Why I'm Going to Change the Book Titles in Curse of Anubis

Hi all!

I haven’t talked about Curse of Anubis for a while. For those who don’t know, this is a YA Horror series that will be published after Celestial Plague. There are four books total, all of which have been written but just need to be edited, formatted and get a cover designed. The story follows Tahira, a girl caught in the zombie apocalypse who is guided by Bastet, the Egyptian goddess. It’s up to them to figure out why there are now zombies everywhere and what it has to do with Ra’s disappearance. They meet plenty of other gods along the way and traverse both the human world and the god’s plane together.

The titles that I originally came up with are below:

Halfway

Limbo

Middle

Dual

But I’m not sure if I like those titles so much now. They seem more like placeholders until I come up with better ones. I’ve tried to think of other titles that might fit better, such as: Reincarnation, Resolution, Ra’s Eye, Horus’ Eye, Set’s Revenge etc.

So far nothing has stuck.

Bastet, as she first appears in Curse of Anubis

I’m still brainstorming some ideas about what the names should be, though I’m probably going to go with something along the lines of either the protagonists or the antagonists. Tahira, Bastet, Sekhmet and Mafdet are the protagonists, while Horus, Wadjet, Set and Anubis are the antagonists. I would like to incorporate their names in the titles somewhere, but I’m not sure how that will work yet. I just wanted to make a post about it so it isn’t a shock when it does happen. The series title will be staying the same, just the individual book titles will be changed.

The first book won’t be published until late 2024, so I have time to figure out the names. I may even ask my newsletter subscribers for their thoughts as well. Nothing about the books themselves will change, just the titles.

That’s it for this week, wish me luck in finding the perfect book titles! Next week will be my 2022 year in review, so keep an eye out for that.

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Wyrm Evolutions in Elemental Dragons

Hi all,

This week I'm going to talk about the Wyrms. It's been a while since I've written a blog post on Elemental Dragons and thought I'd change that. In the series we learn that the Wyrms want to evolve to become the ultimate dragon species. To do that, the scientists have genetically engineered Elemental serum that they can consume. The only catch is that they need to wait several years for the serum to mature inside of Hazel and their friends. Some of them do get to consume some of the characters for their powers, but I want to write about how each element would make them evolve.

Water.

A water Elemental will make them evolve gills. This enables them to breathe underwater and on land, giving them the opportunity to take out all kinds of species of dragon.

Fire.

This would give them the ability to breathe fire. Fire is the only element that acts the same in Wyrms as it does in Western Dragons. They'll be able to create and manipulate fire and will develop heat resistance.

Earth.

They would evolve rock-like spikes around their necks which they could use as defense. The necks are their most vulnerable spot, so evolving these would make it harder for their enemies to kill them.

Wind.

A pair of bony wings will sprout from their backs if they consume a wind Elemental. The wings won't have any membranes so they can't fly properly, however.

Ice.

Their scales will grow thicker and they will no longer be effected by the cold. This would be good for them as they can then pursue dragon species that live high in the mountains or in harsher environments.

Electricity.

With this element, their tail will evolve. It will become thinner and more sleek and also act as a lightning rod. When struck, the Wyrms will become more frenzied in their attacks.

Light.

Their eyes will grow larger and will glow. They will be able to see perfectly in the absence of all light. Because of the glow however, they will be easier to spot in darker places. They will also struggle in the day time as the light around them will be brighter.

Dark.

If they eat a dark Elemental, their scales will become darker. Depending on the amount of light around them, their scales will change to blend in with their environment. In the daytime they will be almost see-through, while at night they will be practically invisible.

Metal.

Just for fun, I thought I'd include this element too! If they consume a metal Elemental, their jaws and teeth will turn into steel. This will never rust and will make them more of a challenge in battle.

That's it for this week! I hope you enjoyed reading, see you next week.

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How I Find Anthologies to Submit to

Hi all!

This week I wanted to talk about anthologies and competitions. I know I've mentioned this website in a previous blog post, but I want to expand a bit on it here. I found this website thanks to Christopher Fielden! His website also contains lists of competitions and magazines you can submit to, which you can check out here: Christopher Fielden

The Submission Grinder.

It's a website they filters various submissions for you. For example, you can search for competitions looking for 500 words of fantasy writing. They have various categories that you can choose from and it will bring up all available that are accepting submissions. Upon clicking on a certain listing, you'll be taken to a landing page with more details. You can see their website, what they accept and the length of the piece. You can also see how many submissions they've had through the website and what stage they're at.

I've used this website to find a few anthologies. I like expanding my writing portfolio this way and adding new publications to my website! I've submitted stories to quite a few places and some have been lucky enough to find homes. I've even found a publisher whose books and prompts I've fallen in love with, so I'll continue to submit to them!

All of the anthologies I've submitted to have had no submission fee, which is what I prefer. So, if you're on a budget, this site is perfect. There are also a few publishers who will pay you for your story, which is really exciting!

Before submitting anywhere I would recommend doing a bit of research. Just so you can get an idea about what kind of publishing company they are. You don't want to submit to a predatory publisher, or one who strips you of your story's rights permanently. I always do a quick Google search to see if anything negative immediately pops up for the publisher.

Overall, I love this website and will continue to use it in the future! I love submitting to anthologies and seeing my story amongst those of other authors. It also means that my bookshelf gets filled with more awesome books.

That's it for this week, I hope you enjoyed reading. See you next week.

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Series Based off of Mythology

Hi all,

If you've read some of my old blog posts then you'll know that a lot of my writing is based off of various mythology and mythological creatures. I was always interested in mythology when I was little and that has carried over into my adult life and my writing. I've already written one series based off of Egyptian mythology but I thought I'd talk a bit more about other mythologies that I would like to write about as well.

Egyptian.

Curse of Anubis includes Egyptian gods. The ones that show up the most are: Bastet, Sekhmet, Set, Anubis and Mafdet. I've always wanted to write about Egyptian mythology as I've always loved reading the stories growing up. I would love to go to Egypt one day to see the pyramids and I'm always on the lookout for Egyptian exhibits in museums.

Greek.

Greek mythology was my favourite when I was younger. I had numerous books about the stories of the gods and demi-gods. I've got a series planned, Damaged Goods, which will centre around the Greeks. Pyrrah, the daughter of Hades, struggles to find her way in the world when her father turns his back on her. Desperate for power, she vows revenge on the gods and recruits their descendants to help her. There's also the book that I want to write for Patreon about Laelaps and the Teumessian Fox which is based off the story of the uncatchable fox and the dog that never loses its prey.

Norse.

The part that interests me the most about Norse mythology are the Valkyries. I want to write a series about a school where girls are trained to be Valkyries and paired with their flying horse partners. It would be like Elemental Dragons, but instead of dragons there would be flying horses instead!

Celtic.

I've only recently started looking into more and more Celtic mythology and I find it really interesting. I would like to write about it in some way but I'm currently brain storming ideas. I'm sure I'll come up with something good at some point!

Persian.

This one is the one I know the least about as I've only just started researching it. But so far I've seen a few mythological creatures that have caught my eye that I think would be interesting to write about. Once I've done some more research I'll have a think about what stands out to me most.

That's it for this week, I hope you enjoyed reading! See you next week.

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How Lockdowns Influenced Celestial Plague

Hi all,

This week I'm going to talk about how the lockdowns influenced my YA Post-Apocalyptic series, Celestial Plague. The series starts because a virus starts spreading around the world, infecting people and encouraging them to infect others so they can pass onto Nirvana or Heaven. While I started writing the series before the pandemic, I have gone back and edited some parts to be more realistic to the lockdowns that happened around the world.

Isolation.

The SARJ virus happens very early in the books so we only see the characters at school once. Shannon watches a short news reel on the virus which states that it's spreading, but no procedures have been put in place yet. The characters all still go to school as normal before the virus hits their small town. They hide in Shannon's house, only letting in one person who infects Shannon before leaving. The rest of the girls then keep Shannon in her bedroom until they can determine that she won't infect them. They mainly stay in Shannon's house for the first book until they are forced to leave. The SARJ virus is not a respiratory one, instead it is spread through bites. The virus also shows it's symptoms almost immediately, which means that the infected can be isolated if others are quick enough.

Groceries.

When the girls sneak out to get food, they notice that toilet paper and perishable food has all been taken first. Originally I wrote that canned food would be the first to run out of stock but when lockdown happened that wasn't the case. It was mostly bread, milk, toilet paper and hand sanitiser that ran out first. So I incorporated that into the books.

Misinformation.

The main source of misinformation in Celestial Plague comes from Warren, the leader of a cult. At first he tells people that the virus only takes the sinners and kicks out the infected. But he then has a change of heart down the line and starts accepting the infected as well. He preaches ways people can keep themselves safe from the virus and that it's a punishment from God. He is also able to control some of the 'demons' that appear when people start going to Nirvana and Heaven.

Travel.

Due to most people getting infected and passing on to Nirvana or Heaven, the girls don't come across many people in vehicles. When they do it's usually from people who have looted them from those who have gone. When lockdowns first happened there were very few people on the roads, so I tried to incorporate that into Celestial Plague.

Fear.

The SARJ virus can only be passed on through a bite from a human. So this makes the survivors fear the infected more so than usual. One of the main characters, Jenna, is especially hostile towards the infected and hates them with a passion. There are many groups that will only allow those who are uninfected to stay with them. When the lockdowns happened, people were scared for their lives and tried to stay away from others as much as possible. This is also true in Celestial Plague.

That's it for this week, see you next week!

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Underwater Stories

Hi all,

Before I start writing Original Elementals #4: Devouring next month I want to get some short stories written. I've found some anthologies with themes that I find really interesting and they all involve underwater beings. I thought I'd write a post explaining what creatures I'm planning on writing about in these stories.

Nessie.

One of the anthologies has a strange theme of Loch Ness Monster vs Ghosts of Atlantis. I think this theme is unique and a good one to stretch my imagination. As the title of the anthology suggests, Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster, will be involved. But I'm also going to include Morag, the monster of Loch Morar. I think these two go well together as they inhabit separate Lochs and I think it will be interesting to tie them in together. As for the ghosts of Atlantis, I've got a few ideas bouncing around in my head but nothing solid for now.

Mermaids.

A different anthology has the theme of mermaids. I'm thinking this story will be a horror one, featuring a mermaid preying on fishermen who have taken something from her. I don't know whether the thing that they have taken will be a mythological creature or a tiger shark, I haven't decided yet. But this mermaid won't be nice to people she comes across, she will use anything at her disposal to make them suffer.

Kelpies.

I like the idea of kelpies in their horse form. I would like to include them in a short story, but I'm not sure if this will tie in with Nessie or the mermaid. The kelpies will probably appear in a herd and I like to imagine them being aggressive. They will not hesitate to attack whatever is threatening them.

Leviathan.

A monster hiding in the deep that suddenly comes to the surface is one of my favourite tropes. The monster that I'm thinking about will erupt from the deep and will control the weather. Freak storms, maelstroms, tsunamis - all controlled by this monster.

That's it for this week, I hope you enjoyed reading! See you next week.

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My Writing Playlist Part Two

Hi all!

Two years ago I wrote a blog post about songs I listen to that have inspired my writing. As it’s been a while I thought I’d do a part two to that list. You can read the first part here.

Figure 8 - Ellie Goulding

Guns and Horses - Ellie Goulding

Sweater Weather - The Neighbourhood

Stone Cold Classic 3000 - George Barnett

Est-Ce Que Tu M'aimes? - Maître Gims

Je Te Pardonne - Maître Gims ft Sia

Breaking My Bones - Friday Pilots Club

Heat Waves - Glass Animals

Young Gods - Halsey

Burn The Stars - Massive Vibes

Hiding In The Blue - TheFatRat & RIELL

Darkside - NEONI

Don’t Look Back - The Dear Hunter

G.O.M.D. - Sickick

Glass Animals is on the list again as I absolutely adore their music and it’s great for writing to. There’s also quite a few by the same artists here as well. Once I find a singer that resonates with my writing I tend to explore a lot of their songs!

Some of these are great for writing action scenes to, such as Breaking My Bones and Stone Cold Classic 3000. Whereas Je Te Pardonne and Don’t Look Back are better for sadder, more emotional scenes. I listen to these songs a lot, as well a lot of the ones from part one of this post. Maybe in two years I can expand on this list again! I’m always on the lookout for new music to keep me going while I’m doing short writing sprints or to inspire certain scenes.

Hiding In The Blue has actually inspired what I hope to be a book series about Norse mythology! (Once I’ve done a bit more planning…). I’ve also had a few ideas bounce around my head since the first time I listened to G.O.M.D. which will hopefully turn into at least one book.

That’s it for this week, I hope you check out some of the music I’ve talked about, the songs are great to listen to whether you’re writing or not. See you next week!

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The Winged Character in Celestial Plague

Hi all,

Not that long ago I wrote a blog post on Raya, one of the main characters of Celestial Plague. Following on from her post, I thought I'd write about another of the main characters - Shannon Pennylove. Her power is passive as she can fly. Unlike a lot of winged people however, her wings are deformed thanks to her genes. Her father has bat wings while her mother has bird wings. While this would usually present itself as the child getting one of their parent's wings this didn't work out for Shannon. Instead she got a strange mix of both that aren't the best for flying or appearance. For years her parents were a laughing stock because of this and considered her birth to be a punishment that drove them towards Warren's cult. Her parents consider her a disappointment because of this and don't interact with her much.

Her wings are a mix of a bird’s and a bat's - she has the structure of bat wings and the membranes but they're covered in brown and grey ombre feathers. They're bulky and hard to fly with. Not that flying matters to her anyway, as she is terrified of it. Thanks to her parents lack of encouragement and several failed attempts at flying, she developed a fear of heights. This appears several times throughout the books and Shannon barely uses her wings because of this, even when it would help her friends.

Her dream is to become a police officer one day, though this dream is shot down due to her wings. Some of the only jobs she can do involve flying or piloting. Neither of which she wants to do. She feels lost and useless compared to her friends, especially Raya who is fine with fighting off threats whenever necessary. She, Raya and Ashleigh were all part of Warren's cult before Shannon was outed as a lesbian and kicked out. Surprisingly her parents picked her over Warren, which is something she never understands.

Jenna is her girlfriend in the beginning of the first book and the two of them could be considered close, though their relationship is one-sided. Ashleigh and Raya don't like Jenna too much, but put up with her for Jenna's sake. With all the events that happen in the series Shannon still holds a torch for Jenna and will always try to help her if she can. Even when her friends plead with her to let Jenna go.

In the future I'll do posts on Jenna and Ashleigh - the last two main characters of Celestial Plague.

I hope you enjoyed reading, see you next week.

The Team Taking Down The Rot

Hi all,

On the first of this month I started writing the fourth book in the Celestial Plague series, Hell. As well as the core main characters there are also new characters that are important to the story, so I thought I'd talk a bit about them here. They are the ones who decide to get rid of The Rot and their powers are quite interesting with how they fit into their plan.

Mirai.

Mirai is the oldest of the new characters at twenty years old. She is Japanese. Her power is passive as she can see visions of the future. She can't control these visions and she only sees things that are deemed 'important'. Her father also has visions of the future but his are near constant and he sees everything regardless of whether it's important or not. Her family plays a large role in this book as they are the ones who convince the others that they can eradicate The Rot.

Shari.

Shari is the youngest of the new characters at fourteen. She is half Hungarian on her mother’s side and grew up there before moving to the UK when the SARJ virus hit. Her power is creating a pocket dimension that she can send things to, but they can't come back. If you've read my previous blog posts about Celestial Plague then you might remember me mentioning a character called Shani who initially supposed to have a book of her own in the series before I revamped the idea and characters. Shari is almost identical to Shani apart from the name and the fact that she isn't raised by Jenna and Cindy. I really liked the idea of the character and was ecstatic when I came up with a way to slot her into the series again. Her power is the key to getting rid of The Rot, as the plan is to send it to her pocket dimension. Shari is also the only one of the new characters that is Bitten.

Romina.

Romina is seventeen and her power is shapeshifting. She is Spanish. She can shapeshift into a tiger at will and is skilled in combat. She is protective of Shari especially as she is the youngest of the group. She and Mirai are close but are stressed with their way of life and the SARJ virus and The Rot. She jumps at the chance to do something about it, and is the most willing member of the group. The only person she doesn't get along with is Amyra.

Amyra.

Amyra, like Jenna and Cindy, isn't a part of the initial group. She joins later after stumbling upon the group's cabin after they are attacked by a mutated Sarj. She is a British Muslim. Her power is that she can create forcefields that can keep almost everything out. Her power is the key to reaching the source of The Rot, as she can protect the others from its effects as they travel. She is sixteen and is extremely distrustful of the group at first, especially Mirai. They know each other but they're hesitant to tell anyone why.

That's it for this week, I hope you enjoyed reading! See you next week.

Why Celestial Plague Now Has an Extra Book

Hi all,

If you follow me on social media you may be aware of the fact that I’m going to write a fourth book in the Celestial Plague series next month. The series is a YA Post-Apocalyptic Fantasy series following four teenage girls as they try to survive in a new world amidst a virus. The series was eventually only going to be three books, but I can’t shake the idea of a fourth out of my head.

The fourth book will haver a time skip.

Celestial Plague #4: Hell, will take place just over a year after the events of the previous three books. I won’t talk about this too much as it includes spoilers. But, all four characters are in this book as well and they will all have chapters dedicated to them.

There will be new characters.

As well as the characters from previous books there will be new ones as well. This book will mainly focus on Jenna, one of the main characters, and more of her adventures in her new world.

There are new villains.

Without giving too much away for the previous books, there will be new villains in this one. This book should also tie up a few loose ends from the previous books.

The virus is still around.

Although not as powerful as before, it’s still around and Jenna hates it. It’s a lot harder for people to get infected now, though it is still possible. The Bots and the Sarjs will also make appearances as the two are unable to live peacefully with one another.

The Rot will be explained.

Although this has little meaning to you now as the first book isn’t even out yet, just know that this book will explain The Rot. It has nothing to do with the virus and is merely a coincidence that it popped up the same time as the virus did. Jenna knows far more about its origins than she’s letting on, however, and this will come out in this book.

That’s it for this week, I hope you enjoyed reading! See you next week!

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When the Sun Sets…