I’m back!

So…it’s been like, a year and a half since I wrote here, huh?

To be fair, 2021 has been kind of a year. Here’s what I’ve been up to since October 2020:

Finished Book III of The Elmnas ChroniclesStarted drafting Book IV (whoops, it’s a quartet now, not a trilogy)Started drafting a brand new fantasy series (double whoops)Continued to survive a pandemicGot a second jobStarted a newsletterSold our houseBought a new one an hour awaySupported my husband in his new ministry role as church planterHomeschooled 2 kids Got a promotion (sort of)Tried to make friends (I think I succeeded?)Quit my second jobBought like 15 trees from the Arbor Day Foundation

Wow, when I write it all down like that it seems like a lot. No wonder I didn’t blog! In fact, for much of the last two years, writing anything at all became an enormous struggle. I chose to focus on drafting TEC: no events, no blog tours, no interviews. It was the right choice.

Now, thankfully, I and my family are settling in after all these crazy transitions, and life is beginning to feel normal again.

So, what’s new?[image error]Pexels.com" data-medium-file="https://kaylenaradcliff.files.wordpre..." data-large-file="https://kaylenaradcliff.files.wordpre..." src="https://kaylenaradcliff.files.wordpre..." alt="" class="wp-image-742" />Photo by Miguel u00c1. Padriu00f1u00e1n on Pexels.com

If 2021 was the year of transition, I’m hoping 2022 is the year of creation! The next books in TEC are undergoing edits at the publisher now. I just finished first round edits for Fox, and I completed some major revisions for Book III that should speed first round edits along. No official publication dates yet, but watch this space for updates soon!

Several new stories are also in the works at the moment. Book IV of TEC is about 12 chapters in with around 42,000 words drafted. I am taking a short break from that draft, however, to complete a new story in a new fantasy world. It’s called The Tower of Cortico. I plan to pitch it to agents and publishers at a conference this coming July. And when I can’t focus on either of those stories, I’m working on a short story set in TEC world. “Makir’s Bounty” will hopefully be just one delightful story in a collection I’m currently calling Tales of Reidara. I’m offering first reads, ARCs, and other goodies to newsletter subscribers, so make sure you sign up here for all that good stuff!

What’s new with you? Share what you’re reading, writing, and what you’ve been up to in 2021 in the comments below.