Hello there! Welcome back to the blog! It's been a while since I last posted on the internet, and lots of things have happened since.
You may have noticed that I haven't been online much since May. That's because our father was recently hospitalized for multiple critical medical issues (multiple systemic and lung infections complicated by stroke, hypertension, electrolyte imbalances, and diabetes). I had to stay with him in the hospital for three weeks, with little to no contact with the outside world due to our city's COVID protocols. Because of this, I had to put all our writing projects on hold.
Even now, after coming home, I'm finding it hard to implement an effective writing schedule because of the level of care that he needs. I'm the only available person who can assist him with his day-to-day routine. Additionally, the behavioral changes that come with his post-stroke psychosis aren't making things any easier.
That being said, I'll still try to get our drafts and publishing dates back on track. You'll see a list of our ebook portals and social media sites below, along with the corresponding projects they'll feature. There's also a recommendation section, like always, after the updates part.
BookBub
I'm slowing down our book reads and reviews to one title a month due to time constraints. You can expect them near the end of the first week of each month.
Booksie
Stand, our poetry collection, will be updated every weekend. After all the poems for it have been uploaded, we'll move on to the next one, called Switch. I might create a backup copy of Gentle Green here too.
Commaful
The "picture book" versions of the poems for Switch are already being uploaded here. A new poem will come out every weekend until the collection is complete. I have no plans to post anything new to the site afterward. I don't have the time to select backgrounds and set layouts for new poems anymore, which is why I'm going on hiatus here for now.
There will still be updates, just not as colorful or picture-heavy as they used to be. Most of these updates will be about details of future manuscripts or works in progress. They'll come out twice a month, on the second and fourth weekends. I'm planning to make another set of print books available locally, so anyone interested in paperback versions of our stories should head here to secure their order.
NaNoWriMo
I'm joining Camp NaNoWriMo in July 2023. As to the specifics, I'm debating whether to enter with Sienna (Fairy Tomes, Book 5), Finding Eternity (Eternal Romances, Book 3), or a new novella idea. Or I might combine all three into one big project and work on whichever one I can while my dad's asleep.
Like with Bookbub, updates to our Pinterest boards will be reduced to once a month, specifically every third weekend. I have no plans to create any new boards for the foreseeable future, unless somebody makes a request or offers a suggestion.
Smashwords (and other ebook retailers)
Verna will still be coming out later this year. The fifth and sixth books for Fairy Tomes, however, won't be available until mid-2024. If the site hosts another Summer/Winter Sale this coming July, I'll enroll the published stories for the promo. That way, everyone can buy ebook copies at discounted prices. The sale schedule will probably be posted on Facebook.
Wattpad
I'm happy to announce that Gentle Green, our entry for this year's Open Novella Contest, made it into the shortlist. Also, our contemporary romance story Beautiful Disaster gained several new readers, which I'm very grateful for. Since the account on Wattpad seems to be showing signs of activity, any new projects or drafts will probably appear here first. Their backups will be on Booksie, like usual. You'll see excerpts and spoilers of the published books here too, just to keep the profile's momentum going.
Recommendation
Just before we had to stay at the hospital, I managed to finish an anime series called The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten. And it's one of the coziest romances I've seen in a while. The trailer sums up the premise of the story really well. Basically, if you're into slow-burn, one-true-pair-type love stories with characters that are chill and drama-free for the most part, this story just might be for you.
That's all I have for you this summer. In other news, it's actually officially the start of the rainy season in my country. "Summer" here (more accurately called the sunny or dry season) ended last month. We've had two typhoons so far, and luckily, there hasn't been much damage to our region.
As always, thank you very much for your support! It's going to be tough to keep writing in the coming months due to our family's circumstances, but I'll keep trying my best to deliver content. Nothing gives me more happiness than being able to create worlds and characters that you can enjoy. I do hope that you can keep my dad's health in your thoughts and prayers, as it would mean the world to him to think that many people care. Make sure to join the mailing list if you haven't yet, because that's where you'll get word of a new post on this blog.
Keep safe, stay healthy, and happy reading! Until next time!
