Outstanding October
Happy Halloween weekend, dear reader!
Wow, I was just reviewing my October post from last year (to make sure I hadn't already used the 'outstanding' moniker) and a lot of stuff has happened since its writing. It’s humbling to realize just how much I have achieved in a year’s time, especially when I feel like I haven’t come very far.
Last October, I made the difficult decision to pull my first traditionally published book Trending Topic #Murder from circulation and leave the publisher. At that time, I wasn't sure when and if Coco would be back. Fast forward one year, and I just sent the book fact sheet information for #FollowMe for Murder (Trending Topic #Murder rebranded) to my new publisher at Level Best Books. I already have an amazing cover for Coco's 'debut' outing—more to come on that front soon—and I can't wait to dive into edits.
And Coco isn't the only book series I've been working on. You Can't Candle the Truth is right around the corner! Hazel Wickbury bursts onto the cozy mystery scene on November 16th. I am so, so excited for this book to be out in the world. The cozy mystery reading community is so warm and welcoming; I've missed being a part of it. Reviews from advanced copies of You Can’t Candle the Truth are already coming in, and I couldn't be more thrilled by the reception Hazel has received.
“What a great beginning for a new series! Author Sarah E. Burr has crafted an entertaining and unusual mystery in You Can’t Candle the Truth. The world she creates is immersive and engaging, with some interesting, light paranormal touches (think Bewitched meets the Hamptons)” - B.J. Bowen, author of Music is Murder
I was lucky enough this month to grab some vacation time in Maine by the lake that inspired Lake Glenmyre in the Glenmyre Whim Mysteries. Yet, even with a week of vacation, I still crushed my goals this month. That’s right, I finally crushed something! It felt amazing because, if you've been following along recently, I haven't been knocking my writing goals out of the park as much as I would have liked. When I wrote this month's goals, I wrote them knowing I probably wouldn't meet them. I couldn't have been more wrong—thank goodness!
Let's take a look at what I set out to accomplish:
Write 5,000 words in the next Court of Mystery novel
Write Chapter One of Book Blogger #2
Newsletter with "You Can't Candle the Truth" sneak peek
Prep for blog tours
Brainstorm Glenmyre Whim #2
Now, for how October actually turned out:
Write 5,000 words in the next Court of Mystery novel: I didn't quite hit 5000 words, but I got a solid start on the book, making my way well into Chapter Two. This was mostly due to the fact that I decided to add a third manuscript to my writing schedule this month; crazy, I know. While I have the book outlined and a good idea of where things are going, Jax and her friends will be enjoying a well-deserved rest until early 2022. I have two other books I'd like to write before fully giving my attention to Jax's next adventure. However, that doesn't mean there won't be a Realm of Virtues short story dropping in the near future. I'd love to write one from Ziri Axesinger's point of view…
Write Chapter One of Book Blogger #2: This goal was one I was really on the fence about at the start of the month. I wasn't sure I'd be working on Book #2 in this series, given that I was revisiting Book #1 and waiting for additional feedback about the manuscript. But low and behold, I got so revitalized revisiting Book #1 in the series, I wrote not one chapter, but THREE! I already have a dead body found LOL The stage is being set. I realized, while writing this, how long it's been since I began a manuscript from scratch; probably not since I wrote Innocence Imprisoned, as I've been working on projects that I began in the past with the goal to polish them and move forward. So, it's been great to dive into a blank-ish Word document and begin creating again.
Newsletter with "You Can't Candle the Truth" sneak peek: Check your inboxes tomorrow morning for this special Halloween Eve treat!
Prep for blog tours: I love blog tours, especially when I get to become my character. Putting Sarah away and stepping into Hazel Wickbury's candle-making shoes was super fun, and I can't wait for promotional tours to kick off come November.
Brainstorm Glenmyre Whim #2: Not only did I brainstorm Book #2, but I also wrote 7000 words (three chapters) in it! I really love this series; it's so fresh and fun, and the paranormal aspect is just my cup of tea. I also love that it takes place in New York State. Usually, I write about places I've lived in or would like to live in, not where I'm actually living. Writing about your home while actually being there gives me an even greater sense of connection with my characters. I got so excited by the Glenmyre Whim Mysteries, in fact, that I already designed the cover for both books 2 and 3 in the series. Talk about progress!
All in all, I achieved a lot in October's thirty-one days (actually twenty-nine, since I'm even a few days early with my blog post LOL), and I really hope this momentum keeps up next month as I embark on my NaNoWriMo project. This is my first time participating in National Novel Writing Month from a "writing" standpoint. When I participated in July, I was all about editing. My project will be 50,000 words in Book Blogger Mystery #2, and I feel really good about going into the month with a solid, three-chapter head start. Beginnings are the hardest for me in manuscripts; laying down the groundwork and recapping previous books is always tricky and a little boring for me as a writer because I want to get to the new stuff. So, with that part already out of the way, I'm raring to go!
Will you be joining NaNoWriMo? Good luck!
Arms around,
S.B.