Whoa! March really snuck up on me. Not just because February is shorter, but rather life got busy. Starting a new role at a new company in the tech industry in your mid-fifties isn't a walk in the park. I'm on an emotional rollercoaster that goes from feeling like I know some specific thing better than most people, to dawning realizations that I have no idea how some other thing works and fear of when the new folks will realize how ignorant I am. Arrogance, fear, humility, once in a while excitement about something new--it's a lot. And I don't have time to work on all the non-work stuff that needs attention. An outside pipe burst during the last freeze, and it's waiting for me to fix it (not a critical pipe... it can wait for a bit), our ice maker in our fridge stopped working (I ordered parts), we've got work on multiple cars that needs to happen. I should probably restart the blood pressure medicine I stopped using when I retired. Secrets of Deara continues to improve. Right now I'm working on getting the timeline cleaner. This story is like Bones, where I march forward in time without hops back to the past. It takes place over a few weeks, and moving through the gaps smoothly has always proved tricky for me. I'm kinda glad for the opportunity to improve that skill. After that I have a couple of passes to clean up some character issues--I imagine those will go relatively quickly, but I've been surprised before. And that's really it. I'll send it for editing, await feedback, tackle any changes, and kick it out the door. Here's an early version of the cover for Secrets. I need to write the blurb. You'll probably get it in the next newsletter. I'm getting hammered on reviews lately. Let me share a few. These were for Mother of Trees... they're the two most recent. "Too much description". Oddly, the most common feedback I get from professional writers/editors is that I don't spend enough time describing the scene before I jump into the action. I'm doing a little better with Guardian of The Palace. Perhaps funny story--I've been criticized a lot for the saluting in GoTP, and the irony is that I have a lot of friends in the military but I was too embarrassed about writing fantasy to ask them to look it over. That was about four or five years ago... I wouldn't hesitate to ask now. We all grow and learn. Sometimes I consider rewriting The Guardian League. I could undoubtedly write a better story now. But I would rather spend my time writing something new. Still, what do you think? Finally, just for fun, here's midjourney-generated images of Illiara and Beldroth, just for fun. I can't use them in ads or I would be misrepresenting what the books are really about. 🤣 All books by Steven J. Morris Indie Author Showcase Previous Newsletters
May you get lost this week in another world. Follow me on Goodreads. |
Hi! If you enjoy fantasy with snarky humor, I've got some books for you. My newsletter takes you along the creative journey, and keeps you informed of what's brewing.
I had a couple of things I wanted to mention. One is what looks like a weird new scam that I haven't worked out yet, and the other is just an update on how I'm doing in marketing. Scam Alert! So, the potential scam. I received an email that looked like this: Your book just gained new reviews from my readers community.<screenshot of a GoodReads book review>Did you get it?Looking forward to hearing from you I followed up with a couple of emails, and I basically think the paid-book-review people...
Last week was Homecoming week, and my younger two girls are both now in High School. It's really something watching how much effort the girls (and their mom and other girls' moms) put into the preparation. Meanwhile my oldest had a rugby tournament, where they awarded her MVP. Certainly a better way to spend her time than watching that Arkansas v Notre Dame football game. Brutal. Yes, to relax, she does rugby and boxing. Any wonder I came up with Red? Really miss having my oldest girl around....
We're a few weeks into the school year, and settling in to the new/old routine, more or less. With my oldest off to college, and my youngest now in High School, I'm getting sentimental about all the lasts. Last time I'll help one of them learn geometry. Last time I'll teach one to drive. Last time I'll find a "box of strawberries" in the fridge that is nothing but stems. It's funny how even the things you don't like become things you miss, innit? My oldest sent me one of her papers from...