Just in case you ever wondered what the editor aka SFG aka Scott Fitzgerald Gray does for you specifically, my lovely readers, I stumbled across this seven year old Facebook post that exemplifies his power for good perfectly:
A screenshot of MCD’s Facebook post about adding a final scene to Trinkets, Treasures, and Other Bloody Magic (Dowser 2).
And how was the book going to end (had SFG not intervened)?
[massive spoiler for Dowser 1 below, just in case you haven’t read it yet!!]
I gazed at the golden god of a man across from me. My mind was reeling and my thoughts unfocused. He looked maybe thirty-five if I attributed the crinkles around his eyes to age, rather than to sun and laughter.
He let me look at him. His sword had returned to wherever he pulled it from. His arms were at his sides, palms open to face me … in surrender or acceptance?
“I have my mother’s eyes,” I said, releasing the breath that had been blocking my ability to speak.
“Yes,” Yazi, the warrior of the dragons, answered. “But every other inch of you is me.”
He was right. I was his spitting image.
Half-witch, half-dragon. Well, that was one mystery solved.
I smiled, hitting him with one of my best efforts ever.
After nine weeks, I dropped the latest round of off-label headache meds yesterday – Candesartan, actually used for blood pressure regulation – because the side effects were becoming too detrimental and the constant/daily headache was completely undaunted. Already feeling slightly better, I happily spent the day working through the story editor’s notes on Compelling Infinity (Archivist 2).
Slowly but surely, I will get the next book in the Archivist series in your hands! Along with the first collection of the Moments of the Adept Universe stories. More info and release dates TBA!
But, more importantly, Michael bought me a treat to aid the editing/story pass.
On MCD’s desk today – editing Archivist 2 with the help of some liquorice Allsorts.
Liquorice (aka licorice) Allsorts!
Allsorts are definitely on the edge of too sweet for me, but I still enjoy the chewy texture. And the childhood connection/memory – one set (of four) of my grandparents always had a bowl of Allsorts on their coffee table when I visited in the summers.
I hope to get Archivist 2 back in the editor’s inbox by the end of next week. Wish me luck!
Anchored in the Moment (Moments of the Adept Unvierse 0.7) aka Audrey 0.5 – First draft. Done. 🙂
Set after Dowser 1, and featuring Desmond, this ‘moment’ turned into a fun and sexy short. I was just going to share it on my blog, but I might also put out a random newsletter next week. [subscribe or check your subscription here] October is usually my fav month – Thanksgiving, my birthday, harvest, and halloween – but things are really rough around here right now – we think we’re losing Leo all of a sudden, because he won’t eat – and I needed something short and sweet to focus on. A distraction that would also help me feel productive.
Snippet below:
A handwritten page from MCD’s notebook
“You have a position open, in your pack,” I said without further preamble.
“The beta position is Kandy’s,” Desmond said, pointedly looking out the side window. It was a beautiful day, sunny but not hot. “It has always been Kandy’s.”
“Yet Kandy is in Vancouver.”
He glanced at me then, narrowing his eyes. “Fulfilling a temporary need.”
I eyed him for a moment, trying to figure out how much Desmond Llewelyn liked to be pushed. “She won’t take it,” I said evenly. “Just like she’ll let her inheritance rot, just like she won’t step up and take the Assembly seat.”
“Those are her choices.” Desmond frowned — I was getting to him, finally.
“Exactly. And you have a hole in your pack. An imbalance.”
He half grimaced, half snarled. “And you will be alpha when your father steps aside.”
“He’ll never step aside. He’ll wait for someone to take the pack from the Rothchilds. And you know —” I laughed bitterly. “You know, he hopes that’s going to be Kandy. A Tate.”
Desmond looked at me then. Really looked.
Finally.
I’d thought about how to approach the cat, already knowing that seducing him wouldn’t get me what I wanted. Though many alphas preferred to fill the position of beta with a lover or a family member. I had no doubt that the sex would be vigorous and as rough as I wanted it to be, but Desmond would never fuck his beta.
“He’s broken,” I whispered, though my voice was still harsh, hard-edged. “Justin’s death broke him. Like it broke Kandy. And me.”
“Kandy isn’t broken,” Desmond snarled, automatically defending his wolf. Like a true alpha.
I smirked. “I’m not saying that she isn’t strong. Fierce. And loyal. But she’s not your beta. She’s not the beta you need.”
“It’s not a post for a princess,” he snapped, shards of green magic flickering in his eyes.
“Test me,” I purred. “I can take anything you throw at me.”
Though I have Amplifier 5 all roughly outlined, I’m finding it difficult to force myself to focus on the first draft while the editor has Archivist 2. I’ve been writing Dusk, not Emma, for almost a year straight, and I have two side projects, not counting the short stories, that are occupying a lot of my brain space. I’m also likely a little burnt out – as we all are with the ongoing Covid19 restrictions/concerns – and, of course and annoyingly, the constant headache always makes writing interesting as well.
Anyway! I made myself a new desktop image, and I’m rereading Idols and Enemies (Amplifier 4) to get back into Emma’s headspace. I’m going to try to read slowly (not a strength of mine 😂 ) and I’ll be sharing some favourite bits over on my social media sites (possibly with some annotations). That should help hone my focus!
MCD’s current desktop/computer/treadmill desk setup.
Idols and Enemies is the fourth book in the Amplifier Series, which is set in the same universe as the Dowser, the Oracle, the Reconstructionist, and the Misfits of the Adept Universe series. It is bundled with The Music Box (Amplifier 4.5).
Writing update: Compelling Infinity (Archivist 2) is off to the editor (aka SFG) for story editing. Finally! With the increase of pain (tried hormone therapy from Feb to July which helped with a ton of my other symptoms but unfortunately worsened the constant headache), my writing capacity was really slowed down. Thankfully, while I’m still in constant pain, the level has decreased enough that I’m managing to write most days again for at least a couple of hours.
Which leads me to the excerpt from Archivist 1.5 below. I need to get it sent off to SFG as well, since he’d probably like to read it sooner than later for story purposes.
I’m still not certain if I will simply give this short away to everyone who wants it or make it a preorder giveaway. And then I’m not certain if I should tuck it at the back of Archivist 2 (which technically would be out of order) or tuck it in with the Adept Universe shorts when I get them all bundled together. A preorder giveaway is certainly super fun, but it is a lot of extra work on my part.
Anyway!
This made me laugh out loud this morning:
“Some new playthings will please you,” Brady said.
“Artifacts and books aren’t playthings,” I retorted, then broke into a grin. “But maybe something hidden among the witch’s things will try to kill us. That’s always fun.”
I knew what I had to do. And I needed to move quickly, without regrets.
Because I was a dragon, not a witch.
And dragons protected the world and all the magic within it.
– Compelling Infinity (Archivist 2), Chapter Nine, Second Draft
In other news, all the Dowser Series recipe cards have been mailed (Thank you, Michael!). Canada Post’s delivery standard is supposedly nine business days, even internationally. But I have serious doubts. 😂
A drive-by excerpt of my current work in progress (Archivist 2), just because it made me laugh.
Ravine pushed a plate into my hands. “Kellan is manning the barbecue. Literally.” She grinned suggestively. “Cooking steak perfectly, wearing an apron, and exposing those … forearms. You might want to take a picture.”
I blinked. Once again rendered mute by her teasing. Okay, fine, my brain had just gone blank, then thrust the image she’d just described to the forefront.
Would taking a picture be rude? Or … I mean, people did take pictures to commemorate celebrations, right?
Ravine giggled gleefully, grabbing the salad tongs. “Eat, Dusk. You’ll need the energy.”
– Compelling Infinity (Archivist 2), Chapter Six, Second Draft
I just dropped From One Moment to the Next (Moments of the Adept Universe 0.5) (aka Kandy 0.75) into the inboxes of my newsletter subscribers, and as promised, I actually remembered to start a discussion thread!
The short (2600k) is just a sweet (well, my version of sweet) glimpse into Kandy’s life. It is set between her leaving her first pack and the events of Dowser 1. And features two other reader fav characters.
Please assume that there are spoilers for the short, as well as any Kandy book, in the comments below.
Feel free to discuss among yourselves (I believe there is a follow comments button? So you can see if anyone replies, etc?).
REMOVED FROM SALE – SEPT 8, 2021 – ALL ORDERS PACKAGED AND READY TO BE DROPPED IN THE MAIL
Nine Dowser Series recipe cards. Dowser 1 autographed.
As requested and promised, I’ve made 75 sets of the Dowser Series Recipe cards available in my ‘store’. $16 CDN+ lettermail. Click the previous link for more info and/or to purchase.
Note: same caveats as always: please remember I’m not a store. I’ve simplified the shipping, etc, as much as possible, for example: set shipping rates, no tracking, no extra sets, no special orders. Please remember I’m trying to write as much as possible and these are just meant to be fun extras for readers who have requested them.
I’m about to send another free download treat to my mailing list/newsletter subscribers, so I thought I should finally get around to clarifying a few FAQs about how to subscribe, how to check that you’re subscribed, etc. This way I can just refer my lovely readers to this post when needed.
It’s lovely that no one wants to miss a newsletter – or more specifically a new free Adept Universe short – but I cannot troubleshoot the mailing list subscription for each individual at a time. Most of it is actually out of my hands, because: automations, some user errors, and of course, your email provider just being nasty.
So!
If I miss anything I’ll try to add it to this post going forward.
IMPORTANT!! THE NEWSLETTER MAILING LIST IS NOT THE SAME AS BEING SUBSCRIBED TO MCD’s BLOG.
I REITERATE.
THE NEWSLETTER MAILING LIST IS NOT THE SAME AS BEING SUBSCRIBED TO MCD’s BLOG.
The blog/mailing list/newsletter conundrum seems to generate a large amount of confusion. You sign up for the blog to get notified every time I blog, but you have to click through to read the actual post. Whereas, the newsletter appears in your inbox as a whole. The blog is for permanent posts (unless I delete them) and the newsletter only archives the last twenty or so emails.
TO SUBSCRIBE to the newsletter, aka get on my ‘mailing list,’ click this link: MCD’s newsletter. Or the link under the image of the Adept Universe cookbook. Or the link under the image of the Adept Universe cookbook in ANY of my books.
Screenshot of the sign-up form (i.e. what you see AFTER you click the link to sign up).
You will get a confirmation email in your inbox right away. If you don’t, please check your spam/junk/promo folders. If you find any email from me in any folder other than your inbox, please drag it into your inbox and add my email address to your contact list/addresses/etc, to (hopefully) receive my emails in the future.
After the confirmation email, you will get a series of automated emails from me, as well as any new newsletters I might send.
You can unsubscribe at any time.
TO CONFIRM YOUR SUBSCRIPTION simply click through as if to subscribe and try to add your email. The form will let you know if you are already subscribed. Easy!
I’m sorry, but I cannot double-check your subscription on an individual basis. Please don’t ask me, please don’t think you are the exception. I will not be replying to those requests anymore because I feel like a broken record. My newsletter has 5k+ subscribers, certainly you can understand that I cannot – every single time I send an email – dig through the backend of my mailing list provider (i.e. MailChimp) just to confirm you are or aren’t subscribed. It is far, far easier for you and me for you to do so simply by checking yourself. Thank you in advance.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU DON’T RECEIVE MY EMAILS. First, refer to the paragraph under the screenshot (above).
But! Unfortunately, sometimes readers check every junk/spam/promo folder and still can’t find the email they should have received, even after they’ve confirmed their subscription. That means your email provider has declined to send it to you. I cannot fix this issue on my end. The best thing to do is to subscribe with a different email address or unsubscribe, and then re-subscribe to see if you can trigger the welcome email.
I cannot (for the reasons previously mentioned) send out duplicate newsletters and/or short stories to individuals on request. If you are worried that you’ve missed a short see below and/or they will all be professionally edited and published together at the beginning of 2022.
WHAT IF YOU’VE MISSED ONE OF THE NEWSLETTERS OR SHORT STORIES? Simply click the view this email in your browserlink at the top of any of my newsletters. Then, once the newsletter opens in your browser, click the Past Issues button at the top left, and scroll down to find the newsletter you missed. Yay!
Hopefully, this is helpful for anyone having trouble!
