NANOWRIMO

Hello everyone!

I know I haven't posted much on my blog lately. If you've been following me on FB then you probably have the latest info.

So just a recap.

New series out early 2016. Cover reveal soon.
Gemini a Legacy out late 2016. Cover reveal next year.

Okay, so that sums everything up. Alright, so what am I on here for then?

Well, I wanted to let everyone know that I plan on participating in NANO this year for the very FIRST time. OMG, I'm actually nervous. I never participated before because I was super busy and/or already involved in a writing project. Plus, I was terrified of trying to get that many words in a month. I mean come on, it usually takes me 3-4 months to write my Gemini books and they actually don't even reach 50k. But I'm determined. Why? Mainly because I need a boost to actually get started on the last book of the Gemini series. It's not that I'm not inspired, but that I just don't have will power; I just graduated, moved states, and then started a new career--all in the course of several months. That is a lot of overload for me and it's really hurting my writing.

Now to be completely honest, I also have been having a writing affair. I have started a few offside projects to keep my writing skills up while I'm not working on my published novels. Such as a fanfic and also a few Sim stories.  So know that I'm not rusty, just focusing my energy on other things.

So that's it! I just thought I would dust the shelves on this blog and update you with this post! Until next time--Happy Reading! or in my case Happy Writing!

Uprising by Allana Kephart and Melissa Simmons Cover Reveal

Uprising

The Dolan Prophecies Series Book #1

By- Allana Kephart & Melissa Simmons

Expected Publication Date- April 18th, 2014

Genre- New Adult Dystopian

The year 2102--the world as it was no longer exists. Ravaged by nuclear war and polluted almost to the point of no return, Earth was dying. When the faeries came and brought their healing magic, humanity was grateful at first. Centuries of damage repaired in just five years, and during the course of that rehabilitation, they invaded. Quietly overthrown, the human race is now enslaved. The majority doesn’t even realize they have no free will. Branded, herded and kept only to further the agendas of the Fae Courts, humanity could be facing extinction.

But a resistance is coming…

Fianna Dolan has spent her entire young life preparing herself for an uprising against the Fae. One scorching summer night Fi's parents leave and never return. Thrust into a position of power she never expected, Fi struggles with her new position and the responsibility it entails. When a secretive fae man known only as Flint breaches the city’s defenses claiming he can help, Fi begins to doubt everything she's ever considered truth. As betrayals and deception come to light, will Fi want the answers she’s been seeking, or will trusting Flint lead to her destruction?

A Full Time Student With a Novel to Sell

So, I am getting closer and closer to my graduation date. May 10th, to be precise. As my current semester's studies get more and more in depth I find less and less time to write, but I do it knowing that I chose writing as a career and I feel compelled to give my readers more.

So let me give you a look into my life at this moment. Currently, I have 12 hours of classes. Now that's not a lot compared to the 15-18 hours I am used to, but this semester is important because I'm taking my capstone course: Writing Portfolio. This class will determine my graduation; it is my exit exam. I have to take everything I have written during my course of a Professional Writing Major and format it into a very creative book. In some ways I feel relieved. I do this already! In other ways, it's intimidating as it will not have a grade but PASS or FAIL. Now, top that off with my other 3 classes. 

Then, I also work 20+ hours at Panera Bread. I work all mornings. For me, it's early to rise as early as 4am on the days I work. After I get off work, I head to my classes. You would think that would be great because then my afternoons are free, but alas, you would be wrong. See I also have an internship. I just started it two weeks ago. I LOVE it. It's creative, fun, and challenges me to learn new software; however, I put in ten hours each week and guess what, they are in the evenings. So by the time I finish, I still have to do homework. 

So let's talk about homework. Did you know that there is a rule in college? For every hour you spend in class, you will spend twice as much doing homework. Well, that is true. Even if I don't want to, the amount of time it takes for me to finish the projects due in each class equals to that amount. So if I have 12 credit hours, then arguably I am spending 24 hours a week just doing homework.

Now, lets add all of this up. 12 hours for school + 20 hours for Panera + 10 hours for my internship +  24 hours for homework. That equals to 66 hours a week and there is 168 hours in a week. But wait, I still have to include sleep and I try to get 8 hours in, but lately it's been all I can do to get 6. Alright, now also lets go ahead and add food and hygiene lets say about 5 hours each day. That is another 77 hours each week. That has me at 143 hours. Giving me a total of 25 hours a week to spend or 3 hours each day doing what I want.

Did I mention that I am married and still basically am a newly wed? I want to spend most of those 3 hours each day to spend with my husband. Giving me exactly 1 hour to focus on writing. 

When do I get a down time? I basically don't and I'm waiting for that to catch up with my body. In fact, I already pushed back my first editing appointment since I didn't have my last manuscript finished and with my next deadline sitting right around the corner, I'm wondering how I am going to pull it off. It's really tough to be a writer and it takes time to do it and to do it properly. 

My point of all of this is that writing is something I love. I'll always continue to do it, despite my tight schedule. But, I would like readers to remember why I "sell" my books. I don't have all the time in the world to just sit and write. Readers want books out promptly and in order for me to do that, I have to take a lot more time out of my schedule to do so. Not to mention what it costs me out of pocket to publish: editing, cover art, ect.

I look forward to graduation, not because I can take a deep breath and finally relax, not because I can say I finally earned that degree, but because it opens up 36 hours of writing time--ideally. We all know that once I graduate something else will help fill that time, but for right now I will breathe in the excitement of more potential writing time.