I've decided what my next writing project will be and it's going to be a western, with vampires.

I loved writing my Northern Horizons series so much that I'm drawn back to that environment, and I also want to write more paranormal, after my pirate series, so I'm setting a vampire novel in the Canadian west. There will be horses and dogs and travel and a very lonely vampire looking for redemption. There will also be a man with nothing to lose who fights for his own future, and complicates this vampire's life in many different ways. Similar themes to those in 760 Miles but complicated by a supernatural element and an exploration of what makes life meaningful, how to live with suffering, and how to manage guilt and live to the fullest, even if you have to do things others might not understand.

I'll be taking the summer off to read and relax, but I plan to start working on The Wild Endless in September and to have a first draft by Christmas.

I'm taking a break from working on big writing projects over the summer, but I thought of something I can do on this blog once a week to keep my writing juices flowing. It's called Friday Flash, and what I'm going to do is post a photo on Thursday, and then on Friday, I will post a very short piece of flash fiction (1-2k words) inspired by that photo. I've done this before and really enjoyed it, and I knew some readers at the time quite enjoyed my little bursts of inspiration.

I will open this up to any other authors who want to participate. Just send my your flash fiction pieces by end of day Thursday, and I will post with your name and any links you'd like to include. Since I have no way of inviting authors via social media, it will probably be just me for a little while, but I will directly contact some writers I know and ask if they'd like to join me.

The photo above is for this week's Friday Flash. Tune in tomorrow for a fun little fiction.

Did I mention that I'm slowing down? I'm almost 57 so do consider myself semi-retired although I don't ever plan to stop writing, at least while I have the mental and physical capacity to continue. I realized that I had been really pushing myself for five years, mistakenly believing that if I put out more and more books I'd start earning more and more money. My modest goal was to earn enough money to equate to what I might pull in with a part-time retail job. Lol, well that didn't happen. And I worked my arse off. I had so many books published between 2020 and 2025 I astounded myself. But the payoff never came. My earnings remained at a steady and disappointing trickle barely worth mentioning.
Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled that people are actually reading my books. I'm with small publishers who take the majority of my earnings but I can't see my way to self-publishing for many reasons. And I don't do this for the money. I would have stopped a long time ago if that were the case. 
But my goal was to feel like I was contributing to the family income, even by a little bit. Unfortunately, I can't even cover all of my author expenses, because there are so many (website, Bookfunnel, professional email, purchasing paperbacks to sell at events, event registration, occasionally hotel fees). Luckily, my husband is advanced enough in his career that he can support me and our two adult kids who are still living at home (mostly), but I have always felt a bit shitty about this writing gig not being more of a help. 
Now that I'm over 55 and living with a serious chronic disease, I feel less guilty about not working outside the home and not having a job that contributes to our income. I realized that my older brother retired at 55 and lots of folks do if they can afford it (he is partially supported by his wife who has a very important job in the government, and he also receives a modified pension). My husband and I have enough investments that he can probably retire at 60, as long as the kids are supporting themselves by then (fingers crossed).
The third and probably final book in The Arrow and The Flame series, Mist and Snow, is signed with NineStar Press. I imagine I'll be doing edits in the fall as it will be out sometime early next year. 
As for current projects I'm working on, I'm writing what will be a free reader magnet involving my pirate universe right now, and when that's finished (by end of summer or sooner) I'll be writing either a vampire novel or a sci-fi android novel - I haven't decided yet. 
Now that I'm off social media completely, I feel like I'm coming back to myself and I'm fully immersing myself in the present moment. I'm reading actual books again, which was always one of my greatest joys. I didn't realize how less satisfying reading ebooks feels to holding an actual book in my hands. I'll still be reading ebooks, for sure, but I'm rediscovering the joy of physical things, which is delightful. I only have a limited amount of time left on this planet and I feel very intentional and fulfilled right now.
I recently disconnected from Google as well, which took a few weeks as I had three Gmail addresses that I'd been using for years and had to update so many services with my new email address before I could make such a huge change. Please be advised that you can no longer reach me at any of my three gmail addresses ([email protected], [email protected], [email protected]). If you need to get in touch you can contact me at [email protected] or [email protected].
Posteo is a German based email service that costs a handful of euros a year (around $20 CAD) and prides itself on privacy, sustainability, and excellence. I also have a personal email address at Posteo as they allow up to three alias addresses as part of the paid service. They also have an easy email migration service and collection service, so that I can get all of my emails in my one inbox. It's brilliant.

My May newsletter went out this morning. You can access it HERE or, better yet, click on the button below to subscribe.

...is the title (for now) of a free reader magnet I’m working on in The Arrow and The Flame universe. It’s delightful to be back with Captain Dinesh Martin and Simon White, Squid, Domingo, and the rest of the crew. I realized that I haven’t composed a free story for readers and potential readers in a while, and that introducing folks to the Arrow and her crew might be a good idea to increase sales of the books in my pirate series. 

This story will primarily feature Simon, Squid, and Domingo on an excursion to the markets of Port Royal while Captain Martin supervises repairs of his ship. Domingo is hopeful of finding clothing more suitable to his gender bending sense of fashion, and he has the idea to convince Simon that Dinesh might enjoy some scanty garments in the bedroom if Simon were to purchase and wear them for him. This takes some persuasion but ultimately results in Simon giving it a try and dressing like an 18th century working girl to seduce his beloved captain.

Just before book #2, A Hellish Thing, came out last week, I signed book #3, Mist and Snow, with NineStar Press for release some time in early 2027.

Guys, this book was a bit of a slog, I won’t lie. Although, that doesn’t reflect at all in the pacing and content. I’m really, really pleased with how it turned out, and my editor will no doubt help me to make it even better. There is no lurking evil presence in Mist and Snow, but there are two fascinating new characters. Smoke and Fleur are introduced at the very end of A Hellish Thing, and I’m pleased to say they factor in a pretty big way in book #3.

Particularly Smoke, who has the same intensity, confidence, and charisma as Captain Martin. Having them both aboard the same ship presents some interesting dynamics. Dinesh Martin isn’t used to having his authority questioned or to being called out on his behaviour. But Smoke isn’t afraid to tell him what she thinks.

Smoke and her partner, Fleur, bring a fresh perspective to the Arrow and her crew, and challenge both Dinesh and Simon to affirm the life they truly want to live.