Oh hey, October
The Bare Bones of Spooky Season
I have a confession - I’ve really dropped the ball on Spooky Season. Earlier in the year, I was so excited to take more pictures of delightful skeletons, remind everyone of my spooky debut and really have a big celebration for its first year of publication!
As it turns out, I’m still dealing with promo burnout after What the Sea Brings.
I’ve been refilling the well with finishing up a First Draft (more on that below) and lots of outside time (it’s *finally* fall weather!) and seeing delightfully spooky films such as Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein. (Highly recommended but for Adults Only)
Shout out to all the new readers I met during the Cincy Bookstore Crawl! I had such a lovely time and blew my own very modest sales goals out of the water. It was such a good time and a HUGE thank you to Snapdragon Books for hosting! I can’t wait to do another event with them!
As a reminder, Readers and friends can request a FREE signed bookplate while supplies last! If you mention it’s for What the Sea Brings, you might just get a fancy mermaid card and a bookmark while supplies last!
Without further ado, here’s all the last minute spooky season things!
Seasons Readings
Last year, the lovely folks at Finding Fantasy Reads produced an audio reading of my short story, Skullduggery! Many big and renewed thanks to Paeter and Karyne for they’re fantastic work.
If you’ve never read the short before, or simply prefer books in audio form, this is for you!
Down, down to underground. Six feet under. Soil to drown...
Buried beneath the grounds of the College of Magi, The Necromantic Archives are a vast maze of artifacts, magical protections, and carefully preserved secrets. Very few have ever descended to the lowest levels, and even fewer have made it out alive. But when an unexpected death summons the Necromancer back to the College, he must delve into the forbidden alcoves to find the answers he’s long been denied.
Enter the world of The Necromancer’s Apprentice in this prequel short story and meet your mentor.
In addition to Skullduggery, The Necromancer’s Apprentice is on sale through Halloween with Rakuten kobo! If you’re looking to snatch up one last seasonal read, this is a great chance to do so :)
Georgie would do anything to help his father—even learn the dying art of necromancy.
Twelve-year-old Georgie works hard to care for his grieving father while keeping his nosy younger cousin out of trouble. But when his father begins to decline even further, Georgie decides to bring back the one person who could do it all: his deceased mother.
The local Necromancer is an awkward and solitary man with an ancient black cat and a literal skeleton in his closet. With a few words, he can cause a dead sparrow to fly, stop an animated skeleton in its place, and even speak to the dead themselves. Georgie is quickly swept away into a world of skeletal horrors, abandoned graves, and wizard duels where woodland creatures arm themselves against the undead. But can he convince the Necromancer to resurrect his mother in time?
Perfect for fans of Diana Wynne Jones and T. Kingfisher, The Necromancer’s Apprentice is a whimsical take on the process of grieving and learning to live again.
Writing Updates
I have delightful writing news! I have finished the First Draft of my WIP! I did a Zero Draft Outline and then hopped write into drafting properly. All told, the process took about ~6 months. After battling with The Forest Book for TWO YEARS to reach the same point, it has been such a relief to know that my writing brain isn’t actually broken.
I’m really proud of this one. It never really strayed too far from my outline and while some things might shuffle just a wee bit, it really feels like the next round will be more of an adding words, fleshing out character arcs and motivations, and of course adding more magic.
I still haven’t quite landed on a Code Name for it yet (Even if I am 98% decided on the Actual Title). However, if you are a keen observer, you might have noticed that little teaser at the end of the post.
It’s a sequel :)
Next Steps
Yes, it’s time to return to the Forest Book. I won’t lie, I’m pretty scared to tackle it. There is a lot of work ahead. The current plan is to do a read through, taking lots of notes and making adjustments and then, before any further revision takes place, writing the blurb.
Blurb writing is my least favorite aspect of being an Indie Author. I would rather do a hundred synopses than write a single blurb. This is why I’m getting it out of the way first and then the rest should be easy. Right? RIGHT?! Second books, friends. They truly are an absolute menace.
The Cats
Harley has been enjoying my intentional evening reading sessions. It’s a great chance for extra snuggles and the occasional library book pillow.
Meanwhile, Banjo continues to believe that every time minute spent in the kitchen is an opportunity for Snacks. Here he is, doing his best little head tilt in an attempt to make me cave. (I did not. This time.)
That’s all for this newsletter, folks! Happy Reading!
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