Monthly Archives: July 2018

July 29, 2018 · 11:48 am

Weekly writing check-in: family reunions and revisions

So, I took last week off and traveled all the way to North Carolina for a family reunion! It was fun, exhausting, and thankfully, I did not have to perform in the talent show (a reunion tradition). I didn’t get much writing done, but I lounged by the pool and did a lot of reading.

I was back at it this week, and I’m closing in on 25,000 words of revised, revamped, new words in the manuscript. I’m pleased with my progress, but I suspect it will need another (fairly quick–or so I hope) revision before I send it off to an editor.

In other news, the results are now official over on the Easy Street Magazine’s website for the Portal Prize.

I’m hoping (fingers crossed) that I’ll make even more progress on the revision this week. The first third needed … help. The next two thirds? Maybe not as much. I don’t know. We’ll see.

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July 27, 2018 · 6:00 am

Free Fiction Friday: I Bring the Fire

Looking for a new series to binge-read this summer?

Consider C. Gockel’s series I Bring the Fire.

Part of the USA Today Bestselling Series

In the middle of America, Amy Lewis is on her way to her grandma’s house. She’s being chased by a very bad wolf. Galaxies away Loki is waking up in a prison cell, strangely without a hangover, and with no idea what he’s done wrong — this time anyway. But he does know Thor is hiding something, Odin is up to something wicked, and there seems to be something he’s forgotten…

In this urban fantasy tale that is equal parts “Dresden Files” and “American Gods,” a very nice midwestern girl and a jaded, mischievous Loki must join forces to outwit gods, elves, magic sniffing cats, and nosy neighbors.

If Loki can remember exactly what he’s forgotten and Amy can convince him not to be too distracted by Earthly gadgets, Earthly pleasures, or three day benders, they just might pull it off…

This first installment of “I Bring the Fire” is for anyone who suspects chaos and mischief makers might have their own redeeming qualities, and anyone who just wants a good fantasy romp through modern Earth, ancient Asgard, and beyond!

This is a fun take on Norse mythology. I have a soft spot for Loki, and Wolves is a fantastic start to a satisfying series.

The first book, Wolves, is free on all major retailers. Download a copy today!

Amazon  Nook  Kobo  iTunes  Google Play  All territories/vendors

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July 15, 2018 · 5:11 pm

Weekly writing check-in: second draft

Sunrise at the lake

I’ve moved from working on the exercises in The Emotional Craft of Fiction and have jumped into the actual revision. I still highly recommend the book, especially if you’re looking for something to jumpstart your manuscript or revision process.

I’m about 9,000 words into the revision. This isn’t simply going over the scenes I’ve already written. True, there’s some of that, but a lot of it is moving things around, pondering what happens if events occur in a different order, some brand new writing, and so on.

In other news, I found out that my story In a Manner of Speaking was a finalist for Easy Street’s first annual Portal Prize for Speculative Fiction, and it will be published in their print anthology in 2019. For anyone who’s counting, this is the third time I’ve sold this story. The great thing about Easy Street is they accept both published and unpublished fiction.

And … that’s it for this week! I’m off to cook some dinner and maybe add to the revision.

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July 13, 2018 · 6:00 am

Free Fiction Friday: The Summer Reading List

Keep the binge-reading going with the Summer Reading List.

Included in this giveaway is The Fine Art of Keeping Quiet, which now has a reading group guide. You can download the guide in PDF format here.

Happy reading!

 

 

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July 8, 2018 · 11:08 am

Weekly writing check-in: The Potato Bug War

New short (very short) story release this week!

My flash fiction piece, The Potato Bug War, is now available in issue #19 of Pulp Literature.

This is my second historical fiction story, and like The Saint of Bright Red Things, it takes place in France during World War Two.

And it’s so short, that all I’ll say is it’s about insects, Nazis, and resistance.

Curious? You can order a copy from Amazon or Pulp Literature directly.

In other news, I’ve added about 10,000 more words to the revision exercises I’ve been doing, sketched out a few “big picture” ideas, and got knocked in the side of the head with yet another idea I might like to write. I’m resisting that mightily (for now).

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July 6, 2018 · 6:00 am

Free Fiction Friday: Summer of Love and Magic

Looking for something magical and romantic to read? Head on over to the Summer of Love and Magic giveaway and download a book … or ten.

Summer is a great time to binge read.

 

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July 1, 2018 · 10:12 am

Weekly writing check-in: Hello, July!

Kitty can’t believe the year is half over

A quick update from last week: I did successfully find some cupcakes. The girls demolished the strawberry ones so quickly it was almost frightening.

In writing news, I have somehow managed ~12,000 words of revised/new content while using the exercises in The Emotional Craft of Fiction. This surprised me since I feel as if I’m plodding along and not making a lot of progress. Additionally, I revamped the opening scenes as well.

Sometimes, you have to stop and take stock of where you’ve been.

This week, I’m looking forward to getting some more work done on the exercises in the book as well as some additional brainstorming for the rest of the series. I have several high-level story threads that I want to keep track of as I move through not only this revision but the rest of the series.

I also might follow kitty’s lead and schedule some time for a nap.

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