The first month of 2016 is over, and we should really be back into the swing of things by now… Right? However, for me, January has been an incredibly scattered and varied month.
Coming back from the UK, getting a tad silly for New Years Eve, fighting jet lag, celebrating Australia Day, and catching up with friends who were still on break, I’ve found it really difficult to find the momentum I had towards the end of 2015.
So how are things looking now? A little something like this…
My Books:
Red Hands
So, this post is actually five days late because I was waiting to hear some news about this that I’d be able to share with you.
Turns out, no matter what stage you’re at, publishing is still very much a waiting game.
Fingers crossed I’ll be able to spill the beans in an announcement post sometime in the next two weeks or so.
New Book
While I was in the UK, I finished the last few chapters of this new venture. Such a strange feeling after all this time working on RH to now finish something completely different.
Throughout the rest of December I tried to enjoy my time off, and distance myself from it for a while. I’ve previously made the mistake of not leaving my work to settle before diving into the editing process, and I didn’t want to make the same mistake again.
At the beginning of this week, I printed out the manuscript. It’s always such a satisfying feeling, even when you know there’s still such a tremendous amount of work to do.
The manuscript is a bit of a monster one… Probably the biggest I’ve ever printed off, but it’s been going well. I’m making myself work only on the printed manuscript so I’m not distracted by everything else on the computer.
I’m definitely enjoying this process, and have been making the most of sitting out on the deck with the dog for company and working through the structural changes.
Currently, I’m working on adding some more complexity to the plot, and developing the characters more. I’ve realised that in first drafts for me, everything is quite 2D – I’m really just getting everything down, and the details, backstory and authenticity come later.
However overwhelming the amount of work is, I’m actually really excited about this book. It’s completely different to RH, with a completely new target market who will hopefully really enjoy the ride…
The plan is to finish up the second draft and have beta readers onto it by March. I’ve already noted down a few publishers I think it would be suited to, so we’ll see!
Editor’s Life
Writer’s Edit
As I mentioned, I definitely struggled to get back into my routine this month. There was just too much going on, and I think I was still in holiday mode.
However, I’m finally getting there. I’m spending the majority of my time working on our new focus – subscriber content that will launch later this year, and I’m really excited about it.
We also had first team meeting of the year. To be honest, it was more of a catch up as Kyra, Claire, Bernadette and myself hadn’t actually seen each other since our launch for Kindling II last year. But, it was SO. MUCH. FUN.
Despite being generally all about words, they seem to fail me when it comes to explaining how much these women mean to me. Every time I walk away from one of our meetings, I feel incredibly lucky.
Kindling Volume III
As I mentioned in the Writer’s Edit 2015 year-in-review article, this year will see the publication of our third and final volume of Kindling.
Myself and the other editors felt that three was the perfect number to finish on before we move onto new projects.
We’re hoping that this final volume will be our biggest and best yet. And! Submissions are still open. Click here if you’re keen on submitting your short stories, poems and/or essays.
What I’ve Read:
- Obernewtyn by Isobelle Carmody
- The Far Seekers by Isobelle Carmody
- Ashling by Isobelle Carmody
- Those Were the Days by Jenny Bravo
As you can see, I finally discovered a fantasy series that has ALL books published (to stop my frustration of having to wait years for the next book to come out).
It’s probably worth noting that I’ve also re-read all Sarah J. Maas’ Throne of Glass books, because… well… I’m totally fan-girling over her.
Two of the events I’m most looking forward to this year are the release of the next Court of Mist and Fury novel, and the next Throne of Glass novel. I’ll most definitely be scheduling days off for these bad boys.
Until next time,
Helen
Note: Featured image credit via Tea, Coffee & Books.