Wake me up when September ends…or don’t. For reals, I have too much to do, even if sleeping through the month sounds slightly fantastic. Where did August go anyway? It’s been a wild month for me: from publishing dilemmas, a flooded basement and, of course, back to school. Life is busy, but isn’t it always? The answer, my friends, is yes 😉

So, I have a lot to “update” you about, and yet so little all at the same time. I’ve kept busy in the publishing department this last month, but sometimes it feels like the wheels are spinning and I left the car stuck in park. That’s OK, though. Life is rarely a journey that consists of ONLY steps forward. Sometimes we fall back, and sometimes we can’t even see the blasted path (or just get lost, which for me is an easy accomplishment). No matter how our journey wiggles and winds, the point is to keep pushing forward, to keep your eyes on the destination while enjoying the ride along the way.

I’ll begin by explaining my steps “backwards,” which really are steps forward (they just SEEM otherwise). I spent a good chunk of August revising The Witch of Selvenor. That’s right…I’m revising my first book. Why, you might ask? Simple—I’m have become a much better writer than I was when I wrote that book. (And by better I mean like 1000X better). Now don’t worry! For those of you who are already thinking, ‘No! You can’t revise it! Then I have to read it again or buy the new version!’ Relax. The plot isn’t changing AT ALL. I decided to do this revision because my word building has developed so much that, quite frankly, my own writing makes me cringe. So I wrote it better. Not different. Yay!

The Prisoner of Magic has also received a little lift, and I admit it has received an addition, but nothing that changes the overall plot or arc of the series. Just a bit of overlap and a happier ending :).

Now, the manuscript isn’t the only thing getting a facelift. In fact, the entire series is being rebranded. What exactly does that mean? Well, it means Books 1-3 will get a revision and a new cover! August has also been a month of learning for me as I navigate GIMP and teach myself how to make book covers. It’s been interesting to say the least, BUT I think it will work out for good. We’ll see.

With that, I can announce that Blood & Magic has a cover! YAY! I’ll be doing a reveal this month on social media as soon as the final touches are ready to go. That means you can also expect a publication date to be announced soon and a preorder link. Right now, I’m hoping to launch the book late Oct-early Nov.

Where does all this leave the series? Well, Book 4 is ready for its last revision/read through, so (hopefully) it will be ready to launch around the same time as Blood & Magic. Book 5 is currently with my editor. Book 6 is the problem child at the moment, sitting about 1/3 completion. My goal is to get draft 1 written this month.

In conclusion…what a wild month! It seems like I’ve done very little writing, but truthfully I’ve done a lot (just rewriting). It’s a painful process, but I know I’ll continue to grow and improve. I want to write the best books I can, not just for all of you who care enough to read them, but for myself. I have loved this amazing journey, and I can’t wait to see what another year of writing will bring!

Until next month,

Stay happy and keep moving forward.