Doings at Drakenheath - December

Dear Imps, the time has come to update you once more on the various doings around here. Which are surprisingly few, to be honest!

The reason for this is . . . Poison Crown.

I am in the throes of drafting this novel, and it is absolutely consuming everything. Which isn't unusual during the drafting process for me. However, this rough draft is a little different from others in that it's significantly longer and more complicated than any other story I've ever written save for possibly Golden Daughter. And Golden Daughter I drafted in approximately eight months, while Poison Crown I'm trying to draft in four.

I have drafted novels in four months before. But those novels are usually somewhere between 120,000 and 140,000 words long. This manuscript is already close to that long, but it's only half complete. So yes, the production rate has been exhausting, and I'm starting to realize I might need to slow down a little if I want to keep any sense of sanity. We'll see. Slowing down isn't really my thing . . . and if I can get the rough draft complete by the end of December, I can boast that I've written three full-length novels in a single year, which would be a first for me!

Pride points probably aren't worth sanity though . . .

If you think of it, do please take the time to pray for me as I labor away at this story. It's got the potential to be something wonderful, but I feel as though I am getting in my own way quite a lot this time around. Prayers for grace and guidance would be enormously appreciated!

One way or the other, I still hope to have this book in a polished state by the end of February, which should keep me on track for an autumn release. Oh, and did you know that you can add Poison Crown to your Goodreads shelf already, if you are so inclined?

Other than that, there aren't many doings of which to speak! Oh, except I finished my quilt . . .

Those of you who follow me on Facebook will have already seen this picture, but for those of you who don't . . . I have been "working" on this same quilt for the last fifteen years! Yeah, I'm not a very dedicated quilter. But a few weekends ago, I decided the time had come, and I pulled it out for the last time. And it is now finished, and I feel a bit forlorn without a quilt hanging over my head to be worked on.

The truth is I didn't pull out the quilt and finish it just for the sake of finishing it. You see, I had to spend a good 12 hours listening to a certain audiobook, and I wanted something to do with my hands while I listened. What audiobook you may ask? Why, this one . . .

 

That's right, dear readers! Five Glass Slippers has been converted to audio and should become available in this format within the next few weeks. We auditioned narrators back in August and found the most wonderful voice for bringing these stories to life. Our narrator, Becky Doughty of BraveHeart Audiobooks, is an artist at her job, reading the stories in a lovely British accent that is certain to charm listeners. I will, of course, let all of you know as soon as the book officially launches. It is under one final review right now, and should be available for purchase in a week or two!

So yes, I had some excellent entertainment while quilting.

If you want a sneak preview, Stephanie Ricker posted a link to the first chapter of her story. Click here to listen to it.

Oh, and what does this mean for Five Enchanted Roses? Why yes, we will be adding the audio version to that project as well! Becky Doughty has already penciled us into her schedule, and I have no doubt Enchanted Roses will be the equal of Glass Slippers.

Speaking of Five Enchanted Roses . . . Though I just said it in my previous blog post, let me remind you one more time that the deadline for the submission forms is December 16th. This is different from last year, when your submission form had to be postmarked no later than December 31st. This year, we're trying to get all of the actual stories themselves no later than the 31st, so the submission forms must be sent in earlier.

This does not cut down on your actual writing time. Just because you get your form in early doesn't mean you don't get to hold onto the manuscript right down to the very last minute on the 31st. Though, of course, we appreciate it if you can send your stories early so that our readers aren't swamped all at once.

I've been so excited to see the stories coming in. So many great titles, full of intrigue! I'm looking forward to January when I'll be reading the stories that go on to the second round (though I rather suspect I'll end up peeking at all of them). I've had excited responses from several of the contest readers so far, which definitely makes me that much more eager.

This weekend, Rohan and I hope to put up our Christmas tree! The first Christmas tree in Drakenheath, which feels momentous somehow. It will also be Mutti's first Christmas tree. (Mutti is our rescued feral kitty, for those of you who don't know. She is the one and only feral adult I have trapped and tamed, and she's now pretty much a typical house cat, fat and happy.) I'm interested to see how she reacts to having a tree in her house. The kitties all tend to LOVE Christmas, Minerva Louise in particular, who spends most of her life under the tree when we have one. I'll try to remember to post pictures . . .

Those are all the doings I can think of just now. Next week, we'll be back to regular Q&A blog posts for a while, I promise! I've got dozens more great questions from all of you which should turn into interesting posts.

So what are your doings this holiday season, dear imps?