Journeys

Staying afloat as an author is a struggle. Every day, I devote hours to ensuring eyes find my work. But If I turn away from my book-selling efforts for a moment, everything goes to hell. My sales, rankings, placements, social media numbers, everything plummets. Amazon has technical glitches, my ads don’t show, my website hasContinue reading “Journeys”

One step at a time

I’m back on track. This time, The Novice of Thanatos’s first draft is really complete. I added heavily to the original last chapter and then added three more chapters, ending the book in Thanatos under precarious circumstances. I packed on about ten thousand words, bringing the draft to just under 95k. The book’s frame isContinue reading “One step at a time”

Just when you think you’re done…

I had thought my first draft of The Novice of Thanatos was complete, so I embarked on my first read-through and light edit. I finished that step on July 6th. For the most part, I was pleased with how the story developed. There was plenty of action, and Mishal, my main character, showed real growthContinue reading “Just when you think you’re done…”

Happy Birthday Dawn of the Lightbearer!

This is a quick post, but I realized the date and decided I should document the moment. Dawn of the Lightbearer, book one of my Absolution of the Morning Star series, is officially three years old (published on July 2, 2021)! Gosh, I can’t believe it’s been that long. It feels like that intrepid boy,Continue reading “Happy Birthday Dawn of the Lightbearer!”

The first draft of Novice of Thanatos is complete!

It’s a moment of triumph! I’ve added another book to my literary journey’s short stack. As I kept my head down, immersed in the writing of the Novice of Thanatos, I glanced up and suddenly found myself at the peak. I was holding the first draft of the book, shocked. Is the Novice of ThanatosContinue reading “The first draft of Novice of Thanatos is complete!”

Update- final push

It was another busy but fulfilling weekend with the in-laws. We rented a car, did some major grocery shopping, went to Newport, RI, to do the cliff walk, and spent Sunday morning walking around the historic center of Marblehead, MA. Despite the weather not being entirely on our side, it was a joyous time. TheContinue reading “Update- final push”

Hot pot #1

My in-laws have arrived from China, and they’re settling in nicely. It takes some time for four adults to ease into a routine, but we’ll get there—we always do. I’ve been able to make my word count these days, so that is a success! Yesterday’s mission was to buy shorts for my father-in-law and plantContinue reading “Hot pot #1”

Busy, busy, busy

A blog post on a Tuesday—I know, it is not my typical schedule. I’ve been busy—I mean, really busy. As a higher education administrator, this is a crazy time in my day job as we close out the academic and fiscal years. Yesterday was a 13-hour day. Also, my inlaws are coming from China andContinue reading “Busy, busy, busy”

So much to write, so little time.

The Order of Thanatos has surpassed 50,000 words! I am currently working on chapter 13. I plan to complete the book at a tight 100-120k (a more marketable range), so we are around halfway. The first draft will be complete in July (barring any significant setbacks), and the book will be ready to publish byContinue reading “So much to write, so little time.”

Looking back

In my quest for content, I decided to look back at my first blog posts from four years ago (the very first is here if you’re interested). It was a month after I started working from home due to the pandemic. Thinking this situation would be temporary, I posted daily to build up some content.Continue reading “Looking back”