March 2025 Roundup

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March 2025 Roundup

Welcome to the March 2025 roundup!

It’s been a busy month, and it started with getting my Writing and Editing Checklist ARC out to a handful of readers. So far, the ones I’ve heard back from have given the final format the seal of approval, and I’ve only had to make some formatting tweaks. I’ve also been editing, creating graphics, and formatting the free ebook companion of Authoring Checklists.

While both projects still require images from my busy designer, more feedback/changes from beta/ARC readers, and a paperback proof to be ordered and checked, the books are inching closer to publication. I was hoping for late April, but May or June may be the safer bet at this stage. This is the part of publishing that always seems to be so rushed yet moves so slow .

As for what else I got up to this month, read on…

As mentioned above, my writing this month has been editing my Authoring Checklist ARC, and I almost managed to get it ready for my ARC readers, who are also doubling as Beta readers because no one has seen this book but me. To get it ready for them, I read through the manuscript, made changes, and then tried to make the ebook look as good as I could.

In February’s Roundup, you might remember that I mentioned using Atticus for the first time to format my books. While the print version looks great, it has odd spacing for bullet points in the ebook and no way to adjust it. Not happy with the look, I decided to use Scrivener to make the ebook instead, which is what I’ve used for previous releases with no problems. Cue the problems.

Scrivener wouldn’t display headings as they looked on the screen, and I wasted a whole day mucking around with it. Then, my designer came up with the solution of using yet another program to fix the funny spacing in Atticus instead, and now the ebook looks how I want it to. Good for me, but also annoying about the wasted day. It put me behind doing another final read-through, where I found more mistakes than anticipated, and meant I spent yet another day editing and wasn’t able to get the ARC out to readers by the end of the month like I’d planned to. I should have no trouble getting it out in early April, however, so that is the new goal.

Running Point

When Isla Gordon is put in charge of the LA Waves, a pro basketball team started by her late father, her brothers don’t believe she has what it takes to help the team out of their slump, but Isla proves them wrong in a very Ted Lasso-esq way. Already renewed for a second season, this is just a fun series with great characters, and the top-notch cast led by Kate Hudson is one of the reasons it works so well.

The Gorge

Drawn in by the star power of Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy, this genre-mashing movie was surprisingly good. Levi and Drasa are two highly trained snipers who are offered a mission where they will each spend a year on either side of a gorge, protecting their side from whatever is below the mysterious mist-filled space.

They aren’t supposed to communicate with each other, but during the months of isolation, they end up exchanging messages via whiteboards they can see from their telescopes. Cue a romantic relationship, then a mission to save each other when Levi ends up in the Gorge and Drasa goes after him. From there, the movie delves into sci-fi, action, genuine jump scares, and clever twists to pull off some satisfying viewing.

In the Dark by Claire Allan

Claire Allan is an author who has been on my TBR list forever, and now that I’ve finally read one of her books, I’m sorry it took so long. I was instantly hooked and thoroughly enjoyed this mystery about a child who disappeared in the woods, the mother who was there but couldn’t remember what happened, and the documentary filmmaker and the members of an Internet crime forum who tried to help solve the case. Highly recommended for readers of true crime-inspired stories with a psychological twist.

The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz

When the opportunity to take part in a writing retreat with her favorite author comes her way, talented yet stuck writer Alex jumps at the chance. Little does she know, however, that the retreat will force her to face her former best friend, their secrets, a vanished participant, twisted mind games, and a horrifying event that will alter everyone’s lives forever.

While some parts of this book went in a strange direction, it does settle into an edge-of-your-seat psychological thriller and has the perfect ending. Highly recommended for fans of stories about writers and what they’ll do to pen their masterpiece, no matter the cost to themselves or others.

I’ll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman’s Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara

This is another book that has been on my TBR list forever, ever since I watched the documentary it’s based on a few years back. While the documentary talked about the GSK being caught, this book was written before he was, and it’s interesting to hear the theories the author and detectives were working on while trying to find him. They believed DNA and ancestry sites held the key, and that is exactly how the GSK was eventually caught.

Pieced together from Michelle McNamara’s notes, finished chapters, and various articles written before her untimely death, her writing skills, care, and voice really shine, elevating it above a standard true crime book.

Not F#ing Around: The No Bullsh#t Guide for Getting Your Creative Dreams Off the Ground by Jeff Leisawitz

This is a super quick and easy-to-read guide that is full of inspiring tips and mottos about going for your dreams and pushing aside self-doubt to get there. While there’s nothing ground-breaking amongst the advice, it is delivered in a humorous, frank way that provides a lift to any creative person having a hard day and wondering if the pursuit of art is worth it.

Let’s Be Book Friends!

If you’ve got any good book recommendations, let me know in the comments, or be my friend on Goodreads and share your faves! You can also find and follow my book reviews on Amazon and BookBub.

This month, I’ve been taking photos of… a bird on my morning walk.

This has to be one of my favorite photos that I’ve ever snapped, and it was done via pure luck. I was taking a photo of the sunrise, and a bird flew by so quick I didn’t think I’d even captured it. The perfect shot was there on my phone when I looked at it later, though, and I just love the phoenix-rising-from-the-ashes vibe