Greetings, everyone! I hope the season has been treating you well. Finally we’ve gotten some substantial snow, but it feels like every time we do, rain or warmer weather is right around the corner to melt it all away. But if Christmas looks anything like today, I’ll be happy as a clam. There’s nothing quite like the look of snow-covered branches through a mile of forest. And all the bird activity outside my window as they come to the feeders is a major plus!

I’m a slow reader and haven’t had many reading opportunities since the last update. I finished the novella Structural Integrity by Tabitha O’Connell, which was a little outside my usual zone but was an absolute delight from front to back. It was also nice to read something shorter for once. Then, I picked up something a little different after spotting it by chance at my local bookstore; The New Vampire’s Handbook (multiple authors). Its like a fictional advice book with a healthy dose of humor. The photos and illustrations were absolutely on point. And now, I’ve been reading The Oracle Stone by Talli L. Morgan. I can’t remember the last time I was so utterly gripped by the end of the first two chapters! I need to find more time to read so I can make serious progress because I gotta know more.

Let’s talk about Lord of the Night Realm. If you’ve been following the Reunion progress meter here on my site, you probably noticed that I finally reached 100% writing this month! Woohoo! I didn’t make my goal of November 30th, but I finished just a few days into December, so whatever. Close enough! Now my dear friend and editor and I are kicking it back into editing gear, though it’s been a slow start. But each time I sit down and do it is easier than the last, so I’m hopeful that we can keep a good pace and stay on track for an April release.

I’ve also been working on interior and cover revisions for Sojourn. Yes, I know, I can’t leave well enough alone. The interior is just a few punctuation improvements, so nothing major. But there was something off with the cover ever since release that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. I had help from a few people with more graphic design experience to make it better in print, but even then I wasn’t totally content. It wasn’t until the past month that I realized the problem was my own design. So, I went in and made a few major changes, ordered a proofing copy, and am blown away by the difference.

I’ve also begun dropping Book I and Book II from the titles, instead opting to keep it in description and on the title pages. I didn’t know quite what I was doing and it doesn’t look great in listings because of that. It’s a learning process, what can I say?

You might be asking when this new cover and updated interior will be available, and right now all I can say is “very, very soon”. I’ve got water dripping from my ceiling fan, which just so happens to be right above where I sit at my computer, so I’m stuck on the laptop with neither software for finalizing those adjustments until further notice.

Anyway, that’ll be it for now. Happy Holidays to those celebrating and a happy winter/summer to everyone else! Until next time, take care!