It’s almost the end of July, so this is a little late for a mid-year update, but given that my plan for 2016 wasn’t revealed until this past March, I figure it’s not too bad.

I’ve had an interesting year so far. I went to my first GCLS conference (that’s Golden Crown Literary Society), which was awesome! I came away with some new tools for my mental writing kit, and got to meet a whole bunch of fabulous authors and readers. The stack of TBR books next to my bed has swelled to epic proportions, but I’m already looking forward to next year’s con in Chicago!

The other big news is that I’m moving. I’m also going to be without a full-time job for the first time in more than 15 years, which is terrifying. On the one hand, I’ll be able to devote a whole ton of time to writing until I can line up a new gig. On the other hand, no job!? Help!!!

To recap, my plan for 2016 was:

• Polish Five Moons Rising for delivery
• Write a romantic short story for Bella
• Write a freebie short to be posted here
• Get Vortex of Crimson into shape for publication in October
• Start a big new project for the second half of the year

So far I’m mostly on schedule. Five Moons Rising has been delivered and is in the publication queue this spring, possibly around April, though that’s not set in stone just yet. I’ve been asked for my ideas for the cover and the synopsis, so it’s definitely coming! I’m very excited for readers to check out this one, as it’s very different from the On Deception’s Edge series.

I did complete that romantic short for Bella. It went through a few title changes, starting with “More Than Rubies”, and finally settling on “The Getaway”. It’s in an anthology called Happily Ever After, and if you weren’t at the GCLS con in DC to pick up your copy, you’re going to have to wait until August to get one. You should definitely pick it up if you haven’t already. It’s chock-full of great stories from Bella authors, each guaranteed to have a happy ending.

The freebie short “Touched” is currently undergoing polishing and my fumbling attempts to learn self-publishing. It will be posted before the end of the summer. I realized when I was reading over my plan for the year, that I’d promised to talk about that one a little more, and I definitely will, but I want to get it out there for people to read first. The subject matter is delicate, so I’m curious to hear what reactions are to the story.

Finally, Vortex of Crimson is well on its way to publication in October, which is only a few months away! I spent a very productive few weeks working on edits with my editor, the incomparable Medora MacDougall. As usual, her attentions have made it a much tighter story, and I think all you Jak and Torrin fans out there will love what’s in store for our duo. I know I’m stoked beyond belief to have it coming out, so stoked that I’ve started plotting a follow-up series that takes place about 10 years after the events in Vortex. Jak and Torrin won’t feature heavily in that story, but we will get to peek in on them and find out what they’ve been up to.

In other news, I’ve settled on my big project for the second half of the year, and I’ve already started the research on it. It’s a steampunk set in Victorian England, with a half-demon archivist, and very human cat-burglar by night/debutante by day, and lots and lots of demons. This one is a lot different than anything I’ve done up to now, in that it’s pretty far outside my comfort zone as far as the setting goes. I’ve been doing lots of research, and even wrote out the fist 1700 words, which told me that I need to go back and do some more research. The silver lining of my upcoming unemployment is that I’ll have lots of time to get steeped in Victorian England and the steampunk genre.

The only other little ting I’ve been up to is writing the occasional review for The Lesbian Review. I’m managing to contribute about one a month to the site. It’s been a lot of fun. I didn’t think I’d like reviewing as much as I do. Usually, I’m all about needing to know what comes next, and what’s the next book I’ll be reading. Reviewing gives me the chance to consider the book I’m reading in a different way, and one I’m enjoying immensely. Most of what I review is spec-fic, in some way or another. I’ve made a couple of exceptions, but I don’t usually stray too far. Anyway, check it out if you want to know what I’m reading and my opinions on the books. Also, make sure to check out the whole site, as it’s full of lesfic goodness. The other reviewers are fantastic.

That’s all for now. I’m off to pack a bunch more boxes.