S.M. Carrière's Blog
April 23, 2024
A Bit of a Whinge
Good morning, Readers! 
I feel like this turtle is me. Image by Geraldine Dukes from Pixabay I’m feeling a little down about my writing life this week. That’s no great surprise. I haven’t been doing much with it. I’m still writing the final book of The Three Worlds War series. I’m behind again, largely because I received the final edits for The New Haven Incident (the first chapter is up now for my Ko-Fi subscribers) and also because I was struck with an idea to add value to my Ko-Fi subscription and have been working on that for a bit.
Because I’m not writing, I’m starting to feel down a bit. I hate being behind deadlines, but I just have so much on my plate right now, I feel like I’m going to go mad. I really want to just… not have to do quite so much, you know?
Not with my writing or with Ko-Fi. I’m actually enjoying that work. But with everything else. I want to just… vanish from the world for three months and return with a manuscript. I don’t want to have to go to work for 8.5 hours a day, 40 hours a week. I don’t want to work a second job on top of that so I can afford a bus pass. I just… I don’t want to be where I am right now.
I’m forty years old. I don’t have my own home, as I wanted. I don’t have any real career aspirations outside of my writing (I have zero interest in the corporate ladder), and I’m feeling a little resentful at the way tech bros are trying to take away the one thing that could one day earn me an income while also bringing me joy.
I’m just… done, you know? I don’t want to do this anymore. I’m tired. After more than a decade of trying to make something of my writing and having it go nowhere, I’m tired.
I wish I could say I’m done for real. Like, done done. Like, put up my keyboard and forget about my dreams kind of done. It would be less stressful. I’d probably be more relaxed, and happier. But these damned stories keep echoing around my last braincell, so I can’t stop writing.
I wish I didn’t care about writing and making something of myself as I do. I wish I could be content where I am in life. But I’m not. And it’s bothering me a lot today.
Don’t worry. I’ll get over it as I usually do. Just… if I seem grumpy, that’s why. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to sulk.
Slán go foill.
I feel like this turtle is me. Image by Geraldine Dukes from Pixabay I’m feeling a little down about my writing life this week. That’s no great surprise. I haven’t been doing much with it. I’m still writing the final book of The Three Worlds War series. I’m behind again, largely because I received the final edits for The New Haven Incident (the first chapter is up now for my Ko-Fi subscribers) and also because I was struck with an idea to add value to my Ko-Fi subscription and have been working on that for a bit.Because I’m not writing, I’m starting to feel down a bit. I hate being behind deadlines, but I just have so much on my plate right now, I feel like I’m going to go mad. I really want to just… not have to do quite so much, you know?
Not with my writing or with Ko-Fi. I’m actually enjoying that work. But with everything else. I want to just… vanish from the world for three months and return with a manuscript. I don’t want to have to go to work for 8.5 hours a day, 40 hours a week. I don’t want to work a second job on top of that so I can afford a bus pass. I just… I don’t want to be where I am right now.
I’m forty years old. I don’t have my own home, as I wanted. I don’t have any real career aspirations outside of my writing (I have zero interest in the corporate ladder), and I’m feeling a little resentful at the way tech bros are trying to take away the one thing that could one day earn me an income while also bringing me joy.
I’m just… done, you know? I don’t want to do this anymore. I’m tired. After more than a decade of trying to make something of my writing and having it go nowhere, I’m tired.
I wish I could say I’m done for real. Like, done done. Like, put up my keyboard and forget about my dreams kind of done. It would be less stressful. I’d probably be more relaxed, and happier. But these damned stories keep echoing around my last braincell, so I can’t stop writing.
I wish I didn’t care about writing and making something of myself as I do. I wish I could be content where I am in life. But I’m not. And it’s bothering me a lot today.
Don’t worry. I’ll get over it as I usually do. Just… if I seem grumpy, that’s why. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to sulk.
Slán go foill.
April 16, 2024
FINALLY! And LMAO!
Good morning, Readers! 
Image by Paul Stachowiak from Pixabay Okay, so you know how I kept saying that my third Beta Reader hadn’t gotten back to me with their comments? Well, funny story, as with last time, they actually had everything done shortly after we’d last seen each other; which is to say, Easter weekend. Unfortunately, they had, as with the last time, sent it to an email address that was no longer valid.
But never fear! They were turned in early Sunday afternoon, and the rest of the day was spent going through the edits and making changes.
As usual, the talk of the comments was far worse than the comments themselves. The edits were quick and everything is done now. That means that I can start uploading the chapters. The serial can finally find its way into the world!
For those of you who are my lovely Ko-Fi subscribers, that means you will get the first chapter this Friday. That’s right, this coming Friday. Each week that follows will have another chapter for you, for a total of 28 weeks.
If you haven’t subscribed, never fear! You will start getting the serial beginning May 17th. Each week, for roughly 56 weeks, you’ll get a section a week (half a chapter every week until the story is complete) absolutely free.
Okay, here follows some awful self-promo stuff, so stop reading here if that turns you off. You have been warned.
Alright, if you want in on early access to this story and a bunch of other Ko-Fi perks like exclusive blog posts and other member-only exclusives (I something in the works that will hopefully be coming down the pipelines in a few months), then you‘ll probably want to subscribe.
For only a dollar a month (*sleazy used car salesman voice* That’s right, folks, only $1.00 a month), you‘ll get all the stuff available now, and things coming in the future. I’m a bit slow getting there because, well, full time job that isn’t writing, and all that.
But still. They’re coming.
If this sounds like a steal to you, that‘s because I have a nasty habit of chronically underselling myself. But in all seriousness, please read this note before becoming a subscriber or donating to anything I do, particularly if they’re on offer for free.
Okay, I have to go and start scheduling this serial. I’m so excited to see what you make of this very serious novel with a very silly premise that I had far too much fun writing.
Slán go foill!
Image by Paul Stachowiak from Pixabay Okay, so you know how I kept saying that my third Beta Reader hadn’t gotten back to me with their comments? Well, funny story, as with last time, they actually had everything done shortly after we’d last seen each other; which is to say, Easter weekend. Unfortunately, they had, as with the last time, sent it to an email address that was no longer valid.But never fear! They were turned in early Sunday afternoon, and the rest of the day was spent going through the edits and making changes.
As usual, the talk of the comments was far worse than the comments themselves. The edits were quick and everything is done now. That means that I can start uploading the chapters. The serial can finally find its way into the world!
For those of you who are my lovely Ko-Fi subscribers, that means you will get the first chapter this Friday. That’s right, this coming Friday. Each week that follows will have another chapter for you, for a total of 28 weeks.
If you haven’t subscribed, never fear! You will start getting the serial beginning May 17th. Each week, for roughly 56 weeks, you’ll get a section a week (half a chapter every week until the story is complete) absolutely free.
Okay, here follows some awful self-promo stuff, so stop reading here if that turns you off. You have been warned.
Alright, if you want in on early access to this story and a bunch of other Ko-Fi perks like exclusive blog posts and other member-only exclusives (I something in the works that will hopefully be coming down the pipelines in a few months), then you‘ll probably want to subscribe.
For only a dollar a month (*sleazy used car salesman voice* That’s right, folks, only $1.00 a month), you‘ll get all the stuff available now, and things coming in the future. I’m a bit slow getting there because, well, full time job that isn’t writing, and all that.
But still. They’re coming.
If this sounds like a steal to you, that‘s because I have a nasty habit of chronically underselling myself. But in all seriousness, please read this note before becoming a subscriber or donating to anything I do, particularly if they’re on offer for free.
Okay, I have to go and start scheduling this serial. I’m so excited to see what you make of this very serious novel with a very silly premise that I had far too much fun writing.
Slán go foill!
April 10, 2024
My Dream Work Life
Good morning, Readers! 
Image by Vu Quang Namm from Pixabay There isn’t much going on in my life right now that’s terribly exciting, so I figured I’d walk you through what my dream life would look like - how I would structure my days if my creative endeavours managed to make me enough money that I could quite the rat race and just do what I want. You may want to skip this post if that sounds tediously dull to you.
Right! Well, the first thing to note is that I’d treat my creative work exactly like I do my current office job... but with better, far more flexible hours. I’d work four days a week, with a three day weekend; and that would look something like this:
Everyday (including my weekends), I’d wake up at 6:00am and settle with a cup of tea - out on my deck enjoying the forest that surrounds my home if the weather is warm and lovely. If it’s cold and lovely, I’ll take my tea by the window near a wood stove or small fireplace so I can watch the rain or snow. This will be my time to wake up properly, enjoy the silence and gather myself for the day ahead.
Then it’s time to dress and feed the animals - two cats at the very least. Also chickens, from whom I’d collect whatever eggs they’ve laid. And now it’s time for breakfast. Once a month on a Sunday, I’ll give myself a proper fry-up, but for the most part, breakfast will be simple - hard boiled eggs and fruit or yogurt and nuts, depending on the weather and mood.
With all the animals, including me, fed, it’s time to write. For the next four hours (probably from 8:30am - 12:30pm), I put my butt in my chair in my home office/library and write. This will cover everything I need to be in front of a computer for - writing blog posts, both for my public blog and the exclusive weekly blog post for my Ko-Fi supporters, writing my monthly newsletter, writing the post for Black Gate Magazine (if they’ll still have me at this point), or working on whatever WIP I have going. This will also extend to whatever editing I have to do. The point is, there will be a solid block of creative office stuff. And tea. We mustn’t forget the tea.
This won’t be the case for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I’ll spend my time in the mornings after feeding the animals on whatever I want; reading, household chores, music or language lessons or practice, extra sleep (ie - cuddle time with the cats). Whatever I feel like doing with that time.
Then it’s a long lunch; long because after the food is eaten, I’ll spend some time in training. Monday, Wednesday and Friday will be marital arts practice. Tuesday and Thursday will be spend strength and flexibility training. Saturdays as well, on those ones when I won’t be teaching martial arts.
Following that, and possibly a nap, it’s into my studio and workshop to work on my non-writing creative projects. I’ll stay there, working on whatever I need to, until dinner time. I usually take dinner at 6:00pm. Tuesdays and Thursdays will be an exception, as I will be headed to martial arts and so to ensure I don’t cramp like hell during training, I’ll be having a very late, light dinner after training.
After dinner on the nights I don’t have martial arts training will be for me to do some chores and relax - to read, practice music, language lessons/practice, watching movies or staring blankly at a wall. Whatever I feel like that evening. Except Fridays. Friday evenings will be spent gaming, likely streaming, because it’s hella fun.
It might seem like a lot, but this is not a regular office job. This is work that excites and invigorates me. If creating can support me, I would much rather do that. Plus, I’ll be working for myself, so I will have unlimited sick days, personal days and holiday days. I can shuffle my schedule around any time I like to accommodate unexpected events or much-desired time with friends or family.
This is my dream. It’s how I want to live my life; in my little cottage in the woods somewhere. Easy, simple, slow, following what lights me up. One day, hopefully soon, I’ll be there. If only I knew how to sell my books, damn it!
Right, I should be getting back to work in the office that isn’t mine.
Slán go foill!
Image by Vu Quang Namm from Pixabay There isn’t much going on in my life right now that’s terribly exciting, so I figured I’d walk you through what my dream life would look like - how I would structure my days if my creative endeavours managed to make me enough money that I could quite the rat race and just do what I want. You may want to skip this post if that sounds tediously dull to you.Right! Well, the first thing to note is that I’d treat my creative work exactly like I do my current office job... but with better, far more flexible hours. I’d work four days a week, with a three day weekend; and that would look something like this:
Everyday (including my weekends), I’d wake up at 6:00am and settle with a cup of tea - out on my deck enjoying the forest that surrounds my home if the weather is warm and lovely. If it’s cold and lovely, I’ll take my tea by the window near a wood stove or small fireplace so I can watch the rain or snow. This will be my time to wake up properly, enjoy the silence and gather myself for the day ahead.
Then it’s time to dress and feed the animals - two cats at the very least. Also chickens, from whom I’d collect whatever eggs they’ve laid. And now it’s time for breakfast. Once a month on a Sunday, I’ll give myself a proper fry-up, but for the most part, breakfast will be simple - hard boiled eggs and fruit or yogurt and nuts, depending on the weather and mood.
With all the animals, including me, fed, it’s time to write. For the next four hours (probably from 8:30am - 12:30pm), I put my butt in my chair in my home office/library and write. This will cover everything I need to be in front of a computer for - writing blog posts, both for my public blog and the exclusive weekly blog post for my Ko-Fi supporters, writing my monthly newsletter, writing the post for Black Gate Magazine (if they’ll still have me at this point), or working on whatever WIP I have going. This will also extend to whatever editing I have to do. The point is, there will be a solid block of creative office stuff. And tea. We mustn’t forget the tea.
This won’t be the case for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I’ll spend my time in the mornings after feeding the animals on whatever I want; reading, household chores, music or language lessons or practice, extra sleep (ie - cuddle time with the cats). Whatever I feel like doing with that time.
Then it’s a long lunch; long because after the food is eaten, I’ll spend some time in training. Monday, Wednesday and Friday will be marital arts practice. Tuesday and Thursday will be spend strength and flexibility training. Saturdays as well, on those ones when I won’t be teaching martial arts.
Following that, and possibly a nap, it’s into my studio and workshop to work on my non-writing creative projects. I’ll stay there, working on whatever I need to, until dinner time. I usually take dinner at 6:00pm. Tuesdays and Thursdays will be an exception, as I will be headed to martial arts and so to ensure I don’t cramp like hell during training, I’ll be having a very late, light dinner after training.
After dinner on the nights I don’t have martial arts training will be for me to do some chores and relax - to read, practice music, language lessons/practice, watching movies or staring blankly at a wall. Whatever I feel like that evening. Except Fridays. Friday evenings will be spent gaming, likely streaming, because it’s hella fun.
It might seem like a lot, but this is not a regular office job. This is work that excites and invigorates me. If creating can support me, I would much rather do that. Plus, I’ll be working for myself, so I will have unlimited sick days, personal days and holiday days. I can shuffle my schedule around any time I like to accommodate unexpected events or much-desired time with friends or family.
This is my dream. It’s how I want to live my life; in my little cottage in the woods somewhere. Easy, simple, slow, following what lights me up. One day, hopefully soon, I’ll be there. If only I knew how to sell my books, damn it!
Right, I should be getting back to work in the office that isn’t mine.
Slán go foill!
M Dream Work Life
Good morning, Readers! Image by Vu Quang Namm from Pixabay There isn’t much going on in my life right now that’s terribly exciting, so I figured I’d walk you through what my dream life would look like - how I would structure my days if my creative endeavours managed to make me enough money that I could quite the rat race and just do what I want. You may want to skip this post if that sounds tediously dull to you.
Right! Well, the first thing to note is that I’d treat my creative work exactly like I do my current office job... but with better, far more flexible hours. I’d work four days a week, with a three day weekend; and that would look something like this:
Everyday (including my weekends), I’d wake up at 6:00am and settle with a cup of tea - out on my deck enjoying the forest that surrounds my home if the weather is warm and lovely. If it’s cold and lovely, I’ll take my tea by the window near a wood stove or small fireplace so I can watch the rain or snow. This will be my time to wake up properly, enjoy the silence and gather myself for the day ahead.
Then it’s time to dress and feed the animals - two cats at the very least. Also chickens, from whom I’d collect whatever eggs they’ve laid. And now it’s time for breakfast. Once a month on a Sunday, I’ll give myself a proper fry-up, but for the most part, breakfast will be simple - hard boiled eggs and fruit or yogurt and nuts, depending on the weather and mood.
With all the animals, including me, fed, it’s time to write. For the next four hours (probably from 8:30am - 12:30pm), I put my butt in my chair in my home office/library and write. This will cover everything I need to be in front of a computer for - writing blog posts, both for my public blog and the exclusive weekly blog post for my Ko-Fi supporters, writing my monthly newsletter, writing the post for Black Gate Magazine (if they’ll still have me at this point), or working on whatever WIP I have going. This will also extend to whatever editing I have to do. The point is, there will be a solid block of creative office stuff. And tea. We mustn’t forget the tea.
This won’t be the case for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I’ll spend my time in the mornings after feeding the animals on whatever I want; reading, household chores, music or language lessons or practice, extra sleep (ie - cuddle time with the cats). Whatever I feel like doing with that time.
Then it’s a long lunch; long because after the food is eaten, I’ll spend some time in training. Monday, Wednesday and Friday will be marital arts practice. Tuesday and Thursday will be spend strength and flexibility training. Saturdays as well, on those ones when I won’t be teaching martial arts.
Following that, and possibly a nap, it’s into my studio and workshop to work on my non-writing creative projects. I’ll stay there, working on whatever I need to, until dinner time. I usually take dinner at 6:00pm. Tuesdays and Thursdays will be an exception, as I will be headed to martial arts and so to ensure I don’t cramp like hell during training, I’ll be having a very late, light dinner after training.
After dinner on the nights I don’t have martial arts training will be for me to do some chores and relax - to read, practice music, language lessons/practice, watching movies or staring blankly at a wall. Whatever I feel like that evening. Except Fridays. Friday evenings will be spent gaming, likely streaming, because it’s hella fun.
It might seem like a lot, but this is not a regular office job. This is work that excites and invigorates me. If creating can support me, I would much rather do that. Plus, I’ll be working for myself, so I will have unlimited sick days, personal days and holiday days. I can shuffle my schedule around any time I like to accommodate unexpected events or much-desired time with friends or family.
This is my dream. It’s how I want to live my life; in my little cottage in the woods somewhere. Easy, simple, slow, following what lights me up. One day, hopefully soon, I’ll be there. If only I knew how to sell my books, damn it!
Right, I should be getting back to work in the office that isn’t mine.
Slán go foill!
Image by Vu Quang Namm from Pixabay There isn’t much going on in my life right now that’s terribly exciting, so I figured I’d walk you through what my dream life would look like - how I would structure my days if my creative endeavours managed to make me enough money that I could quite the rat race and just do what I want. You may want to skip this post if that sounds tediously dull to you.Right! Well, the first thing to note is that I’d treat my creative work exactly like I do my current office job... but with better, far more flexible hours. I’d work four days a week, with a three day weekend; and that would look something like this:
Everyday (including my weekends), I’d wake up at 6:00am and settle with a cup of tea - out on my deck enjoying the forest that surrounds my home if the weather is warm and lovely. If it’s cold and lovely, I’ll take my tea by the window near a wood stove or small fireplace so I can watch the rain or snow. This will be my time to wake up properly, enjoy the silence and gather myself for the day ahead.
Then it’s time to dress and feed the animals - two cats at the very least. Also chickens, from whom I’d collect whatever eggs they’ve laid. And now it’s time for breakfast. Once a month on a Sunday, I’ll give myself a proper fry-up, but for the most part, breakfast will be simple - hard boiled eggs and fruit or yogurt and nuts, depending on the weather and mood.
With all the animals, including me, fed, it’s time to write. For the next four hours (probably from 8:30am - 12:30pm), I put my butt in my chair in my home office/library and write. This will cover everything I need to be in front of a computer for - writing blog posts, both for my public blog and the exclusive weekly blog post for my Ko-Fi supporters, writing my monthly newsletter, writing the post for Black Gate Magazine (if they’ll still have me at this point), or working on whatever WIP I have going. This will also extend to whatever editing I have to do. The point is, there will be a solid block of creative office stuff. And tea. We mustn’t forget the tea.
This won’t be the case for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I’ll spend my time in the mornings after feeding the animals on whatever I want; reading, household chores, music or language lessons or practice, extra sleep (ie - cuddle time with the cats). Whatever I feel like doing with that time.
Then it’s a long lunch; long because after the food is eaten, I’ll spend some time in training. Monday, Wednesday and Friday will be marital arts practice. Tuesday and Thursday will be spend strength and flexibility training. Saturdays as well, on those ones when I won’t be teaching martial arts.
Following that, and possibly a nap, it’s into my studio and workshop to work on my non-writing creative projects. I’ll stay there, working on whatever I need to, until dinner time. I usually take dinner at 6:00pm. Tuesdays and Thursdays will be an exception, as I will be headed to martial arts and so to ensure I don’t cramp like hell during training, I’ll be having a very late, light dinner after training.
After dinner on the nights I don’t have martial arts training will be for me to do some chores and relax - to read, practice music, language lessons/practice, watching movies or staring blankly at a wall. Whatever I feel like that evening. Except Fridays. Friday evenings will be spent gaming, likely streaming, because it’s hella fun.
It might seem like a lot, but this is not a regular office job. This is work that excites and invigorates me. If creating can support me, I would much rather do that. Plus, I’ll be working for myself, so I will have unlimited sick days, personal days and holiday days. I can shuffle my schedule around any time I like to accommodate unexpected events or much-desired time with friends or family.
This is my dream. It’s how I want to live my life; in my little cottage in the woods somewhere. Easy, simple, slow, following what lights me up. One day, hopefully soon, I’ll be there. If only I knew how to sell my books, damn it!
Right, I should be getting back to work in the office that isn’t mine.
Slán go foill!
April 2, 2024
Getting Back on Track
Good morning, Readers! 
Image by Pete Linforth from Pixabay As some of you might have guessed from my cooling social media announcements, I have long blown past my self-imposed deadline to get the last book of The Three Worlds War series. I burnt out pretty quickly, and my brain wasn't able to pull the words out far enough that I'd be able to write them down.
I decided to back off a little, give my mind some time to rest and percolate. I spent the rest of March with my eyes closed at lunch hour instead of writing, letting my brain do whatever the hell it does when my eyes are closed.
Though I'm really quite annoyed with myself about having to step back... again, it was needed. It being the first of the month now, I'm going to dive into it again. My lunch hours are once again being taken over by writing as many words as I humanly can while also ensuring I gain some kind of nutrients. Hopefully, I'll not be very much past my new deadline (I've set it for the end of May now, but I'm hoping I'll get it done much fast than that).
I'll be very glad when this story is written. It's been a bit like pulling teeth, and I have other stories trying to get noticed. Then there's the issue of attempting to sell the series. I'll see what Renaissance thinks. Or perhaps, if The New Haven Incident serial is a success, I might do the same with this.
I don't know yet. It's all very up in the air, and I'm not sure which is the right decision as I try to make my writing generate enough income that I can support myself.
But it's back on the writing horse from me. I'll try and keep you all updated as I go.
I hope your weekend was lovely.
Slán go foill!
Image by Pete Linforth from Pixabay As some of you might have guessed from my cooling social media announcements, I have long blown past my self-imposed deadline to get the last book of The Three Worlds War series. I burnt out pretty quickly, and my brain wasn't able to pull the words out far enough that I'd be able to write them down.I decided to back off a little, give my mind some time to rest and percolate. I spent the rest of March with my eyes closed at lunch hour instead of writing, letting my brain do whatever the hell it does when my eyes are closed.
Though I'm really quite annoyed with myself about having to step back... again, it was needed. It being the first of the month now, I'm going to dive into it again. My lunch hours are once again being taken over by writing as many words as I humanly can while also ensuring I gain some kind of nutrients. Hopefully, I'll not be very much past my new deadline (I've set it for the end of May now, but I'm hoping I'll get it done much fast than that).
I'll be very glad when this story is written. It's been a bit like pulling teeth, and I have other stories trying to get noticed. Then there's the issue of attempting to sell the series. I'll see what Renaissance thinks. Or perhaps, if The New Haven Incident serial is a success, I might do the same with this.
I don't know yet. It's all very up in the air, and I'm not sure which is the right decision as I try to make my writing generate enough income that I can support myself.
But it's back on the writing horse from me. I'll try and keep you all updated as I go.
I hope your weekend was lovely.
Slán go foill!
March 26, 2024
Selling myself... Short?
Good morning, Readers! 
Image by Nikolett Emmert from Pixabay I struggled with what to write today. I don't have a lot going on. The only thing right now that I'm working on is the attempt to sell myself and my work. Some of you on Facebook may have seen a couple of my attempts to bring some attention to Daughters of Britain. A couple of posts showed up on Facebook - on about female gladiators and one about Boudicca - showed up and I used it as an opportunity to rave about one of my favourite historical women as well as try and bring attention to the book.
Marketing myself is a struggle (beyond simply not having the time to do much). It's not that I don't think the things I write are any good. Far from it. If you don't mind tooting my horn a little bit, I think I'm a good writer, and I think my stories are worth the telling. I believe they are told well.
The problem is intrusion, I think. I don't want to just jump in and throw my stuff at people who might not want anything to do with it. I hate selling because it feels sleazy. I feel slimy doing it.
But I think couching the links to my works feels a little better if I'm also adding something of value, like a bunch of over-excited factual information about one of my favourite people, or perhaps a joke (as I did with the post about the Gladiatorices). It feels a little less slimy to me anyway. I'm a little less nauseated posting that instead instead of just linking my books with some nonsense like "Want to read something cool?"
This is an ever-green problem for me. And it is, I think, one of the greatest hinderances to my success as a writer. It's entirely self-made. I should learn to get better at marketing. It just makes me feel so damned queasy. But I really want to start earning a proper living from my writing. So I'm going to have to learn.
What I'm doing now is exploring what I can do that doesn't feel entirely gross, and then seeing if that does anything worthwhile to my bottom line. Do bear with me. The last thing I want to do is just start vomiting links and using stupid pressure tactics to try and get people to buy.
Alright, I have to go and do things that actually earn me money.
Ciao!
Image by Nikolett Emmert from Pixabay I struggled with what to write today. I don't have a lot going on. The only thing right now that I'm working on is the attempt to sell myself and my work. Some of you on Facebook may have seen a couple of my attempts to bring some attention to Daughters of Britain. A couple of posts showed up on Facebook - on about female gladiators and one about Boudicca - showed up and I used it as an opportunity to rave about one of my favourite historical women as well as try and bring attention to the book.Marketing myself is a struggle (beyond simply not having the time to do much). It's not that I don't think the things I write are any good. Far from it. If you don't mind tooting my horn a little bit, I think I'm a good writer, and I think my stories are worth the telling. I believe they are told well.
The problem is intrusion, I think. I don't want to just jump in and throw my stuff at people who might not want anything to do with it. I hate selling because it feels sleazy. I feel slimy doing it.
But I think couching the links to my works feels a little better if I'm also adding something of value, like a bunch of over-excited factual information about one of my favourite people, or perhaps a joke (as I did with the post about the Gladiatorices). It feels a little less slimy to me anyway. I'm a little less nauseated posting that instead instead of just linking my books with some nonsense like "Want to read something cool?"
This is an ever-green problem for me. And it is, I think, one of the greatest hinderances to my success as a writer. It's entirely self-made. I should learn to get better at marketing. It just makes me feel so damned queasy. But I really want to start earning a proper living from my writing. So I'm going to have to learn.
What I'm doing now is exploring what I can do that doesn't feel entirely gross, and then seeing if that does anything worthwhile to my bottom line. Do bear with me. The last thing I want to do is just start vomiting links and using stupid pressure tactics to try and get people to buy.
Alright, I have to go and do things that actually earn me money.
Ciao!
March 20, 2024
Hoy, Boy.
Good morning, Readers! 
Image by Gundula Vogel from Pixabay Same kitty. Same.
I meant to write this Sunday night, but ended up so down on life that I resorted to watching a sappy movie to make myself cry and (weirdly) simultaneously cheer myself up. It was Ever After: A Cinderella Story, incidentally. It's the only romantic movie I like; certainly the only Cinderella story I can stomach. Anyway, I was feeling so down about life and everything, I didn't get anything done.
Good thing I waited, because BlueSky delivered something I think really does deserve to be talked about.
I cropped out the name on purpose. I don't want to invite a dogpile (granted, I doubt this will reach anyone except my regular readers and not one of you are likely to start a horror-show).
I think this post really misses the damned point. Yes, writers have always griped about it being difficult to make a living as a writer. That's because it has always been difficult to make a living as a writer. However, it has been getting more and more difficult; locking so many people and their incredible work out of the market.
Let's just take pay, for example. Just the pay.
In Little Women, Jo March earns $100.00 for a short story. That seems about right. It's roughly the same today, in many markets. But that was $100.00 in the 1860s. Do you know what that would in today's earning power? Let me enlighten you:
$3 738.87
Read that again. That's just about three whole month's rent for me. THREE MONTH'S RENT for a short story.
Let's not go into how expensive housing is in today's age. Jo March could've rented a four bedroom place for 22-ish months from what she earnt from that story.
Today, we're lucky to get $100.00 for a short story. The purchasing power for our work has reduced by 97% or so. Often, we're paid by the word, if we're paid at all. 2 cents is roughly average, but it can go as high as 5. If you are famous, you'll earn as much as 10 cents a word. Now that's living the dream.
Jo March is also given an advance of $300.00 for her novel.
That's $11 216.60 today. That's not even a down-payment for a home today. In 1860, a quarter of that is a whole-arse house.
Most authors get nothing.
To make up for this shortfall, most writers in today's day and age work full time at a job that isn't their writing. In my case, I work three. This is in addition to writing. So... four, really.
Can there be any wonder writers are nowhere near as prolific as we used to be? All of our energy is spent just trying to stay alive. We can maybe snatch an hour a day or every other day in order to get our stories out.
Imagine how many books I could write in a year if I was able to sit down for a solid four hour block and write every day. SO many!
And it's not like I don't have the ideas (some are better than others, granted). I do. What I lack is time. What I lack is energy. Everything, everything is going to not drowning in this hell-scape world we've built.
Not only are we working one or more jobs that isn't writing, most writers also receive little marketing support from their publishers (sometimes the publishers are small and just don't have the resources, sometimes publishers are large but greedy and just don't want to make that investment in their writers), and so we are responsible for trying to make their publication a success. It's hard, time-consuming work. And we're expected to do it all.
And you want us to churn out three or more books a year?
Oh, and listening to writers mention this when directly asked is boring. We should be doing MORE with all that time and energy we clearly have. We lazy writers.
Alright, it got under my skin a little bit, but I genuinely believe that writers put a lot of good in the world (and some drivel, to be fair). Our work has value. We deserve to be paid fairly for that value. We deserve to be able to make a life for ourselves with that value.
Sometimes, a little complaining is warranted, you know?
Anyway, pay writers. And maybe we'll have some time and energy to write more for you.
Image by Gundula Vogel from Pixabay Same kitty. Same.I meant to write this Sunday night, but ended up so down on life that I resorted to watching a sappy movie to make myself cry and (weirdly) simultaneously cheer myself up. It was Ever After: A Cinderella Story, incidentally. It's the only romantic movie I like; certainly the only Cinderella story I can stomach. Anyway, I was feeling so down about life and everything, I didn't get anything done.
Good thing I waited, because BlueSky delivered something I think really does deserve to be talked about.
I cropped out the name on purpose. I don't want to invite a dogpile (granted, I doubt this will reach anyone except my regular readers and not one of you are likely to start a horror-show).I think this post really misses the damned point. Yes, writers have always griped about it being difficult to make a living as a writer. That's because it has always been difficult to make a living as a writer. However, it has been getting more and more difficult; locking so many people and their incredible work out of the market.
Let's just take pay, for example. Just the pay.
In Little Women, Jo March earns $100.00 for a short story. That seems about right. It's roughly the same today, in many markets. But that was $100.00 in the 1860s. Do you know what that would in today's earning power? Let me enlighten you:
$3 738.87
Read that again. That's just about three whole month's rent for me. THREE MONTH'S RENT for a short story.
Let's not go into how expensive housing is in today's age. Jo March could've rented a four bedroom place for 22-ish months from what she earnt from that story.
Today, we're lucky to get $100.00 for a short story. The purchasing power for our work has reduced by 97% or so. Often, we're paid by the word, if we're paid at all. 2 cents is roughly average, but it can go as high as 5. If you are famous, you'll earn as much as 10 cents a word. Now that's living the dream.
Jo March is also given an advance of $300.00 for her novel.
That's $11 216.60 today. That's not even a down-payment for a home today. In 1860, a quarter of that is a whole-arse house.
Most authors get nothing.
To make up for this shortfall, most writers in today's day and age work full time at a job that isn't their writing. In my case, I work three. This is in addition to writing. So... four, really.
Can there be any wonder writers are nowhere near as prolific as we used to be? All of our energy is spent just trying to stay alive. We can maybe snatch an hour a day or every other day in order to get our stories out.
Imagine how many books I could write in a year if I was able to sit down for a solid four hour block and write every day. SO many!
And it's not like I don't have the ideas (some are better than others, granted). I do. What I lack is time. What I lack is energy. Everything, everything is going to not drowning in this hell-scape world we've built.
Not only are we working one or more jobs that isn't writing, most writers also receive little marketing support from their publishers (sometimes the publishers are small and just don't have the resources, sometimes publishers are large but greedy and just don't want to make that investment in their writers), and so we are responsible for trying to make their publication a success. It's hard, time-consuming work. And we're expected to do it all.
And you want us to churn out three or more books a year?
Oh, and listening to writers mention this when directly asked is boring. We should be doing MORE with all that time and energy we clearly have. We lazy writers.
Alright, it got under my skin a little bit, but I genuinely believe that writers put a lot of good in the world (and some drivel, to be fair). Our work has value. We deserve to be paid fairly for that value. We deserve to be able to make a life for ourselves with that value.
Sometimes, a little complaining is warranted, you know?
Anyway, pay writers. And maybe we'll have some time and energy to write more for you.
March 13, 2024
Damsel!
Good afternoon, Readers! 
Once again, I’m late. In my defence, I went to see my dad and his girlfriend this weekend for the first time in about a month, so my posting schedule slipped a bit.
Anyway! On to the post! I watched Damsel recently, the Netflix adaptation of what I learnt too late was a book. I would have like to have read it first. That’s beside the point. I watched the film, and here’s what I thought…
It was good!
Okay, my longer thoughts.
I thought I knew where it was going. I thought it was going to be a fun fantasy story about a kick-arse young woman kicking arse. And it was that, absolutely.
But it was also at times, quite terrifying. There were aspects of it that were genuinely horrifying; from scenes of brutal deaths to aspects of psychological horror, this movie was not as cheesy-action as I thought.
Our heroine’s introduction to the dragon to whom she’d been sacrificed is what first made me sit up straight. All those poor, poor birds. It struck me as particularly terrifying - as it was meant to be, no doubt. I cannot imagine how scary it would have been to actually experience it for real (yes, I know it’s a work of fiction, but do try to actually put yourself there).
The reveal is also really quite scary. The dragon is not just a mindless, hungry beast; but sentient. The sacrifice she demands turned into a psychotic game of chase in which the point is the terror of the sacrifice. The dragon taunts, mocks, and even lets her prey escape a few times just to prologue the hunt. I would not have made it.
I’m not going to recollect the entire film here, except to say that I guessed fairly early on why everything was happening, so the reveal was no great surprise. What did surprise me is the ending.
I don’t think it’s a spoiler to note that, of course, our clever, determined and courageous heroine wins. But it’s not the victory similar movies of the 90s or even 00s would have given us. Certainly, she saves herself (and her sister). But it’s not the manner of victory you might expect of a film like this. It certainly wasn’t for me, having been raised on these kinds of stories.
I’m treading as lightly as I can so I don’t give too much away, as the film is still pretty new out (just four days) and I want to encourage you all to watch it for yourselves. But the ending was very satisfying. The evil was indeed vanquished. And that’s all I’m going to say about it.
It was great. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Do watch it, if you can.
Once again, I’m late. In my defence, I went to see my dad and his girlfriend this weekend for the first time in about a month, so my posting schedule slipped a bit.Anyway! On to the post! I watched Damsel recently, the Netflix adaptation of what I learnt too late was a book. I would have like to have read it first. That’s beside the point. I watched the film, and here’s what I thought…
It was good!
Okay, my longer thoughts.
I thought I knew where it was going. I thought it was going to be a fun fantasy story about a kick-arse young woman kicking arse. And it was that, absolutely.
But it was also at times, quite terrifying. There were aspects of it that were genuinely horrifying; from scenes of brutal deaths to aspects of psychological horror, this movie was not as cheesy-action as I thought.
Our heroine’s introduction to the dragon to whom she’d been sacrificed is what first made me sit up straight. All those poor, poor birds. It struck me as particularly terrifying - as it was meant to be, no doubt. I cannot imagine how scary it would have been to actually experience it for real (yes, I know it’s a work of fiction, but do try to actually put yourself there).
The reveal is also really quite scary. The dragon is not just a mindless, hungry beast; but sentient. The sacrifice she demands turned into a psychotic game of chase in which the point is the terror of the sacrifice. The dragon taunts, mocks, and even lets her prey escape a few times just to prologue the hunt. I would not have made it.
I’m not going to recollect the entire film here, except to say that I guessed fairly early on why everything was happening, so the reveal was no great surprise. What did surprise me is the ending.
I don’t think it’s a spoiler to note that, of course, our clever, determined and courageous heroine wins. But it’s not the victory similar movies of the 90s or even 00s would have given us. Certainly, she saves herself (and her sister). But it’s not the manner of victory you might expect of a film like this. It certainly wasn’t for me, having been raised on these kinds of stories.
I’m treading as lightly as I can so I don’t give too much away, as the film is still pretty new out (just four days) and I want to encourage you all to watch it for yourselves. But the ending was very satisfying. The evil was indeed vanquished. And that’s all I’m going to say about it.
It was great. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Do watch it, if you can.
March 5, 2024
Slowed Right Down!
Good afternoon, Readers! 
Image by Ralph from Pixabay Well, things have been stalled over at mine for the last fortnight. I’m missing deadlines all over the place.
Granted, it is because I was very ill for a week there, but I’m still feeling guilty. Let’s catch you up on all that I’ve failed at.
First, I will not make my self-imposed deadline for the final book of The Three Worlds War series I’ve been writing. I’m more than just a week behind, as I was before I got ill. But I started to feel fatigue and burnout about a week before I got ill, so I didn’t do any writing then. The illness struck and for the next week, I continued to do nothing. I started feeling better on the Tuesday following, roughly four days after I got hit with the virus like a truck, but neglected to do any writing then, either. That takes us up until today, in which I’m writing this blog post (and will be writing others as I play catch-up for my Ko-Fi subscribers), and working on stuff for one of my other jobs, so there will be no writing today, either. Depending on how I go with the other job, I might not get to writing anything at all this week at all.
Which means, with just under half the estimated word count left to go, I have missed my deadline by a long, long, long shot.
This is the first deadline of this kind that I’ve missed. I’m disappointed in myself and am trying to give myself some grace. Working 40 hours a week at one job, 4 hours a week at another, and with another job that intermittently takes up my time, finding the room in my schedule to write is a struggle. Not that it’s any kind of excuse, but I’m using it, damn it.
On the bright side, I will have a book (book, serial, same thing) coming out this year. And scheduled for after that is the release of The Lioness of Shara Mountain (more on that when I know more), so it’s not like I’m not producing anything at all in the next couple of years.
I know I’ve missed putting something out there for you to read. I had a book a year at one point, and that was a pace that suited me at the time. I’ve gotten slower as I’ve aged… and taken on more and more. One day, hopefully soon, I can begin to earn enough from one of my other endeavours that I can start to claw back some time for writing.
I really miss being able to sit for a three hour block and just write. I miss knocking out 2000-5000 words a day like it was my job (I mean, it is one of my jobs, but let’s ignore that for now).
Though I’ve slowed, I have no intention of stopping. Thanks for being around while I stumble through all of my responsibilities! It’ll pay off… soon, I hope!
Right, I have to get back to work.
Ciao!
Image by Ralph from Pixabay Well, things have been stalled over at mine for the last fortnight. I’m missing deadlines all over the place.Granted, it is because I was very ill for a week there, but I’m still feeling guilty. Let’s catch you up on all that I’ve failed at.
First, I will not make my self-imposed deadline for the final book of The Three Worlds War series I’ve been writing. I’m more than just a week behind, as I was before I got ill. But I started to feel fatigue and burnout about a week before I got ill, so I didn’t do any writing then. The illness struck and for the next week, I continued to do nothing. I started feeling better on the Tuesday following, roughly four days after I got hit with the virus like a truck, but neglected to do any writing then, either. That takes us up until today, in which I’m writing this blog post (and will be writing others as I play catch-up for my Ko-Fi subscribers), and working on stuff for one of my other jobs, so there will be no writing today, either. Depending on how I go with the other job, I might not get to writing anything at all this week at all.
Which means, with just under half the estimated word count left to go, I have missed my deadline by a long, long, long shot.
This is the first deadline of this kind that I’ve missed. I’m disappointed in myself and am trying to give myself some grace. Working 40 hours a week at one job, 4 hours a week at another, and with another job that intermittently takes up my time, finding the room in my schedule to write is a struggle. Not that it’s any kind of excuse, but I’m using it, damn it.
On the bright side, I will have a book (book, serial, same thing) coming out this year. And scheduled for after that is the release of The Lioness of Shara Mountain (more on that when I know more), so it’s not like I’m not producing anything at all in the next couple of years.
I know I’ve missed putting something out there for you to read. I had a book a year at one point, and that was a pace that suited me at the time. I’ve gotten slower as I’ve aged… and taken on more and more. One day, hopefully soon, I can begin to earn enough from one of my other endeavours that I can start to claw back some time for writing.
I really miss being able to sit for a three hour block and just write. I miss knocking out 2000-5000 words a day like it was my job (I mean, it is one of my jobs, but let’s ignore that for now).
Though I’ve slowed, I have no intention of stopping. Thanks for being around while I stumble through all of my responsibilities! It’ll pay off… soon, I hope!
Right, I have to get back to work.
Ciao!
February 27, 2024
I’m ALIIIIIIIIVE!
Good morning, Readers! 
Image by Enrique Meseguer from Pixabay Hoh boy, I owe you an apology. This blog post should have reached you yesterday, but I have spent the last fours days or so curled up either in bed or on the couch just about as ill as I’ve ever been.
It’s been a long time since I’ve been this ill. Years, in fact. The last time I was anywhere close to this unwell was when I had gotten Covid. Needless to say, I did not handle it well.
I’m such a horrid little sook when I’m sick.
But things are looking up. As of Sunday, I was able to remember my own name, and even had the energy to make myself a sandwich. Yesterday, I was feeling even more myself. I have returned to the real world (boo!) today, but took yesterday off work in order to get the house and myself more in order.
There’s a lot I needed to do yesterday, including chores around the house (I am a disaster monkey at the best of times, and it’s even worse when I don’t have the energy available to pick up my mess and walk twelve steps to the bin), but most importantly, catching up on all the things I needed to do for my posting obligations.
That meant this blog post (uploaded yesterday for my Ko-Fi subscribers). It meant writing and scheduling Wednesday’s exclusive blog post for my Ko-Fi friends. It meant writing a blog post for Black Gate Magazine, which is due to be published today. Household chores had to wait until I was done those.
I do want to share some exciting news with you, though! Thursday afternoon, just hours before my symptoms hit me like a truck, I signed the contract for The Lioness of Shara Mountain. I’m so excited to have it finally finalised.
Now, it’s going to be a long while before The Lioness sees the light of day. There will be a number of edits to go through, and then there’s all the business of getting a blurb written, and a book cover made, and all the formatting and everything.
I really love this story. I really cannot wait to share it with you all. I will keep you posted of all the shenanigans; when I get edits, you’ll know that they’re being done. I’m so excited to share the book cover when I get it... You know, all the fun stuff involved in publishing.
Despite being a snotty (still) ball of virus, I’m feeling pretty good about everything. I’m a happy bunny today, and I can’t wait to drag you along with me on this journey - my first traditionally published book in a number of years.
Sorry it’s been so long!
Right, I have to let you go. There’s more stuff for me to catch up on.
Ciao!
Image by Enrique Meseguer from Pixabay Hoh boy, I owe you an apology. This blog post should have reached you yesterday, but I have spent the last fours days or so curled up either in bed or on the couch just about as ill as I’ve ever been.It’s been a long time since I’ve been this ill. Years, in fact. The last time I was anywhere close to this unwell was when I had gotten Covid. Needless to say, I did not handle it well.
I’m such a horrid little sook when I’m sick.
But things are looking up. As of Sunday, I was able to remember my own name, and even had the energy to make myself a sandwich. Yesterday, I was feeling even more myself. I have returned to the real world (boo!) today, but took yesterday off work in order to get the house and myself more in order.
There’s a lot I needed to do yesterday, including chores around the house (I am a disaster monkey at the best of times, and it’s even worse when I don’t have the energy available to pick up my mess and walk twelve steps to the bin), but most importantly, catching up on all the things I needed to do for my posting obligations.
That meant this blog post (uploaded yesterday for my Ko-Fi subscribers). It meant writing and scheduling Wednesday’s exclusive blog post for my Ko-Fi friends. It meant writing a blog post for Black Gate Magazine, which is due to be published today. Household chores had to wait until I was done those.
I do want to share some exciting news with you, though! Thursday afternoon, just hours before my symptoms hit me like a truck, I signed the contract for The Lioness of Shara Mountain. I’m so excited to have it finally finalised.
Now, it’s going to be a long while before The Lioness sees the light of day. There will be a number of edits to go through, and then there’s all the business of getting a blurb written, and a book cover made, and all the formatting and everything.
I really love this story. I really cannot wait to share it with you all. I will keep you posted of all the shenanigans; when I get edits, you’ll know that they’re being done. I’m so excited to share the book cover when I get it... You know, all the fun stuff involved in publishing.
Despite being a snotty (still) ball of virus, I’m feeling pretty good about everything. I’m a happy bunny today, and I can’t wait to drag you along with me on this journey - my first traditionally published book in a number of years.
Sorry it’s been so long!
Right, I have to let you go. There’s more stuff for me to catch up on.
Ciao!
