November is always my worst month for writing. It doesn't matter how carefully I plan, something always crops up.
This year, that something was a hospital checkup for my mum that I had to help out with. She's fine, the outpatient procedure went well, and she's recovering at home, but it's made the start of Nano a slower one than I'd like. Not only haven't I managed to get the 3-4 day buffer I prefer to have in place by the end of the first week, but I've actually fallen a little bit behind. And considering this year my goal is bigger than I've ever aimed for, I'll admit to being a little concerned. But the thing is there's no point stressing. All words are good words, and all forward progress is good progress. And if I have to keep writing into December, then I do! How's everyone elses words coming? On target? Ahead? Or behind, like me! Let me know in the comments <3
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Soul Court Ascension: Book 1City of Souls was a really enjoyable read. It made a change to read about a female character who was confident in her abilities, and sharp-tongued to those she didn't trust, without coming across as a nasty person in general. There was enough characterisation to show Hel's soft spots and weaknesses to the reader, and it made her a relatable and highly enjoyable character to follow on an adventure. The author, Mel Harding-Shaw, replicated this skill with the other main character, Bastion, too. While he shows a dark, and sometimes harsh, persona to the world at large, he has softer, kinder moments that are reserved for private moments behind closed doors, and amongst those he trusts. The blackmail that Bastion holds over Hel's head, combined with a fake-relationship theme, could have easily crossed over into uncomfortable territory, but the material is handled with skill and class, and never strays too far. Hel being very handy with a weapon, and having an unsubmissive personality, even when faced with blackmail and threats helped with this greatly, but that doesn't detract from the skill of the author. But it's not just the characters that are handled adeptly, the plot is also clever and intricate, and filled with dangerous political manoeuvring. You constantly have the feeling that there is so much more to this almost post-apocalyptic world running beneath the surface, and I for one can't wait to see more of this world, and these characters, as the series progresses. Release Date is November 9th 2022
You can preorder/purchase a copy of City of Souls, in E-book or Paperback form via; Amazon UK or Amazon US Barnes & Noble Book Depository Bookshop.org Check out the Author's Website for a free prequel short story! Day One...
We're trying to break my own record this month. My previous record was set in July of this year, when I wrote 74k in 30 days. But to complete Darkling by the end of the month, or close enough, I need to hit 90k. 90k in 30 days. 3,000 words a day. Can I do it? Who knows! But even if I fail, I'll be drastically closer to the end of the book than I am right now. Day 1 we're already under target, but I've been editing since August, so it's going to take me a little time to get back into the writing mindset. I don't transition between one and the other very easily. I'll be posting updates every 5 days across my social's for accountability, and now it's time to dig in. What's everyone else working on this month? What are your wordcount goals? The traditional 50k? Or have you upped/lowered your goal for your lifestyle and project needs? Hello everyone! We're slap bang in the middle of autumn, and on the lead-up to spooky season. It's also the lead-up to Nanowrimo! So I'm all sorts of busy! Do you want to hear about what I've been working on? Alright then! Let's dig in... Since my last update... I have been stuck in an editing spiral. My self edits have five layers I have to go through for each chapter. This means I can spend anywhere from 2-6 hours working on one chapter at a time. If I wasn't literally watching the final product improve, and tighten up, right before my eyes, I'm sure I'd have given up by now. But it is improving. The prose is getting tighter. So I just keep on keeping on. I don't have a whole lot more to say about the editing. It's taking me painfully longer than I estimated. That's something I'm going to have to keep in mind moving forward, and for future projects. While I'm a little over 50% of the way through my edits, I did have to battle lots of health problems at the beginning of the process, and I have sped up considerably since the beginning of October. Plans for the coming month... Simply put, I plan to continue editing until the end of October. But once November 1st hits, finished or not, I'm gonna be switching gears to continue working on Darkling. My Nano record word count is 74,000 words, and I'm hoping to beat it by trying for... well, honestly, I'll be trying for as many words as I can possibly cram it. But I'll treat myself to a nice bottle of White Zinfandel if I can hit 100k in 30 days. Just like I did in July, I'll be updating my word counts every 5-or-so days on my social media platforms, and my website. If you'd like an opportunity to see some early sneak peeks about Darkling's story progression, you should consider signing up for my newsletter too! Want to see more? My newsletter subscribers get to see sneak peeks first, hear my updates earlier, and gain access to an exclusive flash fiction sent straight to their inbox.
If you'd like to never miss one of my updates, and see these exclusive pieces of bonus content, consider sign up for my newsletter via Sign Up Page! It's September! It's officially autumn!
It's also my favourite time of year! It helps that my birthday is at the beginning of the month, but it's not just that. I love the sharp crispness to the air in the early mornings. I like how the sun is still bright, but you often get a cool breeze to even out the heat. I love watching the leaves on the trees change colour, although it's still a little early for that here at the moment. Autumn has always seemed such a magical time of year for me, and I find it very inspiring. That said, I've been busy tapping into the creative energy this time of year always fills me with, and I've been making excellent progress on the Fey Touched trilogy. Do you want to hear what I've been working on? Alright then! Let's dig in... This updates a little later in the month that I usually like, but we're on the final day of August and I wanted to keep you all in the loop on the things that are happening right now. Are we all ready for this update? Oh good! Let's dig in... Since my last update...I gave a brief update on the progress of Changeling at the beginning of August, but the last time I did a proper update was the middle of July.
I was neck deep in Camp Nanowrimo, and the UK was in fighting through a record breaking heatwave. I'm pleased to say I survived the weather (just) and that Changeling's first draft was completed! I got a huge majority of the words down in July, a nice 72k, and finished up the final five or six chapters during the first 11 days of August. Since then I've been alternating between Changeling Edits, and the first few chapters of it's sequel, Darkling... *Crawls into the room, panting...* *Staggers over to the desk...* *Slams down a stack of papers...* Fucking did it! The manuscript for Changeling, Book One of the Fey Touched Trilogy, is complete at 108,623 words.
I started working on Changeling in July of 2021. I wrote up to chapter 16, which was about 30,000 words and then stalled. So this June I went back to that first 16 chapters, and I rewrote what I'd already done from scratch, and then launched straight into Camp Nanowrimo in July. But I've been tracking my numbers since July 2021 and these are my final statistics...
Now I just have to edit the monster. I'll be taking a day off today, and then continuing on with the sequel, Darkling, tomorrow. And to celebrate, there's a tiny, final, sneak peek from the last chapter of Changeling, beneath the read more... I, admittedly, went into A Stray Spirit with some hesitance because it's not my usual brand of fantasy. The magic in the world of Thalis is softer, and quieter, than I've grown to expect from my fantasy favourites, and yet... It works. It works beautifully. So much so that by the time I'd realised I'd fallen in love with the characters, I was already seven chapters into this masterfully woven adventure. R.K Ashwick weaves the story through your head much like the lutesong that our protagonist, Emry Karic, plays at the Red Rat inn. Emry is kind, and relatable. He has goals that anyone can empathise with and understand, and a backstory I was eagerly waiting to discover as the tale progressed. Cal is headstrong, stubborn, intelligent, and a perfect companion to work alongside Emry, balancing out his character. I can see their character developing even more beautifully as the series progresses and I can't wait to see where she goes next. Aspen is an absolute sweetheart. They stole my entire soul the moment they caused trouble with Stef in a fabric store. If you've read the book, you know exactly the scene I'm talking about. It painted such a vivid picture of innocent mischievousness, I laughed aloud, and if you don't know the scene I'm talking about, then you should absolutely pick up this book and find out! This is an entirely enchanting tale, with enough adventure and tension to keep you engaged, while weaving affection for the characters through every line you read. A truly beautiful piece of writing. I wasn't intending to purchase a copy in paperback, but now I've finished it I think I'm going to have to. It would be a crying shame not to add this book to my shelves, and I'm eagerly awaiting more stories of Emry, Cal and Aspen in the future. You can purchase a copy of The Stray Spirit, in E-book or Paperback form via; Amazon UK or Amazon US Barnes & Noble Kobo Apple If you decide to Pre-order The Stray Spirit, before August 8th 2022
check out the Author's Website for some free Stray Spirit Swag! Greetings, and happy July! I thought I'd combine my monthly update, with my Camp Nano update this time, so this post might get a little longer than usual. Are we ready for an update? Oh good! Let's dig in... Since my last update...Honestly, this month being a Camp Nano month has been a relief, since my main PC decided to die on me, and the rebuild has been scattered with nothing but problems.
The RAM arrived damaged and I had to send it back. Then I discovered my Power Supply was too old, and didn't have the required connectors, so I had to wait on a delivery for that part. Then the build kept flagging up various errors, so the motherboard and cpu had to get sent back to the suppliers, and I'm now waiting on testing of those parts. Being able to sit in my living room on a chromebook and just write to avoid my troubles has been a life saver for my mental state this month. It was sunrise at 4am this morning, and what a beautiful sunrise it was. Dawn, a new day. A new MONTH in fact... and this month, is Camp Nanowrimo once more. I always try to take part in the Nano events because I feel that whether I meet my target goal or not, I've still made progress. And all words are good words! Having said that, this Camp Nano is important to me. I am officially on a tight deadline for completing Changeling in time for publication next year. I must have the final draft complete before the end of July. That makes my 70k word count for July all the more important to focus on, complete, and hopefully get a little ahead of. I work well on tight deadlines, and this isn't the first time I'll have made 70k in a month but I've got to admit; I'm still nervous! I hope everyone's successful in their projects this month. Let me know what you're working on in comments, tags and/or reblogs! ... And wish me luck! May the odds be in our favor! <3 ;-) P.S It really was a beautiful sunrise this morning.
For more images, click the Read More and take a look at some of the shots I got! Happy June! How are we all doing so far this month?
Summer has officially arrived here in the UK. We went from mid-teen centigrade temperatures, to over 30 degrees yesterday. It's made writing this week a genuine chore, because I struggle to think straight in the heat, but I've managed to not fall behind on my word count. I'm calling that a success! Are we ready for an update? Oh good! Let's dig in... How Do Your Writing Exercises Work? Essentially, I go to a “Single Word Prompt Generator” and have it throw a random word at me. Then I go to Unsplash.com and use that word to search their database of images, and scroll through for something that catches my attention.
This may be something where I simply want to describe what’s in the image, or maybe it sparks a small story nugget in my brain. Regardless, I then take the picture and post it here, with credit, and proceed to write for 15 minutes. Whatever I produce, I share with you lovely people. Unedited. Typos are to be expected. Word Prompt: Heat Chronicles of the Dawnblade, Book One A refreshingly fantastic adventure! When I read the blurb for Andrew Claydon's debut novel, The Simple Delivery, and he was able to make me laugh, twice, in less that 160 words, I knew I had to take a chance on this book. I have always enjoyed reading epic fantasy books. They're the first book genre I truly fell in love with, but The Simple Delivery is truly something special. It's not just the relateability of the main character, Nicholas, and his pure irritation at having his life meddled with by mystical forces. It's not just the beautiful and varied collection of companions he gathers throughout his journey. It's not even, just, the cleverly woven rivalry of the enemy factions that we're introduced to, indicating complex lore, and richly thought out layers of worldbuilding. What really makes this book stand out to me is the crisp, sharp, dry, and utterly hilarious voice of the narrator. The irreverent manner in which this epic fantasy tale is told. I don't think there was a single chapter that didn't have me at least grinning at my screen, and at best, laughing aloud. Andrew Claydon's writing is fresh, and enjoyable, and fun, and his tone is sometimes so amsusing as to almost be a parody of what I've come to expect from the fantasy genre. I will be buying a copy to sit proudly on my bookshelf, and am eagerly looking forward to reading more of this authors work in the future. You can purchase a copy of The Simple Delivery, in E-book or Paperback form via;
Amazon UK or Amazon US Smashwords Barnes & Noble Kobo Shadow and Soul Series, Book Two A perfect weekend read! I'll keep this review spoiler free, but in Soul of the Sorceress we're back in Runswick with Cordelia and Percy! I have to admit to having missed these two, so I was looking forward to settling into this second book in the Shadow and Soul series. While the book opens quickly on our two main characters, it's made apparent early on that this book has not been written for new readers in mind. If you pick this book up without realising it's book two, you're going to find yourself very lost, very quickly. There's little-to-no recap, and it has sections that allude to character histories that, without context, simply mean nothing to the reader but, honestly, I'm nitpicking. This *is* a second book, and it has deep lore, established backstory and character histories that I was aware of going in. Despite these small areas of potential improvement, Cassandra's skillful storytelling pulls us into a world of magic and romance very quickly. I devoured this book in just a few hours, but it's got a lovely pacing that lends its content to a quiet evening and a glass of wine, or a relaxed weekend perusal. There is intrigue and high stakes, but you never feel pushed to rush the story. It's cleverly interspersed with periods of soft romance, and quiet affection between Cordelia and Percy and despite my ever growing desire to understand the motivations behind the other players on the board, and what allies or dangers they might turn out to be, it was my love of Percy and Cordelia's relationship that truly captured my attention throughout. A gorgeous addition to the series, and I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for the next installment to add to my collection! You can purchase a copy of Soul of the Sorceress, in e-book or paperback form via;
Amazon UK or Amazon US Barnes & Noble Kobo Trying my best to make these monthly updates a habit, and clearly I'm failing at that! I've been busy this month though, which strangely helps. It makes me feel like I've got more to tell you than; "Did writing. Did more writing."
So, let's dig in! The Dark Between, Book Three It's a "just one more chapter!" kind of book! I have to start this review off by saying, I adore this book, I adore this series, I adore Jess, and I especially adore Rae Else's writing style. The way she weaves a story and draws me in is something I've not encountered from an author in a really long time, and the more books I read from her the higher she climbs on my favourite author list. Having said that, Umbra left me torn. Not in a bad way, not at all, but this installment of the series pulled my heart in half a dozen directions and left it a little battered, much like Jess. Umbra also felt like a very short book. It's actually not, but I devoured it so fast, in one sitting, that I finished and instantly wanted more. All of these are good things for the book, and bad things for me as the reader! I want to wrap Jess in a hug after the trials she's gone through in Umbra, and that's also part of the problem with the illusion of this book not having enough content. By the end of Umbra, Jess is battered, bruised, and left a little adrift, even while surrounded by her friends, and I want to know how she overcomes the fallout from the challenges she faced in this book. I, basically, want the final book in the series now. Very impatient and ungenerous of me, but as with Luna and Nox, the author has left me simultaneously satisfied and craving more. It was wonderful to see Astra again! I missed her in Nox, and Theo's development from Luna to now is shocking in all the best ways. Rune's transformation is the most startling, and yet even as you read about the changes he goes through it feels right for his character. And we see more of Matteo, and I can't put into words how much more of him I hope to see in the final installment of this series! All in all, another absolutely fantastic addition to this addictive series. Thank you to Rae Else for providing me with a free copy of this book. I am voluntarily leaving an honest review. You can purchase a copy of Umbra, in e-book or paperback form via;
Amazon UK or Amazon US Waterstones Apple Books Kobo Barnes & Noble Tumblr's OCKiss22 Event looked like a good way to get the writing muscles working again. All my prompts are 253words or less, and contain Spoiler Free pieces of fiction using the characters from the Fey Touched Trilogy. Consider them #bonuscontent Seven days of Kiss Prompts: Feb 14th - Greeting Feb 15th - Excitement Feb 16th - Bold Feb 17th - Safe Feb 18th - Night Feb 19th - Secret Feb 20th - Tender Tender |
Arista Holmes
I'm a writer in her thirties, who is based in the South East of England. Archives
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