The Obligatory So Now What Post

December has started. NaNoWriMo has ended. Say goodbye to another year. Not to writing because I do that all year long, but to the breakneck, frenetic pace that is the headlong rush for the finish line I only do during the month of November. All things aside, I got a lot done for the fact that I only wrote 23 days out of the 30 day month. In that time, I managed to pen 70K+ which is nothing to sneeze at. Perhaps not enough to put me up there with those greats who can finish 100K in 30 days, but enough to get me a decent way into writing an entire first draft. Blades of Fate stands to be perhaps my most ambitious novel yet considering it is a piece set in a world I thought I was fully shut of several years ago and thus had to essentially relearn in order to tell this new story. Let me just say, it was not like fitting into a pair of comfy old slippers. It was more like wrangling on a pair of ill-fitting, poorly cared for thigh high leathers. Once you get them on, you're doing pretty good. Getting them on is however a beast.

A little bit of housekeeping. I'm taking down the free story I wrote over the month of October: October Sky. Don't fret. It still exists to be read, but those who didn't read it in its initial run on the blog are going to have to start paying for it. I'm putting it up on Amazon and Smashwords as an ebook with a price varying from Free to 2.99. In short, I haven't quite decided on my price point yet, so it's still up in the air. If you did get a chance to read it and thought it noteworthy, why don't you head on over to Amazon, Goodreads, or Smashwords and leave behind a little review? All the love is much appreciated.

For those who lament when my next book is coming out cease your wailing. I intend to once again start writing short fiction on the blog as well as prepping several of my previous works for publication through Amazon and Smashwords. That should sate the appetite while I come up with new and increasing flights of fancy to send us all on. I'm thinking I might start with something Science Fiction-y. You'll just have to hang out and see.

In the meantime, Dark King Rising is still available for preorder with its debut on the 18th of December. Amazon | Smashwords . The preorder price is 2.99 but it will be going up as well once the first week of the print is out, so get it while there's a good deal.

Onward and Upward! The New Project: October Sky

Well, I finished Dark King Rising. First draft ended up just south of 92,000 words. I'm putting it away for a week or so to get some feedback from others on the story's readability and such. (If you'd like to be considered as a beta reader, drop me a comment at the end of this post and I'll see about getting you an electronic copy. Be the first in the door to read something new and special.) That of course leaves me with the usual problem of: What do I do now? I have a half-dozen novels planned out but NaNoWriMo is in November, which is a month and 2 1/2 weeks away. In short, I don't want to start another novel right now because I'm looking at starting something new the first of November. (Wanna find me on NaNoWriMo? I'm our.lady.of.ashes, don't forget the periods.) As I was lamenting this fact to a friend last night, I was also busily thinking of what can come next. I need something that won't take me that long to write or polish. Something I can turn out by Halloween and be done. As a matter of fact, why don't I write something specifically for Halloween to give to my newsletter readers? I'm sure they would love to get something new and awesome in their inbox. That's why they signed up for the newsletter after all. (And to those who have already signed up, I'll be sending out the first newsletter soon to get feedback on what project you would like to see next.)

Since I want something small I can write and finish, I've decided to cap this new project, October Sky, at 25,000 words. It might end up being shorter than that, but I'm seriously hoping it won't end up being longer. Granted, I just wrote a 92,000 word book in a little over two months, so it's doable for me to finish 25,000 in a month and two weeks. I just have to sit down and work on it everyday like I did the last book. Then I can work on pounding it into shape.

October Sky is the story of Emmaline Simmons and the missing October stars. You see, in the world she lives in the stars power the well of souls, the conduit between the living and dead. However, when a major constellation goes missing, the well cannot be powered and souls start piling up. Emmaline must then journey into the Heavens and find the missing constellation before All Saint's Eve or Halloween night in order to insure that the well opens and the dead can pass through to their eternal rest. I think it's going to be YA, but I'm not entirely sure. It's still in the planning, rough scene sketch phase.

In other news, I'm still looking for feedback on the covers. (You can find them on THIS POST.) I personally like both of them and have gotten various different opinions via my Facebook page and my Twitter, so I'm aggregating all the opinions and considering what would be the next logical step.