September Wrap-Up

In Which I am Replete with Apples

Fall is my favorite season and apples are one of my favorite things about fall. Going to the orchard is sometimes more an aspiration than a reality, but now we're two for two years in a row and I once again have more apples than I could ever conceivably eat, a fresh jar of apple-pecan butter, and a resentful Sheltie who wants to know what the orchard people have against his species.

But it was a good break after a very busy month, in which I got my book covers, got my books, put my books up for advance review on Netgalley and Book Sirens, and started getting reviews from total strangers. You think, after years of writing groups, that you're accustomed to critique, but nothing prepares you for that jolt in your stomach every time you get a new review. The back half of September was all about trying to train myself to process reviews and then get over them.

One month out from release day, and I've caught up enough to start making the final edits to book two, which for me means listening to the entire book through an AI reader, since that's the best way to catch dropped words and substituted words. It's a nice distraction from endlessly fiddling with promotional graphics or asking myself for hundredth time whether the owl graphic on the chapter headers of book one suits the tone of the story. (Seriously: the one you saw in the pre-order copies was not the first one, dear reader, nor is it likely to be the last.)

But I do want to thank the ARC readers, because those early reviews absolutely mean the world to me, and I can only hope book two will be everything you want it to be. I'm also working on subscriber-only goodies this month, as a thanks, which I'll unveil with November's newsletter. 

And so I will close with a question for you: which character is your favorite so far? Why?

Until next time!

For her, he would try to be more like a lamb.

-Stardust Child