Tag: writing

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…and I’m back

*blows off the dust*

So, after my father died, writing kind of took a back seat to dealing with the aftermath and getting my stepmother situated to carry on life without him. It meant a lot of travel back and forth to Tucson, all while I was grieving.

It meant that there was very little of me left for writing, either here or on any of my projects.

It’s been a whole year, and I am starting to find my way back. I’ve dubbed November NaPoWriMo, National Poetry Writing Month and I plan on writing a poem per day. If you want to follow along, visit https://weightywordspoetry.wordpress.com/.

In other news, I got my personal Facebook page disabled for no reason that I can understand, which has cut me off from my author and photography pages as well.

I have also left Twitter. You can find me on Threads or Bluesky. I don’t post all the same content on them, but there is some redundancy. I’m finding Threads is great for connecting with other writers and readers. I’m still struggling to find my way on Bluesky, but feel free to friend me on either or both sites.

I’m hoping to get back to one of the novels languishing on my hard drive too. I have no travel planned until the new year. With luck, that means enough down time to deep clean my house and get some writing done.

Welcome back!

Photo by Photo by Belinda Fewings on Unsplash

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the year that was and the year that will be

Ah, New Year’s…that time of hope and good will and the best intentions. We say good riddance to the year that was and throw open our arms to embrace the year to come.

As a general rule, I do my goal setting and reminiscing about the year at Samhain, but it’s been a hell of a year.

I moved from Walnut Creek out to Stockton to be closer to my mom and brother. I went to Star Wars Celebration. I got a dog. I published three novels. I lost my father and stepped into the caretaker role for my stepmother. I got to go to Nashville to see Radio Company in their first public gig.

In April, I wrote a poem every single day. I finished writing one book and got a third of the way into the next.

I got to catch up with some family I haven’t seen in forever, and meet some family I had never met.

I generally suck at keeping up with any schedules or such when it comes to posting daily or weekly or whathaveyou…but I’d like to get back to a more regular posting schedule. When I started this blog, I committed to posting here every Mon-Weds-Fri, but life got in the way, so maybe I’ll attempt Saturdays and Wednesdays. One of those days I’ll post something about my writing process/progress and the other whatever comes to mind.

I’m also wanting to get back to writing more poetry, so you may see more of that too.

Here’s a wish for you, Readers: May 2023 bring you peace, joy, and love. May your coffee be strong, your food delicious, your sleep restful and your heart filled with kindness. Goodbye 2022, the year that was, and welcome 2023, the year that will be.

Photo by Moritz Knöringer on Unsplash

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available now!

The first three books of the Blood Witch Saga are all available now, before Christmas! Do you have a reader on your list? Know someone who loves strong women, and urban fantasy, and wants to go on an adventure?

These are the books you’re looking for!

Follow Thána Alizon as she discovers that she is not the orphaned, mediocre middle-management corporate lackey she has believed herself to be and sets off on an adventure to find the family she never knew she had, traipsing through portals into other worlds, encountering mythical beings, dangerous cults, an ideological war, and a medieval plague.

Each portal takes her further from who she was and brings her closer to who she was meant to be.

Get yours now by clicking on the image above or this link.

Happy Holidays, Readers!!

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meet Anne Gothfried

The city of Gavelscore resembles London in the 1880s, except the society is matriarchal and women run much of the world. The language resembles Old English, so when Thána is approached by someone who speaks English with an Australian accent, she’s shocked and intrigued.

To hear Anne tell the story, she fell through a hole and found herself in this backward world with no real idea how to get home. She adjusts to her new situation though and makes a place for herself as a gambler, frequenting the taverns and saloons around the country.

When she hears Thána and Daria speaking in English, she introduces herself, drawn to something in Thána, and begins to ingratiate herself into Thána’s orbit, offering her advice in dealing with the people in the small city.

The question is, is Anne friend or foe? What does she have to do with the murders happening around them? And what does she want with Thána?

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meet Stâlian Susanna Batorry

Thána and her friends find themselves in a world of many dangers, including the church militant. Like the rest of the world, the church, and its military, are led by women. Stâlian Susanna Batorry is the sharp weapon of this military, called The Mother’s Weapon.

When we first meet her, she has come to Gavelscore to hunt, judge, and execute witches.

As a child, she witnessed her sister’s death, by means of a witch’s curse (supposedly) and thereafter dedicated her life to eradicating witchcraft. She joined the church and quickly worked her way up to a leadership position to become the head witch hunter.

Dedicated and loyal, Batorry is a True Believer and that could spell trouble for our heroes.

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Hêalic: The Blood Witch Saga Book 3

Yesterday I turned in my final edits on book three of the Blood Witch Saga. I think it’s my favorite of the series. What’s not to love about a gender-bent Victorian society, a Jack-The-Ripper style serial killer and magic?

Thána, Xen, and Daria find themselves in a world where witches are killed by hanging, and both a virulent plague and a serial killer eerily similar to Jack The Ripper are hunting the populace.

They have no idea how to get back to Meerat, let alone Spítia. Complicating matters, Thána is suffering withdrawal from the xýpna powder and her powers are depleted, leaving her vulnerable. And if that’s not enough, Katyk has come through the first portal with them, but not the second, and Thána feels like she’s being hunted.

After the serial killer takes an interest in Thána, every move she makes might be her last. Can she find their way back to the portal before she ends up dead?

Hêalic: The Blood Witch Saga Book 3

I’ll be introducing you to some of the new characters this coming week, though mostly background players. Cover reveal will happen on my Instagram and Facebook on Wednesday.

I was playing with https://creator.nightcafe.studio/ this morning and the image above is the result. Thána, Daria and Xen…or some version thereof.

I also got some writing done on book 4 this weekend. It’s a bit choppy, but it’s coming along.

We’re back to Monday and the day job awaits. Tis the season of kindness, Readers. By kind to yourself too.

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leaving on a jet plane

I’m headed back to Tucson in just over an hour. I’ll be gone for four days, coming home Thursday evening. On the agenda is a couple of doctor’s appointments with my step mother, getting her set up with in home care and dealing with some paperwork.

I’m also working three of those days, so that could be interesting.

In other news, I’ve seen the cover for the third Blood Witch book, and it is stunning like the first two! Still waiting on edits, but should have those soon enough. I’ve even managed a bit of writing this week!

I also got around to processing the pics I took when I was in Tucson last, at the procession for the Day of the Dead. You can find the whole set here.

My heart hurts to hear the news out of Colorado Springs this morning. I can not comprehend the level of hate required to walk into a crowded nightclub and open fire on a crowd of people just because they are not like you (I’m assuming here that early reports about it being a hate crime are true).

This will be the first Thanksgiving I’m not with my brother and family. Not entirely sure how I feel about that, if I’m honest. But it’s also the first holiday my step mother won’t have my father and it just feels right that I spend at least some of it with her.

On that note, I should finish my coffee, take out the trash, pack up the work computer and get dressed. Should probably eat something too. Long day will be long.

Be kind, Readers. Love with all of your heart.

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life in my world

Hey, Readers! Happy Saturday! I hope life is treating you well. I feel like a chew toy, but I guess that’s what happens when you bring a new puppy into your life. She’s been here a week and I’m a mess of scratches and bruises from playing with her.

Meet Athena

This is Athena! She’s a Pyrenees and Australian shepherd mix and just about 4 months old. She’s a bit timid but is starting to come out of her shell. So far she’s afraid of the stairs and walking on a leash, desperately wants the cats to be her friends (they are not so interested), and is learning sit and stay.

She’s had her first vet visit (she was terrified, but did very well) and went to my mother’s house to meet the family and their pets.

Needless to say, I’m completely in love with her!

Just got her settled down after morning playtime, so it’s editing/writing time. I’m deep into edits on Hêalic (The Blood Witch Saga Book 3) and have found what was missing in the plot for book 4 (as yet unnamed).

That’s all for now, Readers! Go out and initiate some kindness today!

Photo by Greg Rosenke on Unsplash

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Mörderin: The Blood Witch Saga Book 2

Seeking to reunite her family, Thána and her mother Alaina head back to the world where Daria lives with her husband and son.

The once vibrant city where people traveled freely through a collection of portals has been reduced to rubble, and Daria is now a prisoner of the invading army. With her magic still in nascent stages, Thána agrees to a daring and dangerous rescue mission with Daria’s husband and friends, once again putting her life on the line for a family she barely knows.

To make it work she has to push her magical skills to their very limit and rely on those she’s only just met, not to mention breaking into a prison camp and getting out again in one piece. How hard could it be?

Mörderin: The Blood Witch Saga Book 2

I’m excited to share this with you, Readers! Now available in ebook and paperback on Amazon.com and in ebook from Google Books. I’ll be sure to update y’all when other marketplaces come online.

I also currently have two hardcover and six paperback copies of Thanátou available for purchase. Hit me up if you want a signed copy!

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meet Xen

In Mörderin we meet a number of new races, including the Pixin who are agender. Xen is a Pixin who is friends with Thána’s sister Daria. Pixin are long-lived and they reproduce through a process they call the joining.

Pixin are good with languages, but not at magic. They each choose several areas to study over the course of their long childhood. Xen chose Pixila, which is a form of martial arts, cooking, painting, and sculpture.

While the Pixin have called Vaneesh home for a number of generations, they originally came through a portal from their homeworld when a volcanic eruption caused widespread destruction. They prefer tropical climates such as the one on their homeworld and the place where they go to reproduce is in such a climate in Vaneesh.

We meet Xen shortly after arriving in Vaneesh, and they are intriguing to Thána from the start. Xen’s eyes are black and so is their hair, which they wear shaved on the sides, but longer on top. Xen is also the mastermind of the plan to rescue Daria.

Xen is not expressive, but is a deep well of emotion nonetheless. They are drawn to Thána first by her relation to Daria, then by her willingness to go into danger for her sister. When that danger threatens to get them all killed, it is Xen who finds a way to break them out.

The only question is, will it be enough?

Mörderin: The Blood Witch Saga Book 2 is coming soon, Readers!