​Monday, August 26 --- 9,118 words

Tuesday, August 27 --- 8,002 words

Wednesday, August 28 --- 8,113 words

Thursday, August 29 ---  8,001 words

Friday, August 30 --- 7,655 words

Saturday, August 31 --- 0 words (13,008 words for 3-Day Novel Contest)

Sunday, September 1 --- 0 words (8,607 words for 3-Day Novel Contest)

TOTAL words for Week 19 --- 40,889 words for Author Versus AI (21,615 words for 3-Day Novel Contest)

This week, I'm headed into the wild, wild West with a Western romance novel called To Ride the River.

BUT before I tell you more about it, I have to say that this week I'm going to tackle a brand new challenge that will test my limits of quick writing. I'm going to be writing not ONE but TWO books. And here's why...

Last year, I entered the 3-Day Novel Contest, which is, incidentally, a contest that's older than I am. It was my first year doing it, and I actually was in a bit of a time crunch. The contest takes place over the 3 days of the Labor Day holiday, which was fine for me to do. But then right afterward I went in for major surgery and was out of commission for a while. I almost missed the deadline to turn in my book - even though it was written, I hadn't formatted it and parts of it had been typed, parts handwritten.

Long story short, I finally got the whole thing together and turned it in on the very last day I could. And I was thrilled when I discovered earlier this year that my book was longlisted for the contest! The results of the shortlist and winner should be out later this year, but I'm thrilled to have my work recognized by the judges and in such wonderful company.

However, what that means is I wanted to do it again. And I signed up for the contest, which is at the end of this week. BUT I still have to complete my Author Versus AI book at the same time too. So... that means I will be writing 2 books this week.

I'll be hopefully cranking out my Author Versus AI one in the first five days, Monday-Friday. I've already gotten started today. And then when the weekend hits, I'll switch gears and spend Saturday-Monday writing the 3-Day Novel. Then, on Tuesday, I'll get started on next week's book.

So, I might not get all my videos out this week on Sunday/Monday as I usually do, since I'll be pedal to the metal on writing. BUT I will emerge from my cave on Tuesday to get myself back on track. Don't worry if you don't hear from me until next week - I'm still alive and still writing up a storm.

And NOW, here's what this week's book is all about:

Killara is an Aussie gal who’s always wanted to visit an American dude ranch. When she wins a trip through an online contest, she arrives in the US to find a very handsome cowboy waiting to greet her… but the image is somewhat spoiled when he opens his mouth. Instead of a Southern drawl, he has an upper-crust British accent. Prescott is a transplant, although he’s been in the United States for fifteen years and knows more about being a cowboy than most Americans born and bred.
 
Killara feels disappointed that like most things in her life, she falls short in picking the right kind of cowboy to crush on. That is, until she gets to know Prescott through her time on the dude ranch. She discovers that he has a passion equal to hers about the Wild West—and that passion might spark something between the two of them too. And Killara might just learn that not every fantasy has to be set in stone.

Hope everyone has a good Monday. See you next week after a gazillion words!

I'm back on track again this week now that I've recovered from attending the writing conference last weekend in Calgary. It was a lot of fun, but very tiring!

I've crossed the finish line for The Bruises of Grandma Summer, which was quite a journey for both the characters and for me. There's something about YA books that end up feeling very personal when I'm writing them. Hope that comes through in the excerpt! Here it is - hope you enjoy listening in:

Next week, I'll be taking a trip to the wild, wild West - tune in tomorrow to find out what I mean! Until then, have a great Sunday.

Monday, August 18 --- 2,516 words

Tuesday, August 19 --- 8,600 words

Wednesday, August 20 --- 6,007 words

Thursday, August 21 ---  4,805 words

Friday, August 22 --- 3,208 words

Saturday, August 23 --- 10,128 words

Sunday, August 24 --- 6,103 words

TOTAL words for Week 18 --- 41,367 words

This week, I'm diving into the genre of young adult (YA) with a book called The Bruises of Grandma Summer. It's a subject near and dear to my heart because I have 3 daughters. Two would be considered the age range for YA, and I'm sure they'll be very upset if I don't get the details right. So, here goes:

The last summer before freshman year in high school, Madeline faces her biggest fear: having to grow up. She doesn’t want to choose a career path, although her younger sister already has her heart set on becoming a doctor. She likes to play games on Discord with her friends, talk and text on her phone, and slam the door in her little sister’s interfering face.
 
But when she gets into a whirlwind romance with a bully and has to cover up the bruises on her arms, no one seems to take notice except her grandmother. Madeline “runs away”—taking a long bus trip to her grandmother’s house, where she finds a sympathetic ear and the two get to spend the summer together.
 
But all isn’t right when they discover that summer her grandmother is diagnosed with late-stage cancer. Through being together, perhaps they can help each other through the toughest time of each of their lives.

This will be a deep and somewhat dark manuscript, so I hope I can make it through. See you on Sunday when I read an excerpt from this book. Have a great week!

I have to say that last week was a bit of a struggle (one reason why I'm a couple days late posting this). The main reason was because I was at the wonderful When Words Collide literary festival in Calgary from Thursday through Sunday - and there were a LOT of great things to see and do and people to speak with there. I don't regret going at all, but I do regret that I wasn't able to get a lot of sleep in between attending the conference and getting my word count in every day.

But... that's all she wrote, folks! Another book's in the bag, and here's an excerpt from The Space of Hearts:

In a minute, I'll tell you a bit more about the book for THIS week - I'm looking for some younger readers for my new one. Stay tuned!

I'm currently attending the When Words Collide literary convention in Calgary, Alberta, which has been a wonderful few days of hanging out with my fellow writers. Because of this, I'm going to wait until I'm back home to record the excerpt I usually read on Sundays. The book is coming along nicely - in between panels, I've been running back to my hotel room to write. LOL. I've gotta fit in the words however I can!

I'll update my progress tomorrow and read a bit from my latest book draft then. Hope everyone is having a lovely weekend too!

Monday, August 12 --- 4,701 words

Tuesday, August 13 --- 7,801 words

Wednesday, August 14 --- 6,986 words

Thursday, August 15 ---  7,955 words

Friday, August 16 --- 4,212 words

Saturday, August 17 --- 4,504 words

Sunday, August 18 --- 3,998 words

TOTAL words for Week 17 --- 40,157 words

I'm back in brand new territory this week with my next book, which is steampunk romance. I can't recall ever writing in this genre, especially not for a book-length project. My new novel is called The Space of Hearts, and here's what it's about:

In the height of nineteenth-century England, women aren’t allowed into the mens-only club of the Astronomer’s Society. Victoria Morsworth’s father was a member and passed on his love of the stars to his daughter before his death. So, while scientists are almost certain space is a vacuum, Victoria wants to prove it, thereby ensuring her a spot as the first woman inducted into the Society.
 
To succeed in her task, she sets out to build a steam-powered spacecraft, aided by her hired mechanic. Gilbert Williams is both complimentary of Victoria’s pluck and worried about her destination. When things get romantic, she offers him a deal—she’ll marry him after they return from space. That alone is enough motivation for him to help her, and quickly.
 
But word leaks out about their mission, and it sets off a space race—will Victoria, even with her head start, still be first? If not, she’ll lose the distinction necessary for joining the coveted society to follow in her father’s footsteps, and perhaps also lose the love of her life. Will she find success before it’s too late?

This will be a rollickin' good adventure! See you on Sunday when I read an excerpt from my new book. Have a great week!

And the last laugh will be had by me, since I'm racing toward the ending for my new cozy mystery novel Death & Drawing for the Absolute Beginner. I've crossed the 40k finish line but I still have a bit more to write to finish up the story, so I'll keep working on it tonight.

Here's an excerpt from the first chapter:

Next week, I'm going to switch gears and head into brand new territory in terms of genre. It'll be a rollickin' fun adventure, so stay tuned tomorrow!