This is posting rather late on Monday, but there’s a very good reason for the delay…
That’s the final wordcount on The White Raven: Morrigan’s Wrath. That’s a draft, folks!
The White Raven: Morrigan’s Wrath (The White Raven duology, Book 2)
106550 / 106000 (100.52%)
So, now what? Now, this manuscript gets read over quickly, to make sure I didn’t forget any scenes that I meant to fill in later. I’ll compile it from Scrivener, and print it off… and then put it off to the side for a bit. I’ll be sitting on it until I get the edits back for Morrigan’s Heir, and then I’ll read both of them one right after the other. That way, I can be sure that the details in both agree. (and there are some edits that need to be added to Heir, because of things that changed in Wrath. And one character name that needs to be changed because the name Owyn is now retired.)
Once that’s done? I’m off for the summer! Which means… well, this house needs to be cleaned. And I have worldbuilding and research to work on. And SO MUCH READING to catch up on.
And I have a short story to write. There’s one thread in Wrath that didn’t get tied off, and one couple that’s getting their own short. But I’m in no rush.
In other news, Hidden Things is currently part of a giveaway, and you can check out the other books here. The giveaway runs until May 20th. Just in time for beach reading!
Since it’s late, that’s all there is. I’m going to bed now!
And tomorrow, the world of Adavar ends. At least for now. I can’t think of any other stories that will be told in the world of Heir to the Firstborn, but that might change. I don’t think they will involve any of the current characters, though. Their story wraps tomorrow.
(click the graphic to go to the Amazon series page)
It’s strange. When I first started this series, it was supposed to be four books. If you’ve been with me long enough, you’ll remember me talking about how there was too much story for four books, so I was going to add a fifth one. And… yeah. Six books. Characters who REALLY got under my skin — I still say Owyn is my favorite out of all the characters that have walked out of my subconscious.
And it’s all over tomorrow. My part in it, anyway. Now it’s your turn, oh Reader.
(I will say that there’s one character who’s sort of poking at me, but I don’t know what they want yet. If they tell me, then there might be some more Adavar. But until they start doing more than a mental “I’m not touching you!” I’m going to ignore them and focus on Lorcan.)
The White Raven: Morrigan’s Heir
(The White Raven, Book 1)
18418 / 90000 (20.46%)
Now here’s an amusing tidbit. I wrote The White Raven: Morrigan’s Heir a few years before I started Heir to the Firstborn. And there’s a character in Morrigan’s Heir who I now need to give a new name.
That was the first time I used the name Owyn. And he’s nothing like Heir’s Owyn, who is so much of a strong character and strong voice in my brain that the name Owyn is now being retired.
So when you finally meet Bran in Morrigan’s Heir, his name was originally Owyn.
And, with the Heir to the Firstborn coming to a close, I’ve made an executive decision.
I’m taking the rest of the year off. I need to reset and recover from what’s been a heck of a year, so I’m taking some time off. I have books that are piling up to read, research I want to do, movies I want to watch, and my house needs cleaning. I need to plan for 2023, and set my goals. Oh, and Cookiepocalypse is right around the corner! So I’ll be taking my winter break early, and I’ll pick up Morrigan’s Wrath in January.
You may now open book on if I can actually make it to January without writing new words.
That’s the final wordcount for Heir to the Firstborn: The Way Home. It’s done. This marks the end of the Heir to the Firstborn series, too (although it won’t wrap up in Patreon until sometime in November.)
Heir to the Firstborn: The Way Home
(Heir to the Firstborn, book 6)
164465 / 170000 (96.74%)
Not gonna lie. It’s weird being done with this series — it’s been a constant in my life since June of 2018, when the worldbuilding started in Patreon. The first chapter of Written in Water went live in August of 2018, and I’ve been working on it ever since. Four years with these characters, who’ve grown and changed and amused me to no end.
I’m still getting my head around the fact that I’m not going to be writing Owyn anymore. Yes, he is my unabashedly favorite fictional child, and he took over darn near the entire series.
So… what now?
Would you believe… new edits? And new covers?
See, in March I was introduced to Book View Cafe (and by introduced, I mean I was very firmly told “You need to be working with them!”) Book View Cafe is a co-op publisher, and after their vetting period, I was welcomed into the fold, and the Heir to the Firstborn series will be my first books released under their aegis. The first three books are currently being read, and I’ll be making edits to them. I have the new cover for Written in Water and IT. IS. AMAZING!!!! And no, I’m not showing it to you yet.
Soon.
Now, I’m going to do something that I haven’t done in four years.
I’m taking the summer off. Not entirely — I’m horrible at doing nothing. But I’m not actively going to work on fiction this summer (with the exception of one short story that I started and haven’t finished.) I’ve got research to do, and a pile of fiction to read that is taller than I am. I have one more part to my business plan to finish, and a class I want to take. And vacation. I’m taking a vacation.
No writing fiction. On August 10th, when school starts up again, I’ll be diving back into The Sea Prince, and I’ll be starting edits on The Way Home.
That doesn’t mean there won’t be new fiction this summer, though. The Chronicles of John Zebedee starts on May 30th on Kindle Vella with John Zebedee and the Heir to the Elvenlands.
(One week from today!)
And Where Home Lies drops July 12th, to finish out the re-release of the Rebel Mage trilogy. (You can still preorder this!)
Downtime. I’m not sure I know how to downtime anymore.
I’m taking a week or two to rest my brain before launching into Heir to the Firstborn: The Way Home. I actually haven’t even started on the edits for Crossroads yet — I figured I’d work on them at the table at Necronomicon, and shoot to have them done by mid-October. Which means that the on sale date for Crossroads will probably be December. Once I have that set, I’ll announce it.
I realized just now that I’ve been sitting on the cover for Crossroads, too.
Choices must be made. But choices have consequences.
Part of my brain break has been laying the groundwork for what I’ll be doing after I finish The Way Home (or while I’m working on it, depending on things.) I’ve written a synopsis for Blood Brothers (Flesh and Blood book 2), The Iron Virgin (that Pirate and Princess thing), and I’m working on the synopsis for Tower of Light (the gay steampunk retelling of Metropolis that I was challenged to write years ago by one of the best editors I ever had). I’m hoping to get the rest of the Flesh and Blood synopses done before Necro, but Tower of Light is going slowly — I’m having to be very conscious of matching the beats of Metropolis. So I may save Tower of Light to actually write until I have nothing else going on.
Stop laughing.
I’m also still working on RWA things. Pen to Paper is running, and my team is working on incorporating our development tester feedback into upcoming units. I’m tech support on call for our participants, and having a great time with that. I’m also working on another couple of projects that are still in the warm Jell-O stages, and won’t be solidified until after our first Board meeting, which will be… soon? Ish? I don’t have a date for that yet. So there is a lot in flux in that area.
Coming up on the end of third quarter also means starting to look at what I’ll be doing and publishing in 2022. Right now, I know for certain that I’ll be wrapping up Heir to the Firstborn, releasing a box set of the Swords of Charlemagne books (February 1st, 2022!), and I will be rereleasing the Rebel Mage books — I have all new covers for them. I haven’t set up a schedule yet for most things yet, but I will next quarter. I need to decide if I will be doing a box set for the Heir to the Firstborn books, but I’m not going to decide on that until I finish The Way Home. If I do put one out, it will be late 2022. That’s the publishing that I have control over. I’m waiting to hear what’s happening with John Zebedee (it appears that the project may have been pushed back, but no official word yet), and with the myriad of things over with Riverdale Avenue Books.
What? Liz, why are you trying to fit a week into two days?
Because on Wednesday, at an ungodly hour of the morning, I leave for the RWA Summer Retreat in Nashville. So before I leave, I have to get all the other things done that are usually done in a week. And pack. And finish up things for the retreat. And… probably something I’m forgetting. There’s always something I’m forgetting.
So there’s not going to be a lot of writing done, at least not today and tomorrow. There’s a dedicated Writers Room at the Retreat, so I’ll get some work done there.
Heir to the Firstborn
(Heir to the Firstborn, book 5)
122957 / 150000 (81.97%)
And… I have come to a decision. See that total number there? And the percentage?
Yeah, Heir to the Firstborn isn’t going to be one book. It’s two. (Which, yes, I know. I said that with Wings of Air.) There’s still a lot of story left. This isn’t an issue with the serial — it’ll take as long as it takes to finish. But when I go to make print books? There’s a limit to how large a print book can be before it self-destructs under it’s own weight.
So, we’re looking at two books. Right now, I’m calling them Heir to the Firstborn: The Crossroads, and Heir to the Firstborn: The Way Home.
On the upside? This means that there will indeed be a November release, because Crossroads is almost done!
Today has been more than a little “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie”, because my brain is going in fifteen directions at once.
For example — I got a new fitness tracker today. I have screen protectors for it, so I left this post unfinished to that I could go into the bedroom to get the package. While looking for the package, I realized that when I’d packed this morning, I’d forgotten to pack jewelry. So I went through and picked out some things, including a pair of statement earrings that I haven’t worn in ages. Packed them away and went to put them in my carry-on. Realized I’d forgotten something else, and went back to the bedroom for it. Found the package of screen protectors and took those out to the kitchen. Realized what time it was and that I had to start dinner.
Nearly four hours later, I’m back at the computer to finish the blog post.
In other news this week, I’ve gone and done something I should have done years ago.
I now have my own logo. And it’s GORGEOUS!!!
I mean, seriously. Isn’t that pretty?
New business cards and other marketing paraphernalia have been ordered, and I’m working on figuring out what new swag I’ll be getting for Orlando Reads Books in August. I don’t want to get something cheap, or… well, ordinary. Remember, I’m the one who brought naughty dice to my first RWA National convention. I need something different.
That’s about how I’m feeling at the moment. I just won NaNoWriMo (50K words in a month), AND the ending of Wings of Air just snuck up on me. So that number up there? That’s the total. It’s complete.
Here, have a cover to celebrate!
I honestly wasn’t expecting to finish this book today, nearly three weeks ahead of my schedule. Which is good, in a way. It give me that three weeks to finish John Zebedee Meets the Witch Queen of Elfland, which is going to be a much longer book than I thought.
So what happens now? Now, edits! In Patreon, Wings of Air will run until mid-February (I think) so that means we’re looking at late February or early March for a wide release. (I might hold out for March, just because I have Hidden Things coming out in January.) Now remember, if you don’t want to wait, you can always go join me over on Patreon and read Wings from the beginning.
Now, if you’ve been with me for a while, you know what’s coming. It’s December tomorrow.
Cookiepocalypse is coming!
This year, I’m being practically sedate in my baking. Virtuous, even! I’m only making… (looks at list) six different kinds!
(I had written a brilliant post. Absolutely brilliant… and lost it when I accidentally closed the browser. Ummm… genius is fleeting?
Wings of Air
Heir to the Firstborn, Book 4
107521 / 150000 (71.68%)
***
John Zebedee Meets the Witch Queen of Elfland
724 / 30000 (2.41%)
It’s November, which means that Nanowrimo has started, and everyone is going to write a novel this month. Or at least, everyone is going to write 50K words. That’s most of a novel. Or, if we’re looking at the Heir to the Firstborn books, about half of one. If we’re looking at John Zebedee? That’s a book and a half.
I started John Zebedee Meets the Witch Queen of Elfland for my Nano project, and I think I can finish it in the month. And, since it’s novella length, I’ll be doing it while finishing up Wings of Air.
And then what? What am I going to do after I finally put John Zebedee to bed and get him out of my hair? Well, I have one more Heir to the Firstborn book to finish up after Wings of Air. And I have edits. Lots and lots of edits. I’m releasing the Swords of Charlemagne books in 2021, and while Hidden Things is ready to go… the other three books are not. I have my notes from the editor who worked on them, and I’ll be working on those once John Zebedee is finished.
There’s a cover reveal for Hidden Things this Friday in my newsletter. If you don’t read the newsletter, you won’t get that cover until next week. You’ll also miss this month’s recipe for one of my favorite Thanksgiving sides.
I’m trying hard not to think about tomorrow. Tomorrow scares me in ways that I think I have never been scared before. And I keep trying not to think of the scene from Attack of the Clones:
I have hope, though. That’s about all we can have at this point. I mean, I voted two weeks ago. I did my part. But like any group project, our final grade is now dependent on if everyone else did THEIR parts.
So… hopeful but nervous.
However… I do a daily Tarot card drawing during the week, which I post on Twitter. I started almost a year ago, and the cards have not been wrong. Ever. They’ve been scary accurate in places (like the day they didn’t want to talk to me, so I just pulled any card. It was Justice, and that was the day that RBG died.)
This was today’s card:
Today's card
I like this one. I like this one A LOT.
Today's card is Death.
Significant change for the better. A positive, transformative cleansing.
I’m really kind of amazing that I got that much done this past week. The RWA held their first ever Virtual Conference, and it was AMAZING!!! The panels went off brilliantly, and I only saw one tech snafu all weekend, and the meetups were fantastic, and the only thing missing was the hugging.
And I came away with a realization that I could be doing more. So… I’m doing more.
I’m starting a newsletter. It’ll probably be a once a month thing, with some excerpts just for newsletter subscribers, and news, and the current state of where things are in Liz-Land, at least in terms of publishing. Maybe recipes. It’ll be fun. There’s a place off to the right (or there should be) to sign up. Or you can sign up at the end of the post.
I’m also working on a logo, which you might have seen rough designs of on Instagram over the weekend. Right now, I have something that looks like an odd Pokemon. I’ll see if I can work it out to be a little less “gotta-catch-em-all.”
Although, if you want to catch all my books, I’m certainly not going to say no!
There was a great informal meeting on swag, and we got to talking about how swag needs to change when conferences are all online. And in talking about digital swag, I got to thinking about my first ever swag — those naughty dice from RWA Nationals in 2017.
It wouldn’t be hard to code a naughty dice roller, now would it? With interspersed book covers and links to my sales pages?
Like the original naughty dice, this idea made me giggle. A lot. So it’s something else that I’ll eventually play with. (No, I’m not farming this one out to Teen Boy. Even though he is better than I am at Java.)
Conference is over now (sadness!), and I’m back to work. Today is sort of a limbo day. It’s the last day of the RWA interim board service, and tomorrow starts the new board’s year of service. But the interim board really doesn’t have anything to DO today except breath. So that’s what I’m doing. Breathing.
And writing. Because I have to catch up on my words.
It’s been a busy week. Which is kind of odd to say, since…. well… (gestures in 2020).
Part of the busy was that we had a week between end of summer courses and starting the school schedule, so we hauled everything out of Teen’s room and deep-cleaned it. It took four days, because we broke it down into smaller chunks that still allowed for Minecraft. Priorities, right? (Seriously, he was in the middle of a major mapart project, which I’ve internalized as “My son is doing digital crossstitch. Far out!”)
School starts next week, so I’m anticipating another busy week, one full of tech support issues and screeching at laptops. Funtimes!
I still managed to get a decent amount of writing done. Not as much in Monstrous Town as I’d have liked, but the RWA Board meeting ate my weekend. (More on that later.) I’ve hit one of the scenes I’ve been waiting for in Wings of Air, and I’m starting to wonder if this series might not actually be five books. There’s a LOT going on in this outline! I’ll make that decision later, once I see where the story is once we hit my word goal.
Infernal Machines was originally published in Carnal Machines, under the name Elias A. St. James. It was released as a standalone story by Forbidden Fiction, and it came back to me when FF reverted my rights last month. It took me a little longer than the others to find a cover image that I liked, which is why it’s a week behind the other three.
This past weekend was the last RWA Board meeting of the interim board. Over the past five months, we did a job of work. But I’m pretty confident that we’ve set a firm foundation for RWA 2.0, and I’m running for reelection as DAL, so I’m ready to keep on working. Given the number of people of running (exactly twelve), it’s pretty much a given that I’ll be serving again — the only question is will I be serving for one year or two?
How much did we get done? Well, in five months, we redid the Code of Ethics so that it actually made sense and was enforcable. We revised the bylaws so that more people were eligible to run for office, and to cover contingencies and disasters such as the one we just went through. The Chapter Affiliation agreements have been reworked so that they’re more equitable to our chapters. We’ve shored up the financial side of the RWA. And, last but certainly not least, we built an entirely new contest from the ground up, one based on objective literary benchmarks, not on “didja like the book?” The inaugaral Vivian will launch in the Fall, I think (I don’t have the dates in front of me). Having worked on that Task Force, I’m really kind of proud of the job that we did there, but the proof will come next year in Nashville, when the first Vivians are awarded.
(I hope this works!!!)
Last week I also recorded a panel for the RWA National Convention, which will be held virtually August 28th through the 30th. Authors to Know will be part of the Librarians Day slate of panels on Friday the 28th. For the record, my authors to know are Jen deLuca (Renn Faire Romance!), Janella Angeles, Martha Waters and Farah Heron (BARBERSHOP SINGING ROMANCE!!!!)
There’s not much on the schedule this week, which means absolutely nothing anymore. I can have a busy week without ever leaving the house! So I intend to make this week busy by writing all the words.
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