Happy New Year! +Book 3 Update

Dear Friend,

Happy New Year to you + a Book 3 update!

I think I’m still in plenty of time to include a New Year’s post! Well, know that I’m wishing you a very Happy New Year, even if it is more than a bit on the late side.

New Year’s Greeting…

I’m excited for a new year to begin and what it might entail. Are you?

I confess, I didn’t feel as nostalgic as I usually do when the new year turns. In part, this may have been secondary to working New Year’s Day. My focus was more on getting to work that morning, rather than a solid reflection on the previous year(s) and how this year might be different…in a good way. haha.

I hope you have a lot of good goals set up for reading and/or writing. I have a couple of exciting things to share this year regarding my writing. I’m looking forward to sharing them with you as this new year unfolds.

But first…

Book 3 Update!

I chose the above picture of “Finockt” to include as my Happy New Year + Book 3 update announcement since it appeared that Finockt was leaving 2024 behind and walking into 2025. Not sure if it gave you the same impression, but that’s what came to mind for me. I hope you like it!

Details of Book 3 Update…

I’m hoping first of all that there will be an official publication date announced this year for Book 3. I can’t quite commit to a date yet because I want to make sure I can achieve it. In my mind, I already know when it will be, I’m just waiting a little longer to announce it to ensure that my editor can achieve the same goal.

How is Book 3 going?

If you weren’t already aware, I’ve already written Book 3! Edits are in full swing, and we (my editor and I) are making so much headway on Book 3’s edits; it’s definitely going a lot faster than I anticipated.

I know I already shared this with you, but Book 3 is the biggest book in the trilogy; I guess I had a lot to say…and maybe I didn’t want Finockt’s story to end a little too much…maybe?? But it’s all legit, as far as the story is concerned. I don’t feel like there’s a lot of fluff, but perhaps, I’m a little too close to it and another’s perception might be a little different. My editor, for sure, isn’t one to tell me to leave something in that shouldn’t be there. I’ve even consulted with her about potentially leaving a chapter or two out because I want this finale to be the best it can be for you, and she said she didn’t feel that was necessary.

I’m confident in her editing skills and trust her judgment, and so the story remains intact as it was at the beginning when I first submitted it to her for review.

How far am I in the editing process?

As you know, I like to complete final edits and then return for another one or two rounds of editing. So far, I’m working on corrections, reading through my chapters after correcting them and giving them another edit, as well as dividing longer chapters into shorter ones. Once I edit the chapters a second time, I go over them with my editor and then place the approved and final corrections into my manuscript.

Percentage-wise, I’m about 50% of the way through, which is honestly farther than I anticipated what with the recent holidays and all. I tend to get a little sidetracked and distracted. I’m hoping it will be smooth salling from here on out.

Then what happens…

One more round of a final read-through, finalizing names and checking for correct spelling (thanks to a reader who caught a mistake on the spelling of a name, I was able to correct this last time. You know who you are, and I greatly appreciate it!), and then progressing to all the necessary processes (i.e. copyright, etc.) before sending my manuscript out for cover art and formatting!

This latter part happens pretty quickly, so it’s nice to have that knowledge in hand at this stage, since this is the time frame in which things seem to progress a little too slowly. Yet it’s worth it to ensure the best outcome possible.

I’ll keep you updated as I remember to do so. I apologize if it’s been awhile since I last updated you! I tend to lose track of time a lot these days. So thank you for always checking back to see what I’m posting.

New to me and my books?

If you’re interested in learning more about me, check out my author bio here, and if you’d like to learn more about my books and why I wrote this YA medieval Christian fantasy series, read more about it here.

Where can you find my books?

Books 1 and 2 are currently available on Amazon or at my website store. You can also find them at the Dayton Metro Library, if you live locally, or find Book 1 at the New Carlisle Library, which also services the Tipp City and Troy area, as well as several northern Ohio libraries. And if you live in the Wabash, IN, area, you can also find Book 1 at the Wabash-Carnegie Library.

Questions for me?

Whether you have questions for me, or you just want to say hi, feel free to email me! I’m always eager to engage in conversation, though it may take me a minute to write back. 🙂

Until next time…hope you are excited for this new year and all the blessings it will bring! God bless xoxo