I’ve split my roundups into two posts: a post about the books I read, and another about writing, updates, and life in general.
So, the first month of the year is already gone. That was fast.
Writing:
I kept up my writing spreadsheet, so this month I wrote 27,600 words of prose and 4,700 words of various nonfic like this blog, for a total of 32,300 words. Some of the prose was planning, but I count that as I’d rather write 3,000 words of good plot points than 6,000 words of meandering fluff I have to cut in the next draft. I wrote a tiny bit of Betwixt Book and the start of a novella before I switched back to Memory Book. I’ve passed 10k on that, but I tend to start a little slower and then speed up.
I’ve also done a little freelance editing this month for an art magazine, which I enjoyed.
False Hearts is out in 133 days, or around 4.5 months, so things for that are starting to gear up! ARCs have been printed and a few have gone out so far, mostly to booksellers. That’ll change this month and it’ll start going wider. US ARCs should arrive this month too. I found out at the end of the month that Macmillan have hired ED PR and Emma Draude and her assistant, Hayley, will be working on the book.
False Hearts appeared on some anticipated lists, which is heartening:
Scottish Book Trust: 27 Scottish Novels to Look Forward to in 2016
SF Signal: MIND MELD: This Is What We Want To Read In 2016 (Thanks, Sunil!)
SF Book Reviews: Books to Look Out For in 2016
Best Science Fiction has it listed as a “noteworthy release” on its front page
I think that’s all of them. So…that’s a lot more than my other books were ever listed, this far out from publication. It means the hook, blurbs, and covers seem to be doing their job. 
False Hearts can be added on Goodreads and pre-order information is here.
Non False Hearts-wise, I had an interview on MuggleNet about the Micah Grey series
Travel & Life:
I went nowhere in January. Stayed in my house, on my sofa, under my duvet, with a warm drink. January tends to be one of my least favourite months. It’s dark, it’s cold, it’s dreary. The excitement of Christmas is over but there’s usually anything exciting on the horizon. Last year I went on holiday in January, and I wish I could do that again some time in the next few years. I hibernated for the most part, but now that we’re moving at least a little closer into spring, I’m waking up a little.
I started an art class that I go to on Fridays for the next few months, and I’m really enjoying it so far, even if I’m bad at it.
Goals for Next Month:
I think edits will be arriving soon for either Masquerade, Shattered Minds, or both, so I’ll probably be switching gears from Memory Book back to those. I have at least one school visit booked. Planning events and things for release will probably happen this month or next. I’ll be keeping busy.
What are your goals for February?
Leave a Reply