Hello hello dear friends and readers. As usual, this recap is well and truly late, but such is life. April was an absolutely huge month for me, with so many different projects progressing and finally falling into place, so let’s dive into the details…
My Books:
Heart of Mist, Book I: The Oremere Chronicles
The last 30 days saw so much progress for Heart of Mist – it’s actually looking like a real book, can you believe it?
I received my edits back from my amazing editor, and the manuscript was finalised. It’s been typeset and formatted for ebook as well, and has ALSO been sent out to a number of book bloggers for review.
If I’m completely honest, I’m kinda freaking out. Besides my fantastic beta readers, no one else has read this book, and so it’ll be the first time I’ll be getting outsiders’ perspectives. It’s the first time I’ll be receiving official reviews, and it’s actually terrifying.
I was also finally able to reveal the incredible cover designed by the amazing Alissa Dinallo… In case you missed it, here it is…
If you’re after more details like the release date, and synopsis check out the official reveal here.
Another exciting moment was having it added to Goodreads. You can now add Heart of Mist to your TBR list on the popular readers’ platform 🙂
And finally, I’m currently working with a very talented mapmaker based in France, on bringing my realm to life. This map will be featured in both the print and ebooks, and if you’re a subscriber to my newsletter… I may just be sharing that with you in the coming months!
Book II, The Oremere Chronicles
Once again, work on Book II has stalled. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to balance the production and marketing of Book I, freelance work, Writer’s Edit work and life in general…
That’s not to say nothing has happened. I’ve written a few thousand words, and I definitely know the entire direction of the book now. The trouble for me is writing here and there, rather than allowing myself a solid chunk of time.
I’ve decided that in June, when I’m finished the course content for Writer’s Edit, I’ll be taking a break in order to hammer out the rest of Book II. The problem for me, is that I feel guilty when I’m working on it – like I should be doing other work, because I enjoy it so much. A terrible attitude I know, but I’ve decided that the way to overcome it, is to give myself permission to immerse myself in it completely.
I’ll definitely let you know how that goes.
Other Works
It’s a miracle I’ve actually done any other writing at all… But just today, I’ve made some headway with my second prequel story to Heart of Mist (currently untitled). I’m really enjoying writing these shorter pieces, in a way which I never enjoyed writing short stories. I love taking elements of my characters histories and weaving them into narratives outside of the events of the novel.
I should also mention that I’ve had some great responses to the first prequel story, ‘Break’. Readers have said that they’re “hooked” and that they “can’t wait for HoM”… These comments have definitely helped with my building anxiety about the book’s release.
Editor’s Life
Writer’s Edit
Writer’s Edit is going from strength to strength. We get such lovely feedback from our readers, and it’s just so incredible to see our platform growing day-by-day.
The courses are coming together, more slowly than I’d like – but you can’t rush a good thing (there are also only so many hours in a day).
We’ve done a huge overhaul on our content and have decided to narrow our focus to three main core categories: Fiction Writing, Freelance Writing and Self-Publishing. It feels really good to have made some changes to our content focus and strategy, and I’m super keen to see how this helps us grow even more in the coming months.
Freelance
As usual, freelance has been hectic. As I said before, there just aren’t enough hours of the day. A lot of what I do is time-consuming, fiddly work, and it can definitely get frustrating at times.
However, I try to remind myself that it’s this freelance work that allows me to do what I love – write and publish books, and help other writers through Writer’s Edit. I’m actually extraordinarily lucky.
This blog
As I mentioned in my last recap, this blog has undergone a bit of an overhaul. I’ve stopped advertising my freelance services so much, as I simply have too much work on, but more than that, this platform has become more of an official ‘author page’.
As promised, there was a change in content direction, with my article ‘Top 5 Fantasy Series‘ being the first of many new posts coming your way.
What I read…
A record-low month for reading I’m afraid… With the edits for Heart of Mist being finalised, and the typesetting and formatting underway, reading for pleasure fell by the wayside…
- The Summer Palace (short story) by C.S. Pacat
- Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
There’s a whole lot more in the works this month – visiting the printers, talking to distributors and sharing my second prequel story… I think it’s safe to say, there’ll be no rest for the wicked for the next while.
Remember to keep your eyes peeled for the next prequel!
Until next time,
Helen
Please Note: Featured image by Corinne Kutz, Suwanee, United States via Unsplash