Category Archives: Site News

November 22, 2019

I really thought this was the November I was going to break my NaNoWriMo curse and win for the first time since 2014. I’m not in grad school and I don’t work my night job anymore which means I just have the day job. In theory, I have extra time to write and for the first week, I was fine.

And then the second week of November, my principal came to ask me if I’d leave my long-term job at the high school a week early to take over for the rest of the year as an ELA teacher at the middle school. I jumped at it — I needed the stability, the middle school is around the corner, and I’m excited to stay in the district teaching something I love. I really thought I could manage everything — new students, curriculum, and school while writing every day.

And then I started the job and met my students.

Don’t get me wrong — I genuinely love and adore every single one of my eighty students. I’ve gotten to know them relatively well in the nine days I’ve been teaching them, but they didn’t have a teacher for a month — just going back and forth between two subs that they mostly didn’t like. No routine, very little work getting getting done well, and behavior issues off the wall. I managed to get to 2:40 every day, drag myself home, and do very little once I got there.

I’m feeling better every day that I’m there. We still have our pockets of nonsense, but routine and structure are helping and some of my tougher cases are starting to come around. I love my career and I know I picked the right path in life, but wow, there are days I just want to stay in bed.

Anyway, with a week left in NaNoWriMo, I’d have to write about 4000 words to make 50k. That’s not an insane proposition, to be honest, considering I wrote 4-6k words in July for Mad World two summers in a row. I wrote 30k in a week this last summer. I can do it. But will I be able to? Maybe. We have our break for Thanksgiving and only two full school days ahead of us. I might be able to do it.

But I’m preparing myself for not meeting that goal. I’ll get the kids straightened out and I’ll get writing back into my daily routine again. I just hope it’s sooner, rather than later.

November 11, 2019

Your Update Link – Mad World, Chapter 49 & 50

Wow. I really can’t believe we’re here. Thank you guys so much for joining me on this journey. I know it was a dark, twisty one and probably difficult to read. I think this is probably the darkest thing I’ve written in years. I hope you enjoyed it!

Book 3 is probably coming sometime next fall. I’m still working on the details. I’ll have For the Broken Girl in February and Fool Me Twice next summer. I’ll be back later this week with some extra Mad World content and hopefully — flash fiction and some NaNo news. But for now I have to get to work!

November 9, 2019

So I did a crazy thing. I moved the 8000 words I had already written for NaNoWriMo out of my Scrivener compile folder and basically started over. I’m still working on the same project, but I really wanted to try to get 50k done that would actually count towards the finished alpha draft rather than just for winning NaNoWriMo. If I’m running out of time, I can always put them back because I know I wrote those words during this period.

If you’re interested in my progress this NaNoWriMo, I’ve updated the sidebar with a widget that will (sort of) display my progress. I usually use a NaNoWriMo widget but the stats on their site are a bit messed up at the moment and word counts aren’t quite right. So I’m doing it manually. It doesn’t look the way I want it to yet, but it’s time for me to start writing for the day.

I’m also blogging every few days about my writing and how it’s going over at Dear Isobel, so check that out.

In other minor news, I updated the Production Schedule. I’ll be back in a few days with more news.

November 7, 2019

Your update link: Mad World – Chapter Forty-Eight

Only two chapters left — I can’t believe it! I might post those closer together, like Monday & Tuesday. Or just at the same time, because Chapter 50 isn’t quite as long as a typical chapter but longer than an epilogue.

Your update link: Mad World – Chapter Forty-Eight

Only two chapters left — I can’t believe it! I might post those closer together, like Monday & Tuesday. Or just at the same time, because Chapter 50 isn’t quite as long as a typical chapter but longer than an epilogue.

Couple of things have happened since I updated on Monday morning. I’ve been working long-term at the high school in the district where I live, teaching Financial Literacy. That job was scheduled to come to a close on November 18, but this week, they offered me a position at the middle school, teaching English for the rest of the year. They’re desperate for someone to move over, so I’m actually leaving my current job four days early.

This means I’m trying to learn a whole new curriculum and meet another 60-70 new students this month. So much for a low-pressure November for NaNoWriMo, lol. But I’m excited for the challenge.

I was also supposed to have my wisdom teeth out today, but they cancelled my surgery at the last minute. This is is actually good news. I have more time for writing, for getting the house straightened up, and to learn that new curriculum. I reallllly want to do some flash fiction this weekend so hopefully I’ll be back.

November 4, 2019

Your update link: Mad World – Chapter Forty-Seven

We’ll be wrapping Mad World up next Thursday which makes me a little bit sad, but happy. I’ve been living with this story in one way or another since 2004, and though I’ve got a Book 3 planned, the bulk of what I wanted — the serial rapist story — that goes back to 2004 and Brooke’s original rape and the original version of Kelsey & Lucky — Lucky and Brianne. Tying it to Elizabeth, making it her story, too — that’s been with me since 2017. It’s great to finally see it reach you guys.

 

November 2, 2019

I’m starting For the Broken Girl for NaNoWriMo 2019! I started yesterday, and to spare you guys from my long wordy posts about the project, I’m blogging about it at Dear Isobel where I talk about writing and review books. Subscribe there for updates about Broken Girl!

October 28, 2019

Your Update Link – Mad World, Chapter 45

I’ve been waiting the better part of a year to post this chapter. The first scene in this chapter was written in March, back when I’d only written about seven chapters of Book 2. I’d watched this video on Facebook that made me think this is what I wanted Elizabeth to be like when we got to this point. I’d seen the video earlier, but something about it rerunning this time inspired me to write a chapter that was still twenty chapters away.  So check out the video, read the chapter, and let me know what you think.