You should be seeing some visible results on Amazon this month. It’s been a long time since I hit the publish button. It felt pretty good. Just sayin’

Status

New Ishmael:
School Days: SC Marva Collins – Book 1 on Amazon in both ebook and paper (or will be as soon as Amazon finishes their messing about). I hit publish yesterday. Podium has the file and expects a release in late fall ’23.

Working Class: SC Marva Collins – Book 2 is back from the editor and waiting on cover art. Look for it around the end of the month. Podium has the file and will probably schedule it right after School Days.

Hard Knocks: SC Marva Collins – Book 3 is in the final editing stage now. I don’t expect the cover art until July but, fingers crossed, it should drop at the end of July.

Shackleford House:

The Wizard’s Cat: The Wizard’s Butler – Book 2 is cranking along. After a month of wrestling with it, I finally have a plot, a path, and a thrilling conclusion. What I don’t have is a finished first draft yet, but I’ve already reserved an editor slot for July. That gives me a month to get this kitty purring before I have to send it to Karen to work her magic.

What Am I Reading?

My classic last month was Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. I found that it didn’t stand up well to the memory I have of it. I haven’t picked a new one for this month yet.

My recommendation this month is a the first book in a new series from C. J. Archer – The Librarian of Crooked Lane. It’s a sequel series to the Glass and Steele series that I enjoyed greatly and features the next generation of magic users and an updated time frame to the post World War I era. Great characters – because it’s always the characters – and an interesting transition in setting. Archer does a great job with this story. I’m looking forward to the next books.

But – as always – don’t take my word for it. Grab a sample and see what you think.

Notes in the Margins:
I read a lot of books that I didn’t review this month. One because it’s not available yet and I won’t review a book you can’t get. Several because they were sequels in a lot of series that I needed to catch up on. Bob and Nikki. Henri Davenforth. Some Deanna Chase. You can see my new reviews when I post them on my BookWyrm account at The Unseen City.

Looking Ahead

The Wizard’s Cat has been a pain in the butt for too long. Thanks to some brainstorming and a lot of ponderation, I think I’m finally on the right track to getting it actually drafted out. It’s been a long time in the making and so many people have written to me asking for it.

After that, I need to check in with EJ on the sequel to Salt. I think their half is done already and I need to fill in my parts. It’s a fun, lore-filled world with so much mythology that we’ve created to support the narrative. Wazor the Scholar is one of my all-time favorite characters, but it’s probably because I identify with grumpy old men.

What happens after that? I take a break, I think.

But that’s all a problem for Future Me. I need to wrangle this cat before I can get back there.

Until next month, safe voyage.
-N

End of the month, end of the quarter. I’ve gotten a lot done.

I missed a quite a few days of the podcast but I only missed the walk four times last month. I also upgraded my main computer, made some progress with my game, and – oh, yeah – got a book out for editing.

Status

School’s Out: SC Marva Collins, Book 1 – I finally got it whipped into shape after almost three months of wrestling with it. I’m very pleased with the way it came together. Sorry to all the beta-reader hopefuls, but I tossed it over the fence to the editor already so we can get his train rolling.

Working Class: SC Marva Collins, Book 2 – I’ve finished a first damage assessment pass on it. Other than the opening chapter(s), which took a beating because Book 1 ended differently, it flows pretty well. I’ll be reserving an editor slot for this one for May, if Karen has one available.

Hard Knocks: SC Marva Collins, Book 3 – Waiting in the wings. This is the last book for this series. It’ll go under the microscope as soon as I finish with book 2.

All three of these new Ishmael books have already been contracted to Podium for the audio production and I have cover art in the works for all three.

The Wizard’s Cat is peeking through the window. I’ll be starting that (again) as soon as I’ve cleared these three Ishmael books off my desk.

What Am I Reading?

The March classic for my 2023 reading challenge was The Tale of Genji, a 1000 year old novel set in Japan. Stories haven’t changed much. Neither have people, I’m sorry to say.

I read a lot of really good books that you can find on my BookWyrm instance, but the one I want to recommend this month is Hexes and Hot Flashes by Lisa Manifold. [Transparency: I know Lisa personally. She’s another Colorado writer and we worked together with the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers for a number of years. In spite of that, I loved this book.]

The story centers around a mid-life ex-wife, Wynter Chastain, as so many paranormal women’s fiction stories do. Magic takes her unaware and leaves her with a massive problem, a new role in life, and a large, handsome man to help. If she can. It’s not a given that she’ll succeed, or even if she wants to.

Wynter and her friends – living and dead – help her as much as they can but it ultimately comes down to her.

Great characters. Great setting. Loved the story with all it’s twists and turns.

But – as always – don’t take my work for it. Grab yourself the sample and see what you think for yourselves.

Notes in the Margin:
You can find the other books that I read – and enjoyed – this month on my book review account on the Unseen City.

Looking Ahead

I feel like I’ve wrapped up the quarter with a bang. Cover art sorted, audio contracts signed, one book at the editor, another almost ready for the blue pencil. I’ve restarted Talking On My Morning Walk, even though it hasn’t been as consistent as I’d like.

I even took a few days last month to upgrade my main computer with new SSDs and shifted everything to Linux, leaving Windows behind. It feels like a new machine.

Over the next couple of weeks, I’m hoping to get Working Class ready for the editor and start combing out the tangles in Hard Knocks so that it’s ready when she can fit it in.

That will clear the deck for The Wizard’s Cat. For a one off, stand alone, just for the heck of it book, The Wizard’s Butler touched a nerve with a lot of people. I’m not complaining. I knew when I finished it that I would be back to Shackleford House sooner or later. I could wish it had been sooner, but cancer has a way of refocusing one’s priorities.

I still have a lot of medical check-ups, appointments, and the like ahead of me but, fingers crossed, we’ve put that trial behind us.

Until next month, crew. Safe voyage.

-N