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!
… digging through every mention of the Llewellyn family in my master Adept Universe bible, then every mention of uncles and cousins in a specific book – this time it was I See You (Oracle 2). All to roughly sketch out a family tree in order to verify that the current (previously unnamed) alpha of the California pack (aka Beau’s uncle) is actually Desmond’s second cousin.
Then correcting Gabby’s short. As well the short I’m currently writing.
Hastily scribbled Llewellyn family tree. Incomplete.
That second cousin thing always screws with me. Of course, the fact that Robert is Ada’s older brother apparently never occurred to me. Which would have made for far, far less work. Sigh.
😂
So yeah – spoiler alert – that means Kandy’s third Moments of the Adept Universe short is dropping in my newsletter on the last Thursday of August. And it may contain a character you’ve all been begging to see againaching for missing.
Being the greedy soul that I am, I took a moment during my afternoon coffee break (with a dark vanilla ice cream bar in hand, of course) and perused my upcoming preorders to see what series I should be rereading in anticipation. While my list stretches deep into 2022, I was excited to see so many favourites coming my way in the next few months.
A screenshot of MCD’s preorders for the rest of 2021
Note: links are to Amazon just to cut down my work load, and they SHOULD forward to the store in your country. But, if they don’t, as always, simply change the .com to .ca or .co.uk, etc. Also, all these books are available on all retailers, except the Honey and Ice Series.
August: The Devil You Know (Mercenary Librarians Book 2) by the writing duo, Kit Rocha. I enjoyed book one (sexy, fast paced, ‘enhanced’ characters, found family), and immediately preordered book two. I’m very excited about the next romantic pairing!!
September brings three highly anticipated titles!!
A Throne of Feathers and Bone (The Honey and Ice Series) by Shannon Mayer and Kelly St. Clare. The first book was lightning speed paced with an interesting mix of contemporary setting and the fae.
The Last Graduate (The Scholomance 2). The follow up to A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik. Which I loved so much I’ve already reread it once, and bought it in audio. It’s CRAZY good!
November: Aurora’s End (The Aurora Cycle Book 3). Final book of the trilogy from the twisty and delightful minds of Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff (also known for their EXCELLENT Illuminae Files trilogy).
And in December, last but certainly not least, Grey Magic (Bonds of Magic 3) by Jeffe Kennedy. Hot, hot, hot dark fantasy (great world building).
Want to know some of my all time fav books? Here is my completely incomplete list, updated to include early 2021.
What books are you looking forward to reading in the next few months?
I promised a Dusk/Kellan teaser from Archivist 2 last Friday, but got hit hard by a headache that actually took me down for the entire weekend, so I’m making good with some fresh-off-the-page (just written today) slow, slow burn … squee!!!
“You’re not afraid of me, are you, Dusk?” he asked quietly.
“Afraid?” I frowned. Was that what he was picking up from me? Fear?
“Of the monster within.”
Monster? Not wolf?
“You think of yourself as a monster, Kellan?”
He shrugged as if he didn’t care one way or the other, but his hand was fisted on his knee, his shoulders tight. “You watch me.”
“You watch me.”
“I most certainly do. Yet you never close the space between us, you never take the last step. Or any step for that matter.”
I didn’t have an answer for him, not without just lamely repeating what I’d already said.
“Do you wait for everything to be handed to you, Dusk?” His tone was suddenly edged in frustration.
“I can fight for what I want,” I said stiffly, realizing as I said it that it was possible I’d never actually ever fought for anything in my life. Not for myself. I wasn’t certain I’d ever wanted something that it was necessary to fight for. I’d fight to preserve what I already had, of course …
Kellan was smirking at me again, sprawled out against the log, firelight dancing across his skin, defining every muscle. “Me, Dusk. You want me. Your heart rate increases, your breathing slows, your pupils dilate just a bit. I know you want me. I can smell it on you, under all that honey that you use to mask your scent.”
I had no idea what he meant – though I most definitely smelled right now, of seaweed, saltwater, and damp cotton – but a flush of anger rose at the ridiculousness of his statement.
I hope you have a fantastic weekend! We’re freaking sweltering here, and the air quality is a bit nasty (from the forest fires), but I’m hoping to write, get in a hike, and make some ice cream.
