Schedule Changes
What am I writing for NaNoWriMo?
Before we get started with this week’s updates, I want to send a message to my fellow survivors. Please be careful with everything going on in the media with a particular music producer/artist.
Being a crime writer, I tend to be drawn to a lot of true crime stories. Up until yesterday’s press conference, I was doing well with everything, but I ended up having a rough evening and night after listening to it.
So be careful. Take care of yourselves. Do whatever you need to do to hold onto your peace, even if that means tuning everything out for awhile. And don’t be afraid to reach out for help if needed.
I spent yesterday morning working on my writing schedule for the rest of the year. On my computer, I prefer to use Google Calendar, that way I can move things around. Every month, I go through and make sure nothing’s changed before adding everything to my spiral bound planner.
Normally, I map out the coming year in December, but yesterday, I decided to fill in a tentative book release schedule. The first three months have been filled completed. I’ll tackle the rest of the year a few weeks before Christmas.
The Hourglass Collection
The Red Hour, the first book in The Hourglass Collection, was released last month. Book two is 33% complete and I plan on finishing it this month. In December, I’ll start writing book three. Book four is already done. It was originally meant to be a standalone poetry book but morphed into a collection of five books. I’ll concentrate on the final book next year.
I’m hoping to release two of the books next year but there’s a possibility that I might be able to get three of them out.
Forthcoming Poetry Book
I finished editing the new poetry book yesterday and will be sending in for another proof copy tomorrow. When it comes back, I’ll do another readthrough to make sure everything’s alright.
I’m not going to do a book trailer for this one. I need a break from Canva for awhile. It’s becoming a bit of an addiction. The title and cover will be revealed in November.
Even though I took a break from everything in September, I’ve managed to stay on schedule. The book will be released January 20, 2025.
The Devil’s Reign Series
The Devil’s Reign short story collection is moving along. I’m in the process of editing some of the stories for the second book. The first book, The Devil’s Grave, is available in ebook and paperback format. The second book will be released in March of 2025. I’ll start writing the final book in the series next year.
Crime/Thriller Series
There’s been a schedule change with this series. Last week, I stated I would work on the second draft of book two in November and write the first draft of book three this month, but that’s changed.
Did I meet my goal last month? Yes. The second draft of book one is finished. I’ll be sending it off to my beta reader tomorrow. Once that feedback is received, I’ll tuck it away until December, which is when I plan on tackling the third draft.
This month I’ll be focused on the second draft of book two. My plan is to get it out to my beta reader the beginning of November. I’m hoping to release the first two books of the series next year. I’m pushing for July, but we’ll see how things progress.
What about book three? Seeing that this is a novella series, my goal is to write books three and four for NaNoWriMo (November) this year. I’m giving myself 15 days for each book. If I write 30k per book, that will put me at a total word count of 60k, meeting the 50k requirement for NaNo.
That should be doable. My first draft of book one was a little over 31K and the first draft of book two was a little under 25k.
On Repeat
Believe it or not, I finally got Pontoon out of my head. That made room for one of my favorite songs. I’m a huge Elton John fan. I’ve been listening to him since I was young. That’s right, I grew up in the best era of music (70s and 80s). This week I’m sharing Little Jeannie. I hope you enjoy.
Alright ya’ll. I’m going to take today and tomorrow off before I get back to editing. Everyone take care of yourselves and each other.
Rena Aliston