Update: *shrug*

I'm not sure if it's good news or bad news?  I've been in touch with my proofreader and she's having issues getting my book finished.  So it might  be done by Christmas, but it might not.

I don't know what this means.  What does this mean?

Since my proofreader is amazingly awesome, I will not complain or be sad.  Instead, I will tell you, it's the last step, crew!  Everything else is ready to go, so as soon as I get it, it will go out there!

Sooo... that's all.  It's kind of a just in case update.  I won't make promises, but I won't tell you all to lose hope for December. 

Happy Reading!

-Kate:)

Another Day, Another Cover

Oh man, guys.  When I first started talking to my cover designer about this book, I was like... "It's not gonna have Ignis colors.  Those were on the first cover.  For this book I want Compis colors, a really pretty purple."  And I wanted a flame, because Ignis.  Then my cover designer was like... "Well, Kate, what if I just do my own thing and make it look amazing?"

Whenever my cover designer wants to do her own thing, I IMMEDIATELY SAY YES, because I know it will be AMAZINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNG.

Like sometimes I legit wonder if she's a fairy princess, else how could she do this stuff?

Anyways, the cover is done, and it does, indeed look amazing!!!  Good lord I'm excited.  Also, got word back from my proofreader and she is halfway done, so it looks like this book will be coming to you before Christmas and really I couldn't ask for more than that.  So good news all around today.

Here is the cover.  Enjoy, dear readers.

Huzzah!

Friends, Romans, Bookreaders...

I have finished the edits and the book is even now being perused by my faithful (and super picky) proofreader.  Hopefully in about a month I'll get a copiously red-highlighted manuscript back from her telling me I use prepositions far to often and my writing style is all backwards (this is what she always tells me).

This is me, every time.

But VICTORY IS MINE... in the editing department anyway.  Now I'm trying to keep myself from having a panic attack over how I'm going to finish up this series that I've been working on for like... 7 years of my life.  I've written some very interesting and very DIFFICULT plot points for this book, dear readers, and now I've got to find a way to dig myself out of them.  There are certain aspects I can picture very well, and others that have me trembling in fear.  Ah well.  It's not like I'll ever be done with this world.  I have at LEAST four more books I want to write in it, but I promised myself when book 5 of the 5 tribes is done that I will dive into a completely different world and a completely different writing style.  I will PLAY AROUND and be silly and sad and push myself even further than I did with this series. 

I will have a cover to share with you soon, until then,
Happy Reading!

The Good News, But The Bad News

The good news is I have my book back and have gotten my feedback.  The bad news is, thanks to a job I was working on this summer, added to camping with the family, and another family type meet-up, I am just now starting on edits for Ignis.

I know, I know!  I'm disappointed, too!  If I want to be realistic, the book probably won't be done until December.  I want to hope for October, but I think that is a little too optimistic.  The book is currently around 130,000 words, and there is a lot of fat (and probably a couple of chapters, if I'm being honest) that need to be trimmed.

I will keep you updated, of course!  And I should have a cover to show off soon!

Happy Reading!

Hey, Guess What?

If you guessed that I'm done with the rough edits and have passed the roughish draft of Ignis off to my host of beta readers for feedback, YOU'D BE RIGHT!

(This is you)

(At least I hope this is you.)

So yeah, I've given them a end of June deadline for feedback, so by July I will be really trying to finish rough edits by August.  Unfortunately, that means that I won't get the book to my proofreader until at least August.  I would not count on this book till October, everyone.  *fingers crossed*

I will post again when I have the cover to show you. 

I'll keep you posted.

Happy Reading!

Ask The Author: More News

Welp, I got asked after my last post if I was editing yet.

(You didn't miss it, I promise.  I'm still toiling over here.)

I was not.  But the sad noises can end, I'm here to announce that I finished up my short side project, and Ignis is now having the first lashings of a rough edit applied to it.

If you're familiar with my process, that means that when the rough edits are done, I'll be sending it to my beta readers for feedback on the overall story, then I'll get down to the nitty gritty editing.  (most likely 2 rounds of it)  When that's done, it gets sent to my proofreader person and then a couple weeks of formatting/editing and up it will go.  Still hopeful for end of summer (August) release, but I have a busy summer ahead of me, so it could be later.

At least it's done!  Yay to being done!  Also, I will hopeful have a new cover to show off soon!
That's all for now.  This one will be short and sweet. :)

Happy Reading!
-Kate:)

Cause for Celebration

Hey kids, it's happy dance time!!!

(yes, this is exactly how I dance)

I am happy to report, that Ignis is finished!  AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

It's pretty much exactly the length I thought it would be, 120k.  Well, actually it's 126,000ish words, but considering I'll probably be doing a LOT of cutting, come editing time, my first guess will probably be the more accurate one.

What can I say about this book, guys?  It's my favorite yet, I think.  Probably because EVERY. SINGLE. THING. that I've been laying out for the past 3 books is finally coming to pass.  Reveals that I've been holding to my chest, relationships that I planted as a tiny seed will finally blossom, events that I've been mulling over since I planned this book will finally blast through your brains as you read them.

Exciting times.  

It was probably the toughest one yet for me to write (I know I say that every time) because of all the build up.  And I'm not gonna lie, the last 5 chapters of this book wrung me out like a wet washcloth.  Just for the sake of my ability to edit, I'm going to have to put this thing aside for like a month and let my brain breath.  

But it's finished.  And it's glorious.  And I'm sooo sooooooo soooooooo happy with where I took the characters this time around.

So yay!

2017 Start of the Year Post

Well, it's a new year, dear readers, and you know what that means...

(Well, maybe some light partying, ya'll.)

But seriously, 2017 is going to be so awesome.  First off, I am sooooo close to being done with Ignis.  Like, Luka has 5 sections, Zyander has 2 sections, and Nikka is finished off for the rest of the book.  OMG OMG OMG.  It will need a bit of tweaking, which is when it goes off to the betas and I can get rolling on finishing up another project, which will hopefully only take a couple months before IT goes off to the betas.  Then I'll start the editing on Ignis, and maybe even start on the first few chapters of Universis, for the sake of continuity, just to make sure I'm on the right track.  But YAYAYAYAY, Ignis is almost done.

This was a hard book to write.  I made a LOT of hard choices in this one, which you'll understand when you read it.  Hopefully, you'll all stick with me through the last book. *nervous chuckle*

Secondly, I've picked out my WOTY (word of the year): EXPECTATION.  As in, I have the expectation that good things are coming.  I have the expectation that I'm going to kick ass as a writer this year.  I have the expectation that I'm not going to let anything hold me back.  It's a great word to put you in a proper mindset for writing.  "I have the expectation that inspiration will strike and I won't be stuck on this scene anymore."

Thirdly, time to fess up about my finishing series list.  Here is the final account:

1. The Lotus War books.  There is no good reason for why I haven't finished this series.  The main character is AWESOME.  The world is AWESOME. AND I OWN ALL THREE BOOKS.  Like what is wrong with me?
2. The Lunar Chronicles.  I loved these books, but for whatever reason whenever I look at how long Winter is, my brain fails.  But this year I will read the last book!!!
3. Under The Never Sky. I got partway through the last book and just quit.  What is wrong with me??? I really liked the other two books.  *sigh*  I have a problem.
4. Dust Lands.  I really loved the first book in this series, but the second book and its sibling drama (not to mention that whole rapey type scene at the end) really turned me off.  Still, I do want to find out what happens to Saba, so I need to buckle down and finish that one.
5. The Fifth Wave.  I was absolutely blown away by the first two books in this series, but I admit I am terrified of what might happen in the conclusion.  I will face my fear and read that book when it releases in FOUR DAYS??? EEP!
6. Daughter of Smoke and Bone.  Honestly, why in heaven's name haven't I finished this series?  I freaking LOVE Laini Taylor.  Is it just that I'm a coward and I can't face how it might end?  Not sure.
7. Penryn & The End Of Days. Okay, I'm just afraid that Pen and Rafe don't end up together, so if someone could just spoil that detail for me, I'll finish this series posthaste.
8. The Heir Chronicles.  It's been so long since I read the last one that I really can't even remember what happened.  I just need to see if they have it on recaptains or something.  Because I loved every one of those stories. :)
9. Lumatere Chronicles.  I read the first of these books, but honestly, Finnikin didn't excite me very much.  But EVERYONE AND THEIR BROTHER keeps telling me I have to read the other two because they are amazing.  So I added this series to my list.  

I was going to bust through the last Dust Lands book, but alas, I got laryngitis and THEN the flu, and I just read whatever I felt like for like 3 weeks. 

I will still finish them, of course, but right now I've got other things (library things) on my plate, so there's that.

So that's the lay of the land here in Norcal.  I'll post as soon as the rough draft is finished becuz PARTY TIME, until then...

Happy Reading!