August 2024 Doings!

Hello, everyone! After the craziness of July, I'm happy that August was a little quieter — which isn't to say it wasn't busy, but it was a more mundane, routine kind of busy rather than the kind you get when you're celebrating and driving halfway across the country and back. Most of the excitement this month has been on the writing front, so let's jump in there!

Writing!

• The big writing-related news of the month was, of course, the cover and preorder reveal for Illusion's Reign! You can click there to get all the details, but in short: Illusion's Reign is Onora's story and is a prequel to Song of the Selkies. It will release September 27 as part of the Lost Kerchiefs Arista Challenge Group, and it's currently available for preorder on Amazon. I'm very excited, but that probably goes without saying.
• Aside from that, August has mostly been dominated by edits. I spent most of the month working through the big edit/partial rewrite of Illusion's Reign, following guidance from my beta readers. Most of the book was already in pretty good condition and just needed sanding and polishing, so to speak,, but I did end up adding an extra chapter and rewriting large chunks of some other chapters. Then I took a couple days off before jumping in for editing Round 3, which focuses more on word choice and sentence-level issues, and which I finished this past week. Now I'm just waiting for my physical proof copy to arrive so I can do proofreading. All in all, I've been able to stay pretty much on or ahead of schedule, so I'm happy about that!
• Other than Illusion's Reign, I've been working on my next D&D adventure, and I actually made some really good progress . . . thankfully, since we finally got to the start of that new adventure in our last session, which means I can now properly refer to it as the tournament arc. I have enough material prepped to fill the next few sessions, and I think I'm mostly past the hard part of getting the rest put together, so all in all, I'm in a good place . . . as long as I don't get overconfident, anyway.

Reading!

• Yeah, it's been a really light reading month. To be fair, that's partially because The Ward took a solid two weeks — it was a much longer book than I anticipated. It was very good, though! I loved the blend of suspense with found family elements, and the alternate-history world was cool. I'm not sure if this is technically historical fantasy or alternate-world magical realism, but either way, it was very well done. It also satisfied while still making me curious enough to want to find out more about the characters, so I'll absolutely be watching for the next book in the series.
• My other new read of the month was an ARC of Her Fake Superhero Boyfriend, H.L. Burke's upcoming release. It should probably go without saying that I loved this one! Burke's SVR books never fail to delight me, and this one included a take on one of my favorite tropes. Besides that, getting to see more of KC was fun, and I absolutely loved Mira and Mira and KC's dynamic together. They're just so good for each other.
• I do not know why I reread Furiously Happy other than my brain said "I want this" and I said "Ok then." I liked it roughly the same amount as I did the first time around. Nothing much to say here. At least it counts towards my goal of 15 non-speculative-fiction books for the year.
• I continue to enjoy Dracula Daily and Re: Dracula, of course! I have somewhat fallen off keeping up with most of my other books-by-post subscriptions, but I'll catch up eventually . . .
• Finally, I'm currently reading Splintered Mind by W.R. Gingell, since I got my Kickstarter backer ebook copy earlier in the month. I'm about a third of the way in and liking it very much so far!

 Watching & Playing!

• So, the other reason why I read less than usual this month is because my gaming sessions kept going later than planned . . . which anyone else who's played Star Rail will understand, as this month was exclusively taken up by the Penacony storyline, which was a roller-coaster from start to finish. There was much screaming (and also some tears) in the group chat I have with two of my friends who got me into the game.
• Unfortunately, I can't talk a lot about the storyline because it is very twisty and I don't want to spoil anything. I thought I knew most of the major spoilers going in, but I somehow managed to dodge the biggest ones. (That definitely contributed to the screaming.) All I'll say is that it was so good and so hard to put down, and I loved so many of the characters. I think Acheron is my favorite of the Penacony crew — she's an incredibly dangerous woman who has every reason in the world to be a doom-and-gloom edgelord pessimist, but who is instead one of the kindest and most hopeful characters in the game, second only (I think) to Jing Yuan. She's the best. There were a lot of good characters, though.
• So, yes. That was really good, but it was also a really long storyline, and I only just finished it this week (not counting the sidequests). If you play Star Rail and want to talk about it, feel free to message me.

 Life!

• As I said earlier, August was a lot quieter than July, and thank God for that! Outside of writing, my main excitement happened early in the month when my friend Wyn and I met up for an escape room and lunch (and so I could give her back the costume pieces I'd transported to Realm Makers for her). We very narrowly succeeded at the escape room — we had to use all the hints, alas — but we had fun! Plus, it's always nice to get to hang out with friends in-person.
• Also exciting: the D&D campaign I play in reached the climax this month! We've been wrapping up loose ends, gathering allies, and confronting our big bad once and for all. We've also had some really wonderful character moments in the process, including a point at which our ranger had to push back against her (lawful evil) dad's plans for her, giving up some pretty impressive power-ups in the process. At the moment, we're between stages of the climatic battle, but it's been pretty epic so far. Also, my paladin has once again accidentally picked up a cursed item . . . but the curse in question is partially nullified by another of her items, so it kind of turned into an advantage for her. (For the D&D players who were curious: she's under the effects of the Barbarian Reckless feature, but she has adamantine armor, so she has double the chance to get hits, particularly critical hits, on enemies, while they just have a slightly higher chance of getting a normal hit on her. For a paladin fighting a lot of undead, that's a risk worth taking.) I'm still getting a kick out of the fact that she's the only one who seems to get cursed items, though, and that both times, she's gotten the item in question right before a major boss fight.
• Outside of that, life has mostly been business as usual. Work is gearing up for fall kickoff and giving campaign, but the workload so far has been manageable, despite my fears. On the crafting front, I'm starting early on Christmas presents (for once), and I finished several embroidery hoops so they can be displayed. Now I just have to figure out where to put them.
• I did bake some fun things! Specifically, I finally made asiago and sun-dried tomato quick bread, which I've wanted to try for ages. We happened to get some sun-dried tomatoes from a Bible study friend at the start of the month, so I baked a loaf and took it back to Bible study last weekend. It was very tasty, and I definitely ate too much of it (oops). I also made crispy coconut oat cookies, which are essentially ANZAC biscuits from Baking Yesteryear with some extra butter, and those were yummy as well.
• So far, I think only doing one grad school class this semester was the right choice. This time last year, I was already really stressed, even just starting the class. This year has been a lot better, though the fact that I finished the draft and main edit on Illusion's Reign closer to when I intended to also helps. I still do have issues with the lure of busy-ness, especially as I don't like disappointing people or saying no . . . but I'm doing better.

September Plans

• I get to start the month out by seeing my sister (and some other friends) and visiting one of my favorite places, so I'm very much looking forward to that.
• After that, though, we're tackling a very busy and exciting month! As already mentioned, Illusion's Reign releases at the end of September, and while I have a lot done already, there's always more to do: proofreading, uploading final departments, getting stuff ready for online promo, sending out ARCs, and so forth. Hopefully, though, that'll be less stressful this year than it has been in some past years.
• Additionally, September sees the return of the Silmaril Awards! Nominations open on Monday, September 2, and I'll be hosting one of the categories again. Which one? You'll have to wait and see . . .
• No grad school classes this month — that doesn't start until October — but I do need to order textbooks sometime sooner than later. Work will also continue to be busy for the same reasons as it was in August.
• I'm hoping to make it to the Renaissance Festival sometime in September as well, since that's when most of the theme weekends are. If not, though, I'll go in October; it'll be fine. And, of course, September will probably see the ending of the D&D campaign . . . not the group, though; we already have plans for characters for the next adventure! (Which reminds me, I need to finish some backstory stuff for my character. And by "backstory stuff" I mean a family tree and notes on other relationships, because I like coming up with that kind of thing and it makes the DM's job easier.)

How was your August? Any plans for September? Are you planning to go to any fun events — Renaissance Festivals, fall fests, or anything else — this fall? And have you preordered Illusion's Reign yet? Please tell me in the comments!
Thanks for reading!

 

Hello, all! Welcome back to another Taleweaver's Desk update, in which I provide a broad view of what projects I'm working on (and not working on) and what might be coming soon. At this point, I don't think these posts need a lot of introduction, so let's jump right in with what's on the desktop.

On the Taleweaver's Desk Issue 13: August 2024

On the Desktop

These are the projects you might find open on my laptop or desk if you took a peek at it during a normal day. They're currently in progress and at the top of the priority chart.

Illusion's Reign (Daughters of Atirse #2)

What is it? A Goose Girl/Puss in Boots retelling, the second book in the Daughters of Atirse series, and the prequel to Song of the Selkies.

Status: Two rounds of edits done; starting on the third round of edits and formatting.

In case you missed it, Illusion's Reign (formerly known as Onora's story or Daughters of Atirse #2) now has a title, a cover, and a preorder link (and also a Goodreads listing)! It will release September 27 as part of the Arista Challenge Lost Kerchiefs group release. Information on how to sign up to be part of the blog/social tour or request an ARC is coming soon, so keep an eye out for that! In the meantime, I'm hard at work getting the book ready. I got some really good feedback from beta readers, which resulted in a lot of the climax lead-up getting heavily edited or rewritten — I think for the better. The next round of edits will focus more on word- and sentence-level adjustments, followed by formatting and proofing. Timeline-wise, I'm in a pretty good place with this book, so as long as I don't get cocky, this release should be a lot less stressful than the one for Song of the Selkies (in which I was working up to the very last possible minute).

D&D Campaign: Defenders of Serys

What is it? Defenders of Serys is the homebrew D&D campaign that I run for my D&D group.

Status: Finally making progress on that one adventure I've been procrastinating on!

I continue to regret deciding to try an overly complicated plotline like the one I'm attempting next, simply because it's a pain to prep . . . but I hope it'll be worth it once we're actually playing it. At the moment, most of my D&D writing/prep time is going towards making NPCs, as there are a lot more than usual who need actual stat blocks or sheets at the outset of the story. That said, this is still getting the short end of the stick when it comes to dividing up my writing time — it's very much a spare time project. Thankfully, we progress slowly enough through adventures that this hasn't been much of an issue . . . not yet, anyway.

Stacked on the Side

These are the stories that I'm not actively working on (at least not officially), but I'm keeping close at hand because I plan to get back to them soon (or I just work on them sporadically as the urge takes me).

Once Upon a Dream

What is it? A light steampunk (or gaslamp fantasy?) Sleeping Beauty retelling; the predecessor to The Midnight Show

Status: Edited several times over. Awaiting another round of rewrites/expansion/edits (and a useful excuse/motivation for prioritizing those edits).

Secret Star Book

What is it? A secret. An experiment. The product of my having read/watched/otherwise enjoyed a lot of media in a couple specific genres (outside my usual one) in the last half of 2023 and first half of 2024.

Status: I am dabbling in this as a sort of just-for-fun project as I have the time and desire to do so. Right now, that mostly looks like worldbuilding and fleshing out characters.

Shelved for Now

These are stories that are also on hold, but which I don't have specific plans to work on very soon. They're still within easy reach should I decide to return to them, but they aren't a top priority.

Blood in the Earth

What is it? Blood in the Earth is the sequel to Blood in the Snow and a retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses crossed with the myth of Hades and Persephone.

Status: First draft finished; awaiting rewrites. I still love this story, but I don't know when I'll get back to it. Currently, that happening in the next twelve months is looking somewhat dubious.

Between Two Worlds

What is it? A portal fantasy adventure about what happens when you come home from the adventure, only to discover that the adventure isn't quite as done with you as you thought.

Status: Awaiting another round of edits/rewrites while I write other things and daydream about its sequels. May get bumped further up the priority list depending on certain other factors, but probably not for a while yet.

The Way of the Pen

What is it? Self-aware fantasy adventure about a girl and her author.

Status: The first draft is sitting on my shelf, patiently waiting for its turn back in the spotlight, as it has been for some time. Of everything in this section, this is one of the most likely books to move up to Stacked on the Side or On the Desktop, as I occasionally have wild thoughts of editing it and shopping it 'round to traditional publishers. However, that actually happening in the next couple years is improbable, due to Atirse and Bastian Dennel taking priority.

Berstru Tales series

What is it? The longest-running series I've worked on (either in the number of books written or in how long I've worked on it. Originally was a classic epic fantasy, but is getting a genre change.

Status: Needs to be rewritten from the ground up, but the bones are good. I've decided that I'm going to try changing it to a different subgenre, and I'm excited to work on that, but I don't think it'll happen in the next six months.

Awaiting Delivery

These are the stories that are on their way, but haven't quite arrived yet to the point where I can write them: ideas I'm toying with but haven't even started to draft because they're still too nebulous.

Additional Bastian Dennel, PI novels

What is it? Exactly what the heading said. Book 4 will be Jack and the Beanstalk (yes, I'm serious); other stories planned include The Little Mermaid, The Goose Girl, The Nutcracker, Rumplestiltskin, and Pwyll & Rhiannon.

Status: Bastian Dennel Book 4 is next up on my priority list to write, and I hope it'll come together quickly. My tentative plan is to start it somewhere in the area of mid-October or early November, though if everything with Illusion's Reign goes really well, that timeline might be moved up by a week or two. After that, I'm looking at The Nutcracker as Book 5, followed by The Little Mermaid, The Goose Girl, Rumplestiltskin, and Pwyll & Rhiannon, roughly in that order . . . though I might end up switching the last two. It's hard to say, but they're far enough away that I can probably figure it out when I get closer.

Future Daughters of Atirse books

What is it? What the headline said, again. Multiple other stories connected with Song of the Selkies. Specifically, I have plans for some variation on Beauty and the Beast (sequel), Tam Lin (prequel), and Pwyll & Rhiannon (sequel), as well as a prequel (about Prince Diarmad) and at least one other sequel (about Uaine) that don't have specific fairy tales but will be written because I want to tell their main characters' stories.

Status: The Beauty and the Beast sequel, which will focus on Mirren, will probably be the next of these books that I write, and I plan to tackle it after I write BDPI #4. Aside from that, I continue to bounce ideas around with my friend, both to expand existing ideas and create new ones.

Unnamed Fantasy Murder Mystery

What is it? Exactly what the headline says. A prominent noble is murdered; his adoptive daughter is poised to inherit his lands and position — but some are saying her hand was behind his death.

Status: Still just an idea, but it's an idea with a really good soundtrack. May end up being set in the same world as Daughters of Atirse, though not in the same series and later in the world's timeline.

DOSA Files #2 Story

What is it? A story for the second DOSA Files anthology, set in the world of H.L. Burke's SVR books.

Status: I know I want to write something for the second anthology; I just haven't figured out what yet. A few people have told me that they'd like something else featuring the Save {Point} characters, though, so right now my thoughts mostly lean towards trying to figure out a new Situation to stick Steelblood, Quantum, and Ava into. (Or it might just be Steelblood and Quantum, if I do a prequel . . . we'll see what happens.)

What projects (writing or otherwise) are you working on currently, and how are they going for you? Tell me in the comments!
Thanks for reading!

 

Illusion's Reign COVER REVEAL + Preorder Info!

Hello, everyone! I've been talking for a while about Daughters of Atìrse #2, the prequel to Song of the Selkies, and I'm happy to announce that it now has a title, a cover, AND a release date! So, if you've been eagerly anticipating a new story of Atìrse, or if my mentions of it have gotten you curious, you're in luck. It's coming, and it's coming soon. Comparatively, anyway.

I could talk more about this, but I think I'll just show y'all the cover first.

A transformed princess is determined to reclaim what's hers — but can truth prevail when illusion wears the crown?

Crown Princess Onora of Atirse is eager to prove herself as the heir to her parents' throne. Moving into one of her family's holdings away from the Royal Seat offers the chance to put into practice all she's learned and demonstrate what kind of queen she intends to one day be, and even the shadow of an uprising among Atirse's faery neighbors can't dull her excitement. Yet her plans go awry when one of her attendants proves false and she's transformed and replaced by a faery imposter.

Though cursed and cast into the role of a lowly goose-keeper, with only her beloved cat as an ally, Onora refuses to admit defeat. She'll do whatever it takes to break the curse, expose the imposter, and take back the role that is rightfully hers. However, that's easier said than done when her opponent can so easily manipulate the truth — and the fickle feelings of the locals and the surliness of the miller's strange assistant don't make her task any less difficult.

Time is swiftly passing, and Onora must reclaim her place before the transformation becomes permanent. But can she do so when nothing is as it seems and even her allies have secrets?

Return to the kingdom of Atirse and discover what happens when "The Goose Girl" meets "Puss in Boots" in this prequel to the award-winning Song of the Selkies.

Releasing September 27, 2024

Preorder on Amazon || Add to your Goodreads shelf

Those of you who've read Song of the Selkies are familiar with Onora already, of course — she plays a pretty significant role in Ceana's story as Ceana's wise older sister, guide, and confidante. Illusion's Reign jumps back ten years to a much younger version of Onora who's facing her own trials and, in the process, becoming the person we know she will be (with the help of her own mentors and allies). Be ready for schemes and secrets . . . but also community, a magical cat, an arranged antagonists-to-lovers romance, and a protagonist who will let nothing stand in the way of making the truth known (even when that means her determination is sometimes at war with her common sense).

As a story, Illusion's Reign can be read on its own. However, it will be best enjoyed if you've read Song of the Selkies. Haven't had a chance to pick up that story yet? It's available on Amazon, and if you like reading books on Kindle, you'll be happy to know that the ebook will be on special in September. Keep an eye on my blog and socials for more details regarding that.

Illusion's Reign will release in September as part of the Lost Kerchiefs Arista Challenge, alongside books from Kendra E. Ardnek, Tricia Mingerink, and other authors. Check out last night's Facebook party to learn more and discover all the Goose Girl retellings coming out next month!

What do you think of the cover? How excited are you about Illusion's Reign? Please tell me in the comments!

July 2024 Doings!

Hello, everyone! July  has been a busy and exciting month — but, you know, in a very good (if also very tiring) way. The big news of the month has already been going around the internet, but it bears repeating one more time, and there's plenty more to say, so let's get going!

Writing!

• If you missed the big news: Song of the Selkies won not just the fantasy novel category of the Realm Awards but also the Book of the Year award! I did not expect this at all (not in a "I don't think I deserve it" way, more in a "This seems like such a huge dream that I forgot it was possible" way), but needless to say, I'm thrilled and delighted. I'm also glad I could actually be at the awards ceremony to receive the award in person — it was an incredible night (but more on that later).
• Outside of that (very exciting) news, I don't have a lot to report. I didn't do much writing this month until this past week when I started edits on Onora's story, but that's not a bad thing. It was nice to take some time off from big projects to enjoy Realm Makers and see family and friends. I did dabble a little on assorted small projects, just for fun, and I worked on D&D writing, but that's about it.
• I did put together the cover for Onora's story, though! It was a bit of a headache to find decent images and put them together, but I finally got something I'm satisfied with (thanks in part to help from a friend who was able to diagnose where my problems were when I was stuck). Keep an eye out in the next month or so for the cover reveal!

Reading!

• This was a little bit of a lighter reading month — though that tends to be a side-effect of travel.
• The highlight of the month was definitely City of Serpents, the latest Secrets of Ormdale novel! I posted my thoughts on this book earlier this month, but to sum up, I loved spending more time with established characters and meeting new ones, and the story was excellent as ever.
• I spent a lot of the month reading three different anthologies: Unexpected Encounters of the Draconic Kind, Wags, Woofs, and Wonders, and DOSA Files Volume 1. I like anthologies for busy months, as it's easier to find a good stopping point and still feel satisfied, and all three of these contained some excellent stories. I mean, yes, I'm a little biased on two of them, but still . . .
• My other new-to-me reads were The Adventure Zone: The Eleventh Hour, The Lost World, and Down with the Prince. Surprisingly, The Lost World was my favorite of these — it's an adventure story by Arthur Conan Doyle about an expedition to a remote region where dinosaurs haven't died out, and while I can see why it's not as well-known as Sherlock Holmes, it was still exciting and a generally fun read. The Eleventh Hour was also good, with a nice balance of humor and really hard-hitting feels. Down With the Prince . . . I may have set my hopes a little too high with this one; the blurb and general vibes seemed really promising, but I didn't jive with certain aspects of the story, and I also think the prose could've benefited from another editing pass.
• Finally, I'm continuing to enjoy Dracula via Dracula Daily and various Sherlock Holmes stories via Letters from Watson. I haven't consistently done a good job keeping up with all my books-by-email subscriptions, but I still say it's an excellent way to read the classics.

 Watching & Playing!

• I have finally seen The Mummy (1999)! I kept hearing so many good things about this movie — first from my college roommate, then from various corners of the internet — but as has been established, I am really bad about actually watching movies, regardless of how much I want to see them. I also really wanted to see it with my former roommate if I could, since I knew how much she loved it. So, when I visited her on my way to Realm Makers and we were looking for something to watch, I suggested this, and she and her family enthusiastically agreed.
• Having now watched it, I see why so many people love it so much! I don't think it's my new favorite movie, but I would definitely watch it again. Evie, Rick, and Jonathan are all excellent protagonists — Rick especially. He has a very sensible approach to things, y'know? And you have to love the snark. As far as the story goes, I enjoyed that as well. There were a few bits when I had to shut my eyes or look away from the screen (mostly some of the bug scenes), but overall, it was a good time.
• My family also watched The Music Man for Independence Day (well, a few days after Independence Day, but it still counts). I don't have much to say about it other than I still love this movie.
• As far as podcasts and gaming . . . nothing much to report. I'm still mostly listening to Dracula Daily and Lateral, with the occasional episode of E.A. Hendryx's Productivity and Prose podcast thrown in for variety's sake. And I continue to thoroughly enjoy Honkai Star Rail! July's gaming time was mostly spent on story-relevant sidequests, but I finally started the Penacony storyline (the third or fourth chapter of the main story, depending on how you classify the beginning of the game) this past week. I have heard many, many things about this quest and setting, and I am simultaneously nervous and excited. I have enjoyed what I've played so far, though, even if I'm kind of side-eyeing everyone.

 Life!

• The big event of July, of course, was Realm Makers — and because my sister and several of my friends live halfway between me and the conference, I decided to visit them for a few days, turning my conference journey into a just-over-a-week-long trip.
• I spent the first couple days of the trip at my college roommate's house, visiting with her and playing lots of Sentinels of the Multiverse. We haven't really played Sentinels since my sister moved out, so this was a very good time. This is also when I watched The Mummy, as I mentioned earlier.
• From there, I drove down to my sister's house and stayed there for a few more very busy days. I visited her church, joined in her weekly dinner with her friends, and got to put faces to many names that I'd heard frequently. We also visited some family and had a game-and-cheese night with a couple of my D&D friends, which was a delight. We did find some time to just chill together, though, and I really appreciated that.
• Then, on Wednesday, I repacked my stuff and set off for St. Louis! For whatever reason, that drive felt so much longer than the drive out to my roommate's and sister's area had, even though it was about the same length or a little shorter. (I'm going to guess that it's because it was a really boring drive. I like driving in Ohio, but once you get further west, it kinda turned into a whole lot of nothing.) I made it to the hotel, however, and met up with Wyn Owens, with whom I was once again rooming for the conference. Despite both of us being tired from travel, we had a grand time chatting with each other and with assorted others we bumped into.
• The conference properly started Thursday evening with a keynote from Allen Arnold, which was really good. The highlight of the day, however, was getting to help playtest an SVR-themed tabletop roleplaying game that H.L. Burke is developing — she ran a one-shot (set at a writers' conference, naturally), and we had a whole crew of heroes assembled to save the authors from the villain, the dreaded Red Pen (who does not believe in the Oxford comma). The game was chaotic, to say the least, but it was a lot of fun, and we did successfully save the day!
• Friday night was the Awards Banquet, which was amazing . . . and not just for the obvious reasons. I went in costume, of course, though I didn't go as a specific character. I was the Lady Dragon Keeper, which basically means I had a medieval-y dress and some of the dragons my sister has made me, including a new one that attaches to the shoulder of my dress with magnets. The costume wasn't elaborate, but it served its main purposes, which was to show off the dragons and let me tell others how cool my sister is.
• I did not participate in the costume contest, but Wyn did, wearing a Princess Zelda cosplay that featured a very impressive dragon puppet . . . that actually moved. Because her arm was inside it. She had a separate fake arm and everything; it was very convincing. I mean, I saw her put the costume on, and I still had to do double-takes all evening! She was one of the five finalists called up on stage for the Best Costume cheer-off, and after the first round of cheers, the MCs could only narrow it down to a top three, of which she was one. What was meant as a tiebreaker round after that only confirmed the tie, so the MCs then announced that there would be a third try, but this time, everyone could only cheer for one costume. This time, there was enough difference that the MCs could determine a winner: Wyn and her Zelda costume!
• After that excitement, we moved straight into the book awards. I was a lot less nervous this year than last year, but I still was feeling a little anxious as we approached the Fantasy Novel category (which was the fourth-to-last category to be announced). I spend a lot of time around these awards trying to talk down my chances, so when they announced the second-place winner and it wasn't Song of the Selkies, I told myself that I was probably just a finalist but that even that was amazing . . . and then Scott Minor, reading the first line of the winning book, said "As betrothal ceremonies go," Wyn screamed quietly, and I had a delighted realization that I was not just a finalist.
• Walking back (somewhat in a daze) from the stage, I briefly realized "I guess this means I'm technically eligible for the Book of the Year award; that's wild." Of course, I knew there were a lot of other amazing books also winning awards, so my chances still seemed pretty slim — and they seemed slimmer still when Scott reminded those gathered that some second-place winners would might be Book of the Year finalists simply because of how many points they'd earned.
• Then, two books into the finalist list, he announced "Song of the Selkies, by Sarah Pennington, Independently Published," and I had another "Oh. Oh MY," moment. Still, even a finalist position was more than I'd expected — and when he announced Suspended in the Stars by E.A. Hendryx as another finalist a moment later, I felt like I had a pretty good idea who was going to win. If I got second place, that would be incredible.
• He announced the second-place winner — not me. I thought "Well, Book of the Year finalist and Best Fantasy Novel is still amazing, and I am very excited for Emilie. Her book sounds awesome; I'm sure she's earned this."
• And then Scott read the first few words of the Book of the Year's first line: "As betrothal ceremonies go . . ."
• Wyn screamed (quietly, again).
• I attempted to process the fact that something I didn't even think was a possibility had just happened.
• Somehow I made it back on the stage. It was probably very obvious to everyone that I was very flustered and more than a little in shock, but hopefully it was also very obvious that I was delighted and surprised.
• It was a very good night.
• All that said, the awards were not actually the best part of the conference — the best part was spending time with friends, chatting about life, books, and whatever else came up, and getting to actually hug all the people I want to be able to hug the other 360 days of the year that aren't Realm Makers or RM-adjacent. To that end, I actually ended up skipping a few of the sessions so I would have more time to spend talking to people (and so I wouldn't have to rush through lunch one of the days).
• The sessions I did attend were very good, though. Allen Arnold's "Slaying the Seven-Headed Story Beast" was less craft-focused than what I normally do, but it was very insightful and helpful. I was a little worried after the first session, which hit on an insecurity I was struggling a lot with at the beginning of the year, but the last session kind of gave me . . . I'm not sure if it was a push in a particular direction, a sign that a couple things I've been thinking about doing (or not doing) were ok, or both, but whatever it was, it was good.
• Less good: the journey back from the conference, which involved two eight-hour driving days in a row. That was very long and very tiring, especially since I didn't sleep much Saturday night, I got a later-than-ideal start on Sunday, and it rained all day Monday (when I was going through the mountains). Next year, I'm going to break up the drive a little better and give myself more of a break between travel days. Still, I made it home in one piece, and for that, I'm grateful.
• This post is already long, so I'll make the recap of the rest of the month quick. Work has generally been quiet, especially since people have been out of the office most of the month. My family celebrated Independence Day with our Bible study, as usual, enjoying smoked pulled pork barbecue and the televised DC fireworks. The following week, I made cornmeal cookies from B. Dylan Hollis's video, but they did not turn out as intended — they spread a lot. I do not think I will repeat that particular recipe. On the crafting front, I finished the embroidery on both my Cosmere pin hoop and a Schlock Mercenary pin hoop; now I just need to assemble them into their final forms. I'm generally pleased with how both have turned out. Now I'm back to crocheting creatures.
• And that wraps it up! It's been a busy month, but a very good one.

August Plans

• We're back to working on Onora's story! I will be spending all month editing. Joy. (This is my least favorite part of the writing process.) Thankfully, my beta readers have all given me really good feedback, and I am very appreciative . . . but that does not make me any more excited about having to figure out how to implement it. Ah well. I will survive, and both the story and I will be the better for it. I think we should also be getting a cover reveal sometime this month, so keep an eye out for that!
• Work is getting busier again as we move towards fall and the accompanying flurry of events. We're doing something different (to me) for the fall kickoff event, and I am a little bit nervous about that, but I'm trying to be optimistic. If it goes well and has the desired result (more people volunteering instead of the same half-dozen people doing everything), it'll provide a big improvement for all the ministry staff and current volunteers, so . . . hopefully it goes well. It's not until September, but a lot of the prep is happening now.
• I should be back to blogging this month, if all goes well. I also need to get busy on the next D&D adventure, since we'll need at least the first part of it in a couple weeks.
• I will not be starting a new grad school class this month, as I've decided to only do one class this semester. While that will delay my finishing date a little, it'll also allow me to focus more of my energy on my next book release instead of splitting my attention and stressing myself out. For the record, this decision is part of how I'm implementing what I learned in Allen Arnold's Story Beast talks — he had a lot to say about the lure of busy-ness and the dangers of trying to do too many good things, and that resonated a lot. My intention is wait on the class so I can get Onora's story finished and finished well, and then scale back to a lighter writing schedule in October so I can give the class the attention it deserves. (I do still need to figure out what class that's going to be and register for it, though.)

How was your July? Any plans for August? Were you at Realm Makers (and if so, what was your favorite part)? How well do you handle long drives? Please tell me in the comments!
Thanks for reading!