November Wrap Up

It's December! How did that get here? Where did 2017 go? It's what some people (not me) call the 'most wonderful time of the year. December is the time of year when people are hurriedly searching for deals and maxing their credit cards out on gifts that their "loved ones" are most likely going to cash in for store credit anyway, but I digress. Let's just call me the Grinch reincarnate. November was a month that seemed to pass in the blink of an eye and I don't feel like I got much done at all. Here's what I got up to last month...

READING

Books I Reviewed In November:

- Haven by Mary Lindsey

- Fiendish by Brenna Yovanoff

- Glitter by Aprilynne Pike (Reread)

- Begin Again by Mona Kasten

- Six Little Secrets by Katlyn Duncan

Books I Read In November: 

- Glitter by Aprilynne Pike (Reread)

- Fiendish by Brenna Yovanoff

- CurseBreaker (by me!) - PROOFREAD

- Undone by Wendy Higgins

- Ever the Brave by Erin Summerill

Books to-be-read in December:

December is going to my ARC catch up month:

- Shadowsong by S. Jae-Jones

- Reign of the Fallen by Sarah Glenn Marsh

- The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert

- By A Curse and A Charm by Jaime Questell 

- Furyborn by Claire Legrand

- Renegades by Marissa Meyer

eBooks I Want To Squeeze In:

- Unearthed After Sunset by Lauryn April

- Legacy by Jesikah Sundin

WRITING

November was a really bad writing month. I did some short story writing, but my main writing project for NaNoWriMo, Monsters & Mist finished the month almost where I started... at about 6700 words. 

BLOGGING

 In November participated in my usual cover reveals and release day blitzes (although there were more cover reveals than anything else), participated in a blog tour for Six Little Secrets, and read Undone by Wendy Higgins for an upcoming December blog tour.

PUBLISHING

In November, I got the Kindle Preorder up for CurseBreaker, did one last round of proofreading from my paperback ARC, and put up a sign-up for the CurseBreaker Blog Tour (Jan. 1-5, 2018) besides promoting my books and stories on social media.

October Wrap-Up

Goodbye October, Welcome November - one of my least favorite and most stressful months of the year. It's time for a month of pushing myself to write more words in a month than I usually write in 2-3 months and cooking more for one day than I do for three or four days. Meanwhile, October was a surreal yet busy month. Here's what I got up to last month...

READING

Books I Reviewed In October:

- The Evolution of Us by D. Kelly

- The Language of Thorns by Leigh Bardugo

- Maybe This Time by Jennifer Cruise (Reread)

- Bitten by Kelley Armstrong

- Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo (Reread)

- Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

- Haven by Mary Lindsey

Books I Read In October: 

- The Evolution of Us by D. Kelly

- The Language of Thorns by Leigh Bardugo

- Begin Again by Mona Kasten

- Maybe This Time by Jennifer Crusie

- Bitten by Kelley Armstrong

- Six Little Secrets by Katlyn Duncan

- Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

- Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

- Haven by Mary Lindsey

Books to-be-read in November:

November is going to be a strange reading month for me with NaNoWriMo going on, but I have the following library books due that I have to get through:

- Glitter by Aprilynne Pike (Reread)

- Legacy by Cayla Kluver

- Fiendish by Brenna Yovanoff

- The Last Harvest by Kim Liggett

- Recreated by Colleen Houck

- The Ravenous by Amy Lukavics

eBooks I Want To Squeeze In:

- Unearthed After Sunset by Lauryn April

- Legacy by Jesikah Sundin

WRITING

In October, I finished writing Night of Terror and began posting it one chapter at a time weekly on Wattpad. I also compiled it with five other stories into a paperback novel which can be found here. 

I also did major plotting for Monsters and Mist which is my NaNoWriMo 2017 project. I did leave a few things up in the air so we'll see where this story goes! 

BLOGGING

In October, I participated in the Fall 2017 YASH which was amazing! I loved interacting with new readers and being able to share some exclusive material for CurseBreaker with a huge new audience! I also participated in my usual cover reveals and release day blitzes and read one book for a blog tour for November.

PUBLISHING

In October, I was able to send out two paperback ARCs to lucky winners from the YASH. I also published my collection of stories, NIGHT OF TERROR on October 31st! Find it in paperback on Amazon and other book retailers!

MISC.NEWS:

October was a difficult month personally but I'm happy to report that things appear to be getting back to normal and I'll be able to seamlessly transition into my next novel and continue with my blogging without missing a beat. So far this month I'm just over 5100 into my new WIP... only 44900 to successfully finish NaNoWriMo!

Are you participating in NaNoWriMo? If not, do you have anything special planned for November?

September Wrap-Up

Welcome October, my favorite month of the year; a month that promises spooky movies, cozy nights, and way too much candy. Fall is fully upon us and I'm so excited for this month. Last month was a challenging month personally while I got many things done creatively. Let's take a long at what I've been up to...

READING

Books I Reviewed In September:

- Oblivion by Jennifer L. Armentrout

- Can't Hardly Breathe by Gena Showalter

- Because You Love to Hate Me edited by Ameriie

- Hunting Prince Dracula by Kerri Maniscalco

- The Clue In the Trees by Margi Preus

- The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich (Reread)

- Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Anne Fowler

- Play by Kylie Scott (Reread)

Books I Read In September: 

- The Clue In the Trees by Margi Preus

- Because You Love to Hate Me edited by Ameriie

- Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Anne Fowler

- The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich

- Play by Kylie Scott

- Whispers by Lisa Jackson

- The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw

Books to-be-read in October:

October is going to be a mostly re-reading month because I love rereading certain books that remind me of Halloween this time of year. Here are a few I hope to get through:

- The Hollow by Jessica Verday

- Nevermore by Kelly Creagh

- Lucky Break by Carly Phillips

- The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare

New Reads:

- War Cross by Marie Lu

- Autoboyography by Christina Lauren

- The Language of Thorns by Leigh Bardugo

- The Great Pursuit by Wendy Higgins

WRITING

In September, I completed two-thirds of my short story for Halloween, entitled Night of Terror. I'm editing the first chapter this weekend and Night of Terror will go live one chapter at a time on Wattpad starting Tuesday, October 3rd and continuing every Tuesday until finished. (Right now their are 8-9 chapters anticipated which will bring us into the week of Thanksgiving.)

I also outlined the first few chapters of Monsters & Mist and will continue outlining in October.

BLOGGING

In September, I participated in 2 blog tours, 4 Release Day Blitzes, 3 Excerpt and Cover Reveals - including the one for CurseBreaker, and 1 Book-To-Movie Adaptation Review.

So far in October, I know I will be participating in the Fall 2017 YASH from October 3-8 (save the date! You could win a signed ARC of CurseBreaker!), as well as 2 release day blitzes that I know of so far. 

PUBLISHING

In September, I revealed the cover artwork of CurseBreaker on this blog with the help of other bloggers on their social media and blogs. I also got the preorders up for CurseBreaker on Smashwords, Barnes and Noble, iBooks, and Kobo and ordered my print ARC copies which just came in the mail this past Friday!

In October I will be putting together a sign-up form for bloggers interested in reading an ARC of CurseBreaker. These ARCs will be in eBook format only unless you win one of the two copies I will be giving away during YASH. I'm going to aim to get the preorders up for CurseBreaker for Kindle on October 2nd, though it may not appear on site until the 3rd. 

 I'm also going to be working on some behind-the scenes marketing projects and possibly putting together a preorder incentive if my budget allows. 

August Wrap-Up

It's September! Summer vacation is fully behind us and I honestly don't know where the time went but I can tell you that I feel like I spent the entire summer working! August was both a busier and lighter month for me and you'll see why...

READING

Books I Reviewed In August:

Walk the Edge by Katie McGarry

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen (Audiobook Review)

Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco

Unforgiven by Lauren Kate

After the Game by Abbi Glines

Unrest by Wendy Higgins

Fallen Heir by Erin Watt

The Dazzling Heights by Katharine McGee

Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia

Books I Read In August: 

Can't Hardly Breathe by Gena Showalter

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen (Audiobook)

Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco

Fallen Heir by Erin Watt

Unforgiven by Lauren Kate

Unrest by Wendy Higgins

Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia

Oblivion by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Books to-be-read in September:

Because You Love to Hate Me edited by Amerie

The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich (reread)

The Graces by Laura Eve

Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Theresa Anne Fowler

Defy the Stars by Claudia Gray

WRITING

In August I worked on some ideas for my NaNoWriMo project, but mainly I began working on a short story I plan to post online for Halloween. It's a horror story and I'm hoping readers will be pleasantly frightened by it. 

BLOGGING

In August I participated in 2 Cover Reveals, 1 Release Day Blitz, Spotlighted 2 Bookish Retailers I love and did my usual "What I'm Reading" Wednesday, #BookMail Thursday, and #Booktag Saturday posts. I also reviewed 1 ARC.

PUBLISHING

In August I set up the cover reveal sign-up form for CurseBreaker and got it ready to submit for pre-orders (which should be up soon). To help reveal the cover of CurseBreaker on September 15, fill out this form! 

July Wrap-Up

July was a good and bad month for reading and blogging. As you probably heard I had a slight set back from typing and blogging due to a sprained thumb but I'm much better now! In case you missed anything on my blog or social media last month, this is what I got up to: 

READING

Books I Reviewed In July:

Sublime by Christina Lauren - I still can't stop thinking about this book and I'm not exactly sure whether I loved this book or was afraid of it.

Ruined by Amy Tintera - It was okay, but it wasn't really a stand out in a sea of YA Fantasy novels. 

Because of Lila by Abbi Glines - A new favorite by one of my favorite authors!

Trust by Kylie Scott - Absolutely loved the YA debut of another of my favorite authors!

Caraval by Stephanie Garber - finally finished listening to the audiobook but it was definitely worth it in the end! 

Riot by Jamie Shaw - back to a series I fell in love with last year. A great second book!

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald 

Nowhere But Here by Katie McGarry - OMG why didn't I read this book sooner???

Chaos by Jamie Shaw - second favorite book in this quartet! 

Walk the Edge by Katie McGarry - review coming later this week!

Books I Read In July: 

Ever the Brave by Erin Summerill - Started but haven't finished yet.

Sublime by Christina Lauren

Ruined by Amy Tintera

Because of Lila by Abbi Glines

Caraval by Stephanie Garber

Riot by Jamie Shaw

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Nowhere But Here by Katie McGarry

Chaos by Jamie Shaw

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo - wasn't loving this so I stopped listening

Walk the Edge by Katie McGarry

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen - haven't had the chance to finish listening to this amazing audiobook yet!

Books to-be-read in August:

A Map For Wrecked Girls by Jessica Taylor

Can't Hardly Breathe by Gena Showalter

Long Way Home by Katie McGarry

Unforgiven by Lauren Kate

Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco

WRITING

In July I started developing the characters and plot of my next writing project, Monsters & Mist, a YA Fantasy novel I plan to write during NaNoWriMo in November. See some of my inspiration here.

BLOGGING

In July I participated in multiple cover reveals and release day blitzes as well as doing obviously a lot of book reviews and other posts for my blog. I've kept a heavy schedule, posting nearly once a day all month!

PUBLISHING

This month, I purchased the ISBN number for the print version of CurseBreaker, obtained the barcode, added CurseBreaker to Goodreads, and brainstormed some marketing ideas for pre-order incentives and more. Read my publishing timeline outline here.

CurseBreaker Publishing Timeline

Now that Through the Fog and Eternal Fire have launched I can begin thinking ahead to my YA High Fantasy / Fairytale Retelling, CURSEBREAKER, which will be releasing in January 2018! CURSEBREAKER is a historical fantasy retelling of the Norwegian fairytale East O' The Sun and West O' The Moon set in Viking-era Scandinavia.

I've already done a few things toward the publishing process but I've never really detailed my publishing and marketing process... UNTIL NOW!

SEPTEMBER 2017:

- Create my marketing plan:

• Target audience is fans of Young Adult High Fantasy and Fairytale Retelling, especially fans of Sarah J. Maas, Erin Summerill, and Hunted by Meagan Spooner
• Decide which media channels I will promote CurseBreaker on
• Brainstorm a possible promo or preorder giveaway

- Go over final edits with my editor.

October 2017:

- Find beta readers and send copies out

- Submit CurseBreaker to Netgalley

- Cover Reveal 

- Add CurseBreaker to Goodreads, potentially do an ARC giveaway

- Brainstorm launch event - on Facebook?

-Reach out to bloggers for ARC reviews and blog tour

- Decide whether I want to do any local book signings

-Submit for pre-order in ebook format.

November 2017:

-  Select and post a teaser of CurseBreaker on my website and here on my blog.

- Make sure my website has up-to-date preorder links.

-Submit for reviews.

- Submit to book newsletters for promotion.

December 2017:

- Post the teaser from November (or maybe a different teaser) on Wattpad. 

- Promote CurseBreaker in Facebook groups and Google+ groups.

- Reach out to author and blogger friends to see if they'll help me promote CurseBreaker.

- Create graphics to promote CurseBreaker.

January 2018: 

Promotion and release day giveaway (potential exclusive copy of book)

~

I know what you think it missing - editing and cover design. It's not missing. I've already created CurseBreaker's cover and the manuscript has already gone through three rounds of editing and proofreading. I have a few other things up my sleeve but I don't want to reveal them just yet. 

What do you think of my marketing plan? Is there anything you would add? Are you a blogger or reviewer that would be interested in reading and reviewing CurseBreaker when the time comes? Or would you be interested in having me do a guest post or author interview? Just let me know and we'll work something out!

June Wrap-Up

June was a fantastically busy month and in case you missed anything on my blog or social media last month, this is what I got up to: 

READING


Books I Reviewed In June:

Secrets of Skin and Stone by Wendy Laine - My new favorite gargoyle-themed book! 

Roar by Cora Carmack - Magical storms + a magicless Princess + swoon-worthy storm hunters = an awesome read!

Kiss Me, Kill You by Larissa C. Hardesty - A quick YA read about a teen succubus who just wants to fall in love.

Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller - Strike two when it comes to me and pirate-themed books. 

Beautiful Creatures: The Manga - My first manga read and an interesting way to read an old favorite. 

Just An Illusion: EP by D. Kelly - An emotional end to a fantastic trilogy!

Books I Read In June: 

Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller

Beautiful Creatures: The Manga

Caraval by Stephanie Garber (Took a break from reading, will finish listening to audiobook in July)

The Dazzling Heights by Katharine McGee

Just An Illusion: EP by D. Kelly

The Shining by Stephen King

Hunting Prince Dracula by Kerri Maniscalco (Still reading... hoping to finish tonight!)

Books To-Be-Read in July:

Ever the Brave by Erin Summerill

Sublime by Christina Lauren

The Valiant by Lesley Livingston

WRITING
In June, I finished writing my seventh full-length novel and first New Adult novel, Headless. I wrote a total of 27,711 words this month, finishing the first draft at 76,211 words! This is the longest of all the novels I've written so far. 

BLOGGING
In June, I participated in 3 Cover Art Reveals, 4 Release Day Blitzes and/or Blog Tours, 1 Excerpt Reveal, and Three Book Tags. I also posted my Summer Reads to Check Out Blog which can be found here: "Stuff Your Beach Bag! 17 Books to Devour this Summer!"

PUBLISHING
This month, I published my fifth novel and the third book in my Eternals Trilogy, Through the Fog. Included with Through the Fog is a bonus novelette entitled, Eternal Fire which is in the perspective of one of my favorite secondary characters. You can read more about Through the Fog and Eternal Fire here: "{Release Day Blitz} Through the Fog by Taylor Fenner"

MISC. BOOK NEWS
Finally, this month I submitted my upcoming YA High Fantasy novel, CurseBreaker to a writing contest for fantasy novels. The deadline isn't until October 31, 2017, but I wanted to get it in early enough. I'll be starting to get CurseBreaker ready for it's January 2, 2018, release next month! Be on the look out for opportunities to read an ARC of CurseBreaker later this year! 

My Writing, Bookish, and Publishing Goals for 2017

2016 was a seriously busy year for me. I published the first two books in the Eternals Trilogy, wrote book 3 of the Eternals Trilogy, a novelette to go with the Eternals Trilogy, and a standalone YA High Fantasy novel - not to mention turning this blog into a full-fledged book blog where I blog 2-3 times a week, reading at least 74 books - including quite a few ARCs, and getting into #bookstagram on Instagram. 

With the exhaustion of this past year behind me and no sign of slowing down, what do I have in store for 2017?

Publishing:

1.) Publish Through the Fog (Eternals Trilogy  #3) and Eternal Fire (An Eternals Trilogy Novelette) 

I finished writing Through the Fog and Eternal Fire over the summer and I'm preparing to get the publishing process for both started after the first of the year. I'm planning - if all goes according to plan - to publish Through the Fog and Eternal Fire together either at the end of June or beginning of July 2017!

2.) Figure out which course of publishing I want to pursue for my YA High Fantasy novel and begin the process.

I haven't decided whether I want to try to submit this book to a traditional or small press, seek out a literary agent to help me find a publisher, or self-publish this project. Ideally, I really believe this could be the book that changes everything for my writing career and I want it to find a broad audience so I haven't decided which route would be best yet. After the first of the year, I'm planning to sit down, make a few pro/con lists and see what happens from there. Either way, you probably won't see this book available until at least early 2018. 

Writing:

3. Pick A Writing Project (or a couple) and See What I Accomplish in the next 12 months.

I'm not sure which writing project idea to pursue next, but I'm going to look over the ideas I have and see what I feel like working on. I'd like to write at least 2 full-length novels in 2017.

Possible projects:

-A collection of short stories that occur in the Eternals Trilogy world pre-Out of Darkness.

-A classic novel retelling with an unusual twist.

-A vampire romance set in Green Bay, Wisconsin in the 1960s.

- An upper YA paranormal romance set in Nashville. 

4. Participate in NaNoWriMo 2017 and actually attend some of the write-ins.

This year's NaNoWriMo was a huge success for me and I can't wait to see what I come up with next November! I couldn't make it to any of the write-ins for my region due to my schedule and the weather but I'm hoping next year I'll be able to attend a few! 

Bookish:

5. Read at least 30 books in 2017.

I like to set the bar low so I can exceed my goal. 30 books is an easily doable goal. 

6. Expand my blog viewership/subscribers/readership to 2,500 to 3,000 views per month.

Right now between 1,500 to 2,000 of you amazing readers view my blog every month. I am beyond grateful to everyone that stops by! Let's keep growing in 2017!

7. Take better #bookstagram photos and gain more followers.

I've just really gotten into the #bookstagram community on Instagram the past few months and I'd love to try out some new props and see what shots I can come up with in 2017. I've met some amazing people that inspire me every day through the community!