As always, Valheim offers amazing views. I picked this one for this month’s progress report, because it offers a view of two very different biomes – which to me translate to emotional states.
You see, Mountain is a bit of a challenge. You have to stretch yourself, run and jump to reach your goals, facing down dangerous creatures, like wolves, drakes and stone golems. Resources are hard to find and have to be won.
Meadows, on the other hand, the biome everyone starts out in, is mostly soft, gentle and safe. Most resources are there for the picking, easy and abundant.
I can see how that applies to writing and marketing in my life, as well. I have some parts down so well that they are like Meadows: writing, formatting, publishing – after 40 books, this is still work, but familiar, friendly, and easy.
Marketing, on the other hand, feels a bit like Mountain – I constantly have to stretch myself, face different challenges and win every sale. I’m still learning a lot of new things, such as “promo stacking”, which I’ll explain below.
Book of the Month Offer
For this month, I have no real promos to stack, so I decided to offer you one of my true favorites: A Wolf’s Hacker.
You see, it features an amazing redemption arc for Shane (who was an antagonist in Book 6, A Wolf’s Peril) and a great change for a Wolf who had to live hidden away.
And it gave me a chance to channel some of my experiences with World of Warcraft and IRC from my early days in the internet. That was a lot of fun.
Now, Shadowwolf, Shane’s best friend, is getting themselves into trouble with some Hunters, and Shane will not have it. There are a few misunderstandings and tense moments, but then Shane and his friend are trying to get to the bottom of this problem – and bite off more than they can chew.
If that sounds like something you feel like reading, hop on over to my store and the blog post with a bit more about the book itself. Or just hit the listing for A Wolf’s Hacker and use the coupon code Lucky to get the book for €2.99 instead of the 4.99 it costs everywhere else.
Most of all, enjoy!
Writing Progress Report
Writing is fun. I’m not as fast as I want to be, but the morning sessions are productive, I know what needs to happen next (look below for that, it’s all Winds & Pillars right now), and the ideas are rolling.
I started keeping notes in Obsidian, and that’s great. Best place to jot down plot bunnies and story ideas – or to look up names in one of my series. Definitely recommend as a program.
Winds & Pillars Progress Report
Still writing Moon Rises (Winds & Pillars 8), but I know what needs to happen for the last few chapters now. There will be one truly dangerous situation, a showdown and reckoning for those responsible, and definitely a happy ending. And yes, Moon will meet part of the gang. Of course.
In addition, I’m getting a lot of ideas and vibes for the final book, Sprit Sings. I am having a bit of a conundrum for the subtitle of it, because technically, it’s neither part of Winds of Destiny, nor of the Pillars of the Empire. That’s because for once, there is no single viewpoint character.
So what do you think? Can I get away with calling it “Winds & Pillars Book 9”?
Wolves Progress Report
Not much happening with the Wolves, alas. My brain has been taken over by the Winds & Pillars, but that’s not a bad thing.
Writer Brain often works in the dark, hidden corners of my mind, and I know it’ll come up with fun ideas once I can pull the Wolves to the surface. Just not sure when that’ll happen.
If you want to make me happy, though, go and read those first nine books (Book 10 will happen eventually). Plenty to binge, with strong characters, plenty of adventure, no alphas (unless they are villains), and no spice. Nope, they didn’t want to show off in bed. *shrugs*
Marketing Progress Report
Yes, this is the part when I have to stretch and challenge myself, and the current field to conquer is called “promo stacking”. That’s the art of setting up several promotions for a specific book in a way that they all combine near the same date, generating a large push in visibility.
For example, I have a running subscription with the Fussy Librarian, where one of my free books features every two month. It rotates through my three fantasy series starters. And on July 1st, South Breaks will be in their newsletter. That usually results in a nice number of downloads – since South is free.
This time around, I have set up BookFunnel promos for July that feature South Breaks, as well. I bought another promo in another reader newsletter that’ll come out end of June, to kick it all off. And just a few days ago, I scored a place in a Bookshop org promo for Free Series Starters – which takes place throughout June.
I also rewrote the blurbs for South and West and reworked the epilog in South to make it more enticing – hoping for a bunch of downloads and read-through. I will say, I’m trying not to pin too much hope on this, but… I do. I love this series and my characters, and wish for many more readers.
And for September, I’ll do it all over again for the Wolves.
Pockets of Happiness Report
Valheim continues to give me much happiness, especially with building, but I also had quite a few more moments.
My sister came to visit and stayed for a week in May, and that was awesome. We found a great balance between doing things and avoiding overwhelm for me, and I think it was the best visit so far.
Had an interview at the local community college, and yes, I will be teaching a class in short fiction writing in fall. They were utterly delighted with my offer, I was basically kicking at an open door. I will share more once the Fall Catalog comes out. (But be aware it’s in person in my town.)
In addition, I’m still doing this – coloring pages like that one above (current project). It is incredibly soothing and satisfying to see elements start to pop against the white background. In fact, it’s not always easy to find the right color for an element.
And my balcony is full of flowers, so sitting there with a nice book is also definitely a pocket of happiness.
The Ember Tale
Well, I’ve said this so often, so this time, I’ll make it short and sweet:
I have a newsletter that goes out once a month (on the 13th), and it contains writing news, book offers, special deals and, last but not least, the Ember Tale. Which is a cute little adventure with my dragon familiar, Ember, that you can’t get anywhere else.
Want it? Sign up below.
