It’s Alive! (No, really!)

Yes, I’m actually updating something other than a book chapter. (And, no, it’s not an April Fool’s prank. :P)

The last ten months have been a particular brand of crazy. My dad got sick the end of last April and those major health issues carried on until recently. He’s doing much better now, but it definitely turned a few things upside down for a long time. On top of that, we had company stay with us for a couple of months over the summer. (That was just as well, really, because things were already so crazy that having a guest forced us to take time out to relax.)

Then, in September, we started a major family project that I sometimes feel has taken over a large chunk of my life. (And everyone else’s.) Add the holidays on top of that, and, yep, there went the end of 2014. We’re on the upside of the family project, however, and life should return to some semblance of normal. At least as normal as we’ll ever get. 😀

Oh, yeah, one other thing that happened during the last ten months—I fell in love. 🙂

Wasn’t planning to, didn’t expect it, but it happened, and I couldn’t be more grateful for the way the Lord has worked everything out. (It’s a pretty incredible story.) My now-fiancé proposed a couple of weeks ago, and we’re getting married the end of September.

With all that going on, you might be wondering what’s happened to my books. (And rightly so!) Well, I’ve still been writing–just not as much as I’ve wanted.

I do have good news, however–as of yesterday, I only have eight chapters of Treason’s Edge left to edit. Then it’s off to my beta readers! I’m thrilled about that; editing this book with my usual schedule/routine all shot to pieces has felt like pulling teeth. And as much as I love the story this book tells, I’m ready to be finished with it and have it out for the world. (Plus, Book 4 is clamoring to be written now.) Also, I’ve got cover art, and I’m really pleased with it.

My still-untitled pirate/smuggler space opera draft is nearly finished. I got stymied with the last twist it took, and I haven’t had time to get back to it yet, but I’m pretty sure I left off near the grand finale. (I say ‘pretty sure’ because I’ve thought that several times already. Talk about a twisty plot rollercoaster!)  On the upside, I’ve already found cover art for it, too Now if only I could come up with a title…

In other news, I’ve had a superhero series brewing in the back of my mind for a few years now, but I wasn’t planning on starting it until after I finish The Guardians series. (Or at least got to Book 5.) Well, a few months ago, I started writing a story that popped into my head about a geeky accountant who ends up attracting the attention of her boss’s son (and can’t figure out how to avoid him) because the idea simply wouldn’t leave me alone.

Lo and behold, a few chapters in I realized that it’s part of my superhero universe.

That kind of floored me. I wasn’t expecting them to be connected. It’s not one of the main books–I think it’s going to be a peripheral story–but the story so far is revealing bits that will tie back into the main plot thread. (More on this series later.)

Haven’t started the sequel to Lady Ink yet, but I’m hoping to get to it in the not-too-distant future. Ink, Thad, Phaidra, and a cast of new characters have been swirling around in the back of my mind the past few months, and I’m looking forward to seeing how the second half of the Ink Realm duology unfolds.

Novel Thursday concluded the beginning of February with The Other Side of the Horizon‘s epilogue. I hope y’all enjoyed reading TOSOTH over the course of the past year. It was a fun experiment.

Now that spring is here, the sun is shining, and the weather’s finally starting to warm up, I can’t wait to put the porch furniture back out. Looking forward to one last summer spent sipping iced coffee and writing in my favorite spot before life changes and I find a new favorite spot to sip iced coffee and write. It’s going to be an adventure. 🙂