Hello My Friend,
Happy New Year! Welcome to my January newsletter! I’m writing this after returning home from physical therapy…oh the joys of aging. I’m finally working to strengthen my lower back. Anyway, I won’t bore you with the mundane stuff. Back to author-life!
I always love the increased motivation that comes with a fresh start, which makes January my second favorite month (next to October). I’m a goal-setter, as I’m sure you know; I love sitting down at the start of the year and digging into my potential. I set some aggressive goals for 2023, both in my writing career and in my personal life. The biggest will be publishing Lady Witch #4! Yes, you heard me, there will be a forth book! The series has done great on Amazon.
Another goal is giving myself more “fun” time. Not that reading and writing aren’t fun, per se. And I certainly engage in plenty of other fun hobbies. But I'm talking indulgent fun. So, I’ve taken up adult coloring books as a new “fun” hobby. It feels like a guilty pleasure to spend fifteen minutes a day with my colored pencils. Another hobby/goal I’ve taken up is archery! Well, I haven’t technically started YET. Hubby got me a bow and arrows for Christmas! I’m going to take a lesson in Feb, and then its off to the races. And my third and final new “fun” hobby is gaming. I’m an awful gamer. But, we got a Switch over the holidays and I want to get in on the Animal Crossing fad. So…we will see how that goes.
With this year’s newsletters, I’m going back to a monthly schedule. PLEASE NOTE!! Unfortunately, this will be my last email newsletter. All further newsletters are moving to blog-only format. My host website has decided to charge an exorbitant amount of money to send emails to my subscribers. I'm heartbroken and frustrated about this. I hate that I won't be able to email you, and that you'll have to chase updates by going to my blog. But, after spending hours searching for a work around, I gave up. I'm going to make a point to be more active on my author Facebook, instagram, and Wattpad to keep you updated (and of course my website blog!), to make up for this.
For my newsletters, I’ll give a brief update on my writing projects, any big news I have, maybe a little personal life stuff, as well as some recommendations for books I’ve read.
So, let’s get started!!
⭐️Nanowrimo 2022: I completed Nanowrimo 2022 in November, and it was the BEST nano I’ve ever done. It helped having a group of people with me. We did writing sprints together, cheered each other on, and had tons of fun. I wrote the first 50,000 words towards Bedelth the Orange. I don’t normally write Dragonwall books rapid-pace. But I wanted to get an upper hand before December. So, technically, I “won.” You might be wondering what that means? To “win” nanowrimo, you merely need to hit your goal. It’s a personal win. There aren’t any prizes, other than bragging rights. But for me, the big deal was, I wrote every single day, for 30 days straight. I’ve never done that before. Getting a perfect streak felt amazing.
⭐️The Dragonwall Series/Bedelth the Orange: My Dragonwall Series continues to grow in popularity! As you know, this series is currently exclusive to Wattpad. I’m writing the 5th book, Bedelth the Orange. A new chapter posts to Wattpad every Friday! So if you have not had a chance to start, head over. There’s already a handful of chapters up.
For those looking for physical copies, I agree that it is frustrating to wait two years for these to go back into print. But I appreciate your patience. And in the mean time, you can read the free, published versions on the Wattpad app on your phone, or tablet, or even the website browser on your computer.
⭐️Blog: Don’t forget that I did a prep-tober blog series for new writers! I’ve got some great writing topics ideal for new writers. If you’re ever interested in exploring a topic, drop me a line and I can write a blog. I’m always looking for new blog ideas.
⭐️The Lady Witch Series: I’m doing a PROMO for this series! February 1st - 5th the Kindle editions will be 0.99c each! You can get the set of 3 books for under $3. Hey…that should be my punch-line. Three for under three. I’m also doing a giveaway!!!! And, it’s international, anywhere Amazon ships. I’ll be hosting this giveaway on my Instagram page, so make sure you’re following me. It will go live on the 1st of Feb. This is to celebrate my kick-off of the 4th book (Title TBA). I will be drafting it in February as part of my Feb writing sprint month. I’ll be writing the whole book over the period of a month. My goal is to publish it by the end of the year. Stay tuned!
⭐️The Arcane Artifacts: The Sleeper’s Harp was released in October as part of my Wattpad contract. It is exclusive to Wattpad for the next two years (ish). It’s the first in a series of stand alone romance contemporary fantasy books. If you like spicy books filled with fierce heroins, broody alpha-males, forced proximity, smut, artifact, contemporary settings, vampires, fae, goblins, werewolves, etc. You’re going to LOVE this one. The Sleeper’s Harp is available on Wattpad (and nearly completed). I will begin drafting the second book in May! It will go up on Wattpad in late summer. It will be vampire themed.
Alrighty, I think that covers it as far as my biggest book news. I’m really excited for 2023. I love the goals I’ve set, and I’m going to push myself in so many aspects, to be my best self, and to hit some big accomplishments. I’m so excited that you’re going to be on this journey with me.
Take care,
Mel
⭐️Book I Loved Recently:
Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia for Faeries