I'm sort of on holiday this week as we have family visiting, so this will be a short and sweet newsletter. I hope the end of summer is treating you well.
I had a September 1st deadline to finish edits on Mech and Magic. Did I make it? Yes! This was the big edit where I fix all the plot holes and continuity problems. There is something so satisfying about having a solid manuscript done.
This week I took it a bit easy since I had grand babies to play with. We visited the country fair where I got to pet a lovely llama (not like Luther llama!) and we played on the beach and ate way too much food.
The coming months will be busy with the release of 2 audiobooks (see details below) and the new Knack release. Next week I'll be buckling down to give Mech and Magic my final read-through before it goes to my editor.
I thought you might like to see a bit of the behind the scenes mechanics. Above is a very basic map of the palace in New Torwood City. Much of Rowan's story takes place inside the palace for book 2, so I needed to orient myself. You might remember that Talos, the giant automaton walks around the city wall every day. The palace is built right up against the north wall of the city. Standing on that wall, you'd be able to look out over the vast Meadows, and watch Talos walk by.
This layout makes the palace long and skinny, and slightly curved. Also, we're only looking at the upper floor here (though the blue halls are multiple stories high). I expect there would be several lower floors for Keepers, kitchens, staff, etc. There are also several hidden staircases for staff that don't show up here.
Clearly this map isn't going to win any design awards, and I won't be publishing it with the book. It's primarily for me to keep myself oriented when Rowan is running around trying to save the city. But I thought it might be fun to showcase here. Let me know what you think!
I had a September 1st deadline to finish edits on Mech and Magic. Did I make it? Yes! This was the big edit where I fix all the plot holes and continuity problems. There is something so satisfying about having a solid manuscript done.
This week I took it a bit easy since I had grand babies to play with. We visited the country fair where I got to pet a lovely llama (not like Luther llama!) and we played on the beach and ate way too much food.
The coming months will be busy with the release of 2 audiobooks (see details below) and the new Knack release. Next week I'll be buckling down to give Mech and Magic my final read-through before it goes to my editor.
I thought you might like to see a bit of the behind the scenes mechanics. Above is a very basic map of the palace in New Torwood City. Much of Rowan's story takes place inside the palace for book 2, so I needed to orient myself. You might remember that Talos, the giant automaton walks around the city wall every day. The palace is built right up against the north wall of the city. Standing on that wall, you'd be able to look out over the vast Meadows, and watch Talos walk by.
This layout makes the palace long and skinny, and slightly curved. Also, we're only looking at the upper floor here (though the blue halls are multiple stories high). I expect there would be several lower floors for Keepers, kitchens, staff, etc. There are also several hidden staircases for staff that don't show up here.
Clearly this map isn't going to win any design awards, and I won't be publishing it with the book. It's primarily for me to keep myself oriented when Rowan is running around trying to save the city. But I thought it might be fun to showcase here. Let me know what you think!
PRE-ORDER MECH & MAGIC NOW!
AUDIOBOOK UPDATES
Audiobook for A Knack for Metal and Bone is coming late September!
Audiobook for Black Annis Year is coming late October!
I still have spots left on my Audiobook Advanced Review Team. If you'd like to join the team, there are some restrictions, so please fill out the form below.
JOIN THE AUDIO ARC TEAM
GENERAL UPDATES
Feature in Canadian Indie Authors
There's a new Substack in town that highlights the growing Canadian Indie Author community and I was featured this week. You don't need to be Canadian to enjoy fiction and nonfiction by Canadians. Check out my feature and follow Canadian Indie Authors on Substack!
WORDS FROM THE WOODS: Starting in September I'll be adding a segment to my Facebook Page where I answer your questions—anything about my books, reading, writing or publishing in general is fair game. I already have several questions from readers in the queue, but if you have a burning question, feel free to reply right to this email with it and maybe you'll see it in an episode of Words from the Woods.
Be sure to follow and favorite my FB page to see this new feature. Not on FB? I will also be adding the Words from the Woods posts to Discord.
FOLLOW KIM ON FACEBOOK
JOIN KIM'S DISCORD CHANNEL
BOOK FAIRS
If you live in the northern hemisphere, it's time to start hoarding books for the cooler weather. This week's selection of book fairs has a little bit of everything, like a book buffet! There are even more freebies on the Book Fair Page.
