Happy September!

I just got back from a ten day trip to West Virginia, which was in many ways a fact-finding mission for the edit of Rock of Ages. I took pictures of details-- patterns of shelf lining and rugs, interviewed family members, and spent time at the local historical society looking at old papers and photos.

I’m 45,000 words into the rewrite now, and I’m particularly excited about the part of the novel that follows a woman who moves from WV to Washington DC in the 1940s to become a "government girl" and classify fingerprints for the FBI. I found lots of amazing sources on our trip, including internal newsletters from the Bureau, and I’m having so much fun incorporating some of the details into the book. 

I’ll keep you updated as I move along with this process. I can’t wait for you to read it!

Hello, readers! It’s Labor Day, so it’s time for another update. First up, the info you’ve all been waiting for: I’m working steadily on the new manuscript for HOW TO REMEMBER. I expect to have the first new draft turned in by October 1.

It’s fall - that magical time of year, filled with chillier temps and pumpkin spice, at least here in Northeast Ohio. For the last two years, I’ve written and self-pubbed a short story about the season, just because I love it so much. This year, I don’t have time, since I’m working on the rewrite, but if you’d like to check out my previous titles, here’s the link on Amazon. A few are also on Biblioboard and OverDrive if your library has a subscription. I always donate any profits I make. Last year I gave money to hurricane relief - I’m not sure what the cause will be this year, but I’ll be sure to let everyone know.

Be on the lookout for more news about the anthology I’m working on, too. In the meantime, enjoy that fall weather, when and if it shows up!!

August 2018

Hello everyone -- apologies for the recent radio silence on "The Devil Inside." It is still in the pre-production queue, but with "Shadow King" ramping up for its October 2 launch, I’ve really been focusing my attention there.

I have learned from Inkshares that there are about 8 books, give or take, ahead of Devil in the line for the editor. That means official production won’t kick off until sometime in 2019, which is what I had anticipated.

I know many of you also follow my adventures with "Shadow King" but there are several who joined this intrepid band after the Shadow King funding adventure wrapped up. I’d like to invite those who aren’t as familiar with it to stop over at the Shadow King page and check it out (and if you purchased a copy, that would also be amazing!). 

I’ll send another Devil update when I have some news to share on production status -- thank you all so much for being so patient while the production process unfolds!

Best,
Susan

Ooh! I should make an update! That should happen!

A lot of you already know this, but in my excitement, I neglected to make an official update about it, so here I am, finally doing that.

WE MADE IT!

Proteus is now completely funded! We reached our goal of 750 pre-orders, and the whole project has shifted into production mode. I’ve already been congratulated by Inkshares staff, and they’ve sent me some of the paperwork I’ll need to do in order to launch the book into the production process. It’s really happening!

So what happens next, in terms of Proteus? Well, as any of you who have ordered Tantalus Depths are already painfully aware, the production process takes a very long time. Also, since Tantalus Depths was my first project and people have been waiting the longest for it, it is still going to take most of my attention from now until it launches, so Proteus is something I will have to be working on in the background as I prioritize Tantalus Depths.

My plan is to get Proteus into the editing process shortly before Tantalus Depths is released. The whole intent behind launching my Proteus campaign when I did was to ensure that my second published novel came out no more than a year or two after my first, and my goal is to try and release new books on a yearly or bi-yearly schedule, consistently. Inkshares has finally given me a tentative release date of winter 2019 for Tantalus Depths. It’s much later than I thought it would be, but the delay is necessary to accommodate some new ideas that Inkshares’ CEO has in mind for it. It should be a particularly strong release next year, and Inkshares is showing a lot of confidence in it, so the delay will be worth it.

In the meantime, I’m not going to be idle. I have a surprise project I’m working on that should come out later this fall, to tide everyone over as we wait for Tantalus Depths. I also plan on building myself a proper website, which I’ll be loading with all manner of content related to the universe I’ve created, the art of writing, and the community we’ve formed. Now that the burden of campaigning is over, hopefully for good, I finally feel free to devote more of my time and energy into the parts of this process I actually enjoy: the writing, the creativity, and sharing my work to the world.

For now, I’m taking a week off, ‘cause by golly, I’ve earned it. But after that, work starts anew. We’re going to do great things together.