Wait. 2026 isn’t over yet? It’s only mid-February?

[insert beleaguered whimpering]

Ignore that sniveling fool! She’s got no clue what she’s talking about–clearly.

Welcome to this year’s second installment of my newsletter, in which I will update you on my writing and… that’s pretty much it.

If you don’t want to read about the nitty-gritty details of creating a novel, perhaps you’d like to read said novels instead?

You can find all my books here on Amazon. Or if you hate Amazon, they are available from Draft2Digital (paperback format) or Hoopla (digital library).

With that obligatory sales pitch out of the way, here’s a picture!

Sunrise balloons outside Hamilton, New Zealand, photo taken by me, Jan 2026.

Husband and I visited hubby’s family in New Zealand. Mom isn’t doing so well, but it was good to spend time with her. Besides catching up with the fam, New Zealand is always a good trip. If you’ve never been, you should definitely go.

Blue Springs, North Island, New Zealand. Video captured by me, Jan, 2026.
(Sound off–it’s a bit demonic! Sorry!)

I complain to my friends and family here in the states that NZed is the only place I ever get to go, but that’s not true at all. We travel to other places. And seriously, why am I complaining? It’s a gorgeous place to visit, and because the population is relatively low compared to California, everyone is nice.

If you are curious about any of the photos here, respond to this email or comment below. I’ll play tourist guide and tell you all about New Zealand (yes, I’ve been to Hobbiton).

But that’s enough about where I’ve been since the last newsletter…

Writing Update

I’m plodding through the revisions on The Rescue of Damndrake.

It’s like pulling teeth, I tell you.

I don’t know why. After receiving feedback from my precious critique partners (over on Scribophile, if you’re curious), and after taking a course from the BookFox on how to revise a novel, I decided on a course of action with a very specific list of tasks. A list three pages long, but still, actionable items.

It’s got things like, add more sensory details during climax. Or, combine these three characters into one. Or, strengthen the dialogue of this minor character in this specific scene.

All easy stuff.

But it is not. Especially when you cut out characters. Finding all the references to that character and removing them can be a futile exercise in tweaking the search function in your word processor over and over again.

Frustrating. Regardless, I am getting through the list. With each item I cross off, I feel one step closer to a better book. And I best be quick, because it is due to my copy editor by mid-March!

During this revision stage, getting encouraging feedback spurs me forward. A fellow author took an interest in my work and they read The Legend of Damndrake. (swoon)

Here’s what they had to say about it over in :

Finished! Life in the fireguard was probably the best aspect for me – using dragons as a fire-crew was brilliant, and the crew vibes reminded me of my treeplanting days. I also appreciated how Damndrake’s past trauma colours her perception of everything – I felt her distrust, paranoia, and low self-esteem were very realistic. Nice read!

Wasn’t that gracious of them? They didn’t have to say it, but they did and that means the world to me.

If you have a favorite indie author and thought it might be weird to tell them directly that you liked their book, please know–it is not weird. Tell them.

From the Blog

For those who signed up for my newsletter, but not my blog, here’s a list of my latest posts:

What a yearSomething witchyThe world is nuts, but we carry onCraft Books on StorytellingThis American Vampire

That’s all for today.

By the way, if you’ve read any of my books, reviews really do help. The Legend of Damndrake only has two reviews on Amazon. They look so lonely! Please give it some love. And while you’re there… The Rescue of Damndrake is ready for per-order.

Until next month, keep plodding away.