MCD: 2020 in retrospect and a glimpse into 2021

For most of you who read the blog this is doubled (or even tripled) information but it’s that time of year again – aka The Great Culling of MCD’s Mailing List! This simply means that anyone who hasn’t opened my last five emails (through my mailing list, not the blog) is about to get the opportunity to ‘reengage’, or I will remove them. Keeping ‘nonopens’ on my mailing list costs me $$ (read: really just pennies per subscriber) and actually reduces my delivery rate (the more serious issue), especially through email providers like Gmail.

Anyway! I wanted to have a post on the blog for anyone who wishes to remain on my list to click through to ‘reengage’ and survive the great culling for another year.

So without further to-do …

Things I published in 2020:

The first book in the Misfits of the Adept Universe Series: Misplaced Souls. Narrated by Mory.

The fifth book in the Amplifier Series: Idols and Enemies. Available in eBook, paperback, and audio.

The audiobooks for the Reconstructionist series (starting with Catching Echoes). Narrated by the brilliant Whitney Dykehouse. The third book should release any day on Audible, Apple Books, Amazon, etc.

And! For fun: A series of character bios for the Adept Universe bible with sketches from Memo: Wallpapers: Mory and Ed Sketches: Jade, Kandy, Kett, Mory and Ed, Liam, Benjamin, Burgundy, Scarlett, Pearl, Gabby, Peggy, and Tony.

Release plans for 2021 (headache dependent):

Awakening Infinity, the prequel novel for the Archivist Series is currently being serialized on my blog and will release on March 2, 2021, in eBook and paperback on all retailers. I have plans to release the next two books in the series in the first half of 2021. [Again, fingers crossed]. I’m currently halfway through the first draft of Archivist 1.

The sixth book in the Amplifier Series is outlined and scheduled to release in the latter half of 2021, followed by the second book in the Misfits of the Adept Universe. Misfits 2 is outlined and from Kandy’s POV!

Bonus short stories: I’m writing a randomly themed short story set in the Adept Universe and releasing them (unedited/unproofed) exclusively to my mailing list each month. At the end of the year, I will bundle the shorts together, have them properly edited, and publish them on all retailers (so … possibly early Jan 2022?). I’ll ask Memo to do a sketch for each of them as well. The first short – from Kandy’s POV – releases to the mailing list on January 27, 2021 (so make sure you are subscribed!)

More sketches: Memo will continue doing character sketches for the Adept Universe bible. Next up: the nine guardians! I’ve also commissioned three (for now) character renderings from Nicole Deal for the Archivist Series that I can’t wait to share!!

A selection of 2021s notebooks – already filling up!

You can also find me on Facebook (mostly writing-related posts), Instagram (mostly food, pets, knitting, and sunset posts), and Twitter (a combination of posts).

On a personal note, it’s been an insane year for us all with Covid19 and unfortunately my constant headache is still going strong. I’m finally seeing a menopause specialist this week (since everything else has been ruled out) and I have hope that she will finally be able to help me. Thank you for reading this far and I hope you enjoy how the Adept Universe unfolds over the next year and beyond.

Love and Light!

Bed bugs 2021 (2020?)

We’re having a crazy morning. The short version of the story is: somehow in the midst of Covid19 we got bed bugs. Yes, we haven’t left the property for more than a few hours since the beginning of March, we haven’t had any visitors (we literally live in a one-room cabin with two exterior studio offices), but somehow Michael started getting bit in the classic three-bite pattern in October.

We’ve dealt with bed bugs once before. Many years ago (easily 15+ years) Michael saw an older gentleman covered in bites at his gym but thought nothing of it until a few days later when we were bit.

We did then what we immediately did this past fall, we tore the bedroom apart, removed all the extra mattress/pillow protectors, etc. Washed/dried everything on high heat. Then literally duct-taped the mattress back into its zippered dust mite cover.

No signs of bugs.

None.

Michael got bit again a couple of nights later. Even though wrapping the mattress, etc, had taken care of the problem last time.

So …

Michael then tore the entire bedroom area apart a second time and STEAM CLEANED every surface, including removing the kicks on the cupboards, the electrical outlets, EVERYTHING. Then he rewashed and dried the sheets/blankets/etc.

The bugs bit him ferociously that night.

I, BTW, hadn’t gotten bitten at all up to this point.

Sigh.

So … after much, much research and seeking professional help for an infestation we can’t find any evidence of, we have dropped about a thousand+ dollars on a heating system. Yep, we’re cooking the bugs. It’s taken Michael days to get the house prepped and we put the finishing touches on it all this morning. The fans can only be hooked up to the dryer and oven outlets – new electrical cords had to actually be made by the electrician working on our cabin addition. And everything that could be damaged by high heat needed to be removed … with the caveat that you want to remove very little that can’t also be run through a hot dryer for 30 minutes before sealing it in garbage bags.

There is also some concern that the heat will damage our cabinets (hence the green tape all over the edges in the picture). And when Michael cooked out his office last Friday, as a precaution so we could use it for storage, the heat managed to pull sap out of his hundred-year-old reclaimed fir desks … so yeah, that might happen to our gorgeous table, etc.

I’m leaving that HUGE typo!! LOL Saw it too late!!

Anyway! We are now officially locked out of the cabin for 24-hours. We’re hanging in our offices for most of the day with Leo and Miranda (turtle). And, you know, to make certain we don’t blow a breaker or set the house on fire. We’ll sleep overnight in a hotel. Eating picnic style out of a cooler for lunch/breakfast and hopefully finding something edible for dinner in ‘town’.

I’m supposed to be writing this afternoon but honestly I’m thinking of cracking open a new book.

Wish us luck!!

Archivist Series: bits of inspiration

When I start really digging into a new series, I deliberately surround myself with little visual touchstones. These items usually find a semi-permanent home on my desk or windowsill and I trade them out when working on different books/series. I was in the very first moments of brainstorming the Archivist Series last fall when I indulged in acquiring two new touchstones, one of which is the inspiration for Infinity itself (Dusk’s personal archive):

Under Infinity’s watchful gaze, I added 3800 words to Archivist 1 today for a total of 45k+. I’m pretty pleased with how those words are flowing onto the page this week and I hope the muse sticks with me through the first draft!!

***

Leather-covered sketchbook (aka Infinity): created by Mille Cuirs (who I discovered through Hailey Edwards – Thanks, Hailey!!)

Also enjoying: The 6th Scent Candle, Chocolate with a wood wick. And yes, I just realized I could burn a candle in my office without worrying about Leo singeing his whiskers. It only took me five years to realize that particular benefit of an exterior office.

Moments of the Adept Universe.

I launched into January 2021 with a multi-tiered plan. Not resolutions, but a tweaking of a few aspects of my writing life. Okay, I’m always attempting to reduce portions sizes and get back to daily yoga/pilates. But those are continual personal goals that I’m pretty good at maintaining unless something extreme happens, such as my hip bursitis flaring.

Yes, I’m a 47-year-old with a bad hip. It’s freaking hilarious.

Anyway, I digress.

One of the ‘tweaks’ involves switching up how I do giveaways in 2021. Not all giveaways, but most. I’ve decided to focus more on the digital realm so I can reach (and hopefully treat) more of my readers at once. And, in switching up my giveaways, I’m also putting more focus on writing and less on the effort it takes for me to manage a physical giveaway.

The idea is to set a couple of Saturdays aside a month to write (and rewrite) a random short story set in the Adept Universe for my newsletter, one per month. Most of the shorts will be prequels to the currently published books. At the end of the year, I’ll bundle all the shorts, get them properly edited and proofed, then publish them on all retailers.

Today was my first Saturday devoted to this new endeavour. I intended to draft the entire story in one day, using a second Saturday to redraft, and a third to proof/polish. But apparently Kandy’s tale needs more than what I can give in a single day because I wrote 6165 words (read: a really good writing day for me) and it’s still nowhere near finished.

So … only two days into January, into my multi-tiered plan, and I’m behind schedule.

Typical freaking werewolf. Always taking over every scene she’s in. I really should have known better.

😂

So … I’ll write the rest of the short tomorrow. Because on Monday I’m supposed to be working on Archivist 1, not playing around with a snarky werewolf who, when bored, apparently enjoys getting herself into entanglements that completely screw with her worldview. And yeah, the first short is going to come with a content warning. Did you expect anything less from Kandy?

In case you missed it, I released the first chapter of Awakening Infinity (Archivist 0) yesterday. Also, Kim, over on the reader run fan group, is hosting a discussion of the new book, chapter by chapter, if that interests you. ETA: as of Feb 26 these chapters have been removed, pending the release of the book on all retailers!

Happy New Year!!

Archivist 0: The Serialization Of

The first chapter of Awakening Infinity (Archivist 0) releases on the blog at 8:05 am (PST) on January 1, 2021. I’ll be posting a new section every Wednesday and Friday from January 1 to February 26. The entire novel is also currently available for preorder and will release on all retailers on March 2, 2021.

As with the prequel for the Amplifier Series, when I came up with the idea for the Archivist Series, I knew that we needed to see the inciting incident that takes place about a month before the main story – an introduction to Dusk and Sisu and how they’re connected to the guardian dragons – but it was too much info to be shoved into the beginning of the first book. It would have ruined the pacing.

Awakening Infinity (Archivist 0) is a short novel, approx 53k, that focuses on the relationship between sister and brother, Dusk’s doubts about her abilities, and the blissful moment when she realizes she is on the right path. It’s a quieter story (for me) but no less intense (fingers crossed).

I’m serializing the prequel for my readers as a thank you for traveling this far along in the Adept Universe with me, and also as an introduction to a new character, new series.

Things you might like to know (but feel free to ask any other question below):

Other than the reintroduction of (some of) the guardian dragons, the Archivist Series is a completely new series set within the Adept Universe. Minor, fun crossovers might occur but should not be expected. (Read: NO JADE!). Archivist 0 can be read as a standalone (if you wish to share/recommend it).

You do not need to be caught up in the reading order of the Adept Universe to read-along.

Please feel free to comment and discuss the chapters/parts in the blog comment section (or over in the Facebook fan group). Please feel free to share the blog posts and/or the memes. I’m hoping that gathering to read the prequel and discussing the story as it releases will be part of the fun!

The blog posts will be automatically shared on my Twitter and Facebook feeds but you might wish to also follow the blog itself so you don’t want to miss a post.

Are you ready to dig in?

I’m totally excited!!

***

Are you new to the Adept Universe? Awakening Infinity (Archivist 0) can be read separately, but the first book in the universe, Cupcakes, Trinkets, and Other Deadly Magic (Dowser 1), is currently free as well! Click here for the recommended reading order of the Adept Universe.

How to subscribe to MCD’s blog

Here – updated April 27, 2023 with (fairly recent) pictures – is how to subscribe to my blog (so you can read along with the Conduit on #TeaserTuesday).

On a computer/desktop. Type your email into the box on the top right-hand corner of your screen. You can unsubscribe at any time. You’ll need to confirm your subscription. If you can’t find the email in your inbox, check your spam/junk/promotions folders. If you find the confirmation there, please drag it into your inbox to ensure that future emails arrive directly in your inbox. After you subscribe you will get an email each time I blog (not just the Conduit serialization posts).

On a mobile device. Scroll all the way down past the current blog posts. Type your email into the box situated between the ‘older posts’ button and the cover image for Archivist 0. You can unsubscribe at any time. You’ll need to confirm your subscription. If you can’t find the email in your inbox, check your spam/junk/promotions folders. If you find the confirmation there, please drag it into your inbox to ensure that future emails arrive directly in your inbox. After you subscribe you will get an email each time I blog (not just the Conduit serialization posts).

There you go! I hope you enjoy the read-along.

Archivist 0: Cover reveal and synopsis

I’m celebrating getting the prequel to the Archivist series off to the proofreader today by revealing the freaking gorgeous book cover by Damonza, along with the synopsis.

As with The Amplifier Protocol last year, Awakening Infinity (Archivist 0) will be serialized here on my blog every Wednesday and Friday, starting January 1, 2021. I’ll also make the preorder available by that date for those of you who prefer to read all at once. Don’t worry I’ll email all the details to my mailing list (make sure you’re subscribed) and refresh my ‘how to subscribe to MCD’s blog’ instructions so you don’t miss a chapter.

Without further chatter – the gorgeous cover!

Synopsis: The plan was to hop a train to Oslo, hang out at a coffee shop, and connect my personal archive, Infinity, to the Internet. Yes, completely disregarding the well-established fact that magic and technology didn’t mix. At all.

I was also hoping to browse as many bookstores as I could before my younger brother’s patience ran out. Unfortunately, the five-year-old fledgling dragon was better known for his exuberant — and ultimately destructive — tendencies rather than his attention span.

I almost pulled it all off. Almost proved that my position as Archivist of the Modern World wasn’t just an empty title.

Then I got summoned — by the most powerful beings in the magical world. And when the guardian dragons made a request, no one denied them. Not even a lesser dragon.

Not even if it tore me away from everything I’d ever known — and the one person I couldn’t leave behind.

Awakening Infinity is a prequel novel in the Archivist series, which is set in the same universe as the Dowser, Oracle, Reconstructionist, Amplifier, and Misfits of the Adept Universe series. While it is not necessary to read all the series, in order to avoid spoilers the ideal reading order of the Adept Universe begins with Cupcakes, Trinkets, and Other Deadly Magic (Dowser 1). Or click here for the full reading order.

Questions about the Archivist Series? Feel free to comment below (or +1 other comments) and I’ll write up a FAQ, if needed!!

Pending tech trouble?

I’m very possibly in the middle of losing a battle with a techgod. It’s subtle, but ignoring the signs of the demise of my computer set up might just be pure stupidity at this point.

Firstly, it probably important for you to know that I’m not great with change. See the keyboard I’m still using after all these years as just one speck of evidence.

Secondly, I promised myself six years ago that I would replace my laptop every three years (as the AppleCare ran out) because I’d been left without a computer three times in the past due to massive crashes. The first crash lost most of my early writing (screenplays, etc) and the second one was crazy inconvenient because we’d just moved to an island with no Apple Store (or Apple tech repair).

Now. I’m due to replace my current laptop at the end of December (Michael is operating off my six-year-old laptop, so he’ll get to ‘upgrade’ to my current laptop as well). But … the price has REALLY increased on the MacBook Pros and we’re in the middle of a major addition to our cabin (aka hemorrhaging savings) … plus with the constant headache, I’ve only managed to release two books in 2020 instead of my typical four. So … I’d been thinking about not replacing the laptop as planned, just pushing it for a few more months … maybe another year?

Apparently that line of thought was enough to rile at least one techgod.

Because yesterday my laptop crashed three times in a row. While I was proofing the audiobook for Unleashing Echoes (Reconstructionist 3). It normally crashes – MAYBE – two or three times a year.

Then, this morning, I head out to the office, all ready to write, only to find a strange little plastic dot on my desk next to my trackpad.

Back view of trackpad, with broken ‘foot’.

Apparently this foot is needed to trigger one of the ‘touch’ sensors of my trackpad. And yes, my trackpad is almost as ancient as my keyboard. It’s also cracked across the front. In two places.

Close up of the miscreant trackpad sensor foot.

The point is, I can’t figure out how the hell the foot fell off. There are no moveable (or loose) parts. No way to replace it without cracking off the back of the trackpad.

And that is just … weird.

It also might be a sign [other sign?] of pending computer doom.

I might have to give up, give in, and order new … everything.

But first I’m going to put the $$ I dump into Dropbox to good use and actually back up a bunch of files. Yes, I have a backup hard drive that I use every ten days. But it is also six years old …

Spying on Michael

The headache really spiked earlier (it isn’t great now either but I’m trying), and while I was trying to soothe myself (THC cream and peppermint oil on temples, controlled breathing, etc), I took a moment to sneakily spy on Michael cutting the rafters he’s installing today.

He caught me, of course. The addition can only be seen from within the cabin through one corner window, plus I was partly wedged behind the wood stove so I couldn’t step out of view terribly quickly. Then questions ensued.

Michael: What’s wrong? Are you okay?

Me: Head hurts, trying to decide if I’m going to write off the day by taking a triptan.

Michael: *grimancing* I’m sorry. I can come in.

Me: *grinning* That’s okay, I’m enjoying the view.

Michael: View … of …?

Me: You … measuring, cutting … carrying the rafters.

Michael: *laughing huskily* ogling me, are you?

Me, primly: Well, you are my husband.

Anyway – to my point – when you start hitting scenes in the Archivist series (specifically starting in book 1) featuring a sexy carpenter/contractor with strong hands, muscled wrists and forearms, carrying terribly heavy things, you’ll all be exceedingly aware of my inspiration.

Cabin Addition 2020: (far right to left) front door, two windows into the ‘flex’ room (workout space plus Murphy bed), door to the garage, with Michael’s studio in the back left corner. The aforementioned rafters are on the left side. No carpenter pictured because he refused to be splashed all over the blog. LOL

Back to writing the actual book!

Dream Rages

Me: I had the craziest rage dream early this morning …. about Chinese food.

Michael: Okay …

Me: We were with a group of people, maybe 12, but I can’t remember anyone, of course.* And I wanted to order Chinese for dinner, then three of the assholes hanging with us were all like, ‘oh, yuck, Chinese, no’.

Michael: Someone actually said no. Had the balls to say no. To you. Regarding food.

Me: Hilarious.

Michael: *chuckling* I’m just saying …

Me: I got insanely enraged. I lost my shit, completely. Screaming, calling the naysayers ‘morons with their stupid sweet and sour pork and lemon chicken’, yelling that they’d ‘never had authentic Chinese food before’ and therefore they had absolutely no say in what we ordered for dinner. I woke up with my heart pounding, absolutely livid. *pause of disbelief* Over Chinese food.

Michael: well, Facebook did show you that memory of last year’s dim sum yesterday.

Me: Oh. My God. Damn it, Facebook! I was perfectly okay before that!

Picture our dim sum spoils from December 6, 2019.

In other news, apparently it’s been a year and a day since I’ve eaten dim sum aka ‘authentic Chinese food’. And I’m having a bit of – subconscious? – trouble with it.

🤣

*Though it’s probably unusual for a writer, I rarely remember my dreams.

ETA: apparently I wasn’t terribly clear (not surprising). I can’t get ‘authentic Chinese food’ on the island on which I live and Covid19 prevents me from traveling into Vancouver and casually going to restaurants. Otherwise, I would have had dim sum numerous times since last December!!