In the image above, a lot is going on, if you know the game. There are two typical landmarks, the tower and the standing stones, plus the scraggly trees in the back indicate a dangerous area. And yes, that feels quite fitting for this month’s Progress Report.
Writing Progress Report
I have good news, actually. I’m writing two books at the same time, Moon Rises for the Winds & Pillars, and A Wolf’s Love for, well, the Wolves. That doesn’t happen often, but for now it means that if one of them doesn’t pull me in, I can pivot to the other one and let Writer Brain solve whatever problems exist in the back of my mind.
In February, I wrote more than ten thousands words, which is better than it has been for literally months. I hope I can keep that momentum and speed up a little more.
Right now, my best writing time is early in the morning. I so glad I’m back to that, to be honest. For some reason, as a day progresses, the world starts to weigh on me.
So, I do my best to write in the mornings. All I can do.
Winds & Pillars Progress Report
Moon is almost at 25k words, which means we’re half-way in the story. Right now, she’s enjoying a break and a little flirtation with a Priest, of all people, but I’m about to toss danger her way and push her into moving on. Still, that priest will quite likely appear later on (probably in Spirit Sings), he wormed his way into my heart already.
I have no idea what the dramatic showdown will be that usually happens near the end of the book, but it will involve some kind of water – since she’s a water mage. And I have lots of juicy scenes still to come. *rubs hands*
Wolves Progress Report
I’m a little stuck in Timothy’s book, simply because I don’t quite understand some parts of pack life there just yet. They do work for an aerospace company, running a production line of small parts (screws and wires), but I don’t think anyone really is in charge, so they are basically supplying labor more than anything else.
Also, Writer Brain thinks I should use Ashley (Connor’s mate) in some way, since I went to pains to get her to East Compton, but it’s not clear how just yet.
So I’m letting this percolate, even though I already know what will happen for the showdown in this book, thanks to a great suggestion by a friend on Mastodon (love your idea, mkj!).
Book of the Month Sale
I’m trying something new – and will do this for the rest of the year, at least – by introducing the Book of the Month posts and sales.
Every month, I’m picking one of my books, sharing a lot about the background and what writing it meant for me – and then offering a discount through a coupon in my own store.
Book of the Month for March is Steps of Courage, my Twin Worlds book. Take a look if you want to know why I wrote something so different from my usual genres, and how you can get it for 50% off.
Indie Author Progress Report
Right now, in step with times getting hard everywhere, the world of indie publishing is getting hit hard.
First, some greedy sloperators are using AI (Artificial Idiots) to churn out “books” and are flooding Amazon with that slop, to the tune of 200 “books” a month. They are proud of it, and it does earn them more money than I make with my books. Personally, I think it’s utterly disgusting and definitely a fraud for readers.
This flood of slop does several really bad things to actual authors who use their brains to craft stories.
First, Amazon is restricting visibility to indie authors, believing that publishers are still vetting books enough to stop AI dreck from being published. Rumor is that indie books are actively removed from bestseller lists.
I can’t confirm this, and the truth is that Wolves 1 actually did make first place in one freebie category on Amazon earlier this month. Still, losing visibility like that across Amazon is hard on sales.
In addition, this slop clearly discredits indie authors, making it much harder to find readers. It’s also why I’m going wide (my books are available in as many places as I can push them into), and why I created my own store. You will find less slop in stores because setting up a book there takes more work.
I’m hoping that we indie authors will band together soon, that there will be new platforms helping with discovery and finding readers. I actually have a (tiny) list of indie author stores on my website, and I’m hoping to grow it over time, to give you more options. Feel free to take a look at the Buy Direct Directory.
Another place to look for indie books, if you are so inclined, is the PayHip Marketplace. They don’t have a lot of categories, but you can look up authors you like, and see if they sell direct. Every cent that no longer flows into the pocket of tech bros improves our world, these days.
Pockets of Happiness Report
I’m still creating pockets of happiness – I now have a family of rainbow unicorns prancing on my desk – and I find that those little moments do tend to multiply.
Right now, it is deeply satisfying to bring my balcony out of winter, to clean and set it all up for spring. I have a few horned pansies adding color already, and soon, there will be many more flowers to bring joy to my mornings when I sit in my kitchen, writing my diary and looking at my balcony.
I also have a little purple primrose sitting on my kitchen table, given to me by a sweet old lady who I befriended in the park.
And of course, my bubble on Mastodon is amazing. So many good people there, they give me joy every day. (Want to join Mastodon? Let me know, I can invite people to my server.)
Best of all, however, is reading new books by my favorite authors. And re-reading old favorites. (I read a lot. And I review on Bookwyrm. It’s like Goodreads, just better.)
Finding happiness is immensely important in difficult times. How are you creating pockets of happiness?
The Ember Progress Report
Well, Ember is still alive and happy, and determined to grow into a huge, fierce fire-breathing dragon. What are the odds of that?
Find out by subscribing to my newsletter. That’s where Ember lives, after all, I do not share her Ember Tales anywhere else. You’ll also get book news, sales, recommendations and a reminder of the Book of the Month sales.
The newsletter only goes out once a month, on the 13th. I’m not spamming you with stuff because I hate that myself. Will I see you there?
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