Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

 

I’ll be working on the last of the proofreading changes with cider in one hand and terrible Christmas music in the background, but I’m gonna get this done because I want Book 2 up for ARC readers before the year is out, and I need some time off next week with the fam.

However you’re spending this Christmas, I hope you’re surrounded by those you love and who cherish you in return.

I’m so grateful for the community I’ve found myself in this year. It’s like having my own personal cheerleading squad of readers and writers, and I can’t thank them enough for making this year such a good one. You know who you are. I appreciate you all so much, and it makes my day hearing from you.

For 2023, I’m wishing you peace, health and joy. If this has been a year of challenges for you, I wish you a year of calm, resolve and strength, so you can rise above that tide and come out the other side smiling. I love it when you smile.

May 2023 bring you all that you deserve 💕

character art of Raven Albright. Young man with long black hair and makeup.

You can still get 50% off the ebook versions of A Storm of Paper Starlings and From Tangled Roots Come Twisted Wings at Smashwords until January 1st.

GET 50% OFF

Have a fantastic Christmas, don’t take any crap, and I’ll see you in the new year. 2023 is gonna be a good one!

In the meantime, this cider isn’t gonna drink itself. Cheers!

Looking Forward to 2023

Looking Forward to 2023

Looking Forward to 2023

Now December is here, I’m getting ready for Sarra Cannon’s brilliant planning system, HB90 Bootcamp.

It kicks off on the 11th of December with a livestream, and course enrolment is open until early that day. If you’re a writer, or just a busy person who needs to inject some planning into their life, take a look.

I can’t recommend Sarra’s courses highly enough. HB90 is a game changer.

You can find more information here.

*I’m not currently an affiliate, but I may be in the future.

Mugs of hot chocolate in front of a blazing fire

So, once the course starts, I’ll be planning for the first quarter of 2023. Here’s what I already know:

  • Book 2 of Not the Same River, From Tangled Roots Come Twisted Wings, will be released on January 27th (it’s already available for preorder).
  • A historical spinoff novella, featuring my MC’s neighbours, the Merryweather coven, will be released some time in March.
  • I’ll be prepping Book 3 of Not the Same River, Of Blood & Oil, for its release in April.
  • In March, I’ll be doing HB90 again for Q2. This planning stuff is neverending!
  • My writing projects are as yet undecided.

This has not been a writing year for me. Last year, I wrote eleven books. This year, I’ve written one, which I steamed through during NaNoWrimo, and finally finished on December 4th, which would’ve been my grandad’s 100th birthday. If he was immortal. It was a desperate race to the finish line, but it’s done. In the bag.

To be fair to myself, I also wrote a 40k bonus story for members of the Th1rt3en Club, which is what I call my monthly newsletter to make it sound fancy.

It is fancy. Come join us!

So, no. It has not been a writing year for me. At least, not as much as usual. But, I did rebuild my website, which was a huge undertaking given the state it was in. And I did set up my newsletter, which included a tonne of automations, thanks to that 40k bonus story I mentioned up there. I also formatted and published a novella, which is also free and exclusive for members of the Th1rt3en Club. And I published my first book. It’s not like I’m slacking over here.

Self publishing is hard work. You have to be all things. I outsourced my cover design and editing, but I did everything else myself. I’m a fiction writer, a formatter, a proofreader, a website builder, a marketing manager, a copywriter, a publisher, a business owner. It’s a lot, and I hope it’ll turn out to be worth it.

I’m proud of my achievements this year, and can’t wait to see where next year takes me. What I do know is this: by next December, I will be the author of seven published books instead of one, and I’ll be back here to celebrate with you.

However you spend the holiday season, I hope you have a wonderful time with the people who love you.