For those who've noticed my absence over the past year or so...I apologize! Life has gotten stressful, to say the least. Priorities have shifted, responsibilities have grown, and I have been pretty tired, to say the least. Life has a funny way of doing that sometimes and there really isn't a good way to get through it other than getting through it.
Or in the words of Dory, "Just keep swimming!" A lot has changed for me in the past year, but I had never intended on abandoning my goal of finally finishing the rewrite and other stories which I'd planned to publish. But things happen, you know? It wasn't intentional, but in order for me to move forward, I have to be intentional now. That being said, I'm ready to kick this book in the ass! How might I do that, you ask? Well, just in time for Nanowrimo, of course! In case you didn't know, November is National Novel Writing Month (or Nanowrimo for short) and this is a time where authors are challenged to write 50,000 words in one month. Why 50,000? The standard length of a novel is 50,000 words (where for me, that's about 10 chapters!) That roughly calculates to about 1670 words per day, or 2000 if you want to buy yourself a few days over Thanksgiving (but really you're probably fine to write after the weird 2:00 pm dinner, am I right?) Ultimately, achieving this goal also instills the habit of writing every day, which for many writers is actually pretty difficult. We're the kings/queens of procrastination. Last year during Nano, I wrote about 15 chapters worth of words, however I came to realize that I had made a huge boo-boo and left out a major plot point of my book. I've since been combing through the chapters to make the corrections because otherwise this book will be a giant dumpster fire and I've worked far too hard and too long on it to allow that to happen. So, for Nano, I'll be picking up after these changes and writing the remaining chapters. That also means that I'll be extending Nano for myself into December, because there's no way in hell I'll finish this book by adding only 50,000 more words. (She's gonna be thiccc) So, if you haven't already been following me, head over to my socials and click the things. I'll be providing updates (starting next week!) It's been about five years since I've published and I'm ready to hop back into the bookish world with all the horror and glory it will bring! Are you ready? (I'm not sure I'm ready, but I'm gonna do it anyway!) See ya on the flip side Lisa xoxoxo
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It seems like just last week when we ushered in 2022 collectively hoping it would be better than the previous years. Personally, this year was full of much growth, learning, and healing on a personal level. I've set and met my goals, read a lot of books, attended therapy, managed my health and wellness, and overall tried to do better. Some of that energy carried into my professional life, which has helped me make new connections and grow my network, which is so important in the indie author world. I've been so thankful to have met some wonderful people who are so fucking talented it's insane! I'm learning so much about this new bookish world—although I'm still behind the curve a bit.
As far as 2023, I've got plans! Currently, I'm working on a revised version of my bestselling Legacy of Secrets series. It will be completely rebranded, reimagined, and rereleased. If you read LoS, you'll be familiar with the characters and some of the story, but the new version is darker, grittier, and spicier than the last and I'm stoked about it, if I'm being honest. While it's been a labor of love, I'm committed for this version to be the last, which means the series will finally have a conclusion after all these years! *crosses fingers* I also plan to have Falling Undercover revamped and released, though it will remain largely the same apart from new editing and some added scenes. This is currently being reviewed with my publisher and once it's been completed, the new version will be available first on KDP and then widely through retailers. The sequel, Loving Undercover, will follow later next year and there may possibly be a third installment, though that is still TBA as I'm not sure how far Kris and Joe's story will go! Shifter Tales will also be getting a bit of a face lift as NLM works through my catalog of books. Currently, there are about seven novels/novellas planned for the series, Thea's Reawakening will be the first to be released and Layla's Vindication will follow. Several more titles will be added between 2023 and 2024. Updates will be in my newsletter. There are so many more projects in the works that I can't wait to announce, but they're not quite ready for that stage just yet! Once I get the green light to discuss future projects, I'll spill the beans because I can't wait to tell everyone! I really hope you all will be as excited as I am! I'll be posting again soon (no seriously, I will!) xoxo Lisa For many, many years, the world behind Legacy of Secrets has only existed in my mind. I wrote the series long ago, when I was in my early twenties, and decided to publish it since I loved it so much. If I had known then what I do now, it wouldn't quite need a face lift. So, here we are! So what does the world actually look like? What are all the characters? Where do they come from? What do they do? How do they live? How did the world come to pass? What is the legacy of secrets, exactly?
All of these questions will be answered and more! Make sure you subscribe to my newsletter to get exclusive access to these tales. The lore won't be available anywhere else until after the reimagined series is published. The first story takes us back to the very beginning of the world, one of the oldest legends, and perhaps the most popular tale they tell. Want to know more? Click to subscribe and get your lore on! Good evening and welcome to the show! But seriously, I hope your weekend was great. I've been doing boring mom things, but they are necessary considering I am a mom. Otherwise it might be kind of weird. But I digress.
I decided to do something today. I decided to put my entire catalog of books on Amazon exclusively and Kindle Unlimited! I had previously only released new books through Amazon, but in recent months my traffic, sales, and downloads have consistently come from one place, Amazon. Logically, it just made more sense right now to have more control over my books and allow them to be available to the right people. For the time being, folks who read on devices other than Amazon will not have access to my current works, but currently I had minimal activity on expanded markets. Unfortunately, I have to go where the people are and that is Amazon. I don't mean to exclude any readers. If I get a lot of requests for my books to be listed on other platforms, I will reevaluate. Until then, Kindle it is! I managed to run a successful Beta Reader search on Instagram last week and lined up some folks I'm fairly excited about work with for the future! Currently, I'm working on Blood Promise, the next installment of Legacy of Secrets. I plan to publish this by Spring, so keep an eye out for the preorder announcement!! Don't forget to sign up for my newsletter where you'll get this info before anyone else as well as special sales and freebies not found anywhere else! Thanks for sticking with me!! xoxoxo Lisa When I started writing this post tonight, I was prepared to come out swinging with bold statements and statistics, etc. Then, I decided it was probably to worst thing for me to do right now, and decided to instead discuss what you come here for: books and bookish things.
I don't like to discuss politics and other current events too much, mostly because I don't want to impose my will onto anyone else, but also because I don't think it's fair to make people choose between my beliefs and my work. So, let's all forget about the craziness of the world right now and talk about something fun! If you're not following my on IG (you totally should, btw) I've been posting frequently about my #wordcountgoals. I'm planning to keep going with this until I finish Blood Promise, which will hopefully be in about two weeks. Then, it will be off for editing and I'll be moving on to my next project. Phew! EXCITING NEWS!! Falling Undercover is now available for PREORDER!! You will be able to read it on November 23, just in time for some holiday comfort reads to go with the comfort food!! I couldn't be more excited to be bringing this brand new genre into the fold and see where it takes me. I have a bit more work to do in order for it to be presentable, but I have no doubt it will be, at the least, moderately entertaining (lol). There are so many more projects I have in the works and ideas that are constantly flowing, I honestly which I could just pull the info from my mind without needing to go through the painstaking process of ACTUALLY writing it. I already know all the details in my mind -- it's just so inconvenient to have to type all that shit out. (Am I right?) In all seriousness, I've got some good stuff going on and I'm reinvigorated for this new chapter in my life and career (pun only slightly intended). I'm looking forward to more trade shows in the coming months as well as some local signings and readings. There is just so much to plan!! Off I go to get some more words in tonight. 'Til next time!! Lisa xoxoxoxo |
AuthorI'm a writer, a mother, a wife, a friend, a sister, and a daughter. My journey as a published author is in full swing and I'm inviting all my friends along for the ride! Archives
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