Hi! Happy May everyone! Spring really does feel imminent.
April was my first full month being a full-time writer! I started writing full time about mid-March and it has been an interesting and enlightening experience. I sit and write for hours, and it’s amazing how fast the day goes (for good or for bad). There are certainly days where writing is difficult, but I’m surprised by how I can work on my writing career all day and not grow tired of it. At least not yet!
Since writing full time, I’ve decided to start writing a monthly, author update. So welcome to my official monthly author update!
Pandemic
Like all of you, I’ve been living through the fun of COVID-19 (please detect the sarcasm in my voice when I say the word fun). It hasn’t affected my daily life a ton since I would be working from home regardless. The biggest inconvenience for me is that everyone else living in our apartment building is also home all day so it’s noisier than usual. In addition to the dog downstairs that NEVER. STOPS. BARKING!!!! And of course, grocery shopping is much more tense these days.
I have really missed being able to go to a coffee shop and just sit and write or surf Facebook. I’ve also realized how much I enjoy going to the library. You don’t know how much you love something until it’s gone. *crying emoji*
Book Update
Fortunately, all this quarantining has really allowed me to make huge progress on my book. In April I wrote 8 new chapters of The Hated Warwick, my 4th book the Camilla Crim series. This puts me ALMOST ¾ of the way through the story. So, I definitely have some more writing to go but I’m really pleased with what I’ve accomplished this month.
This next section of the book that I’m starting on today is probably most vague for me. I have this book decently plotted up to this point and I know how I want it to end, but this next portion is going to be tricky. The good news is, I have set an official release date for The Hated Warwick! Which I’ll announce in the next couple of weeks.
As I work my way through this book, I’ve been doing 20,000 word swaps with a critique partner of mine, so yesterday, I sent her those 8 chapters I just wrote to critique. Her feedback has been very helpful as I continue to write and edit.
My New Website!
At the beginning of April, I made a goal for myself to FINALLY finish my website. I’ve had websites before that I liked but I’ve never had one I loved. I think I can officially say that I now LOVE my website. I spent weeks, all day, working on my current website. Of course, it’s not perfect, and I’ll still be making some tweaks, but when you’re done reading, cruise around and check out my new website!
Life Update
I’ve been doing a ton of walking. I’m participating in a 5k in September. (Assuming it doesn’t get cancelled). My husband is doing a half marathon, but I’m not quite up for that yet lol. So, I’ve been trying to walk just about every day. I found a new trail just a few minutes from our apartment which I’m loving and taking full advantage of.
For date night this month, my husband turned it into date day. There is literally nothing else to do, so why not? He took me on a hike at a park about an hour and a half from us. It was so nice getting away for the day. Unfortunately, with not being able to eat in a restaurant or really go inside anywhere, it made finding public bathrooms difficult! (Don’t worry, we figured it out.) We did manage to find a good coffee shop to pick up some coffee to go. It was a little chilly out after the hike, so we walked with our coffees in hand. *heart*
In my culinary world, I have finally perfected the art of the hash brown patty. It’s taken years, but I’ve finally figured out how to make flavorful hash browns that are chewy on the inside and delectably crispy on the outside. Let me know if you want me to show you how I do it!
Looking Forward
Today, I’ll be working on my new list of goals for May. I will definitely be continuing to work through The Hated Warwick. I’m planning to be done with this draft by July. Actually, it has to be done by July because that’s when it’s due to my editor…
I also have a few other writing projects in the works which I’ll be telling you about soon. In the meantime, make sure you sign up for my email newsletter to stay up to date. You can sign up HERE.
One more thing, last week I posted my first blog post in almost 3 years. Yes, you read that right, 3 years. If you’re interested to read why I was away from blogging for so long, you can read my last blog post. It’s a very personal and real update. You can find it HERE.
Love,
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