Surviving September
Greetings, Noteworthy readers!
Whether you're here for an update on one of my many book series or for tips on how to navigate the writing world, there's something for you. I began the month very much with a "back-to-school" mindset. I was going to buckle down and focus on my writing and my books, and Get. Stuff. Done. And get stuff done, I did. I covered a lot of ground this month. It might not have been the ground I expected or had in mind to cover, but nevertheless, I'm ending the month on a very happy note work-wise. You'll see why below.
In non-writing news, I took my first flight since 2019 to Austin, TX for a wedding. We had a great time reconnecting with beloved friends who we hadn't seen since even before COVID took over our lives. It was wonderful, and we stayed safe and healthy throughout the trip and on the return. I really commend all the airline/airport/hotel/cab staff that worked to keep us all safe. We also had all the tacos we could eat and more!
Because of our little adventure, I had less time than usual in a 30-day month to achieve my writing goals:
Write 15,000 words in Book Blogger #2
Send out ARCs for "You Can't Candle the Truth"
Outline next Glenmyre Whim Mystery
So, how did I do with my "back-to-school" mindset?
On the surface, horrible! I only achieved one out of my three goals this month. Based on my usual success rate, that's pretty bad. BUT when I dig into these further and review everything else I achieved this month, I can breathe a little easier knowing I got a ton of stuff done.
Write 15,000 words in Book Blogger #2 - Eeek, as of this writing, I haven't even finished my readthrough of the first book. Things are slow going on this front. I learned recently from the series' publisher that I can make edits to Book #1 to update the manuscript for 2021/2022 (I wrote it in 2017—a lot has changed since then). So, I'm revisiting Copper Bay and the folks who live there. It's a nice refresher, and also a little break after my marathon of a summer spent prepping two books for release. I hope to get some actual writing done in October, as I will also be using this book to participate in NaNoWriMo come November.
Send out ARCs for "You Can't Candle the Truth" - This I did, and boy, was it nerve wracking! My heart was in my throat for most of the day, but I'm happy Hazel is out there in the world. With less than two months until release, it will be great to get feedback before her big debut. And I’ve already gotten some amazing reviews from readers and authors alike! Check out this awesome quote from reader Peggy on Goodreads:
Outline next Glenmyre Whim Mystery - I totally forgot this was a goal of mine to be honest. When I went to review my goals, I read this one and said to myself, "What was I thinking?" In the grand scheme of my writing schedule, I probably won't begin outlining Book #2 until after Book #1 is released. However, I DID begin writing the next Court of Mystery novel which was super unexpected and exciting.
You might be wondering what the heck I was doing this month since I obviously wasn't achieving these writing goals. Well, luckily for my growing side business, it seems everyone else had the same "back-to-school" mindset that I had and wanted to revamp their social media marketing for the fall. I set a new BookstaBundles engagement record this month, and I dedicated a lot of my time to client projects. It also prompted me to restructure my offerings a bit, making sure I'm working on projects fulfilling not only to the client but to me. At the end of the day, it all boiled down to the fact I love creating social media content, and that's what BookstaBundles started out as, and what it will continue to be going forward.
As mentioned above, I also began working on the next Court of Mystery novel. It's still in the very early stages, but I got the bug to write the opening scene one day and decided, well, let's do it! It's amazing how effortless it is to pop back into the Realm of Virtues. It's probably helped along by me listening to the Ravaged Reign tracks for the upcoming audiobook release. Narrator Melissa Green has really outdone herself this time. The book sounds amazing!
Prepping for the release of You Can't Candle the Truth also required a good deal of time, as well as a "fall cleaning" of my own website and posted marketing materials. Wow, I covered a lot of ground in just 30 days, now that I’m going through everything. I ran a killer promotion for The Ducal Detective Mysteries through a service called Written Word Media, and wow, if you haven't checked out their promotional offerings, I highly recommend it. The first book in the Court of Mystery series got to #3 on the Epic Fantasy AND Women Sleuth charts! That's huge! I'm also getting great reviews for books in the series, growing my reader base one review at a time.
OH, and I'm getting ready to launch a new Realm of Virtues story! "Ruined Remnants" is the fourth short story I've written featuring my characters from the Court of Mystery series. Make sure you're signed up for my newsletter to get first access when "Ruined Remnants" launches in October.
All-in-all, I'm happy with how far I've come. I feel like I'm getting more business savvy with my books, honing in on the right market and getting them in front of readers who love Jax and the world she inhabits. Now that I'm also adding Hazel Wickbury from my Glenmyre Whim Mysteries to the mix, there's never been a better time to pick up a book by Sarah E. Burr.
October will no doubt be another whirlwind month with lots of tasks to accomplish! Wish me luck!
Arms around,
S.B.