GOODNESS, I HAVE A LOT OF UPDATES TO SHARE!
First off, I’m terribly sorry for the longer-than-usual time gap between my blog posts. This has turned out to be one of the busiest summers I have ever experienced, and I had to step back from writing for a few months. We moved to a new home, immediately realizing we had WAY too much stuff (our poor movers probably despise us). Haha. Then, to add fuel to the fire, I had a surgery to muddle through, a five-year-old son to get ready for kindergarten in the fall, and an ongoing health crisis within my close family. It was a lot. So, even though it felt strange not to be actively working on writing things like I would normally do, it also felt nice to have a mental break. I think taking periodic breathers is necessary sometimes. Healthy for the ol’ thinker. I hope you had a good (and far less busy) summer!
To give you a bit of an update, I’ve been easing my way back into writing and tackled a pet project I’d been working on slowly over the last several months. Anybody who knows me will understand I can never truly cut writing out altogether. So, I settled on completing a light and non-taxing project while I was on my writing hiatus.
A prompt book for writers of speculative fiction.
See, I’ve got this brain that never stops brainstorming. I see inspirations all around me, and constantly come up with new ideas. Problem is, I can’t possibly write them all! There’s not enough hours in the day. I mean, being a stay-at-home-mom keeps me plenty busy, so whatever writing I can get done ends up being shoehorned in wherever it works.
So, I started compiling the build up of ideas into a book... and now I’m sharing them with the world. :) Without further ado, I present to you, my newest book (to be released Oct 30th):
OH, THAT'S GOOD... 52 WRITING PROMPTS YOU NEVER KNEW
YOU NEEDED. BUT SERIOUSLY... YOU DO.
I had so much fun designing this cover. I’ve been itching to share it with everyone. Now, if you are a writer, or have friends and family who are writers, then this is the book for you. It's a great gift idea, since it includes 52 unique writing prompts, helpful note pages, and motivational words to inspire your creativity. You can either sift through to find your favourites, or dare to take the 52-Week Challenge. What’s that you ask? Well, to complete the challenge and win ultimate bragging rights, you must work your way through the book, writing one short story per week for an entire year.
Yep, I said it. Is it crazy? Maybe a little. Is it fun? Absolutely.
PRE-ORDER YOUR OWN COPY OF THE BOOK TODAY! Just click the link below:
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B09GHGZMBC/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=oh+that%27s+good...&qid=1631827606&sr=8-3
IN OTHER NEWS:
The sequel to The Big Ol’ Bike, tentatively titled “Camp ImaRunamok“ is steadily creeping step closer to publication. It was on hold over the summer, sadly. But I aim to get back on track and send out to beta readers before the snow flies.
I’m gearing up to dive back into my sci-fi/western novel Race To Novus for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month - held annually in November). I wrote 60% of the novel last November, and I plan to finish it this time around. I’m excited to query lit agents.
I applied and was accepted to a competitive four day writing workshop called Fearscapes in November, where I’ll be workshopping the first 3,000 words and the query letter of a new sci-fi horror/thriller novel I’ve started writing. The best part is that all participants get valuable feedback/critique on their work from faculty members, all of whom work in the publishing industry (editors, literary agents, established authors).
The Big Ol' Bike was named as a FINALIST for the 2021 Page Turner Book Award, which is very exciting! They say the short list will be announced in a few weeks, so wish me luck.
Lastly, one of my favourite horror stories just got published in an amazing anthology called A Pile of Bodies, A Pile of Heads this past week. My story, The Finisher tells the tale of an unfortunate woman who hires the wrong man to stop her feuding neighbour’s antics. *insert ominous laughter here* A huge thank you to Sinister Smile Press for including me in such a stellar lineup of authors. Grab your copy here: https://www.amazon.ca/Pile-Bodies-Heads/dp/1953112145/ref=sr_1_1?crid=GL34CVPXW0UD&dchild=1&keywords=a+pile+of+bodies%2C+a+pile+of+heads&qid=1631829350&sr=8-1
Well, that’s about it for me. I’m all out of fresh writing news for you! Thanks for reading and for your support. It means the world to me. And, if you decide to pre-order a copy of my prompt book (which I hope you do), please don’t forget to take a quick moment to give it an honest review when you’ve finished reading. Same goes for The Big Ol’ Bike, if you purchased a copy.
Here's the link to purchase/review The Big Ol' Bike, in case anybody wants it:
Reviews are incredibly important and really help us humble authors sell books.
Thanks again & take care until next time!
Rachael Clarke
2021-09-16