Monthly Review: August 2019

© Creative Commons Zero (CC0)

I blinked, and now September is in a few days. WHAT?! This month has really whizzed by. I've sold a few more books. Now I just need to up my promotion and plan some store visits to at least have my books in a few locations. I also entered it into the UK Storyteller contest on Amazon. Fingers, toes, eyes, all crossed there.

I only got to go to the beach once before Fall started creeping in early! Our water is gross, too, so it wasn't as beach-fun as I'm now accustomed to. That's okay, because my sisters and I are going to Tobago in three weeks!

I started reading Radio Silence by Alice Oseman yesterday, and British jargon aside, I'm already loving this book. France is me, and I love when I can open a book and feel that about a character.

I'm ready for some movies! I need to see Hobbs & Shaw, and The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (not a movie, but still) comes to Netflix Friday! Also, IT part 2, will be here in a few days, and I am so scared and so excited.

That's all I have, really. How was everyone's August? Are you looking forward to Fall?

August Writing Update

*me, sitting casually at work, playing Bingo* ...OH SHOOT!

Calvin and Hobbes © Bill Watterson

I forgot it's Wednesday. The 3rd Wednesday of the month, I update you all on my writing!

Honestly, I haven't written too much yet. I'm mostly revising what I've already written (a bad habit, I know, but I can't help it). I'm going to work on fleshing out my Fractured Princess characters for Divided Princess. What do they look like as people now, after all that happened? That's going to be fun to explore, and I already sort of know some aspects.

I don't want to say it, but I have more ideas for the Shattered Chronicles *squeal-cringe*. I didn't want to have ideas for a sequel, and now, more things are popping into my head. Whether or not they will make publication remains to be seen, but they would be really cool ideas to birth, so I do want to give them a try.

If you haven't purchased Fractured Princess yet, there is still time to get the paperback for $9.99. I will be increasing the price soon, just from some advice I've been getting, but not too high. I still want it to be accessible to all readers, especially as it's a paperback, which usually run cheaper.

All right, if I remember next week, my Monthly Review will be posted on time. Have a great week!

Wednesday Words: Shadow Stalker by Renee Scattergood


Happy Wednesday!

I usually share with you what I'm reading (A Natural History of Dragons: A Memoir by Lady Trent by Marie Brennan. It's interesting.), but I have a special author spotlight today!


Renee Scattergood, author of the dark fantasy serial, Shadow Stalker, lives in Australia with her husband and daughter. She loves reading, watching movies with her family, and watching YouTube videos with her daughter. Visit her site for a free copy of Shadow Stalker Part 1 (Episodes 1 – 6): http://reneescattergood.com

Renee promotes both indie and small press authors at Renee's Author Spotlight (I'm featured there today!) and speculative fiction books and authors at Speculative Fiction Spot.

There are several ways to connect with Renee: 

Mailing Lists – Get a free book with each!

Author Pages

Social Media Profiles

Here is a little more about Shadow Stalker Part 1 (Episodes 1-6):


Auren longs for the freedom that comes with adulthood and wants to celebrate her coming of age with her friends on a distant island. When her strict foster-father, Kado, says no, she sneaks out, determined to prove she can take care of herself. But her forbidden excursion turns into a nightmare when the island is overrun by the Galvadi Empire forces. Worse, she learns that she is their main target.

Drevin, Emperor of the Galvadi people, is convinced she will enslave the people of the Serpent Isles and wants her dead.

When Auren learns she is a shadow stalker, someone who can travel between the physical and spirit worlds, and that she is the only one who can stop Drevin, it’s more than she can take. Her whole world is turning upside down and instead of adulthood bringing freedom, she is instead overwhelmed by a greater undertaking than any one person could possibly overcome. It seems hopeless.

However, if she can defeat Drevin, maybe she can have her old life back. More than that, the people she cares about would be safe to live their lives, and the people of the Serpent Isles would be free of the Galvadi forever.


I'm intrigued! Definitely grabbing part 1 to read. What about you?

Insecure Writer's Support Group: Post-Publication Jitters


Happy August!

Thank you, as always, to Alex J. Cavanaugh for creating this group, and the many co-hosts who help him sift through our anxieties each month. Please visit his page, where you can also find links to this month's co-hosts, and stop by the Insecure Writer's Support Group page to visit other insecure writers and/or join us!

So, my anxiety this month is how well Fractured Princess will do now that it's out in the world! I already have a good Goodreads review, and that's the last time I will look at reviews for it. It was just exciting to see that someone I'm not related to loves the book.

I'm also hoping that my other works will live up FP. I've focused on this book for SO long, and I'm just hoping I can 1) finish the sequel, 2) write more works NOT related to it, and 3) be successful in doing all of that. I know that writer's fraud syndrome will kick in soon. I just don't want it to weigh me down. FP is just the beginning! And that's scary.

Each month, we're given an optional question to answer. This month's question is: Has your writing ever taken you by surprise? For example, a positive and belated response to a submission you'd forgotten about or an ending you never saw coming?

YES! I've said it before: when I first started writing FP, the dynamics of the character relationships were much different. Jonnie and Cyan barely had one besides Watchman and watch, but as the revisions started rolling in, they became brother and sister with a strong relationship and bond that shines in the foreground. I never would've imagined years ago their journey the way it ended up in the published book, and now I can't imagine the story without it!

What about your writing?