Hi there! I wanted to give a quick update on my book journey for anyone interested.
So far this year, I have read 49 books! My Goodreads goal was only 55 (five more than last year, but enough to give me wiggle room). I’ve read a lot of good books, some bad, and I am currently on A BREATH OF SNOW AND ASHES by Diana Gabaldon. I adore the Outlander series. The television show on Starz is phenomenal, but the books can be a bit…much. I read the first book around the time season one finished. So while I read, I watched the show. The second book, DRAGONFLY IN AMBER is my favorite of the five I’ve finished. These books literally take me months to read. I’m hoping to finish this one before the month is out. I have an entire shelf full of To Be Read books, including CARAVAL, CARVE THE MARK, and MISTS OF AVALON (rereading; I love MoA so much!). I’ve also really wanted to do a reread of the TWILIGHT series. Mostly because the books weren’t all that horrible. Except for the sparkling vampires.
On to other topics, what’s going on with my writing?? Well, it’s a long story…but. HALFLIFE is officially on hold. I did a hardcore edit, taking notes and line by line edits done by beta readers, and finished about 75% of the manuscript. I added an extended prologue (which is now chapter one), and, in total, nearly 10K words were added to the total word count. It was completely unintentional. The ending of the novel needs a lot of heavy rewrites. Last week I was feeling very uncertain about the project. There is still so much work to do on it. I have my doubts about if there’s even a market for this kind of novel right now.
I love the characters and the story, but it’s such a big project that I’m feeling anxious and overwhelmed about it. So I need to take a step back from it for a while.
That being said, back in December I started scribbling down some ideas for a new Young Adult story. It’s very, very, new, but an idea that I’ve always wanted to pursue. I wrote less than 10K words for it at the time. I’ve decided to pick it up. Regardless of how my other projects are going, I know that I need to keep writing, and I haven’t been writing. My therapist (yes, I’m seeing a therapist, but that’s another topic for a different day) thinks it’s a good idea for me to move away from the other projects I’ve been working on. If only to give me an opportunity to separate myself from the pressures I have put on myself, as well as the subject matter. HALFLIFE, especially, deals with some very real issues that I’ve personally been dealing with for years. A little separation can be a good thing, I think.
So…what’s it about?
I’m not telling. Not now, at least. Nothing may ever come of this story, and I’d really rather keep it to myself right now. Just know, I am writing, I am creating, I am working toward that ever present goal of being a published author.
Thanks for reading, Abbie