Excitement for The Nameless!

Hello, friends! I feel like I’ve been MIA around here, which was at least partially expected but still not my intention. The household is mostly mended from being collectively sick but, in true life fashion, we’ve had some other unexpected moving parts to deal with. Nothing bad (maybe surprisingly), just unexpected. So we’ve been fairly busy and, once again, this is an affirmation that taking November and December as down time was wise. I do think I’ll be implementing that as a personal rule from here on out.

That means my author activity has been limited to online marketing, mostly. No events scheduled, no release scheduled (yet), and no editing jobs until after the new year. I feel a more sappy year-in-review post coming–because what a year it has been–but that’s not this post. No, this is for something else that’s extremely exciting for me.

After my awesome experience with collaborating for Human Voices Only (a day for narrators and VAs to stand against AI narration, in case you missed it), I decided to see if the amazing talent, Ash Kelley, who read from The Nameless, would be willing to let me pay him for the full first chapter. He did not disappoint. As an indie, I’m not quite set financially to commission the full audio book, however, I did think it would be nice to keep that relationship open for the future. (If any of you would like to “donate” to that cause, you can support me by buying my books, available on Amazon in paperback and ebook.) I’m really excited to share the results with you here today.

Check out ashkelleyaudio.com and his social links. Go follow. Like. Love. Share. All the buttons. Please.

Because . . . listen . . .

Back From the Brink

Ah, my friends, it has been a while since I posted. Why? Well, let me just say there’s no better affirmation for my decision to take it easy this month than the sickness that hit this house like a speeding train. It has been more than a week since and I’m still not feeling fully human. While the initial symptoms faded as would be expected, I’ve been overly drained and easily tired. I’ve mostly only accomplished going to work and the bare minimum housework required for every day functionality. We slid on out of Mercury Retrograde, but I don’t feel like the pressure has eased just yet. Good thing there’s nothing I have to do, right?

That means it’s time to reassess the horizon. I think it’s a good practice to pause and do so every once in a while. Or for me lately, as often as needed. Probably the next big mark on the calendar is Christmas. It’s a holiday that doesn’t mean much to me personally, but there are still obligations that come with it regardless of how I feel. Mainly, if you have a kid, you kind of have to participate in some regard. So here come all the things associated–tree decorating, shopping, etc. Also a random Thursday off to throw the work week out of whack. Yay?

The only book-related thing I wanted to possibly, hopefully accomplish during this time was to get Order of Crows book three formatted. I have doubts that’s going to happen by the new year, however, I did learn that I will have a little extra time off from work because New Year’s day falls in the middle of the week. So I’m eyeing that time for said formatting. It should be about a day’s worth of dedication to get it done. Having already formatted six books has its perks, no? The only reason I’m pushing to have it done by then is because I need that finished page count for cover purposes.

Once the book is formatted and I’m waiting on the cover magic, I’ll work my way through the manuscript one (maybe two) final time for fine tuning in an actual proof copy. From there, I figure out release logistics. I’m kind of leaning toward less hoopla and buildup for said release. I’m not sure yet. But it’s the third book in a series and that means there are a limited number of people who would be excited for it. The other hand thought there is that it might catch interest of readers who were previously unaware of the series. I’m not entirely sure how I feel about all of that just yet, and I don’t have to make any decisions for now. We shall see.

Bottom line is this: If I do manage to launch this book at the top of next year, I will have published two books in less than a year. Does that really mean that much in the overall picture? No. Not really. But it would mean something to me. There was a long time in which I didn’t think the Order of Crows story would be published at all, and now I have a finished third book. It feels good, y’all.

I think that’s all for now. I might need a nap after this. But I’ll be back soon.

Human Voices Only

So, my friends, if you’re not aware, today is Human Voices Only day for narrators and voice actors against AI narration. I don’t think I’ve actually touched on this subject here but I fall heavily on the anti-AI side of creative ventures. Writing, art, narration–those are arts for humans to create. I will never willingly or purposefully support the use of AI in said arts, nor will I use it myself. I’ve spent many years honing my craft and I don’t appreciate someone plugging prompts into a computer and claiming it’s the same thing. It’s not.

Anyway, if you are also unaware, loads of narrators and VAs have teamed up with authors on TikTok (and probably the other socials, too, I haven’t checked) to support human voices. They did this for free, which is just amazing, and I just happened to catch the buzz in time to get in on the fun. And fun it is.

Let me just say here that I didn’t intend to accidentally find the absolute perfect voice for Chance from The Nameless. I didn’t expect that at all, but that’s exactly what happened. I wasn’t sure what to expect through the butterflies in my gut when I sent my snippet through the email-verse, but what I got back was absolutely on the mark.

So, shout out to Ash Kelley (ashkellyaudio.com, @ashkelley and TikTok) for a banging job. Seriously, go find him on all the socials and follow that man. And listen to this little bit of perfection:

Also, take a moment today to share some of the awesome narrators and VAs and say it with me, Human Voices Only!

Sliding Into Home Base

Friends, I’m a little behind on updating this week. Sunday rest hit hard and kind of spilled over into Monday. A cold front also moved into Florida yesterday and it put me into “chill the most” mode, after errands were taken care of, of course.

I had a great time at the fall edition of the Merritt Square Mall Con. I’ll be honest, it wasn’t the greatest sales event, however, the networking and slowly becoming part of that nerd community balanced out the sales. Not every single event will have phenomenal sales, but the fun part is that those who did buy my books didn’t show up at the mall with the intentions to do so. All in all a win.

What now? Well, nothing. Not exactly nothing, but close. I’ll still be on the social media grind, mostly TikTok these days, ironically when I held out for a long time from joining that platform. I have my thoughts on Meta and it’s still all very downhill as far as I’m concerned with those platforms. This will continue to be my HQ, of course.

Anyway, I used the time between finishing my editing job and Mercury Retrograde going full swing to work through Order of Crows book three (even though I said I wouldn’t, gods help me, I couldn’t stay away). As I mentioned in the last post, I’ve been slowly ticking off obligations and not accepting new ones in my writing world, so I am set to turn on the cruise control and let it all ride for a while. Having made it through my own edits, I will move on to formatting, but not until the latest edits sit for a while. I won’t be putting any pressure on myself to do said formatting, instead I’ll do it when it feels right. I’m also thinking my last read through/edits will be done in an actual proof copy. Like I said, no rush and no pressure as far as that goes.

Also a fun fact, now that I can disengage my brain from editing mode, all my characters will be unfettered from their silence and I expect full retribution for putting them all in a corner for so long. Honestly, I wouldn’t mind to actually write. It has been a while and I don’t count writing time as actual work. I don’t know if that’s strange. But the writing is the easy and fun part, and it doesn’t count as the business side of things.

Alas, I think that’s all for now. Whoever you are, if you’re reading this, I urge you to also take some down time. Even when we think we’re machines, we still need a break. I’m the worst for adhering to that. So if I can do it, you can do it. We’re heading into the holiday season, which is stressful. Give yourself some grace. Happy Tuesday and happy Veteran’s Day with much respect.

Gearing Down

Hello, friends, and happy Monday. I hope the time change isn’t messing everyone up too badly. For me, the hardest part is telling myself that it’s the same time it has always been, we just call it something else now. I even managed to go to bed “early” last night, in other words, the same time I always do. That practice never lasts for me, but I always try to stick with it for a little while until the mental transition sets in.

What’s going on in my world? Well, I’m less than a week out for my last author hurrah of 2025. I will be vending at the Merritt Square Mall Con this Saturday from 11-5. This will be my second comic con this year and I’m excited!

I finished my second round edits for the big boy job I’ve been working on for months. Phew! That was the one I was really worried might end up pushing into Mercury Retrograde, which I really didn’t want to happen. But, with a solid dedication on my part, I finished it last week. That in itself is a victory, and I’m celebrating it. I came into this year as an editing apprentice and am going out of it as an editor. I’m not searching out those jobs, I’m not to that point yet, but I do have some probable repeat business on that horizon. So, yay!

As mentioned in my previous post, I’m slowly settling all my writerly obligations before Retrograde hits on the 9th. It’s still my plan to take November and December as author down time. Mostly. I had previously thought this meant I wouldn’t be working on Order of Crows book three (hopefully) final revisions. Now, I’m thinking that’s not true. I’ll probably still work on it, just not with a pressing sense of urgency. No, instead I’ll work on it when I can, when I feel like it, without feeling like I need to have it ready by my original goal of January. If it happens by then, great. If it doesn’t, fine. I’m the one driving this bus so I get to make the call.

I’ve had another realization since my last post. November and December are already extra as months, but I think taking the time to celebrate my wins is in order. This year has been a big one, lots of moving parts and important decisions. Who is going to celebrate that more than me? Maybe Derrick because he has been there the whole way. But beyond him? Nobody. I think it’s important to celebrate our own victories. We deserve it. So, I’ll be chilling, watching all the balls I sent rolling either gain momentum or settle somewhere new. Then we get to see what next year brings.

So, as of right now, I’m down to one major obligation, and chance to connect with readers and other creators. Then I’m coasting for a while. A huge thanks to everyone who has been enjoying the ride along with me! Every effort has been greatly appreciated. Cheers!

Oh, Yeah. Mercury.

My friends, my friends. I have realized that I have made quite the miscalculation in my immediate plans and goals. As the title says, I forgot about Mercury. What about Mercury? Retrograde. It can be a dirty word, a fighting one. Yet it’s one we can’t fight.

It was my original plan to hop over to Order of Crows book three once I’ve finished with my editing job, you know, keep the momentum going and all. I’m eyeing the timeline really hard right now, and I have a feeling that’s not going to happen. Mercury officially goes retrograde on November 9th. That’s the day after my last bookish event of the year. That also means we’re already feeling the beginning of its effects. So rather than jumping directly into my very important and hopefully last rounds of edits for Crows, I’ll be mandating some downtime for myself. Actual downtime, not just from events.

Does that mean I probably won’t hit my publishing goal for Crows? Well, probably, but if I’ve learned anything–and at my age I certainly should have learned something–it’s that I can’t push forward 100% of the time. It took me longer to accept that than it maybe should have, but I have learned. That being the case, I’m preemptively removing some of the pressure from myself in preparation.

Now, I know me. I know retrograde me. I tend to either have extreme creative bursts or I want to become a full-on hermit. I already feel myself gravitating toward staying home over going out. I want to fully dive into the book I’ve been reading (Night Angel Nemesis by Brent Weeks, 10/10 recommend all the Night Angel books). It’s coming. That’s why I am going to make a final push on finishing those edits (I’m in the homestretch so that’s doable). I’m going to show up and sell at the Merritt Square Mall Con. Then I’m going to chill so I don’t burn myself out. I recommend doing the same for all my creatives out there, for everyone, really.

I think that’s all for now. Have a great weekend, my friends! Much love and positivity!

My Fifth Event and a Day of Firsts

Happy Monday, my friends! Or as happy as a Monday can be, hopefully. For me, it’s a fantastic one. Yesterday, I attended my fifth in-person author event of the year. In the way of these events, this one was different from all the others, which have been different from one another, but I’ll touch on that in a minute.

The first thing I want to say is a grand thanks to a few people. First, to Derrick for being the best teammate one could have. He runs heavy support at every event and I will absolutely say that I couldn’t do it alone. Also, to my kid for being the third member of the Black Feather Press team. He handles the adaptive nature of said events with far more patience than an eight-year-old has any business having. He won’t read this, but I do want to put it out there into the universe. Next, much love and thanks to Oliver Lyon, who has read, reviewed, and supported every single release I’ve had (except the latest and there are reasons for that I wouldn’t wish on anyone). He showed up at yesterday’s event and that means everything. It’s so very much appreciated. Last, I have so much gratitude for all of you who support me from afar. The likes and shares on the socials is endless and it means so much. Being indie can seem lonely. It’s a hard road, so when so many folks consistently show up like that it really becomes the breath that allows me to keep going. So thank you, now and always.

Right, then. Let’s talk about the Spooky Book Fair hosted by Spellbound Books in Sanford, held at the West End Trading Company. For a three-hour event held in a fairly small music venue, the crowd was fantastic. Also, being that it was a smaller venue, there were less authors vending, so I got to mingle. That’s hard to do at larger events where there are a lot of authors spread over large areas. I met some really cool folks and hopefully that’s the beginning of some beautiful relationships. The event itself was well-organized and the Spellbound staff was great.

As the title says, yesterday was a day of first for me. I have mentioned this in previous posts, but this was the first event I’ve done where I was actually invited to participate by the hosts. That would’ve been enough to make it an awesome experience for me, but the universe did not stop there. We weren’t even half an hour into the event when one awesome reader showed up at my table with a copy of The Murder Meets at Dusk already in hand, and asked me to sign it. What? Yes. That happened. To top it all off, toward the end of the three hours, I had another attendee recognize me from the Oviedo Page and Pen Festival. Considering how many authors were at that event, it’s kind of crazy that she remembered me from among them. That’s honestly probably because The Illustrated Author Design Services makes such stunning covers for me. Whatever the reason, I’ll take it and I’ll hold it close.

Now, as I said in the first paragraph, every event I’ve done so far has been different from the others. My first event was a book fest that got such a good response from vendors that they had to expand the area last minute to cover two locations instead of one. My second event was a comic con where I was the only author there, set in a mall where the majority of traffic wasn’t there for books. The third was just me at a bookstore, oddly the worst single sales event but not a bad experience at all (and probably what led to me being invited to the latest event). The fourth event was the Oviedo mall fest, where there was a lot of traffic, both regular mall goers and folks shopping for books, and–as mentioned–there were a lot of authors. The Spooky Book Fair was far more intimate. Next event is the fall edition of the comic con and I’ve noticed just today that they’ve added another author to that lineup. That’s three that I’m aware of and, like I said, I was the only non-comic author at the first one. Did I start something? I can’t say since I wasn’t a part of any of the previous ones but, if I did, well, I’ll take it. I think it’s awesome.

Having those experiences under my belt now is allowing me to better analyze what directions to go for next year. What do I like/dislike about the event types and locations? What kind of crowds have the best response? What time frames do I need to allow between such events? All of that will lead to a more streamlined list of appearances. I will say I think it was a smart move to keep everything fairly local. Could I get three-day booths at giant cons spread across the U.S.? Sure. I could. But once I started paying attention, I noticed there are a ton of smaller events all within the state of Florida. Why not stay within some boundaries and grow contacts that are not only nearby but also have potential for future growth. As a huge fan of the live music scene, I already knew smaller venues are better shows. That’s proving to be true for my own events. Small and local is the perfect place to start. Maybe someday I’ll have fans who will pay for those crazy massive cons to come buy my books but, for now, I’m still getting my name out there. I’ll take the small road.

What’s next? Like I said, I will be making my second appearance with the Merritt Square Mall Con crew. This time, I have all that experience to utilize to change up my table and sales approach, which I absolutely plan to do. I have three weeks before that one hits on November 8th. I’ll still be taking November and December off from events unless another magical invitation to one lands in my lap (hello, Universe?). I super stocked for the Page and Pen and the Spooky Book Fair, so I don’t even need to restock for the Mall Con.

That’s three weeks to hopefully finish my editing job and switch gears to Order of Crows book three. For now, I’m catching up on some stuff that lagged during event preparation. I gotta be honest, I’m still riding the glide from yesterday, too. I’m feeling reassured in my decision to go all in this year and I count all of it as a moderate measure of success. That’s all for now. I got a little long-winded with this one, but it has helped me sort out logical thoughts from the elation. So, see you next time!

Y’all

I said I was going to take an actual day off. I said that. So why am I here right now? I’m not even sure other than it’s engrained in me to do something every damn day. However, when I woke up it was only 67°F instead of a gazillion outside. I got to open some windows and I’m ecstatic about that. I also woke up to a couple online sales, which—I probably shouldn’t admit this, but oh well—is always a pleasant surprise. So all in all, it’s shaping up to be a good day. And after I write this, I really am going to take some time off. I started reading Night Angel Nemesis by Brent Weeks and it’s calling my name. I’ve been sitting on that one for a while and it’s time.

Anyway, I’m a week out from Spellbound Books’s Spooky Book Fair at the West End Trading Co. in Sanford, FL. The nerves haven’t quite set in as hard as they did for the Page and Pen Festival, not yet anyway. Maybe because the nerves from Page and Pen have barely settled. It will hit, inevitably. I am excited, though, even if life be lifin’ and has thrown some annoying curve balls in real life that the household has had to navigate. All my inventory restock is scheduled to arrive before event day, though, so that’s a win. I’ll be trading my 8 ft table set up for a 3 ft by 3 ft, but that’s not a big deal. My very first event this year was a 3×3, so I’m familiar with the spacial changes. It’s all about being adaptable sometimes.

I don’t really have anything new to add to my announcements. My schedule looks more or less the same. Spooky Book Fair on the 19th, Merritt Square Mall con on November 8th, working through an official editing job before I let myself pull Order of Crows book 3 out of time out, Sevina Gate novella series in the works. There’s some rustling among the Fae-Cursed characters but no one is actually talking, which is fine for now because I’m trying to get this editing finished in a decent time frame. I like to believe I’ll have time to work on this, my second job of indie author/editor life, in November and December but . . . holidays. Bleh.

A January release for Order of Crows book 3 is . . . a big dream that might not be attainable, but that doesn’t mean it can’t happen around that time. I will, at least, get my cover some time that month, so the formatting will have to done by then. I’d prefer to have the book in its final form before formatting but I might have to do that adapting thing and change my process a bit. I don’t know, we’ll see how that goes. The up side of that is now that I’ve formatted six books, the formatting is not as much of a pull-my-hair-out event and more of a day or two of concentration. There’s something to be said for experience, I suppose.

Well, I think that’s enough for now. I’m going to go do that time off thing now. Happy Sunday, everyone!

Thank You, Oviedo!

Happy Monday, my friends! My fourth in-person event of the year is in the books and I can call it a happy success. It was a long day but it was worth it. It was the first-ever Page and Pen Festival at the Oviedo Mall and their event team did a great job. Readers definitely showed up, too. I took a little down time yesterday and now I’m back at it.

What’s next? Inventory restock has been ordered and we’re on to the Spooky Book Fair in Sanford, FL on the 19th. This one will be hosted by Spellbound Books, an indie book store in Sanford, at the West End Trading Company from 12 pm to 3 pm. This will also be a smaller and more intimate event with less authors present. I’m very excited to have been invited to participate.

I mentioned in my last post that I hoped The Nameless would pop off at Page and Pen. I did sell some copies and I also got some feedback on both The Nameless and The Stolen from a good friend that definitely lifted my spirits. I know they’re good books, but convincing others to find out for themselves has been tricky until recently. What’s not to love about punk rocking immortals and Fae intrigue? Anyway, it has been really cool watching the twins, and Johnny, get some recognition they deserve.

In the meantime, I’m still working on an editing job, still working an actual job, and writing here and there when characters decide they want to talk. The Sevina Gate novella series is creeping closer to an acceptable state for release. And Order of Crows book three is still on the back burner for one more serious read through/edit. I’m still eyeing the top of next year for that release, but it’s tentative. There are a lot of factors that might affect that in between, so I’m just going to remain adaptable and roll with the way things play out.

I think that’s all for now. One more huge thanks to everyone who bought books from me on Saturday, and all of you who cheered me on from afar. This year has been so good for me as an author and I won’t stop here. Cheers!

Stopping In

I realized it has been a minute since I posted anything here. Ah, gosh, guys, I’m busy. I knew it was coming and now I’m in the trenches. I figure, hell, whatever momentum I’m stirring up now ought to carry me a decent way. Although, I do see some heavy down time somewhere around December. Not to mention, I still have to work a “real” job.

That being said, I thought I’d give a little glimpse of what I am currently up to. First up, I’m a week out from my next in-person event at Oviedo Mall (FL). I’m extremely excited to be a part of the very first Page and Pen Festival. I’m also nervous as all hell, so I’m looking forward to seven days of knotted guts. I should have part of my inventory restock arriving tomorrow, so I can at least stop panicking about that.

I am now working through second round edits on an official editing job. I’m not going to name names or titles, but the sheer level of improvement on that draft based on my initial edits and insights (and obviously the author’s hard work) is incredible. I am so proud to have helped the words get to their current state. As the editor, I can’t promote said work and I definitely wish I could.

As for my own work, Order of Crows book three meets its time out requirement of two weeks today. That doesn’t mean I think I’ll have time to work on it, so it’s probably going to get a little extra time out until I do. BUT when I do have time for it, believe I will be diving into a serious round of edits and (hopefully not very many) revisions. Stay tuned for news on a hopeful release early next year.

The Sevina Gate novella project is still moving forward, as well. The Black Feather Press team almost has the full interior ready to go, then we will venture into cover creation, which neither of us has done before. That one will also get another round of edits/revisions before it’s ready for release. If that moment happens before Crows three is ready for release, Sevina Gate will take priority. As the first novella goes through the art treatment, I have been dabbling a little in the seventh and eighth novella as the characters decide they want to talk. Sevina Gate seven is probably two to three chapters from being finished, and eight is about seven chapters in. I’m not pressing too hard to work on either because . . . well, I have a lot of other stuff to do. I will say number eight will be an end-of-arc, multiple-POV story that’s proving to be a lot of fun to write.

What’s next? I restock inventory and do it again. I’ll be vending at the Spooky Book Fair in Santford, FL on October 19th. That will be a smaller event hosted by independent bookstore, Spellbound Books, and apparently their previous events have been fairly successful. So I’m looking forward to connecting with new readers and meeting other Florida authors.

Is that all? Maybe? I fully admit to you that my plate is full. I refuse (myself) to take on any more at this time. Perhaps if I state that here I will actually adhere to my own rule. No more projects or jobs until I’ve navigated through this month. That means the Fae-Cursed book three will remain at two chapters written for a while yet, but the boys haven’t been very talkative since I released their sequel in August. Just as well.

Well, y’all, wish me luck next weekend! I have doubts I’ll be back here to post before then. I’ll definitely post some time after, though, so check in occasionally. Here’s hoping everyone has a great weekend and week ahead!