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Works in Progress: Echoes of Light and Wings of Air.

 

Echoes of Light

 

 
15170 / 50000 (30.34%)

 

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Wings of Air
Heir to the Firstborn, Book 4

 

 
5067 / 95000 (5.33%)

 



Now that I’ve fixed the issues with Echoes of Light, I find myself wanting to play with it more than Wings of Air. Which… nope. Can’t do that. Need to work on them both. So what I think I’m going to have to do is work on Wings of Air early, and save Echoes of Light as a reward.

It doesn’t help that Echoes of Light is being fun right now. John and Ethriel are just so damned cute together!

He heard movement, and turned back, seeing Ethriel trying to get out from under the blanket. “No,” he said. “You stay in bed.” He held his hand up, palm out, and Ethriel flinched. John immediately dropped his hands. “No,” he said softly. “I’m not going to hurt you. I’m not going to hit you.” He stepped closer, and pulled the blanket back up. Then he rested his hand on Ethriel’s chest and gently pushed him down. “Stay here.”

Ethriel frowned. “Stay… here,” he repeated. He pointed at the bed.

“Bed,” John supplied the word.

“Stay… bed?” Ethriel asked. Then he smiled. “Stay bed.” He laced his fingers together and rested them on his chest.

“Yes,” John said with a laugh. “You stay in bed.”

Ethriel nodded. “Stay bed,” he repeated. Then he looked thoughtful. “John… stay bed?” He smiled, his brows raised in a hopeful expression, and John was suddenly sure in his bones that there was more to that smile than just being friendly. That he’d known exactly what he’d meant when he’d tried to invite John to the bed the night before.

John felt warm. His throat felt tight. So did his trousers. It was tempting. So tempting. But Ethriel wasn’t hale. And John might not be understanding him properly. This could end badly.

But it was still tempting.


And in other news? I’m still screaming. There is still no resolution for Forged in Fire. And, because of the way they’ve locked down the book in KDP, I can’t get at any of the data to see if there is a major error that needs to be fixed. I don’t know if a reader reported the book, or if it’s a glitch (I’m suspecting glitch, to be honest.) There’s been no communication from KDP Quality Control. I’m in limbo, and I don’t like it. It’s costing me money.

So… since Amazon isn’t letting me make money, Forged in Fire is now ON SALE on Smashwords — use the code TN86U for 20% off  — good for the rest of the week!

Meanwhile, Bones of Earth is ready to drop on May 26th. I really hope Forged in Fire is back online on Amazon when that happens.

Over the weekend, I found out that No Safewords II won the Bronze in the IPPY awards. If you remember, I have two stories in that anthology. Blood, Lust was where I first introduced my BDSM vampire Itami Hiro and his beloved Daniel (or at least, their Marketplace alternate universe selves).  And there’s Domestic Tranquility, a second Thomas and Eugenia story (the first being Oh, Promise Me! from No Safewords 1).

Not much else is going on here. It’s pretty much just exercise in the morning (Zombies, Run! three days a week, yoga and/or something else twice — you can follow me on Instagram for workout updates, if you’re interested), followed by writing and random stuff around the house. I’m not going out if I can help it — so I leave the neighborhood maybe once a week. Things are opening up around us — restaurants and hair salons and the like, but I’m not willing to be a test subject in how long before the second wave? Especially since the second wave is likely to be worse than the first — we’ve all seen the 1918 Flu graph, right?

If you can, stay in. Stay safe.

Posted by EASchechter in 2020 plans, accountability, award-winning, Bones of Earth, Echoes of Light, Elemental Project, Forged in Fire, Heir to the Firstborn, John Zebedee, No Safewords, progress, promotions, Release date, run-writer-run!, Updatey things, Wings of Air, WIP, wordcount, 0 comments

Work in Progress: Bones of Earth

Bones of Earth
Heir to the Firstborn, Book 3

99336 / 95000 (104.56%)

So I’m going to call it. Bones of Earth will be a draft by the end of the week.

Which means you all get to see the cover!

(I really do like these trees.)

Things are starting to settle down here. I’m getting into a routine.  Get up. Exercise (today was Zombies, Run! — did 1.86 miles, saw four people and six cars total. None close up.) Shower, breakfast, then get to work.

Work today involves wrapping up Bones of Earth, research for John Zebedee, and finalizing the synopsis for Wings of Air. I need to start thinking about Bones of Earth promo, and prepping the presales. I’m thinking late May for a release, and I’ll have it on the table if we actually have a KeiserSupercon.

Which means I really should get to work.

Take care, all. Be safe. Wash your hands and don’t forget to wear your mask.

Posted by EASchechter in a-writers-life-is-never-dull, accountability, Adavar, Best laid plans, Best planned lays, Bones of Earth, cover art, Elemental Project, except-for-when-it-is, forthcoming works, Heir to the Firstborn, John Zebedee, Keiser SuperCon, promotions, publishing, research is fun, run-writer-run!, upcoming books, upcoming work, Wings of Air, WIP, wordcount, 0 comments

Works in Progress, Week 5: Blood Bound and Bones of Earth

Blood Bound
Flesh and Blood, Book 1

25254 / 95000 (26.58%)

***

Bones of Earth
Heir to the Firstborn, Book 3

14790 / 95000 (15.57%)

Slow work week this week. Again. I’m going to get into the swing of things soon, I swear! But not this week, I don’t think. Final edits are back on Forged in Fire, so I’ll be getting that ready to upload for presales. And I’m also trying to convince my body that it hasn’t caught a cold…

Part of my slow week was my non-writing life. Scholastic Book Fair volunteer on Thursday, personal eek on Friday, Keiser Supercon on Saturday and a 5K Sunday morning. I was hitting my wordcounts until Thursday!

Keiser Supercon was an awesome little convention, and I enjoyed myself greatly! For a first year convention, they really outdid themselves — one of their media guests was George Lowe, the voice of Space Ghost from Space Ghost: Coast to Coast. And, in an very unusual turn of events, I was the “name” fiction writer. I’m not used to being one of the headliners on the guest list.

One of the other comic guests was someone VERY impressive — Athena Finger, granddaughter of Bill Finger, co-creator of Batman. She was the one who finally beat DC and forced them to recognize her grandfather’s work, after he was shafted by Bob Kane. She did a panel on the history of Batman in the media, which I have to say made the convention for both my husband and my son!

It was a good convention, and I hope we have a second one next year!

On to an excerpt. They’re all from Blood Bound, because anything I post from Bones of Earth is going to have spoilers in it. So those will have to wait until after Forged in Fire comes out.

***

“Daniel, you told me that your college major required a language,” Hiro said as he took his seat and picked up his mug. “You didn’t tell me what your major was.”

“Political Science,” Daniel answered. “With an emphasis on human-vampire relations.”

Hiro stared at him for a moment, then started laughing. “And you are not a bond why?”

Daniel shook his head. “I didn’t finish college. And I told you I didn’t have the money for the prep school. I have no degree, no certificate, and no family connections, which means that I don’t qualify for the lottery.”

Hiro shook his head. “That is not the only way to become a bond.”

“It’s not?” Daniel asked.

“No. It is the most common, but it is not the only way.” Hiro took another sip from his mug. “A vampire can choose their own bond, independent of the lottery. It is then their responsibility to provide their bond with anything that they lack.”

“I didn’t know that,” Daniel murmured. A sudden suspicion dawned, and he looked across the table. “Hiro—?”

Hiro smiled. “Eventually. It would please me a great deal,” he answered. “But I will not press you. Not so soon. You must be comfortable with me, with us. Just know that I am interested.” His smile broadened.
“Very interested.”

Daniel felt his face grow warmer. “I… I really don’t understand why.”

“Because you are not seeing yourself the way I see you,” Hiro answered. He picked up his mug and drained it, then leaned back in his chair. His smile slowly transformed into a leer. “Finish your tea, Daniel.”

Posted by EASchechter in accountability, Adavar, appearances, BDSM Vampires, Best laid plans, Best planned lays, Blood Bound, Bones of Earth, conventions, edits, Forged in Fire, forthcoming works, Heir to the Firstborn, Keiser SuperCon, Necronomicon, public displays of geekery, run-writer-run!, slow-writer-is-slow., upcoming books, upcoming work, why-the-writing-is-slow, WIP, wordcount, 0 comments

Works in Progress, week Four, Blood Bound and Bones of Earth

Blood Bound

21585 / 95000 (22.72%)

***

Bones of Earth
Heir to the Firstborn, Book 3

10237 / 95000 (10.78%)

This week has been… interesting.  Dorian was supposed to be apocalyptic… but it apparently didn’t get the memo that said the apocalypse was supposed to be in Florida, not in the Bahamas or Nova Scotia. So we had three days of “What’s going to happen?” followed by one windy night and a lot of rain.

This led to three days of not a lot of work, a lot of stress baking, and me playing frantic catch-up the rest of the week.  With Blood Bound, that hasn’t been hard — the words are flowing nicely. I’ve also got a Spotify playlist, if you want to hear what I’m listening to while I write each chapter — each song is the corresponding chapter, and is either mentioned in the text, or reflects the mood.

With Bones of Earth, I’m still finding a new focal character’s voice, and she’s giving me a hard time about it. So it’s slow going. I think I finally have her, though. So we’ll see if I can pick up the pace. However, next weekend I also have Keiser Supercon on Saturday, and a 5K on Sunday morning. I might just have brains made from tapioca by Sunday afternoon. Here’s hoping the words come easily this week, so I don’t have to worry about that!

I’m expecting edits back on Forged in Fire sometime this week, so I’m going to say that yes, we’re on track for the October 19th release date.

And that’s about all in my neck of the woods.  Here, have an excerpt:

***

“Itami? Is that you?”

The voice was accented — Eastern Europe, maybe? — and very deep. And the effect it had on Hiro was electric — the vampire sat up straight, eyes wide, looking past Daniel. Then he laughed.

“Liski! I was not expecting you until next week!” He looked around the table. “Please, if you’ll excuse me?”

“Go ahead,” Mama said, making a shooing motion. Hiro grinned and got up from the table. Daniel turned in his chair and watched as Hiro walked over to a big man, who was accompanied by a pretty, petite woman.

“He looks like a bear,” Trace murmured. Daniel nodded. The name sounded familiar. Liski…?

“Holy shit,” he breathed. “That’s Grigori Liski.”

“Who?” Trace asked.

“Head Justiciar,” Daniel answered. “Oh, crap. They’re coming over.” He was out of his chair in a minute, but not before Trace was on his feet, and standing between Daniel and the newcomer.

“Grigori, if I may present my…” he paused, and for a moment looked perplexed.

“Friends and employees,” Trace supplied. “It’s complicated.”

Grigori laughed. “It is always complicated with this one,” he said. He smiled and offered his hand.

“Grigori Liski. My bond, Clara Underwood.”

“Trace Maurin,” Trace answered. “My mother, Antoinette.”

“Oh, do not stand, Madam,” Grigori said. He came around the table and bowed over Mama Maurin’s hand. “A pleasure to meet you.” He came back around the table, looking at Daniel. He smiled and held out his hand. “And you. You must be Daniel.”

Daniel blinked and shook the vampire’s hand, feeling suddenly dwarfed. Grigori had to be at least 6’5”. He glanced at Hiro. Had Hiro been talking about him? Wait, what was he thinking? Of course Hiro had talked to his superiors about Daniel. “Yes, sir,” he answered. “I’ve heard about you. It’s very nice to meet you.”

“I could say the same,” Grigori answered. “I have heard your name. And yes, it is nice to meet you. Now, if you’ll excuse me? I need to speak to Itami for a moment.”

He bowed again, and escorted Hiro away from the table. Daniel sat back down, trying to fight the urge to turn and watch.

“He’s been talking about you?” Trace whispered.

“I don’t think he can hear you this far away,” Daniel whispered back. He gave in and glanced over his shoulder, only to find that Hiro was looking at him. Their eyes met, and to Daniel’s shock, Hiro blushed.

Daniel heard Trace cough. “Didn’t know vampires could do that,” he said. “I told you, Danny. He’s in to you.”

Daniel swallowed. “Yeah. I know.”

It was definitely too late to turn back now.

Posted by EASchechter in accountability, appearances, BDSM Vampires, Blood Bound, Bones of Earth, edits, Forged in Fire, forthcoming works, Heir to the Firstborn, Keiser SuperCon, music, progress, run-writer-run!, upcoming books, upcoming work, why-the-writing-is-slow, WIP, wordcount, Write Faster!, 0 comments

Long day is LONG!

Today started at 4 AM for me.

Why?

Because I needed to be at EPCOT before 6:15 AM

Why?

Well, because the race started at 7 AM.

What? What race?

Why, the Disney Royal Family 5K, of course!

It was a BLAST! Of course, it was Disney, and everything Disney does, it does to the nines. There were over 6000 people running this morning, and they made sure it went off without a hitch. We started in the Epcot parking lot, went through backstage and under Test Track (where they were running the morning safety checks), between Mexico and Norway and around the Nations (and backstage again after France, coming out in England), out the main drag to Spaceship Earth, loop around the front of Spaceship Earth and back, and then out to the parking lot for the finish line. All along the route were Disney Princesses and other characters cheering people on (first time EVER I have seen John Smith as a character in ANY Disney park!) There were cast members out with noisemakers, and official photographers (which caused a small problem. More on that later).

And people ran in costume! There were more Rapunzels than anything else, which makes sense, because it was a Tangled theme race. I saw every princess possible, some costumed by men. There were Minnies and Mickeys and someone costumed the Beast, and someone else was Prince what’s-his-name from The Princess and the Frog. Oh, and someone ran as Maleficent. Evil Fairies do 5Ks!

The only problem today? Someone stopping for a photo op with one of the official photographers went for a better pose and stepped back with one foot into the line of traffic — right in front of me. I went arse over teakettle, and landed hard on my right hand. This happened at roughly mile marker 2. End of my running — I walked the rest of the race, finishing in just over an hour. And immediately on crossing the finish line grabbed the first cast member I saw and said “MEDIC!” They iced my hand, gave me instructions and told me to go to urgent care if it was still tender in 48 hours. Since I’m now using both hands to type, it isn’t broken. (It actually only hurts when I ice it. I’m weird.)

Afterwards, there was entertainment and food and a whole Expo that I actually went to yesterday when I picked up my race packet.  So I headed back north and went to Weight Watchers, then came home, showered and fell over.

A good day. Can’t wait to do it again next year!

Oh, and here. This is just over 2.5 miles in.


Posted by EASchechter in happy-happy- joy- joy, run-writer-run!, 5 comments