Built Ins and Office

A few people have asked for updates on the office remodel. I'm happy to say that it's mostly finished. There are a few touches left such as hanging artwork and picking a rug and new light fixture, but I'm pretty happy with it.

Photos below for those interested.

And of course, no renovation would be complete without the trouble makers seal of approval. 

Progress Update

There are a lot of questions and excitement regarding Firebird 3. It's great to see, even if that means I feel a wee bit of pressure (the good kind). I thought I'd provide a small update.

Progress is slow (excruciatingly so), but I'm cautiously excited about the path I'm on. I've already inserted two new chapters into the beginning and have just linked up to the old material. Things will have to be rearranged throughout because of the changes I made, but honestly I kind of knew that while I was still writing the first draft.

I don't know if this will be done in time for October. This book is pivotal and I need to hit the exact right balance for the adventure to come.

I will say I've hit the stage where that felling I love about writing is beginning to take over--where the ideas are bubbling faster than I can catch them and I can't wait to get started every day. It's an exciting time. Even better, I think I'm gradually conquering the exhaustion that has plagued me for the last month.

Here's to charging through the next few chapters. It's going to be a wild ride, but I'm looking forward to it.

Oh, and look--a snippet for those who read to the end :-)

“Darling child of my sister, do you know what hells I had to travel? What horrors I’ve seen?” Jin asked with a calm that hinted at the brewing storm.

Elena looked like she was about to throw up as she held the hands that had touched Jin as far away from her as she could. “I think I have some idea.”

Jin crept toward her, inch by slow inch, a sense of menace slipping free. “No, my dear who is in the most trouble she’s ever been in during her short life, you don’t, but you will.”

War of the Voices

 The internet is being slow today as I try to upload the cover for the print version of Twilight's Herald to KDP. 

It doesn't help my peace of mind, Kira and company are staging an armed revolt in my head because "their story is still in pieces and NEEDS TO BE PUT BACK TOGETHER AGAIN".  

At the same time, Aileen is like "nuh uh. The writer person needs to focus on me. This task was supposed to be done months ago. Wait your turn, newbies."

Long story short--print version of Twilight's Herald is coming. I still have to approve the proof but the end is in sight.

Snippet

To my relief, not all of this book is awful. There are some pieces that make me laugh. For instance the following exchange. As always -- this is not fully edited and I make no promises of it appearing in the final. (I just really hope it does)

“Yes, Kira! Knock the asshole right out of that idiot,” Jin crowed.

“Shut up, Tin Can. This is your fault,” Raider shouted.

Around them, Kira was vaguely aware of the others telling them to stop. Kira made no effort to listen. Neither did Raider. 

Kira twisted in Raider’s grip, stomping on his toes. Raider grunted. 

Stubborn. 

But then, had she really expected anything else?

This was Raider after all. The only person who was nearly as mule headed as Kira. They were a matched pair, each too ornery to get out of their own way sometimes.

Only, Kira had once considered Raider like a brother. Like all good sisters, she knew every one of her brother’s weaknesses.

She reached back, pinching his side then twisting.

Raider cursed again, his hold loosening.

Kira wasted no time slithering free. 

The next few minutes passed in a blur, a credit to neither of them in a fight that was mostly open handed slaps, pinches, hair pulling, and yes, biting. Mostly by Kira.

“That is enough,” Wren roared.

There was a loud clap and then an invisible hand forcibly shoved them away from each other.

They both stayed where they were, panting as Kira’s seon’yer glared at them, looking angrier than Kira had ever seen him.

“You're acting like children,” Wren spat.

Kira lifted a hand and pointed at Raider. "He started it."

The Office

My home office is currently in a state of disarray, and it is driving me crazy. A few weeks ago, my mom convinced me to pull the trigger and renovate my work space. Currently, the plan is to put some built in bookcases and cabinets on the wall with the window. The end product will also include a window bench, which is something I've always wanted.

I say "end" because currently all we've done is paint that wall a deep, dark forest green. It looks amazing with the wood trim and is making me even more impatient for the end product. To paint, however, we had to pull the current book case, cat tree and other things away from the wall. That means everything in the book case is now scattered all over my office.

Having all this clutter in my work space where I'm supposed to be creative is distracting to say the least. Every time I turn my head and catch sight of the piles of stuff I want to tidy up, but there is no where to put things.

The cabinets should be here any day now (the wait is killing me). Then it'll be off to the races building the bookcases. Thankfully, my mom will be taking the lead in that because I've got exactly one talent and it doesn't lie in woodworking.

I imagine most of what I will be doing when we get to that point is holding boards in place. Maybe I'll get promoted and be allowed to nail/screw/cut the boards.  Not sure what the lingo is. I'm just along for the ride at this point.

Here's hoping I don't have much longer before order is restored to my little world.

Twilight's Herald

Twilight's Herald

Preorder Now

Aileen Travers thought she had it all figured out. Part private investigator, part fixer to the supernatural community, she was slowly building a reputation as the go-to vampire in Columbus. If you had a supernatural problem and nowhere to turn, she was the girl for you. The best part—no one had tried to kill her in weeks.

Aileen’s peaceful existence comes crashing down around her when an unwilling visit to the police station results in her picking up a stalker—or two. Now, Aileen is dodging suspicious looking portals while evading kidnapping attempts.

Looks like Aileen has a new client. Herself.

Available June 10

Lots of writing

Whew, time flies when you're deep into the writing phase of a book. I know it's been awhile since the last update so here goes.

Aileen 5 is with the editor and should be back by next week. Fingers crossed. It has a title, cover and blurb. I've been going back and forth on the release date, which is why I haven't unveiled it yet. I'm hoping to publish in June. Right now I'm eyeing June 9 but that is dependent on a few things going well.

I just broke the 20,000 word mark in Kira 3. I'm trying not to question every decision I make in this book and just have fun visiting characters I love. It's a little hard and I keep rewriting scenes I've just written so progress is a little slower than I wanted.

Yeesh, you'd think after so many books I'd have this process down pat but every book is different it seems.

Now it's back to writing where I have to figure out how to get Kira and Jin out of their latest snafu. If they'd stop being so stubborn, it'd make my life so much easier.