Quick update: I lost my voice last week for a few days, and I sound like I've been smoking 5 packs a day right now, but I'm definitely getting better. This sickness really knocked me flat on my butt, so while I got my words in every day for Author Versus AI, that was it - I've been doing the bare minimum and not posting on my website at all.

So, while I'm not better enough to record any videos and I'm still conserving my energy for the important task of writing, I finished The Red King of Chinatown and hope to be able to update everyone on it soon with an excerpt (and I'll post my daily wordcounts at the same time). The book clocked in at just over the finish line of 40k (40,154 words).

The new book this week is a YA Coming-of-Age called When Autumn Leaves, and the short premise of the book is a young teen in middle school, Autumn, who has to navigate a huge move with her family that might ultimately end up with the breaking up of her family. I'll be back (when my voice is back) to tell you all about it.

Until then, I'm going to be eating lots of chicken soup and drinking lots of tea with honey and trying to finally kick this darn cold that's been hanging onto me with tooth and nail! Have a great (and hopefully healthy) week, everyone.

​So, I have some bad news: I have been struggling with a cold/flu the past couple of days. I've almost completely lost my voice and have been hacking up a lung. Needless to say, I can't record any of my usual videos - the Sunday excerpt from my latest book or the book summary for this week.

I AM still writing, as you can see from my word counts. I dragged myself across the finish line for Of Seas & Crowns and I'm starting a new book this week in another fantasy subgenre: urban fantasy. It's called The Red King of Chinatown, and the premise of the book is The Joy Luck Club meets Interview with the Vampire in New York City.

When my voice is back and I can get through a sentence without coughing, I'll be back to tell you more about this week's book (as well as read an excerpt from last week's book). Until then, I'm going to go and quietly write in between moments of resting.

Hope everyone has a great week (and stays healthy!!!).

Monday, September 16 --- 13,024 words

Tuesday, September 17 --- 5,555 words

Wednesday, September 18 --- 3,700 words

Thursday, September 19 ---  506 words

Friday, September 20 --- 5,321 words

Saturday, September 21 --- 5,003 words

Sunday, September 22 --- 7,011 words

TOTAL words for Week 22 --- 40,120 words

I so much enjoyed writing fantasy last week that I'm going to dive right back into another fantasy subgenre - epic fantasy. My new novel is called Of Seas & Crowns, and here's what it's all about:
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​​The tale of an evil queen arriving to destroy the world has long been the fodder for myth and legend in the greater kingdoms of Solland. For centuries, the kingdoms have coexisted, sometimes peacefully, sometimes not, under the rules of the Davmore Accord, which has governed both the magicals and mortals under its aegis. However, when an outside force arrives in Solland, the broken Accord allows for a crack in the protective armor of the barrier. Rumors swirl throughout the land that the child of legend has arrived and that the magical denizens of the world will face destruction.
 
When the kings and queens meet in council, the selkie ruler, Caitrìona, is chosen to be the heroine to face the child, and is imbued with the forces from each seat of magic. However, the legends mention a girl, and it turns out to be a young boy—Queen Caitrìona’s worst fear after she lost her son in a horrific accident five years ago. Can she defeat the child who could kill them all, or will her still-broken heart get in the way of victory?

​I'm also going to be taking my show on the road - I'll be heading to California this week and will be spending the next three weeks with my parents, who live there. So, expect to see some new locations when I get to reading the excerpt on Sunday. Have a great week, everyone!

I started out this morning on the fabulous podcast This Week In Indies, and had a great time chatting with fellow authors Don Sawyer, Tricia Copeland, Steffanie Costigan, and host SM Hillman. You can check out the episode below, where we talk about the monsters in our writing and how to make them VERY scary but also believable.

​​And now back to my Author Versus AI project! I'm back on track this week with what felt like a tiny bit of a surreal project for me to tackle. A book that was a short story that was a book... well, it's finally finished, roughly thirty years after I began writing it. And that's pretty cool! (And a good example of why never to throw away a draft of a story, even if it's terrible. You can always resurrect it!)

So, what I wanted to do with my excerpt reading this week is a compare/contrast. In the video below, I read the first page or so of each piece and would LOVE to hear your feedback. Which version do you like the best? The original book draft written by teenage me? The short story written ten years ago? Or the most recent one, Ruin of the Sceptre, written this week?

​You be the judge. Here they are:

​Monday, September 9 --- 4,323 words

Tuesday, September 10 --- 6,096 words

Wednesday, September 11 --- 6,007 words

Thursday, September 12 ---  7,112 words

Friday, September 13 --- 6,008 words

Saturday, September 14 --- 5,885 words

Sunday, September 15 --- 6,011 words

TOTAL words for Week 21 --- 41,442 words

I don't think I've quite recovered from all the writing from a couple weeks ago, but I'm ready to start my next book, which will be taking me into the familiar realm of sword & sorcery. It's a retelling of a book I started writing as a teen (but never finished), and changed into a short story about a decade ago (published in Swords & Sorcery Magazine as "The Soldier's Choice"). Now, I'll be starting from scratch again. It's called Ruin of the Sceptre, and here's what it's all about:

Shazia has spent her entire life training to become a warrior like her hero Lissar, queen of the mighty empire of Eltrand centuries ago. But it’s not so easy nowadays, since Shazia’s out of her depth as a freshly trained officer in the army, newly arrived into a complex world of intrigue and power struggles in the capital city of Eltrand.
 
Shortly after she starts to find her way, the holy star of the warriors’ patron god is stolen from the palace temple, and the priests foretell the fall of Eltrand unless the relic is recovered. But it’s a suicide crusade that seems futile to restore the might of the country as peace treaties break down and enemies threaten the border on all sides. Who better for the useless job than a country bumpkin no one will miss if she fails?
 
As she sets off with a small group of warriors and diplomats, Shazia’s journey takes her far from home—months of travel across the borders of numerous countries, some of whom welcome her and many others who see her as a sworn enemy or, at best, an odd curiosity. Time runs out, and the remains of her bedraggled group receive word of the fall of Eltrand in their absence. With no home to return to, Shazia decides to carry on with her mission to recover the holy star, even knowing she’ll never save her home country or the loved ones she left behind.

I think I'm still a little burned out from two weeks ago and the marathon writing session I did creating 2 books, so I'm a bit slow getting this video out about my excerpt from my new novel The Greenhouse Binary. ​Pretty much, I was writing to the wire last night, and then when midnight rolled around, I could barely keep my eyes open. So, I went to bed and decided to start fresh this morning and read my excerpt today instead.

Hopefully, I'll be able to rest and reset this week, so I'll be back on track with all the stuff I normally do. Or perhaps I'll just eat a ton of chocolate and reset that way (my go-to drug of choice, LOL).

Okay, here's the excerpt - hope you enjoy listening to it!

​Monday, September 2 --- 0 words (3,073 words for 3-Day Novel Contest)

Tuesday, September 3 --- 1,955 words

Wednesday, September 4 --- 7,002 words

Thursday, September 5 ---  11,112 words

Friday, September 6 --- 13,006 words

Saturday, September 7 --- 1,744 words

Sunday, September 8 --- 7,034 words

TOTAL words for Week 20 --- 41,853 words (3,073 words for 3-Day Novel Contest)

Well, I'm still tired from all the writing I did last week, but I'm going to push on and continue this week with my next book. It's called The Greenhouse Binary, and here's what it's all about:

An intergenerational story focused around women and climate change.
 
Jada is eight when the alarm is sounded about climate change becoming irreversible. While her parents are deniers, she sees what’s happening with the catastrophic weather destroying cities and towns all over the world, including in her hometown of Los Angeles. When her family is killed in a flood and she’s taken in by an aunt, she makes it her mission to help save the planet.
 
After she becomes an adult, Jada falls in love with someone who respects her mission but doesn’t follow it—a woman by the name of Kehlani, who’s a lawyer. They adopt a daughter Haley, who follows in Jada’s footsteps in wanting to battle climate change. Meanwhile, certain cities have either been abandoned or become hotspots for crime because so much of them is being destroyed with each new weather disaster. Their family moves to northern California to try to escape the coastal regions in the southern part of the state.
 
From a young age, their daughter Haley sees that the way to effect meaningful change is by jumping in with both feet. After growing up and seeing the constant struggle in the political arena to find workable solutions, Haley decides to run for governor of California. A storm destroys half of San Francisco with a tsunami while Haley is visiting and trying to persuade the mayor to take action. She has a harrowing escape back home to her daughter and husband in Sacramento. They vow to keep fighting, and her young daughter says she will also take up the mantle and continue the fight in her mother’s footsteps.

It's going to be a fun challenge to write such an interweaving of genres and characters over generations, but one I'm happy to take on. See you at the end of the week when I read an excerpt from this book. Until then, have a great week!