Month is over half over….
Well over my word count goal for the month. But my editing has fallen behind. I’ll end up spending most of March editing just playing catch up.
I’ve finished not one but two rough drafts on short stories/novellas this month so far and I’m really hoping to get one of those out this year as well as Howling Moon 2.
Kindle Vella and Patreon….news coming on both very soon.
January Goals
I set myself up going into the new year with a modest list of goals for the year as it comes to writing. After being so productive last year I thought maybe I should, ya know, not push my luck. And for the most part I was hoping to primary focus on editing, publishing, and building my audience. As every where I look for new authors, especially those who must rely mostly on themselves for promotion…building an audience is key.
My January Goals –
What I accomplished –
February Goals –
And I’m posting this on the 6th, truth is I’m already getting a heck of a jumpstart on this month’s list.
Picture of Penny annoying Nala, just because 🙂
I probably don’t post enough about what I’m reading here. In fact outside of maybe some stuff on goodreads I don’t post a lot about what i’m reading period. I can say i’ve probably read more books in the past two years. than I have the previous ten years combined before that. Of course a lot of that is because of Audible… Not all, but probably 2/3 is through audible. Since I’ve joined on average at least one a month sometimes much, much more. So here is a round up what I’ve read/listened too in the past two years….
Mercy Thompson, books 1 – 6….needless to say I love the Mercy Thompson books by Patricia Briggs. It’s werewolves, so that’s a plus. But all in all I enjoy the character. With Moon Called and River Marked being my favorite of the first 6.
Cry Wolf also by Patricia Briggs – in the same world as Mercy Thompson but follows two different characters and if you enjoy the Mercy books this one is a must read. I’m going to be getting more into this world as the year goes along. I’ve even listened to Moon Called a second time this past December.
The Lot Lands (The Grey Bastards, The True Bastards, The Free Bastards) by Jonathon French- Fantasy series and probably my favorite books I’ve read all together in this period. They’re not for everyone. They’re crude, with lots of language and such that put it sort in the outskirts of maybe what most high fantasy fans are looking for. But I loved it. Of the three books, the third one The Free Bastards being my favorite. Each book had a different mc and well Oaks was my favorite character in the first two books so him getting to be the focal character in book 3 helped a lot. And it ends in a way that makes you want more but at the same time it was a satisfying conclusion.
Thor by Wayne Smith – Bad Moon is my favorite werewolf movie of all time. And the book it is based off of it is just as good and a must read. Most of the book is from the point of view from the dog and it makes it a very interesting take on both the family drama and the werewolf aspect of the story that doesn’t translate to the movie. So it’s like a completely different story. Also the family is a lot more than just the mom and her son with Thor in the book.
The Magicians by Lev Grossman – I loved this television series…like a very adult Harry Potter. Problem is…i’m still to this day not sure how I feel about the book. It’s good and different from the series but it just doesn’t hold me like the tv series did.
Undertaker’s Moon by Ronald Kelly – Another werewolf book. the werewolf scenes alone are worth the read though I’m sure like most the end is a little too predictable. But anytime a werewolf is on page it is amazing with it’s description and the feeling it leaves behind.
A Symphony of Dragons – Lisa Shambrook – It’s Dragons. Much like werewolves, it’s one of my favorite things in the world and this collection of short stories is a must read.
The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie – is a great set up for the First Law trilogy and though i’m going to read a couple small books before I get to the next one, I see this as a must read.
The Road to Valhalla Series by Melanie Karsak – a five book series which I burned through the first two books rather quickly. If you’re a fan of Vikings and fantasy this series is for you. I will be picking up and reading book 3 very soon. I’m enoying Melanie Karsak’s writing a lot, so much so that i’ve picked up her steampunk Little Red Riding Hood series to read down the road (3 of my favorite things all in one place).
Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan – I finally broke down and started the series, read the first 2 books in it…I will read further I’m just not in a big hurry to do so at the moment.
Sookie Stackhouse by Charlaine Harris – Read the first book in the series, it was actually the first book I picked up on Audible. Big fan of the True Blood series and enjoyed the first book. I just haven’t gotten around to any of the rest of the series yet, but I will. My wife loves this series, both the books and the television show. It was what we listened too when we were driving back from the westcoast.
Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames – After so many people recommended this one I finally picked it up…
The Golden Spider by Anne Renwick – Steampunk! I’m wanting to read a lot more steampunk novels as I love the genre and this one was good start, will read more from her.
Big Damn Hero, Generations, and Life Signs…book 1, 4, and 5 of the firefly novels. They filled a hole I needed from missing Firefly. They may not be amazing, but it’s fun to revisit that world. Life Signs is probably my favorite of the Firefly books so far.
The Dragon Tamer by Ava Richardson – More Dragons. 🙂 This was a decent YA read with a lot of potential as a series, just haven’t gotten around to the next book.
Elfed in New York: Intern – was a fun little read that seemed to end way too soon. I’m looking forward to reading more.
I’m not sure…I think that’s it for the past couple years.
So I figure an update was due for all things Howling Moon.
Book 2….I have a title. Only a couple people know what that title is and I can’t tell you it just yet. I’m saving it for a reveal… Preferably once I have it back from an editor, and I have a cover and release date 🙂 But I do have a title. I’ve also went through it twice this month already and have set it aside until the first of Feb, where I will go over it once more making sure I’m happy with it. And then it goes off to an editor and from there, hopefully things will start to take hold and it will move fast with lots of updates coming in late spring and summer. I am working my butt off. I want it out to the readers this year. 🙂 That is my number one goal as a writer in 2022. Publish Howling Moon 2! So for all of those who are looking forward to it, it’s coming!!
I’m working on a novella/short story involving a completely new character in the world of Howling Moon. A character that plays a very big part in Howling Moon 2. Though it’ll be completely separate from it. It’s own stand alone story. I haven’t decided where, I’ve been looking into Kindle Vella…and even Wattpad. But I hope to start posting chapters of that by spring and I’ll be updating here when I do.
Book three and four… I plan on doing a in-depth edit of book three this year. And maybe get a schedule in mind of when it would be released. I don’t want it to be years between book two and three. Book four I probably won’t touch this year. After writing it in November…I still have decisions to make on where the future of this series is going.
Book one is no longer up on it’s free promotion and back to regular price. Since the first of October last year it has gotten a big bump on social media and hits on amazon, etc. I believe a lot of that has to do with just how much I posted to this blog with snippets and updates, etc. And the free promotion a week or so ago on amazon….I had expectations on just how much traction it would get, how many people would pick it up. And it was over double my expectations. And it is currently enrolled on Kindle Unlimited so if you’re a member of that you still can check it out for free 🙂 And I’m ecstatic about that as well. In the past week in KU, over 1000 pages have been read. All about getting it out there, right!
That’s about all I have on the series for today….
I was trying to figure out the best header for this blog but I wanted to get straight to the point. Howling Moon is free on Kindle for the next week.
This is an appreciation post for all of those who have been following me. For those who like and share all of my stuff across social media. And especially those who are now following the blog. If you decide to pick up Howling Moon! I really hope you enjoy it!
Sorry for the absence…It’s been a busy holiday season. But here we are, a new year and new goals and a fresh start with things so to speak.
First off..2021…my biggest writing goal going into the year was to do just that, to write. To put as many words to page as I possibly could and my over all goal was to hit 200,000 words. And I ended up hitting 258,810 total for the year. I didn’t think it was possible but I did it. Even twice last year writing 50,000 words in a given month. Over a number of projects, finishing up several. So going into the new year, I’m flipping my writing goal…it’s not about the number of words, though I really do hope to hit 100,000 words this year. The main goals. Editing and getting the second Howling Moon book published!
I’m hoping everyone had a happy and safe New Year and a blessed year to come!
What is the final update for this years NaNoWriMo….I did it. Well obviously when I posted back on the 14th I was sitting at 45 k and ended up hitting 50 the next day. Didn’t stop writing there, currently sitting at 55k… I had no intention on actually slowing down but a small bit of dental emergency made it very hard to concentrate on writing. So I haven’t actually done much since the 18th… So glad I attacked this process the way I did this year. Or right now I’d be behind. And I’m not good at digging myself out of holes when it comes to writing.
Thoughts on this nano…I averaged over 3 k a day leading up to the 15th with more 5k days than I think I’ve ever had. I’m still writing a little bit every day but taking those days almost completely off derailed my momentum. The main thing right now is my goal for the year was 250,000 words and I’m about 4 k from that right now. So hopefully I’ll hit that before the end of November or at least this week and then I have to get back to editing.
You can expect at least a couple more posts this week. Working on some editing and closing the year out strong!
It may only be the 14th day of NaNoWriMo… but today I hit 45,000 words…
Where I’m at in the story… I’m closing in on the climax which is so not what I envisioned when i started book 4. First of all, two characters that I introduced in this book are the primary characters besides Emily. And neither of them are Werewolves…. I’m not even sure how I want it to end and there is a very good chance when I come back to edit, it will change. A Lot. In fact I have a feeling that when it comes time to edit Howling Moon 4….i’ll be spending more time cussing myself for how quickly I wrote it and just how much detail I didn’t add in this draft. But hey…the most important thing for NaNo and the first draft…get it on page and then bleed all over it….
So I had said to myself I wasn’t going to do any more NaNoWriMo updates until I hit the midway point….
Well, tonight, I hit 26,000 words on day 9…that’s a record for me. I’m averaging almost 3k words a day, which is flipping crazy. Or at least I think it’s is for me.
The Story…
As often once I got out of my actual plotted chapters it hasn’t gone exactly where I was thinking it was. It’s still heading for the same ending just taking a very different route to get there. It’s not like book 1 – 3 of Howling Moon. I know as readers only book 1 is out… But book 4 seems to be leaning heavy on the dramatic ‘am I going crazy’ vibe more than anything. And at times I also feel like by the end of this book Emily may be closer to the killer she has always been afraid of becoming…
I’ve decided to keep Howling Moon on sale for Kindle until the end of the year! .99 Cents! So if you’re looking for something for the a reader this coming holiday season!!! 🙂 Click the link below. And even further below I’m posting links to the snippets from Howling Moon that I posted throughout October!!
One night would change her life forever. Emily Meyer’s life is blessed…until a mysterious animal attacks her one night in rural West Virginia. Now nothing is the same. She can’t eat. She can’t sleep. And her dreams are filled with terrifying nightmares that leave her exhausted and worried she’s losing her mind. Something is watching her every move. Now she’ll have to fight to survive…and to keep her humanity.
Steven Paul Watson, Author 