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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 our subscriber-exclusive email archive. Stick around until the end for some bonus kitty pictures! |
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YPQ Short Story Competition |
Last month, Your Paper Quest (the UK-based indie book subscription service that featured When Shadows Fall in their May box last year) hosted a short story writing competition. The prompt was to write a 500-1000 word story that took place in a library or book store, with a first place prize of $100, in addition to having the winning story featured on the YPQ website and being included in their April subscription box.
I'm not much of a short story gal (I'm way too wordy for that!) and I wasn't planning on entering, but then two days before the deadline, I was struck with inspiration and decided to give it a whirl. I spent my weekend writing and editing the concept before finally submitting it...
And guess what? I won!!! 🥳🥳🥳
I was honestly quite surprised, as short stories aren't my strong suit, but I admit, it was a much appreciated confidence boost. And I must say, the $100 prize money won't go amiss either!
The short story I wrote, The Forgotten Building, will soon be featured on YPQ's website. I'll include a link to it next month, but in the meantime, you can read a PDF of the short story below if you're so inclined! |
It's been another busy month, both within the writing world and outside of it. Despite a major transition at work and a 24-hour fundraising event (and recovery day afterward!), I managed to get 84 hours of writing work done in March, which is fantastic!
I've incorporated a number of minor changes to When Darkness Blinds and rewritten a few scenes, as well as doing a complete readthrough of the story front-to-back to get a feel for the novel as a whole.
As a result of the readthrough, I've found a few areas that still need a bit of work before I jump into 'official editing' mode, but honestly, so much of the work I did in March qualifies as editing anyway, so perhaps it's more accurate to say I've been working on revisions and edits in tandem.
In other news, my second draft of the third and final book in the Shadows of the Vale trilogy (which I wrote last spring while waiting for beta readers to finish book two) is currently with its first beta readers! My mom and dad have once again accepted the challenge of trying to decipher one of my very messy early drafts, and despite the many errors, rough writing, and author notes, they both seem to be enjoying it. It's gotten me excited to jump back into it once book two is finally published! |
Cover art continues to proceed at a slow but steady pace. I got my first sketch with colour, which is exciting to see! I've asked for some changes regarding the gears and details of the city, but at this point, my biggest concern is how dark the cover is and how the lack of contrast (especially in the city area) makes the cover hard to read at a glance. |
I responded with my request for revisions, and included another visual reference that encompasses some of the changes I've asked for, as I find this is the easiest way to communicate my ideas. I am hopeful that after this revision, the sketch will be ready to move into the final art stage! |
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April is going to be a fairly busy month, with family plans over the entire Easter break (in addition to plans this upcoming weekend) and an adjustment period for me as I get used to the new campus where I am working and the changes this has on my writing schedule.
I do need to do a bit more work around the newer scenes that I added, but for the most part, I feel the story has reached the point where it is no longer productive to keep reworking the story structure. It isn't perfect, and there are always aspects that could be stronger, but writing is a funny business. Like most art, there is always more that could be done; the trick is knowing when it is time to move on. Rather than endlessly obsessing over every aspect of the novel, I have to trust in the story I've written, and move on to the next step. In this case, editing!
During my readthrough, I was encouraged to see that some areas are already quite polished, and won't need that much work. Other areas will be more time-intensive (particularly the parts written near the end of the revision process) so it's hard to say how long editing will take, but hopefully I'll have some kind of estimate for you in next month's newsletter! |
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Reading: I have been pretty slow with my reading recently, so I'm still working through Children of Dune! |
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 and in the Kindle Unlimited library. It was shortlisted for two provincial book awards and was a finalist 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/rating on Amazon and Goodreads!! Seriously, these reviews and ratings make a huge difference, and I appreciate every single one I get! |
Thank you as always for reading my newsletter! Please enjoy these photos of my adorable furry roommate. 😊 |
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#11 1305 23rd Avenue, Regina, Saskatchewan, S4S 3S4, Canada |
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