Novel Updates

11 posts

A book cover with the title A Third Kind of Madness on a red/blue/black background and a mysterious photographer under the text. Next to it is a manual camera, all on a black background.

Introducing: A Third Kind of Madness

Launching on May 1st 2024, the third installment in the Stories of the Eleriannan series – A Third Kind of Madness – is a tale about muses, ambition, possessiveness, consequences, and love.

Our protagonist Denny is self-described as boring and uncomfortable in their own skin, a quiet photographer who hides behind baggy men’s clothing and a camera and specializes in minimizing and doubting themself. Yet Denny is part of an art collective, and has done both solo shows and ones with their group, and would certainly be more successful if they didn’t allow the aggressively ambitious leader of the collective to push them around.

Denny has a crush on a regular at the Frisky Bean, the bubbly and attractive Peri. They spend their days stealing glances of her from across the room until one day Peri breaks the routine by introducing herself – then asking Denny for a dinner date. She suggests her place, which just happens to be at The Maithe.

What comes next? Greedy art [and artists], elementals with opinions, photographs that show more than is apparent to the eye, and the consequences of messing around with forces that aren’t understood – or freely given.

ATKOM is a little darker than my other books but still full of upbeat moments and Fae magic. Vali, Karsten, Cullen, and the folks in The Drawback are all back and joined by new characters both magical and mortal. And again some of my favorite places in Baltimore are featured as a backdrop to the action, because the city is one of my favorite characters.


“I live in a city known for eccentricity. Baltimore is a vivid place, full of hidden magic. And yet here I am, quiet and unremarkable, and with no idea of how I got this way. I’d give a lot to have a touch of that magic in my life.”

Be careful what you wish for.

When Denny isn’t working as a photographer, they spend their time at the local coffee shop mooning over one of the regulars, the mysterious and beautiful Peri. No one’s more surprised than Denny when she asks them out on a date.

What happens that night throws the couple into a world where nothing is as it appears and everyone wants to get their hands on Peri and her powers to inspire artists – especially Joolie, the controlling and egotistical leader of Denny’s art collective.

If that wasn’t enough, the powerful, capricious water elementals known as Nyxen have inexplicably taken an interest in Denny. They warn that Peri’s gifts bring nothing but trouble to those around her. It’s hard to argue with them when the magic starts to go wrong; paintings greedily come alive with grasping tentacles, an obsessed ex-lover returns to threaten the couple, and Denny begins to wonder if their grip on reality is beginning to slip…


For readers who enjoy a list of tropes, you can expect: found family, sapphic romance, mysterious and definitely capricious water elementals, rock-and-roll Fae, the power of blood [compels you], photos and art with supernatural properties, muse abuse, and an anthropomorphized house – or is it?

A Third Kind of Madness signed paperback special bundles are available now for preorder, and the regular paperback and ePub will be for sale starting on May 1st 2024!

Expect more details about the launch party SOON!

A collage of sea, scenic, and building images in film frames with the text September Updates overlaid.

September 2023 – full of hidden magic

I’ve been busy enough to keep me from updating here until now, which is great for me but leaves you a bit in the dark, doesn’t it?

What’s been happening?

A quick recap from August:

  • I finished the first draft of ATKOM and then did several rounds of revisions. It’s off with the editor right now, then I’ll get it back and revise some more.
  • In Sleep You Know was cut from SPFBO. I’m extremely glad to have had the experience and to have met so many excellent indie authors and book reviewers through the process. As a reader, I can say with all confidence that there’s no better place to look for your next reads than from the 300 contestants. I’ve filled up my own library with titles from SPFBO and I can’t wait to see who is chosen as the ultimate winner!
  • I applied for a couple of opportunities but I can’t say more until I know more. Oooh, secrets.
  • I added new merch to the Ko-Fi in the form of Fae Baubles – hand made jewelry from me!
  • In the interim while I wait on edits/revisions, I came up with another idea that I can’t wait to share with you…

Introducing the Magic All Around podcast/vlog!

I played around a little bit with this idea when I first published In Sleep You Know, looking for various ways to converse about writing, books, and other related topics. You might have seen those couple of videos on my YouTube channel! Because of life considerations getting in the way, I didn’t get very far with the experiment that time, but as I’m in the editing/revising phase of book #3 and I have more time and energy to spare, I devised this plan to bring together a handful of things that I love and that I think are relevant to my creative world… plus…

I’m going to be doing chapter reads from In Sleep You Know!

So many people have asked for this, how could I say no? I enjoy reading aloud anyway, so this will be a treat for me to do, and I’m hoping that it’s entertaining for YOU!

I haven’t set a schedule yet, but I’ll have readings as both a video and audio option. If you’re a Ko-fi supporter, I’ll make the chapters downloadable for you as a supporter perk! If this project goes well, I’ll be able to create an audiobook type of experience, which is one of my dreams for my series. And if it doesn’t… well, I’ll have a good time!

Here’s some of the other things that Magic All Around will cover:

In the Music @ The Maithe segment I’ll talk about tracks/bands that’ve recently caught my interest, and I might go on a bit about how they fit into my overall literary world, too. Art & Mystique will be about the inspiration and influence I find in the arts, expressed in a variety of ways. I’m pretty excited about these two because they’re the backbone of my inspirations.

Crafty Charms will encompass all the different things I’m working on and how they tie into my literary world, too. Expect everything from Fae-inspired fiber arts to the character dolls and miniature world of the Eleriannan I’m slowly working on creating!

Magic Seeking is a peek into the philosophy of my life: finding magic in unexpected places, often ones you pass by every day. That’s both in a physical and metaphorical sense! And of course, Words & Writing is when I talk about what stories I’m working on, and other writerly updates.

I’m hoping to start recording these very soon, along with bringing back radio shows over at Radio Xiane and some other creative offerings, so keep tuned. I’ll announce here, on Ko-fi, and via my newsletter. Expect episodes to be full of me being my ridiculous self, which is either an issue or a selling point, depending on who you are! 😉

That’s all I’ve got for updates for now! I wanted to mention that if you’re interested in being an advance reader/reviewer for the upcoming book, make sure to sign up on the ARCs page to get on the list!

Text that says "time to revise" on the background of a camera lens reflecting colorful lights

First Draft DONE! Hello, Revisions.

122,939 words over eight months of writing.

I can now happily announce the the first draft of A Third Kind of Madness is finished! *throws confetti*

If you’re unfamiliar with the writing process, you may not know what this means. Next up comes revision, including several rounds of editing from me. I’ll make as many passes over the manuscript as I feel is necessary in order to make the tightest version I can craft on my own.

Somewhere in that process, I’ll get a few trusted beta readers to look it over and give me feedback. Does everything flow well? Does it make sense? Any questions or concerns about plot, characters, details? I’ve already had my #1 alpha reader reading through as I’ve written the chapters; he’s pretty good about catching egregious errors or letting me know if something got lost, but I’ll want fresher eyes for the revision process.

Once I get through that, it’ll go off to a professional editor, who will watch for spelling, syntax, and grammar issues. They’ll also keep an eye on my style and pacing. Basically, they’ll help me polish up my story so that it’s fine tuned. It’s definitely one of the most important parts of the process!

Once the editor and I have gone back and forth about changes and I’ve implemented all the ones I want to keep – which is usually most of them – then I do another pass, looking for anything I might have missed. If you’re thinking “wow, you’ve read this story a lot of times by now,” you’d be right. And I’ll read it many more times, or at least scan it, as it moves through the steps of layout and design, then when I get the proofs.

…good thing I really like the stories that I write!

A few fun stats.

a chart with tallies by month of my progress on A Third Kind of Madness.
Word count by months for ATKOM: columns are month, days that I wrote in that month, words by month, average words per day.

You might note that the total doesn’t quite match the end word count. That’s because I had actually started writing this story in a different form a while ago, then abandoned it to work on Cast a Shadow of Doubt. I revisited what I’d written after I finished CASOD and gave it a complete overhaul, with changes to some of the concepts and characters. It’s vastly different from where it began!

I don’t write every day. That shows in my daily averages, and that’s okay. I’ve talked before about how even when I’m not physically typing in my manuscript, I’m always writing. A lot of that is mental or supportive work: thinking through scenes, doing research, even doing things like making mood boards or character sketches. I also do things like write blog posts and content for my Ko-ki supporters, and post/interact on social media. Oh, and do live readings and interviews.

Speaking of – my interview at Sue L. Bavey’s Sue’s Musings went up this week! I talk about why I decided to self publish, the genres and media that I enjoy, my advice for aspiring writers and more. You can read it here: https://suelbavey.wordpress.com/2023/07/13/indie-spotlight-christiane-knight/

On July 22nd I’ll be a guest on Melinda Kucsera‘s Fantasy, Lore, & More podcast. She’s one of the 300 authors in SPFBO and decided to take some time to interview other entrants in the contest, like me! In the meantime, you can enjoy the 24 other interviews she’s conducted so far – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrxjkyxsLI1YL8-K_qvcew7YqirEssHd- is the link! I’ll make sure to post the interview directly when it’s up, as well. I’m looking forward to this a lot!

That’s all the big news I’ve got for now. As of today I’m still a viable contestant in SPFBO, so keep your fingers crossed for me. There are SO MANY great books that In Sleep You Know is up against, which honestly is excellent…except for my TBR pile, which is growing exponentially.

What a terrible problem to have!

Blue camera on orange background with text: Getting close now, checking in on progress of A Third Kind of Madness

Getting Close Now: progress check-in

Hello friends! It’s time for an update on my writing progress, and it’s great news – I am SO CLOSE to getting the first draft of this book finished!

As of this blog post, I’ve got about 21,000 words to hit my word goal!

That’s about five chapters, to put it into perspective. I know, right?

Some things to know about the whole process:

  • This is a tentative goal, but I generally aim for about 120,000 to 125,000 words for a novel.
  • The word count will change as I go into revision.
  • This is my first draft, so some things may change drastically when I revise, but usually that’s not the case for me.
  • A chapter for my books usually runs an average of 4,000 words.
  • I’m at the point now as a writer where I seem to know instinctively where to start gathering all the various plot points together. When I realized that, I was blown away!
  • The last ten chapters seem to take the longest to write.

Expounding on that last point – my whole writing process slows down when I get to the last parts of the story. And it makes sense, of course, because there’s usually so many things to carefully weave together, making sure nothing gets left behind. Plus, this is where the “big action” of the story takes place, often with physical scenes and a lot more character interaction that all has to be carefully plotted out and sometimes even acted out by me to make sure that it all makes sense and reads properly.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to pose myself to make sure what I’m describing makes sense and works the way I want it to, ha. Or research things like, I dunno… sun angles, location maps, names of specific armor, animal facts. The list goes on and on. Recently I got sidetracked by a search of specific nautical terms.

Photo by Barna Kovacs on Unsplash

Once I’m finished with the first draft, I’ll go in for revisions, round one. Some people pause between phases of writing their book, and I like to pause between revisions and editing. I prefer to revise while the story is fresh in my head, and while I remember exactly what I knew I’d need to go back and rearrange or pretty-up. Sometimes, you just need to get the scene down on the page, you know, before you lose that spark.

So I’ll revise, then I’ll rest the story for a short period and work on other things, so that I can come back to it with fresh eyes and mind for the editing process. Once I’ve gone over it approximately ONE MILLION TIMES I’ll send it to a professional editor. Then they’ll go over it a bunch and then it comes back to me for changes and EVEN MORE CHECKING.

You may have noticed that this means I’ll have read this story a substantial number of times before you ever do.

I’ve probably read my stories more times than anyone ever will. Not because I’m my #1 fan or anything, but to fact-check, to re-immerse myself in the storyline, to look for quotes, and… sometimes just for fun. THAT’S RIGHT, I SAID IT. I read my own books because I like them! 🤣

I love my characters. I mean, they live in my head, I’m close to them! I also love the settings in my books, and they’re detailed enough that I have to go back and check “Was this on the left or the right? Where exactly is the door to the courtyard in relation to the kitchen?” Trust me, those little details matter. Someone will notice if I screw it up! I actually recently wrote out a long walk-through of The Maithe for that reason. Maybe one day I’ll share it!

That’s my update for now. Once the first draft is finished I’ll talk some more about it and start giving you more thorough introductions to the characters and what they’re all about. But for now, thank you for reading, and if you have any questions about my process, please do reply below!

Getting ready for NaNoWriMo 2022

[Some of these links are affiliate links. What that means is that I am referring you because I like and use this item, and I’ll get a little bit of cash for recommending it, which supports me and my work. Everyone wins!]

It’s almost Samhain/Halloween, and that means that National Novel Writing Month is just around the corner!

You probably know by now that I’m a big proponent of NaNoWriMo, and even used it to write large chunks of my published books. I am very much goal and gamification driven, and the idea of writing 50,000 words in a month with a community and getting cute badges on my profile page as I hit my goals is very compelling for me.


I know it’s not for everyone! Some folks feel pressure in the wrong way for them to try and put out a set amount of words in a month. Luckily, NaNoWriMo is YOU driven, and that means you can make your own rules. Example: I’m actually working on the same novel this year that I was last year. That means I’m coming into the month with a plotline and characters established and about 25,000 words down in Scrivener. I’m still going to try for 50,000 more, but if I don’t make it, I’m not going to beat myself up over it! Here’s why:

IF ANY WORDS GET WRITTEN THAT MEANS THAT I’M A WINNER. That applies to YOU, too.

So don’t get hung up on the “big official” goal. Set your own – if you want! – and join in. Or don’t, and cheer those of us on who enjoy this sort of challenge!

My Scrivener cards for NaNoWriMo 2022

I previously listed out some of the tools that I like and use, and how I use them, but I wanted to give you an updated version of that post for this year. Most things are the same, but I have some new insights and experiences after publishing two books using these methods, and I wanted to share!

Scrivener is my #1 way to write my manuscripts now. I like the functionality of the program, which works really well with my organization style. There are plenty of templates, including specific ones for NaNoWriMo! I can see what each chapter has at a glance, and the character sketch template is really helpful. It will also compile your manuscript in a bunch of different ways/styles easily.

I also edit using Scrivener, but usually in conjunction with Google Docs. The reason for that is the editors I’ve worked with usually prefer that method as they can leave notes and we can correspond through them. I make the corrections in a copy of my manuscript in Scrivener. [Usually I end up with a LOT of versions of the work in progress, and yes, I do keep them all!]
I also do all my own editing and revision in Scrivener.

Here’s a shot of what it looks like inside a scene in Scrivener. This is a little sneak peek for you, too!

When it comes to the writing process, I have a couple of websites I find invaluable. One is Word Hippo, which is a thesaurus/dictionary but also helps when you need to find words or rhymes, or aren’t sure how to pronounce something. I use this site constantly. Slick Write is another website I lean on heavily. You can check your grammar in seconds, for free, and get suggestions on how to improve it. Obvious this won’t replace an editor, but it is a great way to get your words ready for a professional editor, which will save you both time and probably you some money. Also, it is never a bad thing to learn how to tighten up your writing!

I want to give a special mention to Writing With Color, a Tumblr blog that is dedicated to writing and resources centered on racial, ethnic and religious diversity. The suggestions and discussions here are extremely helpful! Just the page on skin tone descriptions alone could be a creative writing course all by itself. I highly suggest taking the time to go through the posts here, you’ll learn a lot no matter who you are or what your background is.

Need to create a language for your Fantasy world? Vulgar is what you want.

This year’s Trello board, all neat and organized!

I’ve mentioned Trello before, too. I use it frequently for many aspects of my life, but the way it helps me keep organized in my writing is why I recommend it to everyone. I keep all the details that I need at my fingertips there, including my story outline, character and location details, music lists, and things like plot devices.
I also keep all my pertinent links for promotion as well as my blurbs and other texts there. It keeps everything organized and there’s even a record of every change I make there, which is the kind of recordkeeping I love.
If you decide to try out Trello and want some help setting it up for your books, let me know!

Photo: Mike Erskine

I don’t wanna do this alone!

I get this so much! Community is my jam and the writing community is a fantastic place to get support and inspiration. There are a lot of great writing groups and support out there, so I’m just going to mention a couple here.

First up are the forums and regional groups right on the NaNoWriMo site! You can find a group here on almost any topic. Whether you’re trying to decide if you’re a planner or pantser, or you want feedback on your writing, you’ll find a post or group. You can also connect with local groups and do things like write-ins in person!

I have a group on Facebook called Magic, Music, Mayhem where I’m building support and insightful community for writers. During the month of November I’ll be doing some writing sprints there and posting lots of inspirational words to get us all fired up!

Mayyyyy…..beeee….. maybe you don’t think you can do this without heavy-duty support? Or maybe you think you’d rather write on a different schedule than 50,000 words in a month, with someone to coach you along and provide a community of other people just like you? You might be looking for Caitlin Fisher’s Working Title Writing Incubator!

If you want structure that isn’t TOO structured, guidance instead of must-dos, deep insight that will lead you to genuine successes – Caitlin is who you’ve been looking for.

Caitlin Liz Fisher is an anti-capitalist coach for neurodivergent, disabled, and queer creatives finding the courage to prioritize their passions. They focus on helping clients navigate the “brain bullshit” (including imposter syndrome and whatever your mother would think) to help you go for the thing that truly brings you joy. If this sounds like what you’re looking for, I recommend checking out Working Title Writing Incubator.

So what about it? Do you have an idea for a story?
Even if you don’t, you can to read mine [yay!] and follow my progress as I work on A Third Kind of Madness. Before I sign off to do all the last minute NaNoWriMo prep, want to see my fun cover image placeholder? This looks nothing like what the finished cover will look like, but I love doing these placeholders so much!

cover reveal CASOD

Cast a Shadow of Doubt Cover Reveal

I’m so pleased to reveal the official cover for Cast a Shadow of Doubt, the sequel to In Sleep You Know! The novel will be available in ebook and paperback for purchase through my website and Amazon, and of course all the other important places.

Pre-orders for the Kindle are available NOW, through this link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09PSKZ2V6

Here’s the blurb, to whet your appetite:

Lucee Fearney legitimately inherited the leadership of the Fae faction known as Eleriannan, but what will happen when they find out that she still only has the magical skills of a Mortal? 

When unexpected, dangerous visitors show up at the door of Maithe House, they bring word of an enemy that none of the Fae know how to fight. Even if Lucee can learn to trust herself and lean on her friends for help, will it be enough to take down the powerful and mysterious foe  known as the Mealladhan? 

Rejoin Lucee, Cullen, Merrick, Vali, Sousa, and all the other Mortal-born and Fae of Baltimore in another magical, musical adventure!

Now with 100% more outdoor summer music festivals, uncanny graffiti, and shadowy forces.

Stay tuned for more release info, including giveaways and other fun activities, and make sure that you’re signed up for my mailing list so that you’re among the first to know when the book goes live on February 1st, 2022!

A surface covered in grey furry looking material has a stack of old books with a hot beverage on them atop. Leaning on the books is a tablet with the cover of Cast a Shadow of Doubt. A candle burns in the background next to a rose colored pillow.

Getting Closer to Everything

Things are happening, even though the year is almost over!

You’d think that December should be a downtime sort of month, what with the holidays and the end of the year quickly approaching. But you’d be wrong! I have been diligently working away in the background on a bunch of different things: events and appearances for 2022, new upcoming projects, goals for the new year, and oh yeah… all of the details surrounding putting together Cast a Shadow of Doubt!

Let me start with CASOD updates first, because they’re exciting! I’ve moved through the editing process and have the finished text. Formatting is almost done, and the next steps are cover, blurb, and technical background details.

All cover images you’ve seen so far have been placeholders, created by me. The central image is a reference to a plot point that is integral to the storyline, and that’s all I’ll say about that. Will the official cover look similar? You will have to wait and see! There will be a cover reveal when I’m ready and I’ll make sure you know all about it.

I feel good about the blurb as it stands, and you’ll see that SOON. And technical background details are things like setting up preorders, ISBNs, registering with the Library of Congress, etc. If you’d like to learn more about what is entailed with these tasks as a self-published author, you can join my Ko-fi as a member of the “A Writer’s Life and Craft” level.

Let’s talk events!

I have started setting up events for 2022, and although it isn’t confirmed yet, I can whisper in your ear that I’ll definitely be at Baltimore Faerie Faire again — and this time, IN PERSON! Yay!

Other places I’ll be, although I’m not sure if it’ll be in an official capacity or just as an attendee, include the 2022 Nebula Conference, Balticon and the Summer Solstice Faerie Festival. I’ll have a section up soon with all of these events listed, and I hope to meet some of you there!

Are there other events where you’d like to see me? Please leave a comment here with suggestions!

New projects in the works

Once CASOD launches on Imbolc [which is February 1st] 2022, I will be turning my hand to some related projects. I am currently working on story #3 set in the world of the Eleriannan. It remains to be seen if it will be a novel or something shorter, but it will be my first published story that features an LGBTQ+ main character. Considering how quickly–at least for a newbie author– I put out two novels, I’m taking a little more time with this story. It has characters really close to my heart, and I think you will love it.

Another thing that I have been discussing is starting a podcast that features theatrical readings from my stories. I can’t afford to make audiobooks [yet] so this might be a fun way to create something folks can listen to in the car or at home. I can’t guarantee that this will happen yet! It’ll take some money for equipment upgrades, for one thing. But if this interests you, and you want to help, supporting me on Ko-fi is the best way to do that.

Oh! One last thing!

In Sleep You Know, right next to a T. Kingfisher book! That’s some nice company it’s keeping!

I went the other day to my local library to see one of my books, one that I wrote, with my own two eyes. And there it was, on the shelf with all the new releases, and I may have done a little dance in the aisle when I saw it.

I’ve had a lot of amazing achievements this year as a newly published author, but this one might mean the most to me. Libraries have an important place in my heart. As a young person with a voracious reading appetite and very few friends, libraries were a lifeline for me. They are hallowed ground, in my mind. And now I have a book in one. Actually, more than one, because In Sleep You Know is in three library systems that I’m aware of – maybe more that I’m not!

And that brings up a Big Ask from me.

Folks, did you know that you can request your library to carry specific books? For free! Some library systems require you to log into a library account, but many do not. You’ll have to fill out a form, but that’s easy and the info you’ll need is easy to get from Amazon or Goodreads. And if they approve it, other people will get a chance to read my book. Or other indie authors’ books, because you can do this for any indie or self-published author who has taken the time to make their books available for library systems to purchase!

So if you want to give me or another author a present for the holidays, please take the time to request our books through your library systems. It only takes a moment and will help us so much!

Your support is the best thing in the world, my magic seekers. Expect another blog post before the end of the year, and I appreciate that you took the time to read this one!

Announcing: Cast A Shadow Of Doubt

Lucee Fearney legitimately inherited the leadership of the Eleriannan, but what happens when the Fae find out that she still only has the magical skills of a Mortal? 

When unexpected, dangerous visitors show up at the door of Maithe House, they bring word of an enemy that none of the Fae know how to fight. Even if Lucee can learn to trust herself and lean on her friends for help, will it be enough to take down the powerful and mysterious Mealladhan? 

Rejoin Lucee, Cullen, Merrick, Vali, Sousa, and all the other Mortal-born and Fae of Baltimore in another magical [and musical] adventure!

Now with 100% more outdoor summer festivals, uncanny graffiti, and mysterious forces.

Cast A Shadow Of Doubt will focus on fan-favorite characters Lucee and Vali! Look for a a more detailed synopsis, an official cover image, and more – coming soon! Newsletter subscribers and Ko-fi supporters will be the first to know when pre-orders go live. Book launch date is currently projected for February 1st 2022!

Monthly Update: Word Count September 2021

Hello Magic Seekers! I’m checking in with my current word count and State of the Novel update, as promised.

I’ve been writing away, and I am pleased to tell you that I am at 93,907 words, or at 78% complete on the first draft. My base goal is 120,000 words, give or take. Just for comparison, In Sleep You Know came in originally over 127,000 words and I trimmed it down to about 125,000.

The task of getting the word count under control happens during the editing and revision process, which is coming SOON for me! I’ve found that once I get close to the end of the story, things start speeding up and before I know it, I’ll be blasting through the action like I’m riding a speeding bobsled to reach the conclusion. It’s always a wild ride!

After that, I’ll take a small break to let the story rest and to give myself some space and fresh perspective. After I’m ready to dive back into the story, it’s time to re-read and start looking over the plot to see what should be tightened up, moved around, or deleted. Some things may be added, like extra scenes or observations, things that will stitch the subplots together with the main plot seamlessly – that is, if I do it right! In this time frame, I’ll also have some trusted beta readers look over the story and let me know what they think and if there’s anything I’m missing.

Next up is all the line editing and proofreading, first by myself, then by a professional. This is really when my hands start to come off the reins, and the pros take over to make sure that the finished product will be the best that it can be. My job changes at this point, and I will start concentrating on things like writing my back cover blurb and elevator pitch and all those good things that will help my book get into the hands of readers.

But enough about that! Want to see some fun character avatars I threw together via Picrew? They aren’t perfect, because I had to work with the limitations of what Picrew offers, but they are adorable.

The Fae as Comic Style Avatars

Like I said, not quite perfect – for one, I couldn’t do green hair for The Ladies! But hopefully you can see the spirit of the Eleriannan, Gwyliannan, and Mortals in these cute comical avatars!

Check back in next month for the next update, Magic Seekers!

monthly updates word count

Monthly Update: Word Count August 2021

Hello, dear magic seekers! I’ve started a new feature, the monthly update post. This is where you can read about the progress and word count on my current novel, plus any other interesting updates about my work and life as an author.

I’ve noticed that people really enjoy seeing my incremental progress with my writing! I post regular word count updates, but if you want to see the current word output, I’ve made it very easy to check in at any time. If you look at the sidebar, you’ll see a widget that shows my last reported word count, including percentage complete. As of this post, I’m almost halfway! [58,230 words!]

Obviously, this has me extremely excited – especially because I’m exactly where I want to be, in terms of plot lining up with word count and story beats. Outlining is to thank for that, as well as my copious notes and near-obsessive word count tracking.

What does tracking word count have to do with maintaining proper pace? Basically, it helps me keep track of where I know certain events should be happening as I write. If I hit the midpoint and there isn’t a big event happening, I know that my pacing is off, and people will lose interest in the story, no matter how great I think the characters are. [If you’d like to learn more about the mechanics of plot pacing, I suggest looking up the “three act structure” or wait until later this year, when I’ll be offering deep discussions about the craft of writing on my ko-fi.]

A few other things to mention: keep your eyes peeled for some new events that will be added in a few days!

I should have a title to announce SOON.

Once there’s a title, you’ll get a link to the working SOUNDTRACK! Or…. you can support me on my ko-fi and you’ll get early access to that link!

Did you catch the last excerpt I included from the manuscript?

What else are you dying to know? Hit me up in the comments here or on Facebook!