Starting February the right way

Happy New Year! I know it's February, but I think technically the year is still new, and I spent actually New Year getting drunk in a rock bar in Tokyo, so I couldn't say it then. So, Happy New Year! 2020 is probably going to be a weird one for a lot of people, but I keep my political rants on Twitter, so let's focus on the good stuff here!

The first piece of good stuff is that I've signed my first contract for the year! My paranormal romance short story, THE WITCH'S GUIDE TO WEREWOLVES will be out in May from Evernight. Here's the blurb:

Callie McIntyre believes in a lot of things. She believes in tarot cards and moon magic, and that's the reason her last girlfriend left her. But she never believed in werewolves until she meets Devon Miller out in the woods one night.

Devon's story is crazy, but who's Callie to argue about it? With a full moon fast approaching, Callie is determined to help Devon tackle her fears. Sure, neither of them know a thing about werewolves, but with another reluctant lyncathrope in tow and all Callie's witchy optimism at work, surely they can get through Devon's first full moon in one piece... Right?

I'm excited about this! I had a lot of problems last autumn with writer's block and anxiety, and decided to write myself a cute, sweet romance with werewolves to help get past it. It took until late January for me to actually finish it, but I'm so happy with how it came out, and it definitely helped with the writer's block, so it's going to have a special place in my heart.

The second piece of good stuff is that Olivia R Burton and me/Amber Morgan will have at least two romances out this year. If you've loved our past collaborations, like The Godfather's Naughty Daughter and Song of the Argyle Goddess, you'll want to stay tuned for CASH GRAB and THE HARBOR MASTER'S SHACK.

And the third piece of good stuff is that I have a ton of other books planned for this year! How many of them I'll actually get to writing is another issue, but I will absolutely be writing the final Blood Canticles book this year. If you want to stay up-to-date on what I'm working on, the best places are either Twitter or my Facebook group.

Stay happy and I'll catch you all later!

"Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes."

So! It's been a hell of a while, right? I've been dark here for a while (though, as always, the best place to see what I'm up to is Facebook or Twitter), because as you may recall, earlier this year Nero was offered an amazing job in Amsterdam. After a lot of soul-searching, we decided to take the plunge. We moved at the end of July, and since then, it's been...well, there's been a lot of pancakes.

There's fruit on it, so technically speaking it's one of my five a day.

There's been a lot of other things too. We lived in a fancy hotel for a while when we first got here and were house-hunting. Luckily for us, it was a pet-friendly hotel, so Yuki was able to be a five-star luxury cat for a few weeks.

Her life is pain.

She handled it as best she could, but I'll be honest - even a five-star hotel is still a hotel, and it was a massive relief to move into our new home in mid-August. We're in a quiet neighbourhood just outside of Amsterdam, surrounded by canals, ducks, and herons, and I absolutely love it here. Miss Yuki has settled in nicely, too.

Mijn kat is buiten

While Nero started his new job pretty much straight away, I spent August and early September job-hunting before finally landing a new role in mid-September. Yay! It's with a company I really like so far, doing work I genuinely believe in and that makes a difference to people's lives. And as an added bonus, the hours are pretty flexible, and I now have a much shorter commute to and from the office, so I have more writing time! Not to mention more time to explore Amsterdam.

Classic Netherlands.

I was apprehensive about the move, in all honesty. We've both left behind good friends, beloved family, jobs we were happy in, and a city we knew well and have lots of amazing memories of. And although I do miss my people, I have fallen in love with Amsterdam. It's vibrant and interesting, and has many fine pancake houses, and I now get the pleasure of showing people around when they come to stay, which I love doing!

So, it's taken a few months, but I feel settled in now, and have finally learned which way to look when I cross the road (not that it helps).

And in between all the moving, house-hunting, job-hunting, and waffle-eating, I have been writing. I did lose my rhythm leading up to the move (honestly, part of the reason I'm so glad I love it here is because I NEVER WANT TO PUT MY LIFE INTO BOXES, PUT THE BOXES ON A FERRY, TRAVEL ACROSS AN OCEAN, PUT THE BOXES IN A HOTEL AND LIVE OUT OF THE BOXES FOR A MONTH EVER AGAIN), and I really stalled on Chaos Songs for several months.

Instead, I ended up writing an Amber Morgan book that I adore, and which should be out later this month, and collaborating on another project with Olivia R Burton, which was just tons of fun (and you should check it out). I got back to Chaos Songs in September and was determined to finish it in September... and then in October... and then in November... and then it turned out this was quite a hard book to write because I really wanted to stay true to the rules of the world I've developed since BLOOD WITCH, whilst at the same time letting my characters progress, and, well, it was hard work.

But I finally wrapped the book up this weekend. Huzzahs! I feel kinda exhausted, but fired up at the same time, because now I can start thinking seriously about the next two (and last) books in the Blood Canticles series. My goal is write them both in 2019 if I can, although the next project on my list is another Amber Morgan book. I've been pushing myself since we moved to look at ways of increasing my writing productivity and managing my writing time better, and I have some plans in place to make sure I stay focused and busy in 2019. So hopefully I can bring you more books that you guys love as much as me!

I'm probably not going to get back to a regular blogging schedule, apart from to share news, as I think time spent blogging could better be spent writing. The same goes for the newsletter (which you may have noticed hasn't exactly been happening anyway, but in my defence, I've had a lot going on). So again, Facebook and Twitter are the best places to see what's going on and I love to make friends, so come on and say hi!

Leidseplein being all festive.

Guest Blog - Yuki and Olivia R Burton take over!

Since on Friday I got distracted by NXT Takeover (OMG I love American Alpha so hard. SO HARD), I didn't get to post this. And yesterday I went to finalise my holiday to Iceland with Mum, so I didn't post it then either. But today I have neither American Alpha or Iceland to distract me, so here we go!

Since Yuki is always keen to help around the house, I asked her to sit down with my friend and fellow cat-lover, Olivia R Burton, and ask her some questions about the re-release of her funny, smart, sugar-rich urban fantasy,  MIXED FEELINGS. Yuki did her best to stay on topic and I think she did very well for a first attempt. So, without further ado, let's see what they had to talk about!

Y: Hello, Miss Olivia! I am Miss Yuki, and I am a Beautiful Girl and also a cheeky missus sometimes. Like me, your book cover is very beautiful. Would you tell me a bit about the inside and is it also a cheeky missus?

ORB: I'd say Gwen can be pretty cheeky, even though she's usually too busy being cowardly and hungry to be cheeky. She does have some fun adventures, which I hear you have your share of as well. I'll bet if Gwen got stuck on the roof of the shed, she'd cry more than you do, though.

Y: It is true that I do cry a lot when I get stuck on the shed roof and up trees and on the roof of the house, but it's not because I'm upset. I just want everyone to know where I am at all times in case they want to bring me something.

ORB: In Mixed Feelings, Gwen's first book, she doesn't get stuck on the shed, but she does have to help some fairy monsters find some missing kids, which she needs help with just like you sometimes need help coming down off the roof! Luckily, like you have your people, she has her best friend Chloe there to hold her hand and make sure she gets through the ordeal safely.

Y: Yes, it is good to have helpful people. My people are very patient with me when I forget how to get off the shed. I understand that there is a werewolf in your book, which is like a big dog. I myself do not like dogs, so can you explain why you put one in there?

ORB: I bet you wouldn't mind this werewolf. Mel doesn't turn into a wolf too often, and spends most of his time just trying to get his hands on kitties. Generally they're a different type of kitty than you are, but I'm sure he'd be more than happy to scratch behind your ears if you asked. He's always happy to please a lady.

Y: And I am always happy to be pleased! You have a lot of cats. Which one is in charge?

ORB: It used to be Snapshot in charge, but that's been a source of contention in the house since my roommate moved in. He has a lady cat named Lucca who likes to think of herself as being the boss, as well. They steer clear of each other, both pretending they are the boss, and have decided it's not worth having words over anymore.

Y: As an only cat, I am in charge by default but I would be in charge anyway because I am the most precious and beautiful cat ever, the man says. The lady in your book, Gwen, can tell people's feelings with her mind, which I think would be good for cats, because sometimes I have to meow twice to make people do things for me, and if they just knew what I wanted with magic, that would save time. Do you think Gwen's magic would be good in real life?

ORB: Hmmm. That's a good question, Yuki. I'd say that, if all people could actually feel the emotions of people and animals around, the world would have to be a much different place. It could make us all more compassionate, helping us to see that people we say mean things to have feelings too, and aren't just standing in front of us willing to take verbal abuse. On the other hand, it could also have become such a common occurrence throughout history that people would go the opposite way and be jaded about feeling the sadness of those around them. Maybe we would be so used to feeling those around us being sad or angry or happy that we wouldn't really notice anymore.

Y: My people moved the snake tanks so I can't sit and watch them and tap on the glass any more and that made me sad, but nobody is helping me.

ORB: I bet the snakes miss seeing your cute little face!

Naomi's note: She's not sad at all, don't worry.

Y: You have another book about Gwen and cake out, too. What else happens in that besides cake, and are there going to be more after that one?

ORB: If it were up to Gwen, nothing would happen other than cake. A glutton sitting around eating cupcakes and candy wouldn't make for good reading, though, so Gwen's going to have many more interesting adventures. In Business With Pleasure, Gwen's second book, she's got to help find a murderer, help stop a stalker, and make nice with her ex-husband. She does get to eat ice cream toward the end, though! In the next book there will be more cupcakes, more werewolves (sorry, Yuki!), and a proposal.

Y: Gwen is very adventurous! Where can people keep track of your cake books?

ORB: They can go to my website, OliviaRBurton.com, or they can follow me on Twitter. I also have a page on Facebook that can easily be liked, and an Instagram where I often post pictures of all my cats.

Y: Thank you, Miss Olivia, for sharing all your book and cat and cake news with us! Now I am off to steal socks from the neighbours, because I worry that my people maybe don't have enough. Good day!

Naomi's note: I don't know if she did steal these socks or not, but they definitely aren't ours and she does look really pleased with herself so...