April CampNaNo week 2, 2022

| Emma-Kate Writing

Tarot reading for the week: Ace of Swords (reversed), The Chariot (reversed), Ace of Cups

Reading: House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J Maas

Listening to: Your Name ost by Radwimps

It’s week 2 of Camp. Winter is coming fast– it almost feels as though it’s trying to skip over Autumn again. Every day is chilled, but it’s been nice for reading in the bath.

I’m well on track for my goal this month, which means I’m also able to take the weekends to do no writing. It’s a habit I’ve been trying to build for a while now. To treat writing, fun as it is, like work. I shouldn’t feel obligated to work on weekends, and try to only do things in the same work hours as my partner.

Other than my new draft, after a several month break+ getting most of my queries back, I’ve started tearing into W+W because I’ve had so many ideas to add that little something it felt like it was missing for me. Lauren Rose and I are also embarking on a self publishing project together and I am brimming with excitement. Balancing wanting to do all the things and feel perpertually ill is a bummer, though.

Happy writing,

E.K xo

Catch up, Camp Nano April 2022, etc

| Emma-Kate Writing

Tarot reading for the week: Page of Swords, Ten of Coins, Four of Coins.

Reading: Finished “How to Stop Feeling like Shit” by Andrea Owen. Five-seven books going currently, but going to focus on “Premonitions of the Titanic Disaster” by Terry Keefe.

Listening to: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1g7lV7wu3f7QDC6eSRivIS?si=de57070cc902474b my Camp Nano project playlist

Well, hey there. It’s been a while since I posted here. Like, four years. And the world has massively changed in that time. I don’t wanna talk about that though; we hear enough about the dreaded “C” Word and everything that goes with it.

I see a lot of authors doing newsletters, but I don’t think that’s for me. For one, I have a singularly thing ‘proplerly’ published right now. So I don’t feel allowed to bother people, I guess? It’s an odd sentiment, because I don’t think that about other authors at all. I guess that’s imposter syndrome and all of that. I did what to start plopping my thoughts down somewhere, and if someone wants to read them– good for you, and thanks for that.

Currently, I’m in a weird spot. Camp starts tomorrow, I have a fresh project with 6k words in my outline (sadly only act 1 is outlined, but I have a synopsis, so that’s something). There are a few things that make it different, though this camp. One, seasonal depression is kicking in way earlier than expected. So that’s rough. That’s probably compounded by being in the query trenches too with my urban fantasy. At least, I think it’s an urban fantasy. See, I wrote this book, and it was so weird and I was so proud of it, but the more I listen to others (ie. reddit and twitter), the more I lose faith in it. Despite querying going okay. Like, yeah, I’ve had rejections. I’ve sent out 20 since January, and I’ve gotten like 8 rejections. But I’ve had a full (that was a pass) and a partial still out there, so that’s good! Especially with how terrible it all is right now. But that’s a whole other thing, too. Maybe it would be easier if I didn’t rely on outside approval for gratification or whatever. Point is, my book is out there, and I refuse to touch it, as tempting as it is, until all the rejections come back. Because I don’t want to be somehow who keeps flinging it out there in the hopes I get a bite. I want someone to love and champion my work, right?

Anway, back to camp. I’m trying something different. Several somethings, even. One, I’m trying a new genre: Gothic Romance. That’s terrifying for me, but I want to tell this story. It’s been niggling at me, much like my urban fantasy had. Which I smashed through. However, this camp, I’ve set myself a much smaller goal than usual: 10k words only. 500 a day, with weekends to rest. I’m a classic panicker/overachiever though, so I’ll see how hard I burn myself out, panicking that I’m not good enough, that I never will be good enough.

Since I’ve got…24 hours until I start Camp Nano though, I’m going to finish critiquing the last chapter of Lauren’s draft. Then maybe have a panic attack in the bath and wonder what I’m doing with myself, the usual pre nano ritual.

Oh! Offhand, but it’s officially Titanic month starting tomorrow too. I’ve set a fun goal for myself to rate and review every Titanic game, and I recorded my first video. But that imposter syndrome is killing me and every time I try to voice over, I can’t speak. Fun. Even scripted to hell. I admire people that can just…do the thing. It’s incredible.

Anway, I’m off. Take care during camp. Writing targets aren’t everything. Remember to get some sunshine, to hydrate, and to take care of yourself for me. I’ll try and do the same.

Happy writing,

E.K xo

Seeker REVIEW+ Release!

| Emma-Kate Writing
Seeker!

Hey guys! Long time no post! Well today, I’m going to be raving about Seeker, part 2 in the KEEPER Duology by Kim Chance! I’ve been a fan of this book from the get go- I even beta-read for it, which was an honour. If you haven’t read Keeper already, I suggest you do so.

Goodreads blurb: Lainey’s normal, bookworm life no longer exists. With her family murdered by the Master, she joins forces with a group of Supernatural rebels. But as she struggles to cope with her new role as Keeper and the uncontrollable power it gives her, Lainey realizes that magic does indeed leave a mark—but it’s not always physical.

Ty isn’t one of the good guys. He’s done terrible things, and he won’t stop until he gets what he wants. Even if it hurts. Even if it means betraying the girl he loves…again.

For Maggie, all her comic book dreams have come true, and her new life as a Shifter is just beginning. But with war closing in, is it truly a dream or a death sentence?

In the ultimate battle for power, Lainey, Ty, and Maggie must face-off against the Master, and work together to discover the greatest weapon of all.

Seek and you will find.

(Add to your goodreads list)

Now, onto my review: (Spoiler free!)

First of all, I want to say how proud I am of Kim. I know how much she gave this book, and it’s paid off; hard moments and all. I’ve had the privilege of beta reading Seeker and getting an E-Arc from Netgalley, and I have some serious feelings about this book. There’s drama, humour, Marvel references, love, and the ties of friendship that literally make me cry. I’m not kidding when I say that Lainey and Maggie are friendship goals.

NOW, onto the review stuff. I’m going to keep-er this spoiler free (hahaha). Seeker picks up so seamlessly from Keeper. Right away you’re thrown into the thick of the consequences of Keeper (no spoilers! You gotta go read it). Kim somehow manages to balance out and maintain the tension from here while still wriggling in some tender moments between various relationships. Essentially, it’s an emotional roller-coaster. My favourite part of these books though are how human the characters are. They’re all in the midst of the worst situation of their lives but they still have their arguments, their moments of teenage angst, and parental conflict. They aren’t written like adults, like a lot of YA authors seem to do, and I love it. I’m glad to see teens being teens.

While I’m sad to see the conclusion of Lainey, Maggie, and Ty’s story, I’m completely satisfied with the way Kim handled it. I think she’s left the door open enough in case she wants to see them again. This is also straight up a request: Kim, write a prequel about my gal Josephine!! I need this in my life!

Find Kim at her website, youtube, facebook, goodreads, twitter, and instagram! Kim also hosts live wordsprints on facebook with Megan LaCroix, and is the founder of the twitter hashtag, #Chance2Connect

Keeper and Seeker are available on Kindle, Audiobook, and paperback.

Happy writing,

Emma-Kate xoxo

It’s been a while..

| Emma-Kate Writing

Hey guys! It’s been a while since I posted- my bad. Between Nanowrimo, getting prepped to go back to study next year, and getting sick a bunch (thanks, bronchitis), I haven’t had the most energy, not going to lie.

However! I plan to make a fresh start and get back into my writing routine, as well as spice things up a bit over the summer/new year. I’ve also been posting short stories I’ve written for anthologies that don’t make it on wattpad and I’m toying with a for fun podcast idea.

Also, I just barely won Nano, which is upsetting. I had a 60k goal mark but getting bronchitis in the last week really messed me up. I also changed project partway through, and am generally unhappy with what I wrote. On the plus side, I feel better about going back to Lacrimosa to prep it for CP reading.

Happy writing,

Emma-Kate xoxo

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My first writing retreat!

| Emma-Kate Writing

Hey guys, I know I’ve been /super/ neglectful of late, but I plan to get back to my weekly blog come October (fresh month, fresh start!). This long weekend I’ll be on my first ever writing retreat with Lauren Rose (who, incidentally, is making a brand new site and it is gonna look so rad) and a bunch of others. I have a list of things I want to look into this weekend and start up on here, including critiquing, Nano stuff, and another content creation that I’m looking into. Hopefully a weekend away in the beautiful countryside will awaken the energy I need. Look forward to next week’s blog, which will basically be pretty picture and a possible vlog (Psst, I’ll also be posting a bunch on our bookstagram, if you haven’t already checked it out )! I hope those of you having a long weekend enjoy the extra day to recharge and all my love to you that have a standard weekend ahead. Make sure to take time out and take care of yourself!

As always, happy writing,

Emma-Kate xoxo

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Coffee time

| Emma-Kate Writing

Hey guys, I figured it was well and truly time for a catch up, so grab a coffee with me.

So the last few months have been kind of hectic. I hit 90k words and finished the first draft of my current MS, which is super exciting. I also attended the Salisbury Writers’ Festival which I think Lauren Rose is doing a blog on, so goodie. Among all of that though, I realised how little I was involved in the community. Like, yeah, I read a bunch and review stuff and leave feel good comments on twitter and my bookstagram that I run with Lauren. It still doesn’t feel like I’m participating enough. I want to know people, to help people.

I’ve decided on two long term projects that I plan to get up and running because of this (well, three, actually!) You might have already noticed some ‘under construction’ tabs in my menu, too. While I’ll be submitting to more anthologies as well as writing in general more, I’m going to be opening myself up for some critiques after some fantastic feedback from current pieces I’m working on. So I’ll be sorting all of the details for that in the near future. I’ve also decided to do a mental health and writing podcast. MH is something that I am a strong advocate for, and I feel a lot of people use writing as a way to deal with stuff, which is great, I do too. I want to be able to engage and actually connect and let people know ‘hey, it’s OK to feel crappy’. Mental health issues aren’t a death sentence, but they do need some help navigating, and I feel like I have enough tools now to help a bit. So I’ve been looking into outlining some episodes and stuff- tell me if there’s anything you’d like to hear. Finally- I started a wattpad for the stories that I maybe don’t feel as confident about, or that weren’t shortlisted. I don’t want them just ~sitting~ there, so I hope someone enjoys them at least!

I think that’s everything I wanted to chat about/update you all on. It’s weird- my mental health is probably the best it’s been in many years, but I’m trying to be over eager about stuff again and I wear out a lot. I used to take on way, way too much and I burned out hard, and it’s weird to recognise those red flags and be able to halt. All you can do is try, and that’s what I’m going to do- try to the best of my abilities without making myself sick.

Happy writing,

Emma-Kate xoxo

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Feeling a little flat

| Emma-Kate Writing

Hey guys, just wanted to check in. After my victory last week, I’ve been feeling a little flat. I’ve polished off a short story draft this week and I’ve tried to rest; despite this, I feel super flat and unmotivated for the Salisbury Writers’ Festival this weekend. I think I pushed too hard, and just wanted to give a reminder- accomplishing goals is well and good, but it’s not worth burning yourself out for them. That being said, good luck with whatever you may be working on.

As always, happy writing,

Emma-Kate xoxo

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Achievement Unlocked!

| Emma-Kate Writing

Hey guys, I wasn’t going to write today, but figured I would give a little update. I spent today resting because I hit 90k words on my current draft and finished the first draft of it! Yeah, this is a pretty common thing amongst writers- but this is my fourth attempt rewriting this particular piece over the course of a decade, so I’m pretty happy. Anyway, I’m off to sort out everything else while I take a break before the next stage of revising and rewriting.

Happy writing,

Emma-Kate xoxo

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Bookstagram

| Emma-Kate Writing

It’s been a while since I did a post, my bad! First things first: I smashed my camp nano goal. My draft is currently at 83k words, and has 2 and a half chapters left until completion, which is super exciting! Because my draft is almost done and I want a break to work on other things/ignore it for a bit before revising and editing, I’ve been started to look at my critiques more, and my bookstagram account.

I decided for today’s blog, I’m going to show the simple background I made to make my photos feel a little more polished. I am beyond amateur at this, but Lauren and I have a lot of fun and that’s all that matters, really.

Supplies: cardboard (free), adhesive vinyl from kmart ($3 for 2 metres), kmart twinkle lights ($5) and hotglue/gun I already had.

  1. Step one involved finding something light, portable and sturdy to use. I ended up salvaging my housemates new pc box, as we were going to recycle it either way. Note: I did cut myself slicing the piece I need, be more careful than me01
  2. Once it was all cut out (albeit roughly), it was pretty straightforward to attach the vinyl. I had to go slow to avoid creases, and make sure you have enough to fold over the edges!02.jpg
  3. Once it was all neatly covered, I arranged the lights in a spiral (I honestly just didn’t know what to do with them) and hot glued them in places, sealing the battery box onto the back.04.jpg
  4. Alright, it looks quite a bit terrible just like this. So, being the hoarder I am, I found some leftover organza from a cosplay and whacked it and hot glued the top on the back, and let it drape down06.jpg
  5. Annnnd this is what it looks like when you cut out the ugly parts!07

It isn’t anything special, but I think it’s pretty cute and a much nicer layout than what I was using. Does anyone else have a book account? If so, comment so I can follow you! I’m off to cry over my last few thousand words of this draft, wish me luck!

Happy writing,

Emm-Kate xoxo