She lives 🙌🏾🙌🏾… And she broke the fourth wall!

Hi friends!

I refuse to even check when my last post was because I know it’s loooooong ago and the past is behind, the future ahead. And there are many paths to tread… (a slight perversion of Tolkien, but I apologize for nothing 😏 )

The real reason I’ve been away is because I am both terrible at time management and terrified at returning after long hiatuses because I feel like a fool.

Apparently today is going to be a LOTR gif kind of day. I’m okay with that. Are you okay with that?

I’m almost terribly embarrassed that I haven’t been putting my effort into this blog. I love the community I found here and I don’t want to lose that. But my mind has been mainly on writing and querying and editing when not struggling through the daily obstacles life throws my way. I know you know what I’m talking about, friends, so I won’t belabor the point.

Because as someone wise once said…

And I decide to spend the time I have keeping my blog alive (it just might not be here on WordPress, but more on that in a moment).

If you don’t mind, I’ll share a bit of my progress over the last few months. I’ll start with the most exciting first!

I GOT AN ACTUAL AGENT REQUEST FROM A QUERY!!

This has never happened before, friends. In three plus years of querying Pirate Eyes I never got more than a kind reply telling me not to give up. But one query for my MG fantasy Heritage (which I’ve spent the last two months editing to what I hope is its best) and I got a request to send along 50 pages!!

And who knows what will come of it but after a month of self-doubt and self-loathing, this was the sign I needed that my patience and perseverance is paying off. No official offers been made, and there might not be one, but I’ll take small victories as they come. It’s good for my self-confidence. When I told my sister, she said, “You just broke the fourth wall!” all while flailing about excitedly. And I have a lot to thank her for. She’s the best editor a person can have.

Sibling love ❤️

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Apart from that..

I’ve spent the first 16 days of Camp NaNoWriMo writing the first draft of an animated musical. I have one scene left to write today.

I’ve also made the big decision to shelf Pirate Eyes for now, but not forever. Another readthrough led me to realize that there’s still so much potential in this book that I’m missing out on so I’m going to rework the plot over the rest of the year and see if I can’t make it the great story it deserves to be. It’s my passion project (I’ve been working on it for going on twelve years). Why so long? Because Pirate Eyes was a trope when I wrote it, inspired by a 15-year old’s love for Pirates of the Caribbean and prophecy stories. The market isn’t there for it anymore, which doesn’t mean I’m conforming, it just means that I need to find the spin that will make it feel different from other books out there. She deserves to stand out!

I’ve also been busy with my sister editing for clients. It’s exciting to be embracing the freelance editor life, not that I’m fully in it yet. I’m still working a side job while I wait for that to pick up which makes now the perfect opportunity to shamelessly plug out services: INKY SQUID EDITING SERVICES. We edit manuscripts and screenplays and queries. Come check our website for more on our different services: INKY-SQUID.

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I think that’s enough for now. Don’t want to inundate you, my friends, with words.

But I’d love to hear from you, hear how you’re all doing. Let me know in the comments.

Hope to see you around!

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May inspiration flow like ink upon your quill,

Faith  

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