There’s something about the idea of trucking along that makes me think of Chad, who tries so hard and yet is so inept…

I’m a busy little bee over here, trucking along and trying to get it all done. (I STILL need to fill out my ballot for the PA primary, so it’s not all perfectly smooth sailing.)

I worked out on the deck last night, so late I had to turn the pergola lights on. Had to? No. Chose to, really. Shoulda kept them that cool blue, too — if you saw my Instagram picture, it didn’t do them justice. I’ll have to see if I can find that color again. I was trying to dial in orange, but failed.

And yes, I got my words in. More on that below.

editing

Trucking along here too! I suspect this client loves me because I catch inconsistencies — it’s one of my superpowers, I swear it — and I love working for them because I get to catch inconsistencies.

writing

Got my words in last night. Really like the retooling of the plot and the general base idea of the story. More happens faster, characters meet each other in other ways that are hopefully interesting but are definitely wild and yet not too out there. I hope.

Also, got word that one of my favorite book shows has been confirmed for 2026. It’s the Authors in the Steel City show, and I did so well there last year, so I’m super excited for next year. It’s going to be a HUGE year for me and book shows, so be sure to come out and visit me! It’s also a good thing I’ve got two releases planned for 2026! You’ll need new releases because you’ll be all caught up.

Book of the Day

Yin Yang Love Song, by Lauren Kung Jessen
(affiliate link, as always)

Definitely a quick check-in today, but that’s what happens when the best you can say is “trucking along.” After last week and the car drama, it’s welcome. I prefer the quiet and space to work, even when real life is handing me fodder for my fiction.

Remember that I’m not paywalling this content, so I’d appreciate it if you’d help meet operational costs by donating a virtual bottle of ink via my ko-fi or buying some books. They make great gifts, and if you’d like them autographed, you can either use the store, or just email me directly.

Settle in with a short read, and Broken but Undaunted is really perfect for that.

Yesterday was monthly massage day, and since the location near me closed and I have to go to the farther one — now the only one — and it’s by the library, I stopped to pick up a book I reserved. And two others. And then there were free books in the new open space and I had to stop and look but walk out without any, thankfully. The idea is to have FEWER books, not more.

Also, my library’s construction project is coming along and it looks GREAT and I can hardly wait to spend more time there. They’re even putting in a cafe!

Which means I was pretty discombobulated yesterday and it took forever to settle into the day’s work. As a result, I worked late.

editing

I started the second readthrough of this current edit.
Still waiting on the six… Send When Ready, my friends! Having the best book possible is more important than a date on my calendar. (That said, a client may have to wait longer for me than they’d like. It’s all about compromise.)
And I’m chatting with a couple potential clients. Hopefully they come through; their projects look wonderful!

writing

I sat down and realized I had almost 5k words in this newest, latest version of Absolutely Alyssa. I told myself my goal was to cross the 6k mark…

…and then I started deleting and rewriting and the manuscript is now over… 2k words again…

But I LOVE it and it’s finally come into focus and Alyssa comes out swinging and so we’ve got yet another strong woman running through my fiction and who is surprised by that? If it’s you, you haven’t been reading my books!

Book of the Day

This World is Not Yours, by Kemi Ashing-Giwa

Help me settle into my own work day by not stressing about operational expenses! Buy my books, hire me to be your editor, and/or fill my ko-fi. Don’t want to just give me money for nothing? Pick up the Beta Reader’s Guide and/or the Writer’s Guide to Library Programs. Both are pay what you want, and as I’ve said before, the goal is to get them out into the world, and picking them up for free is also a way to support me. I appreciate it, the cats appreciate it, and the amount of trouble I do not cause because I am happily editing and playing with words also appreciates it.

I’m back from my very long drive to see the youngest. She’s great, and I was privileged to be granted a tour of an otherwise not-open-to-the-public facility. It gave me a lot of food for thought, especially as (spoiler alert!) I’m working on a book set in a sanctuary. No idea when I’ll even do more than gather ideas and play with the character and actually write the story, so don’t be all frothy at the mouth in anticipation.

Anyway, I’m tired today, as one is when they’ve spent a few days in the middle of tornado watches and floods and deluges of rain (and you forgot your raincoat), and drove 10 hours each way. Even Sheetz surprisingly didn’t make it easy, holding me up for an unwanted and unappreciated 20-minute break while the very slow and understaffed folk made me a smoothie. And then they gave me the wrong size, but at least it was a large instead of a small. Of course, being too large, it made me sick by the time I got home.

Just more to add to the files for research and future books, I suppose… I mean, “You gave me more food than I asked for” is hardly something to burn Sheetz down for, right?

Writing: I got next to nothing done over the four-day weekend, and I’m 100% fine with that. I was there to soak up what I could learn, to enjoy the road trip and explore the small town she’s living in, to be with my kid — and my cousin, who came down to join us. I don’t spend nearly enough time with my cousins.

Safe House is still on sale for $1.99
Populated is on sale at Kobo through the 17th.

Grab the sales while you can!

Editing: Much to do today, although I’m still waiting on those five manuscripts! Actually, looking over my queue, it’s now up to six. And a dear friend reached out to ask if I’d do my How to Work with a Freelance Editor workshop for her group. Yay!

Book of the Day: These are chosen randomly, so I don’t have anything related to the road trip, but here you go:
Felicia Grossman, Marry Me by Midnight

Reminder that if you’re enjoying these updates, buy one of my books, borrow it via Hoopla or Libby (or the other library apps)–although Hoopla STILL refuses to restore Saving Sima, Broken but Undaunted, and Permission to Enter, and they won’t list Legacy at all.
And, of course, buy me a virtual bottle of fountain pen ink via my Ko-fi. Book royalties and my ko-fi go to support operational costs here at West of Mars (including book production expenses), not my addiction to road trips, even when I come home with new, rich material.

Mule races, anyone? I went to mule races! You KNOW that’s gotta appear in a book at some point!

We’re leading with Maybe the Bird Will Rise today because Mack and Tess ended a week bookended with books. (Oh, my. If I wrote that into my fiction, I’d edit it on out. This, however, is not fiction, and so I will not.)

Last Sunday, authors Joyce Tremel/Joyce St. Anthony and Amanda Flower did a joint conversation and book signing, hosted by Pittsburgh-based Riverstone books. Best of all, they came to the McCandless store, which is closer for me than their city-based store. Although give me a reason to go to the city and I’ll usually grab it.

It was great fun, and I encourage you all to pick up Joyce and Amanda’s books. I had every opportunity to and… honestly? After ten years of having a rigid book budget of $0.00, I don’t want an overflowing bookshelf. (I actually have recently culled my shelves and have more than a few boxes to haul off to resell.)

And then I got word of a new bookstore opening in town. Reading Ready Pittsburgh, it’s called, and I am 100% behind this. Not only should we support an effort to get families and kids reading from the get-go, but those kids deserve to see themselves on the page, too. As do we adults!

On the editing front, since I was just doing a re-read this week, I knocked that out and surprised myself by getting it back to its author on Friday. But it was good, and interesting, the change from first person to third changed the book’s genre! How was that for a fascinating discovery?

This week, I’m tackling a debut romance from a new client. So yes! If you want to work with me, I may take you on! (I do not take on everyone, because you deserve the best client for you.)

And then I ended the week with another book event… my own! With seven others, but still. We did a panel discussion that was comfortable, relaxed, fun, and had total strangers riffing on each other in a good-natured way, and then we retreated to our tables and sold books. Not quite all the books, but enough to make me happy! One reader told me the plot of Populated was more interesting to her than the plot of the Bird, and that’s super! (also, not unexpected… it’s the art thief that gets everyone.)

So this is your reminder that you CAN read Populated first. Or you can even read only the odd-numbered books and only the even-numbered books in the Tales from the Sheep Farm series. And, of course, the ebook version of Populated is still on sale for $2.99 at your favorite retailers, including my own shop, if you too need a copy because what’s this about an art thief?

And, of course, Maybe the Bird Will Rise is 99c, and so is the preorder of Safe House and gosh darn it, but I forgot to plug Safe House’s presale yesterday… This is why I have a lot of signs on my table.

Grab a book — Hell, grab all the books — while the sale is on. And remember to leave reviews (I encourage you to leave HONEST reviews. A one-star review never killed an author and I won’t see it anyway.)!

If you’re an author who needs me, reach on out. I’m here, and the queue is starting to get a little thin.