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Hello everyone, and welcome back to my newsletter! As always, previous newsletters and other fun extras—including a cover art photo gallery and the first partial draft of When Shadows Fall—can be found here at my website's exclusive email archive. Stick around until the end for a some bonus kitty pictures! |
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In previous newsletters, I mentioned that I entered When Shadows Fall into BBNYA (Book Bloggers Novel of the Year Award) and SPFBOX (Self-Published Fantasy Blog Off 10). These competitions bring a lot of prestige and attention to their semi-finalists and finalists, and especially to their winners.
I was very excited to give them a shot, but sadly, my BBNYA and SPFBOX journeys have come to a swift end as When Shadows Fall failed to pass the first round in either competition.
To be honest, not making it through the first rounds hit me pretty hard. While I didn't expect to win, I had hoped to make it past the first stage at least. As someone who tends to dismiss praise and success but takes criticism and failure to heart, it has been hard not to view this as a reflection of my work and a sign that I'm "just not good enough".
These are familiar feelings for most authors, and I sometimes forget that reading is subjective. Even the books I adore have many critics and one-star reviews, because people simply have different tastes. Not passing a round in a competition doesn't say anything about the story's actual merit, nor does it invalidate the positive feedback the book has received.
When Shadows Fall is far from perfect, but there are readers out there who have truly enjoyed it, and that is worth keeping in mind!
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For those who are interested in more details, you can watch Abel Montero's review of When Shadows Fall below (there are time stamps in the video to make it easier to find) and you can also watch his video where he recaps his six reads for SPFBOX and makes his choice for semi-finalist. You can also read his written review of When Shadows Fall here.
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A heartfelt congratulations to Laura Huie, who was chosen as semi-finalist from my group of entrants. I have recently purchased her book, The Sunset Sovereign, and I am looking forward to giving it a read!
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While I did not pass the first round of BBNYA, I did get a snippet from the panelists concerning their thoughts on the opening excerpt of When Shadows Fall in the following Tweet:
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On the note of awards, I am still waiting to hear back about the winners of the Indie Ink Awards. When Shadows Fall is a finalist in three categories (Best Setting, Best Friendship, and Writing the Future We Need: Mental Health Representation). I believe they should be announcing the winners soon, so hopefully I will have news for you next month!
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As I spent the summer months deep in revisions for book two, I was reminded of something I wrote in an earlier newsletter. Leading up to the release of When Shadows Fall, I wrote and shared a nine part series about my writing process. I titled part five of the process, "Problem Solving and Despair".I wondered at the time if I was being a touch melodramatic. After all, "despair" is neither an intentional nor a wanted part of my process. But, for whatever reason, it seems to be so interwoven with my writing journeys as to be inseparable. There hasn't been a single project I've worked on long-term that hasn't led me to a sense of inevitable failure, a hopelessness of ever overcoming a particular problem, a certainty that I will never be any good as a writer.It seems I reached that stage this summer. Leading up to July, I had gone through the feedback from my beta readers, who had a fair share of critiques. It was clear there were things in my story that didn't hit the way I meant them to, and it seemed there were no end of issues with the pacing, plot, and execution of the story.This feedback was all constructive and very much appreciated, as I knew the story would be better for it, but it was also overwhelming. I hadn't expected to find so many issues with the story at this stage, and as I dove into revisions, it felt as though these issues were endless. I'd solve one problem just to have three more rise in its place, like the dreaded heads of hydra.Some days went smoothly, with pieces falling into place and solutions working themselves seamlessly into the story. Other days, I spent up to eight hours banging my head against a wall without actually accomplishing anything. On those days, the feeling of despair welled up, accompanied by a fear that I simply wasn't capable of writing this book. Or at least, not of writing it well.These darker moods came and went over the course of the summer, but now that I'm on the other side of them, I feel good about the sequel again. I am proud of my efforts to improve the story and that I dedicated so much of my summer to working on it. My goal was 40 hours a week (where other plans allowed), and while I didn't always hit that goal, I came fairly close. In total, I spent 215 hours working on sequel revisions over the course of 38 days.I believe I have finally addressed all of the major issues in the story, as well as many minor ones. The issues that remain I hope can be addressed in editing.Overall, though I'm a bit farther behind in the process than I had hoped to be, book two is coming along nicely, and the hard work and tear-inducing effort of the summer has undoubtedly made the story that much stronger than it was!
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To help with motivation, I kept a writing log through July and August. In addition to daily goals and charts, I kept a master log at the back of the book to chart my writing efforts over the summer. It's a bit messy, but here it is!
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And a few pictures of my daily charts. It turned out to be the perfect excuse to make use of my sparkly mermaid stickers, though, alas, they don't show up well on the camera!
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With all the major revisions done (I hope!), I'd like to spend September working on a few minor revisions, touching up the story for consistency/continuity, and getting a head start on editing. I suspect that will take all of September and possibly October as well. After that, I hope to give it to a few more readers to test the many changes I've made before diving into serious editing!
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Reading: I've been rereading of one of my longtime favourite series, Legends of the Guardian-King. It's been years since I've read it, and I'm shocked at how much of the story I'd forgotten! I'm currently on the fourth and final book of the series.
Listening: The newest saga of Epic the musical recently dropped, and it is fantastic! I may or may not be listening to it on repeat...
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When Shadows Fall is a YA fantasy novel about an anxious teen who must go on a perilous quest to save her sister. It is available on Amazon in eBook and print and in the Kindle Unlimited library. It was shortlisted for two provincial book awards and is in the running for three Indie Ink Awards: Best Setting, Best Friendship, and Writing the Future We Need: Mental Health Representation.
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Afflicted with debilitating panic attacks and constant anxiety, Ara Holstenner is the last person who would ever oppose the tyrant lord who subjugates her people. But when her sister is taken by shadow creatures, Ara must defy The Lord's edicts and brave the forbidden night world to save her.
Can Ara overcome the fears that have defined her since childhood, or will she doom her sister—and herself—to a lifetime of torment?
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If you've already read When Shadows Fall, please don't forget to leave a review on Amazon and Goodreads!! Seriously, these reviews and ratings make a huge difference, and I appreciate every single one I get!
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As always, thank you for reading. I skipped the August newsletter this year, which means I have a surplus of kitty pictures to share with you!
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Some of you might remember my parents' kitty, Brandy Bean, who I got to spend lots of time with this summer. As you can see, she is just the sweetest! |
I was gone for three and a half weeks this summer, and Kaylee and I sure missed each other! I had to give her lots of love when I finally returned home. ❤
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#11 1305 23rd Avenue, Regina, Saskatchewan, S4S 3S4, Canada |
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