Quick Update

Still a bit congested and weak, but I got back to drawing, enough to finish out the covers for the fifth and sixth books in the series and get about halfway through the seventh. Keep in mind I'm working on them simultaneously, so they still took several days worth of time a piece, I just happened to narrow a few of them down to being closer to the finish line and knocked them out within the past couple days.

I still have to do the trilogy covers but if you've seen the cover for the first trilogy, I used a lot of photographic elements and I'm going to keep with the same theme, only changing the background color, the blurb section, the main graphic imprint and the title.

It's exciting seeing each one go from a rough sketch to a beautiful cover image. Once each one publishes, I'll keep updating the cover art post with the original image.

Ah, that being said, these are my current projected release dates:

A World Reborn: Higher Reasoning (Book 2): May 11

A World Reborn: Deicide (Book 3)/ A World Reborn: Complete Trilogy Edition: June 1

Each Endless Universe: Close Encounters (Book 1): June 15

Each Endless Universe: Dual Decisions (Book 2): June 29

Each Endless Universe: Original Sin (Book 3)/ Each Endless Universe: Complete Trilogy Edition: July 11

No, not avoiding Friday the 13th as a release date out of superstition. July 11th is my birthday and the perfect day for a crowning achievement!

How about some cover art hints and a look at some characters you'll meet in future books?

Cover 5: On the continent of Wheryf, a panther Felisfolk lives his daily life unaware of the change his life is about to take.

Cover 6: The circumstances of their birth were never thought possible. This brother and sister were once inseparable but grew apart.

Cover 7: A young engineer (and impromptu car mechanic) is in for a big surprise.

Cover 8: An impulsive anthropology student, her grandfather and a bartender with a secret make for an unlikely team.

Cover 9: A blind assassin you'd be a fool to underestimate.

I think I might drop these hints on my website in the Fun Facts section. I've been looking for a fun way to draw people into my stories, which can be difficult to do since I'd hate to give anything away. Off to dreamland for me, but I hope you enjoyed this look into my plans. 

For the writers, keep at it. Remember that for the better part of ten years, I let these stories live in my head, barely having the courage to write them. Within the past three, I penned them almost obsessively, editing and stepping away, outlining and editing, rinse, repeat. Of course it was difficult. Because I had no experience to draw on and had never publicly shared anything outside of poetry, I was afraid I wouldn't have the courage to tell the story I needed them to be, that I'd be too persuaded to make them 'acceptable.' Just like in our world, terrible and intimate things happen. I didn't go out of my way to always play out the absolute worst case scenario (it's not grimdark fantasy, after all). I didn't hedge at what Dragon Age fans would like, or my D&D crowd, or strive to write only romance. For me, fantasy can be a great opportunity to combine many concepts, to not be so obsessed with making it parallel to our world, to stop being a fan girl and show off my chops as an observer.

As I said, just keep at it. If you're experiencing blocks, it's a good sign you've turned a harmonious compulsion into an obsession. Some obsessions take on the form of addiction, and like addiction, you can become paralyzed with how to proceed when you get stuck. You've unknowingly made it into 'work' when the creative process can be stifled by such a simple unconscious directive. We're not all cut from the 'just write' cloth and it might be your cue to gracefully step away until you know exactly what you want to say. Even in my crochet and craft groups, there are people that lose their 'mojo', swamped with no shortage of patterns or projects and hit with paralysis. At that point, I have to ask them if maybe it's time for a different adventure until looking at the task brings pure joy rather than dread. Even professional writers give themselves generous deadlines to allow for time to step back and look at their work with fresh eyes.

Annnnd, cold medicine decided 'quick' is a lie... Oh well, such is life!