Tag: Writing Update
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A Writing Update
So, I mean, we all know there was supposed to be another book by now. The crickets that used to hang around A Curse of Venom & Scales have either died or moved along to chirp in some other tardy writer’s office. 😅 And I’m lucky to have a really supportive group of readers, who […]
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Signs of Life
Okay, you guys. This is not a drill. I’m glad to announce I’m officially back on the blog. I dropped off of the face of the planet without much of an explanation, and I’m sorry about that. My Patreon tribe still saw posts, art, and heard my chancing accent via podcast episodes, but I just […]
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Pretty, Pretty Books
Honestly, there’s no other point to this post than to show off my pretty book babies. A Trial of Sparks & Kindling came in the mail a week or two ago, and I pulled out the props for a quick photoshoot. I just love the way the two books look together, and am once again […]
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Bookish News
Folks, it’s been a long while since I’ve had any news to share with you, but I have a few things I want to let you know about today. 🙂 A Trial of Sparks & Kindling is officially available in paperback! The new cover edition of ATOSAK has me swooning all over the place. The […]
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A 2021 Writing Update
This is a bit weird, I’ll concede. It’s mid-August and I’m posting a writing update that will cover all of 2021 so far. The timing is wonky, but it’s been a wonky kind of year. For the greater part of 2021, I was unable to write. There were moments in between, a week here and […]
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Why I Write (Podcast Episode #2)
I’m really excited about this second podcast episode! I had so much fun recording it for you, and I hope you love it too. So, we’re talking about what drives me when it comes to writing, but let’s keep the conversation going! What drives you to chase your passion pursuit? Please let me know in […]
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On Gaslamp Fantasy and Steampunk (Podcast Episode #1)
It’s official, I’ve started a podcast. I recorded a test episode for my patrons (who will receive an exclusive episode every month) and worked up the confidence to record my first ‘public’ episode. I really hope you enjoy it! Just in case you’d prefer to read it rather than listen, this is how it goes: […]
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Writing During a Pandemic
After writing for over a year, I finally finished A Curse of Venom & Scales on the 6th of May. Once I’ve finished a book, I’m usually a bundle of excitement. I almost immediately start plotting the next book in the series, and I gush to everyone who will listen about my upcoming novel. This […]
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Cover Reveal
If you read Friday’s blog or noticed my Facebook post on Saturday, you knew this was coming. Fall of the Mantle got some brand new covers. Now, I know the old covers have a cult following (there’s like 5 of you, so it’s definitely a cult 🤣) but I’d like to assure you this wasn’t […]
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A Summary
I feel like this is the first time this week I’ve sat down and attempted to actually get my ducks in a row. At this stage, they’re all over, running and quacking and pooping wherever they want. It’s chaos. Feathers everywhere. Please send help and or coffee. A lot has been happening. I’ve been revamping […]
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I Fell, And Other Life Stories
This post will come to you in four parts. Part One – I Fell People who know me well know I’m super clumsy. I can trip on air (and I have). I’m hasty by nature. Everything has to be done quickly, so it’s quickly this, quickly that, and scurrying in between. Ents would hate me. […]
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My First Buddy-Write Session
I mean, not my first. I’ve written in sprints and have had accountability partners before, but this was the first time I wrote during a zoom sesh. My partner was the ever-fabulous J.R. Rainville, one of my fellow Skolion members, who remains one of the greatest sources of encouragement and support during my writing (and […]
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My Glasses Broke & Other Life Snippets
Do I like change? No. And especially not while my anxiety is breaking free of its adamant prison in my head, but hey? Whatcha gonna do about it? So, new glasses. The old ones broke so randomly I’m still not exactly sure what happened. Maybe the cold? Old age? Eh. But I think I’m mostly […]
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What Can You Tell Us About A Curse of Venom & Scales?
There’s more sex and swearing in this book. The general idea was that Cara is really innocent in book 1, and the adult themes will multiply as she gains experience.
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The Update Post
What exactly happened while I was away? So. Damn. Much. Let me catch you up. With the virus gaining momentum in South Africa, the risk grew for my loved ones (and is still growing). We’re lucky enough to have no Covid-related deaths in our direct family, but people I care about were now exposed, some […]
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Down the Rabbit Hole, We Go
As a writer, I have to know about writing, tropes, self-editing, working with professional editors, and that kind of thing. The obvious stuff. What they don’t tell you when you enter this rabbit hole, is you also have to know about cover trends, blurbs, sensitivity readers, trigger warnings, marketing, and how to unravel the algorithms […]
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Hello
It’s me. I’m still on a high after Friday’s release of A Trial of Sparks & Kindling. I honestly still can’t get over the fact that I now have two books out there. Two. It’s surreal. Maybe it’s because of this high that I have the energy to blog. 🙂 I’m not going to lie, […]
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An Update
Friends, it’s been a hot minute. My mental state has been especially low, and I’ve just not had the capacity to put myself anywhere online. Both my Instagram accounts have been abandoned, my Facebook page gathered cobwebs, and though I’ve made a lot of little tweaks to the website, I’ve basically ghosted the blog. But […]
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A Trial of Sparks & Kindling Playlist
I was a bit disorganised with this, I have to admit. I have this general playlist in which I just dump all of the songs that stir up a certain emotion in me, and I always have this on in the background while I write. A while back, my cousin suggested I actually share the […]
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About Yesterday…
So, yesterday. One of my author buddies, Suneé le Roux, posted the book trailer for her upcoming novel, Myth Hunter, on Facebook. Seeing the video reminded me that I started working on a book trailer for A Trial of Sparks & Kindling aaaaaages ago, and promptly forgot about it. Here’s a disclaimer for you. This […]
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Last Week Wasn’t a Good Week
Let’s not play games, we all get depressed sometimes. And it’s no wonder so many of us are feeling the strain, considering how we are now, cut off from each other except through screens. Last week was my strain week. It’s been weird. We’re healthy, so I can’t complain, but we’re suffering this collective trauma […]
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Growing Out a Pixie Cut & Other Random Tales
Hey, I’m growing out my pixie. My hair is now at that awful stage where it’s really thick in the back and not yet long enough to make a ponytail–which, by the way, it the only reason I’m growing it out. I love the pixie cut, make no mistake, but short hair is a lot […]
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I Haven’t Left the House in 9 Days
What I miss is walking. Up until last Friday, I walked every single day. Making my steps was important to me, so I made sure I made them. Then my kid woke up sick. Last Sunday, while I’d been up since before dawn to write, the house had been quiet. I’d expected just another day, […]
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This Post Comes to You in Four Parts
Totally paraphrasing John Green there. 🙂 DFTBA, people. Anyway. Part One – Writing By last Tuesday, I had five complete chapters written for Book 3. By last Friday, I’d rewritten all five. That’s all fine and dandy, but now I’m stuck on chapter 6, which I’ve rewritten no less than three times, and poor chapter […]
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Behind the Scenes – Editing
I figure I might as well clue you all in on how it goes behind the scenes. You know, the stuff you don’t see on my posed and filtered Instagram feed. Everybody who knows me knows I’m currently editing A Trial of Sparks & Kindling. I haven’t been shy about that fact so far. But […]
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On Writing Sequels
Somebody recently asked me how I found the process of writing the sequel to A Study of Ash & Smoke. I finished A Trial of Sparks & Kindling at the end of August, after one of the most intense writing sprints of my life. Of course, this isn’t the first sequel I’ve ever written. Cringe. […]
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Wake Me Up When September Ends
Well, I’m back. I’m happy to inform you the two blog-free weeks haven’t been spent in vain, as the first draft of A Trial of Sparks & Kindling is officially done. Did that read first draft? What I really mean is first complete draft. You see, it’s the fifth version of the document on my […]
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What’s Up With Your Writing?
Cross-country move aside, this has been at the top of the FAQ pile in my life lately. So let’s talk about if and what I’ve been writing today. The Physician’s Apprentice is in the later stages of production. It had initially been scheduled for release somewhere around September, but life happens, and it’s been delayed […]
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Book Talk – The Physician’s Apprentice
EDIT – This Book’s title has changed since I wrote this post. The story is still the same, but the swanky new title is A Study of Ash & Smoke. I’ve never done a post discussing what this book is actually about, and I honestly don’t know how that’s happened. So, considering I’ve completed the […]
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Just Publish it Already
We’re back to reality today, after a week-long break (if it can be called that, considering we were so sick we could barely move). Kayla’s been dropped off at school, which means it’s back to work for me too after a mini-break from writing. Well, writing The Physician’s Apprentice anyway – I’ve been sporadically working […]
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December/January Writing Update
The last few weeks of my life have been intense. Not in the way you’d probably picture intense, because most of my time was spent in front of the screen, typing and reading aloud what I’ve typed, over and over and over. To my neighbour on the left, despite the number of times you’ve seen me […]
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A Life Update
Aside from the immigration, we’ve been facing a lot of other changes recently. Life, it seems, goes on. Even amid the chaos. Kayla is *finally* going to school. Of all the changes, this is the biggest one. I’ve spoken about our troubles getting her enrolled in a kindergarten in Germany, and also mentioned how easy […]
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August Writing Update
It’s already September, I know. I’ve had a lot on my mind lately. 🙂 I certainly didn’t think I’d be doing this with all the insanity going on in my life right now, but I’m happy to report that I’ve been writing something amid the chaos! My good friend Tallulah and I just finished a […]
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Writing Update
You were supposed to see this post at the end of July, I know. Apologies. I’m more scatterbrained than usual lately and I forgot. But better late than never, right? The writing has been going exceptionally well. After The Great Word Draught of 2017, I never imagined I’d be writing so much, especially now that The […]