Update and catch up

Hi guys,

Let me start this post by saying I am sorry. I don't write here as often as I wish or want to.

I spent the first two months of 2021 reinventing my life, seeing where I want to go and how to get there.

Back in 2020 I started this crazy adventure that others make look so easy. I went and published my first book back in September 2020. In my eagerness, I started writing book 2 before I published book 1 in the Weatherboro mysteries. When I hit publish a few things happened. I started obsessing over reviews. I thought the bad reviews would hit me the hardest, and thought they hurt, I understand them. What was worst was the good review. I loved them but they caused me to start obsessing over making book 2 absolutely perfect.

I tried finishing book 2 but something wasn't clicking. I rewrote and edited parts of it, but still I wasn't happy with it. I started writing book 3 as part of nanowrimo. I sent book 2 to my beta reader during Christmas break after a lot of procrastinating and shuffling my feet. She was very honest with me and everything she pointed out made me realise why I didn't like it.

That was early January. After that, I wasn't sure how to restart, I had lots of great ideas on how to make the book what I want it to be, but I couldn't start. Add to this the fact I thought I needed the next book to come out now, now, now and I was paralysed.

I started changing things in early February, fleshed out Thibault and Jack better, and then I did the same with 6 of the characters appearing in 'murder in the library' and two that will make appareances (or not) in book 2. Then I created outlines for two books out of 4 for these characters.

And then it clicked, not with Thibault and Jack but with two characters for a different book. I had tried writing their story twice before, but it wasn't working.

This time it's working and well. Please leave a comment here to let me know who you think it might be. I am still in the early stages. I wanted this to be a shorter story and set a goal of 35k words. I am at 23k words and nowhere near done. Granted, about 6k of this will need to go and be completely rewritten, but I am probably only a third of the way through, so I would say, the first book in 'loving in Weatherboro' is going to be closer to 55k than 35k.

All this to say, I am writing and Thibault and Jack's second might not be what's working for me at the moment, but writing this other book is helping the creative flow come back in and I am hoping to get to them once I am finished with this one. It has no title or book cover yet, but it's coming.

Another thing I want to do is stay away from social media and tried to post on here at least once a week with updates, maybe snippets and definitely progress.

I am finally starting my newsletter as well, so go hit subscribe if you wish to always be kept informed of what's going with me.

Wishing all a great week and I'll keep you posted.

Cel