May – (Early) Q2 Writing Update

In which I get so many things done and yet not enough…

While I normally try to save these updates for the last month in each quarter, I have a fab blog post to share in June for a book that will have just released, so! Ignore the slight schedule switcharoo and let’s talk about all things writing from the last couple of months. 🙂

Since March, I’ve worked on a variety of projects, making loads of progress and also feeling like I got next to nothing done. The latter isn’t actually true once I sit down to think about it, but if there’s one thing you’ll learn about me, it’s that I’m always trying to reach for ambitious goals, even if the season of life I’m in isn’t made for ambitious goals. *dies* (Pretty sure Lin Manuel Miranda wrote the lyric “why do you write like you’re running out of time?” specifically for me. *winks*)

I’ve dabbled a little in the world of Tales of Nottingham, continuing to write out and brainstorm my outline for the next book in the Operation Renaissance series. As I’ve said before, I’m trying to treat this outline very, very gently. In the past I’ve rushed it or wrote myself into corners and plot holes I couldn’t seem to emerge from. This time, I want to work on it when inspiration strikes instead of forcing it. Part of me feels guilty for this. I know so many readers have been waiting for the final installment(s?) of Marion’s story for years now, and I want nothing more than to share it with you. But damn it, I really want the story to feel RIGHT. So you’ll have to be a little more patient with me as I coax this story bit by bit from my brain and figure out where Marion’s journey finally ends. These characters have been with me for a long time, longer even than they’ve been with you, and it’s vital that they get the endings they deserve. ❤

Even though the outline for the Operation Renaissance book is taking longer than expected, I haven’t abandoned my work in the Tales of Nottingham universe! After getting some slightly conflicting feedback from my beta readers for Project Wishes, my Cinderella Retelling, I decided to let the story sit for a little while longer. (My betas were amazing, just for the record! Getting contradictory feedback is often a standard part of the editing process to work through, ha!) When I was ready, I printed the manuscript off again and started going through it by hand – both to give myself a new “perspective” with the draft but also so I could physically write down places where my betas recommended changes, additions, etc. I was able to sort things out and figure out how to implement most of their feedback in ways that will hopefully resolve the issues they mentioned while also still staying true to the story that I want to tell! Often times when authors get deep in the editing trenches, it’s hard to remember what story we were trying to tell in the first place – what themes we were trying to touch on, what relationships and character arcs we were trying to weave, etc. Definitely a “can’t see the forest for the trees” situation. Thankfully, after letting the book marinate for a while, I was able to find that vision again, and now I think I can see the final edits through to completion!

In the past couple of weeks, I’ve been going through the notes I jotted in the margins of Project Wishes and I’m nearing the end of everything I have to implement… And THAT means the next step is officially handing this book off to my line editor/proofreader. Eep! We are getting close, friends!

I haven’t had many coffee shop writing days as of late – too many trips, spring allergies, birthday parties, and life things to do. But I did have one this past Sunday, on Mother’s Day, and managed 1000 words in the next chapter of Park City for Christmas! Additionally, I’ve officially booked my editor for this book, so I have a real deadline to adhere to now… My first ever holiday romance manuscript will be handed off to my editor in October, for better or worse (hehehe)… So now I just really need to get my ass in gear to finish writing it, but oooh boy. Nora and Jackson (the two Main Characters) are taking their sweet time communicating with me. This is what I get for attempting to write a book where both love interests are madly infatuated with each other and yet hella hesitant because of *jazz hands* their own differing life circumstances. Like, c’mon guys, just kiss already, please. As your author, I beg you. 😉

The last thing I want to mention (because I’m very aware I’m rambling now, but hey, thanks for still reading, ha!): Project Summer is a State of Mind continues to call my name like a siren song. I told myself I’m not allowed to work on it until I finish Project Wishes, but eesh, that’s been a super hard thing to stick to. I like to imagine the characters poking my brain like “hey, hey, hey, we’re still here, hey” LOL! Maybe in the third quarter writing update I’ll get to be like HEY EVERYONE, I GOT TO WORK ON THIS FINALLY, but we’ll see! In the meantime, if you want vibes for this book, listen to “You’re Gonna Go Far” by Noah Kahan. If that song doesn’t embody EXACTLY what I want the reader feeling by the end of the book, I don’t know what does. So yeah…feel all those feels with me. You’re welcome. 🙂

I’m going to call it and wrap this up now, ha! If you’ve made it this far, thanks so much for reading my rambles and for being interested in my writing. ❤ More books are coming, I promise!