It can be fall now, please (Q2 2018 Round-Up)

Long-time readers may be aware of my dislike of the summer, and the Fourth of July in particular. This year is more difficult than most, between the state of the nation we're supposed to be celebrating and the fact that it's the 20th anniversary of Dad's passing. So, naturally, I've decided to distract myself with a round-up post.

Q2 2018 round-up:

Words written YTD: 7,712 on one project (Novel Wars)

Writer-ly things accomplished: What I thought was a light-hearted fantasy novel turned into a mystery, so I'm trying to roll with it; I didn't quite make the 100 Day Challenge, but I've picked up again with Camp NaNoWriMo for July.

New books read: Some reading for the Hugos, among others. Highlights: Space Opera by Cat Valente (so good go read now now now!), All Systems Red by Martha Wells (Hugo nominee for best novella, and I need more from this world).

Old books re-read: Continuing the Discworld re-read, slowly but surely.

I also started a new job at the beginning of April, which is leading to a fair amount of self-reflection, questioning my own abilities and skills, and wondering just how rare it is to have some kind of consistent data management in a small organization because seriously, people. They seem to like me there, though, so that's always a plus.

And now, back to the writing and avoiding the sounds of the fireworks going off in the neighborhood. Happy summer, all in the northern hemisphere (and happy winter to our neighbors in the south).

*taps mic* Is this thing still on? (Q1 2018 Round-Up)

I live! It's been a heck of a ride the last few months. Let me explain...

In sum: after being out of work since November, I started a new job at the beginning of April. I managed to avoid going completely off the deep end, but it was a near thing. New job is almost the polar opposite of the old job, but it's a nice change of pace. It's given me a chance to focus on writing again. I managed to win Camp Nano this April, and I'm doing pretty well with the 100 Day Project thus far. (My Instagram is primarily pictures of my writing and pictures of my cats, if you're interested.)

So! Q1 2018 round-up:

Words written YTD: 10,684 on two projects (Intermezzo (new project for Camp Nano) and Novel Wars)

Writer-ly things accomplished: Won Camp Nano for the first time in a couple of years, managed to write every day since the beginning of April; jumped back to an old project with fresh eyes

New books read: An assortment of non-fiction books and magazines, with a few graphic novels thrown in for fun.

Old books re-read: Continuing the Discworld re-read.

I haven't read nearly as many books as I normally have by this point in the year, but I'm hoping to change that. It's taken some time to get myself back in the habit of being active every day. More importantly, I'm feeling more like myself, finally.

Q1 Round-up and Camp Nanowrimo Day 7

Starting with the second thing first, Camp Nanowrimo is going slowly so far. I believe I'm overthinking the Steve and Human-Steve drabbles, which is making it difficult to make progress. I also decided to spend some quality time with Living Cities, which right now involves reading through what I drafted and remembering what the devil was going on. Fortunately, reading through it is giving me inspiration to work on it again, huzzah!

And now, the round-up:

Words written YTD: 364 on one project (S&H-S). I did mention that it was going slowly, right? To be fair (or not), I hadn't actually written anything until earlier this week.

Writer-ly things accomplished: Technically I wrote a couple of short bits on Tumblr, but they don't feel like they count, somehow. Even so, I'm getting back into the swing of things.

New books read: Many comics/graphic novels, the first book of the Craft series (now nominated for a Hugo), and a book on the history of the severed head in science and society (appropriately titled "Severed").

Old books re-read: More Discworld, the first three books and many of the short stories of the Incryptid series

November Round-Up

November is finished. I didn't make it on Nanowrimo, which isn't all that surprising. I do like the characters I created, so I think I'm going to continue the story and see what happens.

Words written YTD: 59,195 on two and a half projects (Paranormal Investigations novels, a prequel short story that didn't really go where I wanted it to, and Novel Wars (my Nano)) - a small bump in preparation for, well, tomorrow.

Writer-ly things accomplished: Most of what I created for Nano ended up being character development, which is always fun. It gives me ideas...*cackle*

New books read: Unmentionable: The Victorian Lady's Guide to Sex, Marriage, and Manners (this was so glorious, and similarly terrifying); Origins of the Specious (a book on word origins - fun, though a little dry); The Palace Job (billed as Leverage meets high fantasy, comes across more like the A-Team meets high fantasy; I enjoyed it a great deal)

Old books re-read: Storm Front and Fool Moon (Dresden 1-2); The Atrocity Archives and The Concrete Jungle (Laundry Files 1-1.5); Dealing With Dragons (one of my favorite books from childhood, and re-reading it has shown me so many things that I missed when I first read it)

October Round-Up

Happy Halloween to those who celebrate, and happy last day before NaNoWriMo for those of us who are attempting it this year! Let's see how I did this month.

Words written YTD: 43,109 on two and a half projects (Paranormal Investigations novels, a prequel short story that didn't really go where I wanted it to, and my outline for Nano) - a small bump in preparation for, well, tomorrow.

Writer-ly things accomplished: First pass editing of Paranormal Investigations is done, yay! I'm getting out of that world for a bit, as I've been there for a really long time, and starting something new for Nano.

New books read: Once Broken Faith, Dreams and Slumbers, Rat-Catcher (more from the October Daye series, which means I'm pretty well caught up; Lightspeed Magazine January 2016 (...I may be a bit behind on my magazines); Feedback (Newsflesh book 4, otherwise known as "Why must you tear my heart out, Seanan/Mira? Why?")

Old books re-read: Jingo (one of my favorite Discworld books); Deadline and Blackout (Newsflesh books 2-3); Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (*sniffle*); Artemis Fowl (because I needed something light after all that darkness).

All in all, not a bad month. Onwards to November!

September Round-Up

I survived September, and so did you! 2016 is that much closer to dying in a fire (but please, Lord, not an actual fire, because seriously, we do not need that after this year)! Let's see how it went on the book and writing side.

Words written YTD: 42,846 on one and a half projects (Paranormal Investigations novels and a prequel short story that didn't really go where I wanted it to) - you'll notice this didn't increase, because of all the editing. New word count will begin in November at the latest.

Writer-ly things accomplished: Realized that, while my Draft Zero is not complete crap, there are certainly plenty of things to fix. My editing notes have started turning into questions, a la "When did THAT happen?" and "Really? You sure about that?". Sometimes they're directed at the characters, but they're mostly directed at Past Stephanie, who really didn't have a plan for this (clearly).


New books read: In Little Stars, The Fixed Stars, Never Shines the Sun, and Full of Briars (also known as a bunch of October Daye short fiction); Assassination Vacation (non-fiction about several presidents and their assassins; tended to ramble, but interesting nonetheless); From the Editorial Page of the Falchester Weekly Review (short story for the Memoirs of Lady Trent series, and an absolute delight).

Old books re-read: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (this is when I start slowing down, because Things Get Real); October Day 3-8 (I'm almost to the new book!); Hogfather (part of the epic Discworld re-read, and one of my all-time favorites).

August Round-Up

Time to see how the last month went in the world of reading and writing.

Words written YTD: 42,846 on one and a half projects (Paranormal Investigations novels and a prequel short story that didn't really go where I wanted it to)

Things accomplished in fiction: Alison decided that things were getting a bit too much for her after she discovered that her family probably knew about the organization from way back, and she decided to nope on out; I think Miss Strahan has convinced her to listen to more information, but it's still pretty touch-and-go.

Writer-ly things accomplished: Reached a point where I can stop writing and start editing book 1, seeing if there is actually a book 2 in here or if everything can and should get wrapped up in one volume; made some outlines for the next part for Nanowrimo; still using My Write Club for the weekly challenges to great success.

New books read: Lumberjanes #21 (still so much fun); Imprudence (the second book in the Custard Protocol, and another fun outing); Heroine Complex (far more entertaining than I expected, and the beginning of a new series I now eagerly anticipate continuing); The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry (not my usual genre, but lovely and sad).

Old books re-read: Harry Potter 1-4 (it's been a while since I've re-read these, and it's nice visiting the early ones, before everything goes to hell), Rosemary and Rue and A Local Habitation (October Daye 1-2, in preparation for the new book due out next week).

Whew! Now time to start the first pass at editing. Wish me luck!

Camp Nanowrimo Day 29 and July Round-Up

So, is anyone else ready for 2016 to be consigned to the fires of history? I sure am. *sigh* At any rate, I live, I write (some), I read - let me tell you about it!

Camp Nano word count - 6969 (ouch)

July Round-Up:

Words written YTD: 36,246  on one and a half projects (Paranormal Investigations novels and a prequel short story that didn't really go where I wanted it to)

Things accomplished in fiction: the bookstore date went...poorly. Alison now knows that her coworkers know more about the paranormal than she thought, and one of them is some kind of fae? Maybe? Also, the new coffee blend is probably evil. (Such a Seattle villain, I swear)

Writer-ly things accomplished: Re-jiggered my outline for the rest of PII based on the changes to the first book that have come up, making it more like something I think will make sense. Started using mywriteclub.com for weekly challenges, rather than relying on Camp Nano for monthly ones, which has gotten my progress going a little more steadily.

New books read: The God of the Hive (Russell & Holmes #10, and not the strongest outing); Lumberjanes Vol. 2-4, issues 13, 18-20 (I blame my friend Danielle for this recent obsession, but it's well worth it); Fables Vol. 10 (my ongoing attempt to read all of Fables); Asymmetrical Warfare (short story for Hugo nomination - decent); How to be a Heroine (non-fiction deep-dive into various YA books aimed at young women - I liked it a great deal, especially as the author discovered how her reading of the different characters changed over time); Prudence (Gail Carriger's Steampunk world, which I still love)

Old books re-read: Feet of Clay (ah, Pratchett); Feed (preparing for Mira Grant's Feedback, and reminding myself how much I love this world)

Significantly more new reads this month than re-reads, which is always a bonus. Now, to figure out how Alison discovers the evil of the secret coffee blend...

Day 4 of Camp Nanowrimo, June Round-Up and Second Quarter Check-In

Why yes, I am cramming everything into one post! This is what happens when I go to a convention (Westercon, in this case), and forget to get posts up for while I'm gone.

July Camp Nano:
Current word count: 1,152
Goal word count: 30,000
What's happening: Turns out that Jonathan (love interest) and Jack (partner in the work sense of Veronica) are bros. Also, the paranormal community around the coffee shop is Not Happy about the mystical, magical new coffee blend. Alison wants nothing to do with this - she just wants to go on her date already, dangit.

June Round-Up:

Words written YTD: 30,429 on one and a half projects (Paranormal Investigations novels and a prequel short story that didn't really go where I wanted it to)

Things accomplished in fiction: see above

Writer-ly things accomplished: Decided that the short story wasn't going to do what I needed it to do, and that I wasn't in a good place to keep going with it at the moment. Picked up the proverbial pen for the second Camp Nano of the year, and I'm planning to keep my word count goal where it is - it'll be good practice for November.

New books read: Waking Up in Vegas (Incryptid short story by Seanan McGuire, which remains so much fun); Night Owls (urban fantasy I picked up on a whim - other than an unnecessary amount of head hopping, pretty solid); Hamilton, the Revolution (why yes, I have fallen into the hole that is Hamilton fandom, why do you ask?); Lumberjanes Volume 1 (so cute, and with enough "what the hell?" going on to keep things interesting); No Love Lost (Weather Warden short story that I hadn't known existed previously - kinda meh, to be honest); The Fifth Season (nominated for a Hugo, and so far, my front-runner); Stage of Fools (October Daye short story, courtesy of Seanan McGuire's Patreon)

Old books re-read: The Long Earth, The Long War, and The Long Mars (sci-fi collaborations by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter, read to be caught up for the two new ones I hadn't read yet); Ill Wind (Weather Wardens book one, because sometimes you just need somewhat trashy romance with djinn and weather magic); Kitty and the Midnight Hour (see previous, only replace djinn with werewolves); Ms. Marvel Volume 1 (picked up the other two volumes in trade paperbacks and decided to re-read volume 1, as I hadn't looked at it since last year's Hugo nominations).

Q2 Check-In:

• Complete draft of book 2 of Paranormal Investigations
• Due:  March 31, 2016
• Q1 status:  I should really restate this as "fill in the gap between books 1 and 2 of Paranormal Investigations", and it's still in process.
• New due date: July 31, 2016
• Q2 status: This is the goal for this Camp Nano, so we'll see if we can actually finish filling the gap this month.
• Complete draft of Church of Books
• Due:  September 30, 2016
• Q1 status: I haven't even touched this one in a while. I'll keep the date as is for now.
• Q2 status: Same as Q1
• Complete edit of Paranormal Investigations
• Due:  December 31, 2016
• Q1 status:  In process
• Q2 status:  In process
• Complete draft of one of the works started for a Nano
• Due:  December 31, 2016
• Q1 status:  In process, as Paranormal Investigations started as a Nano
• Q2 status:  In process, looking better with each day of sitting and actually getting some words on the dang page
• Complete at least one Nano
• Due:  November 30, 2016
• Q1 status:  COMPLETE!
• Q2 status:  Trying for number 2!
• Submit at least one story for publication
• Due:  December 31, 2016
• Q1 status:  I have ideas, ever so many ideas...keeping the date as is for now.
• Q2 status:  I may come back to the short story I was fiddling with post-Camp Nano, or I may try for something completely different. Who knows? Not me!

May Round-Up

It's been pretty quiet around here lately, but I'm still trucking away. Not as much writing is getting done as I would like, but at least there's something.

Words written YTD: 28,300 on two projects (Paranormal Investigations & a short story set in the PII universe)

Things accomplished in fiction: Not too much in the main Paranormal Investigations books. In the short story, Dr. Lobo encounters a patient who is behaving quite erratically, and is trying desperately to get some kind of referral for a specialist. This isn't what he signed up for.

Writer-ly things accomplished: The original plan for the short story was to submit it to "People of Col(u)r Destroy Fantasy!", but the further I get, the less fantastic it is and the more it veers toward horror. My work tends to do that sometimes - not sure what that says about me...

New books read: In the Labryinth of Drakes (Lady Trent Memoirs #4, which remains fantastic); The Elite (The Selection #2, which I was surprised to make it through this time - it was better and less meebling than I thought it would be); Rat Queens #16 (to which I say GIVE ME THE NEXT ISSUE); Unbound and Revisionary (Magic Ex Libris #3-4, and the end of the series - it was a little too clean an ending for me, but still did some amazing things with the consequences of secret magic going public).

Old books re-read: The Selection (needed to re-read #1 before getting into #2); Maskerade (such love for this one!); Something Rotten (Thursday Next #4); The
Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (speaking of comfort reading, this is probably my all-time favorite).

April Round-Up and First Quarter Check-In

I've survived the first Camp Nanowrimo of the year, and I emerged victorious. Let's see how April went, shall we?


Words written YTD: 24,104 on one project (Paranormal Investigations)

Things accomplished in fiction: Oh, so very much. Alison finally made it to the big boss' office, and is seriously freaked out. It still goes better than anticipated. Next up: her second date with Jonathan, this time to a bookstore. What? They're geeks!

Writer-ly things accomplished: I won Camp Nano, I won Camp Nano...*happy dance* Things are still going well, and I've got some decent momentum going.

New books read: The Voyage of the Basilisk (Lady Trent Memoirs #3, which remains fantastic); Velveteen vs. The Junior Super Patriots (Seanan McGuire's take on superheroes, which is AWESOME); Rat Queens #15 (for I love a good comic about a group of butt-kicking women).

Old books re-read: The Eyre Affair, Lost in a Good Book, and the Well of Lost Plots (Thursday Next books 1-3, because I needed some comfort reading).

It actually saddens me a little, how few books I read this month. Of course, I was focused on writing more than reading this month, but still. I'd like to balance that a bit better.

And now, a quick look at the 2016 goals thus far:

• Complete draft of book 2 of Paranormal Investigations
• Due:  March 31, 2016
• Q1 status:  I should really restate this as "fill in the gap between books 1 and 2 of Paranormal Investigations", and it's still in process.
• New due date: July 31, 2016
• Complete draft of Church of Books
• Due:  September 30, 2016
• Q1 status: I haven't even touched this one in a while. I'll keep the date as is for now.
• Complete edit of Paranormal Investigations
• Due:  December 31, 2016
• Q1 status:  In process
• Complete draft of one of the works started for a Nano
• Due:  December 31, 2016
• Q1 status:  In process, as Paranormal Investigations started as a Nano
• Complete at least one Nano
• Due:  November 30, 2016
• Q1 status:  COMPLETE!
• Submit at least one story for publication
• Due:  December 31, 2016
• Q1 status:  I have ideas, ever so many ideas...keeping the date as is for now.

March Round-Up

How the devil is it the end of March already? I swear we just started this month. It's probably at least in part because I just got back from Norwescon, so I'm still in con-brain-mode. That's my excuse, anyway.

Words written: 8,836 on one project (Paranormal Investigations)

Things accomplished in fiction: Alison and Jonathan have their First Date, and a new character emerges from out of freakin' nowhere (seriously, dude?)

Writer-ly things accomplished: I guess I'll figure out where the new guy is coming from? He'll help move things forward, and I've got a decent idea of what comes next. Prepping for Camp Nanowrimo!

New books read: Reflections (Indexing book 2, AKA how Seanan McGuire uses her folklore degree); The Jewel (for I am a sucker for a decent YA dystopia); Adulthood is a Myth (collection of comic strips that speak to my heart); The Tropic of Serpents (book 2 of the Lady Trent memoirs); and  Chaos Choreography (book 5 of the Incryptid series, and probably the most fun of all of them, even with all the bodies).

Old books re-read: Books 1-4 of the Incryptid series, in preparation for the new book Chaos Choreography; Storm Glass (book 1 of the Glass series/book 4 of the Chronicles of Ixia series, preparatory for a couple of new books in the series).

February Round-Up

Here's looking back on February 2016 - how is it almost March already??

Words written: 7,655 on one project (Paranormal Investigations)

Things accomplished in fiction: Alison and Richard both realize that not only is something a little strange about Shawn, but the fact that they both notice it is a little odd, as well. Alison gets a talking-to about the dangers of involving a Muggle in her new role in a super-sekrit organization.

Writer-ly things accomplished: Forward momentum is being made, with some new wrinkles getting thrown up as I go. I love it when that happens.

New books read: I Work at a Public Library (light non-fiction, tales from the library - thoroughly meh); City of Stairs (started in October, highly recommended by Eric - fantasy procedural, and GLORIOUS); The Sandman Overtures (graphic novel prequel series, which is gorgeous and fits in with the main series beautifully); Swamp Bromeliad (Incryptid short story by Seanan McGuire, gearing up for the new release); A Natural History of Dragons (fantasy memoir from an older woman who is officially out of damns to give with regards to how people will react to her life's work with dragons - it's beautiful, and I'm glad it's a series).

Old books re-read: Soul Music (part of the epic Discworld re-read); Magic Study, Fire Study and Power Study (re-reading so as to be ready to read the new books in the series); Codex Born (book two of Magic Ex Libris, and the last in the series that's a re-read).

January Round-up

I'm trying something new here - we'll see if it works. Here's looking back on January 2016, as we get ready to begin February (already!).

Words written: 4,482 on one project (Paranormal Investigations)
Things accomplished in fiction: Alison returns to work, She and Jonathan start the will-they won't-they dance, and something seems a bit...off about Shawn.
Writer-ly things accomplished: Spent some time sorting through outline notes and updating my draft, figuring out which scenes need to be moved and what needs to be added; feel like I'm in a better spot for moving forward.
New books read: The Scorpion Rules (started in December, YA dystopia, beginning of a potentially awesome trilogy/series); Heaps of Pearl (short story set in the October Daye universe, fun and a little sad); A History of Civilization in 50 Disasters (started in December, light, bordering on a listicle, but points out some unexpected consequences of natural and human-driven disasters); How the Hot Dog Found Its Bun (another light non-fiction, conversational, gives some background on the creation/discovery of different foods and food-related inventions)
Old books re-read: Books 2-5 of the Parasol Protectorate (the middle series of Gail Carriger's books, in anticipation of a new book coming out in the later series); Libriomancer (first book in the Magic Ex Libris series, in anticipation of a new book coming out next week); Poison Study and Assassin Study (books one and 1.5 of the Study series, in anticipation of a new book that came out this week).