June 26, 2025
Cover for Populated, written by Susan Helene Gottfried
Yeah, yesterday saw me being SUPER productive. Like, wow.
What all happened? Well, I finished the edit I’d been working on. (and then promptly forgot to send it back to the author. Way to go, Sooz!)
I made a no-bake cheesecake, thanks to King Arthur Baking. (It took a lot longer than it was supposed to.)
I wrote almost 2k words.
That’s me being productive, all right!
I’m feeling the pressure of the deluge I know is about to hit me. The plan right now is simple: keep being as productive as possible, at every minute of my editing day. That includes weekends until things slow down again.
This is the freelancer’s life, though. Huge feasts that remind you of a Monty Python movie, and then famine that’s so severe, you think you’re a crappy editor (you are not) and don’t know what to do with yourself (yes you do).
Yep, almost 2k words last night! We have Tess being the Tess we met in the Bird, Chad up to no good again, Mack not sure what to make of any of this, and whoo boy, some things I did not see coming but now that they are here, they are right and natural and perfect and… honestly? When my friend called my books “the right kind of silly,” this is why I took it as a compliment.
I woke up to both royalties from Hoopla (thank you, Hoopla readers!) and word that Demo Tapes 4 is now available on the platform as well. So now all the Trevolution books are there, but only the first three Sheep Farm books, which are newer (and, frankly, better), and I don’t understand, but that’s probably okay.
Remember to request the last two Tales from the Sheep Farm books, Saving Sima and Legacy, when you’re browsing the platform.
And if you’re in Pittsburgh, on Sunday, I’ll be joined by Beck Grey, Lainey Davis, and Paige N. Regan at the Bad Bitch Bazaar! We’ll be there from 2-7, hanging out, selling books, and having a great time.
Octobers, by Sahar Muradi
This is, as usual, an affiliate link. And yes, it’s a book of poetry! I don’t usually post poetry collections, but this one crossed my radar and why NOT? The criteria is the criteria and I never said I couldn’t include poetry. I’m the one who chose the criteria, after all.
Reminder that your support helps me keep on being productive like this! Be it booking my editing services, buying my books, stuffing my ko-fi, or even just talking me up and/or visiting me when I’m at a craft show, it all adds up.
June 16, 2025
Want a book that’s packed? The Complete Demo Tapes is packed with stories–over 100! It’s as long as a novel but the entire contents are flash and short stories. At only $1.99, it’s a bargain. Available only at my online shop.
The weekend wasn’t nearly as packed as I’d expected it to be, but I also didn’t get enough writing done. And yep, I made it to a protest, although I wound up being a drive-by honk-and-waver. Turns out I should have stopped and joined the ranks… I knew a lot of people who were at my local protest, and if I’d known THAT, I’d have been okay. Life with a damaged eye means I have to take special care to make sure someone has my back — not just in case things go sideways, but because of general safety issues that crop up whenever I’m around a lot of people. It’s complicated to explain and yes, I can still spot a comma at ten feet, so don’t ask me how it works. I can’t explain.
I’m working on one and had a surprise hit me on Saturday — a good surprise, a new series from a prolific and established author — and got word late last week of more coming my way too. The summer’s going to be packed, so I expect that every weekend when I am not out selling, I’ll be at my desk, if only for a few hours, so I can keep everything moving along. I hate making my authors wait for me!
The edit I’m working on is a contemporary, the second in a series, and if you’re a horse lover, this one’s for you!
Well, I haven’t caught up from my trip yet, and I need to cut a slew of words, but I’m also incorporating them into the new stuff, so… At this point, I want to get the draft done. I’ve been struggling with it for so long that at times, I want to give up and work on something else entirely — like more standalones and/or entries to the series. But nope. I’m not a quitter. Not yet, anyway.
I’ll get this story told properly. I will.
If you’re a Hoopla reader, the Trevolution is slowly being added! Right now, Demo Tapes 1 and 3, Trevor’s Song, and King Trevor are all available. Hopefully DT2 and 4 will be added soon.
Remember to request the rest of the Sheep Farm series while you’re reading.
The Dragon and the Pearl, by Jeannie Lin
Like always, it’s an affiliate link.
And like always, since I’m not paywalling these posts at all, I’d love it if you’d pack my Ko-fi, buy my books, or book my editing services. All the money I make from my Ko-fi and from book sales, including the affiliate link above, goes to operational costs here at West of Mars.
That’s it! I’m getting back to work… my queue is packed right now and this is how I love it, believe it or not.
