Angeline Trevena

Dystopian Urban Fantasy Author

Business of Writing

Five Year Project: Saying Goodbye, Saying Hello

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Five Year Project: Do You Have Goals?Since my post last month, I’ve released The Matching, the second book in The Paper Duchess series. It’s always scary letting one of your books go out into the world, but it’s been selling nicely, and it’s brilliant to see the series moving forward.

And speaking of moving forward, I’ve already started working on book three; The Visionary.

The Visionary Coming Winter 2016

I have the whole book plotted out, and I’m really excited about writing it. This book’s going to really bring the series back to the dark, gritty feel of The Bottle Stopper, and will also contain some big reveals to shake up the whole series.

Alongside that, I’ve also started plotting a whole new story that refused to be quiet. It’s unrelated to The Paper Duchess books, and has much more of a typical fantasy feel. I’m planning on trying something a little bit different for this one, but more about that another time.

The Memory Trader Coming 2017

So, that’s been my June: the end of one project, and the beginning of new ones. How have your writing goals progressed?

If you want to visit the other blogs in this blog hop, or fancy signing up yourself, check out the linky list here: sylmion.blogspot.co.uk/p/do-you-have-goal.html

Five Year Project: Ready for Release

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Five Year Project: Do You Have Goals?I’ve really taken the final edits of The Matching down to the wire, but it’s finally ready to go. Today, it will be sent to my ebook formatter (kindlebookformatting.co.uk He’s fantastic, if you’re looking for a formatter), ready to be uploaded for its release on June 10th.

It’s a later release than I had originally intended, but, life. What can you do, eh?

And along with The Matching’s release, I’ve started thinking about book 3 of the series. I’ve also got some more ideas in the pipeline and, well, to be honest, I think I might have really got hooked on this whole publishing thing.

Have you hit your writing goals this month?

If you want to visit the other blogs in this blog hop, or fancy signing up yourself, check out the linky list here: sylmion.blogspot.co.uk/p/do-you-have-goal.html

The Matching“There was a time when a girl’s wedding day was the happiest day of her life.”

In Falside, girls are a rare commodity; protected, controlled, and tracked by the administration. They spend their days idly waiting to be married off to the highest bidder.

When the marriage announcements include Tale’s lover, Freda, the women will do anything to stop the match from happening.

Their relationship is forbidden, and as members of the resistance, they’re already risking everything.

But as their attempts to stop the wedding fail, both women have to decide what they’re willing to sacrifice for love.

Pre-order The Matching from Amazon.

Worming its Way In

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Gummy WormsI’m meant to be finalising the edits on The Matching. I’m meant to be continuing The Paper Duchess series. So why is a brand new story idea worming its way into my brain?

Staying focussed has always been a problem for me: I was the girl bumping into things because she was walking around reading a book, or embarrassed at school when the teacher asked her a question and she’d been daydreaming instead of listening. In fact, it only takes me spotting something shiny to completely forget what I was meant to be doing. And rogue story ideas demanding attention are definitely a problem.

And there’s only one way to stop those idea worms: I have to get them out of my head.

So, while it takes me away from the task at hand, I’ll sit down with some notecards, a big sheet of paper, or, if I’m lucky, a crisp, new notebook, and I’ll write down all my ideas. And every time another little worm appears, I’ll add it to the notes. I just need to exorcise them from my brain.

Then, when I’m ready to write that new story, I’ll find that I almost have the entire thing plotted out.

How do you stop getting distracted by the shiny new ideas?

Five Year Project: Slow Going

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Five Year Project: Do You Have Goals?April was supposed to see me complete the edits for The Matching, format the ebook, and release it on Amazon. That’s not going to happen. So, I’m heading for a May release instead.

Progress has been painfully slow, but I do have a pretty good reason for it. On March 31st I gave birth to my second son so, essentially, I’m on maternity leave. In fact, this whole month, I’ve only managed to get onto the computer three times. So, yeah, it’s slow going. But I’ll get there.

How’s April been for your writing goals?

If you want to visit the other blogs in this blog hop, or fancy signing up yourself, check out the linky list here: sylmion.blogspot.co.uk/p/do-you-have-goal.html

What’s a Beta Reader Worth?

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The MatchingThe last couple of months have all been about edits, and preparing The Matching to be sent out to beta readers. It went out at the beginning of March, and I’ve been doing some big edits based on some of that feedback. Big changes. Changes that I knew needed to be made, but just wanted to have confirmed by outside eyes.

But that’s what’s so wonderful about beta readers, and a good one really is worth their weight in gold. Or platinum. Or plutonium.

Beta readers can offer you something you can never give yourself: a distanced opinion. An outside eye. A level of detachment you can’t achieve. But there’s something even more important than that, something that only a good beta reader can offer: honesty. That, that’s harder to find.

The most obvious beta readers available to you are friends and family. And while some of them can be good beta readers (I use family members), many will try to spare your feelings, try not to upset you or cause a falling out. This is no use to you, your writing, or your future readers. You need people that understand how important that honesty is, and people who aren’t afraid to give it to you.

So what is a beta reader worth? A good one? Everything. They’re worth your book, your readers’ enjoyment, your reviews, your sales, your confidence in your work, your future career. Everything.

So once you find a good beta reader, never let them go. (Please note: I mean this metaphorically. I do not advocate the kidnapping, imprisonment, or enforced servitude of beta readers. Even a good one.)

Five Year Project: It’s All Official Now

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Five Year Project: Do You Have Goals?Last month I was deep in edits, preparing The Matching to go out to beta readers. It went out to them early this month, and I’m now working on some very big changes based on some of that feedback.

But it’s all becoming very real now. When you’re head down at your computer, tapping away, all absorbed within your own little world, it’s yours. It’s a personal endeavour, a private space, a secret relationship between you and your characters. But there comes a moment when it’s all suddenly open, revealed to the world. And suddenly, you’re accountable. You can’t keep tweaking and editing and rewriting forever.

And The Matching has become very official. It has a cover. And there’s little that makes a book feel more real than that. I officially revealed the cover this week, so now, well, there’s no going back.

The Matching Coming Soon

There are other ways I make myself accountable, urge myself onwards. I’ve put the book up on Goodreads, along with an expected publication date. Of course, the next step will be the pre-order, and there’s serious consequences if you back out of that one.

So, that’s that. It’s all official now. I really do actually have to do this.

I can’t wait!

If you want to visit the other blogs in this blog hop, or fancy signing up yourself, check out the linky list here: sylmion.blogspot.co.uk/p/do-you-have-goal.html