Valkyries

Hi all,

Yet another Iron Faerie anthology has come out, much to my delight! You can check it out below…

Enter a realm where celestial warriors reign supreme. This anthology of short stories uncovers the fierce and enigmatic lives of Valkyries, the legendary shieldmaidens of Norse lore. Each tale unravels a unique chapter of these divine beings, exploring their valor in battle, personal struggles, and mystical quests. From epic confrontations to intimate revelations, discover the strength, courage, and intricate lives of these iconic figures as they navigate a world where destiny and the divine intertwine.

My short story, Flightless, is included in this anthology. It’s the first time I’ve written about Kaia and Sirrah, a Valkyrie and her pegasus. In the future I want to write more about them and I can’t wait to explore their world! To do that I’ve still got quite a bit of research to do on Norse mythology, but I’m sure that won’t take long.

There are plenty of amazing short stories by multiple authors in this anthology, perfect for those who love Norse mythology.

That’s it for this week! See you next week.

November 2024 Project Announcement

Hi all,

Despite everything that's happened regarding NaNoWriMo, I'm still going to write 50K in November!

My project this time around will be a standalone, Game of Air and Lightning.

This book has been in my ideas folder for about five years. It started out being similar to Hunger Games, until I started adding more details in.

There are two factions, Aerus and Bolt. The two are deities who came to Earth and were worshipped by it's people. Those who didn't believe in either god were quickly wiped out. The main character is Reema, a sixteen year old girl who belongs to the faction of Aerus.

Every five years, both gods choose twenty of their followers and transport them to their homeworld. This is so the two factions can fight and one can be declared an overall winner. For the first time, the two deities pick teenagers and their chosen are taken away before anyone can protest.

Aerus allows their faction to use air magic, while Bolt's faction uses lightning magic. Both can pick a familiar before going into the battlefield, where the fighting will start straight away.

Reema chooses a cat and is thrust onto the gods' homeworld, where the bloodshed is already beginning.

I've had this one on the back burner for years as I didn't want to write a Hunger Games knockoff. I wanted something that was it's own thing. I'm quite happy with the way that I've planned the book now and can't wait to start writing it in November.

I haven't found an alternative to NaNoWriMo that I like yet, but hopefully I'll find one before November. I find that it really helps with my motivation to input the words somewhere and see the total go down as I go through. I'm not sure yet if I'll write again in April and July or if I'll pick a different month, but I've got plenty of time to decide that too.

Even with what NaNoWriMo have done, I'm still going to write. This won't stop me from doing my own challenge and figuring it out along the way.

That's it for this week, I hope you enjoyed reading. See you next Sunday! 

PS; don’t forget to check out these book bundles:

Horror Giveaway September!

Are Standalones Easier to Write?

Hi all,

This week I'm writing about something that I've seen has been talked about a lot in the writing world. Are standalone books easier to write than those in a series?

As a writer who has written standalone books and several series, I thought I'd wade in on the subject.

I find standalone books easier to plot as its just one book so I don't need to worry about as many subplots or characters. Whenever I've written a series, I usually move onto a standalone book next to clear my mind. In a standalone book you are only writing one story for one book. While with a series you need to worry about weaving several stories across several books.

But, I have found that I'm more satisfied after writing a series. Seeing the series done is an amazing feeling and I get so excited to read the books again when I'm editing them. I also love seeing the characters grow across each book and how they deal with all the problems they face.

To me, I find standalone books easier to write. This is because once I get to the end of the story, that's it. I can always edit it later and change bits that I'm not happy about. But with a series I find myself getting drained from writing in the same universe over and over. It's one of the reasons why I write a standalone or two after finishing a series.

The Original Elementals series is supposed to have ten books in it with seven currently written. I haven't written any Original Elementals books this year because I've become a bit burned out by it. Next year I'm hoping to pick the series up again and finish it so I can start publishing it.

In November for NaNoWriMo I'm more than likely going to write another standalone book. It also clears a bit of my book ideas folder as the series don't tend to sit there very long!

In conclusion, I personally find a standalone book easier to write as it gives me more time to jump between book to book, genre to genre. This might not be the same for everyone, but it works for me.

That's it for this week! I hope you enjoyed reading, see you next Sunday. 

PS; don’t forget to check out these book bundles before they end:

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All Genre Boxset Readathon!

My Statement on NaNoWriMo

Hi all,

For those of you unaware, NaNoWriMo has recently made some statements that have completely devastated the writing community. Instead of condemning the use of AI for writing books, they have instead labelled those who oppose it as 'classist' and 'ableist'.

I've participated in NaNoWriMo for six years and have written over one million words due to it.

But now, I'm going to leave it.

I don't agree with their stance on AI writing nor their comments about those who oppose it. There are so many authors out there who work so hard on their books on their own merit and they are having their work stolen to train AI into writing books.

For NaNoWriMo to support this, completely goes against my views. I do not support this type of writing and find it shameful that they would choose to do so.

Many have now backed out of NaNoWriMo and a few board members have stepped down because of this. Although they are now trying to backtrack and claim that their words were misconstrued, the damage has been done.

I will be looking for an alternative to NaNoWriMo to write my books in the future and will no longer participate in any of their events. I know there are many in the writing community who feel the same. When I find a suitable alternative, I'll let you all know.

See you next week. 

Novelist Review

Hi all,

If you've been following my blog for a while, then you may know that I write mostly using my phone. I used to use Evernote, but then they started placing restrictions on how many notes and notebooks you could create unless you paid a subscription.

Not writing on my phone wasn't an answer and I did try many things before finally settling on what I use now, Novelist!

It's an app for writers that can be used to plot books. You can split everything into chapters and notebooks, which is pretty handy! Although the app itself says it's not for writing books, I've used it for two books now and I'm really enjoying it.

It has a real time word count visible at the top of the screen, as well as characters, sentences and paragraphs. I usually only check the word count, but it's nice to have everything on display. It's much better than having to exit the note to check the word count.

I tend to write in dark mode as it's easier on my eyes, which is lovely little feature that I didn't consider before.

You can format the text as you go or just leave it as it is. I still prefer to do my formatting after in Word, but I think it's useful nonetheless.

It's great for keeping notes of all of my books in tidy places. I have different note books for book ideas, the books themselves and blog posts. This post was written in Novelist!

I would highly recommend Novelist for anyone who wants to either plot or write a book. It's changed how I write and I absolutely adore it. When Evernote first started placing restrictions I was initially worried that I wouldn't be able to find another app to use. I went through the notes app that was already on my phone, Word, OneNote and a few other apps that I downloaded. I found that Novelist is the best by far and I will continue using it for my writing and plotting.

That's it for this week! See you next Sunday. 

PS; if you’re looking for a new series to binge, check out this book bundle:

All Genre Boxset Readathon!

My Casual Writing Project

Hi all,

This week I'm talking about the newest book that I'm working on, though this one I'm doing a bit differently.

You may remember The Core from a poll that I put up a few year's ago. Street Rats won the poll but The Core came in a close second. I've renamed the book now but it is by no means a final title.

I'm now writing Cloud's Core, which is a standalone book that I've had in my ideas folder for years. Unlike past projects where I try to complete the book as fast as possible, this time I'm taking it slow.

I'm calling it my 'casual' writing project.

That means that I have no deadline to finish and I'm taking it at my own pace. There's no goal to meet day by day or even week by week. I just write whenever I feel like it.

So far, I write early in the morning when I'm getting ready for work and then I don't touch it for the rest of the day. I'm able to write about a thousand words each time doing this.

So far I'm not sure if this is the best method for me as I'm terrible with procrastination. If I don't have to do something, I will just keep putting it off. I think I need goals to motivate me to actually finish a project. NaNoWriMo is great for this as I'm motivated to get the project done every day until the end of the month. At the end of the month I am really tired but the method works.

I don't know if Cloud's Core will continue like this or whether I'll eventually put a goal on myself. But for now I'm happy to test this out and see how it goes. This method might not work for me but it could work for others.

That's it for this week, see you next week! 

PS; looking for a new series to binge? Check out this boxset bundle:

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July 2024 Camp NaNoWriMo Wrap-Up

Hi all,

July Camp NaNoWriMo ended two weeks ago and it’s time for the wrap-up! This time I was writing the first draft of Empty Skies #3: Burning Constellations.

My final word count is…

80,082 words!

I wasn’t expecting to go so far over my word count for this book, I was aiming for 75K. But it ended up working out quite well as I could fit in more backstory about The Remnants and how they were treated by the gods.

This book does have a happy ending, which I’d planned from the beginning. When I was writing the first book in the series, the ending was the first thing I came up with. Some might call it bittersweet, but I think it’s the best ending that the characters could hope for.

In this book, Ataraxia discovers more about The Remnants and why they act the way they do. She resolves to try to help them in any way possible when the gods return. She is even willing to sacrifice her own life over it.

Laelaps meanwhile is trying to keep the group together and doesn’t care for the reasons why The Burning has done what she did. He is desperate to get back to his old life and doesn’t want to visit Earth again for a while so he can recover.

NaNoWriMo begins in November and for once I’m not sure what I’m going to write for it. I could do Original Elementals #8: Turf or one of my standalones that have been planned for years. Once I get closer to the time, I’m sure I’ll make a decision.

That’s it for this week, I hope you enjoyed reading! See you next week.

PS; don’t forget to check out this book bundle if you’re going on holiday:

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My Writing Playlist Part Three

Hi all,

It's been a while since I've done a writing playlist post so I thought I'd correct that!

Black Mambo - Glass Animals

Gooey - Glass Animals

Wonderful Nothing - Glass Animals

Peregrine - Mako

Maria - Dua Lipa

People I Don't Like - UPSAHL

Mr Fear - Siames

Labour - Paris Paloma

Love You More - Llynks

Honey Lavendar - Iuean

Next Up Forever - AJR

Time Machine - Robyn

Where Have You Been - Rihanna

I think this year's playlist is the most upbeat so far! A lot of these songs I just like to listen to while I'm writing. A few of them have inspired a few short stories that I've written to.

Of course, Glass Animals is on the lost for third time! They're my favourite band and I love listening to their music. They've just released a new album too which I've been listening to. My favourite one so far is Wonderful Nothing. I'm sure their album will inspire some future stories too.

I think most of the songs on this playlist will inspire mythological stories. I'm starting to plan my Norse mythology series and I'm looking into other world mythology too.

That's it for this week! Let me know if you listen to any songs I've mentioned! See you next week. 

PS; don’t forget to check out these horror books before they disappear:

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Dragons and Cats

Hi all,

It's been a while since I've written a post about cats so I thought I'd fix that!

In the Elemental Dragons universe, dragons can communicate with cats as they speak the same language. I've mentioned in the past that the two have different dialects but for the most part they can understand each other.

A lot of dragons prefer cats to dogs if they have more of a calmer temperament. This is because they tend to prefer relaxing and snoozing in the sunshine. But they sometimes play, though this gets harder as the dragons get bigger!

The dragons would consider the cat a part of their family, though they don't see each other as siblings. But they tend to have strong bonds that struggle to be broken. Cats can be more aloof, but a lot of times they make it clear that they do love any dragons they're close to.

The one thing that cats hate doing is flying on the back of a dragon. Travelling along the ground is fine and usually preferred for lazy felines. But they don't like being taken up into the air. The wind and cold is too much for them so they will react violently if they are made to fly without wanting to. 

In some rare cases dragons and cats don't get on at all. This may be because of a clash of personality or extreme jealousy. But as long as someone gives both equal attention and is patient, these obstacles can be overcome.

If I had a dragon, I'd like to think that it would get along with my cat, Mishka. She likes being the centre of attention but maybe a scaly friend would make her reconsider!

That's it for this week, I hope you enjoyed reading. See you next week! 

PS; don’t forget to check out these book bundles:

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Kindle Unlimited Horror Bookfest!

July 2024 Camp NaNoWriMo Project Announcement

Hi all,

Although it feels like no time at all has passed, July is almost here! That means I'll be participating in Camp NaNoWriMo again. This time, my project will be...

Empty Skies #3: Burning Constellations.

The final book in the Empty Skies series is set immediately after book two. In this one, the origins of The Remnants are discovered and the need to bring the gods back is heightened.

Ataraxia and Laelaps have recovered for the most part from their spats in the second book. But both have become a lot more confident as time has gone on. They are more likely to stand up for themselves and push their ideas more. Ataraxia in particular was already pretty headstrong, but she has matured a lot as the series has gone on. Laelaps was the quieter one but even he has had to open up more.

The antagonist for this book is Medusa, who is working with The Burning to get revenge of Poseidon. I always thought that in the myths that Athena turned her into a gorgon to protect her rather than punish her. So, she will not blame Athena for what happened to her. I'm also thinking of introducing the other gorgons too, but I'm not sure how that will go yet. I might change my mind as I'm writing the book.

I've had the ending for this book in my head for a while so I'm actually quite excited to get it onto the page. I'll be sad that the story is over, but the characters will still make cameos in other books! The Damaged Goods series will be a prequel to Empty Skies featuring the Remnants. It will explain how they got to where they are now and what happened along the way to make them so bitter. In fact, the origin story of The Freezing has been in my head since I was fifteen! I'll be so happy to finally write that one out.

That's it for this week, I hope you enjoyed reading! See you next week. 

PS; don’t forget to check out this giveaway:

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