Summer is zipping by. A lot of great interruptions by family and appointments that went well happened. Between family and appointments, July 5th through 19th had me out of the house far more than usual. I only have one family and I’ll do things with them first when I can. Today will be another one of those days since I’m squeezing this newsletter writing in on a Saturday.
Where’s that first draft of Truth Bearer, book two of your series?
I have it plotted to the end and I have a definite three chapters left, though I may need four to wrap it up properly. My weekdays are all free for my writing this coming week so I expect to have it done. I like to have things sit for a couple of weeks to give it a rest before I jump into the rewriting. I’ll be jotting down thoughts that come up about it that I can check on when I pick it back up again.
The main things I’ll be working on now that I have plot and interaction done, is deepening the POV and working on foreshadowing I will need for things that show up later in the book. I like having those because some readers have let me know of the little things I did in Champions of Light. They add a dash of seasoning to the story.
September still looks like when I will put out a call to beta readers but it will be closer to the end of the month. I also will have my designer start working on the cover in September. My aim is to launch in the first quarter of 2024. This allows for any down time that occurs around the holidays.
Will there be more to this blog?
Yes. I plan on sharing more about the world and the characters. Much like the little caveat about Phoria Heights and the two character character interviews. Short stories or even the idea for serial fiction in the future are on the list.
Serial fiction will go behind a paid subscription, but the yearly amount won’t be more than what you might pay for a paper back. Why that amount? From my experience with Kindle Vella, the amount of words in a year by doing it weekly will fall around a 100K or so. I have an idea for one of these, but I have to build up enough of the story to get it rolling. I may start this in early 2024.
Everything takes time, but I’m getting a good rhythm going finally with the mix of writing, editing, publishing and marketing. No matter how many blog posts I do manage in a month, for now I will stick to one monthly post that is also the newsletter like this one. Always feel free to comment if you want to see things more often or have ideas of what you would like me to write about for short stories, characters you want to know more about, serial fiction, or more about my writing routines and processes. I look forward to hearing from you.
August Fun
Number one priority is the completion of Truth Bearer’s draft, but I have other fun lined up.
On August 16th, I have my first meet and greet at my local library. It’s definitely a trial run but one of the other local libraries would love to have me come later on.
On the marketing side, I’m diving into honing my skills on Amazon ads. A lot of writers hate the marketing side. It is daunting, but I’m looking at it as another fun writing experience. After all, now I need to refine a catchy blurb for my story into a couple of grab you sentences. This should be entertaining to see what works and Amazon’s metrics will help analyze the ad campaigns well.
What I have been reading.
I met K. S. Barton through a writing group. I love her historical Viking stories. During the winter I read Warrior and Weaver and I just finished book two, Sword and Story. I plan on reading more of this saga.
I’ve been rather slow on the reading for fun side. I know of a lot of books coming out in the fall that I will want to read and will probably take me most of the winter to get through.
The other books were on the craft of writing. The Emotional Craft of Fiction by Donald Maass and The Dialogue Doctor Will See You Now by Jeff Elkins. I’ve gleaned things out of both of them to help with my writing. I have one called Intuitive Editing I will be going through next, in time for the editing phase of Truth Bearer.
Book Cover Reveals for more books from the A Classic Retold series
There are nine books total and the cover reveals started in June and go through mid August at one per week. The first two, Break the Beast and Crack the Stone, were listed in my last monthly wrap up for June. The following five are for July through August 2nd.
The city may be dangerous, but it holds his only hope…
Abandoned on a remote highway after bandits murder his parents, young Olifur finds safety with Fritjof. The gruff woodsman teaches him and other orphans to live off the land. When Fritjof falls ill, Olifur will risk everything to save his mentor—even travel to far-off Melar seeking a doctor.
However, the city of Melar is more perilous than Olifur imagined, and doctors aren't cheap. His quest leads him first to a hazardous job working on the elevated trains high above the city. But the dangers in the clouds are nothing compared to those on the ground. Olifur soon finds himself ensnared in a web of professional thieves, and he must think fast if he is to survive the day and bring the much-needed aid to Fritjof before it is too late.
Schmidt reweaves Charles Dickens' "Oliver Twist" into an exciting tale of integrity and perseverance in this gaslamp-fantasy adventure.
𝐁𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐓𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐬
𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮
Huxley Krew Gannon III always knew he would be a royal guard; defending the Crown is in his blood. And coming from a long line of Gannons, that means the job is to be taken seriously at all costs.
When tragedy strikes, Huxley is framed for treason, and his only option is to flee to Braka’s most feared place: The Wasteful Tides.
It’s rumored a monstrous beast haunts those waters, but what Huxley encounters is even worse: an elusive captain, magical herbs, a beautiful lady, and unearthed truths that could change the course of history.
Unearth the Tides is a fantasy retelling of Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Filled with mystery, found family, and themes of truth and forgiveness, Unearth the Tides is perfect for those who love the coziness of the classics and the thrill of adventure.
Everything he ever loved is gone. Can what is broken ever be restored?
In a quiet, seaside town, Nick works as a smuggler, disguising himself as a human and hiding his secret past as the servant of the magician Prospero. It’s been two years since the attack that devastated the great magician’s island leaving it dark and ruined. Prospero and his beautiful daughter, Miranda, are dead, and even Nick’s best friend, the spirit Ariel, has slipped into a coma. Nothing is left.
Nick has resolved himself to mere survival when a voice from the past suddenly begins to call to him, urging him to rebuild the magic island’s ruined chapel. No matter how futile the task, Nick cannot ignore the haunting call to restore the heart of the island.
But hope is not the only thing awakening. Darkness is stirring as well—darkness that understands the meaning of Nick’s task better than he does.
The End of the Map lies far behind you now. Here there be dragons.
The nation of Outer Melvia runs on the power of dragon oil, but only the Hunters of Map’s End are fearless–or foolish–enough to pursue the great beasts of the deep.
In the wake of a broken engagement, Ilsa Starling boards the Hunting vessel Relentless in search of the solace the sea promises her.
But dragons are not the only threats that lurk in these uncharted waters. As first mate aboard Relentless, Ilsa becomes a key player in the impossible quest determined by her captain, Adam Chase. Once Map’s End’s rising star, Chase lost everything to an ill-fated encounter with a legendary white dragon that haunts the seas at the very edge of the world. Now the captain swears to avenge himself on the beast and restore all that was stolen from him, no matter what–or who–he may lose along the way.
In this gaslamp fantasy reimagining of Moby Dick, Hannah Kaye spins a tale of hurt and healing, breathing hope into Herman Melville’s timeless tragedy.
I hope you are enjoying your summer as much as I am. It’ll be around Labor Day weekend the next time the Tales of Karnum and Beyond newsletter drops into your mail box.