Summer's officially here! Well, I say it is, because there isn't snow on the ground. I don't care what other Canadians say– we only have two seasons up here: summer and winter. At least the good one has arrived. For me that means that I'll have more of a chance to write outside. It's one of my favorite things to do, and I find I can get a lot done when I'm relaxing outdoors. June is a pretty easy month for me, so below is the list of things I'm going to try and accomplish in the next month.
Hollow Hill is being sent out to a fellow author from a community I'm in. She's going to give it a review and play the role of a story editor. Once I make any changes she might find necessary, I'll be sending it out to a fantastic copy editor I've found. I basically just submitted some questions to him, and was very pleased when he got back to me efficiently, gave me honest, professional advice and was still willing to help. I really look forward to working with him in the future and think it will help my work a lot. I won't lie– I have a minor fear of editors. Everyone sees their story through their eyes. I'm proud of my work on Hollow Hill and want to release it so badly, but I also understand that I want to release the best product I can. It's not going to please everyone, but I'm going to do what I can to make someone accept/buy it.
Which leads me to Needfire. You've all seen the cover (and if you haven't, it's right here), and hopefully I'll be getting the remainder of the editor's review in the first few weeks of June. Once that's done, I'll send it into this new copy editor I've found. Yes, I know it's just a stand alone short story, but it's also my first taste of the self-publishing world. I want to know what I'm in for if I decide to go this route for future work and as I just said, I want to make a good first impression. After all, they're the most important. There will be ups and downs, but that's what defines a learning curve, right?
The plot line for Eternity Blood is also finished and so far I'm pleased with it. The story might dance around a little once I get writing. I haven't decided if I'll work on it for this years NaNo, since I won't lie– my plan was to get back into Agents of Limbo. I really miss Leon and Jace's adventures, and the series is my baby. I love it to pieces, and am aching to write it again. However, I haven't forgotten about my other projects...
Once I'm done my current project, the third story for the Blood Moon series, I'll be getting back into the Cursed series. I hit a little writing block but it's not too tall. Once I receive the final feedback from my editors, I'll see what I can do with the Cursed trilogy. I've been toying with the idea that it will be a self-published trilogy while the Areios Brothers will be sent to professional agencies. You might have noticed that I go back and forth a lot, so anything could change between this post and then.
And last but not least, Derek and Liam. The moment Cursed: Damnation's Door is finished, I'm getting back to them. I've done a little bit of the opening and some scenes for the third novel, Faithless Hunt, but I don't want to make any major progress if I'm advised to do major changes to the series. It wouldn't be the first time I was suggested to make major plans for a series based on colleague and professional advice, and I have a knack for integrating my own ideas into those offered to me. One thing I'm learning quickly about this career is that you can't always put out the first draft. Editing is crucial, though it doesn't have to be loved. I've been lucky so far to adore and have pride in everything I've written so far. So if I can make it better, then I will.
I get the feeling that June will be a huge month for realizations, learning, and grumbling, but it's part of the process. The copy editor I'm interested in hiring gave me an excellent piece of advice:
"It's not an easy path, but the people who've taken it and survived all those pitfalls would do it again, every time."
Anyone who thinks writing a novel is easy has clearly never done it before. So far I've been lucky, unlucky, unsurprised, and ready for the hammers to drop. But I'm still writing and learning and listening. I know I'll make mistakes and bad decisions and be paranoid at every other turn and still wind up with something unexpected happening, and I anticipate nothing less. This is still a roller coaster ride for me, and it's one I never want to get off of.
Amy
Showing posts with label Eternity Blood. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Eternity Blood. Show all posts
Saturday, 31 May 2014
Monday, 5 May 2014
Weekly Recap
Well, I got the simple stuff done. Honestly, I didn't get as much completed as I wanted to because I was wrapped up in writing the prequel short for the Areios Brothers, which will be called Cold Trail. I've only got one chapter left to go and then I can edit it, and then it will be on to other projects. Here's what I managed to finish.
• Complete first mini blog short story and send it out for review
• Plan/think more on Eternity Blood and get it ready to go
• Needfire edits
• Cursed: Dark Divinity edits
• Cursed: Damnation's Door start
• Post Cursed: Demon's Daughter chapter 7
• Post Hollow Hill chapters 10 & 11
I'll be taking Eternity Blood and Needfire off the list since I'm not paying as much attention to them as I originally wanted to. I know, I'm awful. I'm not forgetting them (I have another To-Do List on my phone), just putting them aside for now. This is what I'm going to try and get done this week:
• Finish Cold Trail
• Start a good vs bad twin flash story for a competition I want to enter
• Cursed: Dark Divinity and Cold Trail edits
• Start Cursed: Damnation's Door
I have a bit of a sporadic mind, and sometimes it's hard for me to focus on one project for more than a couple days. I'm trying to get better with that, and hopefully this week I'll improve on it. For now, cheers!
Amy
• Plan/think more on Eternity Blood and get it ready to go
• Needfire edits
• Cursed: Dark Divinity edits
• Post Cursed: Demon's Daughter chapter 7
• Post Hollow Hill chapters 10 & 11
I'll be taking Eternity Blood and Needfire off the list since I'm not paying as much attention to them as I originally wanted to. I know, I'm awful. I'm not forgetting them (I have another To-Do List on my phone), just putting them aside for now. This is what I'm going to try and get done this week:
• Finish Cold Trail
• Start a good vs bad twin flash story for a competition I want to enter
• Cursed: Dark Divinity and Cold Trail edits
• Start Cursed: Damnation's Door
I have a bit of a sporadic mind, and sometimes it's hard for me to focus on one project for more than a couple days. I'm trying to get better with that, and hopefully this week I'll improve on it. For now, cheers!
Amy
Thursday, 1 May 2014
Monthly Goals: May
Is April over already? Seriously? Wow. Time really flies, huh? Well, now that I can mostly write outside (it can get rainy this time of year), I'm planning to get a lot more projects done and ready for the summer.
The first thing I want to and will get going is my blog series. It's called Blood Moon, it's about monsters, and it's going to be super cool. I'll post more info about it later today. I'm also going to begin editing Needfire and making sure it's ready to go for its summer release. I don't have an official date set since I'm waiting for the cover and I need to do more research, but I'll keep you all updated.
In a similar vein, I'm going to take a closer look at writing a full length, stand alone novel. I want to say that it will be Eternity Blood, but I'm not 100% sure. Oh, I have an idea that might fit the style of course, but I need to mull it over a little more. That one definitely won't be released by summer, but I'm hoping to have it independently published by the end of year.
Also, I'm going to be compiling a series of short stories for an anthology that will be self-published. Before I get going with that, I want to make sure that all the stories I've selected for it aren't chosen by the publishers I've sent them to. That might sound a little strange, until I say I'm doing it this way because I don't want to get into a contract when I've sent something out independently. But I'm hopefully going to hear back from the last publisher by the end of this week, so I'll let you know how it goes.
I might have mentioned on my Twitter a couple weeks ago that one of my short stories has likely been accepted for another anthology. It's sounding pretty official right now, but I won't confirm anything until I read the contract and understand exactly what I'm being asked (long story short, there was a miscommunication when I sent the story in– they weren't asking for an anthology short). Still... Yay!
As far as my other two major series, the Areios Brothers sequel: Shallow Water has now gone through its second draft. I'll be sending it out for review in the next couple months (hopefully). In the mean time, I'm working on a short prequel called Cold Trail. It's told from Liam's POV and takes places five years before Hollow Hill. For those of you who have been keeping up on the Areios Brothers, you can take a guess as to what trouble the boys got into. I've been having so much fun writing it that I can imagine I'll have it done by the end of this month.
Cursed is also going really, really well now that I'm getting back into it. I've completed the second draft of Dark Divinity and have the storyline done for the third and final book in the series. I won't tell you much, but I will say this: It's called Damnation's Door, and it's going to be intense. I wrote the prologue just for the heck of it, then I started working on the first chapter, and then I only stopped because my stomach reminded me it was dinner.
I spent all of yesterday writing and sending out queries for Hollow Hill and Cursed: Demon's Daughter. I would love nothing more than to know that one or both was accepted, but I'm keep my expectations reasonable, i.e.: I'll be amazed if they're accepted. Not because I don't believe in my writing. I know I have talent, I'm completely confident in my skills, I'm driven, and thirty more rejections won't stop me, but every author who's ever talked about getting accepted has said the same thing: Doors get closed in your face sometimes. And I'm fine with that, really. If I wasn't totally, 100% convinced that this wasn't what I wanted to do... Well, I wouldn't be doing it.
Whoa, this post turned out a lot longer than I intended it to. At least you can see that I'm working hard! Anyway, now that my updating and ranting have drawn to a close (thank you to all those who read to the end, by the way), I guess I should get back to work. Cheers! :)
Amy
The first thing I want to and will get going is my blog series. It's called Blood Moon, it's about monsters, and it's going to be super cool. I'll post more info about it later today. I'm also going to begin editing Needfire and making sure it's ready to go for its summer release. I don't have an official date set since I'm waiting for the cover and I need to do more research, but I'll keep you all updated.
In a similar vein, I'm going to take a closer look at writing a full length, stand alone novel. I want to say that it will be Eternity Blood, but I'm not 100% sure. Oh, I have an idea that might fit the style of course, but I need to mull it over a little more. That one definitely won't be released by summer, but I'm hoping to have it independently published by the end of year.
Also, I'm going to be compiling a series of short stories for an anthology that will be self-published. Before I get going with that, I want to make sure that all the stories I've selected for it aren't chosen by the publishers I've sent them to. That might sound a little strange, until I say I'm doing it this way because I don't want to get into a contract when I've sent something out independently. But I'm hopefully going to hear back from the last publisher by the end of this week, so I'll let you know how it goes.
I might have mentioned on my Twitter a couple weeks ago that one of my short stories has likely been accepted for another anthology. It's sounding pretty official right now, but I won't confirm anything until I read the contract and understand exactly what I'm being asked (long story short, there was a miscommunication when I sent the story in– they weren't asking for an anthology short). Still... Yay!
As far as my other two major series, the Areios Brothers sequel: Shallow Water has now gone through its second draft. I'll be sending it out for review in the next couple months (hopefully). In the mean time, I'm working on a short prequel called Cold Trail. It's told from Liam's POV and takes places five years before Hollow Hill. For those of you who have been keeping up on the Areios Brothers, you can take a guess as to what trouble the boys got into. I've been having so much fun writing it that I can imagine I'll have it done by the end of this month.
Cursed is also going really, really well now that I'm getting back into it. I've completed the second draft of Dark Divinity and have the storyline done for the third and final book in the series. I won't tell you much, but I will say this: It's called Damnation's Door, and it's going to be intense. I wrote the prologue just for the heck of it, then I started working on the first chapter, and then I only stopped because my stomach reminded me it was dinner.
I spent all of yesterday writing and sending out queries for Hollow Hill and Cursed: Demon's Daughter. I would love nothing more than to know that one or both was accepted, but I'm keep my expectations reasonable, i.e.: I'll be amazed if they're accepted. Not because I don't believe in my writing. I know I have talent, I'm completely confident in my skills, I'm driven, and thirty more rejections won't stop me, but every author who's ever talked about getting accepted has said the same thing: Doors get closed in your face sometimes. And I'm fine with that, really. If I wasn't totally, 100% convinced that this wasn't what I wanted to do... Well, I wouldn't be doing it.
Whoa, this post turned out a lot longer than I intended it to. At least you can see that I'm working hard! Anyway, now that my updating and ranting have drawn to a close (thank you to all those who read to the end, by the way), I guess I should get back to work. Cheers! :)
Amy
Monday, 28 April 2014
Weekly Recap
This week was really productive, and I'm proud of everything I got done. Here's what I finished:
• Shallow Water edits
• Finish Cursed 3 storyline
• Finalize Eternity Blood options (I think I have it down)
• Cursed: Demon's Daughter chapter 7 edit
• Hollow Hill chapters 10 & 11 edit
• Needfire edit start (waiting for the second part of a review)
• Needfire cover artist hunt
• Complete Metal Heart, the short for a steampunk anthology
• Think about mini-blog series and possibly start
• Read Silver and Salt by Rob Thurman (release date got messed up)
I have to get back on the real job hunt this week, though I'm getting help from a recruiting agency this time, so maybe I'll have a better shot. Here's what I else want to get done this week:
• Complete first mini blog short story and send it out for review
• Plan/think more on Eternity Blood and get it ready to go
• Needfire edits
• Cursed: Dark Divinity edits
• Cursed: Damnation's Door start
• Post Cursed: Demon's Daughter chapter 7
• Post Hollow Hill chapters 10 & 11
Hopefully by Thursday's blog post, I'll have more info on the blog series I'm doing. I won't spoil much, but here's what you need to know: It's called Blood Moon, is told from a bunch of different perspectives, and is a lot of fun. Cheers!
Amy
• Finish Cursed 3 storyline
• Finalize Eternity Blood options (I think I have it down)
• Hollow Hill chapters 10 & 11 edit
• Needfire edit start (waiting for the second part of a review)
• Complete Metal Heart, the short for a steampunk anthology
• Think about mini-blog series and possibly start
• Read Silver and Salt by Rob Thurman (release date got messed up)
I have to get back on the real job hunt this week, though I'm getting help from a recruiting agency this time, so maybe I'll have a better shot. Here's what I else want to get done this week:
• Complete first mini blog short story and send it out for review
• Plan/think more on Eternity Blood and get it ready to go
• Needfire edits
• Cursed: Dark Divinity edits
• Cursed: Damnation's Door start
• Post Cursed: Demon's Daughter chapter 7
• Post Hollow Hill chapters 10 & 11
Hopefully by Thursday's blog post, I'll have more info on the blog series I'm doing. I won't spoil much, but here's what you need to know: It's called Blood Moon, is told from a bunch of different perspectives, and is a lot of fun. Cheers!
Amy
Monday, 21 April 2014
Weekly Recap
Hope everyone had a great Easter weekend. I don't know about the rest of you, but I was eating my mom's chocolate cake for breakfast. And it was good. During the vacation, I managed to finish two great books and get a lot of planning done. I'm about halfway done the plot for Cursed 3 and have planned out some short stories for my blog series. It's not on the list below, but I planned out the entire plot for a short steampunk story I'm going to do for an anthology.
• Shallow Water edits
• Cursed 3 storyline (halfway done)
• Eternity Blood options (kind of done, still thinking)
• Think about mini-blog series (mostly done)
I'm waaaaay behind on my edits, so this week will be a lot of editing. That will be after I get the steampunk short story since I want to make sure my entry is submitted. Here's my goals for this week:
• Shallow Water edits
• Finish Cursed 3 storyline
• Finalize Eternity Blood options
• Cursed: Demon's Daughter chapter 7 edit
• Hollow Hill chapters 10 & 11 edit
• Needfire edit start
• Needfire cover artist hunt
• Complete Metal Heart, the short for a steampunk anthology
• Think about mini-blog series and possibly start
• Read Silver and Salt by Rob Thurman (can't deny fangirl impulses)
It's a lot of work, but I think I can get through most of it. In other exciting news, I got an email a couple days ago from one of the publishers I submitted a short story to. Turns out it won't be for an anthology but for a series of shorts in e-book format. I sent a reply back saying I was still interested in publishing with them so while nothing's official yet, it's a good start. Of course, I'll update you all once I know more.
So with all that in mind, I'm off to edit! Cheers!
Amy
• Cursed 3 storyline (halfway done)
• Eternity Blood options (kind of done, still thinking)
• Think about mini-blog series (mostly done)
I'm waaaaay behind on my edits, so this week will be a lot of editing. That will be after I get the steampunk short story since I want to make sure my entry is submitted. Here's my goals for this week:
• Shallow Water edits
• Finish Cursed 3 storyline
• Finalize Eternity Blood options
• Cursed: Demon's Daughter chapter 7 edit
• Hollow Hill chapters 10 & 11 edit
• Needfire edit start
• Needfire cover artist hunt
• Complete Metal Heart, the short for a steampunk anthology
• Think about mini-blog series and possibly start
• Read Silver and Salt by Rob Thurman (can't deny fangirl impulses)
It's a lot of work, but I think I can get through most of it. In other exciting news, I got an email a couple days ago from one of the publishers I submitted a short story to. Turns out it won't be for an anthology but for a series of shorts in e-book format. I sent a reply back saying I was still interested in publishing with them so while nothing's official yet, it's a good start. Of course, I'll update you all once I know more.
So with all that in mind, I'm off to edit! Cheers!
Amy
Monday, 14 April 2014
Weekly Recap
I was proud of myself for doing major catch-ups this week. I restarted Cursed: Dark Divinity, and while I had a little bit of a rough start, I've managed to pick up the pace significantly. Last week I wrote about six chapters. Yup. I didn't do much by the way of editing, but I did get a little time in. Maybe this week I'll focus more on it.
• New Cursed: Dark Divinity storyline
• Shallow Water edits/new scenes
• Restart Cursed: Dark Divinity
• Keep working on Eternity Blood
Since I'm mainly focusing on Cursed: Dark Divinity (I've become addicted to it again), this week's goals are pretty short and simple:
• Shallow Water edits
• Cursed 3 storyline
• Eternity Blood options
• Think about mini-blog series
I'm still thinking of how to set up the mini blog series I want to try, and as for Eternity Blood, well, here's what happened:
I liked the characters and I liked the idea I was going with, but something was off. I wasn't enjoying the story the way I had before. I found that while I was writing it, I was forcing the words out. I was losing my inspiration and sense of fun. This isn't the first time this has happened to me or any other author, but I think I have another idea to turn it around and make it into something new and completely interesting. I'm going to be thinking more about it and while it might not be completed for publication by the summer, at least I'll be writing something I enjoy.
This week will be a little shorter for me, since I leave on Thursday to Calgary for Easter with my family. It'll be a fun little trip and I intend to catch up on all the books I'm behind on. Mainly, I want to finish Promise of Blood by Brian McClellan, then move onto Forever Song by Julie Kagawa (I need to know what happens!) and Peacemaker by K.A. Stewart, one of my favorite authors. I can think of no better way to spend a 3.5hr road trip.
I'll make one other post before I leave, but for now, cheers!
Amy
• Shallow Water edits/new scenes
• Restart Cursed: Dark Divinity
• Keep working on Eternity Blood
Since I'm mainly focusing on Cursed: Dark Divinity (I've become addicted to it again), this week's goals are pretty short and simple:
• Shallow Water edits
• Cursed 3 storyline
• Eternity Blood options
• Think about mini-blog series
I'm still thinking of how to set up the mini blog series I want to try, and as for Eternity Blood, well, here's what happened:
I liked the characters and I liked the idea I was going with, but something was off. I wasn't enjoying the story the way I had before. I found that while I was writing it, I was forcing the words out. I was losing my inspiration and sense of fun. This isn't the first time this has happened to me or any other author, but I think I have another idea to turn it around and make it into something new and completely interesting. I'm going to be thinking more about it and while it might not be completed for publication by the summer, at least I'll be writing something I enjoy.
This week will be a little shorter for me, since I leave on Thursday to Calgary for Easter with my family. It'll be a fun little trip and I intend to catch up on all the books I'm behind on. Mainly, I want to finish Promise of Blood by Brian McClellan, then move onto Forever Song by Julie Kagawa (I need to know what happens!) and Peacemaker by K.A. Stewart, one of my favorite authors. I can think of no better way to spend a 3.5hr road trip.
I'll make one other post before I leave, but for now, cheers!
Amy
Monday, 7 April 2014
Weekly Recap
Last week was suuuuuper busy with moving back, hanging out, a huge birthday/welcome back party, two showings of Captain America: Winter Soldier, and Game of Thrones parties. Still, I managed to get some work done:
• New Cursed: Dark Divinity storyline
• Shallow Water edits/new scenes
• Restart Cursed: Dark Divinity
• Keep working on Eternity Blood
• Start job hunting
• Turn 25 years old
This week, things should slow down a lot more. I still have a couple outings and errands, but other than that I'm going to focus on writing again. Here's what I'm hoping to get done.
• New Cursed: Dark Divinity storyline
• Shallow Water edits/new scenes
• Restart Cursed: Dark Divinity
• Keep working on Eternity Blood
I finished another short story for a villain anthology that wasn't accepted but I really enjoyed writing it. Being the bad guy is fun sometimes. So, I decided to clean it up and post it for review. Once it gets back, I might turn it into a mini blog series. Kind of like what I did for the 500 Word Challenges, only it would be every week or two. As soon as I hear back from the review, I'll let you know!
Well, that's all my updates for now. Spring is more or less on the way, so I hope everyone is starting to enjoy the weather! Cheers!
Amy
• New Cursed: Dark Divinity storyline
• Restart Cursed: Dark Divinity
• Start job hunting
• Turn 25 years old
This week, things should slow down a lot more. I still have a couple outings and errands, but other than that I'm going to focus on writing again. Here's what I'm hoping to get done.
• New Cursed: Dark Divinity storyline
• Shallow Water edits/new scenes
• Restart Cursed: Dark Divinity
• Keep working on Eternity Blood
I finished another short story for a villain anthology that wasn't accepted but I really enjoyed writing it. Being the bad guy is fun sometimes. So, I decided to clean it up and post it for review. Once it gets back, I might turn it into a mini blog series. Kind of like what I did for the 500 Word Challenges, only it would be every week or two. As soon as I hear back from the review, I'll let you know!
Well, that's all my updates for now. Spring is more or less on the way, so I hope everyone is starting to enjoy the weather! Cheers!
Amy
Thursday, 3 April 2014
Everlong
It's been a while since I've done a music post. So here's some of the tunes I've been listening to lately while I write and edit...
1. A.I. - My City, My Secret
2. Chrome Nation - Wayne Static
3. Everlong - Foo Fighters
4. Pocketful Of Dreams - Billy Talent
5. Let Me Break - Emigrate
6. Smile Pretty For The Devil - Children Of Bodom
7. Viva La Vida - Coldplay
8. Face To Face - Sevendust
9. Your God - Stone Sour
10. Wake (The End Is Nigh) - Trivium
11. 40 Days - Blessthefall
12. Hold On - All That Remains
13. SuperChrist - Smashing Pumpkins
14. Out To Get You - Bloodsimple
15. Zwitter - Rammstein
16. Pearl Hart - Volbeat
17. Natural Born Chaos - Soilwork
18. Sacred Lie - Disturbed
Who doesn't love the Foo Fighters? Everlong is a beautiful love song that helps me when I'm thinking about writing love/romance scenes. It's hard not to feel romantic and dreamy when you hear this tune, and it's not hard to understand how it's one of the most well known songs in the world. I've played it a few times while writing Eternity Blood and some future scenes with Derek and Selena in the Areios Brothers series. I know you've already heard this song a million times, but what's one more time? Good things never get old.
Amy
1. A.I. - My City, My Secret
2. Chrome Nation - Wayne Static
3. Everlong - Foo Fighters
4. Pocketful Of Dreams - Billy Talent
5. Let Me Break - Emigrate
6. Smile Pretty For The Devil - Children Of Bodom
7. Viva La Vida - Coldplay
8. Face To Face - Sevendust
9. Your God - Stone Sour
10. Wake (The End Is Nigh) - Trivium
11. 40 Days - Blessthefall
12. Hold On - All That Remains
13. SuperChrist - Smashing Pumpkins
14. Out To Get You - Bloodsimple
15. Zwitter - Rammstein
16. Pearl Hart - Volbeat
17. Natural Born Chaos - Soilwork
18. Sacred Lie - Disturbed
Who doesn't love the Foo Fighters? Everlong is a beautiful love song that helps me when I'm thinking about writing love/romance scenes. It's hard not to feel romantic and dreamy when you hear this tune, and it's not hard to understand how it's one of the most well known songs in the world. I've played it a few times while writing Eternity Blood and some future scenes with Derek and Selena in the Areios Brothers series. I know you've already heard this song a million times, but what's one more time? Good things never get old.
Amy
Monday, 31 March 2014
Weekly Recap
I've got a big week coming up, but this is all the stuff I got done last week:
• Finish Eternity Blood storyline
• Extend and edit Eternity Blood
• Cursed 2 & 3 storylines
• Cursed: Demon's Daughter chapter 6 edit
• Hollow Hill chapters 8 & 9 edit as well as other edits
• Shallow Water edits
• Restart Cursed: Dark Divinity (if I can find time)
I wanted to get back into Cursed and Shallow Water, but editing always takes way longer than you think, especially when you're adding in scenes. This is what I'm hoping to get finished this week:
• New Cursed: Dark Divinity storyline
• Shallow Water edits/new scenes
• Restart Cursed: Dark Divinity
• Keep working on Eternity Blood
• Start job hunting
• Turn 25 years old
I have a lot of goals this month, so I figure to take it slow and get what I can done. I tend to write fast, so learning how to pace will be a nice change. After all, that seems to be this month's theme, right?
Cheers!
Amy
• Extend and edit Eternity Blood
• Cursed 2 & 3 storylines
• Hollow Hill chapters 8 & 9 edit as well as other edits
• Shallow Water edits
• Restart Cursed: Dark Divinity (if I can find time)
I wanted to get back into Cursed and Shallow Water, but editing always takes way longer than you think, especially when you're adding in scenes. This is what I'm hoping to get finished this week:
• New Cursed: Dark Divinity storyline
• Shallow Water edits/new scenes
• Restart Cursed: Dark Divinity
• Keep working on Eternity Blood
• Start job hunting
• Turn 25 years old
I have a lot of goals this month, so I figure to take it slow and get what I can done. I tend to write fast, so learning how to pace will be a nice change. After all, that seems to be this month's theme, right?
Cheers!
Amy
Monthly Goals: April
If I thought March was going to be a tricky month, it's got nothing on April. Tomorrow I'm moving from Ontario to Alberta and am going to be swamped: Reunions, get togethers, birthdays (including mine this Friday!), Easter, job hunts, housing, releases, adjusting, even some bridesmaid stuff.
I'm looking forward to every second of it. I had a great time in Ontario and will never regret moving there, but sometimes you just need to go back to your roots, you know?
Now, writing... Well, I've just completed some major edits for Hollow Hill, and will be moving on to edit the Areios Brothers sequel: Shallow Water. I'm happy with what I wrote in my first couple drafts, but now that Hollow Hill is vastly improved, I know I can do the same for the sequel.
I also want to get back into the Cursed series. I'm dying to write more about Constance and Dro's journey, especially now that I finally know what route they need to take. The first step is to obviously write down the storylines and plan it all out. After that, it's smooth sailing. If my luck holds, I'll get back into writing Dark Divinity and keep my new word count up.
Last but not least, I want to finish editing my full length novel Eternity Blood. I really want to get it out there for some review so I can have it finished and ready to go for the summer.
Obviously, there are priorities– finding a new job and a new house are kinda at the top of the list right now– but I'm going to keep pushing forward now that I'm totally back into my writing groove. I'm really excited about all the adventures I have planned, and think that April's going to be a great month.
And maybe if we're all lucky, it will actually feel like spring!
Amy
I'm looking forward to every second of it. I had a great time in Ontario and will never regret moving there, but sometimes you just need to go back to your roots, you know?
Now, writing... Well, I've just completed some major edits for Hollow Hill, and will be moving on to edit the Areios Brothers sequel: Shallow Water. I'm happy with what I wrote in my first couple drafts, but now that Hollow Hill is vastly improved, I know I can do the same for the sequel.
I also want to get back into the Cursed series. I'm dying to write more about Constance and Dro's journey, especially now that I finally know what route they need to take. The first step is to obviously write down the storylines and plan it all out. After that, it's smooth sailing. If my luck holds, I'll get back into writing Dark Divinity and keep my new word count up.
Last but not least, I want to finish editing my full length novel Eternity Blood. I really want to get it out there for some review so I can have it finished and ready to go for the summer.
Obviously, there are priorities– finding a new job and a new house are kinda at the top of the list right now– but I'm going to keep pushing forward now that I'm totally back into my writing groove. I'm really excited about all the adventures I have planned, and think that April's going to be a great month.
And maybe if we're all lucky, it will actually feel like spring!
Amy
Thursday, 27 March 2014
Eternity Blood
What's the best thing about getting a rejection notice? You can do whatever you want with the leftovers.
I sent in a short story to be considered for an anthology revolving about monsters and magic drinks. My story wasn't accepted, but like Needfire, I loved it too much to let it go. So I decided to keep going with it.
The original Eternity Blood was about a woman named Veronika who went from being a vampire's slave to a formidable vampire hunter. When her husband is bitten by a diseased vampire, she reverts to going back to her old life to steal a cure to save him.
I don't mind giving away the synopsis, because it's changed since the original version. Reviewers who read Eternity Blood suggested I add more background and detail. The more I edited and added, the more I became invested in Veronika's story. I enjoyed creating a character who started off broken and turned into someone fierce and defiant.
As I kept going and went into the mythology behind the Eternity Blood, I realized I didn't want to make it the same story it had been. In this new, full length version, I took away the simplicity and turned the situations into something more complicated. I gave Veronika an even darker back story, increased the action scenes, and made her relationships with her mentor Eli and smooth-talking Lucius more interesting.
Right now, Eternity Blood is in the editing phase as I work on the details of the world. I've got the rest of the story planned out and it's been going well. I'm planning to release the final version sometime in the summer. It will be my first, full length self-published story. I'm really enjoy writing it and will happily update you all on the progress of the story, maybe even giving up some teaser pieces and chapters as we get closer to a release date.
Be on the lookout for more!
Amy
I sent in a short story to be considered for an anthology revolving about monsters and magic drinks. My story wasn't accepted, but like Needfire, I loved it too much to let it go. So I decided to keep going with it.
The original Eternity Blood was about a woman named Veronika who went from being a vampire's slave to a formidable vampire hunter. When her husband is bitten by a diseased vampire, she reverts to going back to her old life to steal a cure to save him.
I don't mind giving away the synopsis, because it's changed since the original version. Reviewers who read Eternity Blood suggested I add more background and detail. The more I edited and added, the more I became invested in Veronika's story. I enjoyed creating a character who started off broken and turned into someone fierce and defiant.
As I kept going and went into the mythology behind the Eternity Blood, I realized I didn't want to make it the same story it had been. In this new, full length version, I took away the simplicity and turned the situations into something more complicated. I gave Veronika an even darker back story, increased the action scenes, and made her relationships with her mentor Eli and smooth-talking Lucius more interesting.
Right now, Eternity Blood is in the editing phase as I work on the details of the world. I've got the rest of the story planned out and it's been going well. I'm planning to release the final version sometime in the summer. It will be my first, full length self-published story. I'm really enjoy writing it and will happily update you all on the progress of the story, maybe even giving up some teaser pieces and chapters as we get closer to a release date.
Be on the lookout for more!
Amy
Monday, 24 March 2014
Weekly Recap
I got way more done in Cuba than I intended, even more than I posted on this list. This is what I got done in the last two weeks:
• Cursed: Dark Divinity story line options
• Elemental Army story line revise/edit/complete
• Begin story lines for two new series (Iron Angel, a dystopian sci-fi fantasy series with mutants and super-powered humans, and Abducted, my first alien/sci-fi series)
• Finish the story lines for the Areios Brothers
• Read as many books as I can (this was hard since I dropped my Kobo in the water... Sigh... But I got two of them done!)
• Take lots of photos of beaches, sand, food, and drink
• Get a good tan!
Now that I'm home and slowly getting back on track, here are my goals for this week:
• Finish Eternity Blood storyline
• Extend and edit Eternity Blood
• Cursed 2 & 3 storylines
• Cursed: Demon's Daughter chapter 6 edit
• Hollow Hill chapters 8 & 9 edit as well as other edits
• Shallow Water edits
• Restart Cursed: Dark Divinity (if I can find time)
That's a lot of editing that I'm setting myself up for, but I want to get back into the Cursed series now that my best friend helped me finally get past the writers block for it. I won't give anything away obviously, but let's just say that things are gonna get crazy for Constance and Dro.
This week I have to send most of my stuff back to Edmonton for my move, but I do want to get more of Eternity Blood finished now that I'm extending it to a full length novel. Long story short, I was editing away and started adding more scenes... and more scenes... and more scenes, until I realized I was having too much fun with my characters. So I'm giving them more adventures, going into more detail, and making it a lot more intense. Hopefully, I'll have both Eternity Blood and Needfire ready to self-publish by this summer.
With all of that in mind, I guess now would be a good time to get to work! Cheers!
Amy
• Cursed: Dark Divinity story line options
• Elemental Army story line revise/edit/complete
• Begin story lines for two new series (Iron Angel, a dystopian sci-fi fantasy series with mutants and super-powered humans, and Abducted, my first alien/sci-fi series)
• Finish the story lines for the Areios Brothers
• Get a good tan!
Now that I'm home and slowly getting back on track, here are my goals for this week:
• Finish Eternity Blood storyline
• Extend and edit Eternity Blood
• Cursed 2 & 3 storylines
• Cursed: Demon's Daughter chapter 6 edit
• Hollow Hill chapters 8 & 9 edit as well as other edits
• Shallow Water edits
• Restart Cursed: Dark Divinity (if I can find time)
That's a lot of editing that I'm setting myself up for, but I want to get back into the Cursed series now that my best friend helped me finally get past the writers block for it. I won't give anything away obviously, but let's just say that things are gonna get crazy for Constance and Dro.
This week I have to send most of my stuff back to Edmonton for my move, but I do want to get more of Eternity Blood finished now that I'm extending it to a full length novel. Long story short, I was editing away and started adding more scenes... and more scenes... and more scenes, until I realized I was having too much fun with my characters. So I'm giving them more adventures, going into more detail, and making it a lot more intense. Hopefully, I'll have both Eternity Blood and Needfire ready to self-publish by this summer.
With all of that in mind, I guess now would be a good time to get to work! Cheers!
Amy
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