Here Again, Gone Again, Jiggity-Jig

I received my novel back from the editor! She loved the changes, said that I managed to fix 99% of her originals issues with it. I was able to fix those in under a day and have already returned them to her for a final grammar pass. So, this is it, guys. I'm waiting on payday to order my cover, but that is the last thing big thing that I need to do. I have been working on the back cover copy so as soon as we have the cash I can send in my request. Hopefully, it won't take too long and I'll be able to do a cover reveal in May.

I am stupidly excited about it.

I still have work to do for its release of course. Arranging cover reveals on other sites and blogs, putting the book up for pre-order on Amazon and the rest. Getting the novel up on Goodreads, ordering the print copies... all of that fun stuff.

It's going to be awesome.

In less stellar news, due to Corvid-19, our local government has finally put official restrictions in place for the summer. No groups of more than 15 may congregate for any event. This means that for the first time in literally over a century, we won't be able to celebrate the Calgary Stampede. It also means that our writer's convention most likely won't be going ahead. Or, at least, won't be going ahead as scheduled. We've been told to expect an email later today on how they expect to proceed. I'll keep you guys updated on what that means as well. I am disappointed though. I was so excited, finally knowing that I was going to be able to share a new novel with all of the readers there.

In a final bit of whimsy, I'll let you know that I started playing Black Desert Online this week as well. While I will never be a hardcore gamer, I thought I would let you guys know that I am finding horse wrangling most enjoyable in it. Here is my character riding her two horses. The brown one is Alenos (a tier 1 stallion, the lowest tier and my first catch) and the grey is Dapple (a tier 3 stallion).

I'll end this post off with the hope that you guys are all staying safe out there. And let me know if any of you are playing Black Desert. I'm still hanging out in Valia mastering my animal training skills... let me know if you play and what you think I need to go and see out in the big wide world if you do? 😊

My First Panel!

Its been a heck of a week. My headaches happen when the temperature/pressure can't decide where it wants to sit. That means that in summer and winter, I may have a bad migraine or a bad day, but in the other two seasons, I'll get weeks when I have headaches every day and migraines on worse days. This week was one of those. Still, I got my editing finished and will be jumping back into writing again, either tonight or tomorrow.

Despite having one of those weeks, head-wise, I had a great time though. The most interesting bit of news is that this year at WWC, I am going to be on at least one panel, which is awesome. I'm gunning for three, but I haven't heard on the other two yet. Part of the delay is that we're just not sure if it's still happening. But the most exciting news is that I am going to have a workshop all my own that I'll be giving on being an author/artist with aphantasia. The main difference between a workshop and a panel is that a workshop is just me giving the talk. It's going to be my first one so I'm stupidly excited and really hoping it still happens this year.

The only other bit of news I have is really no news. I haven't heard back from my editor yet. I'm not worried and I've been keeping myself busy trying to finish book 4. Don't worry if I don't get book 2 back immediately. As soon as I finish book 4, if two hasn't arrived, I'll be picking up book 3 to start editing it, so I still have tons of work to do.

And that's where I've been all week. Hopefully, I'll be able to report back that my headaches have disappeared with warmer climes next week and book 4 rough draft done, if not book 2 in my hot little hands. Either way, you'll be the first to know!

Post-Convention Post!

Hello!!!! I am so glad to be back! Not that I really went anywhere, but it feels like it. Last week was magical; a term I don’t use often, let me tell you. But it really was. I’ve been going to When Words Collide for years now… if I remember correctly this was my fifth year. Year two and three, I was on panels, but I didn’t have any books out. It meant that in addition to me occasionally feeling like I was unworthy of being up there with published authors, I also had to deal with looking at people earnestly excited to meet me and read my books and not have anything to give them. So finally being able to have my book to show at the panels and being able to direct people where it was selling was wonderful.

First, let’s talk about the panels. I was on four panels, as I mentioned last week. All four went wonderfully. I felt a little unworthy and fan-girly about being on the East vs West panel, which came through in a slight inability to pronounce Japanese/Mandarin words correctly. Other than that, I feel that I did really well, showing my knowledge, talking with the other panellists and discussing the topic. We took questions and everyone left excited to have listened to us.

The two about social awareness went really well, too. I was intelligent and able to discuss my positions easily and intelligently. Being on the panel with Adam Dreece was as fun as I thought it was going to be. He may have stole the show, but he still made sure that all of us got a chance to talk, to discuss our positions and that we got to have discussions across the board. My favourite panel was actually on the bad guys though. It was a wonderful panel with a lot of energy and a great crew with me. We talked about monologuing, about the different classifications of bad guys, what we liked seeing, what we didn’t like seeing, what annoyed us and what interesting things you could do with your bad guys. It was awesome.

I got to have dinner with Laura VanArendonk Baugh and Rhonda Parrish (you’ll remember that I was part of her Giftmas last December) and a few other people. We had great conversations about everything from the food we eat, to religious beliefs, to what panels we’d been on and what we’d been doing all weekend thus far. It was wonderful and the dinner was very tasty. I really enjoyed it.

At the signing, I left Laura and Rhonda and found a seat at a table with two wonderful writers. I was fully expecting to talk to two or three people who stopped off to see the other two at my table, maybe show them my book and tell them where they could pick it up later if they wanted, and that was it. Instead, I was lucky enough to sell most of my copies and talk to a whole lot of people. I got to catch up with a few people I hadn’t gotten to see yet that year and had four people ask for my autograph. I was over the moon!

My table mates were awesome as well. Amanda Witow had some of the best swag I’ve ever seen; book lights, tote bags, bookmarks, pens… she had something for everyone. She was nice enough to give me a pen and sign one of her tote bags for me. Nicole Bross was super friendly as well and had the coolest prop I’ve ever seen; a working purple typewriter; a Remington Portable #3 from 1929! Apparently, she collects them and fixes them up, which I think is pretty darn amazing. She said she has 20-30 already, which is just an incredibly awesome thing to collect!

This is the Remington #3 in orchid that I mentioned above. Isn't it gorgeous?
Picture attributed to Nicole Bross

And that was my weekend! If I have any regrets, its that I had no extra money and wasn’t able to come home with any extra books for myself to read. It means I’ll be looking forward to next year all the more. Were any of you at WWC? Let me know how your weekend went? What panels did you go to and what books did you come home with?

When Words Collide - Itinerary

You may have noticed that my post is up early this week! That is not a mistake, but very deliberate. I wanted to let you you know where I'll be officially at WWC and what I'll be talking about, so you can plan your weekend and hopefully attend a few of my panels as well.

Friday 9am - 12pm
Social Media and Online Marketing Your Book with instructor Kat Flannery
This class is one that of the masterclasses that I am attending. while I'm good at social media, my online marketing sucks, so saying I'm looking forward to this class is an understatement.

Friday 1pm - 2pm
I will be volunteering at the ARWA booth in the Merchant's Corner. Take a look on the map, in addition to my novel, Hunter's Gambit, I will also have some jewelry pieces for sale. We will also have the books of everyone else in ARWA there too; a very fine selection of romances, mysteries and other genres, if I do say so myself. I've included the map, highlighting in purple where the table is located in the hall.

Friday 6pm - 7pm
Volunteering at the ARWA booth again!

Saturday 10am - 11am
Awakening to Social Sensitivity 
Brandy Ackerley, Diane Terrana, Erin Weir, Jay Martin 
This panel looked really interesting and I had to get in on it. We'll be talking about writing about other genders, races, classes, cultures with honesty and sensitivity, along with tips of how to be inclusive without appropriating or creating token characters.

Saturday 11am - 12pm
Writing a Character Who Could Never Be You
Adam Dreece, Brandy Ackerley, Colleen Anderson, Halli Lilburn 
Similar to the last panel, this one will discuss the benefits and pitfalls of creating characters that differ from us, as well as discussing that question of 'is anyone off-limits?' I'm really looking forward to being on a panel with Adam Dreece as well. I've met him a few times and I've got to say, the guy has one hell of a personality.

Saturday 2pm - 3pm 
Villains, Antagonists and Other Baddies 
Arlene F. Marks, Brandy Ackerley, Kevin Weir, Susan Calder 
I love writing villains; those people that you want to hate, and that you have no sympathy for. However, I also know that while all stories need an antagonist, not all of them need a villain. Specifically, look at my novel, Hunter's Gambit. You'd be hard-pressed to find a villain in there, although it's rife with antagonists. Having been on both sides of the wheel, I figured I could really contribute to this discussion.

Saturday 8pm - 10pm
Autograph Session 
Me and 70+ other authors will be signing your books! This session is open to the public, so tell your friends.

Sunday 10am - 11pm
East and West: How Our Mindset Changes the Way We Tell Stories 
Calvin Jim, Brandy Ackerley, Jennie Bennett, Laura VanArendonk Baugh
This panel is my little baby this time around. I get to be on a panel with some of my fav people and talk about the differences between eastern and western storytelling. Need I say more to get you excited?

Now, I haven't specified exactly where I'll be in between these times, mainly because I don't know yet. I will try to update Instagram and/or Twitter as often as I can during the weekend to keep you guys updated though. Also, keep your eyes open for me while you're walking the halls. I am almost always willing to stop and chat in the hallway or before a panel, so stop by and say hi! 

An Update

My finger is doing much better, but I didn't want to push my healing by doing a long blog post, even if I am loving the religion posts I've been sharing with you all. Instead, I'm going to take a step back and talk about the future.

I'm going to keep writing. No big surprises there, but it should still be said. That obvious bit out of the way, I'm hoping that I'll be able to have the sequel to Hunter's Gambit, tentatively titled Lord's Curse, out for near the end of the year. I already have book three written and I'm hoping to have the rough draft for book four finished this November during Nanowrimo. That's really far ahead to be planning, which is why I'm not giving specific dates for anything yet.

I'm still working on my art, though less in a selling fashion and much more in fun fashion. Also, I may be extending some of my creativity into playing around with making jewelry. Mainly because I wanted to create a new necklace for myself, and when the pieces I ordered arrived, I got over thirty instead of the four or five pieces I thought I'd ordered. Weird, but I figure if the first ones work, I'll put them up for ordering. It can be relaxing to work with my hands on something like crafting or painting or cross-stitching to recharge myself for writing.

In much more interesting news, I'm sure you all remember my book signing happening early next month on June 9th. While I am amazingly excited to be having one, I have even more exciting news. This year I'll be at When Words Collide again!

When Words Collide is Calgary's premier author and book festival. In addition to three full days of panels and presentations put on by your favourite authors, there is also a full signing on Saturday night, a merchant gallery for you to purchase books (open throughout the event), meetups, parties, book launches, readings and more! This year I will be one of the presenters and Hunter's Gambit will be available in the merchant gallery. I will also be part of the signing for the first time ever.

The panels I'll be on are Awakening to Social Sensitivity, Writing a character who could never be me, Villains, Antagonists and other Baddies and East and West: How our mindset changes the way we tell stories.

This post is getting long, but I want to tell you how incredibly excited I am about being part of these panels. I actually suggested East and West, which is going to be an in-depth discussion of the differences in plotting and structure that are common in North America and Japan. If you've ever noticed that animes and light novels seem to move at a different pace and with different plot points, e.g., not following the three or five act structure, this is why.

I'll have more on the times I'll be presenting, what rooms I'll be in and bring descriptions of the other three in a later blog since the schedule is in no way finished yet.

Will you be coming to my signing? Or maybe to When Words Collide? Let me know in the comments below. 

And The Realness Just Keeps Coming

I found out yesterday that if you look on the When Words Collide website, I'm at the top of the presenters (that aren't special guests) list. A nice colour picture of me, though I'll certainly have to get an actual official photo done eventually and it even has a link to my website. I was a bit flabbergasted when I first saw it. It still has a feeling of not-quite real when it happens, like I must be looking into an alternate universe, rather than my own. Realizing that it is my own is an even stranger sensation. There is a lot of power in those situations. I've heard it called the "moment of change", and some ascribe intense power to it. You only need to budge the stone of power to make it fluidity itself. It will always return to stone later, but for that instant, you can do anything.

I suppose it will all become old hat eventually and seeing websites mention me or have my picture up won't send me into a fluttering mess inside. In the meantime, its pretty darn amazing and I sincerely hope that it won't get old quickly. In the meantime, please jump over there and take a look!

I haven't heard back from When Words Collide yet about the other workshops I was hoping to take part in, but I'll let you know when I hear something. I can tell you that I will be presenting during the ARWA meeting in October with a few of the other girls there. Once again, I'll give you more information on that when I have it!

Also, I have decided that I do need a newsletter. It will be delivered monthly and much else besides that is still up in the air about it. I think I will have a mythology section, where I will talk about a specific story, mythological creature, or in some cases, historical person if the two overlap. I will have a section for where I am in my writing/editing and what I'm currently working on. Occasionally it will include a short story (most likely under 5k) on a variety of characters, some that will be in my books and some that may have stories to tell that I won't end up writing a full book about. 

I will point it out when it is up and ready to go at any rate. I'm hoping to have it up and the first one ready to go for the first of July, so keep your eyes peeled for it, eh? Let me know if there's anything else that you would specifically like to see in a monthly newsletter beyond what I've mentioned here (or what you don't want to see if any of this makes you not want to sign up at all). 

An Announcement!

So, I can now officially announce that I will be on at least one panel at When Words Collide 2016. The one panel I can tell you about right now is titled Mythologies Around the World. I suggested this because I was thinking about different ideas that I wanted to see books written about and I really wanted to see mythology and creatures that we haven't seen yet.

We started with European monsters and went from vampires to werewolves. After that we got a run in shifter stories, which simply based on the diversity of creatures has been enjoying a long popularity. We've also seen more than a few books based on witches and native mythology. But I noticed that there isn't much from other areas of the world. I thought having four or five people to talk about a different country or set of countries each that weren't often talked about would be really interesting and informative, especially if you write.

I was considering doing Japan; its a country that I'm very interested in and that I've done a lot of independent study on already. However, I decided that taking that route would be the easy one. Instead, based on my interest in the tales of the lara, a mermaid-type of creature from South America, I decided to choose Brazil.

It's a more difficult route, since I'm going to have to fit in study on a number of different creatures before I decide on exactly what to do the report on and begin planning my part of the presentation. Still, I don't regret my choice. Once I decide what I'm doing the presentation on, I'll let you know in what I'll be doing. In the meantime, if you know of a Brazilian myth, monster or tale that you think I would find interesting, please email the story and creature name to me at InkedFoxPress@gmail.com or just respond in the comments below! Also, share your favourite cultural story or critter you grew up with and where you're from... we're one world and even just a few miles makes a huge difference to the beliefs a group will hold.

May I Present...

          Today it hit me. I am a writer and I have been one for years. But later this year, I will be a published writer. I will be able to officially say that I am an author when I introduce myself.

          It seems like it should be the smallest change in the world. Nothing more than a word, really, so how can that change anything? But lately, I've been doing things that have nothing to do with writing and everything to do with owning a small business. I'm reading up on self-publishing, looking into covers, making business cards, looking up how ISBN's work... I'm even going to be giving a presentation at When Words Collide this year.

          In real world terms, I can say that a month or two ago, I designed a symbol for my publishing company (you can see it below). I came up with a name. A few weeks ago, I ordered business cards and then looked more into registering a trade name. Today, I got that name registered. I was elated. 

          Coincidently, when I finished work I received an email. It was from When Words Collide. Originally, ARWA sent my presentation idea in, so I haven't a clue what was sent in and what wasn't. In this case, WWC was asking for my presenter information.

          All of sudden, looking over the information they were asking for, it was real, in ways that it hadn't been before. I was going to finish editing my novel, prepare a presentation, publish my novel and give a presentation as an author later this year.

          This is a silly thing. It's something that I've known for years, something that I've wanted to do for years. I don't know why it feels more real, it shouldn't. Yet, it does. It's going to be a few days before it really sinks in.

          At any rate, now that it is legal and registered, I can finally tell all of you...

          May I present, for the first time, Brandy Ackerley, soon-to-be-Author, publishing under the company, Inked Fox Press?

Finally Done!

          Yes, you read that right! Things are finally moving! I finished Kitsune-Ken, Book II on Tuesday and celebrated by having a bad movie night and dinner out with my husband. I'm sure that some of you want to know the exact details, so here they are. My final draft came out to 72k and after removing the obvious stuff (paragraphs and pages that needed to be written while I figured out where I was going but are obviously not going to be staying in the manuscript) that total came down to 68k. It is 127 pages in Microsoft Word, written in size 11 Calibri at 1.5 space between the lines. A bit shorter than my other novel, which I believe finished at 71k, but I know I'm missing a chapter or two so that total may get longer when I begin editing.

          Since finishing it, I've been taking time off from the books, instead working on more mundane things... designing business cards, registering my Press company name and such. As soon as I've purchased the cards, I'll save a picture and post them here! If I may say, they totally rock. It will probably be a week or two before I can post the picture. I'm holding off until I have registered my name and have created an email address.

          I can, at this point, let you guys know some of my good news. I will be attending When Words Collide in Calgary again this year. In fact, I may even be one of the presenters of a workshop dealing with uncommon world mythologies and how to incorporate them into your novels. Although nothing is set in stone just yet, my name is currently set with the workshop, barring limited interest or scheduling issues, I should be a presenter this year. I will also be attending the banquet this year! The theme is steampunk and if you haven't made a decision on whether the banquet is right for you, consider it!

          I think I'll have to stop here though and tell you more later. I can say that I have begun editing Kitsune-Ken, Book I and as soon as I have figured out how much work it should take, I'll update you on how long editing will be taking. If all goes according to plan, I may have it all finished for an early fall release date... Keep your fingers crossed!

Frazzled + Frustrated = Winning Combination (not)

          This week has been frustrating in a few ways for me. For one, I have not finished my novel yet. I have moved forward on it, but the scene that I though was only going to be one, turned out to be three scenes and one of them included a battle, which I admit, I sort of suck at. They are one of my banes right now, which means that I tend to stress out trying to write them in the first place and that I need to spend a lot more time trying to have them make sense. So I am on the third scene of that set, where they find out that the monster they fought had been carrying the items they had hoped not to find. I should have two scenes after this one (crosses fingers) and then I'll be done. I have finished nearly 8k worth of words this week so despite my appearance of doing nothing, I have accomplished something. 

          The other bit of very interesting news that has left me a bit frazzled this week is that I may be a presenter at When Words Collide 2016 (Calgary's biggest writer/reader convention that I know of). As in, I am listed on their website for a panel. I'll let you know when its been confirmed for sure and until then, I'll be preparing for it. Right now my big thing is creating a logo... something to put on a business card and my novels that will make you think you of me when you see it. My husband came up with a brilliant idea... I'm going to keep a lid on it until I've got it drawn though. Yes, I will most likely be drawing it myself. I took art all through school and actually considered going into animation professionally, so I should be able to handle this. If I can't, then I'll commission an actual artist to do it for me. Either way, keep an eye out for that!

          Since I generally suck at keeping everything straight in my head without a to-do list, I signed up for one. Habitica is a site where not finishing daily goals means that your avatar gets hurt... an actual issue since your avatar has hit points and equipment and can defeat bosses and take part in challenges. Basically, its like playing an rpg except that your quests are items on your to do list. When you accomplish a task you get in-game gold and silver to buy equipment, like better weapons so the tasks you complete will do more damage to monsters, or health potions for when you can't finish everything and you take damage. It seems pretty interesting, though this is only my second day using it... I'll give you a more detailed review later when I've used it for a month or so. 

This is my Avatar in Habitica. Her current equipment is a training sword and a set of mouse ears... until I find fox ears they will have to do. As you can see,  I took damage for not meeting a health goal. My XP is going up decently though!

          Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm running away. I have a list to finish working on!