L.T. Marshall's Blog, page 3

Awakening or Carrero? – What next?

As you know, I am currently working on my book Team Drama, and many of you keep asking about the next Carrero and Awakening. Desperate for a new release as I have taken a long sabbatical.

I recently put polls on several platforms asking you to vote on the next series book: Carrero vs. Awakening. I expected Awakening to win by a landslide.

Shockingly, Carrero has won, but I do think that I can please you all by telling you that before the new Carrero begins, I am finishing my WIP list, which includes The Cruden Tale (an Awakening spin-off) and Alexi’s view. So I hope you are not too disappointed.

I don’t know how fast the progress will be as I am writing a chapter a day on weekdays until life is less hectic. I have a house still under renovation and a lot of life and health issues still going on. Teen Drama is more than half done, so progress is going well.

Alexi’s view is half done and Leyannes (Cruden) is also about half done so when I restart those projects I predict they won’t take long.

As for the next Carrero I already know what it will be and if you have read The Carrero Magazines, then number 3 has a hint at the next couple in the bonus chapter for Camlexi.

I have several Awakening spin-offs planned, and I have two Carrero trilogies planned so far. Don’t worry; I have not given up on them, but it’s been a tough couple of years for me.

Without going into detail, just know that life seems to be doing a little better for all involved. Life is calmer, my health is doing better, and I have fresh enthusiasm for the year ahead.

So I hope that clears up any questions and I am sorry I cannot give a definite timeline. I don’t know where a story will take me in the process, so I cannot estimate the length of a book. Alexi’s view will probably be next as it’s short and quick, and then Cruden. After that I will start a new Carrero.

My new Subscriber section is live – Early Access books

I have been working with a subscription option on an app for some time now and always knew I would eventually offer it on my own site but did not have the know how. So I am now proud and pleased to announce it here.

Instead of waiting an age between books when I am writing up a storm you can now access my work as we go along, interact and even join a FB group for subscribers only. At only £4 a month which is a set rate and won’t change as the book grows.

The way it works – you can pay monthly or annually to access a log in only part of my site, taking you to the weekly chapters. I post around 3 or more a week per book and continue to do so until completion. When a book ends, a new one starts quite quickly.

So what are you wiating for?

Currently the book in progress is Teen Drama

Blurb – Kayla is a smart, focused, top-mark student in her last two senior years of high school in a private facility for rich kids in Florida. All she wants is to get accepted to Harvard and graduate with top marks to follow the career she has set for herself. Her entire life is about becoming an independent and successful vet. She has micro-managed it and planned it to the tiniest detail. Leaving no room for a social life or living her teen years like her peers. This year has had its ups and downs, with her stepbrother of almost ten years coming to live under the same roof after being raised apart after their parents married. The chaos and drama his appearance has brought since he despises not only his father but Kayla’s mother too, has made home tense. He’s a rude, defiant, and arrogant pain in her ass who is hellbent on causing trouble and listens to no one. Dane is the polar opposite in every way – Vain, oversexed, a playboy who takes nothing seriously except booze, girls, and his motorbike while he rebels in every way against his father for ripping apart his family. Looking like a teen idol, acting like someone who doesn’t need to take accountability for anything in his life, Kayla honestly cannot stand him. She sees a loser who will live on daddy’s money and drink away his youth while sleeping with every girl in the county. At 17, they have known one another most of their lives and never had any kind of friendly relationship. They have always been classmates but never friends and definitely not siblings. – but all that is about to change. A series of events pulls them closer, a forbidden and unexpected accidental kiss, and they plummet into confusion as feelings grow that neither expected. Slowly the walls come down between them, and they have far more in common than they ever imagined.

Subscribe here !!!

BOOK RELEASE !!!! The Breath You Left

I finally have a new finished book for you guys and can only apologise that this year has been slow in writing. My health has been a disaster but I am so proud to have finally added another one to my growing list of works.

BLURB

Tragedy creates division. Hatred born of misunderstanding. Two hearts torn in two go their separate ways with an unforgivable reason between them and a vow to never lay eyes on one another again, but fate brings them back together, only with more complications.

She thought her life was coming together perfectly as a young college student. In her last year on a scholarship at the country’s leading IT university, her roommate and best friend introduced her to the love of her life, and all was going well. A proposal after a year of dating was brewing in the works. She couldn’t imagine greater happiness.

But life has other plans for her.

One fateful day is all it takes to forever alter her life and cause her to lose everything and everyone around her, leaving her a ruined shipwreck cast on a stormy sea.

Her only glimmer of light is what he left behind – a child. A daughter. A reason to keep living.

Five years on, fate decides to turn the tides and bring back all those she thought would never cast a shadow on her life again, and scars and fears are completely ripped open.

LINK

https://getbook.at/breathyouleft

COVER

Creative Update – Writing, Art, Crafts and more…

I thought I would bring you all up to speed with the recent going ons in my life in terms of my creative output. It’s been a pretty hectic year filled with so mcuh drama and unexpected hardship so my creative life has been a bit sporadic and all over the place.

The reality of life…

Instead of sugar coating it, I will jump right in.

So here we go. This past few months has seen me having to grieve my grandmother who passed away. Goin to her funeral resulted in staying in a hotel for a couple days and I was exposed to covid. I then ended up with long covid and pneumonia that affected me for about 3 months and I was stuck in bed for most of it. I then had another month of recovery after that and have still some ingoing issues. I break out in hives daily for absolutley nothing and have been told this may take the rest of the year to calm down.

Chico underwent surgery and had several teeth removed. So our poor pup had a few vet appointments and then his actual surgery which was one of the most stressful days of my life. He is completely recovered and doing fine.

So then, my father had a stroke leaving his entire side paralysed and even though we now have him home he is not yet recovered. This was a major period of upheavel in our family as we rallied around the perosn who was normally the doer-fixer-carer for the rest of us. He has leg use back and is learning to try and reclaim the rest of his body. So as you can imagine they still need us to come do tasks, diy and sometimes taxi service uuntil my father is better with his arm and leg.

On top of all that I twice pulled the pectoral muscle in my chest, tearing the muscle, which immobolised my entire upper body for a chunk of time and spread over a couple of months. It was caused by some gardening DIY if you watch my youtube vlog and is why it’s on hiatus. I am currently still resting because of the injury and taking time to recuperate.

There has been some minor famly drama going on the past month and just in general, some stresses and such relating to my private life. This resulted in having two anxiety attacks in a week which up until that week had not happened in over a decade. The result was that my immune system took a huge blow and I ended up really sick for a week or two after.

My kids have both had pretty serious health things this past 2 weeks. My son had a bleeding eyeball which swelled so badly and he oozed out a huge blood blob. Thankfully it looked a lot worse than it was and he has severe conjunctivitus caused by hayfever…something we have both been suffering with. He is now fine and using eye drops.

My daughter came down seriously ill right after his eye scare and we thought she might have toxic shock syndrome (long story, don’t ask)…thankfully or not, it turns out she has bacterial tonsilitus and is now on medication. So I am caring for her while also resting my entire right upper body LOL.

As you can see it’s been a pretty tough few months.

Writing – Books

The first on the agenda is what is happening with my books as you all keep asking. I am very close to releasing a brand new story that has only until now been seen by a handful of readers. I am one chapter away from completion before I polish it up and put it out there for all to buy. So bear with me as this is a painfully slow process at times.

Awakening and Carreo both have future books planned but you have to be patient as I have so many lined up to write. Teen Drama will be completed after my new release is out.

The book is called ‘The Breath you left’ and I will be showing it off to you all soon!!!

Youtube

I am in the process of trying to decide the identity of my youtube channels. To date we have a react channel, my craft channel and a home vlog channel but I am struggling to juggle them and need to find a way to combine the vlog and crafts. It’s a process and I will slowly figure it out. All links are in the menu above.

I have been so hectic I have not been on top of the monthly challenge and hope to get back to it soon.

Knitting

I just released two new patterns this past month or two and have a collection of little berry dolls in process. I already put out a basic dressable dolly pictured below and am now working on the cute fruit girls.I am fitting this in while I have downtime and am unsure how long it will take for the ‘Berry dolls’ collection to be complete. After all are designed and published I will produce a Berry girls pattern book in print. I am also working on turning them into digital cuties for merch.

Buy patterns – https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/LianaOCF

Merch for Awakening and Carrero

Over on my Etsy I just launched a whole bunch of Awakening items for sale and uploaded the existing Carrero merch. So if you are an avid book lover who wants my handmade merch then the link is here – https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/LianaOCF

Also we have a print shop with shirts etc for all of my art and books – https://www.redbubble.com/people/LTMarshall/shop

My cute art is here – https://ltmarshall-shop.fourthwall.com/

If you have any questions on anything I forgot to update you on then let me know.

JULY Craft Challenge is Live!! #ltmonthlycraft

This month’s theme …

If you want to join the group to take part, then you can find the group here – https://www.facebook.com/groups/2123964127958504

I will sometimes post a YouTube video for the challenge, and with your permission, we will add your contributions to the new video every month. Watch for your makes at the end.

If you want to join the challenge, you do not need to be part of the group. Instead, search #LTMONTHLYCRAFT on Facebook or Instagram to see all the entries. You can add the hashtag to yours to be found. Post it anywhere you like. One click on the hashtag will bring up everyone taking part. Or you can use the hashtag to find a challenge post and add your make under it.

You have to be in the group to have your entry shared on the YouTube video, though.

For July, the palette is Jewel Tones. You can use any shade.The theme is Elegance.

You can make absolutely anything you want in any medium, beyond just papercraft. You can join in no matter what you create and add it to our public posts.

The file is below if you want a free printable for the challenge. You don’t need to use it at all. You can download it for general use even if you are not joining the challenge.

July challenge printableDownload

Creating Wax papers for Specimen Slides – Junk Journal DIY

First Vlog of June

JUNE Craft Challenge is Live!! #ltmonthlycraft

This month’s theme …

If you want to join the group to take part, then you can find the group here – https://www.facebook.com/groups/2123964127958504

I will post a YouTube video for the challenge, and with your permission, we will add your contributions to the new video every month. Watch for your makes at the end.

If you want to join the challenge, you do not need to be part of the group. Instead, search #LTMONTHLYCRAFT on Facebook or Instagram to see all the entries. You can add the hashtag to yours to be found. Post it anywhere you like. One-click on the hashtag will bring up everyone taking part. Or you can use the hashtag to find a challenge post and add your make under it.

You have to be in the group to have your entry shared on the YouTube video, though.

For June, the palette is Ochre, Yellow, Lime Green, green, and teal. You can use any shade.

The theme is DAFFODIL.

You can make absolutely anything you want in any medium, and this goes beyond just papercraft. You can join in no matter what you create and add it to our public posts.

The file is below if you want a free printable to use in the challenge. You don’t need to use this at all. You can download it for general use even if you are not joining the challenge.

june-challenge-printableDownload

I have moved my vlogs

I started making vlog videos covering life at home, art, gardening, etc, on our Lean and Loo vlog channel a couple of months ago. We realised as Loo was ready to move to South Korea that the shared channel would not work with the YouTube algorithm and would work against us.

So I have now up and moved my videos to a brand new channel. Sadly, this means republishing all the vlogs again and losing the views and subscribers we previously had started to build.
So for the next few days, I am uploading one old vlog a day until I catch up, and then new ones will go up starting next week.

They cover everything from my home life to my current projects and DIY, and I sometimes talk about my work with my books.

So please come along and help my tiny vlog channel grow.

Below is today’s offering, but if you click on the channel name, you can start at the beginning.

Grungy Flower card and free printable

I am back again with another simple junk journal card project. This time, it includes a free download for some sentiments, bingo cards, and ticket stubs. it’s down below the video.

So enjoy

Ephemera sheet – sentimentsDownload