5/03/20

I have a bunch of books coming out in the next few weeks, so I wanted to update you on where they stand:

Ge-Mi: Part Two

This story is completely ready to go.  I finished the proofreader's final edits and have seen the draft of the cover.  All that's left is for the ARCs to go out, which will happen soon.  Part Two is scheduled to come out in May, and I expect to have a firm date once NSP posts it for pre-order on their website. 

I am incredibly excited for this story to come out.  Not only have readers waited literally years for it, but it is the first brand new story of mine NSP is releasing.  I'm super excited to see how a new book does with my new publisher. 

Dragon Deception

Book Two in my Supernatural Consultant series is starting to take shape.  I have completed the copy edits for the story, which means all that's left is the proofreader.  I have seen a draft of the cover, and it is as awesome as the cover for the first book.  It will 100% be ready to go by June. 

Given the amazing reception Dragon Consultant has been getting, I'm certain Deception will also do really well. 

Dragon Dilemma

Dilemma is also making great strides in its journey towards reprinting.  I just finished the second round of edits and the story turned out really well.  The editor likes the story, which means all my new readers will like it too!  I have also submitted the cover form, so that's in progress too. 

There's still a lot to do for this story, but I think we're ahead of schedule for a July release, which is good. 

1/31/20

I can't tell you how many blog posts I've written this month where, just before I was ready to post, I got more news and had to rewrite.  I think this is my third or fourth attempt to get out a blog post, but there's so much to tell you I'm just going to post what I have, and I may end up writing another blog post tomorrow. Either way, this post is really long, but I promise there's exciting stuff inside.  Read on:

Submissions to NineStar Press:

• Both Ground of Insurrection and Ground of Resurrection have been accepted at NSP!  The editor really seemed to like them.  I'm so excited Resurrection will finally be available for you to buy.  I can't estimate when a release date might be, but I'd like to think sometime in 2020.   
• I am still waiting to hear about Wounded Alpha, but I'm very hopeful.  I know the editor has it in her queue, so it's moving along in the submission process. 
• This editor asked me to submit all the other stories I had ready, so I have submitted six more books to NSP.  All the completed books from my Road To, Magnified, and Out of Underhill series have officially been submitted.  The editor will evaluate them all and will let me know whether NSP is interested. 
• My Dragon's Hoard series, The Coup and the Prince, and Elemental Ride are next on my list.  I need to get them formatted for submission first, which will take a little longer for The Dragon's Hoard as I'll need to read through to make sure all the page breaks are correct and such, but I hope to have all of those books submitted by next week. 

The Oracle series:

• I know many of you reached out to me asking for The Oracle series to get republished as well.  I inquired with NSP as to whether it was possible to republish The Oracle's Flame as-is, and the answer was the expected no.  However!   I have an idea that will fix the issue without substantially changing the plot or too much of the characterization.  I just need to find the time to actually get it written.  If I'm able to make that change, NSP is willing to assess the entire series, so I will have to find the time somehow. 
• Of course, this means Heart's Tournament will not be reprinted.  There's no way to soften the same issue within that story as it's integral to the plot.  Until I figure out whether it's worth trying to self-publish it, that story will have to remain out of print. 

Editing:

• The copy edits for Ge-Mi: Part One are complete.  I have sent them back to the editor.  I don't know whether NSP has one more editing step before it gets turned into an ebook, but it's closer to being ready to go. 
• The second round of edits for Dragon Consultant have arrived.  What about the first round, you ask?  That was one of the things I wrote in a previous blog post that never got published, but I finished those too.  I should have the second round complete within a day or so. 
• The Supernatural Consultant series as a whole will be marketed for a YA audience.  That means a few things will have to be changed to make it suitable for a slightly younger audience, but I promise there are no changes to the overall plot and characterizations.  Lumie will always be Lumie, and I don't think there will be any changes at all in the later books. 
• Once I finish the second round for Consultant, there will be copy edits.  I'm also expecting to see the first round of edits for Ge-Mi: Part Two, which I'm super excited about.  I'll try to let you know when those arrive. 

Writing:

• I completed The Beast from my fairy tale project.  That just leaves A Heart's Dream to finish and then the anthology will be complete.  As always, this is a time issue.  I need to find the time to sit down and write it, and this was at the top of that to-do list, but has been supplanted with fixing The Oracle's Flame. 
• Aside from that, I haven't had the chance to get much writing done.  I don't know I'll be able to write more as long as edits keep appearing regularly, but I'm going to do my best to keep on writing as much as I can whenever I can. 

12/17/19

As the title states, edits are moving along.  The second round of edits for Ge-Mi: Nevada; Part One are complete and should be heading to the copy editor right now.  There's going to be a surprise at the end, but I don't want to give it away!  (It has to do with Part Two, which comes out tentatively in May, so don't feel you have to re-purchase just to get the surprise.)  I don't know how long the copy editing will take, but I see no issues with meeting the March release date, at least from my end.  I'm expecting to start talking with NSP about covers and other fun things in 2020.  I don't know if NSP wants to keep the original cover, especially since they'll have to match it for the rest of the series, but I actually really like this cover so we'll see. 

Next on the editing list will be Dragon Consultant and Ge-Mi: Taylor; Part Two.  I"m not expecting to see either of them until January at the earliest.  As I said in a previous post, Dragon Consultant will likely be a quick job because it's been previously edited.  However, I'm expecting Ge-Mi: Part Two to take a bit more time as it hasn't been edited before.  I therefore will likely need to see both of them in January to ensure we reach their release dates without issue.  I'll let you all know when they arrive. 

I've had to pause on the writing front as I had to work flat out to get the edits done with a very quick turnaround.  Now that the edits are gone, I'm expecting to have a relaxing next few weeks.  I'll get to enjoy some time without deadlines looming over me, which will hopefully allow me to get some writing done.  I'm looking forward to that, and to hopefully crossing off one more thing from my to-do list before the year comes to a close. 

12/7/19

I spoke too soon in my last post.  The first round of edits for Ge-Mi: Nevada have arrived!  I'm going through them right now, and so far it's exactly what I expected.  Minor edits for word choice, a couple of sentences that need tightening, and some small grammar missteps.  Nothing substantive will be changed.  I should be able to get Ge-Mi: Nevada back to the editor this weekend. 

What's next?  My awesome editor will keep moving down the list.  Next is Dragon Consultant and Ge-Mi: Taylor.  I don't know which will come first, but given Ge-Mi: Taylor has never been edited before, I'm expecting some significant edits.  I'm hoping it will come first to give me more time to work on it, but it depends on my editor's time as well. 

Once Ge-Mi: Nevada is back with the editor, I will return to writing. 

On a side note, I've been asked to provide a biography to NSP.  I can't decide if I should go the easy route and provide the same bio I've been using for years, or if I should take this opportunity to update it.  What do you think? 

10/20/19

NineStar Press has also accepted the final three books in my Supernatural Consultant series!  The two short stories, Dragon Adventure and Dragon Home, will be combined into one book.  Right now the working title will be Dragon Adventures (we added the 'S', because we're clever like that), but inside the book "part two" will still be called Dragon Home.  We're not wedded to the new title, so if anyone wants to suggest something they think is better, please feel free.  NSP also accepted Dragon Lesson, which I'm super excited about.  This means the entire series will be republished soon! 

In other book news, there have been no new developments.  It's too soon to hear whether NSP will accept the two books in my Wizard Wars series.  It's also way too soon to get any additional tentative release dates.  Edits for Ge-Mi: Nevada could arrive any day now, and once they start, edits for all my accepted books will continue to arrive almost non-stop for the next year.  I know that is going to curtail my writing time considerably, but I am still going to try my best to get some new material completed as well.  At the top of the list are my fairy tales, which I am sooooo close to finishing, and of course all the sequels everyone has so patiently been waiting for.  I will keep working hard, so thank you all for your continued support! 

8/9/19

As you no doubt read in my last post, Ge-Mi, Parts One and Two were both accepted for publishing at NineStar Press.  I'm super excited about it, as I love this series and I know my readers love it too.  A new publisher does mean there will be a few changes that I want to make sure everyone knows about:

1. A New Title.  Rather than Part One/Part Two, the books will now be known by the main POV.  Part One is now: Ge-Mi: Nevada.  Part Two is now: Ge-Mi: Taylor.  (I am going to adjust how I'm referring to Di-Na as well to conform to this new title standard.) 
2. Editing.  Nevada's book (Part One) will be going to an editor.  I don't yet know if there will be any substantive changes, but a fresh set of eyes on the story will likely catch new issues.  If the story changes significantly, I will let everyone know.  Right now I can't say what will happen. 
3. Timing.  NineStar just accepted both stories, so it's going to be a while longer before they're released.  I don't know how long it will be or how spread out Nevada's book and Taylor's book will be.  Please be patient with me as we work through this process. 
4. Writing.  I have added over 1k words to Di-Na: Kay (Part One) and hope to add a good bit more this week.  The story isn't anywhere close to being complete, but any progress is good progress.  I have the next two big scenes planned out, and I know who the bad guy is, but there's still a lot to flesh out.  I do hope to have this story completed within the next few months or so, which means I need to get back to writing now. 

As I continue to get more information about Ge-Mi and any of my other stories, I will share them here with everyone.  I hope to have more news to share really soon!  Thanks for all your words of support as we work through this together. 

6/1/19

Ge-Mi: Part Two was accepted for publishing with LT3!  I'm so excited!  Right now I need to get the contract in the mail so everything is signed and official.  I expect this book to come out in approximately ten months, so first quarter 2020.  Aside from signing the contract, my first step is providing LT3 with a description of what I want on the cover.  Readers either loved or hated the cover for Part One--there was no in between--and I think I'll get similar reactions for my idea for Part Two.  You'll just have to wait and see ;p. 

The Oracle's Golem was also accepted for a contract extension.  There won't be any edits or cover changes for this book, and therefore won't be any break in sales.  I'll get the contract in the mail with Ge-Mi's and Golem will be good for another few years. 

I forgot to mention earlier, but I did get the edits for My Truest Love back to LT3.  I still need the new cover, as well as a release date, but otherwise this story is mostly ready to go.  The second round of edits for Ground of Resurrection should be coming my way soon, as well as the reprint edits for Wings of the Stars, but I'm enjoying the brief respite.  I had to take a mental health break from working on my stories for a few days, but I eventually found the energy to resume working on The Oracle's Current and Di-Na: Part One. Neither story is anywhere close to being completed, but every bit of progress helps.  I hope to keep working on them until another round of edits comes my way. 

5/18/19

The Coup and the Prince comes out next week!  Right now LT3's having a big sale in honor of Sam's birthday, so you can get it for a big discount.  Otherwise, it will be available on Amazon and all other retailers very soon.  You can always check it out on Goodreads until then.  This book has been an adventure to write and to edit, and I do think it eventually turned out really well.  I'm excited for everyone to read it!  May 22nd can't come quick enough.

I have seen the first draft of the cover for Ground of Resurrection and it is phenomenal.  I asked for two tweaks.  Hopefully once the changes are made, I'll have it to share with you.  I don't yet have a release date for Resurrection, but given we're already talking about covers, it has to be coming soon. The second round of edits for this story should be coming soon too. 

A quick update on everything else:

I'm still working on the edits for My Truest Love.  I'm late in getting them back (again...sigh), but I'm hoping to get them done this weekend.  I can't believe how involved edits for a reprint are.  There were definitely some small changes, but the overall story isn't different.  If you purchased it previously, you probably don't have to buy it again.  I'm looking forward to the new covers for the series too. 

Wounded Alpha is still somewhere in the ether that is the editing process.  I won't see it for at least a few more months.  Ge-Mi: Part Two is still in the submission pool.  It's only been three weeks since I submitted it (it feels like forever ago!), so I won't hear for at least another two to six weeks.  I'm anxious to know whether LT3 likes it, but I'm also hoping to have some time to work on book two in the series too. 

Writing has been totally stagnant.  I've been burned out by the mono and by work, which isn't fun.  I need to be able to think in order to put words onto paper properly, and I just haven't been capable of that lately.  Also, I keep having interrupted weekends where something comes up that drags me out of my apartment for half of it.  That leaves me with only one day to do all the other chores and things I have to get done, and writing has unfortunately been taking a back seat.  Right now June is looking like a good month with no interrupted weekends or crazy work projects.  I am very hopeful I'll be able to get some real work done on my poor, neglected stories throughout June. 

4/28/19

Those of you that follow me on Twitter already know that I successfully submitted Ge-Mi: Part Two to LT3.  For everyone else, Ge-Mi: Part Two was officially submitted to LT3!  I got confirmation that they received it, so now it's just a waiting game.  LT3's website says it's a 6 to 8 week waiting period while they evaluate the manuscript.  If they accept it, I should be signing the contract sometime in June and the book should be released anywhere from 9 to 12 months after that. 

So what's next?  Editing, of course.  I'm still working on the edits for the reprint of My Truest Love.  After that I'm expecting the edits for the reprint of Wings of the Stars.  The Coup and the Prince might have a copy edit or galley coming my way in the next few weeks, and then the second round of edits for Ground of Resurrection will arrive.  Editing continues to take the bulk of my writing time, but once that list is done, I'm expecting to have a few months without any edits. 

Which means, I finally get to write again!  Di-Na: Part One is, of course, high on my to-do list, but that list is incredibly long right now.  I think I need to focus on the stories that have languished the longest.  I really, really want to finish off my Oracle series and The Oracle's Current, so that's on the top of my list, and I also want to finish my fairy tale project.  There's also Codified and Dragon Spy, which are both patiently waiting for a bit of my attention.  There's so much still to do and I'm looking forward to finally having the time to actually do it! 

4/26/19

Wounded Alpha was accepted for publication at LT3!  This means the areas I fixed when the story was rejected the first time worked.  This story was a ton of fun to write, so I'm incredibly excited to have it accepted this time.  I'm expecting to see the first round of edits for this story in approximately six months, so start looking for publication announcements for sometime fourth quarter 2019 to first quarter 2020. 

I have returned the first round of edits for Ground of Resurrection to LT3.  I think the story is really looking good, but it still has to go back to the editor for another round.  I should start getting word about a potential release date and the cover approximately when the second round of edits arrive. 

I have also received the edits for My Truest Love, which is a reprint.  The story has already gone through the editing process, but I wanted it to get another look through to make sure everything was good.  For the most part the edits are simple, but there are a couple weak spots.  I knew about them before, but couldn't fix them when the story was previously released as part of the collection call.  The editor this time was kind enough to point them out and offer suggestions.  It's therefore going to take a bit of work to get this story ready, but I'm hoping to get it done quickly.  Even though Wings of the Stars, the second book in this series, is currently still for sale at LT3, I'm also expecting to get edits for it soon too as part of the series revamp. 

Next on my to-do list was Ge-Mi: Part Two and I'm happy to say this book is completely done!  After I returned Resurrection to LT3, as promised I pulled out Ge-Mi and ran it through a final edit.  I have to say I'm incredibly happy with how it turned out and I do think you'll love it just as much as I do.  My plan is to submit it to LT3 either tonight or first thing tomorrow morning.  I will let everyone know whether LT3 accepts it.  Next for this series is Di-Na, book two in the series, which will also be split into two parts.  I've begun writing Di-Na: Part One, so hopefully I'll be quicker about it and have it to LT3 within a year.