From the Stacks: Teleworld by Rachel E. Kelly

Today's From the Stacks review is for Teleworld by Rachel E. Kelly. This is the second book in the Colorworld series. I reviewed the first book here.

After a month of living a semi-normal life with her condition, Wen would rather not think about scary things like the fact that her ability became more powerful all on its own. Or that Louise is still roaming free. Or that she's about to be married to Gabriel and she has no idea how they'll manage being unable to touch each other. But the questions won't leave her alone and she's desperate for answers.  

Wen believes those answers begin with Subject Number Three, the only person known to have survived touching her lethal skin. When her Uncle Robert finally locates the woman, Wen is sure that an end to her problems is within her grasp. She's wrong. They've only just begun.  

Now, hope for a cure to Wen's condition is crumbling, Kaylen is missing, and a horrifying accident with her brother leaves Wen desperate and terrified. Just when she thinks she can't take much more, Gabriel, the one person Wen thought she could count on, suddenly becomes the one person she fears the most. 

Overall rating: 5 stars

This was an absolutely amazing continuation of the Colorworld series, and I'm actually mad it took me a week to finish reading this, but I did not have a lot of time to read at work and then I was still adjusting to a new job so I was exhausted by the time I got home. Anyway, if you are looking for a series of wholly plot-driven story, this series may not be the choice for you. Since Wendy started the series as an empath, a lot of what goes on is driven by emotions and the characters.

I love the depth given to each character. They really do feel so incredibly real to me, which is amazing as they are given life by a bunch of black letters on white paper. In many ways this second book is such a difficult one for Wendy and Gabriel. They have to deal with a lot both together and apart, and the ups and downs only make them stronger in the end. There is so much growth in the characters and their relationships that I am completely awestruck.

Ezra, Wendy's brother, is a lot more present in this book, for which I am grateful because he is a really fun character. Also, there are some action-y type scenes in the book thanks to Kaylen and her telekinetic ability, which breaks up all the emotional plot and lets us explore other special powers as well.

Teleworld revealed so many secrets and held so many revelations within the covers that I honestly wonder what could possibly happen next. These books keep getting better and better, and I am so immensely glad that I happened to walk past Rachel Kelly's table at Ohio Comic Con, because my life feels expanded because of reading these books.

I very very much look forward to seeing her again at Chicago Comic Con this year, where I will buy the illustrated editions of the series so I can enjoy the books all over again. Also, I will totally have several fangirl moments as I continue to obsess over this amazing series

I cannot recommend these books enough. You can find them in e-book and paperback, but my recommendation is to either find Rachel on her Colorworld Book Tour and buy the books from her in person...or go to colorworldbooks.com and buy them from the online store. You'll get the books signed, and you will be helping an author and her family as they continue on an amazing journey that has been brought about by these incredible characters and these amazing books/adventures.

From the Stacks: The Observations of a Curious Governess by Viveka Portman

Today's From the Stacks review is the fourth book The Regency Diaries series by Viveka Portman: The Observations of a Curious Governess.

Viveka Portman’s latest installment in the sexiest set of diaries you have ever read...

When Miss Martha Swan enters the fine home of Lord and Lady Stanton to become a governess, she is full of lofty ideals. Yet something is amiss in the hallowed halls of Stanton: whispers, laughter, and something darker and more wicked echoes from behind closed doors, and Martha is determined to find out what.

She soon discovers that all is not as it seems in this stately home. The lord and lady have secrets-- lustful, carnal, shameful secrets that could spell ruination for all. Martha wants to be appalled, but she finds herself intrigued, and when her long-time friend Mr Jonathan Reeves comes to visit, Martha conceives a daring plan to assuage her curiosity.

Thing are not so simple however, as neither Martha nor Jonathan have the money to marry. Nothing can come from this relationship-- nothing but the experience of ecstasy. In such a situation, what is a curious governess to do?

Overall rating: 5 stars

Curiosity can be a dangerous trait to have, and Martha's curiosity leads her to an awakening in sexual matters. At the same time it was delightful to read her observations as she begins to explore herself and her body's needs, all the while witnessing some of the debauchery taking place around her. It's been a while since I read the second one (Cecelia Stanton's story) but I think these two take place at basically the same time.

I liked seeing another view of the scandalous goings-ons of Lord and Lady Stanton. And obviously where Martha is shocked by what is going on and is concerned about keeping the secrets of both the Lord and Lady Stanton, who both seem to be having affairs, we readers of the whole series already know the outcome for the couple. So maybe it didn't seem as shocking to me as I read this one, though I understood Martha's surprise at it all.

In this fourth installment of the Regency diaries series, Martha is resigned to basically being a spinster, and has become a governess in order to help set aside for her sisters' dowries, in the hopes that they will make more advantageous marriages. She believes they will stand a better chance at finding suitable husbands as they are lovelier than she is. Of course, Martha has her own longings; she pines for a young man, Jonathan Reeves, who she could never marry as they could not hope to have a financially stable life.

But then Jonathan Reeves walks back into her life, as he does some work for Lord Stanton. This complicates things for Martha a bit, but then she decides to take matters into her own hands. If she is to live the life of a spinster, then at least she can indulge her body's physical desires just once with the man she wishes she could have. Right? Because obviously one time and her curiosity will be sated.

Not so much.

It was a delight to see how matters worked out for Miss Martha Swan and Mr Jonathan Reeves. I won't spoil the details for you, but in romance series, you basically expect happy endings, so you can take a guess at what happens. Also, based on certain events in the course of this novella, I believe we might get to see Mrs. Maria Reeves story at some point in future.

This is a wickedly delightful series and I hope to read many more stories by Viveka Portman. I recommend this series of quick and scandalous reads very much. So far the series consists of: The Secret Diary of Lady Catherine Bexley (#1), The Wicked Confessions of Lady Cecelia Stanton (#2), and The Private Affairs of Lady Jane Fielding (#3).

My Favorite Books on Writing

There are so many books on writing out there, and most of them profess to be "#1" or "the best" or "the must-have authority." The problem is that not all of us approach writing the same way. I have mentioned this before in a few other posts.

Anyway, today I will share a few of the books that have been helpful to me while writing and navigating the world of publishing.

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King

Most of the time when I see writers, editors, agents, etc. post about good books on the craft of writing, Stephen King's book seems to be on the list. And it is a great book. In fact, a great deal of my acceptance over not being an immediate success is on account of reading this. The first half is little snippets from King's own writing career, detailing his process, his many rejections, and his dedication over the years. Then in the second half, while still giving us little memoir snippets, King talks about what you need to do to become a writer.

I love it. One of the first things he says is that to be a writer you need to do two things: read a lot and write a lot. So many in the industry say the same thing, so it is one of a handful of comments/advice I actually believe whole-heartedly. And don't just read in your genre; read everything you can get your hands on. Poetry, non-fiction, western, historical fiction, romance, fantasy, sci-fi, young adult...it'll give you a greater understanding on how to write your own stories.

Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg

I took a couple different creative writing courses in college so my next few books are actually from those classes, but they have been helpful in their own ways. Natalie Goldberg has a sort of zen like approach to the whole process. In some ways, like King's On Writing, this book has personal experience and little memoir-like snippets. 

The chapters are all relatively short, a couple of pages typically, and Goldberg mentions early on that you can read this book from cover-to-cover, or you can just jump around to whatever topic is relevant to you in that moment. It isn't necessarily a how-to guide, but each segment does make you think about your writing, whether it is showing instead of telling, being specific with details, your writing space, why you write, etc. 

What If? Writing Exercises for Fiction Writers by Anne Bernays and Pamela Painter

Okay, so this one really is a sort-of how-to book. I still haven't made it through the whole book, but we covered a lot of it during my creative writing class, and it is pretty helpful. There are a number of parts to this book and in each part there are several chapters highlighting a different component relevant to the part. 

For example, one part is called "A Writer's Tools." Within that part there are chapters on timing and pacing, showing and telling, transitions, titles, etc. In each chapter it will talk a little bit about the chapter's topic, and then it will have a writing exercise. Most of the time Bernays and Painter also include a student example from what they've amassed from teaching this over the years. 

In school we actually had a creativity notebook where we had to jot down things. I would often pick chapters from both Writing Down the Bones and What If? and either write my own ponderings about it or actually attempt the exercise. It was helpful to me and in some ways pushed me to try different styles or methods, which can certainly improve your writing overall.

Gotham Writers' Workshop Writing Fiction: The Practical Guide from New York's Acclaimed Creative Writing School

Okay, so this one is another how-to styled book that my class used for the advanced fiction writing class. Like What If? it has various chapters and exercises throughout the book, configured to help you think about all the components of your fiction writing. If I had to pick which one I liked more, I would go with What If? but the Gotham Writers' Workshop book really is set up as if you were doing a workshop of your very own.

It runs through characters, plot, POV, description, dialogue, setting, voice, theme, revision, and the business of writing, so it covers a lot of ground and gives a lot of information. And though I've never tried it, GWW does hold online courses/lectures/workshops that you can pay for. If they're anything like this book, they are probably pretty helpful.

No Plot? No Problem! A Low-Stress High-Velocity Guide to Writing a Novel in 30 Days by Chris Baty

Finally, I always seem to come back around to NaNoWriMo when it comes to posts about writing and inspiration and motivation. I first read No Plot? No Problem! several years ago and it helped me prep for participation in NaNo. 

Chris Baty is an amusing writer, and reading about the history of NaNo and getting advice for dealing with the awesome chaos that is writing a book in a month is fabulous. The second half of the book especially breaks down NaNoWriMo week-by-week and discusses the feelings and pitfalls that tend to accompany each week. This all comes with the knowledge Baty has accumulated from his many years with NaNo (and he would know since he founded it back in 1999). 

In 2014 they came out with an updated and revised version of the book. I need to get that version and see what bonus goodies are between the covers, but for now, let's just say that I highly highly recommend this book and participating in NaNoWriMo in general.

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Those have been some of the biggest helps to me, though there are many more writing books I own and possibly could have mentioned. Of course there are a myriad of other books out there and I'm sure there are more I should read. If you know of any, let me know in the comments.

From the Stacks: Colorworld by Rachel E. Kelly

Today's From the Stacks review is for Colorworld (Colorworld, #1) by Rachel E. Kelly.

Wen knows what love looks like. Since her mom died over a year ago, she’s seen it every day on her orphaned younger brother’s face. Wen’s made good on her promise to her mom that she’d take care of Ezra, even quitting her carefree party-girl ways to become a hard-working college student so she can provide for him.  

Wen knows what love feels like, too. Because when she touches people, she feels what they do. "Uniquely perceptive" is what her mom called it, and Wen’s not going to argue; she doesn’t know any different.  

But an energy therapy study changes not only what Wen knows about her unusual gift; it also changes her. Now, instead of feeling emotions, her touch brings death to others. No one is safe around her, especially Ezra.  

Wen turns to energy healers for help. And that’s where she meets him: Mr. Tenacious and Audacious, Gabe Dumas. He knows about love, too; he speaks it in ways Wen has never experienced. And he’s never even touched her.  

With her heart unravelling, Wen discovers a world only she can see. It may offer hope for her condition… or it may be better left hidden. *Intended for 16 and up 

Overall rating: 4.5 stars

Colorworld is an inventive and imaginative debut novel, with a lot of insight into the characters emotionally, which is to be expected when your main character/narrator is able to sense the emotions of others. And after an energy therapy session, Wendy finds that she doesn't need to touch somebody to get a read on their emotions, thus the regular reference to her emodar (emotional radar). Clever, right?

I found Wendy to be a good protagonist. She wasn't whiny and any indecisiveness on her part was rational instead of annoying. In many ways she seemed older than her nineteen years, probably on account of taking care of her younger brother Ezra since their mother's death a year earlier.

I actually loved Gabriel. Maybe it was the old-fashioned way he spoke or how intelligent he was, but I was drawn to him. It was also nice that he was completely honest about pursuing Wendy's affections, but that when she needed it he gave her the space she needed to figure things out. He worked to help her and ended up inspiring her, instead of trying to control her. By the end I can honestly believe that their relationship is built on honesty, trust, and respect.

Because of Wendy's emodar and her other heightened senses, there is a lot of description for the characters, settings, and emotions of everyone around her. It is an interesting way to develop the world and those who inhabit it, and was done in a way that wasn't too much of an infodump. I could honestly believe that it was just how Wendy observed and processed her surroundings.

From the beginning you get the feeling that something dastardly is going on with Pneumatikon, the company Wendy visits for the energy therapy session. Going to the compound/camp and meeting others who have developed special skills allows us to meet a number of characters who mostly have very little to do with the story. In fact there are several people who are only mentioned a couple times. The important ones are Gabe, Kaylen, and Louise, really. There's a couple other halfway important secondary characters, but they aren't super necessary.

And like Wendy, I wondered about her long-lost Uncle Robert's motives when he sends her a letter out of nowhere in the beginning practically demanding a meeting with her and her brother. It turns out there is a reason for it, though you don't learn the details until pretty much the end of the book.

Colorworld has a decent pace, even if it doesn't have a lot of action. Most of the book is spent on character development. What I take from that is that now that we know the world and the characters, the second book can ramp up on the action, the intrigue, and learning more about the mysteries of the colorworld and Wendy's talents with it. I'm looking forward to reading more.

January Book Haul

Okay, so I'm going to have a slightly different post today. My From the Stacks review will be up tomorrow, but I still want to have a Friday post so I'm talking about the books I've bought for the month of January.

Because I'm trying to focus on saving aside a bit of money and because I'm trying to actually accomplish writing, I'm limiting the books I'm allowed to buy. Basically just the authors on my auto-buy list, and books on my most anticipated list are being purchased. Of course, exceptions can be made for books that are free or really cheaply discounted.

I purchased three books from my most anticipated Jan/Feb list, because they were released this week, plus I got the first book in a series I've been wanting to try for a while. Then there are all the NOOK book deals I've seen.

So, here's a quick rundown of everything I've purchased this month and will be reading fairly soon:

First up: Unbound by Jim C. Hines. This is the third book in his Magic Ex Libris series that follows librarian Isaac Vainio, a man who has an awesome fire-spider companion named Smudge. Oh and Isaac also is a libriomancer, meaning he can reach into books and pull smallish items out to use in the real world, which is just really cool. This series is one of a small handful that I'll pay the extra price to own in hardcover. They're so good.

Now for the paperbacks. I devoured the Trylle trilogy rather quickly, and then did the same with the Watersong series. Amanda Hocking is great, so learning that she was going to return to the Trylle world and focus on another group, the Kanin, was exciting news. I'm excited to see what happens in this series, even more so because all three books will be out this year. Book two is out in May and book three is out in August. I love the short waiting period between books, and really admire Amanda Hocking's work ethic.

Finally for the new release books is the newest book by Amber Benson. I own her Calliope Reaper-Jones series but still haven't read them. However, I was still super excited to hear that Amber Benson (popularly known as having played Tara in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer") was writing a series about witches. That's a good enough reason to buy for me. Plus, that cover is pretty.

Then there's the book series I've been wanting to try for a while. It's considered a historical romance, but based on the series descriptions and the covers, I'd say that it's paranormal historical romance or steampunk-ish romance. Either way, I finally decided to get the first book and see if I like it, which is great timing because the newest book (Soulbound, book 6) comes out next month.

That's it for physical books and pictures. I'm just going to run really quickly through the NOOK books I've purchased.

- Ancilliary Justice by Ann Leckie
- His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik
- Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch
- Called by Fire by Delwyn Jenkins
- A Soul for Atonement by Crista McHugh
- The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black
- Shadows of the Realm by Dionne Lister
- The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

I've heard/read rave reviews for Ancilliary Justice and His Majesty's Dragon by the Sword & Laser Book Club, and they were on sale so easy decision to make. Snow Like Ashes sounds awesome and Jennifer Estep recommended it while reading it herself, and I've been reading a lot of Jennifer Estep lately. I saw a post for the sequel to Called by Fire, which also said that the first book was currently free, so I'm always game to try a free book if they sound interesting. A Soul for Atonement is Crista McHugh's newest book and I own all her other ones so that was an auto-buy. I've heard a lot about The Coldest Girl in Coldtown and again, it was on sale. My author/poet buddy Ben Ditmars raves about a lot of author friends whose works he's read and I'm trying to branch out to new authors, so I decided to pick up Shadows of the Realm and support other self-pubbed/indie authors. Finally, The Naturals seems to combine "Criminal Minds" with super-powered teenagers and that is just cool enough to intrigue me.

So there...that's all the books I'm buying until my next book haul, which should happen towards the end of February.

Procrastination, Perfectionism, and Pressure - Writer Pitfalls

Wow...can you believe that it's already been 2015 for a whole week? And it's been pretty darn cold where I am, which means it's the perfect weather to curl up on the couch or in bed and read a good book.

However, today I'm going to talk about some of those pitfalls that I've learned can be quite common for writers. They are especially relevant to me as I have been putting off the release of my second book for the past five months. I'm really trying to get it finished and out in the world, but I never imagined how much more difficult it would be to complete the second book while promoting the first on social media.

Anyway...first major pitfall, which is really a hazard for anyone regardless of career path/hobby/etc...procrastination. You know that vortex of lost time known as Facebook and Twitter, or YouTube, or any other site that keeps you from accomplishing any goals you may set? Yeah, we all do it. I spend a lot of time on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads. Part of me knows that it is just me keeping up with readers, reviewers, book bloggers, and other authors, but I realize that it is mostly me just distracting myself from doing any real work.

So then the question becomes...how do you avoid falling into that black hole of social media? Well, I've tried just turning off the Wi-Fi on my laptop, but it only takes one press of a key to turn it back on. During NaNoWriMo, I did a trial run of an app I've heard other authors mention multiple times, Freedom (https://macfreedom.com/). It is a very handy program. You set a time for how long you would like to stay off the Internet and Freedom actually makes it to where you cannot get Internet access until that time goal is met. Now, you can cut that short by restarting your computer, but who wants to go through that hassle? My problem is that when I'm running Freedom, I can still pick up my smart phone and log in there. But, overall I think Freedom is probably worth the $10.

Mostly I think avoiding procrastination comes down to just forcing yourself to put your butt in the chair and just do whatever you need to, whether that is homework, finishing a novel, or some other important task.

The next pitfall to a writer is perfectionism. I know I'm guilty of this, and I've met several other writers who mention this as well. When you've been working on the same novel for a decade because you keep writing and re-writing scenes, you may have fallen prey to the notion that your book will never be properly finished. And guess what? It never will be, but you can finish it and it can still be a great book. I have read so many blogs and Facebook posts from published authors who talk about the desire to go back and edit a novel one last time, even despite the fact that it was published a couple years earlier and people seem to like it. We will always think that it could use one more editing pass, but sooner or later we have to just let that idea go.

I'm running into this issue with Project Death: Revelation. Thanos is such a difficult character and narrator to begin with, and I feel this obligation to do his book justice. Not only that, I want it to be a good sequel, and I want my readers to like it as well. It causes me to over-think my scenes and the various plot threads. This is not helped by the fact that Thanos's story is both prequel and sequel. I not only have to think about how Thanos became Death and how he learned to deal with his new position, but I also have to worry about the events in the present with Tamesis, the Reapers, and the issues with the Resurrectors. It is a lot to process and in some ways I fear that the book will seem rushed...so I keep procrastinating on the actual writing and instead just ponder and percolate on the next scenes I should write.

How do we avoid this bottomless pit of perfectionism? Personally I try to convince myself that it is November whenever I sit down to write, because NaNoWriMo has a way of making me just write, without thinking of if the phrasing is perfect or if I'm using proper spelling and grammar. That is what editing is for, after all. When I manage to succeed at that task, then I set a deadline for editing and hope that everything flows from "Once Upon A Time" to "Happily Ever After" (so to speak, anyway. I'm not actually writing a fairy tale).

Finally, there is the pitfall of pressure, and this is the one I am most guilty of. I never expected to get the responses from readers like I have from my first book. I have a handful of ladies at work who ask me about once a week or so when my next book will be out. Suddenly I understand what it is like for some of my favorite authors when we finish a book the day it's released and question why we have to wait for a whole year for the next one. It takes a lot of time to write a book and edit it, and sometimes I think we readers forget that.

With a first book there is very little pressure. Nobody is expecting the release, and you can take your time. But once that first one is out in the wild, all of a sudden you have to keep up with a schedule for the next book and at the same time you have to start planning for the one after that.

Then, add on top of all that having a job to actually pay the bills and then whatever personal pressures you have at home (work, school, loans, whatever...) and suddenly you have so much pressure that all you want to do is escape into the land of social media procrastination.

See, these pitfalls feed into one another. You procrastinate because you want perfection on account of the pressure to finish the next book, which then leads to more procrastination. It is a vicious cycle.

We just have to work hard to drag ourselves out of the depths and get the work done.

So, get a community of other writers to support and motivate you, as long as you do the same for them. Let's get the words written, let go of the idea of perfection, and instead of feeling pressure to get the work done, enjoy the experience. Hopefully.

Okay, I'm off to write some more words on this novel. Thanks so much for stopping by.

From the Stacks: No One's Surrender by Kelly Walker

Today's From the Stacks review is for No One's Surrender (Chadwell Hearts, #3) by Kelly Walker.

Chelsea Arnold is not a Chadwell, as her mother incessantly reminds her. And if she doesn’t learn to play the game, she’ll never see a dime of her new step-daddy’s money. So Chelsea puts on the act and dutifully follows the Chadwell family rules: everyone has to work in the family bar to learn life lessons. Little do they know, she already knows the biggest lesson of all: the best thing to be is underestimated. Then they’ll never see you coming. And in a few more weeks when she’s tucked enough cash away, she’ll be out of here, leaving her new family and her washed-up mother behind, because all Chelsea wants is freedom. Inheritance be damned. 

But when her step-father learns he has a son he never knew about, it throws her plan off the tracks. While another son and an ex-wife sharing her husband’s affections are too much for Chelsea’s mother to handle and she heads for the hills, the rough around the edges Warren “Ware” Chadwell is enough to tempt Chelsea to stay. Despite the fact that all he has to offer is everything she’s determined to shy away from, the boy from the wrong side of the tracks knows how to push her buttons in all the right ways, no matter how wrong it is.

Overall rating: 5 stars

First things first, a disclaimer. I wanted to buy this on release day but B&N was being slow, so Kelly Walker gave me a copy in exchange for an honest review. That in no way altered my opinion of the book.

HOLY CRAP!!! I thought it couldn't get any better after No One's Angel and No One's Hero, but I should have known that Chelsea would surpass all my expectations. She's pretty good at that, isn't she? Getting to know Ware was great too, even if I called his secret pretty early on in the story.

I devoured this book. When I went to bed after ringing in the New Year, I read a few chapters and then forced myself to set my NOOK aside, but as soon as I woke up I was grabbing for the e-reader first thing so I could finish up the story. I'm not even ashamed to admit that I had dreamed about all of the characters, imagining that I was a part of it all too.

These books are so freaking good, but I'm a little sad to hear that the next book might be the last and it will focus on River and Ian, two secondary characters from this book. What about Dougie? Seeing his struggles in this book since he and Chelsea split up made me want to see him meet somebody who was special... and right for him.

Also, can I just say that I'm super excited for Axel's upcoming novella? I so want to read about that very happy day (the one that in reality took place just a couple days ago, December 31, 2014).

I am amazed by Kelly Walker's talents as a writer and I look forward to reading many more books by her in the future.

It's Resolution Time!

Wow...look at that. It's the first day of 2015 and I already have a post for the blog. I feel proud of that all important statement. The beginning of the year is known to be a time where people make resolutions they intend to keep (and typically end up giving up on within the first month). I'm hoping that won't happen with me this year, but I make no promises.

Anyway, while I could try and promise to make healthier food choices or to exercise more, I think I'll still with resolutions that may be a bit more attainable for me. My goals this year are focused on writing and on reading, and I'm really hoping to stick to them.

Okay...so here we go.

Writing goals

Write every day.

Two blog posts a week--a writing update (hopefully on Tuesdays) and a book review (on Fridays)

Get Project Death: Revelation published ASAP in January 2015.

Write Project Death: Redemption in February and March

My Camp NaNoWriMo project for this year is Souls Unknowing.

Finally, if all goes well, my NaNoWriMo 2015 project in November is to start on the final Project Death book, Project Death: Restoration

Reading goals

I read 83 books in 2012, 130 books in 2013, and 92 books in 2014. Considering that, I think a realistic goal would be to shoot for 75 books, mostly because I want to have more of a focus on my writing this year.

Also, I want to try and include more poetry in my reading habits in 2015. Since graduating college I have read a lot less poetry, and some of it is so beautiful and powerful that it sticks with you and can certainly help to inspire the writing muse, much in the same way that music does.

Editing/Publishing goals

I'd like to have Project Death: Redemption edited in between Camp NaNoWriMo sessions so it can be released in the summer.

Then in the fall I can turn my attention to editing Souls Unknowing, which I will hopefully be able to publish at the end of the year.

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Well...there we go...my goals/resolutions for 2015. Let's see if I can actually stay on track and accomplish these tasks.