5/8/20

I have so much news about Ge-Mi that I'm bursting at the seams!  First, an official release date for Part Two: May 18, 2020.  The best part is, you can preorder it right now from NSP, and if you do, you can get it three days earlier than from anywhere else!  Here's the link: https://ninestarpress.com/product/ge-mi-part-two/ I'm certain it will be available for preorder or to buy from other retailers soon, but three days sooner is awesome. 

Next is the cover, which is a companion to Part One's cover.  It looks similar, but is different enough (I hope) to stand alone.  It's very pretty and has red wolf's fur to signify this is Taylor's book.  What do you think? 

Ge-Mi will be released in print!  Parts One and Two will be combined into one lovely print version.  NSP is working with the cover artist right now to get a print cover completed.  It will take a few extra weeks, but sometime after Part Two is released, the print version will also become available.  I will let everyone know when I have more information, but it's something more for you to look forward to! 

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. 

4/16/20

I hope everyone had a lovely holiday (whatever you happen to celebrate).  I had a nice zeder (zoom Seder) with family and friends for Passover.  Social distancing at its best.  Please stay safe and healthy out there! 

Since my last post, I have been working hard on a number of different projects.  Number one is new edits, of course.  The first and second round of edits for Dragon Deception, book two in my Supernatural Consultant series, arrived.  Overall, there wasn't much to fix, however some small things were changed in order to make this series YA.  Next for Deception is copy edits, which should arrive soon, and the first round of edits for Dragon Dilemma should also be on their way. 

My last fairy tale story, A Heart's Dream, is complete!  This means the anthology is also complete.  I still need to put A Heart's Dream through edits to get it ready for submission, and to do that properly it first needs to sit for a month.  I'll pick it up sometime in May, get it and the rest of the stories in the anthology completely ready to go, and then I get to wait for NSP's go ahead to resume submissions.  Despite the wait, I know those of you that have begged me to republish my older fairy tales will be happy to know they, and some new material, will all soon be available for you again.  I'll definitely keep you appraised as this project moves forward. 

I have also been working with NSP on some more covers.  I have seen the first draft of the cover for Ge-Mi: Part Two and have been in discussion about the covers for Dragon Deception and Dragon Dilemma.  I think you're going to like them all, and I'm eager to get them out for you to see too.  Hopefully I'll have final drafts to share soon! 

I am still planning to return to The Oracle's Current as my next project.  I would like to be able to submit it along with the rest of the (newly fixed) series when NSP says I can send in more books, but that means I need to get cracking now.  Thankfully the story seems to have stopped fighting me, but I won't know if it will go smoothly until I start writing again.  I'm eager to get started. 

3/15/19

Ge-Mi: Part One is available for pre-order at NineStar Press!  The official release date is tomorrow, March 16th, however if you purchase* from NSP, you can get it now, as NSP makes all their books available three days before official release. It is also available for pre-order from Amazon, but you have to wait until tomorrow to read it. 

* For those that purchased the book when it was previously available with LT3, no substantive changes have been made.  There were minor edits and there's a new cover, but aside from that, the story remains the same.  While I would be flattered if you purchased the book again, you will not miss anything if you don't. 

Here's some additional exiting Ge-Mi news:

The cover is out!  It's not as spectacularly shocking as the original cover, but it's still beautiful.  I don't know how we ended up in outer space, but I can't complain when a cover is that pretty.  Let me know what you think. 

Ge-Mi: Part Two is moving along at pace!  The first round of edits was completed and I am now working on the second round.  I hope to have them back to the editor very soon. All the edits have been extremely positive, and the editor does seem to love Part Two just as much as Part One.  I think you'll all love it too, and I can't wait for it to be available for you to read! 

2/23/20

It's been a very long February for me.  Some unhappy family issues pulled me away from writing for about two weeks, and I'm only now caught up.  That said, a lot has happened recently that I want to fill you in on, so I'm going to write another long post full of fun information.  Read on:

Submissions to NineStar Press:

• Wounded Alpha, Kelpie Blue, If A Butterfly Don't Fly, Magnified, and Justified were all accepted for publishing at NineStar Press!  I'm super excited as I really love these books.  As soon as I have concrete information on release dates, I'll share more, but it won't be until August at the earliest.
  
• I have officially maxed out NSP's release calendar for 2020.  What that means is NSP can't assess any more of my submissions until they create their calendar for 2021.  Everything else I've already submitted to them will therefore have to wait, and I won't be submitting anything more until they tell me it's okay.
  
• I also submitted my Dragon's Hoard series (minus the short stories as I'll have to add one more to get to the length requirement), Elemental Ride, The Coup and the Prince, My Truest Love, and Wings of the Stars.  They're going to have to wait, along with my Road To series, for the 2021 calendar. 
  

Writing:

• I have fixed my Oracle series!  It took a bit of finagling, but I made the changes without having to significantly alter the plot.  The series is officially ready and waiting to submit when NSP gives the okay.  I have also added 1k words to The Oracle's Current, the sixth, and final, book in the series.  The real drama is just starting, and I'm about to introduce the love interest, so I'm really excited about where the story is going.  I'm hoping I can get it completed before The Sentinel's Prophesy is released by NSP (should they accept it, of course).
  

Editing:

• I was able to complete the second round of edits for Dragon Consultant.  I got them back to NSP late because of my family issues, so I don't know if that will effect the release date.  I'm hoping April is still far enough away that it won't, but we'll see.  Next for Consultant is copy edits, which will hopefully arrive soon. 
  
• I am working on the final proofreader's edits for Ge-Mi: Part One.  There's not a lot to do, so I'm hoping to have them completed and back to the editor by today.  That should be it for edits for this book, so I don't foresee any issues meeting the March release date.  I will hopefully have an exact date available for you soon.  The first round of edits for Ge-Mi: Part Two should also be heading my way in the near future as well.
  

Book Covers:

• I have seen the first draft of the new cover for Ge-Mi: Part One and it's really nice!  It's simple, but lovely, and is definitely more safe for work than the original cover. I can't wait to see the final draft, and then share it with all of you!
• I have been asked what I want for the new cover for Dragon Consultant.  I think I want to go with something simple again, but still bright and happy, and focused on kit-level destruction. I'm really looking forward to what the artist comes up with, and I can't wait to share it with you. 
  

That's it for news for February.  I know there's a lot going on, and it's probably going to continue being a fire hose deluge of things to do until at least this time next year.  I'm enjoying it, though, and I'm so glad you're all sticking through it all with me as we all patiently wait for all my books to become available again. 

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? 

12/5/19

I just had a moment of realization.  It's December!  I knew the month had arrived, given Thanksgiving just passed, but somehow it just didn't quite compute.  For some reason, I'm mentally still thinking it's early November, but somehow nearly two months have passed since I last posted something!  I'm so sorry for vanishing like that.  I will try to do better from now on. 

That said, I don't have much to share.  I'm still in the waiting game for everything.  Edits for Ge-Mi: Nevada and Dragon Consultant should arrive any day now.  I'm hoping they'll be fairly straightforward, given they're reprints.  I am expecting more substantial edits for Ge-Me: Taylor, which should be the third set of edits I receive.  Hopefully that process will begin to move forward very soon. 

I am eight weeks into the 16 week timeline for when I could hear back from NineStar regarding my submission of my Wizard Wars series.  Given how many of my books they have already, I'm glad for the wait, but at the same time I want to know!  Fingers crossed I'll hear good news soon! 

I have been writing, of course.  For some reason, I got a really good idea for how to finally get Yani and Aaron out of the basement and therefore complete the prologue for Codified, the third and final book in my Magnified series.  I went ahead and cleaned up Magnified and Justified, so I can submit them to NSP whenever, but I'm hoping to make some real progress with Codified before I submit this series.  So far, I'm 1/6th of the way through writing Codified.  I still have some planning to do, but now that they're out of the basement I can hopefully start moving forward to the long-awaited final battle with Cain. 

Other writing has all been focused on trying to get my fairy tales complete.  There's just the last two to finish, both of which are completely planned out.  Mina needs a final push to get to the ball in A Heart's Dream, and then I can get that story moving again.  The Beast is flowing smoothly, but I had to stop to write down my amazing idea for Codified.  Once I have to pause Codified for some time on the planning board, I'm sure I'll return to my fairy tales.