#author — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #author, aggregated by home.social.
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20.07.2026
If your antagonist could improve one thing about themself, what would it be?The antagonist I’m currently writing about has recently found himself to be in something of a dilemma.
A low-ranking angelic entity, he finds himself unable to understand neither his superiors nor the mortals who’s help he’s been sent down to Earth too seek.
If he doesn’t find some way to make sense of his position he could well end up having his image seared into some mortal’s morning toast.
#WritersOfMastodon #SecretLife… #HowtoSucceed… #Author #Novel
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20.07.2026
If your antagonist could improve one thing about themself, what would it be?The antagonist I’m currently writing about has recently found himself to be in something of a dilemma.
A low-ranking angelic entity, he finds himself unable to understand neither his superiors nor the mortals who’s help he’s been sent down to Earth too seek.
If he doesn’t find some way to make sense of his position he could well end up having his image seared into some mortal’s morning toast.
#WritersOfMastodon #SecretLife… #HowtoSucceed… #Author #Novel
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20.07.2026
If your antagonist could improve one thing about themself, what would it be?The antagonist I’m currently writing about has recently found himself to be in something of a dilemma.
A low-ranking angelic entity, he finds himself unable to understand neither his superiors nor the mortals who’s help he’s been sent down to Earth too seek.
If he doesn’t find some way to make sense of his position he could well end up having his image seared into some mortal’s morning toast.
#WritersOfMastodon #SecretLife… #HowtoSucceed… #Author #Novel
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#PennedPossibilities 1075½ World Cup #imposterToot: Does a big intramural competition (between villages, nations, planets) exist in your world? How do your characters feel about fair play, cheating, or whether they're being distracted by bread and circuses. Do they compete?
I'm pretty confident sports like football exist, but it's never surfaced as team sports on the page of any story. Bolt passingly has mentioned the day angel flying equivalent of track and field in high school. However, not intramural in the sense of "sporting," the devil-girl was a prizefighter: Mixed magical martial arts. The fights are a big thing up and down the eastern seacoast, but are run by the syndicates for the sake of betting, with the constabulary paid to look the other way so long as nobody often dies. Results and celebrities are covered in the papers. Though there are rules and protective gear, and fair play, it still feels a like a WWF cage fight. The devil-girl isn't against stretching the rules to the breaking point so long as she doesn't actually break them. The daemon figures they can tighten said stretched rules once they figure out what she did. Fair play, right?
[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]
#gender #fiction #writer #author
#sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion
#RSstory #RSReluctanceStory -
#PennedPossibilities 1075½ World Cup #imposterToot: Does a big intramural competition (between villages, nations, planets) exist in your world? How do your characters feel about fair play, cheating, or whether they're being distracted by bread and circuses. Do they compete?
I'm pretty confident sports like football exist, but it's never surfaced as team sports on the page of any story. Bolt passingly has mentioned the day angel flying equivalent of track and field in high school. However, not intramural in the sense of "sporting," the devil-girl was a prizefighter: Mixed magical martial arts. The fights are a big thing up and down the eastern seacoast, but are run by the syndicates for the sake of betting, with the constabulary paid to look the other way so long as nobody often dies. Results and celebrities are covered in the papers. Though there are rules and protective gear, and fair play, it still feels a like a WWF cage fight. The devil-girl isn't against stretching the rules to the breaking point so long as she doesn't actually break them. The daemon figures they can tighten said stretched rules once they figure out what she did. Fair play, right?
[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]
#gender #fiction #writer #author
#sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion
#RSstory #RSReluctanceStory -
#QuestionOfTheDay what's something that’s an absolute dealbreaker for you when it shows up in a work you’re reading?
Sorry to say it, but it has to be vampires.
They’ve been done to death, yet they still won’t stay dead!
Same goes for werewolves and zombies, although I might forgive something featuring zombies but only if it goes back to their roots in Haitian folklore.
#WritersOfMastodon #SecretLife… #HowtoSucceed… #Author #Novel
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#QuestionOfTheDay what's something that’s an absolute dealbreaker for you when it shows up in a work you’re reading?
Sorry to say it, but it has to be vampires.
They’ve been done to death, yet they still won’t stay dead!
Same goes for werewolves and zombies, although I might forgive something featuring zombies but only if it goes back to their roots in Haitian folklore.
#WritersOfMastodon #SecretLife… #HowtoSucceed… #Author #Novel
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#QuestionOfTheDay what's something that’s an absolute dealbreaker for you when it shows up in a work you’re reading?
Sorry to say it, but it has to be vampires.
They’ve been done to death, yet they still won’t stay dead!
Same goes for werewolves and zombies, although I might forgive something featuring zombies but only if it goes back to their roots in Haitian folklore.
#WritersOfMastodon #SecretLife… #HowtoSucceed… #Author #Novel
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#QuestionOfTheDay what's something that’s an absolute dealbreaker for you when it shows up in a work you’re reading?
Sorry to say it, but it has to be vampires.
They’ve been done to death, yet they still won’t stay dead!
Same goes for werewolves and zombies, although I might forgive something featuring zombies but only if it goes back to their roots in Haitian folklore.
#WritersOfMastodon #SecretLife… #HowtoSucceed… #Author #Novel
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#QuestionOfTheDay what's something that’s an absolute dealbreaker for you when it shows up in a work you’re reading?
Sorry to say it, but it has to be vampires, They’ve been done to death, yet they still won’t die!
Same goes for werewolves and zombies, although I might forgive something featuring zombies but only if it goes back to their roots in Haitian folklore.
#WritersOfMastodon #SecretLife… #HowtoSucceed… #Author #Novel
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To paraphrase Lt. Col. William "Bill" Kilgore, “You smell that? Do you smell that? Petrichor, son. Nothing else in the world smells like that. I love the smell of Petrichor in the morning after the overnight rain’s died away.”
#WritersOfMastodon #SecretLife… #HowtoSucceed… #Author #Novel
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To paraphrase Lt. Col. William "Bill" Kilgore, “You smell that? Do you smell that? Petrichor, son. Nothing else in the world smells like that. I love the smell of Petrichor in the morning after the overnight rain’s died away.”
#WritersOfMastodon #SecretLife… #HowtoSucceed… #Author #Novel
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To paraphrase Lt. Col. William "Bill" Kilgore, “You smell that? Do you smell that? Petrichor, son. Nothing else in the world smells like that. I love the smell of Petrichor in the morning after the overnight rain’s died away.”
#WritersOfMastodon #SecretLife… #HowtoSucceed… #Author #Novel
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Fletcher and the Flying Machine by John Drake, Review
A high-flying, high-seas adventure.
I should back up a bit with this review. This is Book Seven of the Fletcher Naval Adventures series. It is also the last part of a seven-book digital box set that I had the good fortune of picking up for 99¢ while it was on sale. I think it currently runs for $2.99, which is still a ridiculously good deal.
I bought the set because I was planning on writing my own nautical adventure novel, which is coming out soon, thank you very much! I wanted to read more in the genre to get a good feel for it. Seven books for a dollar seemed like a good deal. But to be honest, at that price, I had a hard time believing they’d be any good.
I decided I would at least toil through one, and forgive myself the rest. I figured that would still be a dollar well spent. Wow, was I wrong in my assumption. I love these books! I’m happy to say I’ve read the entire box set. I broke it up over a year, reading other books on my list in between each novel in the set. But I was always excited to come back to my good ole Uncle Jacob and read another Jacky Flash adventure.
The character is really what makes it so good. It’s mostly a first-person narrative, allegedly dictated by an aging Admiral Jacob Fletcher. He’s vain, egotistical, but good-hearted and lovable. Author John Drake has mastered the voice of an old sea salt, making the storytelling warm, real, and authentic.
I say it’s mostly a first-person narrative because the concept behind the series is that the author had won Fletcher’s memoirs at an auction and is merely editing them into novels. Along with the first-person memoirs were a collection of letters and news clippings from which the author is allegedly able to flesh out the other perspectives of the story in third-person. I usually don’t like first and third person switching in novels; it always feels like a gimmick or cheating. But Drake sells it very well. There are even notes added from the man who allegedly took Fletcher’s dictation and added them after Fletcher’s death to contradict some of the old man’s delusional rants.
Of course, all of this is purely fiction conjured up by Drake’s brilliant mind. Much of the adventures are too. However, they’re deeply rooted in the real events of the time with nods to real historical characters. But what’s most important is Drake’s adherence to and deep technical knowledge of the sailing and naval warfare tactics of the era. I learned so much about how the ships worked and how combat went from reading these books. Drake is an excellent teacher. He explains things in simple and exciting ways that a modern-day landlubber like me can understand.
Fletcher and the Flying Machine is a great capstone to the box set. Like some of the other books, it’s almost like two novellas coupled together as opposed to one novel. There’s some setup in the beginning that explains the epic climax of the second part, but other than that, there are really two separate adventures in this book.
The first part deals with an Irish rebellion and the French attempt at occupying the island. Fletcher is sent with a squadron to hold off an Imperial invasion fleet and ends up getting involved in a land battle as well.
The second part is a commando-style mission where Fletcher and an elite team sail a fast and nimble brig into the Baltic Sea to save a duchess who’s besieged in a castle on the Finnish/Russian frontier.
Fletcher and the Flying Machine is good fun and a compelling read. Now that I’ve read through the whole box set, I have added the now-out-and-available Book Eight to my to-be-read list. What can I say, I’m a Fletcher fan!
Check it out here:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09RQYMTZN
Check out my FREE novella here:
Check out my latest novel here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DT45FFWH
#Author #book #bookReview #historicalFiction #history #MilitaryHistory #novel #writing -
Fletcher and the Flying Machine by John Drake, Review
A high-flying, high-seas adventure.
I should back up a bit with this review. This is Book Seven of the Fletcher Naval Adventures series. It is also the last part of a seven-book digital box set that I had the good fortune of picking up for 99¢ while it was on sale. I think it currently runs for $2.99, which is still a ridiculously good deal.
I bought the set because I was planning on writing my own nautical adventure novel, which is coming out soon, thank you very much! I wanted to read more in the genre to get a good feel for it. Seven books for a dollar seemed like a good deal. But to be honest, at that price, I had a hard time believing they’d be any good.
I decided I would at least toil through one, and forgive myself the rest. I figured that would still be a dollar well spent. Wow, was I wrong in my assumption. I love these books! I’m happy to say I’ve read the entire box set. I broke it up over a year, reading other books on my list in between each novel in the set. But I was always excited to come back to my good ole Uncle Jacob and read another Jacky Flash adventure.
The character is really what makes it so good. It’s mostly a first-person narrative, allegedly dictated by an aging Admiral Jacob Fletcher. He’s vain, egotistical, but good-hearted and lovable. Author John Drake has mastered the voice of an old sea salt, making the storytelling warm, real, and authentic.
I say it’s mostly a first-person narrative because the concept behind the series is that the author had won Fletcher’s memoirs at an auction and is merely editing them into novels. Along with the first-person memoirs were a collection of letters and news clippings from which the author is allegedly able to flesh out the other perspectives of the story in third-person. I usually don’t like first and third person switching in novels; it always feels like a gimmick or cheating. But Drake sells it very well. There are even notes added from the man who allegedly took Fletcher’s dictation and added them after Fletcher’s death to contradict some of the old man’s delusional rants.
Of course, all of this is purely fiction conjured up by Drake’s brilliant mind. Much of the adventures are too. However, they’re deeply rooted in the real events of the time with nods to real historical characters. But what’s most important is Drake’s adherence to and deep technical knowledge of the sailing and naval warfare tactics of the era. I learned so much about how the ships worked and how combat went from reading these books. Drake is an excellent teacher. He explains things in simple and exciting ways that a modern-day landlubber like me can understand.
Fletcher and the Flying Machine is a great capstone to the box set. Like some of the other books, it’s almost like two novellas coupled together as opposed to one novel. There’s some setup in the beginning that explains the epic climax of the second part, but other than that, there are really two separate adventures in this book.
The first part deals with an Irish rebellion and the French attempt at occupying the island. Fletcher is sent with a squadron to hold off an Imperial invasion fleet and ends up getting involved in a land battle as well.
The second part is a commando-style mission where Fletcher and an elite team sail a fast and nimble brig into the Baltic Sea to save a duchess who’s besieged in a castle on the Finnish/Russian frontier.
Fletcher and the Flying Machine is good fun and a compelling read. Now that I’ve read through the whole box set, I have added the now-out-and-available Book Eight to my to-be-read list. What can I say, I’m a Fletcher fan!
Check it out here:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09RQYMTZN
Check out my FREE novella here:
Check out my latest novel here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DT45FFWH
#Author #book #bookReview #historicalFiction #history #MilitaryHistory #novel #writing -
Seven more days of writing to go. The good news is that my plan has worked, and I'm right on schedule.
The slightly less good news? According to that very same plan, I now have to spend the rest of the week writing my least favourite part of the article.
I'm doing my best to persuade my motivation to stick around instead of quietly slipping out the back door.
Stay with me pleeeaaase... 'cause you are all I need...
#writing #writers #writerslife #amwriting #writingmarathon #author #research
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Seven more days of writing to go. The good news is that my plan has worked, and I'm right on schedule.
The slightly less good news? According to that very same plan, I now have to spend the rest of the week writing my least favourite part of the article.
I'm doing my best to persuade my motivation to stick around instead of quietly slipping out the back door.
Stay with me pleeeaaase
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You are absolutely correct 😊
#booksky #books #Kindleunlimited #thriller #suspense #romance #novels #geopolitical #mythological #darkromance #women #contemporary #fiction #fantasy #crime #amazon #sifi #readingcommunity #writingcommunity #author #readers #indie
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:rkoqhkfmaz375jwvlcyfczcy/post/3mr2bi2wqq22o -
You are absolutely correct 😊
#booksky #books #Kindleunlimited #thriller #suspense #romance #novels #geopolitical #mythological #darkromance #women #contemporary #fiction #fantasy #crime #amazon #sifi #readingcommunity #writingcommunity #author #readers #indie
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:rkoqhkfmaz375jwvlcyfczcy/post/3mr2bi2wqq22o -
You are absolutely correct 😊
#booksky #books #Kindleunlimited #thriller #suspense #romance #novels #geopolitical #mythological #darkromance #women #contemporary #fiction #fantasy #crime #amazon #sifi #readingcommunity #writingcommunity #author #readers #indie
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:rkoqhkfmaz375jwvlcyfczcy/post/3mr2bi2wqq22o -
"I shall disdain to cull my phrases or polish my style;--I aim at being useful, and sincerity will render me unaffected; for, wishing rather to persuade by the force of my arguments, than dazzle by the elegance of my language, I shall not waste my time in rounding periods, or in fabricating the turgid bombast of artificial feelings, which, coming from the head, never reach the heart."--Mary Wollstonecraft (1759-1797), 1792
Mary Wollstonecraft, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman: With Strictures on Political and Moral Subjects (London: printed for J. Johnson, 1792), introduction. https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/3420.
#author #authorLife #writing #writer -
"I shall disdain to cull my phrases or polish my style;--I aim at being useful, and sincerity will render me unaffected; for, wishing rather to persuade by the force of my arguments, than dazzle by the elegance of my language, I shall not waste my time in rounding periods, or in fabricating the turgid bombast of artificial feelings, which, coming from the head, never reach the heart."--Mary Wollstonecraft (1759-1797), 1792
Mary Wollstonecraft, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman: With Strictures on Political and Moral Subjects (London: printed for J. Johnson, 1792), introduction. https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/3420.
#author #authorLife #writing #writer -
UPDATED List of Book Marketing Scammers
#bookmarketingscam #writingcommunity #author #writing #amwriting #writer #writerslife #indieauthor #shortstory #authors #amediting #fiction #booksky
inventingrealityediting.com/2...
List of Book Marketing Scammer... -
UPDATED List of Book Marketing Scammers
#bookmarketingscam #writingcommunity #author #writing #amwriting #writer #writerslife #indieauthor #shortstory #authors #amediting #fiction #booksky
inventingrealityediting.com/2...
List of Book Marketing Scammer... -
Marketing scams aimed at writers via email are rampant. Here’s the latest list of scammers: Victoria Martin <[email protected]> [email protected] #bookmarketingscam #author #writing #amwriting #writer #writerslife #indieauthor #amediting #fiction #authors #shortstory #booksky
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Marketing scams aimed at writers via email are rampant. Here’s the latest list of scammers: Victoria Martin <[email protected]> [email protected] #bookmarketingscam #author #writing #amwriting #writer #writerslife #indieauthor #amediting #fiction #authors #shortstory #booksky
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On a shelf somewhere is a book about balloons. Except the book doesn't want to be about balloons. I am that book. #kidlit #childrensbooks #author #bookbuzz #readthis www.amazon.com/This-about-Bal...
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On a shelf somewhere is a book about balloons. Except the book doesn't want to be about balloons. I am that book. #kidlit #childrensbooks #author #bookbuzz #readthis www.amazon.com/This-about-Bal...
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The Writings of Patrick S. Smith @patrickssmithauthor.wordpress.com@patrickssmithauthor.wordpress.com ·Weekly Update #249
Hello Readers.
Another week is behind me, and I feel like I’m paying the price for my decisions. I decided to take five days of overtime while my brain wanted to run at 110%.
I had a breakthrough on “Death and a Dog” and was able to complete the first draft. After I had finished it and was filing it, I ran across another Death story that I had started a while back and totally forgot about.
After completing that draft, I went back and did the first major revisions to “The Wish” and “Marionette.” Both are in earlier stages of development, but I was quite pleased with how quickly both went and will go ahead with doing a audio reading of both.
Since I had switched to edit mode, there are three others I had been doing some serious revisions to that I hadn’t touched in a few weeks. I’ve got all the quick, easy changes done, so now I’ve get down into the grinding work of the revisions.
Finally, to top things off, my poetry muse came to visit. She only stuck around for about five minutes, but it was enough time to fully draft two poems.
So, at the end of all that, I am just exhausted.
That is it for this week, take care everyone.
Don’t forget: My Time Among the Elves is available for pre-order.
#author #books #editing #fantasy #fiction #Poetry #publishing #readers #reading #vlog #writer #Writing
Interesting in buying one of my books? You can get more information here.
You can support my writing at Ko-fi. -
The Writings of Patrick S. Smith @patrickssmithauthor.wordpress.com@patrickssmithauthor.wordpress.com ·Weekly Update #249
Hello Readers.
Another week is behind me, and I feel like I’m paying the price for my decisions. I decided to take five days of overtime while my brain wanted to run at 110%.
I had a breakthrough on “Death and a Dog” and was able to complete the first draft. After I had finished it and was filing it, I ran across another Death story that I had started a while back and totally forgot about.
After completing that draft, I went back and did the first major revisions to “The Wish” and “Marionette.” Both are in earlier stages of development, but I was quite pleased with how quickly both went and will go ahead with doing a audio reading of both.
Since I had switched to edit mode, there are three others I had been doing some serious revisions to that I hadn’t touched in a few weeks. I’ve got all the quick, easy changes done, so now I’ve get down into the grinding work of the revisions.
Finally, to top things off, my poetry muse came to visit. She only stuck around for about five minutes, but it was enough time to fully draft two poems.
So, at the end of all that, I am just exhausted.
That is it for this week, take care everyone.
Don’t forget: My Time Among the Elves is available for pre-order.
#author #books #editing #fantasy #fiction #Poetry #publishing #readers #reading #vlog #writer #Writing
Interesting in buying one of my books? You can get more information here.
You can support my writing at Ko-fi. -
The Writings of Patrick S. Smith @patrickssmithauthor.wordpress.com@patrickssmithauthor.wordpress.com ·Weekly Update #249
Hello Readers.
Another week is behind me, and I feel like I’m paying the price for my decisions. I decided to take five days of overtime while my brain wanted to run at 110%.
I had a breakthrough on “Death and a Dog” and was able to complete the first draft. After I had finished it and was filing it, I ran across another Death story that I had started a while back and totally forgot about.
After completing that draft, I went back and did the first major revisions to “The Wish” and “Marionette.” Both are in earlier stages of development, but I was quite pleased with how quickly both went and will go ahead with doing a audio reading of both.
Since I had switched to edit mode, there are three others I had been doing some serious revisions to that I hadn’t touched in a few weeks. I’ve got all the quick, easy changes done, so now I’ve get down into the grinding work of the revisions.
Finally, to top things off, my poetry muse came to visit. She only stuck around for about five minutes, but it was enough time to fully draft two poems.
So, at the end of all that, I am just exhausted.
That is it for this week, take care everyone.
Don’t forget: My Time Among the Elves is available for pre-order.
#author #books #editing #fantasy #fiction #Poetry #publishing #readers #reading #vlog #writer #Writing
Interesting in buying one of my books? You can get more information here.
You can support my writing at Ko-fi. -
The Writings of Patrick S. Smith @patrickssmithauthor.wordpress.com@patrickssmithauthor.wordpress.com ·Weekly Update #249
Hello Readers.
Another week is behind me, and I feel like I’m paying the price for my decisions. I decided to take five days of overtime while my brain wanted to run at 110%.
I had a breakthrough on “Death and a Dog” and was able to complete the first draft. After I had finished it and was filing it, I ran across another Death story that I had started a while back and totally forgot about.
After completing that draft, I went back and did the first major revisions to “The Wish” and “Marionette.” Both are in earlier stages of development, but I was quite pleased with how quickly both went and will go ahead with doing a audio reading of both.
Since I had switched to edit mode, there are three others I had been doing some serious revisions to that I hadn’t touched in a few weeks. I’ve got all the quick, easy changes done, so now I’ve get down into the grinding work of the revisions.
Finally, to top things off, my poetry muse came to visit. She only stuck around for about five minutes, but it was enough time to fully draft two poems.
So, at the end of all that, I am just exhausted.
That is it for this week, take care everyone.
Don’t forget: My Time Among the Elves is available for pre-order.
#author #books #editing #fantasy #fiction #Poetry #publishing #readers #reading #vlog #writer #Writing
Interesting in buying one of my books? You can get more information here.
You can support my writing at Ko-fi. -
The Writings of Patrick S. Smith @patrickssmithauthor.wordpress.com@patrickssmithauthor.wordpress.com ·Weekly Update #249
Hello Readers.
Another week is behind me, and I feel like I’m paying the price for my decisions. I decided to take five days of overtime while my brain wanted to run at 110%.
I had a breakthrough on “Death and a Dog” and was able to complete the first draft. After I had finished it and was filing it, I ran across another Death story that I had started a while back and totally forgot about.
After completing that draft, I went back and did the first major revisions to “The Wish” and “Marionette.” Both are in earlier stages of development, but I was quite pleased with how quickly both went and will go ahead with doing a audio reading of both.
Since I had switched to edit mode, there are three others I had been doing some serious revisions to that I hadn’t touched in a few weeks. I’ve got all the quick, easy changes done, so now I’ve get down into the grinding work of the revisions.
Finally, to top things off, my poetry muse came to visit. She only stuck around for about five minutes, but it was enough time to fully draft two poems.
So, at the end of all that, I am just exhausted.
That is it for this week, take care everyone.
Don’t forget: My Time Among the Elves is available for pre-order.
#author #books #editing #fantasy #fiction #Poetry #publishing #readers #reading #vlog #writer #Writing
Interesting in buying one of my books? You can get more information here.
You can support my writing at Ko-fi.
