end-of-the-year wrap up

2014 was an interesting year for me.

Writing wise, it was nothing like I expected.

In January, I started writing and editing in earnest post-baby, and that in itself proved to be a challenge I was not prepared to meet. My production level was reduced by half, compared to pre-pregnancy, no-baby output, and for the first half of the year, my brain was still not totally committed to doing anything more taxing than making sure that I didn’t put diapers on backwards and remembering how long it had been since the last nursing session.

Writing and editing was difficult. My creativity was all but dead, and I had little to no motivation. But I soldiered on and did what I could, trying to edit The Wizard’s Heart to publish later this year.

Around April or so, I started writing a new story to give myself something fun to work on, when my mind was too exhausted to make sense of my serious work. Dark Lord in Training was born, reimagined from a sorry attempt at NaNoWriMo from the previous November.

And so 2014 started rather uneventfully. My writing and editing progress was slow, but I was content with that. I had a baby to take care of after all. Any progress made was better than nothing at all, so I resolved to do my best, and make the most of what may come.

And then May happened.

I received an offer from Harper Voyager for my first steampunk novel, a planned sequel, and the companion novella. This was totally unexpected, as I had completely forgotten that I had even submitted the novel to Harper Voyager back in late 2012. I accepted the offer, the contract was negotiated, and I signed the three-book deal and began a new journey into the world of traditional publishing.

In the meantime, I continued working on The Wizard’s Heart, realizing that it was going to take me much longer to complete than I originally anticipated. Because baby, and publishing deal, and the fact that it needed a lot more work than I thought.

Dark Lord in Training continued along nicely, and in August, I began posting chapters to Wattpad for reader feedback. One of the best decisions I have ever made with regards to my fiction.

And now, at the end of the year, I’m in the middle of revising my first steampunk novel for Harper Voyager, with the deadline to complete the draft just three weeks away.

2014 was nothing like I expected it would be. It was so much better.

2015 is shaping up to be a busy year with at least two publications with Harper Voyager already scheduled, writing and editing the second steampunk novel, finishing and publishing The Wizard’s Heart, and finishing the first draft of Dark Lord in Training. I’m not going to be any more ambitious than that. If I tried, pretty sure the stress would kill me.

Now, for the end-of-the-year progress report for my books:

The Wizard’s Heart

– in revisions; fourth draft, 20% complete; currently 115,000 words

Dark Lord in Training

– drafting; first draft, approximately 30% complete; currently 23,000 words

The Clockwork Giant*

– in revisions; Harper Voyager draft, 10% complete; currently 72,000 words

*tentatively titled

Outside of writing, I spent most of my time taking care of the little one, marathoning a few television shows, reading books, and trying (and failing) to keep the house from looking like a disaster zone. I’ve learned to find peace in myself, despite the constant chaos of my life and the world around me. I’ve made new friends and drifted away from others, while growing closer to the two best friends in the world. I have survived the first year of parenthood and experienced the singular joy of having a child. My husband and I struggled to re-identify ourselves, both individually, and as a family, but we too survived, with more love in our hearts than before, and we learned more about ourselves and each other in the process.

I’m excited to see what the next year brings.