In an effort to stay positive, productive, and accountable, I've decided to check-in at the end of each month. I'll share what I've accomplished along with any ups or downs I've experienced. So, let's get to it...
WRITING:
I finished the first draft of my YA paranormal romance!!! YAY! I cannot tell you how excited I am about this.... It's been four years in the making! I sent it to a handful of beta readers, and the feedback is starting to roll in. I'm looking at a complete overhaul of the opening chapters, but that's okay. I've gotten some great ideas, and I'm excited to jump back in and revise. I also started working on my Christmas novella for Anaiah -- it's a sweet contemporary romance.
QUERYING:
My co-author and I are querying a YA thriller. We sent right around 50 queries, and so far, we've received 1 full request (YAY!) and 30 rejections (boo!). The rest are still outstanding. While I'm being realistic about this project, it's nice to know at least one person liked it enough to request, but I have that sinking feeling this book has "missed the market" so to speak. But, we'll see how it goes.
EDITING:
I've been crazy busy with editing. I joined forces with fellow PitchWars Mentor, Lisa Amowitz, and we started The Choppy Shop, which is a pop-up editorial service specializing in query letter and first chapter critiques to prepare authors for querying. I completed two freelance editing projects, finished edits on a YA manuscript for Anaiah, and have begun contents on a contemporary romance for Anaiah.
READING:
Sadly, I haven't read anything for pleasure this month, but I did beta read a manuscript that was a ton of fun -- lots of family drama, secrets, twists, murder, and romance.
PERSONAL:
My oldest daughter turned 19 this month. Yikes--that makes me feel old. Ha! I took her to a Black Veil Brides concert which, up until that night, I had never heard of. The music was loud and full of screaming, but some of it was good, and I added a couple new songs to my writing playlist.
My other daughter turned 13 -- Another teenager in the house, goody. <sarcasm font> She had her birthday party at the bowling alley, which also offered virtual reality. Fun was had by everyone. She really has a great group of friends, though, and seeing them all together (no fighting / drama) was great. It makes me happy to see that she's surrounded herself with positive, supportive people.
I've been fighting off something icky, either a sinus infection or the start of the flu. I think a trip to the doctor is in my near future. For this reason, I didn't make it to the gym nearly as much as I wanted to--I think I only went two or three times. Oh well, February is a new month and I'll hit it hard :-)
So, what has everyone else done in January? Is 2018 off to a good start for you? Share in the comments!
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