Unearthly Magik is OUT and I'm Verklempt
Ah! It's finally out.
Unearthly Magik was released on August 24th in ebook format. The print version is coming next week. It looks so darn pretty, and I can't wait for you to see it. I nearly squealed...okay, I did squeal...when my cover designer showed me her design. She knows the series so well that only she could have captured the feel of the book.
Besides all that, I'm giddy AF. I finally had a full night of sleep the day it was published. Two days later, I was falling off a jet ski in Fort Lauderdale, where we were celebrating my father-in-law's seventieth birthday. That seventy-year-old man got on a jet ski and went into the ocean. Don't worry, he came back.
Me on the other hand? Yeah, I fell off a tipping ski. Since I have no arm strength. the cruise leader had to jump in and push me up by my butt. Highly embarrassing but incredibly funny. A few days after that, I was at a metal concert and saw Spiritbox, Mastodon, and Ghost. I lost my voice for a couple of hours, and there's now a picture floating around somewhere of me with my tongue out and holding up the horns. Later that night, I put on a Steven Universe t-shirt, so take it how you will.
Writing a book is truly a labor of love. I cried. I laughed. I deleted entire manuscripts before this one stuck. I wanted to walk away, but the characters kept calling. So I gritted my teeth and got it done.
That sounds way dramatic. I sat at my desk, staring at my monitors for at least four days a week. I read books in the same genre (urban fantasy). I drank an obscene amount of chocolate milk. I cuddled with my dog, the mighty Jon Snow. Most importantly, I engaged in word-vomit and finally found a voice.
A few weeks have passed, and I'm still verklempt (my favorite word of the week) about everything. The morning glass of chocolate milk is still growing strong, and I've just returned to the office and my new manuscripts. It's strange to start from the beginning again, but it's all good. It's time to dig down deep, make sure my Biggie Smalls funko isn't judging me from the corner, and Uncle Iroh throws his blessings of creativity my way. Jon Snow will beta read. I'll stare at the screen, NOT delete any manuscripts, and grit my teeth.
I love writing.