Anastasia Austin's Blog - Posts Tagged "writing-update"
Writing: Monthly Update for March
Current Romance WIPs:
FAKE TO FATE - Finished the first draft. Revised and sent to beta readers. I heard back from a few of my beta readers and will start the final revision today. Once that's finished, I'll proofread, pick a publication date (in April,) and call for ARC readers! Almost there!
Add FAKE TO FATE to your Goodreads "TO READ" list!
Untitled FATE Book 2 - I started drafting this right after I sent FAKE TO FATE to beta readers. Unfortunately, I had to set it aside to brainstorm a bit more. The characters and their romance weren't clicking.
PLUS ONE - This is an adjacent story to the FATE series. Same world, brand new characters but there is a little overlap. You'll see ;) This is a friends to lovers where the main character needs a plus one for her friend's wedding. I'm having a ton of fun with this. Just need more time! lol
Word Counts:
I went off the chart one day this month! Feels so good!
The purple is the work I did on FAKE TO FATE. The red is the work I did on Untitled FAKE book 2. The brown is the work I did on PLUS ONE. I'm very pleased with my progress. And only two of those days without word counts are days I didn't write. The others were spent revising or brainstorming, doing things that didn't add to word counts.
Reading:
Thanks for reading. Keep moving forward!
FAKE TO FATE - Finished the first draft. Revised and sent to beta readers. I heard back from a few of my beta readers and will start the final revision today. Once that's finished, I'll proofread, pick a publication date (in April,) and call for ARC readers! Almost there!Add FAKE TO FATE to your Goodreads "TO READ" list!
Untitled FATE Book 2 - I started drafting this right after I sent FAKE TO FATE to beta readers. Unfortunately, I had to set it aside to brainstorm a bit more. The characters and their romance weren't clicking.
PLUS ONE - This is an adjacent story to the FATE series. Same world, brand new characters but there is a little overlap. You'll see ;) This is a friends to lovers where the main character needs a plus one for her friend's wedding. I'm having a ton of fun with this. Just need more time! lol
Word Counts:
I went off the chart one day this month! Feels so good!
The purple is the work I did on FAKE TO FATE. The red is the work I did on Untitled FAKE book 2. The brown is the work I did on PLUS ONE. I'm very pleased with my progress. And only two of those days without word counts are days I didn't write. The others were spent revising or brainstorming, doing things that didn't add to word counts.
Reading:
Thanks for reading. Keep moving forward!
Fake to Fate Sneak Peek! First 2 chapters!
Here it is! A sample of my upcoming release!
Fake to Fate Preview
Coming out April 30, 2019! Pre-order coming soon!
Fake to Fate Preview
Coming out April 30, 2019! Pre-order coming soon!
Pre-order Fake to Fate!! OMG!
In preparation for the release of my first novel under my pen name, I have made the e-book edition of FAKE TO FATE by Anastasia Austin available for pre-order on Amazon for only $0.99 USD! It is also available in all regions Amazon allowed for the respective price. The paperback will be available (if Amazon approval goes smoothly) for purchase April 28th, 2019 for $9.95 USD.
Pre-order Fake to Fate
This has been such an amazing journey. If you had asked me a year ago if I'd self publish a book, and this soon, I would have said no. The entire process scared the crap out of me. Being responsible for the entire process overwhelmed me to no end.
Turns out, it's not all that bad when you break it down and accept that you don't have to do everything the big boys do. Plus, there are so many helpful services. I'll rave forever about how painless Kindle Direct Publishing has made this process. Maybe I'll do a post on it soon.
Not to mention, I've had a lot of amazing help! My husband has been such a good listener and helped as much as he can when I talk and talk and talk about the publishing process. Thank you, Tebbiebear! Bree Howland (Author of Bring Me Home,) and Heather Morley (Author of Soul Awaken,) have been there for me every step of the way when I've had questions about how this whole process works. I owe them so much! If you're reading this, thank you, ladies!!
And thank you, readers! For giving me and my book a chance. I hope you enjoy reading every word as much as I enjoyed writing them.
If you haven't yet, please check out the preview HERE! If you have, please share the link with anyone and everyone! Thank you!
Thanks for reading!
Pre-order Fake to Fate
This has been such an amazing journey. If you had asked me a year ago if I'd self publish a book, and this soon, I would have said no. The entire process scared the crap out of me. Being responsible for the entire process overwhelmed me to no end.
Turns out, it's not all that bad when you break it down and accept that you don't have to do everything the big boys do. Plus, there are so many helpful services. I'll rave forever about how painless Kindle Direct Publishing has made this process. Maybe I'll do a post on it soon.
Not to mention, I've had a lot of amazing help! My husband has been such a good listener and helped as much as he can when I talk and talk and talk about the publishing process. Thank you, Tebbiebear! Bree Howland (Author of Bring Me Home,) and Heather Morley (Author of Soul Awaken,) have been there for me every step of the way when I've had questions about how this whole process works. I owe them so much! If you're reading this, thank you, ladies!!
And thank you, readers! For giving me and my book a chance. I hope you enjoy reading every word as much as I enjoyed writing them.
If you haven't yet, please check out the preview HERE! If you have, please share the link with anyone and everyone! Thank you!
Thanks for reading!
Fake to Fate ARC reviews!
Get yourself an ARC of my debut! This is a free copy of the complete book in exchange for an honest review on Amazon and Goodreads to be posted on or before April 30, 2019! Thanks so much!
my link text
my link text
Writing: Monthly Update for April
Sorry this is so late! After publishing, I needed a break from things. Back on track now! Back to writing, going to get some giveaway's going soon. I designed and purchased some SWAG; bookmark and stickers! Lots of things to do and catch up on. Can't wait!
Current Romance WIPs:
FAKE TO FATE - PUBLISHED!!
Add FAKE TO FATE to your Goodreads "TO READ" list!
On Amazon, it has a 4.4/5 stars from 13 ratings!
Remember, if you have Kindle Unlimited, you can read for free!
I'm so happy with how it's performing and can't wait to publish again!
Untitled FATE Book 2 - I've put this on hold for now. I need to outline again. The characters weren't working and the plot fell flat. I'll get back to it soon!
PLUS ONE - I wouldn't say writing is going well on this one, but it's going. I'm making progress, just not daily. I broke down and outlined and I think that's going to help me get the draft done much quicker. Also, I have a cover design but I'm waiting to come up with a tagline to put on it before I reveal it! So, COVER REVEAL COMING SOON!
Word Counts:
See what I mean about the writing not going well, but going? LOL
April was the first month I ever published. I had to learn a lot and fumble through that process. With all that and being out of town 2 weekends last month, I didn't do too poorly. May should be better. *Fingers crossed*
Read in April:
Thanks for reading. Keep moving forward!
Current Romance WIPs:
FAKE TO FATE - PUBLISHED!!On April 30th my book baby was born!
The pre-order went well for my first book, with little to no promotion.
Sold 8 pre-orders and 3 ebooks on release day!
Also, it currently has a 4.21/5 average star rating on Goodreads with 24 people already rating it!! WHAT?!
Add FAKE TO FATE to your Goodreads "TO READ" list!
On Amazon, it has a 4.4/5 stars from 13 ratings!
Remember, if you have Kindle Unlimited, you can read for free!
I'm so happy with how it's performing and can't wait to publish again!
Untitled FATE Book 2 - I've put this on hold for now. I need to outline again. The characters weren't working and the plot fell flat. I'll get back to it soon!
PLUS ONE - I wouldn't say writing is going well on this one, but it's going. I'm making progress, just not daily. I broke down and outlined and I think that's going to help me get the draft done much quicker. Also, I have a cover design but I'm waiting to come up with a tagline to put on it before I reveal it! So, COVER REVEAL COMING SOON!
Word Counts:
See what I mean about the writing not going well, but going? LOL
April was the first month I ever published. I had to learn a lot and fumble through that process. With all that and being out of town 2 weekends last month, I didn't do too poorly. May should be better. *Fingers crossed*
Read in April:
Thanks for reading. Keep moving forward!
Just Writing Things - 1
This month has been nuts!
Even though I took a vacation from work, I don't feel rested at all! And don't have nearly enough writing to show for it.
But, hey! At least I got some spring cleaning done!
As far as the writing goes. It's going! And I hope I've found a way to keep writing even when I hit writer's block!
After I finished writing FAKE TO FATE I tried jumping straight into the next book in that world following one of the side characters. It did NOT work.
I LOVE using placeholders when I draft. If I don't know a character's name or a place name or if I don't feel like writing a certain scene, I'll put a thought or reminder in brackets [] to come back to later.
Well... That book ended up being pretty much nothing but placeholders. I wrote over 6000 words and had already hit the middle plot twist of the book! Terrible!
So, I put it aside and started writing something else. That something else turned out to be PLUS ONE. The drafting of this book was going really well. I was on track to finish it by the end of May. Then, I had an epiphany on the way to work for the second FATE book.
There I was, 14,000+ words into the PLUS ONE draft and all I could think about was the book I knew I'd have to start over from ZERO to make it work.
What do you do?!
Write what must be written!
I put aside PLUS ONE and started over on what it now called CAN'T PLAN FATE. Not sure the title will stick. What do you think? Should I keep it?
Anyway, I've been drafting CAN'T PLAN FATE for a couple of weeks and have over 18K words and just wrote the midpoint plot twist! I'm all caught up with over half the words I had at this point the first time around! ANNNDDD I have 14K words of PLUS ONE waiting for me when this is finished!
Now, here's what I'm hoping to do to keep up the momentum. Write two books at once. Or, at least, have another book to write when I get stuck on the first. Sometimes, things just need to simmer in the subconscious for awhile. That's okay!
♥
Thanks for reading!
Buy FAKE TO FATE on Amazon! Paperback and ebook available! You can also read for free with Kindle Unlimited!
Even though I took a vacation from work, I don't feel rested at all! And don't have nearly enough writing to show for it.
But, hey! At least I got some spring cleaning done!
As far as the writing goes. It's going! And I hope I've found a way to keep writing even when I hit writer's block!
After I finished writing FAKE TO FATE I tried jumping straight into the next book in that world following one of the side characters. It did NOT work.
I LOVE using placeholders when I draft. If I don't know a character's name or a place name or if I don't feel like writing a certain scene, I'll put a thought or reminder in brackets [] to come back to later.
Well... That book ended up being pretty much nothing but placeholders. I wrote over 6000 words and had already hit the middle plot twist of the book! Terrible!
So, I put it aside and started writing something else. That something else turned out to be PLUS ONE. The drafting of this book was going really well. I was on track to finish it by the end of May. Then, I had an epiphany on the way to work for the second FATE book.
There I was, 14,000+ words into the PLUS ONE draft and all I could think about was the book I knew I'd have to start over from ZERO to make it work.
What do you do?!
Write what must be written!
I put aside PLUS ONE and started over on what it now called CAN'T PLAN FATE. Not sure the title will stick. What do you think? Should I keep it?
Anyway, I've been drafting CAN'T PLAN FATE for a couple of weeks and have over 18K words and just wrote the midpoint plot twist! I'm all caught up with over half the words I had at this point the first time around! ANNNDDD I have 14K words of PLUS ONE waiting for me when this is finished!
Now, here's what I'm hoping to do to keep up the momentum. Write two books at once. Or, at least, have another book to write when I get stuck on the first. Sometimes, things just need to simmer in the subconscious for awhile. That's okay!
♥
Thanks for reading!
Buy FAKE TO FATE on Amazon! Paperback and ebook available! You can also read for free with Kindle Unlimited!
Writing: Monthly Update for May
It's another late one! Still trying to get into the swing of this writing with the intention of publishing quickly thing. But it's HAPPENING! Getting closer everyday to book 2 of my romance series being ready!!
May was my husband's birthday month and I took a few vacation days and did a crap load of cleaning. Still finished drafting a book! May was awesome!
Querying:
Not Querying for the foreseeable future.
Current Fantasy WIPs:
All fantasy WIPs are on hold while I get my self-publishing feet underneath me.
While the above is still true. I MAY have dipped my toe into my dragon shifter book again. And POSSIBLY reoutlined it after having a pretty big breakthrough with why it's not as good as it could be. So... MIGHT be working on that again in the near future.
Current Romance WIPs:
Untitled FATE Book 2 Now has a title! FIGHTING FATE - I finished the first draft on the first of the month! I started revising by printing, reading and noting all the inconsistencies. And, WOW, were there a lot!
I finished the read-through yesterday and started transferring my notes into my Scrivener document for ease of access when I start the writing revision tonight or tomorrow.
Not sure how long this is all going to take. I can't even guess at this point but it's going to be at LEAST two weeks before I can even think about calling for beta readers. Which means I won't be looking at announcing a publishing date until mid-July or so.
PLUS ONE - This has been set aside while I finish FIGHTING FATE. I know what the next book in the FATE series will be and will need to at least outline that really well before I come back to this. But the PLUS ONE draft is already over 14K words (half-ish-way done.) So that's awesome!
Word Counts:
Did much better on my word counts in May! Went off the chart TWICE! One of those times was a 4000 word day!
You also get a glimpse into the identity crisis FIGHTING FATE had. lol That's not even a third of the names I tried out for this book. I'll tell the story sometime but it will have to wait until after I write the blurb.
Publishing News:
FAKE TO FATE:
Celebrated one month of publishing on the 30th of May by announcing a free weekend for the ebook on Amazon.
91 copies were claimed! Since then, people have read 647 pages!
Thank you, everyone for your support.
Read in May:
Only You
Thanks for reading. Keep moving forward!
Buy FAKE TO FATE! Ebook and paperback are on Amazon now. Thanks!
May was my husband's birthday month and I took a few vacation days and did a crap load of cleaning. Still finished drafting a book! May was awesome!
Querying:
Not Querying for the foreseeable future.
Current Fantasy WIPs:
All fantasy WIPs are on hold while I get my self-publishing feet underneath me.
While the above is still true. I MAY have dipped my toe into my dragon shifter book again. And POSSIBLY reoutlined it after having a pretty big breakthrough with why it's not as good as it could be. So... MIGHT be working on that again in the near future.
Current Romance WIPs:
Untitled FATE Book 2 Now has a title! FIGHTING FATE - I finished the first draft on the first of the month! I started revising by printing, reading and noting all the inconsistencies. And, WOW, were there a lot!
I finished the read-through yesterday and started transferring my notes into my Scrivener document for ease of access when I start the writing revision tonight or tomorrow.
Not sure how long this is all going to take. I can't even guess at this point but it's going to be at LEAST two weeks before I can even think about calling for beta readers. Which means I won't be looking at announcing a publishing date until mid-July or so.
PLUS ONE - This has been set aside while I finish FIGHTING FATE. I know what the next book in the FATE series will be and will need to at least outline that really well before I come back to this. But the PLUS ONE draft is already over 14K words (half-ish-way done.) So that's awesome!
Word Counts:
Did much better on my word counts in May! Went off the chart TWICE! One of those times was a 4000 word day!
You also get a glimpse into the identity crisis FIGHTING FATE had. lol That's not even a third of the names I tried out for this book. I'll tell the story sometime but it will have to wait until after I write the blurb.
Publishing News:
FAKE TO FATE:
Celebrated one month of publishing on the 30th of May by announcing a free weekend for the ebook on Amazon.
91 copies were claimed! Since then, people have read 647 pages!
Thank you, everyone for your support.
Read in May:
Only You
Thanks for reading. Keep moving forward!
Buy FAKE TO FATE! Ebook and paperback are on Amazon now. Thanks!
Fighting Fate Cover and Blurb Reveal!
This book has been a constant fight but I'm loving the characters and their story is super cute.
Revisions are coming along nicely. Slower than I'd like but nicely. lol
I'm not exactly sure when it will be up for pre-order but you can now add Fighting Fate to your Goodreads lists!
Without further ado, here's the cover and blurb for the second book in the FATE series, FIGHTING FATE!
Fighting Fate
Revisions are coming along nicely. Slower than I'd like but nicely. lol
I'm not exactly sure when it will be up for pre-order but you can now add Fighting Fate to your Goodreads lists!
Without further ado, here's the cover and blurb for the second book in the FATE series, FIGHTING FATE!
Katie has everything planned out; school, career, social life. And she isn't going to let anything get in her way. Until she repeatedly crosses paths with poster-child frat boy, Isaac Johnson.
She hesitates when all he wants is a hook up. She pushes him away when he shows signs of wanting more. Then she's torn, when she finds him all alone and sick as a dog after his frat brothers abandon him for spring break.
Katie should leave. Stick to her plan. Finish the project that could make or break her college career.
But she can't leave him like this--to fend for himself when he can barely breathe--or ignore the connection building between them. The one she's not sure she can fight anymore.
Fighting Fate
Read Book 1, FAKE TO FATE, today on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited. 
Writing: Monthly Update for June
You know... I should just accept that these updates will happen as close to the beginning of the month as my schedule will allow. LOL #BUSY
Querying:
Not Querying for the foreseeable future. Why? I love self publishing. There may come a project someday that might benefit from the hassle that comes with traditional publishing but at this point, I want to self pub all my projects. Fantasy too.
Current Fantasy WIPs:
Which leads me to this.
I might change the title of this section to ROMANTIC Fantasy because I LOVE writing romance. And now I have a series (or it might be a serial. Not sure) I've started outlining!
The series is 12 novellas inspired by the world and characters of my short story UNDER THE AMETHYST SKY. You can read that short, but keep in mind, Kaia's and Theo's story will be a little different when I turn it into a novella. The world building has evolved a bit in the last week or so while outlining the first book.
I'm really excited to start this project but I have a few contemporaries I need to finish first.
Current Romance WIPs:
FIGHTING FATE - YIKES! It has been a real fight to finish this book. And I'm still not done. But I am further along!
I'm closing in on the end of the first revision. When that's done, I will read through it again and make final edits before sending it to beta readers.
It's happening! Slower than I'd like but it is happening!
PLUS ONE - This guy is waiting for me to finish FIGHTING FATE revisions. I'm getting there, little buddy!
Word Counts:
I feel like I was a lot more consistent with my writing this month. I missed several days of words but not because I wasn't writing. Words are not always added when revising.
Really wish I could have been drafting in June. Oh, well. July is looking up!
Publishing News:
FAKE TO FATE:
June was a slow month. Still had just over 1000 page reads!
Can't wait to see what releasing a second book will do.
Thank you, everyone for your support.
Read in June:
Thanks for reading. Keep moving forward!
Buy FAKE TO FATE! Ebook and paperback are on Amazon now. Thanks!
Querying:
Not Querying for the foreseeable future. Why? I love self publishing. There may come a project someday that might benefit from the hassle that comes with traditional publishing but at this point, I want to self pub all my projects. Fantasy too.
Current Fantasy WIPs:
Which leads me to this.
I might change the title of this section to ROMANTIC Fantasy because I LOVE writing romance. And now I have a series (or it might be a serial. Not sure) I've started outlining!
The series is 12 novellas inspired by the world and characters of my short story UNDER THE AMETHYST SKY. You can read that short, but keep in mind, Kaia's and Theo's story will be a little different when I turn it into a novella. The world building has evolved a bit in the last week or so while outlining the first book.
I'm really excited to start this project but I have a few contemporaries I need to finish first.
Current Romance WIPs:
FIGHTING FATE - YIKES! It has been a real fight to finish this book. And I'm still not done. But I am further along!
I'm closing in on the end of the first revision. When that's done, I will read through it again and make final edits before sending it to beta readers.
It's happening! Slower than I'd like but it is happening!
PLUS ONE - This guy is waiting for me to finish FIGHTING FATE revisions. I'm getting there, little buddy!
Word Counts:
I feel like I was a lot more consistent with my writing this month. I missed several days of words but not because I wasn't writing. Words are not always added when revising.
Really wish I could have been drafting in June. Oh, well. July is looking up!
Publishing News:
FAKE TO FATE:
June was a slow month. Still had just over 1000 page reads!
Can't wait to see what releasing a second book will do.
Thank you, everyone for your support.
Read in June:
Thanks for reading. Keep moving forward!
Buy FAKE TO FATE! Ebook and paperback are on Amazon now. Thanks!
Writing: Monthly update for July
I finally fought my way out of revisions!
Current Fantasy Romance WIPs:
So, I included this in my update last month without considering whether or not readers of contemporary romance would also be interested in fantasy romance.
If you wouldn't mind, I'd love your help deciding whether or not I should publish Fantasy Romance under a different name.
Please respond to the following questions with your thoughts.
Do you only wish to read contemporary romance and would not like to get updates about fantasy romance? Or would you like to know about everything I write, regardless of genre?
Thanks in advance for your input!
Current Romance WIPs:
FIGHTING FATE - I DID IT! I finished revising! Today, I will contact my beta readers and ask for feedback to be returned within two weeks. After that, I'll revise again, considering their feedback. Then, it's off to ARC readers before publishing!
Release day is not set yet but I expect it will be mid-September.
Can't wait for you all to read Katie and Isaac's story! They fought me just as much as they fought the feelings they had for each other. But it was worth it in the end! I hope you all love them as much as I do.
PLUS ONE - I will pick this up again in about a week. My family and I are going on a trip to Minnesota next week to an author signing event for the release of Mary E. Pearson's new release, Vow of Thieves and I have to finish reading her ARC!
Word Counts:
You'd think this was a drafting month, not a revision month based on those word counts!
I suppose it kind of was. I added over 20K words to the "first" draft, that was really more of a zero draft.
Really excited Fighting Fate will be a full novel now that it's over 50K words!
Publishing News:
Nothing to report on Fake to Fate.
Fighting Fate should come out Mid-September. I'll let you all know the official release day when I know it and include a pre-order link!
Read in July:
I feel like it's worth noting, this book was a gift from my wonderful, supportive husband.
Thanks for reading. Keep moving forward!
Buy FAKE TO FATE! Ebook and paperback are on Amazon now. Thanks!
If you would like more frequent updates, please follow me on Instagram. If you're as impatient as I am, you can get some of the information in my updates when it happens rather than having to wait for the monthly update!
Current Fantasy Romance WIPs:
So, I included this in my update last month without considering whether or not readers of contemporary romance would also be interested in fantasy romance.
If you wouldn't mind, I'd love your help deciding whether or not I should publish Fantasy Romance under a different name.
Please respond to the following questions with your thoughts.
Do you only wish to read contemporary romance and would not like to get updates about fantasy romance? Or would you like to know about everything I write, regardless of genre?
Thanks in advance for your input!
Current Romance WIPs:
FIGHTING FATE - I DID IT! I finished revising! Today, I will contact my beta readers and ask for feedback to be returned within two weeks. After that, I'll revise again, considering their feedback. Then, it's off to ARC readers before publishing!Release day is not set yet but I expect it will be mid-September.
Can't wait for you all to read Katie and Isaac's story! They fought me just as much as they fought the feelings they had for each other. But it was worth it in the end! I hope you all love them as much as I do.
PLUS ONE - I will pick this up again in about a week. My family and I are going on a trip to Minnesota next week to an author signing event for the release of Mary E. Pearson's new release, Vow of Thieves and I have to finish reading her ARC!
Word Counts:
You'd think this was a drafting month, not a revision month based on those word counts!
I suppose it kind of was. I added over 20K words to the "first" draft, that was really more of a zero draft.
Really excited Fighting Fate will be a full novel now that it's over 50K words!
Publishing News:
Nothing to report on Fake to Fate.
Fighting Fate should come out Mid-September. I'll let you all know the official release day when I know it and include a pre-order link!
Read in July:
I feel like it's worth noting, this book was a gift from my wonderful, supportive husband.
Thanks for reading. Keep moving forward!
Buy FAKE TO FATE! Ebook and paperback are on Amazon now. Thanks!
If you would like more frequent updates, please follow me on Instagram. If you're as impatient as I am, you can get some of the information in my updates when it happens rather than having to wait for the monthly update!
