July 28, 2017
Monthly Author Check-In: July 2017
What I’m Writing: Everything! And nothing. (Honestly, it’s been more nothing than everything, and it is lovely.)
What I’m Reading: Last Night, a Superhero Saved My Life, edited by Liesa Mignogna / The Last of August, by Brittany Cavallaro
What I’m Loving: Catastrophe, which is the perfect blend of funny and weird and tragic and funny, and exactly what this writer needs when she’s on break between major projects.
WIP Excerpt
Uh… Here, have a random snippet from a random side project:
She blows in by a tempest.
It was the usual way, back when such things happened. Back when the island was bright, and laughter rang freely through the house. Gods and heroes riding high on the backs of angry storm clouds, thundering through the heavens like a pack of wild dogs. Or floating by on gentle breezes, whispering sweet nothings to the mortals down below. Slipping through the crack of a door, a snowdrift spread across the packed dirt. Sola remembers when the island was awash in shifting weather patterns, as her aunts and uncles and half-cousins ran free through the doorways. Roving bands of bastard children flitted in and out of sight, flashes of their naked backsides dipping into the waves like seals.
But the weather has been stable for so long now. A flat gray sea, a paler gray sky. Once or twice a year, perhaps, a ripple will grace the sands of the island. Sola runs down to the beach, gray water against gray sand. She stands tall along the shore, waiting to see if something will happen, but it never does.
They’re here!
First off: THANK YOU to everyone who’s bought the new book so far!! This has been my strongest launch yet, and it’s super exciting!
As you might have guessed, I’ve been on a temporary vacation from writing to rest and recharge after my latest book release. Don’t worry—I’m back at it in August, which is disturbingly close as far as I’m concerned. I’ve spent my time reading and watching TV and swimming (seriously, just so much swimming), and focusing on getting sufficiently mellowed out so that when I dive back into work full-time again, I can make some hardcore progress. First up: finishing book four of The Beacon Campaigns (Whispers of the Ice). It’s already halfway there, so I’m good shape to start, but the complication is going to be that now I need to nail down exactly how the second half of the series plays out. These books are so big and interwoven that I really need to know where I am going with all of the books that follow, so I don’t inadvertently write myself into a corner in the future.
Don’t get me wrong, I am looking forward to it. It’s just… been nice, to take it easy. I’m going to miss it.
Meanwhile, a couple of fun things have been keeping me busy:
- I cut my hair! Which, if you know me in person, you understand that this is a serious bit of news, but for those of you who are staring at your screen going, yeah, AND?, let me explain: When I was in my early twenties, I decided to grow my hair out, on a lark. And I spent the next decade+ not cutting it, and eventually it got down to my ankles, and then I hacked it way back, and then it grew down to my knees again while I was deciding what I wanted to do with it next. And when I say that I cut it, I mean that I seriously cut it all off. As in, the breeze blows across the back of my neck now. To say that I love it is kind of an understatement.
- I am finally getting official Author Photos! This had to wait until after the big chop, because the last thing I wanted was to end up with a photo that would represent me for all of two months or whatever. So this afternoon I met up with a friend who is a fantastic photographer, and we had a blast snapping pictures. I’ll be getting those in a few days, probably, and then the only difficulty will be choosing between them.
- I may be doing my first author event sometime in the next few months. Probably (almost certainly). Details are still being determined, but eeeeee!
Seriously, did I say how excited I am about the response this book has gotten? Because holy Batman, this is amazing!