Q2 Update
Good news, everyone!
First quarter was very, very busy, as I made the decision to self publish in late December. Since then, it has been a whirlwind of trying to get all my ducks in a row (while that same whirlwind is trying to blow them all over the place. Ducks are easy to blow around, turns out).
Edits
Both Lost Blades and Broken Blades were sent to my developmental editor in early February, and I got them back late March. And after a very intense week and a half of working, I have finally finished developmental edits on Lost Blades! This marks a big step forward, as the book is very close to its final form (like a pokemon, maybe? I’d say it’s in its middle evolution right now). I sent it to the copy editor this morning; I should get it back in late May. Then it will go to proofreading and audio production, keeping on track with an expected September release. I’m hopeful preorders will go on sale in July.
With the developmental edits done on Lost Blades, that means I can move on to revisions for Broken Blades. These will be a little more substantive than for the first book, but I expect them to be done by the end of April, allowing me to go back to working on the first draft of Blades Reforged. Further edits aren’t scheduled yet for Broken Blades, but I hope to lock those in soon!
Writing
In January, I wrote the short story “Violet”, a story I’ve had in the back of my mind almost since the beginning of my writing journey back in 2010. It’s the first of a set of nine short stories that will belong to a collection titled Colors of Magic. The stories included will take a look at nine characters from Blades of the Goddess at some point before Lost Blades — in some cases, LONG before.
I wrote about the first quarter of Blades Reforged in late January and February, but had to put it on hold to do… all the other things I’ve had to do. I’m excited to finish it; I really like where it’s going and think you will too! But I have a few more things to do before I retun to this draft, such as…
This quarter, I hope to write the short story “Green” for Colors of Magic, as I believe it will help with the Broken Blades revisions. “Green” is Ander’s short story, set three hundred years before Lost Blades, and it’s one that, like “Violet”, I’ve had bouncing around in my head for a long time. It will be good to get it on paper finally! And speaking of Ander, this past month I wrote “Another Beginning”, a short story set about twenty years before Lost Blades that you can get for free just by subscribing to my newsletter.
Other Stuff
There was a lot of bureaucratic stuff to do — Dark Waters Publishing became a reality, logos and this website got created, I made author accounts on like three million websites, I set up a newsletter, and I’ve been researching self-publishing as much as possible. I even took a course! Those who know me will not be surprised.
I finally decided on a cover for Lost Blades, which was one of the most exciting moments of this year so far. And once I had that concept down, I also made the covers for Broken Blades, Blades Reforged, and Colors of Magic, but those will be revealed in good time. I still have to make the wraps for the paperback and hardcover editions, but I’m waiting on a final page count to finish those off.
I designed and ordered almost all the swag for Lost Blades as well — bookmarks, bookplates, and the map postcards are all in! The only thing left is the stickers, which are designed and ordered, but not here yet. I expect to receive them sometime after Easter. I’ll make a post showing off all the swag and preorder bonuses when they arrive!
I’m very excited with how things are moving forward. Publication day can’t come soon enough!
Cheers!
