My Statement on NaNoWriMo

Hi all,

For those of you unaware, NaNoWriMo has recently made some statements that have completely devastated the writing community. Instead of condemning the use of AI for writing books, they have instead labelled those who oppose it as 'classist' and 'ableist'.

I've participated in NaNoWriMo for six years and have written over one million words due to it.

But now, I'm going to leave it.

I don't agree with their stance on AI writing nor their comments about those who oppose it. There are so many authors out there who work so hard on their books on their own merit and they are having their work stolen to train AI into writing books.

For NaNoWriMo to support this, completely goes against my views. I do not support this type of writing and find it shameful that they would choose to do so.

Many have now backed out of NaNoWriMo and a few board members have stepped down because of this. Although they are now trying to backtrack and claim that their words were misconstrued, the damage has been done.

I will be looking for an alternative to NaNoWriMo to write my books in the future and will no longer participate in any of their events. I know there are many in the writing community who feel the same. When I find a suitable alternative, I'll let you all know.

See you next week. 

Novelist Review

Hi all,

If you've been following my blog for a while, then you may know that I write mostly using my phone. I used to use Evernote, but then they started placing restrictions on how many notes and notebooks you could create unless you paid a subscription.

Not writing on my phone wasn't an answer and I did try many things before finally settling on what I use now, Novelist!

It's an app for writers that can be used to plot books. You can split everything into chapters and notebooks, which is pretty handy! Although the app itself says it's not for writing books, I've used it for two books now and I'm really enjoying it.

It has a real time word count visible at the top of the screen, as well as characters, sentences and paragraphs. I usually only check the word count, but it's nice to have everything on display. It's much better than having to exit the note to check the word count.

I tend to write in dark mode as it's easier on my eyes, which is lovely little feature that I didn't consider before.

You can format the text as you go or just leave it as it is. I still prefer to do my formatting after in Word, but I think it's useful nonetheless.

It's great for keeping notes of all of my books in tidy places. I have different note books for book ideas, the books themselves and blog posts. This post was written in Novelist!

I would highly recommend Novelist for anyone who wants to either plot or write a book. It's changed how I write and I absolutely adore it. When Evernote first started placing restrictions I was initially worried that I wouldn't be able to find another app to use. I went through the notes app that was already on my phone, Word, OneNote and a few other apps that I downloaded. I found that Novelist is the best by far and I will continue using it for my writing and plotting.

That's it for this week! See you next Sunday. 

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My Casual Writing Project

Hi all,

This week I'm talking about the newest book that I'm working on, though this one I'm doing a bit differently.

You may remember The Core from a poll that I put up a few year's ago. Street Rats won the poll but The Core came in a close second. I've renamed the book now but it is by no means a final title.

I'm now writing Cloud's Core, which is a standalone book that I've had in my ideas folder for years. Unlike past projects where I try to complete the book as fast as possible, this time I'm taking it slow.

I'm calling it my 'casual' writing project.

That means that I have no deadline to finish and I'm taking it at my own pace. There's no goal to meet day by day or even week by week. I just write whenever I feel like it.

So far, I write early in the morning when I'm getting ready for work and then I don't touch it for the rest of the day. I'm able to write about a thousand words each time doing this.

So far I'm not sure if this is the best method for me as I'm terrible with procrastination. If I don't have to do something, I will just keep putting it off. I think I need goals to motivate me to actually finish a project. NaNoWriMo is great for this as I'm motivated to get the project done every day until the end of the month. At the end of the month I am really tired but the method works.

I don't know if Cloud's Core will continue like this or whether I'll eventually put a goal on myself. But for now I'm happy to test this out and see how it goes. This method might not work for me but it could work for others.

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

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July 2024 Camp NaNoWriMo Wrap-Up

Hi all,

July Camp NaNoWriMo ended two weeks ago and it’s time for the wrap-up! This time I was writing the first draft of Empty Skies #3: Burning Constellations.

My final word count is…

80,082 words!

I wasn’t expecting to go so far over my word count for this book, I was aiming for 75K. But it ended up working out quite well as I could fit in more backstory about The Remnants and how they were treated by the gods.

This book does have a happy ending, which I’d planned from the beginning. When I was writing the first book in the series, the ending was the first thing I came up with. Some might call it bittersweet, but I think it’s the best ending that the characters could hope for.

In this book, Ataraxia discovers more about The Remnants and why they act the way they do. She resolves to try to help them in any way possible when the gods return. She is even willing to sacrifice her own life over it.

Laelaps meanwhile is trying to keep the group together and doesn’t care for the reasons why The Burning has done what she did. He is desperate to get back to his old life and doesn’t want to visit Earth again for a while so he can recover.

NaNoWriMo begins in November and for once I’m not sure what I’m going to write for it. I could do Original Elementals #8: Turf or one of my standalones that have been planned for years. Once I get closer to the time, I’m sure I’ll make a decision.

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

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Willow & Rose

Hi all,

Iron Faerie have published another anthology containing one of my short stories! You can check it out below…

Willow and Rose is a compilation of fantasy, horror and speculative drabbles and flash fiction from authors worldwide.
Within its pages you will find enchanting stories of myth, legends and fairytales woven throughout.
Dive into the magic and wonder of these 50+ tales in Volume Five.

I love submitting to Iron Faerie as the stories contained are always amazing. They always ask for submissions with great themes and prompts so I will continue submitting to them in the future.

This short story follows Sekhmet and her encounter with a man trying to sell Ancient Eygptian artifacts. If you think that this will go down well with the goddess, then you’ll need to read the story to see her reaction…

That’s it for this week, I hope you check out Willow & Rose! See you next week.

PS; don’t forget to check out this book bundle if you’re heading on holiday:

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My Writing Playlist Part Three

Hi all,

It's been a while since I've done a writing playlist post so I thought I'd correct that!

Black Mambo - Glass Animals

Gooey - Glass Animals

Wonderful Nothing - Glass Animals

Peregrine - Mako

Maria - Dua Lipa

People I Don't Like - UPSAHL

Mr Fear - Siames

Labour - Paris Paloma

Love You More - Llynks

Honey Lavendar - Iuean

Next Up Forever - AJR

Time Machine - Robyn

Where Have You Been - Rihanna

I think this year's playlist is the most upbeat so far! A lot of these songs I just like to listen to while I'm writing. A few of them have inspired a few short stories that I've written to.

Of course, Glass Animals is on the lost for third time! They're my favourite band and I love listening to their music. They've just released a new album too which I've been listening to. My favourite one so far is Wonderful Nothing. I'm sure their album will inspire some future stories too.

I think most of the songs on this playlist will inspire mythological stories. I'm starting to plan my Norse mythology series and I'm looking into other world mythology too.

That's it for this week! Let me know if you listen to any songs I've mentioned! See you next week. 

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Dragons and Cats

Hi all,

It's been a while since I've written a post about cats so I thought I'd fix that!

In the Elemental Dragons universe, dragons can communicate with cats as they speak the same language. I've mentioned in the past that the two have different dialects but for the most part they can understand each other.

A lot of dragons prefer cats to dogs if they have more of a calmer temperament. This is because they tend to prefer relaxing and snoozing in the sunshine. But they sometimes play, though this gets harder as the dragons get bigger!

The dragons would consider the cat a part of their family, though they don't see each other as siblings. But they tend to have strong bonds that struggle to be broken. Cats can be more aloof, but a lot of times they make it clear that they do love any dragons they're close to.

The one thing that cats hate doing is flying on the back of a dragon. Travelling along the ground is fine and usually preferred for lazy felines. But they don't like being taken up into the air. The wind and cold is too much for them so they will react violently if they are made to fly without wanting to. 

In some rare cases dragons and cats don't get on at all. This may be because of a clash of personality or extreme jealousy. But as long as someone gives both equal attention and is patient, these obstacles can be overcome.

If I had a dragon, I'd like to think that it would get along with my cat, Mishka. She likes being the centre of attention but maybe a scaly friend would make her reconsider!

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

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July 2024 Camp NaNoWriMo Project Announcement

Hi all,

Although it feels like no time at all has passed, July is almost here! That means I'll be participating in Camp NaNoWriMo again. This time, my project will be...

Empty Skies #3: Burning Constellations.

The final book in the Empty Skies series is set immediately after book two. In this one, the origins of The Remnants are discovered and the need to bring the gods back is heightened.

Ataraxia and Laelaps have recovered for the most part from their spats in the second book. But both have become a lot more confident as time has gone on. They are more likely to stand up for themselves and push their ideas more. Ataraxia in particular was already pretty headstrong, but she has matured a lot as the series has gone on. Laelaps was the quieter one but even he has had to open up more.

The antagonist for this book is Medusa, who is working with The Burning to get revenge of Poseidon. I always thought that in the myths that Athena turned her into a gorgon to protect her rather than punish her. So, she will not blame Athena for what happened to her. I'm also thinking of introducing the other gorgons too, but I'm not sure how that will go yet. I might change my mind as I'm writing the book.

I've had the ending for this book in my head for a while so I'm actually quite excited to get it onto the page. I'll be sad that the story is over, but the characters will still make cameos in other books! The Damaged Goods series will be a prequel to Empty Skies featuring the Remnants. It will explain how they got to where they are now and what happened along the way to make them so bitter. In fact, the origin story of The Freezing has been in my head since I was fifteen! I'll be so happy to finally write that one out.

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

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Being Nothing in Elemental Dragons

Hi all,

It's been a while since I've written a post about the lore of Elemental Dragons and I don't think I've covered this topic too much before.

First of all, what is a Nothing?

In the Elemental Dragons universe, a person or dragon whose partner dies is considered a Nothing. This is because it is really hard to exist without the other.

There are a few examples of Nothings in the books, but the main one that's shown is Bluey (aka Muddy). When he's introduced in Venom and Earth, he is shown without a human companion. The group takes him in with them and he travels with them. But he can't get too close to the city without a human as otherwise they would target him as a Nothing.

What happens to Nothings?

For humans, they're immediately thrown out of any camp that they're in if they're under nineteen. All of their work towards their education is discarded and they are forced to enter the adult world with nothing but the clothes on their back. They don't get the same job opportunities as everyone else and they are looked down upon for having a dead dragon.

For dragons, they are immediately taken to zoos or farms to perform as entertainment. They can be ridden on and fed but they are not treated well. They are not allowed to exist on their own in the wild as they are considered a drain on the ecosystem. This is best seen with Russet and Moon in the Elemental Dragons Short Story Collection.

Can two Nothings pass as companions?

At the end of Cinder and Fire, it's shown that Marco and Cerberus have joined up and are passing off as each other's companions. This can be common for Nothings but very few get away with this in the longterm. The ones that do get away with it tend to have the same elements. If their elements differ, it's a lot harder to get away with.

One day I'd love to write a book about Nothings in the Elemental Dragons universe. But before I start on that I'm going to finish the Original Elementals series. Maybe after that I can focus on what the next series of the universe will be.

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

PS; don’t forget to check out this book bundle!

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Ten Books Published

Hi all,

With the last book of Celestial Plague published, I have now published ten books!

When I first started publishing I never thought I would ever hit this number. I absolutely love writing and this has been an absolute dream. Every single book that I've written has meant a lot to me in some way and I'm so glad that I can get them out into the world. It's the best feeling to see my books available for people to read!

If you had asked me ten years ago if I would have published ten books, I don't think I would have. My mental health had improved so much and writing has been a real outlet for me.

I don't want to stop writing or publishing and I can't wait to get my next one out. I'm so glad that people are enjoying my work and want to read more of it.

Thank you to everyone who has supported me along this journey and I'm going to keep going!

To recap, the ten books that I've currently published are:

Elemental Dragons #1: Blood and Water

Elemental Dragons #2: Venom and Earth

Elemental Dragons #3: Glass and Ice

Elemental Dragons #4: Cinder and Fire

Years

Mute

Celestial Plague #1: Nirvana

Celestial Plague #2: Heaven

Celestial Plague #3: Purgatory

Celestial Plague #4: Hell

The next series that I'll be publishing is Curse of Anubis, which will be four books. After that, I think that I'll be publishing the Empty Skies series and hopefully some of the Original Elementals series too. I still have loads of great ideas for books that I want to write so I don't think I'll run out of publishing material any time soon.

That's it for this week, I hope you enjoyed reading. Another thank you to everyone who has supported me so far and I hope you'll stay with me as I continue to publish books. See you next week. 

PS; don’t forget to check out these book bundles:

Kindle Unlimited Horror Bookfest

Exciting Woo-niverse Giveaways: Fantasy, Paranormal, Magical Realism, Supernatural, and Sci-Fi