Hey everyone!

Yeah, I’ve been quiet. LOL. We took a short vacation, and it helped to get out of town. I’ve regained my momentum, my perspective.

I’m hard at work combining both ‘Mark of the Successor’ and ‘Consort of the Successor’ into a single, well done novel. It’s good to revisit the story! I found some issues that should’ve been fixed in editing and weren’t, and am streamlining the story. Finding my voice again, adding things where needed. I’m on the fence as to self publishing it or sending it out as a query book when done, though.

On the agent search, I’ve heard back from a few. All rejections, which is fine. I want someone who believes in my stories, after all! Two more are still pending, so onward I go.

I’m seriously considering self publishing at least 1 title (Arine’s Sanctuary) before the end of the year. The Waystation Guardians series might go that way, too, as they’re shorter books (under 40k words). Most agents and publishers I’ve researched want 60k and up. You all seemed to like the Waystation books, so I want to keep you interested!

That’s one thing that I changed about my writing that I shouldn’t have, and only because the former owner of Solstice (Melissa Miller/aka Lizzy Stevens) told me that shorter books sold better. That readers wanted something short that they could finish in a few hours. My voice is meant for longer stories. Heck, my first book ever (Daughter of Hauk) was over 109k! What I need to decide is if I want to keep those stories at the length they are, or rework them.

The Waystation stories, honestly, work well at the shorter length. The ones I’m reworking now should’ve been longer, more complete, but I was asked to keep the first one to 40k or less. The second was that length to keep in line with the first. Together, with a better ending, the story will probably be around 90k. A much more approachable, readable, size. One that lets the reader be immersed in the world.

And isn’t that one of the major draws for fantasy? To immerse ourselves in a world that’s not our own? Where we can forget about where we are, what our problems are?

Off to fill my water bottle, put the laundry away, and see what the hubby wants to do today before I dive back into revisions. Keep watching this space! As soon as decisions are made or an agent/publisher is found, I’ll let you all know!

BB