Keiser SuperCon

Where’d This December Come From?

No, really. November was RIGHT HERE a minute ago! I blinked and it was gone!

Seriously, I feel like I missed most of November. There were things that were supposed to happen in November, and I think they happened? Maybe? I don’t quite remember them. But no one is grumbling at me that they’re not done, so I must have done them.

I think.

There are still a lot of things to do before I take time off (starting the 19th). I have Keiser Supercon this weekend, and I have meetings this week and next. I have plans to make — I need to start putting together the information for the Kickstarter to have Swords of Charlemagne made into audiobooks, and 2022 is the year I finally make a business plan, and marketing plan, and a financial plan. This is my business, right? I need to treat it like one!

I have a couple of holiday things to finish, and Cookiepocalypse starts next Sunday! (I’ll be working on business planning while cookies are in the oven.)

My goal for writing is to have half the novel scheduled out on Patreon before I go on vacation. Which… yeah, I’m really darned close to that!

Heir to the Firstborn: The Way Home
(Heir to the Firstborn, book 6)

61163 / 150000 (40.78%)

The writing slowed down a bit this weekend because I hit a heavy emotional scene, and my brain didn’t want to go there. Yes, there was sniffling when I wrote it. I’m right in the heart of it now, and everyone is dealing with the fallout, and I still have to wrap things up and get them moving again. But yeah, I’ve known this scene was coming since book one, and now that it’s here, I don’t want to write it!

But, if I don’t write it, no one will get to read it. So… time to put words on the page!

Cookie pictures start next week on my Instagram! Cookiepocalypse is coming!

Posted by EASchechter in 2021 plans, 2022 plans, accountability, audiobooks, baking, conventions, Cookiepocalypse, Heir to the Firstborn, Keiser SuperCon, Patreon, promotions, Swords of Charlemagne, upcoming books, upcoming work, WIP, wordcount, 0 comments

I Want a Do-Over!

Last week was supposed to be a week off. Right?

Last week, I had two conventions back to back. Several professional obligations. Thanksgiving….

Clearly, I’m doing this whole week off thing wrong. I think I was more busy last week than I was in the previous MONTH.

And there were words in there, too.

Heir to the Firstborn: The Way Home
(Heir to the Firstborn, book 6)

55808 / 150000 (37.21%)
So… yeah, I need a week off from my week off. And I’m not even done yet.
KeiserSupercon is next week!
Cookiepocalypse is nigh! And I still don’t know what I’m baking! (other than three color cookies, because there must always be three color cookies. Always.)
And then?
Once the last cookie sheet comes out of the oven, I’m taking the rest of the year off.
….
…sigh….
You can stop laughing now. I know. I know!
I don’t do time off right, either.
This time for sure!

Posted by EASchechter in 2021 plans, a-writers-life-is-never-dull, accountability, appearances, conventions, Cookiepocalypse, Happy Book Day, Heir to the Firstborn, Keiser SuperCon, new books, promotions, Release date, upcoming books, upcoming work, WIP, wordcount, 0 comments

Things and Stuff

Heir to the Firstborn: The Way Home
(Heir to the Firstborn, book 6)

38961 / 150000 (25.97%)
I am all KINDS of busy right now. Between writing and Pen to Paper and REI and RWA and business planning and book releases and starting to plan for holidays and one more convention this year and why is there never enough sleep in this house?
Rhetorical question, I know. I know very well why there’s never enough sleep in this house. Also, why I always seem to be running out of coffee.
(looks at empty coffee cup)
Next week is the RWA National Convention (online!) and I’ll be presenting on Friday the 19th, talking all about the Romance Education Initiative and what that means.  When talking about this project to a friend, I made a joke that I needed to get a long coat and an eyepatch, so I could pull a Nick Fury and say “I’m here to talk to you about the Romance Education Initiative.”
Guess what arrived from Amazon two days later? (hint — it was not a long coat…)
No, I’m not going to wear it during the panel! Really. I’m not! (There is, however, a certain slide in my presentation…)
That’s next week. The week after is Thanksgiving, which I think is going to be a small thing for us this year. And the following week is a book release! Heir to the Firstborn: The Crossroads drops November 30th wherever ebooks and paperbacks are sold.
There will, maybe, be something NEW to announce at the end of the month, too. I hope. Once I know that I can share something, I will.
Then we move into December, and you all know what that means! Cookies for miles!!!! And my last convention of the year — Keiser Supercon. Following which, I shall turn into a puddle. I might even take time OFF!
Stop laughing.
I have my publishing schedule planned out for 2022. A box set, some rereleases, and the final book in the Heir to the Firstborn saga (no, really! This time for sure!) Now, these are preliminary dates (except for the box set), and they might shuffle. Right now, this is what next year looks like for the publishing that I control:
March 8th, 2022 — Counsel of the Wicked rerelease
May 17th, 2022 — Haven’s Fall rerelease
July 12th, 2022 — Where Home Lies rerelease
October 4th, 2022 — TBD
November 15th, 2022 — Heir to the Firstborn: The Way Home.
Wait! A full YEAR for the last Heir book?
Preliminary date, remember? If I finish it up quickly (and I’m already a quarter into it), then I’ll shuffle the other dates around. That publishing date also depends on when the chapters run out on Patreon — I’m not publishing the book until after everything is complete for my Patrons. So those dates are written in warm Jello.
Having most of 2022 be rereleases means that I can focus on business planning, which I really should do at some point. Right? I mean, this is my business. It should have plans — both business and financial. I’m also doing research into a Kickstarter. I want to do audiobooks for Swords of Charlemagne. If I figured the costs right, paying the narrator who I really like will cost about the same as a used car for all four books. This is not cash that I just have lying around, so I’ll be running a Kickstarter. Which means learning how to run a Kickstarter, and what goes into making audiobooks for yourself — the only one I have so far was a book acquired by Audible, and I wasn’t involved in the process at all.
So, I have something that sort of looks like long-range plans for both publishing and business.
And I need more coffee.
Posted by EASchechter in 2021 plans, accountability, forthcoming works, Heir to the Firstborn, Keiser SuperCon, Planning, progress, promotions, publishing, Rebel Mage, Release date, Swords of Charlemagne, upcoming books, upcoming work, WIP, wordcount, 0 comments

Goodness, is that the time?

The time, at the moment, is 11:27 AM on August 9th. And in one week, the RWA Pen to Paper program, the project that has been eating my brain for the past year, launches.

You know that gif of Kermit, standing backstage and biting his nonexistent nails?

via GIPHY

Yeah… that’s a fair approximation of how I’ll look on Sunday….

That is, when I’m not like this…

via GIPHY

Because it’s starting. It’s really starting. We created something from the ground up and people are excited to be a part of it. This program is… well, it’s amazing. Yes, I know I’m as biased as a new mother in this regard, but really, it’s AMAZING.

And it starts one week from today.

In other news — yes, I do have other news — the worldbuilding for this new pirate thing is coming along. I might even have a rough synopsis this week. Which will then get put aside to percolate because I have to finish Heir to the Firstborn: The Crossroads, start Heir to the Firstborn: The Way Home, edit Crossroads for a late fall/early winter release, and edit Blood Bound so that I can get that back out to Riverdale/Circlet. My barefoot pirates (and yes, there’s a reason for them being barefoot!) will have to wait!

Heir to the Firstborn: The Crossroads
(Heir to the Firstborn, book 5)

115164 / 150000 (76.78%)

Notice how that number dropped from last week? That’s because I moved about 13K words out of this manuscript and into The Way Home. I’m thinking there are maybe another three or four chapters to this one, so I am shooting to have the draft of Crossroads done this month, and I fully intend to try and make the November release date I put into my planner at the beginning of the year. But… it might be December. I’ll see how revisions go and keep everyone posted.

Not much else is happening. I’m prepping for Orlando Reads Books, starting to think on costuming for Necronomicon and  Books at the Beach, and looking forward to two conferences I’ll be attending as an attendee (for the record? Emerald City Writers Conference and Trans/Inter/Cross: A Symposium on the Fantastic Between Genres, Media, and Cultures.) I have RWA Nationals in November, and Keiser Supercon in December.

Still planning on being a puddle in January.

 

 

 

 

Posted by EASchechter in 2021 plans, 2022 plans, a-writers-life-is-never-dull, accountability, appearances, BDSM Vampires, Blood Bound, Flesh and Blood, forthcoming works, Heir to the Firstborn, Keiser SuperCon, Necronomicon, Orlando Reads Books, Planning, plot bunnies, publishing, Release date, upcoming books, upcoming work, WIP, wordcount, Worldbuilding, writing, 0 comments

Busy Rest of the Year!

I just updated my Appearances widget over there —->.

Starting in July, I have something every month for the rest of the year.

I don’t normally book myself that hard, but… ummm… yeah… I think I overdid it just a bit.

Starting in July, you can find me…

RWA Retreat
Nashville, TN
July 14-17, 2021

***

Orlando Reads Books
Orlando, FL
August 26 – 29, 2021

***

NecronomiCon
Tampa, FL
September 24 – 26th, 2021

***

Books at the Beach
Clearwater Beach, FL
October 21 – 24th, 2021

***

RWA National Conference
Going Virtual!
November 18-20th, 2021

***

KeiserSupercon
Orlando, FL,
December 10-11th, 2021

 

I think after KeiserSupercon, I’m going to be a puddle.

And in and around all those, I have this book I need to finish…

Heir to the Firstborn
(Heir to the Firstborn, book 5)

104611 / 150000 (69.74%)

And I have Pen to Paper to work on. I’m learning to do video editing logs, because you never know what you can do until someone puts you in charge, right?

So I think that by the time 2022 rolls around, I’m going to need another retreat. Or a vacation. Or a nap. Or something.

But I have plans for 2022. I’ll be re-covering and re-releasing my dark erotic romance Rebel Mage series in 2022, and the Chronicles of John Zebedee should be out. I’ve got Blood Bound to re-edit and get back into the slush at Circlet, and I’ve got ideas on reworking The Willow Sword so that it actually gets past chapter three this time. (cue Bullwinkle: “This time for sure!”)

There are a lot of things professionally going on. And 2022 is also my 25th wedding anniversary, so there’s going to be SOMETHING going on for that, too. Not sure what yet.

But first… let’s finish this book.

 

Posted by EASchechter in 2021 plans, 2022 plans, a-writers-life-is-never-dull, accountability, appearances, BDSM Vampires, Best laid plans, Best planned lays, Blood Bound, conventions, forthcoming works, Heir to the Firstborn, John Zebedee, Keiser SuperCon, Necronomicon, Orlando Reads Books, promotions, Rebel Mage, The Willow Sword, to-dos, upcoming books, upcoming work, Updatey things, WIP, wordcount, Writer on the Go!, 0 comments

Focus? What’s that?

<deep breath>

HOLY CRAP! HE WON! HE WON! HE WON! HE WON!!!!

<deep breath>
<resume composure>

So… how was your weekend? Mine was fantastic but unfocused. There were exactly 369 words written on Saturday. The rest of the day was devoted to the polar opposite of doomscrolling — joyscrolling.

Spider Robinson wrote that shared pain is lessened, and shared joy is increased. There was an amazing amount of shared joy on Saturday! And tears. There were tears.

And now, I’m trying very hard to focus and get back to work. I’m behind on my Nano word count, but only by about 900 words. I can pick that up this week, no problem.

Wings of Air
Heir to the Firstborn, Book 4

112629 / 150000 (75.09%)
***
John Zebedee Meets the Witch Queen of Elfland
6516 / 30000 (21.72%)

 

I’m starting to feeling that Wings of Air is wrapping up. I’m through the big reveal, and on the downhill slide to the end and starting Heir to the Firstborn. I’m not sure how many more chapters there will be in Wings — I need to see what loose ends need to be tied off here, and which can get woven in to the next book.

And John Zebedee Meets the Witch Queen of Elfland (I might shorten that to John Zebedee Meets the Witch Queen) has gotten off to a good start. Had to make some changes in Monstrous Town because of reasons, but they weren’t major changes.  And, as usual, I keep having to stop and looking up details about the area. Did you know that Texas has records of all their land-grants going back to the 1800s? And you can pull them up and read them online? It’s very cool.

In other news, my last convention for the year cancelled this morning. Not surprising, since KeiserSupercon was a smaller event that would have been held in-person. It’s been a strange year, and I’m really glad we can see the end of it from here.

Now, I’ve been promising a cover reveal, haven’t I? The Hidden Things cover went out in the newsletter last Friday, so now it’s time to share it here.

In 773 AD, Roland, a young man of King Charles’ court, was gifted with the sword Durendal. That sword was one of four swords of rare power, three of which were held by Wardens, mages charged with protecting the sacred bloodline of the Merovingian kings. The last sword was held by their mentor, the mage known to history as Turpin. That same year, a Saxon priest seeking retribution against Charles enlists the aid of a mage who seeks the swords for his own purpose, setting into motion events that lead to the battle at the Pass of Roncevaux, and to Roland’s death.

A thousand years later, a research group doing excavations in part of Aachen Cathedral uncovers a collection of books and scrolls, a ring, and a sword. As they uncover the sword, they are attacked. Summoned to the site by the power of the magical attack, Yael Mystere and his apprentice, Warden-in-training Doctor Douglas Keith discover the sole survivor – Margaret Prentice, the daughter of the man leading the excavation. A second attempt on her life fails, sending Yael, Douglas and Margaret on a quest for the power behind the attacks ─ a power that has been waiting a thousand years to win the swords at all costs.

Hidden Things (Swords of Charlemagne, Book 1). Coming in 2021. Preorders going up soon.

 

 

 

 

 

Posted by EASchechter in 2020 plans, 2021 plans, accountability, Best laid plans, Best planned lays, cover art, forthcoming works, happy-happy- joy- joy, Heir to the Firstborn, Hidden Things, John Zebedee, Keiser SuperCon, KermitArms, kvelling, Nanowrimo, politics, promotions, Swords of Charlemagne, upcoming books, upcoming work, Updatey things, Wings of Air, WIP, wordcount, yippee, 0 comments

Oh, No. It’s Almost October.

Wings of Air
Heir to the Firstborn, Book 4

88415 / 150000 (58.94%)
***
John Zebedee and the Monstrous Town
23714 / 30000 (79.05%)

October. Why did it have to be October?

Yes, I know. It comes every year at this time, right after September.

I am not a fan. The only thing October has going for it is Halloween, and you have to get all the way through October to get there! (And who know if it’s actually going to happen this year? Which sucks, because Saturday+full moon+extra hour = epicly epic Halloween).

Okay. Enough complaining.

Today I am just off my last virtual convention for the year. (At least, I think it’s my last. I may be wrong — there are still virtual conventions happening, and I may see about getting involved.) Necronomicon/NecroNOTacon was a lot of fun — it was held on Discord and Zoom, and it was very well attended. I’m liking the virtual conventions — it opens access to people who can’t travel for whatever reason. The only thing missing is the hugging.

I miss the hugging.

Now, I do have one more convention on my schedule, but it’s not virtual. KeiserSupercon is supposed to be in person. I have no idea what’s going to happen with that one.

Since I was virtually at a convention all weekend, there wasn’t a lot of writing done. Which is par for the course with me — I can do one writing related thing at a time. Two, maybe. But actively writing at the same time I’m being Public-Writer-Lady? Not happening.

I think I’m still on target to have both Wings of Air and John Zebedee and the Monstrous Town finished by December, though. And possibly be a good way in to John Zebedee Meets The Witch-Queen of Elfland. 

December is coming. Cookiepocalypse is coming!

But first we have to get through October.

Right. Stop that, Liz.

Here, have an excerpt from Monstrous Town:


“Then give me your right hand.” She held her hand out, and John put his hand into hers. He looked at his palm and frowned. “Mister Zebedee, how did you manage to misplace your lifeline?”

John coughed. “What?”

She tapped his palm with one finger. “It should be here,” she said. Then she held her right hand out, showing him a line on her palm. “It shows how long of a life you’ll have.”

John chuckled. “My hand isn’t big enough,” he answered. “I’m immortal. But you’ve noticed that.”

“How old are you?” she asked.

“Over eighteen hundred years old,” John answered. “Prudence, I was one of Joshua’s apostles.”

Her eyes widened. “No wonder there’s no lifeline,” she said with a laugh. “All right. Just stay there. I need to get something.” She stood up and walked away, going through an inner door. She came back a moment later with a small box. She took a seat again, and took a deck of cards out of the box, handing them to John. “Shuffle these.”

“Are we playing poker?” he asked, starting to shuffle the cards. “I’m terrible at it.”

“Cartomancy,” she answered. “Telling the future.”

“You can do that?”

She smiled and took the cards from him. She shuffled them again, then took the topmost card from the deck. She looked at it and smiled, laying it on the table. “The King of Clubs,” she said. “A man of dark complexion. He is upright and true to the bone. This is your card, John Zebedee.” She dealt more cards — a column of three to the left of John’s card, one above and below, and a column of three to the right. She set the rest of the cards aside. “The past,” she said, touching the left-most column. “The present, and the future.” She touched the center and the right column in turn. Then she turned over the card at the top of the left column. “The Nine of Diamonds. Traveling. You never did settle, did you?”

“When people notice you don’t age, things get complicated.”

She smiled and turned over the next card down. “The Ten of Spades. Imprisonment.” She looked up again.

John swallowed and nodded. “I was a prisoner of war. At Camp Sumter.”

She gasped, but said nothing more, turning over the last card in the column. “The Two of Diamonds. A secret engagement.”

John smiled. “It has to be secret. It’s illegal. But if I could openly propose marriage, I would. In a heartbeat.”

She nodded and turned over the topmost card of the middle column. “Eight of Spades. Danger from imprudence.”

John considered it, and nodded. “I wasn’t as careful as I should have been. I can agree with this. This is fascinating.”

“Thank you,” she said, and turned over the base card of the column. “Five of Clubs. Danger from a capricious temper.” She met his eyes, and they both spoke as one. “Wraith.” She nodded, and turned over the top card of the last column. “The Eight of Diamonds. A happy marriage.”

John smiled. “In his world, men can marry. I can wait.”

She turned over the last two cards, and her brow furrowed. She touched the middle card. “The Nine of Spades is a horrible card for your future. It means ruin and death. Which makes no sense with this last card.” She touched the final card. “The Ten of Hearts. Health and happiness, and children.” She looked up. “Death and ruin, and they all lived happily ever after?”

 

Posted by EASchechter in 2020 plans, appearances, Cookiepocalypse, Elemental Project, excerpt, Heir to the Firstborn, John Zebedee, Keiser SuperCon, Necronomicon, progress, upcoming books, upcoming work, Wings of Air, WIP, wordcount, 0 comments

WIP and Book Birthdays and Stuff

Echoes of Light

19524 / 50000 (39.05%)

***
Wings of Air
Heir to the Firstborn, Book 4

15683 / 95000 (16.51%)

 

It’s amazing how much writing I can do when I don’t have to be anywhere else.

This week, I set myself a goal of focusing on Wings of Air, so that I have a buffer in case of summer vacation pulling me away from the keyboard. (I was so tempted to write AFK there — I’m being slowly indoctrinated into gamerspeak!)

Summer vacation? Wait a minute, Liz. It’s still May!

Yes, it is. And in Florida, schools get out for the summer right after Memorial Day. Wednesday, we’ll be heading out (!) to school, to participate in a Drive through Graduation ceremony as our son graduates from middle school. It’s going to be interesting. And school next year is going to be even more interesting. We’ll see what happens when August comes around (Yes, we go back to school in August around here.)

The cancellations are ongoing — this past week, the RWA cancelled their National Convention. Work is ongoing into a virtual conference.  Also this past week, KeiserSupercon announced the convention will be held the first weekend in December. Really! This time for sure!

(This is me, not getting my hopes up.)

And… tomorrow… this happens.

Bones of Earth goes live — if you’ve preordered it, it will be in your reader at midnight. (I think that’s how it works) There is still time to preorder — you can grab it from Amazon here, and from other booksellers here. 

(Note: I really, really hope it goes live at midnight — there have been a number of preorders pulled by an Amazon glitch over the past few weeks. So if you hear distraught screaming coming from the direction of Florida tomorrow morning? The presale was pulled last minute. As of two seconds ago, it was still good to go.)

I got the most interesting rejection letter this morning for Hidden Things. The publisher liked it, said it really raised interest, but couldn’t find a spot for it in their lineup so they gave it a pass. That’s a new one for me. I have one more iron in the fire, and if that one doesn’t pan out, then I’ll get going on self-publishing.

And that’s about all for me. Stay safe, everyone.

Posted by EASchechter in 2020 plans, accountability, appearances, Best laid plans, Best planned lays, Bones of Earth, Echoes of Light, Elemental Project, forthcoming works, Happy Book Day, Heir to the Firstborn, Hidden Things, John Zebedee, Keiser SuperCon, new books, presales, Release date, Swords of Charlemagne, the-end-is-near, upcoming books, upcoming work, Wings of Air, WIP, wordcount, writing-mom, 0 comments

Postponed and Cancelled Shows

Got the word this morning that Keiser Supercon is being postponed again. No dates announced yet.

 

And I got the word less than five minutes ago that Megacon Orlando is cancelled for 2020. There’s a limited attendance something been announced for Halloween weekend, but I have no idea if the panel on which I was supposed to be a guest will be happening. If it does go on the schedule, I’ll let you all know.

Posted by EASchechter in 2020 plans, a-writers-life-is-never-dull, I really want some dull, Keiser SuperCon, 0 comments

Works in Progress: Echoes of Light and Wings of Air

Echoes of Light

10585 / 30000 (35.28%)

***
Wings of Air
Heir to the Firstborn, Book 4

1207 / 95000 (1.27%)

 

Progress continues. Sort of. I started Wings of Air on May 1st, and it’s going… well, it’s going. It’s only been three days, though. That’s not a bad number for three days. And if you follow me on Twitter, you likely saw this tweet about Echoes of Light the other day.

 

I wound up writing backwards — ripping out most of a chapter and a half, and setting them aside. I can use some of it, so it’s not a total loss. But in a work of a projected 30,000 words, to be over a third of the way in and not have met the love interest? No, that’s too slow. The love interest now enters, dramatically, in chapter three.

Echoes is being another slow writing project, because I keep having to stop and do research. The setting is off the Arkansas River, just outside of Skullyville and Fort Coffee, in what was Arkansas after the Civil War. I keep having to stop and check maps, which is interesting because on the modern maps, the borders have moved so everything is now Oklahoma, Skullyville was a port town but has since moved inland, and Fort Coffee isn’t there anymore! (Now, granted, Fort Coffee was destroyed during the Civil War, but when the story is set, there were ruins. Now? There’s a sign.)  So I have to compare modern maps to period maps.

Once I get them moving, it’s to a fictional town, so I won’t have as much map-reading to do. But for now? I’m doing a lot of Googling.

In other news… there’s not a lot of other news. Necronomicon has cancelled for 2020. I’m still waiting to hear about Keiser SuperCon, Megacon and RWA Nationals.  I also need to decide what I’m doing if these events do happen. I mean, I’m asthmatic, which puts me in the higher risk group. I think that means that I really shouldn’t be doing conventions this year (unless I have no choice — with RWA Nationals, since I’ on the Board of Directors, I have to go to Nationals). Which means that if you want to see me in 2020… ummm… you probably won’t see me at a convention in 2020.

That being said, I just did my first ever online convention with FutonCon. It was run entirely on Discord, and it was interesting. There’s more panel interaction than when I did my live reading on Facebook, which is nice, but it’s still kind of hard to get past the feeling of “I’m talking to myself.”

I think I prefer in-person conventions, given my choice. And, you know, the option of not catching the never-get-overs.

That’s all from my neck of the woods. Stay safe. Stay in, if you can. And wash your hands.

Posted by EASchechter in 2020 plans, appearances, Best laid plans, Best planned lays, Echoes of Light, Elemental Project, forthcoming works, Heir to the Firstborn, John Zebedee, Keiser SuperCon, Necronomicon, upcoming books, upcoming work, Wings of Air, WIP, wordcount, 0 comments