The Revision Continues...

Hey, how are you today? The weekend is finally here, and because my husband has an RDO on Monday, it's a three-day weekend. Awesome!

So, did you have a nice week? We slept in and hung out most mornings before hubby went to work, but today we had to get up early so our apartment intercom could be updated. Ugh. And because of that, I've been feeling wonky all day, especially since I slipped on the tiles in the laundry and hurt my left knee. 😫

Anyway, on Monday, I got stuck into the third draft of VampNovel2 and lost myself in this vampire world every afternoon/night. I love spending time with these characters, so I'm really enjoying the process.

This is how I went:

• Monday: 53/236pgs (90,621w)
• Tuesday: 102/234pgs (90,122w) 
• Wednesday: 158/237pgs (90,214w)
• Thursday: 212/237pgs (90,113w) 
• Friday: 240pgs / 91,125w

As you can see, the third draft is DONE. And I'm SO excited. I worked really hard on this draft because there were certain things I wanted to tweak and rewrite to deepen the characters and story. Nothing drastic, but additions/deleting that had to be made. And of course, any changes in this book, need to be reflected in VampNovel1.

It's challenging, but a lot of fun!

Oh, and did I mention that this 80s vampire world keeps throwing new short story ideas my way? Yeah, I started taking notes because a bunch of these characters refuse to shut up and their whispers are too hard to ignore.

Okay, time to sign out so I can enjoy a three-day mental break. Before hitting the final Paperwhite read-thru next week. 😁

Have a good one!

Time to Revise!

Hey! How are you today? What did you get up? I hope you had a great week.

Last Saturday, was Election Day in Australia, and I'm excited to report that the LNP (right-wing idiots) lost. Big time. And the Labor party won. Actually, it was a freaking landslide, and the election was won by Anthony Albanese in two hours! Yep. Looks like Australia responded to what we think about fascists.

Now, if only the US would get rid of that fucking Orange Turd.

Anyway, let's chat about better things.

After taking a two-week break to read and write short stories, my goal was to complete the second draft of what I'm tentatively calling, VampNovel2.

Here's how I went:

• Monday: 51/231pgs (92,446w)
• Tuesday: 102/230pgs (91,302w) 
• Wednesday: 153/228pgs (89,897w)
• Thursday: 209/231pgs (90,060w) 
• Friday:  234pgs / 90,624w

As you can see, I cut quite a few words. All fat that didn't need to be there.

I reached the end tonight, and I'm really happy. Yay. 😁

Working on stories set in this 80s vampire world is turning out to be SO MUCH FUN, and I don't think I'm done yet. Oher characters are lining up to tell their tales next. LOL.

Now that the second draft is done, I'll put it aside until next Monday and then I'll tackle the third draft. I'm looking forward to it, but first I want to enjoy a few days with my husband.

Well, my brain feels like mush so that's it for now.

Hope you have an awesome weekend!

Reading, Writing & Revising

Hey! It's me again. How are you today? What did you get up to this week?

Personally, I got a bunch of stuff done. Initially, I planned to concentrate on reading, and to be honest, it did start that way. On Monday, I read and thoroughly enjoyed the novelisation of The Lost Boys. I finished it in one afternoon/night because it was SO much fun. LOVED IT! There's just something about 80s movie novelisations that really grab me. Of course, the fact this is based on the screenplay of one of my all-time favourite movies might have something to do with it. 😃

Then on Tuesday, I completed the final read-thru of the monster lovin' short story that I wrote on my phone over the long weekend. Yeah, it's a shortie but definitely a lot of cheeky fun. I even read it to my husband, and by Monday night, it was sitting on my Paperwhite for one last revision/read.

Final word count is: 1,698.

During Wednesday and Thursday night, I read Retreat by Krysten Ritter. It's such a great and totally twisty psychological thriller. Lots of glitzy rich lifestyle vibes, with a good dose of scandalous mystery and plenty of attitude.

Between reading this book, I also wrote and revised another short story. This one came to me on Sunday and I started writing it on my phone. But after the initial 200 words, I stalled. It wasn't until my afternoon walk on Monday that I realised a simple format change was just what this tale needed. And it worked! Because I finished writing it shortly after that.

Tonight, I completed the read-thru on my Paperwhite.

Final word count: 3,147.

This short story ended up a bit longer than I thought it would be, but I'm not surprised because it's set in the same world as VampNovel1 & VampNovel2. Man, the characters in this world are very chatty. Every time I finish one story, another idea drops into my brain. And these side/prequel tales are deepening the overall story. 😳

Speaking of these novels, I'm hoping to get started on the revision of VampNovel2 next week. Fingers crossed.

Anyway, this was the first full working week in three weeks, and it sure turned out to be productive. My muse has been buzzing and I'm having such a great time getting to know all of these secondary characters.

Now it's time to enjoy two days with my husband. Tomorrow it's Election Day in Australia, so we'll be popping in to the local school to vote. I really hope that the LNP (conservative assholes) don't win. They just want to fuck things up with cruelty and bullshit. Wish I could trust people to be smart enough to realise this is the case, but sadly, I don't have much faith in humanity nowadays.

Hope things turn out well, like they did in Canada. Wish us luck. 

Have a great one!

PS. So far, I've written and revised 8 short stories this year.

RETREAT by Krysten Ritter

Retreat by Krysten Ritter
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed Krysten Ritter's first book, Bonfire, so I was really excited about reading this one.

Liz is a con artist. She's beautiful, knows how to draw people into her orbit, and she's intelligent. She's also a chameleon and has learned a lot of trades that help her slink in and out of rich people's lives. But when she goes to Mexico for a real job, she gets caught up in the glitzy life of the rich woman who hired her...

Wow. What a great mystery! It's also a terrific psychological thriller that's full of twists, turns, and a cast of characters that keeps you guessing until the shocking truth becomes very clear.

I really enjoyed this book. It's such a great story that starts out simple enough: a con artist has built a busy life for herself that keeps her financially afloat, but when her web of lies starts to unravel, she gets the opportunity of a lifetime.

Sounds pretty straightforward, right? Except it's not. Nothing about this story or characters is as it seems. The Mexican setting is lovely and the vivid descriptions put you right there in the heart of the action, but there's also a sinister underbelly that creeps up on you.

This is one dark and messed-up tale full of lies, secrets, and a bunch of conniving players. And I loved every minute of it. I couldn't stop reading because the author's voice is as compelling as the awesome writing style. The ending was perfect.

Liz is such a great character. I mean, she's definitely no saint and gets up to a lot of awful shit, but there's just something about her that totally captivates the reader.

Loved it!


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