Amanda A. Allen's Blog, page 4

June 2015 Reads

Hello friends!  It’s been a while.  To get back into the groove of blogging, I’ve decided to recap my June book reads:

Dead Six by Larry Correia

Sword of Exodus by Larry Correia

Into the Storm by Larry Correia

The Enchanted Castle by E. Nesbit

A Hero’s Guide to Saving the Kingdom by Christopher Healy

Called to Battle by Larry Correia

Wait Till Helen Comes by Mary Downing Hahn

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Call the Midwife by Jennifer Worth

The Master Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg

A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick

Oedipus Rex by Sophocles

I’m actually surprised by what I read during this month. The title count is much higher than I expected.  I continue to love Larry Correia.  His Grimnoir books are EXCELLENT.  Just trust me.  His other books are highly enjoyable.  I re-read Wait Till Helen Comes as the book of my childhood. I read this a lot as a kid.  I LOVED it.  It’s strange and weird to read it as an adult and see what interested me as a tot.

The Raven Boys was simply because I wanted to.  I love those books.  Alas, the final book won’t be out until February.  *tear*

I’m not going to recap them all.  But Call the Midwife was shockingly delightful and brought me to tears a couple of times.  I plan on reading the rest of the trilogy right away.

If you decided, as a writer, to have a baby with a drug addict–that book would be A Scanner Darkly. 

*Anyhoosen, I got a fair amount of reading done with two bouts of the flu lately.  Surely we’ve had all the viruses by now, haven’t we?  Please…

As far as writing is going…it’ll get back to grooving along.  Right?  Right??

~Amanda

And it’s off………

I can’t even tell you how excited I am to have turned this back over to my capable editor.  She’s lovely.  I love her.  I love the editorial letter she wrote me for Snow White and I super-love the new version of Snow.

Snow White has long since been one of my favorite fairy tales.  For no particular reason.  But I love it and I love her and I love the many stories that have been told around her.  Which is why, perhaps, I opened up a blank page and wrote the words, “Snow White…”  I really love my version of Snow White.  I love the world in which it has been set, the Kingdom of Pareon.  The forest of the Magdanian.  I love the horrors of the Mannix and the things that are happening in the distant Empire of Greyvon.  I love the Shadow Kin and the Witch Queen, and the way magic works.  This world has become something that has blossomed far beyond the story of Snow White.

Many of my stories come from dreams that I have.  I am blessed to have epic, cinematic dreams.  And though Snow White is not one of these stories–some of my epic dreams fit so well in this world that I anticipate playing in this world until I stop writing.  I hope that will be the day after my death.  :)

Fun fact:  though Snow White did not come from a dream, I did have a dream set in this world.  It happened at the cottage where Snow lives with her sister, Rose Red.

The next story in this world (not including the sequels to Song of Sorrow) will be Rose Red.  Rose’s story occurs at the same time as Snows and will end at the same time.  I am super excited to turn my mind to Rose.  She has a draft of 15,000 words from when the novel was Snow White, Rose Red.  I also have a list of things to add to Rose that I thought of (and forced myself to merely list) when I was rewriting Snow White.  Rose is gentler and wiser than Snow.  She’s older, and she’s taken on the burden of raising and protecting her little sister.

Snow White’s story begins with guilt and immaturity.  These are not burdens that Rose Red carries. But her love for her sister, like Snow’s love for Rose, will drive her journey and her choices.

Amanda

Popsugar Book Challenge Update

Surprisingly this book challenge has gotten me to a wide variety of books and put me on the path to reading authors I’d debated but never ended up picking up.  A lot of that is due to the fact that I’m not reading rewritten fairy tales whilst rewriting my own.  Same with Witch Murder Mysteries or…. you know.  The stuff I’m up to.  So….finding new authors who write stuff I’d never write, but do it well… that’s where I’m at.  My favorite book this year, barring Maggie Stiefvater, has been Hard Magic by Larry Correia.  I liked it so much I’ve read nearly everything else by him. I have three books to go.

I read The Road by Cormac McCarthy which my friend has been telling me to read forever.

I read Catch-22 also on  my reading list since forever.  I probably won’t, however, read a classic this month as I don’t see being done with good ole Larry by then.  And at this point, I’m going straight through his catalog.  The Grimnoir books are, by far, superior to his other works.  They are all, however, pretty fun.

I’ve read things I liked, things I’ve hated, things that are a combination.  But it’s been fun.  Here’s my book challenge so far:

A book with more than 500 pages  — Can You Forgive Her? By Anthony Trollope
A classic romance – The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer
A book that became a movie – The Pearl by John Steinbeck
A book published this year – As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust by Alan Bradley
A book with a number in the title – Catch-22
A book written by someone under 30 – The Outsiders by SE Hinton
A book with nonhuman characters – Monster Hunter International by Larry Correia
A funny book – Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog) by Jerome K. Jerome
A book by a female author —  Whose Body by Dorothy L. Sayers
A mystery or thriller – A Blunt Instrument by Georgette Heyer
A book with a one-word title – Warbound by Larry Correia
A book of short stories –  Grimnoir Shorts by Larry Correia (Tokyo Raider and Murder on the Orient Elite)
A book set in a different country – The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
A nonfiction book – Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck
A popular author’s first book —  Looking for Alaska by John Green
A book from an author you love that you haven’t read yet — Monster Hunter Vendetta by Larry Correia
A book a friend recommended —  Any Witch Way You Can by Amanda M. Lee
A Pulitzer Prize-winning book – The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
A book based on a true story —
A book at the bottom of your to-read list — The Road by Cormac McCarthy
A book your mom loves —
A book that scares you —  Monster Hunter Legion by Larry Correia
A book more than 100 years old —  Phineas Finn
A book based entirely on its cover –Dead Six by Larry Correia
A book you were supposed to read in school but didn’t – The Awakening by Kate Chopin
A memoir –

A book you can finish in a day — Chitty Chitty Bang Bang by Ian Fleming
A book with antonyms in the name — The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani
A book set somewhere you’ve always wanted to visit – The Weed that String’s the Hangman’s Bag by Alan Bradley
A book that came out the year you were born —
A book with bad reviews —
A trilogy – Paper Magician by Charlie Holmberg, Glass Magician by Charlie Holmberg, Master Magician by Charlie Holmberg (haven’t read the last one yet, it’s out in June)
A book from your childhood –
A book with a love triangle –Hard Magic by Larry Correia
A book set in the future —
A book set in high school —
A book with a color in the title — Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater
A book that made you cry –
A book with magic – Spellbound by Larry Correia
A graphic novel —
A book by an author you’ve never read before – Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos by R. L Levers
A book you own but have never read – The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches by Alan Bradley
A book that takes place in your hometown —
A book that was originally written in a different language —
A book set during Christmas – I am Half-Sick of Shadows by Alan Bradley
A book written by an author with the same initials –Any Witch Way You Can by Amanda M. Lee
A play —
A banned book – The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
A book based on or turned into a TV show –
A book you started but never finished –
*A book of man-cheese – Casino Royale by Ian Fleming

*I added this category.

Anyhoosen, reading books for random reasons has been fun.  Who knows what I’ll do when I’m done with Larry Correia. Perhaps I’ll revisit JK Rowling, Jane Austen, and Maggie Stiefvater.  They are, after all, my very favorite writers.

On the writing front, I continue to edit Snow White and draft Persuaded to Love.  They’re not going swimmingly–not because of the books but because of the war on sleep my two-year-old is enacting.  I’ve added the “hunter” element to my fairy tale.  And loving how it naturally takes on a character I already had.  Persuaded to Love revisits old friends from Compelled to Love and has some pranking.  Yes pranking.  You’ll see…

Bedtime looks something like this.  But with more throwing of things…

~Amanda

Surprise! I have a new book out.

It’s Inconvenient Murder which is conveniently fun!

Auburn and I interviewed each other about the book.  Though my typos are edited out, it’s pretty pure, so it’ll give you an idea of the type of crazy you’re dealing with.

Auburn:

We should interview each other for a blog post. I’ll just start asking questions. And you ask me questions. We’ll be assholes and then only keep what we like. Only answer what you want. I’m operating on 3 hours of sleep, so I’ll probably sound drunk.

Amanda:

I’m okay with you being drunk

Auburn:

I promise. I’m not. Only answer what you want.

Auburn:

Ready? Get Set. Go! What is your favorite element to this witch mystery?

Amanda:

My favorite part is the boob/southern lady bits. I love that they’re terrible at magic to every extent and don’t even care.

Auburn:

What makes Auburn awesome?

Amanda:

Auburn is awesome because she’s awesome. Duh. She’s the same brand of crazy as me and rides the same crazy train, so we get each other in a way that is probably irritating to the rest of the universe. Also despite being high strung she’s incredible laid back.

Auburn:

I love that you think I’m high strung and laid back at the same time. Maybe you are drinking this morning?

Amanda:

You’re just laid back about the right stuff.

Auburn:

What irritating things do you have to overcome in order to be able to work with her?

Amanda:

Auburn disappears like a hobag with family shit.  I do the same, but it’s irritating when she does it to me. Also, she’s stupid spoiled. Like the spoiledest spoiled person you ever met.

Auburn:

Are your main characters modeled after you and Auburn?

Amanda:

Ingrid is me if I were entirely different than I am.

Amanda:

Answer the same question for me.

Auburn:

What am I answering?

Amanda:

The same damn questions, dumbass.

Auburn:

Why Auburn is awesome?

Amanda:

Yes that. You can throw in why I’m awesome too.

Auburn:

Oh, right. It’s not all about me. Damn.

Amanda:

It’s okay. It can be about you this time. But it’s all me next time, Jezebel.

Auburn:

Hahaha. Dude. This whole rambly mess is going live. Just so you know. It’s gonna be rad.

Amanda:

Shut your face, bitchacha! You at least have to remove my typos.

Auburn:

Right. There’s that. I’ll let you edit before we post it.

Auburn:

You are awesome because in spite of your life being so completely full of out of control nonsense, you dream big impossible dreams and you make me feel like together we can accomplish anything.

It’s possible I say things like that to my husband. All deep and sentimental.

But, you know, I usually have different intentions when I’m talking to him like that.

Amanda:

That must be why you’re so damn spoiled.

Auburn:

What do you love most about Ingrid?

Amanda:

Okay.  My favorite thing about Ingrid is that she’s as lazy as I want to be.  But instead, I have small children with legitimate needs.

Auburn:

Hahahahaha! Who you love desperately!

Amanda:

So you are Emily?

Auburn:

I definitely relate to Emily because she’s fun and damaged. She’s got a chill side and then baggage that she likes to bury as much as possible.

Auburn:

Have you ever set someone on fire in real life?

Amanda:

I have not set anyone on fire in real life.  But I have slapped my aunt (when I was a child) and I threw a knife at my brother’s face.  Thankfully, it was very dull.

Auburn:

I am virtuous, and therefore do not condone violence. Bahahaha.

Amanda:

What’s your favorite thing about Ingrid?

Auburn:

I think my favorite think about Ingrid is her tendency for disposable automobiles. I totally relate to that.

Amanda:

If you were going to murder someone what’s your preferred method?

Auburn:

If I was murdering someone, I presume that it’s because they totally deserve it. In which case, the cause of death should be slow and incredibly painful. Also, I’d like to not get messy, so no blood. How about you?

Amanda:

If I were murdering someone it would be in the heat of fury and also because they’d done something to my kids. In which case it would be with the closest deadly instrument—candlestick if necessary.

Auburn:

I’m loving the contrast of my premeditation and your crime of passion. Hey, we should write a murder mystery!

Auburn:

What’s your favorite violent song? Mine is currently Put the Gun Down by ZZ Ward. But I also love Burn it the Ground by Nickelback. They are both very upbeat, but Ward’s song is a sort of desperate plea while Nickelback is all about an anthem call to rebel. Which I’m all about.

Amanda:

 As for violent songs, I totally scrolled through my music library and I can tell you this:

1) I like songs that tell stories. 2) none of which are particularly violent, but I do have a weird affection fro Razor by Foo Fights which is like a love song to suicide. I really enjoy Familiar Taste of Poison by Halestorm which is about being murdered and I really enjoy I need a Hero sung by the Fairy Godmother in Shrek. Because…Because. Shut it.

You can buy the first of the Inept Witches here.

Audiobook and paperback coming soon.

~Amanda

Ps.  As for my Popsugar Book Challenge of reading for 2015, I’ve temporarily chucked it to the side to finish the Larry Correira books.  If you want to read about death and mayhem, check ’em out.

Kendawyn Paranormal Regency

I have read a lot of regencies.  Like a LOT.  I have read the dirty ones.  I have read the clean ones.  I read the Jane Austen’s about 4 million times.  I read the contemporaries of Jane Austen.  I read the authors she liked which are technically not Regencies.  I read the Bronte’s wishing they were more Austen’s (also not Regencies).  I read all the Heyer’s (IMO the best natural successor to Austen).  I took the class in college.  What I’m saying here–is that I’m a fan of Regencies.  I don’t care that there’s a case to be said that this is some sort of unified fantasy land rather than real history.  It’s cool.  I’m cool with that.  I like them all the same.

So, it turns out that writing Kendawyn Paranormal Regency books, for me, is STUPID fun.  Like for realizes.  :)  Each one is a joy to write. I have so much fun.  Possibly I’m repeating myself.

I intend on continuing to play in that world–these books are like the slutty little distractions from my main focus.  They’re the cookies to my pot roast, if that makes any sense.  Writing the fairy tale–it’s been a bit of a challenge.  New magic, new world, my own myths, doing a major rewrite about 6 times.  I think I said I was publishing Snow White this time last year.  That didn’t happen.  Instead I’ve rewritten it so much, it’s painful (I’m enjoying the current rewrite.  Possibly because I know it’s likely the last one.)

For my slutty little books though, I made some choices in the newest of the Kendawyns because 1) I kind of missed Hugh and Alice from Compelled by Love 2)  My friend Ana wanted more about that couple, and that’s an easy enough thing to do for your friend.  3)  When the story started to come about, it was so much fun that sometimes I cheat on Snow White with the new one.

The final title is Persuaded to Love (rather than the “Decided” possibilities).  But it has a co-story of Humbled by Love.  Because I’m exited about them, here are the covers:

These are playful stories.  None of the Kendawyns are dramatic, literary fiction.  They’re not supposed to be.  But these are a bit more playful than Compelled by Love and Bewildered by Love.  It’s possible that the female protagonists in the stories–Venetia and Antigone are rebellious, torturing minxes who don’t see Lord Stanwullf and Rhys, Duke of Wolfmuir as the catches they know themselves to be.  Think more along the lines of Taming of the Shrew than Romeo and Juliet and remove all of the incredible power of Shakespeare’s language and you have my two fun little stories.

Here is the cover lineup for my Kendawyns (Auburn’s is at the end because…why not? Pamela’s, it turns out I don’t have.  But, trust me, it’s pretty.)

Aren’t they pretty??!?!?!?

If things continue to go swimmingly, Persuaded to Love will be out in early Summer and Humbled by Love will be out late Summer/ early Fall.

Writing is gloriously fun, btws.

Compelled by Love can be purchased by clicking HERE.

Bewildered by Love can be purchased HERE.

~Amanda

ps–currently listening to my own audio book–Compelled by Love and also Furies of Calderon by Jim Butcher.  The Butcher falls into the Popsugar challenge as a book your friend recommended.  Possibly this one has been recommended to me about a half dozen million times. Or so.

It’s Mother’s Day in 3 Days…

…and the mother I’m thinking about all the time isn’t the one I expected.  It isn’t my mother who is fantastic.  It is an honor to be her daughter.  It isn’t my grandmother who I knew for a short time but who I love simply for the memories of my father speaking of her and then choking up with adoration years after she died.

It isn’t my friend Auburn who is my kind of fast-food purchasing, writing during the soccer games, adoring Mom.  Or my friend Kristyn whose six kids seem so wonderful and I often think about her parenting advice.  It isn’t…but it doesn’t really matter who it isn’t.

I am in the process of an adoption.  The details are, of course, not for public consumption, etc.  But I am adopting through Foster Care.  Obviously that has associated meaning.  I spend much of my quiet moments thinking of how I am going to explain–especially to my son who remembers his first mother–what happened.  Each of my daughters left the hospital with me.  They don’t remember their first mother.  Regardless, there will be no lies about whether they were adopted or not.  There couldn’t be even if that was my way, which it isn’t.  There is no doubt in my mind that for my son that he needs to know the truth.

Which is…that his first mother adores him.  I will tell him that.  I will tell him that she loved him so much it hurt and that she loves him still.  I will tell him that what happened was a tragedy.

I just don’t know how to say that in having her life fall apart all my dreams came true.  This isn’t how I wanted to become a mother–with an associated tragedy.  I am human enough to acknowledge that after temporarily mothering my son and daughters, I got to the point where I would rather have tragedy occur for her than for me.  Is that sick?  Disgusting?  Real?  I love them.  I love them so much it hurts me physically to think of them not being with me.  That’s just the truth of it.  I think I’ll also tell them how much I love them when I tell them how much she loves them.  That for me, they were miracles.  That each time they call me mother, I am honored and it has more power over me than any other word.

I can’t do cry it out.  My baby calls me when she wakes in the night, “Mama,” she says.  And I answer, because I can not ignore that call and that name.  Mama is magical, powerful and for me–miraculous.

I imagine it hurts their first mother to not have them with her.  Actually, I don’t have to imagine that.  I know how wonderful these children are.  So, I know that this time of joy for me has been a time of terrible pain for her.  And I hate that.  I hate it that she’s hurting. I hate it that you can’t have it both ways.  I hate it that the time will come when each of my babies needs to know more about what happened and why.  And that I’ll have to struggle to explain it in a way that helps them know that sometimes being love isn’t enough, but there is no question that they are loved.

By any of us.

My children are 4, 5, and 6 of 7 adopted children among my siblings.  I love that.  That in my family being adopted isn’t unique. I love that these seven cousins have each other to talk to about their stories in a way that the biologically related cousins may not be able to understand.  I think they might need that relationship as they age and mature.

I’m so grateful that they’re the younger of the cousins.  That if their older cousins struggle, they’ll have struggled first and be able to help my little ones.  I know they will.  For they’re miracles to our family and it is an honor to call them ours.

But I will ensure, and this is my promise to their first mother, that they know their first mother (and of course their fathers) love them.  I will make sure that my sweet, story-telling, snuggle bug of a son with an imagination as wide as the universe will be able to envision a woman who looks a little like him–out there in this big world–loving him so much it hurts.

And I will ensure that for each of my daughters when their times arrives.

So, I know this isn’t a happy mother’s day for you, dear first mother of my children, but I hope it helps to know that when we talk about you, we talk about you in a way that makes sure they know you love them.  And that when other questions happen, they’ll get the truth.  That what happened isn’t fair.  That life isn’t fair.  That they’re a miracle to all of us because their very existence is beautiful.  And that so many people love them, it hurts.

~Amanda

And back to Snow White…

….Snow White is the book I began November 2014.  It shocks me, somewhat, that a year and a half has passed since I first typed, “Snow White” onto a blank page during National Novel Writing Month.  The story has grown so much since then.  I currently have 8 books planned for the series.  To be perfectly honest, it might be the best thing I’ve written.  (I’m not sure how *much* that is saying, but there it is.)

I love the Kendawyn books and they pull on a different piece of myself.  I love the forthcoming murder mystery Inconvenient Murder.  

Those romances reach to the piece of me that read a romance novel every day for most of my high school.  Granted, I read a lot of fantasy during that time too.  And Snow White definitely reaches towards that piece of me.  And that piece of me that read The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley time after time.  I have a clear memory of finishing The Blue Sword closing the book and then reopening it to begin it again.

There’s just something about Snow White for me.  It’s romance and adventure and fairy tale and love and happily ever after and battles and magic, and it encapsulates my imagination.  It’s family and motherhood and being a sister.

What I’m saying is that I love this book.  I have finally delved into again in a big way.  Not the little snatches of time I was taking since I got it back from my editor, but a *big* way.  A whole evening of edits.  A whole evening of revisiting and enjoying this book.  And I love it.  I just love it.

It is stories like this one that make me write.  It’s getting them out of my head, watching them grow, rewriting them, and then rewriting them again.  It’s watching them form and change and then reading them and realizing how much I love the story that began from a random day in New Seasons when I was trying to reach a word count goal and own NaNo for the first time.  What a fortuitous and lovely day when Snow White was born in my imagination.

It’s stories like Snow White that will keep me writing and telling myself stories even if my books are never financially successful.  These are the stories I wanted to tell, and I am honestly proud of it.  Of what it is and what it is becoming.  Someday, I may look back on it, and think, “Oh It would have been better if this or that.”  But I’ll never not be proud of doing my best and telling this story.

I hope that someday I’ll write a better story than this one.  i hope that I’ll continue to grow as  a write and my stories will get better and better.  But I’ll always be proud of the ones I have written.

And I’ll always be grateful for the fun I had writing them and telling them and seeing them grow.

So perhaps that was blathery.  But mostly, I’m just happy right now with the story I’m telling and the progress I’m making as a writer, and the fun I’m having.

Turns out.  Writing is a LOT OF WORK, but it’s also a LOT OF FUN.

~Amanda

ps, currently between books for the pop sugar book challenge.  I’ll probably start a classic on Monday when I’m back to reading some and not just writing.  Not sure which one, and maybe i’ll get sucked back into Monster Hunter by Larry Correia.  :)  The last one I read was Monster Hunter Vendetta and I can’t remember where I got that to stick for the book challenge or even if I did.

Here are some truths about Bewildered by Love and the other Kendawyn titles

1)  The title of Bewildered by Love makes me laugh almost as much as Compelled by Love.  I’m not sure why.  A broken sense of humor perhaps.

2)  I started writing Bewildered by Love before Compelled by Love.  Got frustrated with a portion of it, set it aside, and wrote Compelled by Love in three days before returning to Bewildered by Love.  Are you confused by the “by Loves” yet? (My friend and I played a game today where we made lots of “by Love” titles.  My favorite was The Possibilities of Love.  It’s possible I’ll write that story based on the title.)

3)  When I returned to Bewildered by Love, I loved writing it.  And couldn’t figure out why I had gotten so frustrated.

4)  My biggest irritation about returning to Bewildered by Love was the timing of the story.  I wanted to put more of Hugh and Alice from Compelled by Love in there, but it didn’t work timeline wise.

5).  Bewildered and Compelled are set in Kendawn which is an alternate, magical version of Regency England created by myself, Auburn Seal and Pamela Welsh.  They are also writing stories based in Kendawyn.

6.)  Auburn Seal designed the covers.  She’s dang talented!

7.)  Coming soon in Kendawyn is Mystified by Love by Pamela Welsh.  It’ll be super fun!

8.)  Sometimes I forget my characters names.  When writing the synopsis for Bewildered by Love, I had to look up the main character’s last name.  Naming characters and places is the hardest part of writing for me.  Except when I named Arathe-by-the-Sea which is based on real life Bath, England.  It’s possible that name is dumb, but it makes me happy, so I don’t care.

9.)  My first audiobook will be Compelled by Love which was read by Caprisha Page who also read Goodbye Love and that one is available now.

10.)  Bewildered by Love is available now.  It is the first sequel I’ve published, and I love it.  I hope you do too!  You can buy it here.

Cover Reveal: Bewildered By Love

What the what???  This book is coming together far faster than I was expecting.  I’m so excited to show you this beauty!

And, if my formatting software would just stop owning me, the book would be for sale right now.  As soon as I beat that b*tch down, it’ll be up for sale!

Tee-freaking-hee!

~Amanda

Has anyone else been sucked into a vortex lately?

Because Holy Impending Vortex, Batman!

Also, have you noticed that it’s MAY next week?  May!  Come back, 2015!  I’m not ready for so much of you to be gone yet!

Come freaking back!

*Sigh*

So…as per usual, life is INSANE.  That’s just the side effect of being a working single mom who also writes.  We’re all healthy again.  FINALLY.  And I’m getting back into my writing routine.  There is something about success in reaching your goals that keeps them going.  And something about having them crash down to a burning pile of cinders that makes it hard to restart.  I’m in the restart mode from the illnesses and then general laziness.  But a general update:

Bewildered by Love will be released within a week or two.  Cover still needed.  To do #1.

Snow White is in the rewrites stage.  I need to get focused there.  Given that it is, possibly, my sixth major rewrite of this book.  I am having a difficult time turning my mind back to it.  Even though I *know* that I will love it when I get back into it. I can’t explain how my mind works.  It just works that way. To do #7.

Convenient Murder is at the grammar editor and should be out in May.  Probably towards the end given that other works are coming first (ie Bewildered by Love and Maya Vanishing by Auburn Seal).

Next up, after I finish the edits, is either Rose Red or Decided Upon Love.  Whichever of the two comes first the other will follow.

Rose Red is set during the same time period of Snow White and tells of Rose’s adventures in a Shadow World.  What nightmares can you face in a world that is not quite real?

Decided Upon Love is the story of Oliver and Venetia and brings back our friends from Compelled by Love–Hugh and Phoebe.  Oliver has decided to find his love.  When Phoebe suggest her long-time friend, Venetia, Oliver is amazed to find that despite being titled, handsome, well-connected, and rich, Venetia does not just fall into his arms.

…..you know?  Or something like that……

From there…the list is long and I’ve sworn.  Pinky-squirrel-sworn to focus on the Works-In-Progress and not write something soon.  Which likes means the sequel to Snow/ Rose.  Or the sequel to Song of Sorrow.

Squirrel promises are shifty little bastards.

Anyhoosen.  The writing will continue.  Sequels to Convenient Murder are impending because it is STOOOOOPID fun to write with Auburn Seal.  And I love our crazy witches, Ingrid and Emily just so much.

Reading also continues.  I finished Catch-22, started Slaughterhouse Five–decided to set it aside, and read much of Larry Correia.  I’m currently reading the Monster Hunter books.  I already read the Grimnoir books.  I highly recommend the Grimnoir.  The first of the Monster Hunter’s is fun but doesn’t have that same zing.  I barely started the 2nd one, so I can’t speak to it yet. They’ve only killed a few things so far.  I should read a classic but so far, I finished Catch-22 on April 1, so it slides into my classic a month goal.  *evil cackles*

~Amanda