Deadlines

The death of me.

Maintaining schedules and self-imposed deadlines are rapidly becoming something of my nightmares. As someone who attended far too many undergraduate classes for far too many years (nine to be exact, which should have earned me at least a post-graduate degree for f’s sake), meeting deadlines shouldn’t be anything daunting. And in fact, during those harrowing years of school, I didn’t really have an issue with it.

Enter my decision to become a published author…

Go Crazy Wtf GIF

Suddenly, people know I’ve written a book, have given feedback on said book, understand that it’s currently being edited (as horrifyingly ambiguous as that actually is), and expect the finalized copy to be available by said projected date.

AKA: DEADLINE. Ensue panic.

Don’t get me wrong. I am positively ecstatic to have people actually express their anticipation for Cloaking Fate. Aside from marrying my husband and birthing my children, writing this book has joined the ranks as one of my life’s greatest accomplishments and sources of pride. Telling stories is my passion, and I’m finding that quite a lot of people take a long time to realize theirs, if at all. This whole process has been the key that unlocked an entire world of possibilities within the realm of writing fantasy, and I am immensely grateful for it.

That being said, the pressure that I feel in meeting the deadlines I set for myself can be substantial. I don’t know how all other authors do it, but I’m working with my editor in sections (she’s fabulous by the way). Currently, I’m edited through chapter 12 of Cloaking Fate. I have 46 chapters total (not including the prologue and epilogue), and at the rate I’m going, I just don’t see how I’m going to have this thing trimmed, polished, packaged, and ready to publish by March of 2025. That’s only four months away, for cryin’ out loud!

But maybe that’s the beauty of it? Maybe I just need to take a deep breath, enjoy the fact that I’m actually able to realize this project, experience this process, and find some gratitude in the journey.

I can do that. So, in conclusion, I’m going to try REALLY hard to get this baby into your hands by March. But if not, please forgive.

In other news, I have to recommend two incredible reads that I positively devoured over the past couple of weeks. First, Quicksilver by Callie Hart.

This book was super easy to read. Fae, a unique world and magic system, enemies to lovers, and easy-to-enjoy characters with familiar tropes had me flying through the pages. Besides, who doesn’t love an originally self-published work that landed the author a killer book deal? That’s the dream!

Next, Anathema by Keri Lake.

Holy smokes, you guys, I was not ready for this. I figured this would be your typical Kindle Unlimited mediocre fantasy to pass the time between releases. WRONG. I was positively obsessed with this book, stuck between needing to savor it and not being able to get to the next scene fast enough. I will warn you, this is gothic fantasy. It’s dark, macabre, rather disturbing at times, and does have trigger warnings. I, however, devoured it and loved every minute. I’ll admit, I’m a sucker for a morally gray male lead with a torturous backstory, but I was pleasantly surprised to find I enjoyed the female MC just as much. KL has created a totally unique world with layers of complexity that have my creative author brain drooling. The magic is awesome, the characters have depth and development, and it’s got (gasp!) believable dialogue! It’s a dream (scintillating nightmare maybe?) wrapped up in a deliciously dark package. If that sounds like your jam, go pick this one up. I can’t wait for the sequel!

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