Category Archives: NaNoWriMo

blog, Book planning, Book Promotion, NaNoWriMo

February Give Away is Winding Up

Leave a comment

Hi, everyone…

Once again, I have lapsed in keeping up with my blog. I’ve been busy over the past few months but I can’t point to much and say that was what I did! But I did do NaNoWriMo in November and got in close to 80k words, but haven’t quite finished the book. I am working on the sequel novel to O’Ceagan’s Legacy. I looked at my publish date and realized five years have passed since I wrote it. It’s past time that I should get the next book out! So, that’s was the November project.

This one is called Outer Rim and carries Grania O’Ceagan and her brothers to the very edge of the solar system with a special delivery for a rebellious group there. I’m excited to get this book done and out there, but first things first…

I am also working on the sequel to Time Walker, which is Splintered Time. I’m running it through my critique group. which is a time-consuming project, but worth it for the comments I get back from everyone. In the long run, it will be a much-better novel than I had after the first three rounds of edits. I am still hoping to get that book out at the end of Spring or possibly early Summer. What was I thinking when I decided to write a time-travel novel?

I have a couple of short stories I was playing with for a writing contest, so I want to polish those up a little, then I’ll post them for you all to take a look and comment. Short stories aren’t my strength, so I am trying to improve on them.

Book Giveaway!

I’ve had the first book of my Funeral Singer series up for a free download on a giveaway at Prolific Works. A Song for Marielle introduces you to Gillian Foster, a struggling musician, who receives an unexpected paranormal gift. She can interact with the recently deceased in an ethereal graveyard where her task appears to be to help them find their way to the pearly gates. Except sometimes, the spirits refuse to go until something is resolved from their lives…like maybe finding a killer?

If you haven’t read this paranormal thriller yet, here’s your chance to download a free copy. Simply go to this link and select my book and/or one of eleven others that are available to download. Of course, we’d love to have an honest review when you finish you or you can write me directly with your views at Lily@LillianWolfe.me. I’d love to hear from you!

By the way, if you’re looking for a fun, fast-moving new series, written by a gal I consider one of the best urban fantasy writers around, then check out the Guild Codex series by Annette Marie. You won’t be able to put it down. The stories interweave between the Spellbound and Demonized sub-series that will keep you entertained. Start with Spellbound: Three Mages and a Margarita and follow the author’s recommended reading order. I highly endorse them.

Thanks for reading. Until next time, stay healthy and stay safe.

Lily

blog, Book planning, Convention Report, NaNoWriMo, Research

In the throes of NaNo & other news

Leave a comment

First off, I can’t believe I haven’t blogged since August before I went to the World Science Fiction Convention! Well, I have been busy, but most of it has been catching up after that incredible trip.

Photo: Lily on bus tour
My first day in Dublin included a High Tea Bus Tour of the city. Isn’t this a clever idea?

World Science Fiction Convention in Dublin

Photo: Dublin Liffey riverside
The tilted building is the Dublin Exposition Hall where the main convention was held. My hotel room was about six blocks away on the east side of the Liffey River.

The convention was great although somewhat exhausting. So many panels and things to do. I loved the concert featuring music from various science fiction films. Awesome musicians. Costume contest was amazing. Dublin fandom outdid themselves to make this a fantastic convention. The biggest drawback was that the art show and a few other things, including George R.R. Martin signing autographs, were in a different building several blocks away. I never made it down there. With so many people and multiple panels at the same time, you had to choose wisely.

Photo: Poulnabrone portal tomb in the Burren of Ireland.
Poulnabrone is an amazing Neolithic portal tomb situated on the Burren in western Ireland. It is smaller than I imagined it as the location makes it look huge in photographs. Still very impressive.

I spent an additional two weeks  in Ireland, rented a car – will not do that again – and drove to the west coast where I did a little research and enjoyed the beauty of the country. This was my fourth trip to Eire over the past forty years. The last time I’d been over was in 1989, and I can say the place has changed considerably. Many more people, cities growing bigger, but at the heart of the towns, it is still the same Ireland.  Unfortunately, it was also the wettest August they’d experienced in many years, or so the locals told me.  I was rained on most every day and the Galway area experienced heavy rains. And cold… it was cold!

An amazing experience over all and I had a grand time. I enjoyed the welcome of several bed and breakfast places and renewed my spirit while I was there.

NaNoWriMo Begins

Starting in late October, I attempted to plot the second book in my Time Threads series with an eye to having it out in late Spring. It didn’t go as smoothly as I hoped, so I leaped into NaNoWriMo with a poor plan. In spite of that, I did complete the challenge of 50 thousand words on November 15th, so that is true to form for the past few years I’ve been doing it. I am still working on the book and hope to complete the first draft by the end of the month.

I have three other novels that are drafts that I need to either rewrite or edit before I can publish them, so I hope to focus on one of them over the next couple of months before I begin editing the book I’m working on now. I will be busy, busy.

Book Giveaway

I am thrilled to be part of another great Science Fiction and Fantasy Giveaway on Prolific Works that will begin on November 21st and run through January 22nd. This is a great opportunity to pick up some terrific science fiction and fantasy novels, including Time Walker, the first book of my Time Threads trilogy.  I’ll send out a blast when the giveaway goes live so you can go check out the 40+ books available.  I also have my short story, The Wizard’s Gift in the giveaway, so if you haven’t read it yet, you can grab it then.

I’m looking forward to the holidays and I’ll tell you all about my Game of Thrones tour that I did in Ireland. I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving, if you celebrate, and a very merry holiday season. Winter is definitely coming.

 

blog, Book planning, Book Releases, NaNoWriMo, Reviews

Thanksgiving Wishes and an Update

Leave a comment

picture: Happy Thanksgiving

To all my American readers and friends, I wish you a very happy Thanksgiving Day. To everyone else, I also wish you a lovely day.

This day, I give thanks for many things. I have a lovely house that I own, I have food on my table, I have my darling pets, and I have my good health. I also have you, my dear readers, and for that, I am especially thankful.

At this time, my thoughts and my heart go out to the people who lost their homes in California this past week. As someone who lives with the threat of a raging fire being a reality at any time, I sympathize with our neighbors in the Golden State. I’ve waited nervously in my house after a fire warning while a brush fire just a few miles down my street threatened our whole neighborhood but was thankfully brought under control before we had to load the pets and get to the nearest shelter. To think that you don’t have time to grab anything before you have to flee is terrifying. I just hope I never have to be in the position those people in California are in. Peace and strength to them and I know they are grateful to be alive.

Upcoming Books

On a different note, I am almost to the end of NaNoWriMo for this year. Although it’s sometimes frenzied writing, I enjoy the challenge of writing thousands of words a day during the month. This year, I completed one novel, wrote the last three chapters of one I had dangling (under another pen name) and started the second book of the series for the one I wrote,  Feels amazing to be that productive.

The completed book is Escape to Green Leaf Junction,  the first of a fantasy trilogy. (Yes, I know I have another fantasy trilogy that still isn’t complete, but this one spoke to me.) It’s my take on a fae world and on a town that bridges both Earth and that world.  It will be a few months before I begin editing, but it will possibly be out toward the end of 2019.

I have a time travel fantasy that I completed during Camp Nano this past July that is being prepped for a May release. I chose May because I’ll be at the Book Lovers’ Convention in New Orleans that month and will be giving out bookmarks for a free download of the book. It is called Time Walker, and I don’t have the cover ready for it yet, so look for the cover reveal to come up around January.

Also on tap is a fantasy novella set in the O’Ceagan’s Legacy universe but featuring one of the supporting characters from that story. Called In Strange Waters, it’s an adventure on Erinnua featuring Dari, the puca, along with his bean sidhe (banshee) companion, Sheilan. I am currently editing the book and hope to release it in February. More on that next month.

So, prepping for release, I have In Strange Waters and Time Walker. (Wait until you see the gorgeous cover for Time Walker.)

In editing mode, I have Escape to Green Leaf Junction.

Currently writing, I have the untitled 2nd book of the Junction Series.

And just released in October is the last book of my Funeral Singer series titled A Song of Redemption. This is a tense, exciting wrap-up to the series. And if you read through to the end, there’s a surprise waiting for you.

What I’m Currently Excited About

I just finished reading Annette Marie’s second book in her The Guild Codex series, which is Dark Arts and a Daiquiri.

If you haven’t discovered this terrific writer yet, what are you waiting for? This new series is fun, exciting, and a fast-moving read that will grab you by the throat and not let go until the very end.  I first started reading her with her Steel and Stone series and fell in love with her writing and the characters.  If you like sidekicks with snark and charm, you’ll want to check out Lyre, who becomes one of the main characters of her Spell Weaver series, which is my personal favorite.

Her Red Winter series strikes a totally different tone and draws on Japanese mythology for a fantastic book with compelling characters and situations that will put your heart in your throat. I can’t say enough about this woman’s writing.

Seriously, if you want a terrific fantasy novel, you can’t do better than Annette Marie’s books. Every one of them will draw you in.

Until next time, stay safe, be grateful for what you have, and be kind to people.

 

blog, Book Launch, Book planning, Book Promotion, NaNoWriMo

New Release on October 22, 2018

Leave a comment


I am so excited to announce that the 5th, and final, book in the Funeral Singer series, A Song of Redemption will be released on Monday, October 22nd. I’ve loved working on this series, and I think the final book is an explosive and exciting wrap-up to Gillian Foster’s story.

A Song of Redemption

At a loss and depressed following her team’s failure to contain Belphegor, Gillian Foster begins to pull herself together to plan her next moves and build a network of other spirit escorts to help her. The threat of the soul thieves grows daily and thrusts the need to stop them solely on her.

When a horrifying attack on her friend brings the problem home leaving Gillian’s life in turmoil, she struggles to control the damage. Working with Orielle, the anthropologist, who is an expert on supernatural creatures, they soon find support from an unexpected source—the Vatican.

The path ahead is clear; the tasks to be done defined. Now all Gillian has to do is execute them and stay alive.

The Kindle book is now listed for pre-order at 99-cents on Amazon.

To celebrate the release, I am putting all five of the Funeral Singer books, including this new one, on sale for 99-cents each. It’s a great time to pick up the set for a total of $4.95. The books will be at this price from October 22 to October 24.

Next Project

Once this novel is out, I will be prepping for this year’s NaNoWriMo and getting my plot lined up for a new book. I have two ideas that I am trying to narrow down for this project, and I am excited about both. More on that after I get into the writing.

In the Works

I have two books that are in the editing process right now. One is a related book to O’Ceagan’s Legacy, which is to say it’s in the same universe but features one of the supporting characters in the book. That book is In Strange Waters, and I plan to release it in January 2019. Look for more information in December. It’s a little different from O’Ceagan’s Legacy, but it is a fun read with a different viewpoint.

The other book is Time Walker, a fantasy novel that combines time travel with a touch of Steampunk. The planned release date for it is in May 2019 to coincide with the Book Lovers’ Convention in New Orleans. The story combines adventure and a bit of romance… But look for more about that in March 2019.

blog, NaNoWriMo

In the press of NaNoWriMo

Leave a comment

It’s November 6th and I’m working on my fourth NaNoWriMo novel. This year my project is the 4th book of my Funeral Singer series. Two previous novels in it were written during NaNo. Last year’s novel is in the O’Ceagan’s Legacy series, and sadly, it is still in the edit pile along with Dew Dropping Hour. I tend to impose deadlines on myself and right now, completing the Funeral Singer series is right at the top of my list. There will be one more book in the series to bring it to five total.  But more about that later.

In this post, I want to toss out my top 7 methods to surge past the infamous writer’s block. I actually compiled these for the most recent High Sierra Writers’ newsletter, so if you’re already seen them, then move along.

There’s really no such thing as writer’s block, you know. You just have to do it. And there are some techniques that work for me. If you’re stuck trying to write something, give them a try and see if they won’t help you past the road block. However, the writer’s block at the top of the page can be a serious hindrance.

7 Tips to Break Writer’s Block

From the experiences of Rene Averett

As I’m starting my 4th year of NaNoWriMo, I’m planning to complete the first draft of my next novel. I have “won” every year so far and have every expectation of completing 50,000 words plus quite a few more in November. Even while doing NaNo, writer’s block can set in. I have a few techniques I use to get past them so I will share my top 7 tips for anyone else to try.

1. Change writing mediums: If you’ve been typing on a keyboard, try writing with paper and pen. I find that it triggers my mind into using my creative side and words tend to flow more easily as my mind shifts modes. After a page or so of writing longhand, I can usually get back into the flow of the story and to the computer.

2. Move around: Get up, take a walk, or do something physical for about 15 minutes. Your brain may just need a break. Put on some music and dance or exercise. Sometimes this includes getting up and feeding the cat.

3. Refresh and ask questions: Get a cup of coffee or a glass of water and allow your mind to think about the scene. Ask yourself questions about it. Maybe you haven’t planned it well enough. Ask the basic reporter’s questions: Who? What? When? Where? Why? How? If you can answer them, then you might trigger the next part of your story or you can write a character back-story scene that gets you going again.

4. Take time for play: Play a game or do something creative, such as sketching, drawing, or cooking. Once again, this provides a break and allows your brain to work on the next part of your book.

5. Skip over the scene and go to one that is clearer in your mind: This works well if you’re a plotter. Often when plotting, you add scenes that you’re looking forward to writing while others are part of the necessary lead-up to that great scene. If the lead-up isn’t coming together, jump to the scene you’re really wanting to write. This often sorts out the troublesome scene in the process.

6. Turn off your inner editor: Easier said than done, but seriously, editing uses a different part of the brain and stifles creativity. Let your creative side go and just write.

7. Dream on it: If you’re having trouble with a scene, think about it before you go to sleep. Your brain will work on it while you’re sleeping and you’ll probably have the solution in the morning.

Hope these tips help you if you find yourself staring at the same line of your computer screen for a long time.