Mommy Writes Fantasy: A Writing Blog

January 2023 Updates

Aly here with another monthly author update!


LIFE NEWS

It's been an eventful start to the new year, to say the least. We lost my beloved mother-in-law at the tail end of December, and this month has been a whirlwind of grieving and estate logistics. My husband will be inheriting his mother's house, and we intend to move in during the probate process to do upkeep and reap the benefits of her paid-off mortgage (which means no rent or house payment, and more savings!).

I'm sure the moving and estate process will mess with my creative flow, but I'm also determined to live this season in a state of giving myself, my kids and my husband tons of grace. We need it more than we need to be productive. I refuse to pile my plate high with responsibilities when I know I can't reasonably expect myself to perform them in this season.

One thing I am working on doing is getting myself healthy. Being strung out on sugar or constantly in pain because of eating inflammatory foods is no way to go through something this life-changing. The healthier I can be, the better I'll come out on the other side of this, and the more creativity I'll have when I'm ready to get back on the horse more completely.


BOOK/SERIES NEWS

SERIALS
I still plan on releasing new chapters each week of my two main projects, "Rattle The Stars"  (Disney Fanfiction) and "Kingdom of Destruction"  (second in my Kingdoms of Saelyn series). The books are already done, for the most part, minus some minor edits and incorporating beta feedback. My hope is to have Kingdom of Destruction available for purchase on Amazon in either Q2 or 3 of this year. Look for another update when it's live on Amazon!


NEW PUBLISHING STRATEGY?
I'm also thinking of moving my books to Kindle Unlimited, since I don't publish anywhere but Amazon (and my website) currently. Still puzzling out the terms to make sure I can keep up my current model of publishing to my website and other places around the web for free. Whatever I find out, I'll let you guys know for sure.


KINGDOMS OF SAELYN
Kingdom of Revelation, the third book of the series, is currently in the drafting process and is coming along painfully slowly, but I'm allowing it to. There are other priorities on my time and energy right now, and that's okay. Not every season is one for insane productivity, like 2022 was for me.

DAY JOB WRITING
I'm almost finished with my ghostwritten series, and I'm invested in giving it the epic ending it deserves. Hopefully, I'll be able to start a new project with the same company. They've been wonderful to me thus far, and the process of writing quickly has actually made me realize I've prepared for this role my whole life haha. I CAN write on a deadline, and produce something mostly readable, which is an encouraging thought as someone who's been an author and has studied stories for 15 years.

GOALS FOR 2023

I've had to rethink some of my goals for this year. My word of the year is "healthy", and that can incorporate a lot of things.

Most obviously, healthy means taking care of myself. I have a chronic illness that controls what, when, and how I eat most days, and I ignore it to my own peril. In the past, I've been stubborn about eating what I want, when I want, but always paid the price. Now, I'm trying to lean into grace more, trying to get outside and breathe fresh air more, and keep myself hydrated. I think much more clearly when I do all three of these things, and inflammation isn't making my brain hurt.

Healthy also means putting boundaries around my time. I've accomplished a lot in 2022, but it came at a price. I overstepped time I should have given to my family in order to move forward on my goals, and that's not something I want to do moving forward. It may mean scaling back goals and allowing a lot more breathing room in my schedule. As an overachiever, I don't like the thought of not accomplishing more, but I know it will benefit me and my family in the long run.

As far as publishing books and advancing my career, I still want to take some steps forward. I'll be doing lots of research, revamping my author strategy, and evaluating what I can reasonably expect myself to keep up with. For the time being, though, my ghostwriting "day job" takes top priority. It brings in income our family needs to reach our financial goals, is training me to trust my story instincts, treat my writing time as a discipline, and helping me produce stories I never thought I was capable of producing.

I'm certainly NOT giving up on my stories. They just may grow and come into existence at a slower pace, and I'm okay with that. It's consistent effort that makes the most difference. I'll be glad I kept going 2, 5, and 10 years from now. I've already seen a huge difference in my own consistency over the last several quarters, thanks in no small part to Sarra Cannon's wonderful HB90 goal setting system.

FREE E-BOOK!

If you sign up for my author newsletter, you can claim your very own FREE copy of Kingdom of Illusion, just for being a subscriber. It's my welcome gift to you for hopping on board. Just visit this link: http://subscribepage.io/aXHkk5 If you'd rather just read the series here on WDC, that's totally cool, too! Here's the link: "The Kingdoms of Saelyn Series"  .

Not in the mood for fantasy? How about fanfiction? Come check out "God Help The Outcasts: COMPLETE" , a Disney crossover fic featuring Cinderella, Pocahontas, and the Hunchback of Notre Dame, or "Rattle The Stars" , another crossover featuring Alice in Wonderland and Treasure Planet!

Thanks for coming along for the ride, dear readers. May God bless you and your brand new year!