WIP

It’s So Quiet!

It’s So Quiet!

The new windows and doors are in place, and the inspection happened this morning. If we leave out some trim that had to wait for the inspection, then the job is 99% done. We’ve been in this house nearly 19 years, and the windows that we had were original to the house. They were old, single pane, and not well installed to begin with. If there was an owl in the tree outside my window, I knew about it (and once, so did the person in my Zoom call.) Now, the one thing I’ve heard said most in the house this weekend is that it’s so quiet.

Very little writing got done last week. Between all of the powertools and the noise, and just the fact that there were six very lovely contractors all over the house for an entire week, there was very little focus. (seriously, they were very lovely contractors. If you’re in the Central Florida area and need windows replaced, use FAS Windows and Doors.)

Not everything was neglected last week, though. Layout for The Sea Prince is ready. I’ve ordered the cover, and I’m waiting to see what the cover artist comes up with. I’m looking at a June 10th release (or thereabouts) so that I can order my books and have them for the June Renaissance Festival in Oviedo. I’ll hopefully have something to show soon, and a preorder set up by the beginning of May. Edits for Dead Man’s Hand are also done, and now I need to get into rewrites. Or I could save the rewrites for summer, and send two complete manuscripts on to my publisher in the Fall.

Decisions, decisions….

Now Available!

Kidnapped from his home and sold as a slave in Rome, Raven-Prince Lorcan must survive in a world where entertainment is murder, diplomacy is betrayal, and love is a commodity. And where a raven who is only supposed to ever have one mate will somehow find two…

Work in Progress

Tales from the Arena: King of Swords
(Tales from the Arena, book 4)

28615 / 90000 (31.79%)

The Coral Throne
(The Sea Prince, book 2)

32294 / 90000 (35.88%)

Appearances

6th Annual Mother’s Day Bazaar
May 10th, 2025
Ormond Beach Elks Lodge
Ormond Beach, FL

***

Enchanted Knights: Summer Solstice
June 21st, 2025
Oviedo Mall
Oviedo, FL

***

3rd Annual Summer Artisan Market
June 29th, 2025
Brannon Center
New Smyrna Beach, FL

***

Smut Lovers: The Conference
September 17th – 21st, 2025
Orlando, FL

***

Necronomicon
September 26th – 28th, 2025
Tampa, FL

***

Page and Pen Festival
October 4th, 2025
Oviedo Mall
Oviedo, FL

Posted by EASchechter in 2025 plans, accountability, forthcoming works, Joy of home ownership, Planning, slow-writer-is-slow., Tales from the Arena, The Sea Prince, upcoming books, upcoming work, why-the-writing-is-slow, WIP, wordcount, 0 comments
Schedule? What’s That?

Schedule? What’s That?

Window install starts today. Between 8:30 and 9:30, they said. So tell me why it’s 11:00 and we haven’t started yet? Schedule? What’s that? Next, I’m fully expecting them to tell me that they’re not starting on the second floor the way that the project manager said they would. Which… even if they come in and say they’re not starting on the second floor, they’re starting on the second floor. That’s the floor that’s prepped and ready for them.

This is the kind of thing we call the joy of home ownership.

The annoying thing is that I really can’t get started on anything because they might show up at any minute now….

…….

That was your cue, guys!

So, while I wait, I’m getting the blog written. Let’s see if I can finish before they get here.

I’m starting to prep the files to start layout for The Sea Prince. I still need to write the author notes and the dedication, and I decided at some point in the past week that there needs to be a pronunciation guide because how do you say Tarjiaan?

(Break for the installers, who finally showed up. And the lead has no idea WHY the project manager told us they were starting on the second floor, because the installers always start on the first… why am I not surprised???? However, lead is open to starting on the second floor, and they’re now underway.)

Back to pronunciation guides. I have to break down the names the way I say the names so other people can say them, too. Which is interesting because of that double-a — it’s in most of the names in this book (Why? Because I was a baby writer when I started this book and they looked cool!) But now… how is that pronounced?

It’s Tar-zhahn, where the second syllable sounds like the French name Jean. Tarjiaan. Jean-Luc Picard. Same sound. Got it?

(Second break while the installer runs off to get the ladders he didn’t think he’d need because they don’t start on the second floor….)

Now I need to do this same sort of breakdown with all the names, because almost all the names in The Sea Prince and The Coral Throne are like this.

Note to any baby writers in the audience? Just because it looks cool doesn’t mean you should do it!

The installers have started. It’s time for me to stop. Catch you next week when I will hopefully not be as stressed.

Now Available!

Kidnapped from his home and sold as a slave in Rome, Raven-Prince Lorcan must survive in a world where entertainment is murder, diplomacy is betrayal, and love is a commodity. And where a raven who is only supposed to ever have one mate will somehow find two…

Work in Progress

Tales from the Arena: King of Swords
(Tales from the Arena, book 4)

27896 / 90000 (31.00%)

The Coral Throne
(The Sea Prince, book 2)

31207 / 90000 (34.67%)

Appearances

6th Annual Mother’s Day Bazaar
May 10th, 2025
Ormond Beach Elks Lodge
Ormond Beach, FL

***

Enchanted Knights: Summer Solstice
June 21st, 2025
Oviedo Mall
Oviedo, FL

***

3rd Annual Summer Artisan Market
June 29th, 2025
Brannon Center
New Smyrna Beach, FL

***

Smut Lovers: The Conference
September 17th – 21st, 2025
Orlando, FL

***

Necronomicon
September 26th – 28th, 2025
Tampa, FL

***

Page and Pen Festival
October 4th, 2025
Oviedo Mall
Oviedo, FL

Posted by EASchechter in a-writers-life-is-never-dull, annoyance, drama, I really want some dull, Joy of home ownership, progress, The Sea Prince, upcoming books, upcoming work, why-the-writing-is-slow, WIP, wordcount, Worldbuilding, 0 comments
Not Enough Caffeine

Not Enough Caffeine

Some Mondays, there is just not enough caffeine in the world to get going. Today is one of those Mondays, and I am dragging. It doesn’t help that there isn’t anything on my schedule today other than my usual Monday things — I could totally blow today off. But that puts no words on the page, and I’ve hit scenes in both WIPs that I really want to write, so more coffee it is!

This is the last week before the new windows go in, which means that it’s the last week I have before I have to be distracted for a week or so. I have no idea how I’m going to work next week, or how much I’m going to get done. And that goes double for everyone else in this house — Darling Editor works at home, and College Boy has classes all next week. I’m going to try to arrange the major disruption in his room during times when he doesn’t have class, but we’ll see. They start on the second floor next Monday at WAY TOO EARLY in the morning. Whee! Once it’s done, the house will be more thermally stable, and it won’t get as hot on the second floor in July (and the windows are all hurricane rated!) We just have to get through next week.

The only way out is through. That’s true for a lot of things, not just first world problems about home renovation. While there might be a lot of complaining about it, all that complaints do is provide a pressure release. After all, there’s a reason they call it venting — you have to release the pressure before the vessel explodes!

So this week, I’ll get in my words and get ready for next week, and when next week comes? I may not get as many words on the page, but that’s okay. I’ll be focusing on family/domestic stuff. Words will be there when I get back to work.

This Sunday, you’ll be able to find me at Spring is in the Air, in Leesburg, Florida. I’ll have the entire catalog there, including shiny new copies of Raven’s Fall! And yes, I will have the hardcovers!

Now Available!

Kidnapped from his home and sold as a slave in Rome, Raven-Prince Lorcan must survive in a world where entertainment is murder, diplomacy is betrayal, and love is a commodity. And where a raven who is only supposed to ever have one mate will somehow find two…

Promotions

Today is the last day of the Narratess Spring Sale. Grab a copy of The Chronicles of John Zebedee for only $1.99!

Work in Progress

Tales from the Arena: King of Swords
(Tales from the Arena, book 4)

26997 / 90000 (30.00%)

The Coral Throne
(The Sea Prince, book 2)

27792 / 90000 (30.88%)

Appearances

3rd Annual Spring is in the Air
April 13th, 2025
Venetian Center,
Leesburg, FL

***

6th Annual Mother’s Day Bazaar
May 10th, 2025
Ormond Beach Elks Lodge
Ormond Beach, FL

***

Enchanted Knights: Summer Solstice
June 21st, 2025
Oviedo Mall
Oviedo, FL

***

3rd Annual Summer Artisan Market
June 29th, 2025
Brannon Center
New Smyrna Beach, FL

***

Smut Lovers: The Conference
September 17th – 21st, 2025
Orlando, FL

***

Necronomicon
September 26th – 28th, 2025
Tampa, FL

***

Page and Pen Festival
October 4th, 2025
Oviedo Mall
Oviedo, FL

Posted by EASchechter in 2025 plans, a-writers-life-is-never-dull, accountability, appearances, Blood of the Raven, Ravens Fall, Tales from the Arena, The Sea Prince, upcoming books, upcoming work, why-the-writing-is-slow, WIP, wordcount, 0 comments
Deadlines Equal Productivity

Deadlines Equal Productivity

At the beginning of the year, I set up my planners (yes, planners — I have two paper and one electronic. I also have a kanban board and a bullet journal.) One of the things I take into account when I do this is something that is very true for me (and others) — the fact that deadlines equal productivity. The closer a due date is, the more likely I am to step up my efforts to get something DONE. So I set my kanban board up with quarterly goals, and I mark down on my planner the last Saturday before the end of the quarter as my day to reset the board, rework my goals, and wrap anything that needs wrapping.

The last Saturday before the end of the quarter was two days ago, and BOY, did things get done!

I finished my reread and preliminary edit for Dead Man’s Hand, and I have handed the manuscript off to Darling Editor. As part of the edit, I changed one scene that was bothering me, and I like it much better. Is it perfect? No. I think I still need to tweak the lead-in to that scene, but I want another set of eyes on it first. Next deadline? Having it in to Riverdale Avenue Books by the end of Q2, which is when I also hope to have King of Swords as a draft.

I’ve finished the outlines for all three Covert Saloon books, and set the series bible aside to marinate. I still have research to do on the Oklahoma Panhandle during the 1870s, as well as some religion research, but that’s not anywhere in the near future.

My to-dos for this quarter? I have a list:

  • getting The Sea Prince up for at least a presale (requires layout and page proofs, ordering a cover, and filing for copyright),
  • finishing a draft for both King of Swords and The Coral Throne,
  • getting some preliminary reading/research on Renaissance Venice done for the first Iron and Silk book.

I’m hoping to start The Iron Virgin in the fall, but that is tentative based on some other things that are in the pipeline, and that I can’t discuss at the moment.

Back to work!

Now Available!

Kidnapped from his home and sold as a slave in Rome, Raven-Prince Lorcan must survive in a world where entertainment is murder, diplomacy is betrayal, and love is a commodity. And where a raven who is only supposed to ever have one mate will somehow find two…

Promotions

This weekend, make plans to check out the Narratess Spring Sale. I’m marking The Chronicles of John Zebedee down to $1.99! Grab your copy, and see what else is available.

Work in Progress

Tales from the Arena: King of Swords
(Tales from the Arena, book 4)

24277 / 90000 (26.97%)

The Coral Throne
(The Sea Prince, book 2)

25166 / 90000 (27.96%)

Appearances

3rd Annual Spring is in the Air
April 13th, 2025
Venetian Center,
Leesburg, FL

***

6th Annual Mother’s Day Bazaar
May 10th, 2025
Ormond Beach Elks Lodge
Ormond Beach, FL

***

Enchanted Knights: Summer Solstice
June 21st, 2025
Oviedo Mall
Oviedo, FL

***

3rd Annual Summer Artisan Market
June 29th, 2025
Brannon Center
New Smyrna Beach, FL

***

Smut Lovers: The Conference
September 17th – 21st, 2025
Orlando, FL

***

Necronomicon
September 26th – 28th, 2025
Tampa, FL

***

Page and Pen Festival
October 4th, 2025
Oviedo Mall
Oviedo, FL

Posted by EASchechter in 2025 plans, a-writers-life-is-never-dull, Blood of the Raven, Deadlines Go Whoosh!, Draft by the Solstice, Iron and Silk, John Zebedee, Planning, The Iron Virgin, The Sea Prince, upcoming books, upcoming work, WIP, wordcount, 0 comments
Yawn….

Yawn….

I think it goes without saying that the Monday after a conference is the longest Monday to every Monday. Yawn….

ICFA was fantastic, and I’m sorry to any of my friends who I know were at the conference but that I did not get a chance to see and say hello to! I didn’t realize that having something scheduled every day (sometimes two things scheduled every day!) would mean that I barely saw anyone! Despite that, it was an amazingly productive conference.

This week is going to be catching up and trying to get things finished before the end of the quarter. I want to get the series development of Covert Saloon wrapped up and off my to-do list — I’m on the last book and I have an idea of where it’s going. I just need to write it down. And I think I can get the edits of Dead Man’s Hand finished this week, too. Which will leave me open to get The Sea Prince ready to release at the end of Q2. That’s the plan, anyway.

I also need to do some research before putting together a call for submission for the Ruthven Literary Bulletin. As part of my first year as LRA president, I pulled the operating documents so they could be revised. That was when I discovered that the LRA is supposed to be putting out a journal! I’ve never compiled a journal, but I know people who do it on the regular, so I talked to them at ICFA, and after several meetings, we have a plan. However, I still have to find out what the Bulletin was like before it stopped being printed. That’s this week, and once I know, I can write a call for submissions for the new Bulletin. My aim is to have the new Bulletin out by the end of the year at the earliest, or by next ICFA at the latest.

I think it goes without saying that there was NO writing done last week. (Okay, very little. I write 351 words on King of Swords.) So I’m not updating the wordcounts below.

Okay. Time to go get caught up!

Now Available!

Kidnapped from his home and sold as a slave in Rome, Raven-Prince Lorcan must survive in a world where entertainment is murder, diplomacy is betrayal, and love is a commodity. And where a raven who is only supposed to ever have one mate will somehow find two…

Work in Progress

Tales from the Arena: King of Swords
(Tales from the Arena, book 4)

22670 / 90000 (25.19%)

The Coral Throne
(The Sea Prince, book 2)

25166 / 90000 (27.96%)

Appearances

3rd Annual Spring is in the Air
April 13th, 2025
Venetian Center,
Leesburg, FL

***

6th Annual Mother’s Day Bazaar
May 10th, 2025
Ormond Beach Elks Lodge
Ormond Beach, FL

***

Enchanted Knights: Summer Solstice
June 21st, 2025
Oviedo Mall
Oviedo, FL

***

3rd Annual Summer Artisan Market
June 29th, 2025
Brannon Center
New Smyrna Beach, FL

***

Smut Lovers: The Conference
September 17th – 21st, 2025
Orlando, FL

***

Necronomicon
September 26th – 28th, 2025
Tampa, FL

***

Page and Pen Festival
October 4th, 2025
Oviedo Mall
Oviedo, FL

Posted by EASchechter in 2025 plans, a-writers-life-is-never-dull, accountability, appearances, edits, ICFA, promotions, public displays of geekery, Tales from the Arena, upcoming books, upcoming work, why-the-writing-is-slow, WIP, wordcount, 0 comments
PACK ALL THE THINGS!

PACK ALL THE THINGS!

I have basically a day of writing before I have to PACK ALL THE THINGS and head to ICFA — aka geeky-academic wonderland. I have an entire checklist of things that have to be done between now and midday Wednesday. Yes, writing is on that list. So is making scones, making hard-boiled eggs (in this economy?) and making overnight oats. I need to go to the store tomorrow and pick up a couple of things for breakfasts in my room, and packing will happen tomorrow and Wednesday morning.

My schedule for this year is:
Wednesday:
3:30PM Opening Session: Horror Storytelling to Understand Reality (Ballroom)
Thursday
8:30AM Reading (Vista A)
Friday
4:15PM Reimagining the Night (Magnolia)
6:00PM Lord Ruthven Assembly Meeting (Captiva A)
Saturday
6:00PM BIPOC Caucus Networking Event (Cove)
7:00PM Reception (Ballroom Foyer)
8:00PM Awards Banquet (Ballroom)

In and around those, you’ll either find me at panels, volunteering at the Registration desk (I’ll have scones!), or somewhere working on edits for Tales from the Arena: Dead Man’s Hand (I’m thinking outside near the pool.) Unfortunately, the copies of Raven’s Fall that I hoped would be here in time to have at the book room were… well, I was told that they couldn’t deliver the package. And then the post office said that they gave the package back to Amazon (after only one attempt?) So I’m thinking that the books were damaged in shipping, and a new order has been placed. Which means that there will be copies on the table at my show in April. I hope.

(I really want them here! There are hardcovers in that package and one of them is for ME!)

Today I had my first “When is the next one coming out?” interaction, and that never, ever is going to get old. I love hearing that people have enjoyed my work. Writing is an interesting job — you’re there with the voices inside your head, taking down the incident report for whatever shenanigans they’ve been up to. Then you polish it up, put a cover on it, and send it off into the world, and most of the time? You never hear anything about it. But those few times when a reader reaches out to you to tell you that your words meant something to them?

BLISS.

Now Available!

Kidnapped from his home and sold as a slave in Rome, Raven-Prince Lorcan must survive in a world where entertainment is murder, diplomacy is betrayal, and love is a commodity. And where a raven who is only supposed to ever have one mate will somehow find two…

Work in Progress

Tales from the Arena: King of Swords
(Tales from the Arena, book 4)

22670 / 90000 (25.19%)

The Coral Throne
(The Sea Prince, book 2)

25166 / 90000 (27.96%)

Appearances

ICFA
March 19 – 22nd, 2025
Orlando, FL

***

3rd Annual Spring is in the Air
April 13th, 2025
Venetian Center,
Leesburg, FL

***

6th Annual Mother’s Day Bazaar
May 10th, 2025
Ormond Beach Elks Lodge
Ormond Beach, FL

***

Enchanted Knights: Summer Solstice
June 21st, 2025
Oviedo Mall
Oviedo, FL

***

3rd Annual Summer Artisan Market
June 29th, 2025
Brannon Center
New Smyrna Beach, FL

***

Smut Lovers: The Conference
September 17th – 21st, 2025
Orlando, FL

***

Necronomicon
September 26th – 28th, 2025
Tampa, FL

***

Page and Pen Festival
October 4th, 2025
Oviedo Mall
Oviedo, FL

Posted by EASchechter in 2025 plans, a-writers-life-is-never-dull, accountability, baking, Blood of the Raven, conventions, ICFA, public displays of geekery, Ravens Fall, thinking thinky thoughts, WIP, wordcount, Writer on the Go!, 0 comments
The Most Mondayest Monday That has Ever Mondayed.

The Most Mondayest Monday That has Ever Mondayed.

Today has been the most Mondayest Monday that has ever Mondayed. The Monday of all times. I hope to never again have a Monday like this. Because this Monday started off with the entire family sitting in a closet because of a tornado warning, and when I pulled the news on my phone, I learned that A. there was a storm on the ground IN MY TOWN, and B. the storm track on the weather radar was MY STREET.

One of the local news stations has their studio on the other side of town, and they were a direct hit — the weather guy was live on the air reporting, showing the traffic camera feed as the tornado hit. That gentleman deserves a raise — he was on the air the entire time, warning the people in his own building to get under cover while being unable to do so himself.

I just now found out that the National Weather Service has confirmed the tornado was an EF2. Thanks. I hate it. Let’s never do that again, okay?

It’s bright and sunny out now. Although every time the wind picks up outside my window, I’m ready to head back to the storm shelter/primary bedroom closet.

Not how I intended to recuperate after a FANTASTIC Saturday at the Myths and Legends Renaissance Faire, I can tell you. The show was amazing — great crowd, great vendors, the wandering performers were awesome, and we sold a a bunch of books! LONG day, though — ten hours on site from set up to when we pulled out of the parking lot. The next Faire is in June, and we will be there!

My next thing will be next week at ICFA — where I will start my conference off as part of the opening session, a panel on the role of horror in storytelling, with Silvia Moreno-Garcia and Owl Goingback. Now that I have the time to think about it, the imposter syndrome is going in to overdrive! (I can speak on the topic, but… yeah, those are some heavy hitters!) I should have copies of Raven’s Fall by then, so I’ll bring a few for the book room.

I’m also sitting on some exciting news that I can’t say anything about until it’s announced. SQUEE!!!!

Now Available!

Kidnapped from his home and sold as a slave in Rome, Raven-Prince Lorcan must survive in a world where entertainment is murder, diplomacy is betrayal, and love is a commodity. And where a raven who is only supposed to ever have one mate will somehow find two…

Work in Progress

Tales from the Arena: King of Swords
(Tales from the Arena, book 4)

19525 / 90000 (21.69%)

The Coral Throne
(The Sea Prince, book 2)

21082 / 90000 (23.42%)

Appearances

ICFA
March 19 – 22nd, 2025
Orlando, FL

***

3rd Annual Spring is in the Air
April 13th, 2025
Venetian Center,
Leesburg, FL

***

6th Annual Mother’s Day Bazaar
May 10th, 2025
Ormond Beach Elks Lodge
Ormond Beach, FL

***

Enchanted Knights: Summer Solstice
June 21st, 2025
Oviedo Mall
Oviedo, FL

***

3rd Annual Summer Artisan Market
June 29th, 2025
Brannon Center
New Smyrna Beach, FL

***

Smut Lovers: The Conference
September 17th – 21st, 2025
Orlando, FL

Necronomicon
September 26th – 28th, 2025
Tampa, FL

Posted by EASchechter in 2025 plans, a-writers-life-is-never-dull, appearances, Blood of the Raven, conventions, I really want some dull, ICFA, progress, promotions, public displays of geekery, Ravens Fall, upcoming books, upcoming work, WIP, wordcount, 0 comments
Busy! Busy, Busy!

Busy! Busy, Busy!

Time is supposed to keep everything from happening at once, right? If that’s the case, it is HORRIBLE at its job! Today I am busy, busy, busy!!! And a lot of it is fiddly annoying bits that will only have to be done once, but until they’re done, it sucks.

For example? I’ve already finished the quick tasks — sent the taxes off to our accountant, backed up the laptop, and printed things off for the Lord Ruthven Assembly annual meeting on the 21st. I’ve updated the website to reflect the fact that I’ve set up an Itch.io store! Now you will be able to buy ebooks directly from ME!

The store is currently a work in progress — there’s one book available, and that’s because I wanted to have the shop online before I updated the website. I’ll be adding more for the rest of the day, which is the fiddly part — I have to upload each book individually. And I need to edit the covers to fit the size parameters allowed on Itch.io.

Now, there will only be ebooks of the books that I have full control over — the Heir to the Firstborn series, The Chronicles of John Zebedee, Chains of Light, and all of my short stories. Anything that comes through a publisher is something you’ll still have to purchase through one of the big retailers.

I don’t expect to get any words on the page today. But I’m okay with that!

Now Available!

Kidnapped from his home and sold as a slave in Rome, Raven-Prince Lorcan must survive in a world where entertainment is murder, diplomacy is betrayal, and love is a commodity. And where a raven who is only supposed to ever have one mate will somehow find two…

Work in Progress

Tales from the Arena: King of Swords
(Tales from the Arena, book 4)

18184 / 90000 (20.20%)

The Coral Throne
(The Sea Prince, book 2)

19467 / 90000 (21.63%)

Promotions

Smashwords Read an Ebook week started yesterday! My entire catalog is 25% off. And, because of reasons I don’t fully understand, I still have two links. Half the catalog is here, and the other half is here.

(And if you look at my traditionally published books? I have three more pages! Here, here and here. No, I do NOT know why!)

Appearances

This weekend, you can find me in my Morrigan-best attire at the Oviedo Mall Renaissance Festival! And there is a *chance* I will have copies of Raven’s Fall on the table! (It all depends on if the copies come in by Friday.)

Enchanted Knights: Myths and Legends
March 8th, 2025
Oviedo Mall
Oviedo, FL

***

ICFA
March 19 – 22nd, 2025
Orlando, FL

***

3rd Annual Spring is in the Air
April 13th, 2025
Venetian Center,
Leesburg, FL

***

6th Annual Mother’s Day Bazaar
May 10th, 2025
Ormond Beach Elks Lodge
Ormond Beach, FL

***

Enchanted Knights: Summer Solstice
June 21st, 2025
Oviedo Mall
Oviedo, FL

***

3rd Annual Summer Artisan Market
June 29th, 2025
Brannon Center
New Smyrna Beach, FL

***

Smut Lovers: The Conference
September 17th – 21st, 2025
Orlando, FL

Necronomicon
September 26th – 28th, 2025
Tampa, FL

Posted by EASchechter in 2025 plans, a-writers-life-is-never-dull, accountability, appearances, Boosting the signal, ebooks, promotions, publishing, Sales, Updatey things, WIP, wordcount, 0 comments
Blursday

Blursday

Usually, when I say it’s blursday, I mean that the days are all running together and I don’t know what day it is. Today, though, I know exactly what day it is. It’s the day I get my eyes dilated enough that I see all timelines at once. It’s not a fun experience — my appointment was at 8:15 this morning, and here it is 3:20 in the afternoon and I still can’t see clearly. But things look fine — everything is status quo, so we’re good for another year.

(Why do I do this? Because I am so VERY nearsighted that it’s possible for my retinas to self-destruct with no warning.)

Thankfully, I don’t have much on my plate today. I finished my revision pass on The Sea Prince last night and sent it back to the sensitivity reader, which brings it one step closer to publication. Once I get the all clear from the sensitivity reader, I’ll get the layout done and the cover ordered. I’m looking at a summer release, so that I don’t dilute Raven’s Fall.

The first reviews are starting to come in for Raven’s Fall, and I’ll be honest — I am reading them. I know that it’s not recommended for writers to read their own reviews, but I want to see what people think! And I’m loving that every review so far has called out the accuracy of my research. That makes EVERY bit of web crawling and cross-referencing and finding obscure references worth it! And to my reviewers? You are going to LOVE Raven’s Flight for just that reason! There’s a reference list of healing herbs used in one scene, with the proper names in Latin and Gaelic, cross-referenced from Dioscorides’ De Materia Medica (c. 64CE) and John Cameron’s Gaelic Names of Plants (1883).

Do I overdo it on my research? Possibly. Do I need to go and spend three hours to find a reference on trains from Aachen to Salzburg in February of 1899. in order to find out of there was a direct train, or if they would need to change trains? Possibly not, especially when those three hours of research translated to three lines of text. But my readers are the ones who will know exactly what trains I’m talking about, and will know that I’ve gotten it right. So I owe it to them to get it right from the start. And yes, someone did know the train I was talking about, and did appreciate that the research was correct!

In the case of Raven’s Fall? The areas of research I spent the most time on were on types of gladiators, on Roman weddings, and on Roman baths. Now, no one has yet mentioned the baths in a review, but that was, I think, the largest research topic for me — in what order were the rooms experienced, how were things heated, and what rooms were included. Part of the research was a surprise — actually experiencing a caldarium! (Really, who expects to find a reasonably accurate Roman bath experience on a Disney cruise???) For the record, the baths Lorcan experiences are a combination of the Old Baths at Pompeii and the Baths of Caracalla (with a slight hint of flavor from the caldarium in the Rainforest Room on the Disney Fantasy.)

I am history geek, see me over-research!

Now Available!

Kidnapped from his home and sold as a slave in Rome, Raven-Prince Lorcan must survive in a world where entertainment is murder, diplomacy is betrayal, and love is a commodity. And where a raven who is only supposed to ever have one mate will somehow find two…

Work in Progress

Tales from the Arena: King of Swords
(Tales from the Arena, book 4)

15673 / 90000 (17.41%)

The Coral Throne
(The Sea Prince, book 2)

15354 / 90000 (17.06%)

Promotions

Stuff with Fantasy is coming February 28th! Over 300 authors, over 300 books, free for the taking! One day only!

Appearances

Enchanted Knights: Myths and Legends
March 8th, 2025
Oviedo Mall
Oviedo, FL

***

ICFA
March 19 – 22nd, 2025
Orlando, FL

***

3rd Annual Spring is in the Air
April 13th, 2025
Venetian Center,
Leesburg, FL

***

6th Annual Mother’s Day Bazaar
May 10th, 2025
Ormond Beach Elks Lodge
Ormond Beach, FL

***

Enchanted Knights: Summer Solstice
June 21st, 2025
Oviedo Mall
Oviedo, FL

***

3rd Annual Summer Artisan Market
June 29th, 2025
Brannon Center
New Smyrna Beach, FL

***

Smut Lovers: The Conference
September 17th – 21st, 2025
Orlando, FL

Necronomicon
September 26th – 28th, 2025
Tampa, FL

Posted by EASchechter in a-writers-life-is-never-dull, Blood of the Raven, book reviews, promotions, public displays of geekery, publishing, Ravens Fall, research is fun, The Sea Prince, upcoming books, upcoming work, WIP, wordcount, 0 comments
Updatey Things.

Updatey Things.

New book means new updatey things on websites and price lists and all sorts of places. And it means that I’m thinking of how to add in new options.

I already sell signed paperbacks on my website. If I started selling ebooks directly from my website as well, would that be of interest to people? You’d actually OWN your copy (instead of licensing it from some big retailer.) There’s the added bonus that if spicy romances are banned, you wouldn’t have to worry about books being taken off your reader without your consent, which is what would happen if you buy through Amazon (they’ve done it before, in 2009.) I’m interested in seeing what people think before I take the next step and spend money on upgrades and subscriptions.

I also need to make a request of everyone out there reading this. If you have a Netgalley account, you can apply for a review copy of Raven’s Fall. It’s been a week, and either Amazon’s ranking systems are broken (again) or no one is buying my new book. I really think it’s the former, but a review would go a long way to helping get this book in the public eye. (If you don’t have a Netgalley account and still want to review? Talk to me. I have review copies.)

I started my last pass on The Sea Prince today, while sitting at the dealership waiting for my car’s oil change. This is the pass where I go through and read the sensitivity reader’s comments and make those changes, and so far, it’s pretty minor. I hope to have this done this week so I can send it back to her for final thoughts. Which means… maybe May for a release? I still have to do the layout and commission a cover.

The other thing I need to work on this week is the panel I’m leading at ICFA, on the reimagining and reinvention of classic monsters in modern pop culture. It’s a panel discussion, so I really just have to put together questions and talking points, but I want to make sure they’re GOOD questions and talking points. This is going to be my first time on the academic side of presenting, and I’m really looking forward to the discussion.

My to-do list seems to be getting longer by the minute! Off to do all the things!

Now Available!

Kidnapped from his home and sold as a slave in Rome, Raven-Prince Lorcan must survive in a world where entertainment is murder, diplomacy is betrayal, and love is a commodity. And where a raven who is only supposed to ever have one mate will somehow find two…

Work in Progress

Tales from the Arena: King of Swords
(Tales from the Arena, book 4)

15673 / 90000 (17.41%)

The Coral Throne
(The Sea Prince, book 2)

11848 / 90000 (13.16%)

Promotions

5 authors, 8 minutes each – on February 20th, come find your next favorite speculative fiction read by women authors and non-binary authors with us! **FREE* tinyurl.com/m5n37k5n


Stuff with Fantasy is coming February 28th! Over 300 authors, over 300 books, free for the taking! One day only!

Appearances

Enchanted Knights: Myths and Legends
March 8th, 2025
Oviedo Mall
Oviedo, FL

***

ICFA
March 19 – 22nd, 2025
Orlando, FL

***

3rd Annual Spring is in the Air
April 13th, 2025
Venetian Center,
Leesburg, FL

***

6th Annual Mother’s Day Bazaar
May 10th, 2025
Ormond Beach Elks Lodge
Ormond Beach, FL

***

Enchanted Knights: Summer Solstice
June 21st, 2025
Oviedo Mall
Oviedo, FL

***

3rd Annual Summer Artisan Market
June 29th, 2025
Brannon Center
New Smyrna Beach, FL

***

Smut Lovers: The Conference
September 17th – 21st, 2025
Orlando, FL

Posted by EASchechter in 2025 plans, a-writers-life-is-never-dull, accountability, appearances, Blood of the Raven, book reviews, forthcoming works, ICFA, progress, promotions, Ravens Fall, Revisions, The Sea Prince, upcoming books, upcoming work, WIP, wordcount, 0 comments