D.L. Miles's Blog

There is no world in which I am a night owl. I've always relished in sleep and going to bed at a decent hour--my own mother laughs every time she recalls that as I child I was telling HER I was going to bed. There was never a "I want to stay up!" argument. So, really, it's no surprise that I prefer to write in the morning, and wake up early.

There is something very calming about the quiet of the morning, like I'm being eased into the day as the sun rises. As long as I didn't have a tossing-turning kind of night, my mind feels so much fresher in the morning than at night. I use so much mental energy at work that all I want to do is turn off my brain at the end of the day, so not much writing gets done unless I'm feeling particularly motivated.

The morning when I can sit and relax feels weightless--not bogged down by the day and the words flow easier. But, sometimes I do wish I was a night owl. All of my friends are night owls! Just once I would love to stay up late with them but my eyes are closing at nine. Just once I would love to pull an all-nighter of writing and see just how many words I can get down.

But, alas, I'm destined to get up at 6AM and procrastinate a bit with Sims 4 and WoW until I unplug my internet and get some writing done.

This month I'm working on Splash Damage, a fantasy-comedy inspired by D&D and WoW (yes, so original!). I'll be doing #FantasyIndiesDecember on Twitter (or X...I don't know how I feel about that), so if you're on there give me a shoutout so I can follow! I've only restarted my account...again.

Do you prefer morning or night writing?

We can always write more, and by more I just mean more often. We all have good and bad writing days, so here's a few tips to keep the words flowing.

Photo by Aaron Burden/Unsplash.com

Start with ten words. That's it, just ten. One sentence to get you started because chances are those ten words aren't going to be the entire sentence.

Do a sprint. This was something I learned about when I started doing NaNoWriMo.

Set a timer for ten minutes (or five even) and start writing. Don't delete anything you write for that time and stop when the timer goes off. How many words did you write?

Procrastinate. Yes, procrastinate, just not writing.

Have a list of chores you need to get done? Vacuuming? Dusting? A run to the store for that one thing you forgot while shopping? NOT ANYMORE. Now you're going to use your procrastination to get some writing done. Those things can wait until you've written a few words, right?

Set aside a specific time to write.

This one isn't always the easiest, but it can get you into the habit of writing daily. Play around with different times if you can, and decide which one works best for you. I find doing a bit of writing in the morning is better for me, because most days when I'm done work I'm far too mentally tired to get back at it.

Take a break.

I know this one seems counterproductive, but sometimes your brain just needs a break. Take some time--a few hours, a day, maybe a week--and then get back to it. Writing is a craft, but it's also WORK.

I should really take my own advice and start doing these. I definitely need to write more. But I also want to do more photography, and with that in mind, here's a recent photo that was something I'd wanted to do (find) for a long time!

It's official, and ahead of schedule: Coffee Break's first draft is officially complete! My LGBTQA+ novel about sudden fame, the changes in friendship in your early 20's, and discovering there's more to sexuality and romance is actually done. It's also my first contemporary novel--no murder, no magic (well not fantasy magic), and no mystery to solve. It was somehow easier and harder than I thought it would be.

Now to just figure out an official name for the book o.o'

Going viral for taking down a Karen means a lot more attention on Lia and the small café she works at. It opens up a lot of doors, some she isn't sure she wants to walk through, and brings up personal questions about who she is, her sexuality, and her beliefs. With the help of friends, old and new, Lia is on a journey to find her place in the LGBTQA+, all while navigating her newfound fame.

Yesterday I successfully made my Camp NaNoWriMo goal of 30K words on Coffee Break! To finish a day early makes me incredibly happy, and it also brings the WIP over 50K words total. There's still a lot to do, not only finish the first draft but go back and add in anywhere I've written [TRANSITION HERE] or [NAME GUY].

Here's an excerpt of the MC Lia meeting a potential romance (some parts are omitted for potential spoilers). For a longer excerpt and more exclusive goodies check out my Patreon!

“Anyway,” I said quickly, taking a sip of the sparkling water until I could think of an appropriate question that wouldn’t result in discussing the club and their business. “If he’s named Bubbly, why are you Reid? Don’t all you MC guys have names like Crusher or Crasher or Johnny Tight Lips?”

“No, not here.” Another drink before he opens his mouth and is interrupted by a shout across the room.

“Hey Crasher, we gotta go already!” A burly man with thick black curls waved at the back door where another burly man walked out.

I arched one brow at Reid who cleared his throat. “Okay, maybe there are some. But he’s the only one! Got it because he kept crashing his bike.”

“And Bubbly got his from his positive personality?” I asked.

Reid just nodded and threw back his head to drink the last of his beer.

Good morning all! I wanted to do a post since it's been a while--this month I'm working on the first draft of my LGBTQA+ novel Coffee Break (temp. title) as part of Camp NaNoWriMo. Over the coming weeks I'll be posting a lot about it, I think, with some excerpts and just general writing updates.

This novel is different than what I normally write--no murder, no mystery to solve, and more comedy. Read on for a description and a small excerpt.

Description

Going viral for taking down a Karen means a lot more attention on Lia and the small café she works at. It opens up a lot of doors, some she isn't sure she wants to walk through, and brings up personal questions about who she is, her sexuality, and her beliefs. With the help of friends, old and new, Lia is on a journey to find her place in the LGBTQA+, all while navigating her newfound fame.

Excerpt

“Yeah, yeah, barbón,” I replied. “Can I get back to work now? I want to see if I can turn that zero into a negative one.”

Jules’s brow scrunched together. “You want to pre-shame someone into leaving?”

“I think that would just be stopping them from coming in,” Willow mentioned, voice low. She sniffled but smiled at me.

“Girl’s gotta dream, right?”

This week is Read an eBook Week at Smashwords, which means many of my books are on sale! Some up to 100% off :D

Be sure to check it out, the sale ends this weekend!

On another note, Camp NaNoWriMo is coming up fast. I think everyone says this, but I can't believe we're already into month three of 2023 0_0

I've decided I want to focus on a story I started last year, Coffee Break (not the official title). My attention has felt very divided lately and I've been struggling to stay focused on one thing at a time.

The story has changed from a contemporary romance to more of a light hearted comedy about discovering your own sexuality and how there's more out there than just gay/straight. My MC Lia will be struggling with both fame and love when she accidentally goes viral!

Plus there will be Pokemon, witchcraft and that dreaded question many get "so you don't want to do more than this?".

I'm doing daily posts on Twitter as part of #FantasyIndiesMarch (though it's not technically a fantasy). So please check it out! You'll learn about the WIP and maybe find some interesting books if you browse the tag.

Invoke.

Summon.

Conquer.

Echoing through the night,

your languid call

erupts over the nothingness

you left in your wake.

Every creature has its evil

and every evil its home.

From sea to sea

I will remain

your home.

Love Notes to Nightmares III features 100 poems from humans to the monsters they love.

Image 1: Generated by Wonder AI

Image 2: Generated by DALL-E

Image 3: Generated by Wonder AI

Good morning! Yesterday I uploaded the third book in the Love Notes to Nightmares series to Smashwords as a preorder. The KDP preorder is coming soon, I'm just waiting on the proof of the print version before finalizing it all.

For now, here's the new cover! It took me quite a while to finally settle on one, none of them seemed quite right. I'm still not 100% on this one, but I don't think I've ever been with a cover. Because of the cover theme, I also ended up swapping one of the monsters in the book to a Cthulhu creature! It's one of my favourite series (I know, I say that about all of them), but I do love it.

The release date is August 25, so mark the date and get your preorder in now! Five stories of humans that fell in love with monsters, including a witch, wisp, Lamia, Cthulhu and a kitsune.

Here's a little taste of the witch series:

Black runs through your veinsinches out into the things around you.The cat that sleeps on your steps,the crow that pecks your windowpanes.It coats your eyes,you hair,your fingernails.The night courses in your blood,and it is something only I can stop.When I lay in bed tonightI will dream of you as you werewhen I first saw you.Dancing in the darkworshiping the flamesas if they were your masterinstead of praying for themto take me with you.And I will bury herso far down into the earth,their hands will bleed to dig her out.So far downHell will hear their screams.

Love Notes to Nightmares II is no longer exclusive to Kindle, and you can now get it on Smashwords! Major retailers will also have it, such as Barnes and Noble, Apple iBooks, and Kobo.

Featuring a series of poems from humans to myths, this book includes a werewolf, satyr, as well as Medusa. Horror meets romance, and sparks fly.

Check it out on Smashwords here!

Read an eBook week is coming up, and some of my books will be on sale at Smashwords!

The Ethereal Crossings will each be discounted 50%

Phasing (The Dark Origins) will be free!

The Howling Jade (book 2 of The Monarchy) will be 50% off

Be sure to check them out on March 6! CLICK HERE TO GO TO SMASHWORDS