June 2023 Roundup

How To Write Yourself An Edit Letter,... Editing Tips: Getting Your Book Ready...

June 2023 Roundup

Welcome to the June 2023 roundup!

Can you believe we’re halfway through the year now?! As always, I feel like I haven’t achieved enough, even though I’ve made some real progress on my projects. It just feels like there’s still so much to do to reach the goals and deadlines I set in January. I’m working my best to get there, and have spent a lot of this month editing as much as I can to finish my latest draft and get it off to my beta readers. That means I haven’t been as active on my social media, and reading and commenting on all your blogs as I usually am. It’s one of those situations where I think If I just get this done, I’ll have more time for everything else later… and then that later never comes . I’m sure I’ll be back into my regular routine soon, though. As for the rest of the sixth month of 2023, this is what I got up to…

What I’ve Been…Writing

Blackbirch 4 – I was hoping to have my beta draft ready to send out to my betas at the end of the month, but just a few days ago as I was editing, I changed something that caused ripples in other chapters, so I need to fix those issues first. I also want to do one final read-through of the book from start to finish before handing it off, and I know I’ll need a few days to do that. Mid-July is the new goal, and I’m still really enjoying working on the story, so I’m counting that as a win.

Watching

Ted Lasso – Season 3 (Final Season)

They always said there was a three-season plan for Ted Lasso, and they stuck to it. The result was a series finale that ticked all the boxes. While some episodes of season 3 failed to reach the quality of previous season highs, it was all brought home in the end. (Spoilers ahead) Ted finally made the right decision for his family and moved back to America. This had consequences for everyone at Richmond, but a flash-forward (or was it a dream sequence?) showed how everyone’s lives played out, and it was all as expected/needed. This is the blueprint for how you end a show in the best way possible. There were also hints of likely spin-offs, such as a women’s football club run by Rebecca and Keely—Yes, please!

Never Have I Ever – Season 4 (Final Season)

It’s always a bonus when shows know they are coming to an end and can finish things properly. The final season of Never Have I Ever had that and took us through Devi’s last year of high school, including the usual ups and downs of her friendships and love life. All the characters we’ve come to know for the last few years were there, and the final episodes showed us how they’ve grown, and where their lives head as they move onto college—basically nailing the series finale.

Reading

Maid Of Steel By Kate Baker

After experiencing the devastating loss of her brother, and then her best friend in a workplace tragedy, Emma is sent from America to Ireland to recover. Already an advocate for the suffrage movement that’s been gaining ground in her home country, she hopes to start a similar fight for the vote in the small town she’s landed in. This draws the interest, and ire, of some townsfolk.

One interested person is Thomas, the man who runs the inn Emma is staying in. Given the run of it in exchange for a love-less marriage to the previous owner’s daughter, Thomas is content making the most of his lot in life. That is until Emma walks into it.

The true heart of this book is the relationship between Emma and Thomas, and it kept me turning pages to see how things would start and end for them. Thomas’ wife Alice, a selfish actress who uses him and anyone else to get ahead in her career, is also an interesting character. Certainly, one you love to hate. She takes a surprising turn in both character and arc, which for me, felt like it came out of left field, but it did work by the closing pages. If you’re a fan of historical romance fiction, this book is worth a read.

Clear Writing by Carol Manners

This a quick read that has a simple message of keeping writing simple, using common sense, reading things aloud, and wording your sentences differently if all else fails. There are chapters dedicated to the basics of grammar, which works well when being used as a reference to look up something specific for grammar or usage. Highlights of this book are a chapter on confused and misused words, hints of punctuation, and a list of popular spelling mistakes. This book was first written in 1986, and updated in 2004, so some of the info is a little outdated in 2023, but the overall takeaway of writing as efficiently as you can and using minimal punctuation still stands.

Christopher Pike Books

Inspired by the Netflix series, The Midnight Club, I decided to spend 2023 re-reading the books of my favorite author, Christopher Pike. It was his books that put me on the path to writing for Young Adults, and it’s interesting reading them now as a writer rather than just a reader. For these books, I’m enjoying the nostalgia and reading for fun and not to review.

This month I read The Starlight Crystal, The Star Group, Execution Of Innocence, and Tales Of Terror.

The Day The Earth Turned Book 1: Summer by Chantelle Atkins

I’m a huge fan of Chantelle Atkins‘ books and was lucky enough to secure an ARC for her latest and to be part of the blog tour! Here are the details and my review of The Day The Earth Turned Book 1: Summer. You can buy this excellent book here.

Blurb

The adults are all dead. Society has collapsed.
Two groups of teenagers emerge on either side of a rural village, traumatised, bereaved and determined to survive.
As tribes form and territorial lines are drawn, can they overcome their differences and find a way to rebuild?
Or will gang warfare end this emerging new world before its even begun?
Each of them has their theories about what killed the adults and as the dust settles on the old world, a far bigger, darker, and angrier threat is bursting to life all around them.

My Review

When the majority of adults are wiped out following years of viruses, the kids and teenagers are left to fend for themselves. Some take charge and others follow. Gus, a boy who is happy to be free of his parents, convinces the kids in his small hometown to follow him, and exile anyone else.

One of those kids is Reuben, a survivalist who has always had issues with Gus. Chess, a teenage girl orphaned with her little sister, joins Reuben and the others who don’t want to live under Gus’ new rules. As well as dealing with him, they come to realize the animals are behaving strangely. And as nature itself gives them a record summer that has stopped all rainfall, they may soon be dealing with more than just the new world dangers.

The Day The Earth Turned is full of characters who are gritty and a premise steeped in relatable truths. Under the author’s talented writing skills, it’s an excellent start to what is sure to be a thrilling new dystopian YA series. Highly recommended.

If you’ve got any good book recommendations, let me know in the comments, or be my friend on Goodreads and share your books/recommendations with me! You can also find and follow my reviews and book recommendations on Amazon and BookBub.

If you’d like to add the Blackbirch books to your Goodreads “Want to Read” shelf and/or check out the reviews, click the following links:

Blackbirch: The Beginning Blackbirch: The Dark Half Blackbirch: The Ritual

Taking Photos Of

Mugs and birds. I did so much editing this month that I spent the majority of my time at my laptop sipping tea out of my ever-growing collection of mugs. When I did get out for walks, I came across a lot of different birds. Thankfully, I’m not scared of them, unless they fly anywhere near me, of course .

On The Blog

In case you missed any of my posts, or want to read them again, here are the latest blogs.

May 2023 Roundup The Bare Minimum Checklist How To Write Yourself An Edit Letter, And Why Every Writer Should
Writing Tip Of The Month

#WritingTipWednesday posts are added to my social media feeds every week and here is the most popular tip for this month. It’s taken from my blog post, Tips For Rewriting A Finished Manuscript.

Blackbirch Review Of The Month

This quote is from a 5-star review of Blackbirch: The Beginning, and was the most popular one posted this month on my social media feeds.

If you’d like to read the books released so far or find out more about each novel, here are the links:

Blackbirch: The Beginning (Book 1)Blackbirch: The Dark Half (Book 2)Blackbirch: The Ritual (Book 3)

If you’ve read any of my books—and haven’t done so already—please consider leaving a review or even just a star rating. It really helps indie authors get their books noticed, and also helps fellow readers find books they’ll like.

Quote Of The Month