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Hello everyone, and welcome back to my newsletter! Summer has come and gone, and school is starting up once again. While I will miss having full days to concentrate on my writing, I am looking forward to spending time with students and co-workers!As always, previous newsletters and all segments of my writing journey can be found here at my website's exclusive email archive. Stick around until the end for bonus kitty pictures! |
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Book sales continue to be on the slow side, however, the response from readers has been fantastic, and I've been pleased with the opportunities that have opened up in my community. My book has been added to a few libraries now, and I have been invited to do a book signing at the public library in my home town as well as a book signing in the adjacent town.
Both signings will take place on Saturday, September 23rd. If you live in southern Saskatchewan and have some free time, I would love to see you out there! The first signing will take place 10-11am at Herbert Branch Library (Herbert, Saskatchewan) and the second will take place from 1-4pm at Morse Museum (Morse, Saskatchewan).
I look forward to both events, and hope to meet many new readers while there!
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August has been a productive writing month; I spent most of my time working on a first draft for book three of the Shadows of the Vale series, writing more than 100,000 words plus spending many hours brainstorming and outlining the book.
Some of you may recall that my typical process for writing first drafts involves multiple attempts; I write until I get stuck, put the project aside, and then when I pick it up again, I start over from scratch in order to recreate the flow. My books usually have three to four partial drafts before I ever get a complete first draft.
I wanted to avoid repeating that process, as it is inefficient and time-consuming, so I tried a different approach this time. I forced myself to stick with a single draft, often jumping ahead to write future scenes when I got stuck, and leaving many segments unwritten when I wasn't sure what to do. In that manner, I reached "the end" of the manuscript, albeit, with many pieces missing and many questions still remaining.
I hesitate to call it a first draft, as it is little more than a collection of scenes loosely stitched together. (I saw the term 'frankendraft' on Twitter, and feel that is the perfect word for this draft!) Overall though, it has helped me better understand what the series is leading up to, even if not all the pieces have been fit into place yet!
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My plan was to write a draft of book three and use the insight I gained from the process to go into my third draft of book two.
Right now, I'm debating whether I should continue work on book three to further cement my ideas or if I should turn my attention back to book two as planned.
I will likely do a bit of both in September. My hope is to at least do some revisions to book two, and then maybe pass it off to more beta-readers while I continue work on book three.
I'll also be taking some time to get ready for my book signings, try to get When Shadows Fall into more stores/libraries, and prepare a drawing class which I hope to hold in the fall.
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Since publishing When Shadows Fall, I have been struggling to meet my goal of adding one new design each week to my Redbubble shop. To better reflect my priorities, I have decided to drop this goal and focus on my writing. I would still like to add one or two designs a month, but it won't be my main goal.I don't have any new art this month, so I'll just share some favourites from Redbubble instead!
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Reading: I have finally started on the third and final book in James Islington's "The Licanius Trilogy". I've been enjoying the series, though I admit, I will be happy when I'm able to turn my attention back to my growing TBR (to be read) list!
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When Shadows Fall is a YA fantasy novel about an anxious teenager who must go on a perilous quest to save her sister. It is available on Amazon in eBook and print.
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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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As always, thank you for your continued support, and for your diligence in reaching the end of this newsletter. If you've made it this far, then you deserve a few kitty pictures!
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Kaylee being ultra-adorable! |
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#11 1305 23rd Avenue, Regina, Saskatchewan, S4S 3S4, Canada |
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