Fallen Angels and Random Pitfalls: An Update

Once in a while things get very overwhelming and I tend to shut down and focus on the bare minimum tasks I feel are most important, and one of the things that falls by the wayside is this blog which very few of my readers actually keep up with - on the one hand, it means a lot of people don't actually read this information, but on the other, it means I get to post as many of my insane rantings and ravings as I like without being chased down with torches and pitchforks, and I'm okay with that.

That said, last time I posted a blog here it was NaNoWriMo, and I was very much looking forward to writing my sci-fi book The First Instinct. But since then plans have changed. I switched novels during NaNo to a paranormal romance called Sharp Hollows, but right now that's taken a backseat too. Mainly because NaNoWriMo was a total bust.

Also because I decided I should probably edit and release some other things before I start working on brand new full-length novels. For example, my short story Be Not Afraid!

Be Not Afraid was written, like, last November or December. It's a year old, and I'm kicking myself for not editing and releasing it sooner. I wrote two angel/demon themed short stories back to back, and this is one of them. You can find its Goodreads Page here. It's a very anime vibe coming from me, which I had fun with. It's got a giant spooky monster, a cool epic fight scene, and it feels very episodic/monster of the week, even though it's a standalone. At least for now.

Here's the cover:

I also added a page for it here on the blog. It will be up on Wattpad for free and maybe on this blog too, on it's official book/title page. I am looking to put out a couple more free stories in the coming weeks just because I have two or three I think would be really suited to it, and since right now I can't publish on certain retailers before the New Year (I've gotta get some new documents, rectify all my information on all my accounts, set up accounts with new distributors, etc) I might as well share things the only way I can.

Be Not Afraid, Digital Demon, and CerbIm: Blackout are the stories I'm thinking will be free, but for now keep an eye peeled for an update post where I share Be Not Afraid with official links and stuff.

I had a computer problem the other night and had to reset my PC and while I was doing so I decided I should upgrade to the new version of Scrivener because I was stuck on an outdated one. Scrivener 3 is amazing so far. I'm just hoping my payment actually goes through (it's still processing, and it should be fine, but these things make me nervous, lol) but so far I'm having fun exploring it! Even the thumbnail/taskbar icon is prettier.

In any news I'm spending Christmas morning editing this story and getting it ready, while I drink a little too much vodka, so I wanted to share the cover, aesthetic board, and some more news. I'm sure I've mentioned Be Not Afraid on this blog before, but it felt only proper to give it a real, focused introduction.

I hope your writing and reading goals are all successful and fun this holiday season! Much love, and Merry Xmas from me and mine. :)

 

The Return to Editing Hell - Also, Cake

I'm deep in the pits of editing hell, sorting through alternate characterizations and back stories and fictional family trees, so I can't take the time to write a super long blog post today.

Once I finish this round of edits I'm starting tonight I'll be writing another self-publishing know-how type post, though. Probably.

Right now I'm focused on making Divinity the most fun adventure I can. . .

I've been eating this Dairy Queen ice cream cake while I obsessively edit and tweak the cover design. I think it's pretty fun, so far. It's got angels and monsters and hot boys and Devil Wears Prada-ish subplots. I feel like readers will be able to tell I'm only scratching the surface of things with this book, and the questions they're left with will lead them onto book two.

Because, damn, book 2. Things are going to go a little insane.

I don't think I realized when I started writing these how action-driven the series was going to be, overall, and I'm having fun coordinating fight scenes and stuff. Every time I try to write a romance I inevitably end up throwing in battle scenes, because I can't help myself.

I just have to ask myself, if my book doesn't have elaborate fight scenes then am I doing my inner six year-old, who lived on Dark Angel and Kill Bill and Pirates of the Caribbean, any justice at all?

Nope. So, more swords.

It seems like a pretty simple solution to all my problems.

One thing I really love about Divinity and the Seraph Chronicles in general is I'm letting myself play around with pov and verb-tense. I know that's not something everyone loves, but I feel like when it's done right it's actually fairly enjoyable.

Right now there is an epilogue I'm thinking of taking out, even though I like it quite a lot - I feel like it fucks with the momentum of the book.

Since I'm too lazy to search for a good, non-spoiler-y quote right now, I'll leave you with a bit of the music I've been listening to while writing this bad boy;

Everything You Kneed to Know About Angels

So, I have a new book coming out before Untold (which I still haven't set a firm release date for, so don't worry you missed that, because I just haven't picked one yet) and I haven't mentioned it here yet. So, naturally, I decided to make a post about it!

The book is called Divinity, and I'm publishing it under the name Cosmo Knox, and I'm gonna post all the details you need to know right here:

- New pen name! I'm publishing it under the name Cosmo Knox just because it has more explicit sex scenes in it, along with some gore and stuff, and I wanted to separate it from my YA/NA books where sex is shown in less brutal detail. This is m/m romance strewn with plenty of sassy moments. So.

- It's the first in a series. I will fully admit I have no idea how many books the Seraph Chronicles will be. I'm hoping two (Divinity & Atrocity) will suffice to tell the story I have planned, but if I need more room, I'll take it.

- Angels! To be fair, here I'm calling them seraph, but Ty has no qualms about pointing out that fancy name or no, they're fallen angels.

- Problematic kidnap romance! We all know by now it's my guilty pleasure. Besides, Gabriel could kidnap me any day.

- Sassy moments, you say? Why, yes. Gabriel and Ty? Lots of chemistry, there. Soulmates, sparks flying, all that good stuff. It's shameless fun.

- Pretty book cover:

My planned release date is July 8th, but it could be give or take a few days, because I would rather adjust the release date than put out a not-quite-ready book.

You can find a full summary on the Goodreads page, but to boil it down to the barest elements, this is a fallen angel paranormal romance with a shamelessly flirty alpha male love interest, a main character who is both an indie musician and the Devil Wears Prada-style assistant to a famous designer. It's essentially my take on the Wattpad-esque "a hot paranormal guy just kidnapped me and is calling me his mate and what now?" kind of story.

I've had a lot of fun working on it and I think it's just about ready to come out, so I'm really excited to share it! More details to come, and I promise I will be blogging more in the future.

*Crawls back into the work cave.*