September’s Writing & Reading Round Up

Hello Bloglandia!

Okay, I’m about a week late for a look back at September, but better late than never, right?

September was a busy month…and October is looking to be even busier. So, what did I get up to and what’s in the works? Oh, and what books were my favorite reads this month?

So glad you asked, because….

Cassie Black Book Two is Done

No, really, I mean it this time. In August, I did a lot of rewriting for this book, including adding in all new chapters to make up for weird time gaps and missing plot bits and bobs.

Unfortunately, some of those bits and bobs didn’t quite mesh together as well as I’d hoped. During the read through, I realized the book needed one more stringent edit to whip those new pieces (and some old ones) into shape.

This was also the draft where I go through and really hone the language so it sounds pretty, (yes, I read the draft out loud to check), so there’s no unintentional repetition, and so the settings and physical and emotional feelings really bring you into the story.

But it’s done! Hoorah!! And now it’s in the hands of my beta readers to pick apart and criticize and find stray typos (oops).

Updates Galore!

As you know, earlier this month, I relaunched my historical fantasy series Domna with a lovely new cover. While the books aren’t flying off the virtual shelves, I have noticed a slight uptick in downloads.

If you missed that post, you can see the cover’s evolution from the original image (above left) to the final cover in my post Domna Has a New Look for Fall.

And if you haven’t tried out this captivating series yet, you can always grab Part One: The Sun God’s Daughter for free on most retailers.

I also slogged my way through the painful project of updating all the back matter of my books.

Previously, I had simply an Also By The Author list all the way in the back. But, using advice from a webinar I watched in August, I switched that to putting a link right after The End to the next book in the series at the end of each book of my Osteria Chronicles and Domna series (so book one has a direct sales link to book two, and so on).

I also made a few other updates to the back matter, and let me tell you, updating something like 15+ books, creating the epub and mobi files, AND loading all those puppies onto 7 retailers is NOT a fun chore.

But the updates didn’t stop there.

Yet again, I rewrote my welcome sequence for my mailing list. And, because I just can’t get enough updating, I worked on prettying up the listings on my Payhip Bookstore and making them consistent with my BookFunnel pages and my Books2Read pages.

Phew, enough updating. Time for something new.

New Books and a New Bundle

Speaking of my store, as I mentioned last Friday, I added three titles to the virtual shelves in September, including a brand new story. You really don’t want to miss the clever antics of Buttercup: Queen of Death, so be sure to gather together 99 pennies and grab your copy.

And, this isn’t official yet, but in the last days of September, I cobbled together a box set of the final three books of The Osteria Chronicles. It includes The Bonds of Osteria, The Battle of Ares, and The Return of Odysseus, plus loads of exclusive bonus content.

Anyway, I’ll share a little more about the box set soon, but it is on pre-order on a few retailers, so if you’re already interested…

Listen Up Book Nerds!

During September, over on the Book Owl Podcast, I went around the world with Nellie Bly, and spent some time hanging ten with Agatha Christie.

 

I also went to Dublin to check out Chester Beatty’s marvelous collection of manuscripts. Well, okay, I went to Dublin a couple years ago, but in my mind I’m still there…sigh.

 

Favorite Books of September

I cruised through about eight books (and started a few that were absolute duds) in September, including The Institute by Stephen King and another The Cat Who... mystery.

But my absolute favorites were…

• The Princess Beard by Kevin Hearne and Delilah Dawson – Oh the juvenile humor persists in this third book of the series. From Ding Gull Berries to a centaur who fights with magically-produced desserts, this was a fun romp.
• Warlock Holmes: My Grave Ritual by GS Dening – This third installment of the Warlock Holmes series took the other books and beat them into submission (probably with a magic turkey leg). It was hilarious, and you really should be reading this silly series.
• The Mist by Ragnar Jonasson – What is it with me reading the third book this month? Anyway…WOW! This trilogy was amazing. I’m not even sure if a newly-sharpened chainsaw could cut through the tension in this book. Pure Grade A storytelling.
• Utopia for Realists by Rutger Bregman – If you have any doubts about Universal Basic Income, questions whether GDP is truly a measurement of success, or wonder if our strict border laws are doing us any good, read this phenomenally well-researched and well-argued book.

*Note: Those links above are affiliate links. If you shop on Amazon via them, it costs you nothing extra, but I get a (very) tiny bit of change to help support the cost of this website and blog. Thanks!

As for October…

This month it’s all about Cassie Black Book Three. Right now, the book is nothing but  a glorified outline. Over the next few weeks, I’ve got to turn that into a nearly complete novel if I’m to meet my goal of getting all three of these books complete by year’s end.

Which also means these books need to stop running around naked, and that means cover design, titles, and descriptions are also in the works this month. Ugh.

Alright folks, I’ve rambled on about myself long enough. What have you been up to? What were your favorite books you read last month?

Have a great rest of your day!!!

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