Sometimes I have those days where, for whatever reason, I feel like I have to stop and take stock of what I’ve done. I feel like I have to justify what I’ve been working on, how I’ve been doing. I’m having one of those moments right now. So, allow me to indulge in that a little bit. Let’s talk about what I’ve been up to.
- GhostlyYA
- For those of you who might be unfamiliar with all the chaos that is the projects I have going on right now, GhostlyYA is the goofy title I gave to the paranormal story I’m working on.
- GhostlyYA as a project started back in 2020, I think. It was fully drafted at some point either in 2020 or 2021 (I cannot be the only person who feels like those two calendar years just ran together). But when I read through it, it felt too short. It felt like something was missing.
- In 2021 I took a hard look at the GhostlyYA and made some BIG changes. I focused more on the antagonist and what he brings to the story. I flushed out his storyline and added a lot to the story. It was better … but I wasn’t convinced it was perfect.
- In January of this year I decided to give it another go. This time I said I was proofreading (haha) with the goal of preparing it for publication. Instead, I added four chapters.
- The good news? I think it’s finally ready. Those four chapters solved the problem I was having on the first two reads. The bad news? It’ll still need a proofread.
- It does have a real title, I’m just not announcing that just yet! I ran a little survey in my February newsletter asking people to vote on possible titles. Without spoilers I’ll say the title IS one of those options. So thank you to everyone who voted!
- It also has a possible cover. Nothing is finalized until it’s finalized … but I like it.
- It’s a 2022 goal to publish the GhostlyYA. Do I still think I can make it? YES. I just need to sit down and make that official schedule so I’m completely ready to hit all the goals.
- Hitman Project
- Again, if you’re unfamiliar with my projects this is a Mystery/Thriller written for an adult audience. It stars a very controversial main character who happens to be a hitman — but somehow you manage you kind of like her anyway.
- This project first popped into being as a random scene in the idea journal way back in like 2016, if you can believe that.
- Over the years, I kept coming back to it. I’d add on to the character I envisioned or play around with the outline. I just couldn’t fully let this one go. Finally, in 2020 I made it my NaNoWriMo project in order to fully draft it. I wrote 50k words on the project and reached the end of the outline in November. But I commented on the feeling that it was too short.
- In 2021 I went back to the story and added quite a bit. I beefed up some descriptions, I let the character make new decisions, I had her interact with more people. Basically, I brought her to life even more.
- In February I sat down to proofread this one. Unlike with the GhostlyYA, this went really well. I did add a little to the story (about 2k words) but mostly it was descriptions of things that I had rushed.
- I’m VERY happy with this project. I do think it will need one more proofread before it’s ready, but I’m happy to put this one on my 2023 publishing schedule. It’ll be amazing.
- This one doesn’t have a finalized title. I have a short list of ideas, which I plan on coming back to soon. One of them is really tugging on my heartstrings, so that may be the winner.
- No cover yet — that’s the next project!
- Super Secret Project
- This project is only a secret for a little bit longer (Saturday is the BIG REVEAL day).
- It’s the baby of the WIPs, having only been conceived in December. However — for reasons that shall make more sense on Saturday — it’ll be the next publication from Tabatha Shipley Books!
- In fact, this one is looking at a MAY release! What? So soon? Again, that will all make sense on Saturday!
- It has a cover. It has a title. The formatting is done. I’m in final proofreading right now! It’s going to be AMAZING!
- Other Projects
- I had a short story published in the Lost Boys Press ezine (go get yourself a copy here).
- I’m back to working on the Kingdom of Fraun short story collection, which I’d like to finish up in 2022. I had walked away from it for a little while because Lance’s backstory is honestly heartbreaking. I had to walk away from it for a bit to get my head around it. At the end of the day I reminded myself that Lance turns out alright and this is part of what made him the character we all loved in the original series. I’m working on this story now. There’s one more story I’d like to put into the short story collection and then that is also done. I’m not sure when it will be released as that heavily depends on when I finish the last of the stories.
- The Apocalypse Project is officially on the far back burner at this point. That poor little idea has been kicking around in my idea journal for YEARS but I just can’t seem to make it work the way I want. I’ve rewritten the outline no less than four times, I’ve tried drafting in three different ways and points of view and it still just isn’t feeling right. I’m not giving up on it — but I am letting it breathe.
- I’m basically putting together my publishing schedule for the future and it’s still looking like I’ve set myself up for success even though it sometimes feels like it’s been a quiet few years. I should have 2 out in 2022 (GhostlyYA and the Super Secret Project). I’d like to see 2 out in 2023 (Hitman Project and the Fraun short stories, ideally). Then I may even have another two already ready for 2024 (YA Contemporary and a romance called Succour). Those two stories have been fully drafted for a long time. I think 2022 might be the year when I pull them out, dust them off, and have a go at them with a red pen. With any luck, they’ll be ready for 2024.
Anyway, that’s what I’ve been up to. It’s nice to see it all in writing like this to show myself how truly busy I’ve been. Now I’m getting back to work … talk soon!