Not so bad after all? That’s how I think of this collection of my older short fiction–when I’m being hard on myself. It was all previously published elsewhere before I put it into this collection, and it encapsulates that time in my life. It’s not so bad… it’s not bad at all. It’s just not where I am now as a writer… and a person.

But honestly, the utter goofiness of Pink Snowbunnies In Hell continues to crack me up. And “The Ghost of the Dresser” is a story I still think about regularly. Since it’s a small collection, those two stories take up a nice-sized chunk of the book!

Not so bad after all!

editing

I edit a lot of fantasy. I’m not sure why fantasy authors gravitate toward me — well, in part I am. It’s because of the business name. West of Mars was the name of an episode of the original TV show, Lost in Space. Regardless of the WHY, I love my fantasy authors. (I love all my authors, but that’s another thing.) I love the fantasy genre, and I particularly love when my authors are doing new and different things within it. This edit so far has been great fun. A new series from an established author.

writing

I spent yesterday thinking what I’d written Wednesday night was terrible. I vowed I’d fix it today. And I sat down in the afternoon, the cat keeping the kid company and not me, and… it was not so bad! Definite first draft, but I didn’t need to fix as much as I’d expected to.

I also woke up yesterday to sales reports, which is great, except… they were for April sales, and the book they were for had been removed from the platform in March. I’m hoping there’s not an issue there.

Book of the Day

The Duke who Didn’t, by Courtney Milan
(affiliate link)

Know what your ko-fi donations are going to buy me? A new key cap for my keyboard. I bought new caps two years ago and for some reason, the right shift key broke and I had to go back to using the old one and… I mean, it’s fine. But I want a new shift key. So that’s the vague “operational expenses here at West of Mars” that I keep referring to. Because I know you’re all wondering.

As I look back at the Trevolution and the Demo Tapes short pieces in particular, all I can think is, “Yeah, Trevor played hookie. Again and again and again. It was part of his charm.”

I will never create a character like Trevor Wolff again. I just won’t. I’m too old now, too jaded, too… I don’t know what. Different.

Grab your own copy of The Complete Demo Tapes and compare it to the Tales from the Sheep Farm series and see what I mean.

editing

I finished off what I was working on in the morning, and right after I asked the kid if playing hookie and going on a pre-moving adventure was about to happen, I opened my new edit from an established client. Big mistake.

I was immediately sucked in.

And it felt SO GOOD.

Which is weird, because it’s not like I’ve been without editing work. Maybe it was the confluence of a familiar author’s voice and the job required of me… I don’t know. All I know is that pigs in mud, tigers in pools, and bison in dirt wallows had NOTHING on me right then.

And then I walked away from my desk and took my kid to buy plates, which yes, qualifies as playing hookie for a number of reasons. And let me tell you, the colors that kid chose are gorgeous. Where I’m a hot mess and one of absolutely everything, the kid was artistic and thoughtful.

writing

I got my words in, but it felt more like I was trying to figure out what I was trying to say, which isn’t like me, but is very much the way this project has been–and I started working on it a year ago, if not more! It’s been THAT hard.

But I have a plan for tonight, so that’s good.

Book of the Day

A Free Man of Color, by Barbara Hambly
Affiliate link, as almost always. And as absolutely always, any monies raised go to operational expenses here at West of Mars.

I’m at my desk today, unless the kid wants another pre-move adventure. (I kinda hope stuff will start to be sorted, but it’s on the kid and I know from experience to let it go and trust my kid’s process because it’ll all get done.)
Reminder to support me however you’d like: Buying Books of the Day via my affiliate link (I’ve got most of them in a list you can check out here.)
You can borrow my books via Hoopla or Libby or whatever ebook system your library uses (I get paid when you do!) — and remember to request them if they’re not there. Looking at you, certain Libby subscriptions and you, Hoopla, who only lists the first three Sheep Farm books.
If you have Kobo Plus (YAY!), I’m there, too. A lot of you like this option, and I am grateful!
You can buy my books, either in ebook or physical form. (Reminder that when you “buy” through the retailers, you’re buying a license to read the book, and they can yank it off your reader whenever they’d like. Buy direct from me if you’d like to actually own and control it.)
And, of course, you can fill my ko-fi, either as a straight-up donation or by paying what you’d like for either my Beta Reader’s Guide and/or my Writer’s Guide to Library Events.

If you too are playing hookie, I want to hear about your adventures!

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.

editing

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!

writing

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.

Book of the Day

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!

I’ve felt like a Pink Snowbunny in hell this weekend, stuck at home because my mechanic can’t fix my tire until today. It’s been a Looooooong ten days, friends. Cross fingers all goes well with the mechanic and I didn’t do anything dumb like bend my rims. Also? Driving on a donut tire is NOT FUN.

One last note: While the Pink Snowbunnies In Hell anthology is now out of print, you can read my story, The Taste of Pink Snow, in the Broken but Undaunted collection, and you can get THAT at any retailer, Libby, Kobo Plus, and other retailers, including my own for less than the other retail sites. Just… not Hoopla. But feel free to request that Hoopla carry it again!

Clearly, I’ll be taking weekends off from posting here, and I’m okay with that. I’m allowed a few days off and things like “Not missing a day in years” aren’t the badges of honor we often think they are. If you’re chained to a task, when are you exploring the other facets of life? As an editor first and then a writer, the more I know, the more I learn, the better I am at my crafts.

writing

I decided I hated this version of Absolutely Alyssa (the third one, mind you), so on Sunday, I deleted the whole thing and wrote 2500+ more words on a fourth entirely new version. Some books are not born easily.

editing

I’m hoping to finish up this first readthrough of my current edit today, but that’s going to be dependent on my car. I need to stop at the grocery and bank on the way from picking it up.

I’m still waiting on those same six manuscripts, and I’ve been fielding a nice number of potential clients… but they seem to make contact and then ghost me. I’ve learned not to stress; it’s hard to be the one rejecting others, especially in a field so full of rejection. The right people will find me and benefit from my editorial skills, much as I’d love to edit for every single author out there. It’s just not practical!

Book of the Day

Catfish in Paradise, by Joi Jackson

If that’s not proof I pick these randomly, nothing is because if I were engineering the Book of the Day, today’s book would have been about a car tire, or something automotive-related. It’s been hard being stuck at home!

Reminder that if you like my content, rather than a Patreon model, I’ve got a ko-fi that you can fill. Or you can pick up the Beta Reader’s Guide, or the Writer’s Guide to Library Events, and pay what you want for them. Support comes in many ways, including simply following along here, and/or telling your friends.

Cross your fingers that this is, indeed, the end of the tire saga for me!

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?)

writing

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!

editing

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.

Book of the Day

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?

It’s boring around here, and I’m struggling to bring you something pithy.

I ain’t got nothin’. Let’s get to it.

writing

I guess I broke my writing into three sessions yesterday; it wasn’t intentional. The first, done on the back deck (I love the back deck), focused on a short I was challenged to write a year ago. I’ve been not struggling with it, but not giving it the time it needs and deserves, either.
The second and third writing sessions, one done on the back deck and the last inside, went back to what’ll be Tales from the Sheep Farm 7.

Safe House is still on sale! Grab it before the end of the month; you’ll see Taylor in future books. They also make appearances in the first two; they’re pretty important to things in my world, so spend some time with them.

editing

Nothing new here, either. I’ve been keeping busy and, as always, learning new things that should make me a better editor.

I wasn’t kidding when I told you things around here were boring!

Book of the Day

I Need a New Butt! by Dawn McMillan and illustrated by Ross Kinnaird
(Affiliate link)

Talk to yinz and y’all tomorrow. Maybe I’ll have something to say; there’s plenty to look forward to: the Bad Bitch Bazaar opens for the year on Sunday, and I’ll be there with the tent and authors Mary Walsh and Paige Staudt. If you’re local, stop in to see us!

And as always, if you’ve maxed out your book buying budget AND your loans at Hoopla, Libby, or whatever library app but still want to support the cause, buy me a bottle of fountain pen ink.

oplus_0

I am STOKED about today. (I’m also considering pre-napping.)

Lunch with a couple of good author friends, and then I’m hitting the road to Ashtabula, Ohio for the Indie Author Bash, hosted by author Chelsea Banning and Pretty Good Books. I was a late addition to the roster of 50 authors, and grateful they had room to include me. And I get to meet Chelsea! We’ve been buddies on Threads for a bit now, and if you open a copy of her Of Crowns and Legends, you might see my name in it, depending on which edition you get. Might. Maybe. Go look for yourself.

So that brings us to the daily updates:

editing

Not much to report. I’m talking to other editors, and we’re all agreeing that right now requires flexibility in our pricing and billing practices. The times are what they are, so let’s survive them together.
(And remember: Editors deserve living wages, just like every other person out there.)
I’m still waiting on those seven manuscripts… three have been promised imminently, so let’s see which arrives first. My money’s on the longest one.

writing

Not much to say here, either. I got a bit of work done, but also was fighting a migraine. Spring allergies? The lovely scent of mushroom manure left by the landscapers as they correct the damage done by the contractors? I’m not sure, but it did go away quickly.
Safe House is still on sale! Grab your copy, and remember there’s a further discount if you buy it at my shop.

Book of the Day

Island Queen, by Vanessa Riley

As always, links to Bookshop.org are affiliate links, and any pennies earn there go to operational expenses here at West of Mars.
If you like what you see and want to be more directly involved in that “editors deserve living wages” part, here’s my ko-fi. Or send a friend over for an edit.

And if you’re at the Indie Author Bash tonight, be sure to say hi!

Who expected to wake up to a stealth book publication? Not me!

But things came together yesterday — at last! — and I couldn’t see a reason to not put the Complete Demo Tapes out into the world, making it my 14th book publication. This completes the Trevolution series, although plenty of you actually have asked me what happens next in Trevor’s world. Sorry, gang. Time to close that chapter and move ahead. I will always love the covers Lakota Phillips made me for the Demo Tapes books, and watching her soar in her own painting career has been amazing, so I turned to the wonderful Rachel Bowdler for her help.

As a result, The Complete Demo Tapes will only be available at my online store. If I sell out the rest of the Trevolution print copies (right now, there’s one six-book set, one four-book set, and random numbers of Demo Tapes 1, Demo Tapes 2, and Trevor’s Song left) and y’all ask, I’ll put it into print and sell it in person.

writing

Wasn’t a stealth book publication enough?
Populated is still on sale at Kobo! Tomorrow’s the last day, so get on that, if you haven’t already.
Safe House is also still on sale. All month long, as part of this promotion. (That’s two individual links, so click ’em both!)

editing

Nothing new here. Waiting on seven different manuscripts. I take first in, first served but always save space if a client has a hard deadline.

Book of the Day

The Scarlet Alchemist, by Kylie Lee Baker
(This is an affiliate link, so if you use it, I’ll get a few pennies.)

Reminder that if you’re having fun here, fill my ko-fi, hire me as your editor, buy and read (and, if you like, review) my books. I even gave you a stealth book publication to entice you! (No, that’s not why I did it; I did it to close out the project.)

It’s Tuesday. My editor self actually really likes Tuesdays because Mondays are always so hard to focus. But Tuesdays? Tuesday are the day when it clicks and it’s a day of plugging along, getting pages done and all the editing stuff. (Reminder: editing isn’t only looking for typos!)

Writing:

Despite how tired I still was from the weekend — and sore. What’s that about? — I had a fantastic writing session last night, working on the standalone.

Populated is still on sale at Kobo!
Safe House is still on sale all month, at all retailers.

Editing:

Plugging along here too! Now up to seven manuscripts that I’m waiting on. Seven!

Book of the day:

Echoes and Embers, by Pedro Iniguez

I’m still having fun with this daily check-in and Book of the Day. If you are too, why not say thanks? Pick up a copy of one of my books. Check them out from your local library, even! (Ebooks only) Or buy me a figurative bottle of fountain pen ink via my Ko-fi.

In the meantime, keep on plugging along!

Yes! Populated is being featured at Kobo for the next two weeks. Go grab a copy while the price is low. (This is ebook form only, of course. I WISH I could sell print copies this cheaply!)

I’m headed out to see my youngest, so it’s a long day behind the wheel for me. And last I checked, it was looking like a rainy spring weekend.

Ask me if I care. I don’t. I’m gonna see my kid and spend time with her at this temporary stop on her path. Plus animals!

As always, I have a house sitter, so give up THOSE thoughts. Besides, I don’t have anything of value. I just spent it all on my renovation!

Writing: Still working on the standalone! Yinz and y’all are going to love it. I love Priscilla and Errick and what’s this? I’m giving up details?

Editing: On hold, of course, until Monday, when I’m back from my road trip adventures. Whee!

Book of the Day: Love is a War Song, by Danica Nava

That’s all I got, since I’m not here and scheduled this out. As always, if you appreciate me and the Book of the Day, feel free to buy me a Ko-fi.

And if you’re new around here, join my mailing list! Do it for the freebies.

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!

Cover for Populated, written by Susan Helene Gottfried

No, this isn’t a post about Populated. I mean, well, it is. But it’s not.

A couple of years ago, a group of ten women met at one of our houses, intending to start a cookbook club. We were masked, we were mostly strangers to each other. I was new enough to our parent organization to think this would be a good way to meet people. And food was involved. How could it go wrong?

Well, sometimes the recipes we cook go sideways.

And sometimes, life works out in a way that would make Delia Ford, whose story is told in Populated, proud.

A year ago, the woman who’d organized us and opened her house to us for that first meeting — and many times thereafter — found a cookbook author who was new to most of us. And so we did what we usually do: we each picked a recipe and made it.

But then, our fearless (and highly creative) leader discovered more in the cookbook that made it unique. And much fun was had. As we always do, we came together at a dining room table, over food.

And THEN, our leader said, “Why don’t we host the author for a weekend?”

Yesterday was the culmination of a year’s plans.

It was a lot of work for the seven of us, but when I was sitting with author Jennifer Abadi and handling the in-person cookbook sales for her, I asked her how it felt. I’d noticed her taking pictures of all the tables, but hadn’t thought too much about it.

“You brought my book to life!” she told me in a hushed, exultant, wondering voice that was so full of emotion that I didn’t just get it, I thought this is something Delia Ford would do.

And that made me even prouder. That wasn’t something we’d set out to do, per se. We’d wanted to showcase some of the recipes Jennifer has archived, from countries around the world. We’d wanted to make it fun, so we’d mined the interviews she’d included. And we’d wanted to have some fun.

But we gave Jennifer a gift, a greater gift than I think any of us had expected.

Like Delia in her book (although, series spoiler: we do see her again in future books), I woke up Sunday morning and realized many things about the women in my cookbook club — and many of the women not in the club but who I’ve gotten to know over the years.

Like Delia, my world has become strangely populated with people who value me, who respect me, who enjoy my presence, who I like to be around.

So here’s to Jennifer Abadi, who so graciously came to my city and cooked and ate and sold cookbooks and met me and my friends and hopefully loved the hospitality Pittsburgh is actually famous for. Here’s to my cookbook club, who wound up giving Jennifer a gift, bringing her book to life.

And here’s to my friends, who are helping bring my own book to life in such very very different way.

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.

There’s been a lot of chatter this week on socials about quick releasing books. I stand by the practice… IF the author can hold off on publishing until their books are the best possible, they’ve been through editing… in other words, don’t rush. Publishing is the long game, so it’s smart to make sure you’re playing to your best advantage.

That’s what I’ve done with the first four books in the Sheep Farm series. (I’m working on Book Five right now, in fact, and I do hope to have it out for you by the end of 2024.)

Which brings us to today’s subject matter: Safe House, Tales From the Sheep Farm #3 is up for preorder at all the usual retailers. And like always, it’s 99c

Here’s your universal book link.

I’ll have my amazing web person update the books page soon, but in the meantime, here’s the book description:

A deadly virus is bearing down on the world and Emerson Mackenzie, CEO of PharmaScience Technologies—now back in its ancestral home of Port Kenneth, Tennessee—opens up the historic Mackenzie house on the family’s defunct sheep farm to six people: himself, his wife Tess Cartieri, his house manager, two members of his board of directors, and his executive assistant, Taylor Alexander.

Taylor won’t abandon Emerson, but at the same time, they don’t want to be there. Taylor has secrets, a past and memories they cannot face, and they fear that being locked in a house with five others will be entirely too revealing.

Taylor’s passion is to be outside, hiking, in a world that makes sense to them, and Emerson harnesses that, asking Taylor to map the boundaries of the old sheep farm and maybe help discover secrets buried on the land. Taylor is glad to do so, although the secrets they help Emerson and Tess discover are immediately darker and more disturbing than any had expected.

As the virus rages, as tensions across the country simmer, as relationships within the house change, and as the land gives up its secrets, Taylor realizes time has grown short. Their secrets cannot remain hidden any longer.

When they spill, Taylor is exposed for all in the house to see.

And every person inside the house responds in ways Taylor never expected.

If you’ve read the first two books, or even just Maybe the Bird Will Rise, you’ve met Taylor. But now you get to really know them. So did I as I wrote this, and I really like who Taylor revealed themself to be.

If you need a copy of Maybe the Bird Will Rise or Populated, both are on sale right now to celebrate the release of Safe House.

And of course, if your library uses either Hoopla or Overdrive/Libby, look for me there. I get paid, the library gets circulation numbers, you get books within your budget… it’s a win-win-win for everyone.

On the editing front, I’m going to be finishing up one that’s taken me longer than I would have liked, but it needed a lot of attention and love. Next up in the editing queue is a genre switch by an established author. This is the second time I’ve gone over it for her (reminder that I charge half the original amount when you ask me to do this) and I’m anxious to see her improvements. This author, like all of my clients, is more than willing to do the hard work, and it shows. Watching her develop as a writer has been a pleasure and a privilege.

Next week (Feb. 3), I’ll be appearing with a few other authors at the Peters Township library here in the Pittsburgh region. If you’re nearby, come see me and my friends!

That’s it from this end. Expect more of these updates and let me know what you think of them!

Are you ready?

I am.

And I am not.

But here we go!

Book One of Tales From the Sheep Farm, Maybe the Bird Will Rise, is up for preorder, with an on-sale date of September 26. That’s not very far away from right now!

To entice you toward the preorder, do I have a deal for you. It’s 99c through the end of September. And then it’ll go back up to its regular price of $5.99. That’s five bucks off!

That’s because I want you to read this book. I want you to love Mack and Tess and the fictional city of Port Kenneth as much as I do. I want you to find alligators. I want you to think about issues of racial justice and equality. (If you’re an author, I want you to enter my world and write a book set here. I want to hear YOUR voice, real and raw and powerful and often censored by other spots within this publishing ecosystem.)

I want this book, and this series, to challenge you. To make you think. To strive to do tikkun olam, the Jewish act of healing the world.

Ready for what Maybe the Bird Will Rise is about?

Tess Cartieri has called Port Kenneth, TN home for her entire life. An architect specializing in urban renewal, she’s long dreamed of renovating an old sports field at her alma mater, Kenilworth University. But without the funding, the field sits, forgotten—until the day she’s hired to take on this project at last.

The money is coming from, of all people, the man Tess set free after college, Emerson Mackenzie. He had shared this dream with Tess but had turned his back on her and Port Kenneth when the family business needed him.

But now Mack is back in Tess’ life, still reeling from the recent loss of his wife and hoping this project will help him heal. There’s something about Port Kenneth, though, something more than how normal and natural it feels to be with Tess again, that calls to him and he begins investigating what it would take to move his company to the city.

Old family secrets come out of hiding and as Mack and Tess face them together and discover the legacy of the Mackenzie Treasure, they cement their commitment to each other and begin to understand how the past will affect their futures.
Maybe the Bird Will Rise is a story of the search for answers, the hope that adventures brings, and a second chance at love.

See those last four words? This book isn’t a romance, for a bunch of reasons. But there’s romance here, or at least a rekindling of what was, as two people move forward to a future full of uncertainty and secrets.

Seriously. This is the place. This is the time.

Pick up your copy; here’s the universal link!

Need to know more about the entire Tales From the Sheep Farm project? Follow this link, and I’m glad to share. If you have questions, reach out! Don’t be shy. People are treasures too — and that includes you!

Whew, have I been busy, or what?

Definitely not “or what.” I have been busy.

This collection was even easier to put together. It’s shorter than Permission to Enter by almost half! (That’s because there’s no novella in there… Among other reasons.) All I had to do was make sure no typos had crept in and… we were off to the races. Even the title came to me easily — Broken and Undaunted are the titles of two of the stories, so it was a matter of… well, Broken but Undaunted just fit, didn’t it? It certainly ties the theme in with Permission to Enter.

When I stopped and thought about the stories in here, I was actually surprised. Almost all of them are either tie-ins to the Trevolution series from all those years ago. The two that aren’t are the two most recently written — if 2011 and 2015 count as recent!

The point, though, was to gather the stories into one spot. Many of them are now out of print, and it’s fun to have them for posterity. Look at how far I’ve come… or just go visit with my old friends. I’m glad to stand behind these stories. They encapsulate a period of time in my life, and I had a really good time revisiting them as I weighed whether or not to publish them like this.

Pick up your copy of Broken but Undaunted.

Also, bear in mind that starting at Authors in the Steel City in 2024, you’ll be able to pick up special print editions with the cool dark covers designed by Lex Valentine! (The covers for this and Permission were designed by Rachel Bowdler and I’m proud to work with both women on this project.)

I honestly never thought this day would come. And to be honest, being primarily an editor is great fun and I love it and I hope that no matter where this author ride takes me, I remain an editor first.

But.

I had a couple days back in March without editing work. And that’s NEVER good. Idle Susan equals trouble, in big, fat, screaming capital letters.

So I decided to channel that trouble and dig through my hard drive. It wasn’t as much of a mess as I thought, which is good. And I knew all this material was there, so it was a matter of taking a good hard look at it through my editorial lens, not my Susan-who-wrote-this lens, and I decided I have enough material to bring you a collection of short stories.

I know. I know. Believe me, after the Demo Tapes, I know! Short stories don’t sell.

In this case, I don’t care. There’s some strategy here, but mostly, this collection is full of material I’m really proud of, really confident of. And I want to share it with the world. (That means you.)

So. Permission to Enter.

Now, I hope a few (only ten!) copies will have arrived by the time the Books Books Books Festival in Lititz, PA happens at the end of September (If you’re nearby, come see me!). BUT in 2024, you’ll be able to pick up special editions with special covers. The content will remain the same. It’s just going to be an in-person bonus of sorts with a slick cover that’s kind of opposite this one, and it’s just perfect and I love it too.

So go and pick up your own copy of Permission to Enter.

Oh! Wait! You need to see the official description, especially because I love it as much as I love the stories themselves.

Permission to Enter

Women feature in this collection of short stories and one novella. Women regaining their power, moving forward through life, learning to face and deal with their pasts. These women have lived, loved, and lost. They have optimism for the future and darkness in their pasts. They have been granted permission to enter, they have seized it, or else they stand ready to do so.

Really, they’re just like us.

Okay! Universal Buy Link to make sure you can pick up the book where you’d like! If your library supports Overdrive or Bibliotheca, you can read it that way! Hoopla is coming at some point, if that’s your poison. I do encourage and support library use, so I hope you do the same.

And, as I say every time I post a Featured New Book Spotlight, remember that the best way to thank an author for their hard work is to gift a copy to your friend. The next best way is to recommend it. And the third? Leave an online review.

Have at it. Have fun.

I’m really proud of this little collection!

Trevor’s Song is part of the Smashwords Summer Sale.

It’s July, so that means one thing: the Smashwords Summer (winter for you Down Under) Sale!

As always, my books are free for you, so help yourself. Pick up one of my past titles, enjoy Trevor and the Trevolution. Let me know if you want to see a third Trevor novel or a fifth Demo Tapes compilation — or even a complete set, with each and every story in chronological order. I can and will do any or all of these for you.

But this year, I’m going to lay down a challenge for you. On August 2, 2019 (so, a year and a month) from now, my daughter is headed to Yellowstone National Park with the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium. They picked 13 of their ZooU students for this trip, which is run through Ecology Project International. They’ll be doing a week’s worth of research, conservation work, and more. They’ll be camping in the back country, bear spray at the ready. It’s a nine-day trip, the longest she’ll have been away from me. And she’ll be doing something I’ve dreamed about! Talk about adding insult to injury…

So. What’s the challenge I’m handing down to you?

It’s this: If you decide to pay full price for any of my books at Smashwords during the month of July, when they are on sale and you could have them for free, I’ll put 100% of my royalties to the cost of her trip. It’s not a cheap trip, and she needs some gear before she goes, too. Thankfully, because we are a Scouting family, we have some of it. But she still needs some.

Want to donate directly to her and skip the books, since you’ve already read and loved them? You can do that. She and I would both love that.

Regardless of what you choose to do (if you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice!), take some time and wander through the Smashwords Summer Sale. Find some good deals.

And no matter what, remember to leave a review! Nothing helps an author more — except telling your friends about something you’ve read — than leaving a review. Even if it’s as short as “I liked this because…”

Negative reviews may prick an author’s pride, but when written constructively, they are helpful to both the author and future readers. I encourage you to think long and hard, but not to shy away from a negative review.

And, as always, if you need help writing a review, holler. I offer a steep discount on review help. That’s how important they are to me.

Happy Smashwords searching! And if you haven’t joined the Trevolution yet, why not? It’s FREE.

It’s March, and that means one thing: Time for Read an E-Book Week at Smashwords!

If you read e-books but don’t already have an account at Smashwords, what are you waiting for? They truly offer the best royalty rate around, which helps authors immensely. Yes, you can download to your Kindle, folks! For us authors, they distribute our books to retailers and libraries for us. I’ve used them as long as I’ve been publishing, and we’re coming up on the 10-year anniversary mark for that.

Those of you who haven’t read my Trevolution books yet, grab them. Read them. Realize how old they are, and cut me a break. I’ve learned a lot since then, as a writer, as an editor, and as a person. Life is, after all, a journey. Books are moments on that timeline, which is what makes them fun when you know the author well.

Yes, I’m working on new stuff. No, I don’t know when they’ll be out; hopefully soon. My accident knocked me off schedule (go figure!) and even after all this time, my stamina’s not quite back yet. So for now, enjoy the old stuff — I usually manage a couple hundred downloads every year, and I’m hoping this year won’t be any different. Why should it be? If you’ve read the books, help spread the word!

Finally, remember that the best way to say thanks for a free read is to write a review. Heck, the way to say thanks to an author for any book you read is to write a review. It can be as simple as “I liked this because…” or “I didn’t like…” — negative reviews are helpful and good things, believe it or not!

If you are struggling to write a review, do your best and drop me a line. For a whopping $5 — yes, five bucks! — I’ll help you master the art of the review and create something that helps make you, the reader, look good. (Remember that a couple years ago, I was working as a pro book reviewer, so you’re in good hands.)

So go. Download, read, and enjoy. And holler if you need help.

Trevor Wolff did not blame others for his own issues, thankyouverymuch. Not that being ugly was an issue; issues, you could fix somehow. Ugly, you were just stuck with.

It’s free everywhere but Amazon (sigh — but feel free to report it!):
Smashwords
B&N
iTunes/iBooks/Apple
Amazon
Kobo
Overdrive
Scribd