July 9, 2025
Most of my characters work, of course, being in their late 20s and early 30s, but my favorite is Vassily. You meet him in Populated, and I do recommend reading that one first, but Saving Sima is where he shines. Grab a copy (half off in the Smashwords July sale!) and see why.
I swear I was more tired yesterday than Monday, and I wound up out on the back deck last night, both for dinner and after I’d cleaned up the kitchen. The nice thing about first drafting is that I can write garbage and so long as the plot points are there, it’s all good.
So… I wrote garbage. More on that in a minute.
Yep, as expected, so far, the second read-through is going faster than the first, even with all the scrolling and finding details that don’t match up. This is truly fun for me. Don’t ask; I don’t get it, either, but it doesn’t feel like I’m working, so much as… well, fine. Working. But not drudgery!
I got probably 1500 words in last night, which leaves me only about two thousand words behind my goals. Not bad for having missed working for four days!
The sale on Populated ended, and so did the giveaway for it, so now we’ve got:
A sale on Maybe the Bird Will Rise, at Kobo only. But at 99c, it’s the cheapest you’ll find it.
The Trevolution books are free this month at Smashwords. Did I say FREE? I did!
And my newer fiction — the short story twins and the Tales from the Sheep Farm books — is all 50% off, again at Smashwords and again all month long.
It’s been a great month so far, but you can help make it better.
The Villain’s Dance, by Fiston Mwanza Mujila and Roland Glasser (translator)
As always, that’s an affiliate link, so if you use it, I’ll get a few pennies from your purchase. That helps me keep the lights on around here.
Other ways to support me, since I’m not paywalling any of this fun stuff: book my editing skills. Buy my books (sale links are above!). Stuff my Ko-fi full of green cash goodness.
Thanks, and see you tomorrow!
June 18, 2025
Let’s wish a happy book birthday to Saving Sima! It turns one today! And it’s also a fitting book when you need to talk about your an evening that went sideways. Vassily’s life definitely goes sideways during this story.
May my own outcome be as promising.
It’s not that what happened was nearly as strange as what happens to Vass in Saving Sima. It was just an evening spent in the pantry, cleaning it out and cleaning it up a bit. I just hadn’t been planning on it, but sometimes, you get inspired and the simple task occupies your brain and your body as you walk back and forth around the kitchen, emptying shelves, cleaning everything, and putting things back. In some ways, it’s cleansing of myself as much as it is cleansing of the house.
Still, it ate into my writing time.
And yet… when I sat down, I felt a lot better.
I didn’t quite hit my page goal yesterday, but that’s okay. I was doing a lot of cross-referencing with my notes and working on the timeline. Slow editing is okay when I’m doing that. So I’ll finish this read-through on Thursday, I think.
When I finally did sit down to write, I was working on next year’s newsletter story instead of Alyssa. I had expected it to be a quick tweak. Nope; that too had a moment of being sideways, as I found another mistake that I have to address. You generally don’t have homework over summer break! Summer reading, sure. But not assignments!
I’m enrolled in the Smashwords Summer/Winter sale, like usual, so look for that coming up in July.
And Populated was awarded a spot in a promotion at Kobo, so look for the price to drop, also in July.
Combined with the in-person event at the Westmoreland Arts and Heritage Festival, and July is shaping up to be a bonanza of book sales. (Reminder that my books are ALWAYS cheaper at my direct store!)
Lavash at First Sight, by Taleen Voskuni
As always, this is an affiliate link. Go forth and buy from this link, knowing that any pennies you earn me will go toward operational expenses here at West of Mars. (My business insurance is coming due soon! I could use the help.)
Want to help more? Book me for your editing needs. Buy my books. Just stuff my ko-fi, in lieu of a monthly subscription.
June 17, 2025
What better book to feature today than the one that I’d tell you is my most quiet? Broken but Undaunted doesn’t get NEARLY the love it should. Why don’t you fix that? It’s super cheap at my direct store, you get to own the copy outright (not a license, like from the big retailers), and I get the most in royalties.
So, yeah. Quiet around here and I’ll TAKE it. I pulled some weeds yesterday, brought half the checks I had to deposit to the bank (oops; thank goodness for mobile deposit!), got a lot of words written, played in the kitchen.
Kind of an ideal work day, to be honest.
One thing struck me about my current edit, and that’s how absolutely brilliantly the main character is written. She’s a victim of abuse and while we’re conditioned to expect kickass, badass women in our protagonists, this character… isn’t there yet. She ignores her gut feelings and allows herself to act against her own best interests, because being bullied is what she knows. It’s authentic, and it’s heartbreaking and I can’t wait to see how she emerges triumphant in the end. It’s an authentic, touching look at the path to transformation and being able to open yourself to healthy relationships and true love.
Damn.
The rest of the story of Authentically Alyssa snapped into place for me overnight/this morning. I spent a nice chunk of yesterday outside on the deck, writing. It’s supposed to rain here a lot again — more flooding. Whee! — so I expect to be writing inside today.
Tomorrow is Saving Sima’s first book birthday! (And of course, without thinking of that, I chose to feature it in my social media posts today. So much for planning!)
Grab your copy, if you haven’t yet. The direct store link is there, or you can just go here for it. Reminder that when you buy from an author’s direct shop, you get to keep your copy — it’s not a license, like the other retailers give you, which means it can be whisked off your device without warning — and I get the maximum royalties. Everyone wins, and you know I like it when everyone wins.
If you’re a Hoopla reader, please request Saving Sima be added back to their lineup. They delisted it in February for some reason, and haven’t rectified that.
Not Safe for Work, by Nisha J Tuli
(Affiliate link)
Just a reminder, if you’re new to the Book of the Day, that I quietly mention one book every day, never disclosing the criteria for it. It’s not hard to figure out, so have at it! What ties all these books together?
And now’s the spot where I get less quiet: Buying my books, booking my editing skills, and simply filling my ko-fi are all ways to appreciate me. Picking up print copies from Blythe Books, or direct from me in person… coming to the big author shows to see me… it all adds up. So do any reviews you leave of my writing, regardless of how many stars you leave my books.
We’re in an age of mutual aid, but that doesn’t always look like Go Fund Mes.
April 24, 2025
I have a super busy day today, and we are starting off with a delightfully chilly morning. (Saving Sima’s here because it’s set in the late fall and there’s a couple times where characters are cold, and what do you mean that’s a lame reason?)
Wow. A lot going on here!
Today’s the monthly Pennwriters meeting, and I am meeting someone before it even begins, on a quick personal matter. All’s good, and the Pennwriters meeting is one of my favorite diversions of the month. I always suggest this type of format to other writers who want to connect — we have no agenda. We just sit and chat and conversation meanders from the personal to the professional, and we swap tips and team up for things and commiserate and it’s just a wonderful vibe.
I got yet more reports from Kobo Plus, and thank you to everyone reading the Sheep Farm books via Kobo Plus! Don’t forget most of the rest of my catalog is available too, and I of course recommend the short story twins, Permission to Enter and Broken but Undaunted. (The “most of” is because the Complete Demo Tapes is only available through my online store.)
And yes! Safe House is still on sale! Again, thanks to everyone who has picked it up so far, and if you haven’t yet, what are you waiting for? Yes, you can start the series here.
And since it’s Indie Bookstore Weekend, I encourage all my Pittsburgh friends to stop by Blythe Books and pick up hard copies of the Tales from the Sheep Farm series. All are pre-autographed. And if you ask, you can get your hands on the only copies of Saving Sima, Legacy, and Permission to Enter that I left there when I did my last restocking run.
OR
Come see me at the Bad Bitch Bazaar on Sunday. Not quite an indie bookstore but a pop-up bookstore, my friends Mary Walsh and Paige Staudt are going to join me on Craig Street and we’ll be glad to put our books directly into your hands.
Wow. Is that enough? It’s more than enough for me!
Like I said, one of the expected edits arrived. I won’t make much of a start on it today, with the Pennwriters meeting and all, but I can’t wait. My roster of authors works very very hard at their craft and I can’t wait to see what this author has come up with.
The Curious Secrets of Yesterday, by Namrata Patel
(As always, it’s an affiliate link!)
How’s that? Lots going on. Wasn’t I just complaining the other day that life was boring?
It’s these chilly mornings. I’m tellin’ ya. It’s the chilly mornings.
And a reminder: If you’re into what I’m doing here, feel free to buy me a bottle of fountain pen ink. Other ways to support me include buying my books, but also reading through services such as Kobo Plus or even your library apps! I get paid if you read that way, too, and it’s always good to support your local library. Plus, your tax money is underwriting the costs, and when else do you get such a great benefit from your tax dollars?
