Unfortunately, Hope’s Shadow is not ready for publication yet, BUT, it’s getting much closer! I made a lot of big changes in the most recent draft, so two of my beta readers have/are looking over it one last time. Once both are in, I’ll make a few more edits, including fixing typos, do a final reread, and then send it off to my editor. In the meantime, also working on trying to get cover art made for it, too, since unfortunately, I have no way to reclaim the original cover art for the first version of this book.
Meanwhile, I’ve been making great strides with book 2! I am currently almost finished with a second draft of this book (unless anything changes, it will be titled Shadow of Memories). It’s had a lot of changes from its first draft, namely thanks to a character I hadn’t expected to become a main character, but am fully appreciating his role as one. I believe book 2 will be even more exciting, interesting, and heart breaking than Hope’s Shadow, so I am looking forward to having this one done, too. Once I am a little more secure in a finalized form for book 2, I’ll begin writing book 3. (And book 3 should be the last book in this series, barring a prequel that I hope to write, too.)
I’ve also been very slowly working on a side project that’s not at all related to Hope’s Shadow and its world. This book should be much more lighthearted than Hope’s Shadow. But it’s still in the very early stages of writing and world building.
Besides writing, I have been reading a lot of good indie authors lately. Last fall, I really got into T. Kingfisher, and have devoured everything of hers I’ve grabbed thus far. I am eagerly awaiting the fifth book of her Saints of Steel series. I also read through The Tairen Soul series by C.L. Wilson this past winter, which was really good! I would call it what ACOTAR should be if it was more mature and not written as junk food, but I digress. Additionally, I read The Nameless by AJ Elmore, which is a marvelous urban fantasy with a punk rock band (my jam!) and fae that are what they *should* be according to Irish mythology. I had the opportunity to beta read the sequel to The Nameless, and OMG is it really good! I’m very much looking forward to its official release.
I just finished reading the Villains and Virtues trilogy by A.K. Caggiano, and am now starting the two spin off novels set in that world. Let me just tell you, I knew I was going to love it when I burst out laughing in the first paragraph, and by the end of the first chapter of the first book, I went ahead and bought them all, I knew that quickly I would love them. And boy was I right! If you want some good satire on the romantasy genre that’s full of absurd, over the top humor and a slow burn that takes 3 books (not kidding) to culminate, these are the books!
That’s all for now, but I will do better about updating this blog going forward with my progress on my writing, as well as updates on what I’m reading, especially pertaining to any and all indie authors I read.
Cheers!