June 19, 2025
Legacy has absolutely nothing directly to do with Juneteenth, but I do want to acknowledge the holiday and my wish that in the future, everyone is free and we learn to stop this stupid hate. People are treasures too, and that’s not just the tag line of the Sheep Farm books.
People are treasures. Period. Hard stop.
Today, let’s celebrate the arrival of word of emancipation, even as we gnash our teeth in frustration at how long it took… and is still taking.
But I went with Legacy because last night, in between running in and out between storms and the furniture drying so I could go back outside (Freya Cat was hogging out usual spot and not wanting to share and can I just say? RUDE), I was working on Authentically Alyssa and it’s got a couple scenes with Sir Ginger in them. And that makes me think of Legacy, since that’s where we meet Sir Ginger and…
Kinda hard to imagine I could work, with all the in and out I was doing.
But I DID! I got a lot written, and I even deleted about five hundred words and still had over my daily goal of a thousand. Not bad. Not bad at all.
Doug and I will be at the Butler City Farmer’s Market on Saturday, and I’ll be at the Bad Bitch Bazaar with Lainey Davis, Beck Grey, and Paige N. Regan on Sunday the 29th.
Gonna finish this first read-through today! I am!
Crowning Soul, by Sahira Javaid
That’s an affiliate link, as always.
And as always, your purchase via these affiliate links, and/or of my books, booking my editing services, and stuffing my Ko-fi all go to the same spot… covering operational costs here at West of Mars. My deep thanks to all of you who are following along with the Book of the Day — I think it’s an important project, or I wouldn’t keep doing it — and reading my books, either via purchase or any of the library apps — and the subscription Kobo Plus and Everand, too!
If you’re a Hoopla reader, be sure to request Saving Sima, Legacy, and Demo Tapes 2 and 4. And if you’re an Everand user, ask for my recent works! They are only carrying the Trevolution for some reason? I swear, these two sites are keeping me on my toes, with parts of my catalog going in and out and what feels like random intervals and for random reasons
June 13, 2025
The Demo Tapes, a four-book series (not including the Better than a Box Set Complete compendium) was always meant to be part of the adventure of the Trevolution. Somehow, though, the short work took over and overshadowed the novels. Which, in a way is fine.
Remember that the Trevolution ebooks are 99c at all retailers… except my store, where they’re 79c each, and cheaper in bundles! Want to try before you buy? Demo Tapes 1 and Trevor’s Song are now available on Hoopla.
Yesterday was the first West of Mars appearance at the Block Northway Farmer’s Market and it was… an experience. Definitely part of the adventure of bookselling. I got there to set up and was told there was a power outage on the main road that the mall fronts. The wifi was down, I was told. Okay, no problem.
We were setting up in the atrium, which was bright and sunny — and HOT (definitely not good for the bourbon at the table beside me!) — and at some point, I looked up and realized… all the shops had closed and the overhead LEDs were off.
Yup, the power was out in the entire mall.
And there we vendors sat…
Doug and I sold books, though, to new friends, and a lot of people asked if we’d be back at the market again (I will be; Doug’s not scheduled to be, so I was glad to have people choose to buy his books over mine). So in that way, it was a win.
But it was HOT, and it was… well, an experience.
You know something like this is going to show up in a book! A part of the adventure of something else, something bigger… I don’t know what yet. Time will tell.
I’m starting the second in a series from an established author today. This client writes both fantasy and contemporary and I’m HERE for it all. Super talented author, this one is. What a privilege to work with them.
Not a lot of words written last night because of the farmer’s market, but it’s always fun to get out and meet readers and look at the world. That, too, is part of the adventure of being a writer.
The first two boxes of the books I ordered for the Westmoreland Arts and Heritage Festival arrived yesterday — check my IG if you want to see the picture of the haul — and I immediately grabbed two copies of Permission to Enter and one copy of Legacy to round out the collection I bring to shows.
I had my cover designer make an official wraparound for Permission to Enter and can I tell you how AMAZING it looks? You want one of these pretty babies on your shelf. You really do.
Can’t Help Faking in Love, by Swati Hegde
As always, that’s an affiliate link, so have at it.
Since I’m not paywalling this content at all, I’d love it if you’d hire me as your editor, buy my books, or just fill my ko-fi. Reminder that if you do the latter, you can stop into my shop and pick up the Beta Reader’s Guide and/or the Writer’s Guide to Library Events. Both are Name Your Price, and free is a fine price! (of course, if you do that, you’re not stuffing my ko-fi, though, are you?)
The idea, of course, is to make tools that will benefit the larger community. It’s one small way I give back… like the Book of the Day!
Have a great weekend. I’ll bring you more books and another part of the adventure on Monday.
May 14, 2025
Permission to Enter features women in transition periods in their lives. Grab a copy. Request it via Hoopla — it used to be there! — and read it through Libby if your library has it. Not all do.
Transition day around here really means I’m transitioning to a new edit, although I may have actually started it yesterday. What can I say; I love what I do. (Also? Thanks to the clients who are quick with payment! You are always my favorite clients.)
I do have a couple of errands to run today first, though.
Like I said, I’m starting something new that’ll take me up to my week off. Don’t think it’s a week at the beach; I’ll be moving my youngest over a thousand miles away. And yikes, do we have a lot to do between now and then!
Another night of exceeding my thousand-word goal with Absolutely Alyssa. I was hoping to hit 10k words, but fell a few hundred short. Not bad, though, to be so close! It’s still a lot of fun, although it is VERY much a rough draft.
I woke up to royalties this morning! That’s always fun, and it’s so wonderful to see people reading the whole series. And this report contained royalties for the Legacy launch… it was my best book launch yet. May you all keep reading with me and helping me reach new readers, too.
If you’ve been wanting to grab a digital copy of Maybe the Bird Will Rise, keep an eye on your favorite retailer between now and the weekend. That’s all I’m saying. Remember it’s always part of your subscriptions at Kobo Plus, Scribd, and others. Got a Fable group? Why not read it together? And it’s on Hoopla — remember to request the rest of the series — and in some Libby systems.
Last Night at the Telegraph Club, by Malinda Lo
(Affiliate link)
That’s it! Remember to feed my ko-fi if you’re enjoying the content — I’m not paywalling it, and appreciate your support. Send your reader friends to my books and your author friends to my editing services.
Not all transition periods hurt, and I am eager to get to work today!
March 31, 2025
Didn’t see this one coming, but I am NOT going to complain…
Legacy was my best-selling book over the weekend!
I moderated a panel at my local library over the weekend and while it wasn’t an event designed to sell books, and while most people in the audience thanked us and then left, a couple of us had sales. And I was lucky enough to encounter readers who needed the latest installment of the Tales from the Sheep Farm. Thanks, friends!
Writing: Over the weekend, the standalone got the most attention. I’m having to do more than tweaks but less than significant rewrites, but that’s why I delayed the release; I’d originally been hoping to have this book ready to put in readers’ hands at Books Books Books in September, but some books can’t be rushed. Either this one or the next Tale from the Sheep Farm will be out in April 2026. You read this here first.
Oh! Be sure to sign up for my newsletter! April is my birthday month, and that always means goodies for my newsletter subscribers!
Editing: Nothing to say. I’m still waiting on clients to send their manuscripts. This is the downside to telling authors to Send When Ready!
Book of the Day: Best Hex Ever by Nadia El-Fassi
End of the month reminder if you use Hoopla or Libby! If you haven’t maxed out your borrows, check out an indie author’s book! Mine or someone else’s… it doesn’t matter. The point is to use your library to help give them circulation numbers, to expose yourself to something new and wonderful, and the reason you want an indie author’s book is because many of us get paid for each check-out. Everyone wins.
And, of course, if you’re jamming on the Book of the Day and these short updates and would like to say thanks but don’t need a book to read (WHAT???), my ko-fi remains open so you can buy me a (figurative) bottle of fountain pen ink. I’ll actually use it for operational expenses around here, in interests of full transparency. But also? I use my fountain pens (I’m up to 11) when I edit, so that ink is an operational expense!