Sunday Author Update, 11-20-2022!
Hi!!!!
It feels like forever since I’ve written an author’s update. I have been chiseling away at finishing the new book featuring Lynx Grove. I almost made a post last week, announcing that I will publish as I write to Kindle Vella but I’ve changed my mind since then.
I mean…
It’s probably a good business decision to publish the story, which is currently titled “Off Limits: A Friends to Boss to Lovers Romance” to Kindle Vella but, I don’t know. I like to guard my story until I’m done writing it. However, there are some cool benefits that come with publishing to Kindle Vella as I write.
For instance, readers will be able to convey what they like or don’t like about the story I’m writing. And those reactions will allow me to figure out if I’m taking the story in the right direction.
On the other hand, pirates abound and I’m always worried about them. Also, I would love to guard my story until its official release date as one final book.
So… As of now, I’m not going the Kindle Vella route with Off Limits. But I might try another story in the future. Which leads me to my next announcement.
I have made story writing plans for the rest of 2022 and all of 2023. I want to rewrite Once Friends with Sonja and Zach as well as Taming the Shrewd, changing the title to something else. I also want to rewrite Waiting For You and finally write Theresa Hester’s story. The thing is… The Hester sisters have been with me since 2007. I wrote the first books and they sort of flopped because the main plots are not romance ROMANCE. And I want to write real romance stories with those characters. Especially since I want to develop a TV series featuring Sonja and Jay West.
But WANTING to write a TV series and doing it are two different animals.
That’s why I’ve decided to take the future project by project. For instance, I’m writing Lynx’s story and then I’ll write Max’s story. Those projects are a done deal.
After those two books ANYTHING is possible. LOL!
I want to be HIGHLY creative again. Like I was when I wrote Misty Black and even Parched. And now that I’ve learned a lot more about tropes and genre, I feel as if I could really slay those stories today.
But I’m having a lot of fun crafting Off Limits. I’ve spent the better part of two months getting to know my characters and figuring out why they choose to be connected to each other. And why are they choosing to be friends and not lovers right away. And I love that because thinking of them as human beings allows me to write real and flawed characters who don’t always make the right decisions right away.
Also…
Drum roll…
While I write novels, I’ve decided to earn my second Masters degree in Clinical Psychology. I’m 95% certain that’s going to happen starting in 2023.
So I’m going to be very busy in the next two to three years!
So let’s breakdown my publishing future:
- Off Limits, releasing Winter 2023. My editing date is January 9th.
- Next will be Max’s book. I’ve planned for it to be another becoming friends and then lovers story. I want to take my time and craft the story. More than likely it will be released in late Summer or early Fall 2023.
- Then I’ll see how I feel. As far as romance goes, I might begin rewriting Once Friends. I just can’t let The Hester sister stories go. I want to make them better. I don’t think I’ll rest until I make them better.
- And of course grad school. But I’ll be able to still be an author while attending grad school. As long as I finally learn how to outsource. Book covers for sure! Learning Photoshop has been a blessing and a curse. LOL!
- And, for those who were with me during Misty Black, there’s a strong possibility I might return to my sci-fi roots. The thing is… I’ve changed so much since then. My belief system has changed. When I picture the future, I don’t picture destruction and barren lands. I believe people, especially young people, as a whole are getting better, more empathetic, and more in love with their environment and fellow humans. Because they have more information and the Internet expands their universes. I wouldn’t write a dark dystopian future today. But I have this story premise that’s been with me for the past two years. I really want to explore it. I’ll see. However, if you liked Misty Black, I think you’ll like this other story too. Stay tuned. I might be exploring more while I study psychology because that will play a part in character development and societal development and the major conflict.
Okay… There you have it. My plan for next year. I will post snippets of the new book though. I use Vellum which has Grammarly to write my initial drafts and let me tell you, it gives me tight early versions of my first drafts. That means I don’t mind sharing chapter one of Off Limits!
So get ready!
Alright! Until my next post!
Much Love ❤️
Z