scene of Cantrip, which was inspired by some beautiful misty mountains I drove through in Japan.
After I returned from my trip, I had a couple of days to do laundry and check my email at my day job before I hopped in my car to drive to my parents' for Passover. Again, I had hoped to have time to work on The Spy, which is soooo close to being completed, but instead I made a chocolate-orange sponge cake, a lemon sponge cake, apple cake, chocolate meringue cake, rainbow cake, and a lemon meringue pie while also helping to make traditional kugels and other foods for the two big dinners (Seders) my parents were hosting. I didn't get a chance to sit down until this past Thursday, and I was so exhausted I couldn't see straight, let alone try to write. Baking like this is always a lot of fun, so I'm not complaining, but I am very behind schedule of where I thought I'd be with The Spy and the rest of my writing plans. Now that my trip has sadly ended and Passover is coming to a close on Tuesday, I am back to the real world and will hopefully find some time to write. I'll let you know when I start making progress again! 3/30/24
For many reasons this week has both dragged and gone way too fast. Every time I looked at a clock, it felt like the hands were moving backward, and yet I blinked and suddenly it was already Friday! I can't really put how odd this feels into words, so instead let me explain everything I've been up to this week. First of all, the response for Gifting a Dragon's Heart has been beyond positive. Not a single bad review, which is almost unheard of! You all really seem to have enjoyed my quirky sci-fi/fantasy crossover story. For anyone that missed it, Gifting is available for purchase at most major retailers. My next story on the docket for release is The Chef, which is completely different in style to Gifting a Dragon's Heart. Beyond the fact that The Chef is almost double the length of Gifting, it also has a lot more world building and a slower build up to the romance and the plot. I received the first round of edits for The Chef this week. It's amazing how much more time and effort editing 60k words is compared to all the shorter stories I've been releasing. I was so excited to be working on The Chef again, but this was another instance of the clock moving in the wrong direction. I'd think I had made a lot of progress and was enjoying the opportunity to play with this story again, and then I'd realize I had only finished five pages. In a 20 to 30k story, five pages is a ton. In a 60k story that's barely scratching the surface. Lol It took me all week to return The Chef to my editor for round two. Despite that, my goal is still to write more longer works so this process has been very rewarding. Speaking of writing, I added another chapter to the third book in the trilogy, The Spy, which concludes the fun that began in The Chef. I've finished the needed introductory parts to the second half of the story and now it's time to dive into the meat of the plot as the climax for this book and the series takes off. The Spy is currently 35k words long and I believe I have enough outlined to get it to 50k, which would put it in the longer range for my books. I had to pause writing this story when the edits for The Chef came in, so I hope I can jump back in where I left off. I want to finish writing The Spy as quickly as possible because there are a ton of other plots dancing around in my head, asking for their turn. If a book is listed on my Current Projects page, it is one of those stories demanding I write them too. The problem is if I start working on one of them, The Spy won't get finished. That's what happened with my Magnified trilogy; I got distracted by other series and plots, and now it feels too daunting to go back and finish the last book. Codified is absolutely still on my to-do list, but so is Dragon Spy and Vivary Tales, and the list goes on. There's a lot to look forward to, so I'm excited to see where the next few weeks of writing take me!
3/17/24
In fact, I have a book coming out in two days! For anyone who pre-ordered with NSP, you can read Gifting a Dragon's Heart right now! For everyone else, Gifting will come out at most major retailers on Tuesday. This fact literally dawned on me about an hour ago. I did send out a proper cover reveal in my newsletter a little over a week ago, but I also meant to re-post it here. I also wanted to do some more hype. Somehow, none of that happened. If I say I was distracted with writing The Spy, does that excuse me for not remembering to advertise properly? Probably not. Lol A combination of things have kept me totally fried. You remember from my previous blog post about how I was starting to catch up from being behind? Yeah, that failed. I'm still behind on everything. Work has been kicking my butt lately, so all I have the energy to do when I get home is nuke some leftovers and collapse onto the couch to watch anime. Weekends are therefore filled with all the things I couldn't get accomplished on the weeknights, and therefore aren't as relaxing or rejuvenating as usual. Truth is, I can find plenty of excuses as to why Gifting has inadvertently fallen by the wayside. However, there is light at the end of the tunnel! I am taking a lot of vacation very soon, and I am hoping the R&R will get me back on my feet. I will be traveling for fun and I'll be going home for the holidays next month. I'll tell you all about the traveling when I'm done, but I'm really excited! Anyway, Gifting a Dragon's Heart is available to read right now at NSP, and available for preorder at most major retailers until it comes out on March 19th! Please go and get your copy today! In the meantime, I have actually been writing. The Spy continues to go well. I have had a couple of fun ideas for my characters that are helping to bring the major plot points together, one of which I'm particularly eager to start writing in the next chapter. I also got a new idea for one of my older stand alone stories that was languishing. I'm hopeful that this idea will lead to something and I'll be able to get another story off my to-do list. We'll see. 2/21/24
Today it feels as if I'm behind on everything. One of the things I'm delinquent on is keeping all of you in the loop about my stories, so writing this post is a good start at catching up. There's a lot of information about what's going on to share, so here we go! The reception and reviews for Soul Bond have been excellent. Everyone seems to have enjoyed my Valentine's-themed short story! Mixing illegal magic with a good mystery and sweet romance appears to be what everyone wants to read this time of year. I don't currently have any plans for more short stories, but I will make sure not to ignore a plot bunny for one should it hop into my brain. Gifting a Dragon's Heart is my next story getting released. You can pre-order it at NSP, Amazon, or Smashwords right now! If you want, you can also add it to your Goodreads list, where positive ARC reviews are already coming in. Gifting officially comes out on March 19th, just over a month away. As usual, if you pre-order with NSP, you can get it four days early. For a sneak peak of the cover, head over to any of those sites. I should have the official graphic to share really soon! The Prince, book two in my Princes of Toval series, was accepted for publishing with NSP! I'm really happy, as this means it's just as good as the first book, The Chef. I expect the editing process for The Chef to begin really soon, but The Prince likely won't start that process until fall. I've made great progress writing the third book in the trilogy, The Spy. I have written over 30k words, which is more than halfway. I will definitely reach 50k total words, although I'm still aiming for closer to 60k. There was some major action right before the halfway point, which means this story needs to enter a lull as I set things up for the final punch. Making sure the slower build-up is as interesting as the fast-paced action is always a good challenge so I'm very hopeful the next few scenes turn out. Soul Bond is normally the most romantic night of the year, but for Hew, that night promises to be a nightmare. Afflicted by a terrible curse, Hew knows he must either submit to blackmail or get help. Magic is illegal, so Hew must break the law and dive into the seedy underbelly of the city, where he finds more than he ever believed possible. However, even with Ren’s help, breaking Hew’s curse might ensure their executions on Soul Bond Night, rather than experiencing the romance the holiday usually promises.
1/26/24 For those of you who pre-ordered Soul Bond at NSP, congrats! You can download your copy today! NSP releases their catalogue four days early. If you buy through them, you get to read my books that much sooner. I hope everyone who has gotten their copy already is enjoying my magical Valentines-style short story! The ARC reviews so far have all been excellent, with high praise for the world building and the romance. For everyone else, I applaud your patience! Soul Bond will be available for download at most major retailers on January 30th. Here's a few links for pre-orders: Is there somewhere else you guys prefer to purchase ebooks from? I would be happy to link those too, if you let me know. Unfortunately, I can't link Amazon to all your different countries, but at least I could include a more comprehensive list for you!
Soul Bond officially releases in just four more days! I can't wait to hear how much you all are enjoying reading it, so look for my official announcement then. 1/21/24
I have been so busy with writing stuff and chores lately, which is phenomenal! I'm feeling really accomplished. I know this level of work ethic will fade away whenever whatever adrenaline or manic energy fueling it is used up, but I'm taking advantage while I can. The most exciting thing is Soul Bond is completely ready for release. Those who pre-ordered at NSP will get their copy in a few short days. I expect the purchasing information for other retailers to be available imminently, and I will share as soon as it's there. Soul Bond comes out on January 30th! As promised, I pulled out The Prince and gave it a final edit. I was able to shine up some rough spots and I am very, very happy with how it turned out. I went ahead and formatted for submission, and sent The Prince to NSP for their consideration. I do think they'll like it, but I will let you know what they say as soon as I hear. Editing The Prince was exhausting, though, so I did pause in the middle for a mental health break. Rather than work on something else, for some reason I found myself up in my third floor library, putting together a bookshelf that had been languishing in pieces for over two years. If only all my procrastination efforts led to getting old tasks accomplished. Lol Thanks to the bookshelf actually being able to hold things, I was able to take piles of books that had been sitting on the floor and put them away, which means my library is less of a mess than before. I still need at least one more bookshelf, but for now it's a step in the right direction. After The Prince and the bookshelf, I turned toward editing tasks. I received the copy edit for Gifting a Dragon's Heart. The copy editor called the story "sweet" and loved the world building, so I will happily call this story a win. After I finished that, I rewarded myself by working on my latest paint by numbers project. The next step for this book is getting the cover, so I'm very excited! I should also have a potential release date to share soon too. Lastly, I have been writing! The Spy has reached 26k words and I haven't even reached the halfway point. However, I am about to write a big battle scene, after which the plot does shift into the second half. I think there's a good chance this story will reach 60k, so closer to the length from the first book (The Chef). While all the books have very intriguing magic, I'm finding the magic in The Spy to be the funnest, which makes writing this story very interesting. I am hopeful I'll have this story completed in the next few weeks, and can therefore start focusing on some new material soon.
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Coming Soon
Gifting a Dragon's Heart
March 19, 2024 Soul Bond
January 30, 2024 Twin Elements
October 17, 2023 Witch
April 15, 2023 AuthorMell Eight is an author writing with NSP. For more information about Mell and her writing, please visit her website: http://melleightfiction. Tags
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