Decision Time

Hi everyone,

Well, another month bites the dust and its departure means we are a third of the way through the year. This month hasn’t been the easiest for me and in all honesty I will be glad to see the back of it. One small good thing has come out of it though because I’ve spent the last couple of days going over some things in my mind, and I’ve come up with some tentative plans regarding my writing which take me to the end of the year. They aren’t completely fleshed out yet, but I wanted to give you a rough idea of what I’m hoping/intending on doing.

I’ve looked over the series that are currently live via Kindle/Smashwords, etc, and what I’m intending/hoping on doing is taking those where the next book within them will be the last one and focusing on them for the remainder of the year. My next release before the first new plan kicks in which is the start of a new series, looks like it will have to be pushed back a week, but I will post more about that on my Facebook page. So if you want to know more then please check that out.

My second plan revolves around merchandise. I’m aiming to start work on merch carrying my author logo and merch connected to the new book coming out and subsequent new series in the next couple of months.

Also, when things start moving in the right direction I might consider an email newsletter. If and when that happens I will let you all know here.

That’s all for now 🙂

Raven

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Getting Out of My Own Way

Hi everyone,

Well, the last week and a bit have been interesting. As you know from a previous post I’m in the process of recovering from a knee injury. It’s slow moving but at least I’m heading in the right direction with it. Now, I figured that seeing as I was home I would put the time to good use. Well, there is a saying that goes along the lines of ‘the road to hell is paved with good intentions’. and given the amount of procrastination I managed to accomplish last week I think I might be heading towards it.

Of course, I set myself towards that path by again setting undue pressure on my shoulders. Sometimes the weight of my own expectations is too great to carry, so I have to learn a new way to accomplish all my goals without self-sabotaging. I will keep you all up to date on how that goes 🙂

With all that said, it’s time to tackle the final read through of my next release. All the info regarding the cover and release date will be found on my Facebook page at some point this week, so if you are interested then please check it out.

Raven.

What a Week

Hi everyone 🙂

Well, this has been an ‘interesting’ week. I’ve been working on edits, working on my secret project, and when I headed out for a break I slipped over on a patch of ice. Balance wasn’t my friend that day. While resting up I managed to get through my latest batch of edits ahead of schedule and now I’m working on the second to last round. Fingers crossed, I will actually manage to post some snippets on my social media next week. My secret project is moving along nicely. I’m figuring that will be published towards the end of this year. I’ll update you as things progress.

I’m starting to get a grip on my time management but it’s still proving slippery to maintain a hold on at times. I will get there, my stubbornness will see to that 😀

Well, that’s all for now.

Raven.

Mad March

Hi everyone 🙂

Well, here we are, the start of another month. One bringing with it endless and good possibilities. As you can probably tell from the title of my post, this is going to be a mad month for me. The edits on my secret project are almost completed, which means I’ll soon be fine tuning it for release. Fingers crossed it will hit Amazon at the end of the month, but I will keep you all up to date on that. I’m also working on something else which may be out by the end of the year, it just depends on what time I have available. I’m also fine tuning what other books I’m aiming to get out this year, and I hope to announce them this month with rough release dates.

Apart from all that I’m also doing coursework and trying to finally get to grips with marketing, something I know I really have to get a handle on fast. I think I’m going to need to stock up on coffee and chocolate 😀

Raven.

Where’s the Coffee?

Hi everyone 🙂

Well, we are into the second month of 2023 and things are as usual, hectic in the Raven house. I’m on the second round of edits for my secret project and my new story is slowly starting to take shape. I’m also in the process of trying to become more organized, which I’m finding harder than I thought. It’s amazing how much stuff I have that I either don’t need or have no clue why I got it. Anyway, I am slowly decluttering and what can’t be recycled is just going into the trash.

While all this is going on my muse is feeding off my increased coffee intake and is bouncing around like crazy. Given how my secret project is going, I think the characters in that are also hyped on coffee. As long as the words keep flowing and they keep talking, I’m happy 🙂

Regarding the next part in the Hellbound Chronicles, it’s looking at the moment as if the first novel won’t be out until 2024, but I will keep you all up to date on that.

That’s all for now 😉

Raven

Starting at a Run

Hi everyone,

The start to 2023 has been interesting to say the least. I’m sticking to my schedule regarding my secret project and the first draft remains on course to be completed by the end of January. My characters, as usual, have decided that they don’t want to stick to the original plot and have gone off on their own tangent – and it works 🙂 Also a new story waved its hand and as much as I wanted to set it to one side and focus on the book I’m currently working on, the main character insisted I start on his. So I now have two books on the go.

Now, concerning the Hellbound Chronicles and what I alluded to in my previous blog post. They will continue with the old characters and some new. The novels will be the next chapter in the chronicles and will come under the heading of “The Hellbound Chronicles: The Next Generation.” I’m aiming to get the first book out either at the end of this year or the start of 2024. I will let you know more when I’ve made a decision, which will be based on the number of books I’m already aiming to get out this year. I’m not going to rush any of them, including this new one, and put out subpar novels. That wouldn’t be fair to either you the readers or the characters.

That’s all for now, so back into the writing cave I go 🙂

Raven.

New Year, New Start.

Hi everyone,

I hope you all enjoyed the New Year festivities. I’ve just about gotten over mine and I am now getting back to work. The fourth book in the Hellbound Chronicles – Realms and Retribution, is available across Amazon and should, fingers crossed, be hitting other retailers soon. There has been a change regarding what my plans were concerning where the story would go next. I had intended on doing books on the respective characters to bring their stories to completion. However, the muse, no doubt nudged by those characters, has pushed me in another direction. All I can say for the moment is that the Hellbound Chronicles are far from over 🙂

I am currently working on my secret project, which is in the research stage. I’m hoping to start work on the first draft next week and I’m aiming to get it completed no later than the end of January. One of my major issues last year was time management, so I’m determined to get a handle on that this year.

I am also working on getting my writing career on a more solid footing and getting to grips with areas where I can see I’ve been falling short. I will do my best to keep you all updated on how that is going and share with you my highs and lows as I move forward.

Well, that’s all for now. So back into the world of researching I go 🙂

Raven.

Come Yule, Come Christmas, Come New Year

Hi everyone 🙂

I hope that you are all doing well as we head into the festive season. This will be my last post of 2022, so it is basically going to be a round up of all that will be happening for the remainder of the year and a heads up regarding what is going to happen regarding one of my series. Firstly, my last release of the year which is the fourth book in the Hellbound Chronicles is on schedule to be released by the end of December. It was my intention that it would be the last one in the series, and in a way it is. However, the main characters still have stories to tell, so the fourth book will be the end of the first half of the series. The second half will consist of books which take up the main characters stories afterwards. I’ll provide more information in 2023, so watch out for that 🙂

My secret project is moving along nicely. The back story is in place, along with the main characters and the locations. I’m aiming to get started on the actual writing before the end of the year. I’ll provide more info next year regarding release dates, etc. I am also setting other plans in place which, fingers crossed, will move my writing career forward.

Before I sign off for 2022, I want to thank you all for your support and for taking the time to read my posts. I wish you all a Happy Yule, a Merry Christmas, and a happy, healthy, and wonderful 2023.

Raven.

December, December

Hi everyone 🙂

Sorry for the lack of a post last month, things have been pretty hectic in my writing world. Edits are well underway on Hellbound Chronicles 4, the idea I had connected to that is gaining ground, and my secret project is moving along nicely. All in all, last month was productive and I’m aiming for the same this month.

With the start of December the countdown begins not only to Christmas but the end of another year, and while it is too early to start looking back I can’t help but just peek at the last couple of months. Yes, they weren’t the greatest for me, but I continued to move forward and things eventually improved. Now, I’m just taking one day at a time and seeing what the last month of the year has in store for me. Only good things I hope!

As I type this I have a calendar hanging on my wall, one that carries inspirational quotes for the month, and I want to share the one for December with you. It goes as follows; You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream. C.S. Lewis said that and I believe it. For any that need it, I hope that gave you a little inspiration today 🙂

Oh, before I go I wanted to let you know that the provisional release date for Hellbound Chronicles 4 is December 30th. I will keep you updated on that and the cover reveal and blurb reveal date.

That’s all for now, so take care 🙂

Raven.

Moving Forward

Hi everyone,

I hope October is treating you well 🙂 The start of the month was filled with the usual ups and downs I’ve come to expect. However this week has been slightly different. I think sometimes you reach a point mentally where you come to a screeching halt at a crossroads, stare at the options in front of you and wonder what direction you should go. Over thinking (which is something I admit to being guilty of at times), can leave you frozen in place, allowing doubt to seep in and force you to backtrack. The start of this week found me approaching the crossroads and I’ll admit to being scared I might end up stuck there, but something happened. The clarity I thought I’d lost, returned, bringing with it a fresh, stronger sense of determination. My feet never froze, I never stopped, I continued walking, and the moment the crossroads were behind me I felt a weight lift off my shoulders.

Today the words flowed, tentative plans were worked on, and my determination helped to start forging a way forward. Will I stumble occasionally? Yes. After all I’m human and an occasional slip can in a way be a fresh lesson to take on board.

I will do my best to keep you all up to date on how things are going in my writing wolrd and how my plans are progressing. You can also follow me on my Facebook page where I will post small updates 2 to 3 times a week.

That’s all for now, so back to writing I go 🙂

Raven.