October Accountability

What the hell happened to September? I feel like it just vanished without me getting anything done.

This may well be because I didn't get much done, really... I've been working on an Amber Morgan project, but progress has been slow. I really have no excuses except I probably needed to slow down a little bit. The day job has been crazy all year, and every time I get my head above water, another wave of ethics reports/grant reports/fire regulations crashes over me. I had a boss once who said I wasn't cut out for office work. I agreed with him at the time. Now I think I am cut out for office work, but only through some harrowing survival-of-the-fittest experiences where I am the only person who knows how to find out how to submit an ethics report to the European Research Council so my boss keeps me around forever and ever.

Anyway, it's now October! I am anticipating edits for IMPERIAL DEMONS and hoping to wrap up the Amber Morgan book (which I was definitely going to easily finish in September, no problem). The plan then is to move onto Urban Wolf 6, which I'd anticipate taking the rest of the year.

On the non-writing front, I'm trying to make daily time for physiotherapy/yoga for my poor knackered shoulders and arms. Winter weather tends to set off a lot of my aches and pains, so I'm trying to get ahead of the curve. I had an ultrasound earlier in the year that revealed no tears or inflammation that could be causing my various symptoms, so my only treatment option is strengthening my arms and back and seeing if that eases the pain. I am not one of life's natural exercisers, but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. If it sees me through the long, dark, grim, dark, wet, dark British winter without the frustration and agony I usually get, it'll be worth it.

I'm planning to dig out some Halloweeny Point Horrors for some Retro Reading blogs this month if I can. There aren't that many available for the Kindle, so I may have to ~gasp~ buy some paperbacks.

I'm about halfway through my initial pass of Afterlife, which basically consists of changing a few character names and laying the groundwork for a proper, thorough going-over. I'd like to have it ready to submit by the end of the year, which seems doable (she said naively).

After that it's November, which means Anti-Nano! If all goes according to plan, I'll be working on Urban Wolf 6, but we'll talk about that later.

In the meantime, I'm leaving you with one of my favourite Tom Petty songs, because goddammit. RIP, Tom. <3

September Accountability

We're heading into Autumn and I'm thinking about werewolves. My plan for after the current Amber Morgan project is done is to move onto the next Urban Wolf book. I've also got the start of the next Luporum book floating around in my head, and some whispers of a stand-alone werewolfy urban fantasy romance revenge thing that I'm not even touching because I cannot start any new projects this year even though I did already.

My aim is to finish the Amber Morgan book this month, and move onto Urban Wolf 6 in October. I am hoping for first round edits on IMPERIAL DEMONS this month as well, though, so we'll see.

I'm trying to clear a few extra things out of my life this month to free up more time for writing, as well as squeezing a few new things in. I'm supposed to be doing daily physio for my knackered shoulder, which...doesn't always happen. I'm also supposed to be going to the gym and working on a routine to build the strength in both my arms up, which...hasn't happened at all, because as a hardcore introvert, the idea of going to the gym just horrifies me. But I suppose I should figure something out before I'm next due at the doctor and have to explain to him why I've been slacking off on all this stuff.

So we're approaching the change of the seasons, and I'm trying to make some simple life changes. I'm also letting go (or at least putting on hiatus) some writing and non-writing creative projects that have been causing me some anxiety to varying degrees this year. I'm not trying to be vague, I'm just not sure there's anything interesting to say about them, except that letting them go/putting them on hiatus is ultimately going to make me happier and more productive for the rest of the year.

So! That's September. Stay tuned for news on IMPERIAL DEMONS as and when I get it!

August Accountability

Well, it appears another month has gone by! July just seemed to go by impossibly fast, but looking back, a lot happened. I polished up and submitted Imperial Demons, edited LICH QUEEN and had it released, and just yesterday I completed the last round of edits for ON A DARK TIDE. Around that, I wrote and edited a 12k story and submitted it to an anthology, and got the first 4k of my new Amber Morgan project written.

So actually, yeah, that's probably why the month flew by.

So! What's the plan for August? Well, ON A DARK TIDE will be out on August 24th. I'm hoping to be able to share news about Imperial Demons with you soon. In the meantime, I'm going to be focusing on that Amber Morgan book and brainstorming Urban Wolf 6.

I've been thinking about this book a lot recently. You'll see from the Work In Progress thingy over there somewhere ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------->
that I have about 8k written of it, but I wrote that a few years ago now, and I'm not sure it's the story I want to tell next in this series anymore. I think some of the bare bones of the plot can remain, but the big juicy meaty bits need to change. So I need to figure that out before I start work on it again, but either way, Urban Wolf 6 is definitely next on the to-do list. WOLF STRAP was my first professionally published story, and even though it's been a while since I wrote a full-length Ayla and Shannon novel, their world and lives are still important to me. I always planned to give them five full-length novels at a bare minimum. At the moment we're on three short stories, two novels, and one spin-off in the shape of IN COLD BLOOD, so even though Urban Wolf 6 will technically be book six in the Urban Wolf World, it'll still only be Ayla and Shannon's third novel. There's a lot of their world left to explore.

Anyway! That's for the autumn. August is all about Amber. I will of course be checking in here with news about Imperial Demons and ON A DARK TIDE and probably other stuff as well, so stay tuned!

In From The Cold

I joke that I'm something of a cannibal when it comes to my writing. I like to keep hold of all my ideas, even the ones that end up going nowhere, because somewhere down the line, something will snap into place and I'll have the perfect pieces for a whole new story - I'll cannibalise the old writing and make something new.

In the past I've talked about how Aisling from IN COLD BLOOD started out as the heroine in an idea I had for a post-apocalyptic werewolf novel. I never wrote that story. But there's one I did write, a piece of flash fiction that became the backbone of Aisling's own story. A man who became a wolf, then became a man again.

I unearthed it recently almost by accident and figured you might like to read it. Enjoy!

Five Facts About In Cold Blood

Well, lots of people seemed to enjoy my Five Things I Hate About Cube post, so why not make it a thing?

Yes! IN COLD BLOOD is finally unleashed and you can grab your copy from Evernight directly, or from Amazon US, Amazon UK, and probably wherever else good ebooks are sold. And you can read an excerpt here to get you in the mood! And, just for something a little bit fun and different, here are five things you probably don't know about IN COLD BLOOD.

1. Phoebe suffers from Siodmak's Syndrome, which means she can't shapeshift. I first mentioned Siodmak's way back in SILVER KISS as a bit of a throwaway thing, so you may know the term if you've followed the Urban Wolf series. What you probably don't know is that I named it after Robert Siodmak, director of such glorious films as Cobra Woman.

Glorious.

2. I started writing IN COLD BLOOD a few years back, then abandoned it, then picked it up again last year. Phoebe didn't exist in the original version, but Aisling did...and she's existed with me for nearly a decade. Long before I even dreamed up the very first Urban Wolf story, I wanted to write a story about a werewolf who chooses to live mostly as a wolf, and I wanted to call her Aisling. My original idea for her involved a post-apocalyptic world where nuclear winter ruled and werewolves had been hunted nearly to extinction. I still think it's a good idea...but I prefer Aisling where she is now. She's a perfect foil for Phoebe!

3. Phoebe suffers from anxiety. I do too, although not as badly as I did when I was younger. Writing a character with anxiety challenged me and pushed me, and nearly made me give up on the book. Turns out writing about anxiety makes me anxious, and I was terrified everyone would hate Phoebe and the book and me and ugh. I'm glad I'm pushed through, and whilst it's never been my intention to write "an issues" story, I'm glad I stuck with Phoebe the way she is. I love that she works to manage her anxiety, and it reminded me that it can be done. A good lesson to re-learn every now and then.

4. My goal with every entry in the Urban Wolf series, whatever the length, is to open the world up a little bit more. SILVER KISS gives us a good, solid starting point with werewolves. BLOOD HUNT introduces vampires. PHANTOM FEARS teases the idea of ghosts, and COLD NIGHT MOON gives us fae creatures (or one, at any rate). With IN COLD BLOOD, my idea was that, well, someone had to be noticing all these weird and wonderful creepy beasties. And someone would be keeping notes...This will tie directly into the plot of the next Urban Wolf book, which will take us back to Ayla and Shannon. The circle of life, etc.

5. And finally (just to get us up to five), IN COLD BLOOD is the first of a planned trilogy about Phoebe, Aisling, and the Luporum. I already have book 2 mostly planned out (in my head, anyway), but my aim is write that Ayla and Shannon book first. So if you enjoy IN COLD BLOOD, rest assured that there'll be more from my socially awkward werewolves in love - and the Urban Wolf series in general! - in the future :) Happy reading!

IN COLD BLOOD - cover reveal!

Okay, I did share the cover on Facebook and Twitter last night, but you've got to have an ~official~ cover reveal, right?

Ta-da!

How beautiful is this? I feel like every new cover is my favourite cover, but this is definitely my favourite cover. I love the colours and the wolf, and the blood spatter on the title. Perfection!

IN COLD BLOOD is out on Thursday 2nd February, and is the first in my Luporum mini-series. This is a spin-off from the Urban Wolf series, but you can read IN COLD BLOOD without having read any of those books. Here's the blurb to whet your appetite!

Phoebe Fairley wanted to be a librarian. Somehow, she’s become a vampire hunter. Women are dying across the country and the police are baffled. Phoebe’s just supposed to be gathering information on the deaths, but as the body count mounts, she can’t help but break the rules and get involved. She knows what the killer is – and catching and containing it is vital. If she can persuade the police to believe her, and keep her secretive bosses happy, she stands a chance of capturing a very real, very deadly vampire. Not bad for a werewolf who can’t shapeshift. 

Aisling is happy living as a feral wolf. She’s got no time for human affairs, until a mysterious creature attacks her and leaves her in human hands. Now, if she wants her life back, she’ll have to join Phoebe’s hunt. There are just a couple of snags. One, she hates humans. And two, she’s falling hard for Phoebe. With a monster to catch and her own past to protect, will Aisling trust her head or her heart?

Wednesday Snippet - there could still be a murder...

Happy Hump Day! I spent this past weekend working on the first round edits for IN COLD BLOOD, and it turns out I'm just as anxious editing it as I was writing it. Basically I won't be happy until it's published and I can't actually do anything with it anymore. But as is often the case when editing, I keep finding bits that make me smile for various reasons, and that is always a good sign, I reckon.

So in that spirit, my Wednesday Snipping this week is a bit that made me smile. Enjoy!

2017 Writing Goals

So earlier in the week I talked about my ~life goals~ for 2017, but I didn't talk about my writing plans in any of that. For the past couple of years, I haven't really set myself any solid goals. I've agreed with myself that if something is really tugging at my imagination, I should work on it, and that's worked for me for the most part. It has, however, left me with a long list of unfinished projects between my real name and Amber Morgan, and I think 2017 has to be the year I start tackling that list, rather than adding to it.

So my writerly resolution for 2017 is not to start any new projects. I am just going to finish up works-in-progress, under both names. This is probably going to be really hard to stick to, because I adore starting new projects. Nothing thrills me more as a writer than starting something. I have the same problem as a gamer. I endlessly create new characters in Guild Wars 2 because I love starting with a newly-named, freshly-designed character more than I love actually getting those characters to level 80. Starting to create something is an act full of potential and promise and wild anticipation. Seeing something through to the end is where the hard work comes in. I have the HP Lovecraft problem:

It's not that I'm not passionate and excited about all my writing projects. I'm just easily distracted by Shiny! New! Ideas! That's not a completely bad thing. It's why you have the Blood Canticles series, for example. But it is a bit of a bad thing, and it's why there are no more Ethan books at the moment, and why I haven't finished the next Urban Wolf book yet, despite that being one of my 2016 goals.

So this year, I need to knuckle down, straighten up, fly right, etc. and Finish Some Stuff. My to-do list for 2017 is (in no particular order of importance) as follows:

Through Fire (Blood Canticles 3)
Lich Queen (Blood Canticles 3.5)
Mercy's Gate (Southern Gothic urban fantasy book of my heart)
Black Dog (Urban Wolf 6)
Crow Called (Standalone novella)
Flesh and Bone (The Deva Chronicles 2)

I also want to self-publish AFTERLIFE and DEMONIZED. This is just the Naomi Clark stuff. I also have six novels and short stories in various stages of completion as Amber Morgan. That's fourteen projects open and needing attention, stat. That's definitely a year's work for me. I don't think it's an impossible goal, but it's certainly an ambitious one and it's why I can't afford to be distracted by shiny new ideas or other sequels (like the sequel to IN COLD BLOOD which isn't even out yet, and a sequel to Crow Called which isn't even finished yet and isn't even supposed to have a sequel, goddammit).

So yeah. My current goal is to finish Lich Queen since that's coming along well and shouldn't probably turn into a huge unwieldy fantasy epic like Through Fire is threatening to do. Next Wednesday, I'll be back to sharing snippets and putting Dawn through hell. Join me, if you're into that sort of thing!

Socially Awkward Werewolves In Love

I am thrilled (and somewhat relieved) to announce that IN COLD BLOOD has been accepted for publication by Evernight. Huzzahs!

I say relieved, because regular readers will know I really had my doubts about this story, about how well it worked, about whether it was worth the time I was spending on it, and a ton of other things. My protagonists, Phoebe and Aisling, are a bundle of messes, with anxiety and anti-social behaviour driving them both, and I wasn't sure whether anyone would want to read about these ladies.

But I'm glad I pushed on and finished it, and I'm forever grateful to Ally at Word Vagabond for taking time out of her absolutely crazy schedule to beta-read for me and give me the feedback that finally gave me the courage to submit. I'm also grateful to the acquiring editor at Evernight for her feedback, which helped me re-shape the ending of IN COLD BLOOD and finally get Phoebe and Aisling's story told.

So huzzahs! My Socially Awkward Werewolves in Love are coming! We have a projected release date of February 2017, but as usual, I'll share more details once I have them. In the meantime, here's the unedited blurb to whet your appetites:

Phoebe Fairley wanted to be a librarian. Somehow, she’s become a vampire hunter. Women are dying across the country and the police are baffled. Phoebe’s just supposed to be gathering information on the deaths, but as the body count mounts, she can’t help but break the rules and get involved. She knows what the killer is – and catching and containing it is vital. If she can persuade the police to believe her, and keep her secretive bosses happy, she stands a chance of capturing a very real, very deadly vampire. Not bad for a werewolf who can’t shapeshift.

Aisling is happy living as a feral wolf. She’s got no time for human affairs, until a mysterious creature attacks her and leaves her in human hands. Now, if she wants her life back, she’ll have to join Phoebe’s hunt. There are just a couple of snags. One, she hates humans. And two, she’s falling hard for Phoebe. With a monster to catch and her own past to protect, will Aisling trust her head or her heart?

 

The Luporum novels are set in the same world as the Urban Wolf series, but centre on a different set of characters. You do not need to have read the Urban Wolf books to follow The Luporum, but it certainly can't hurt!

"It always seems impossible until it's done."

I think In Cold Blood is nearly finished. The whole sprint writing method has certainly upped my productivity, and I'm working through the final big action section at the moment. After that, it's the winding down/winding up the story part of writing that I'm always a bit crap at, and after that, it's done! Huzzahs! I feel exhausted. I really didn't expect this book to take so long, and I'm still worried that I'll read it back and discover it's shite, but at least it will be finished shite.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Right now, it's definitely still unfinished, and I have a lot of threads to tie up. I already know there will be a sequel (because it's me and I can't write standalones unless they're short stories), so it's a matter of deciding where to end and what to leave for the next book.

After that, I'm going to ask someone to read it over for me. I'll admit I don't usually do that, because most people whose opinions I trust are busy, and because I'm normally very good at self-editing for nonsense. But since this book has been a slog, I think an extra pair of eyes will be needed.

After that, I think it's time to get back to Lola and Tristesse. September seems like the perfect time to get back into Lola's witchy world. I've been planning Book 3 from the second I finished DARK DAYS, and trying to figure out to best structure the book, as I think it will need multiple points of view to really work. Now I've figured out the best way to do things, and I'm happy with the world-building I needed to do, there's no reason to wait any longer to get started.

Apart from, you know, finishing In Cold Blood. And there's a short story I might write in between the two as a palate cleanser. We'll see. Really I should be taking things off my to-write list, not adding new things on, especially if I want to get DEMONIZED and AFTERLIFE out there before the end of the year.

Anyway! Before any of that, there's still Phoebe and Aisling's story to wrap up. Wish me luck!

"A piece of art is never a finished work...

...It answers a question which has been asked, and asks a new question.” - Robert Engman

This morning I finished the final edits on THE NECROMANCER'S APPRENTICE, which, you may remember, is coming to Evernight soon as a free read! Huzzahs! Re-reading the story for the third or fourth time this year, I realised there's a lot of scope for a sequel. Whilst this is definitely a story that stands on its own, there are still questions woven in that spark my writerly interest and make me wonder what happens next in this world...

...And this is bad, because I really don't need to be adding more series to my pile. I'm still working on In Cold Blood (which is clearly not going to be a nice little 30k novella anymore), and then I'm going to move onto Blood Canticles 3 because I am dying to get back to Lola and Tristesse. I want to at least have made a solid start on the next Urban Wolf novel before the end of the year, and I also have an ongoing Amber Morgan series that I'm crazy about. Plus the last two books in the Deva Chronicles trilogy. That's before we even get to Crow Called and Mercy's Gate, which you'll see on the left under the Work in Progress header. I want to finish them too, eventually...

I also want to write some short stories about LESBIAN WEREBEARS because I cannot get that idea out of my head right now. So a sequel to a free urban fantasy short story that's actually already been published once is waaaaaaaaaay down the to-do list. But there are questions left for me with Evanthe and Morrow's story. At one point I did plan a whole series of shorts set in their world, but focusing on different couples. I even had about half of one written, but that story vanished when my first laptop finally gave up on life. I guess the first question that needs to be answered though is, does anyone else want more in this world? I won't know that for a while...So I think any potential sequels can stay on the back burner for a few months yet.

But! The fact remains that THE NECROMANCER'S APPRENTICE is edited, the dedication and excerpt have been sent to my publisher, and I'm eagerly awaiting the spanky new cover and release date. Can't wait to share those with you, and I can't wait to see Evanthe's story back in the world. Fingers crossed it won't be too long now!

Wednesday Snippets Are Still Not Dead

Yes, it's getting harder to think of titles. Ssshh. The important thing is, writing is happening! Here's the incontrovertible evidence:

"The only thing I was fit for was to be a writer...

...and this notion rested solely on my suspicion that I would never be fit for real work." - Russell Baker

I have included that quote purely because I want it as a tattoo.

Anyway! Look at that. It's June tomorrow, which means the countdown to the re-release of NIGHT AND CHAOS is on! I feel like I've been horribly unproductive writing-wise this year, and then I remind myself that I've already had three books out, and that I have two more coming up fast. But I think until I finish In Cold Blood, I'm going to keep feeling like I'm lagging, somehow. With tomorrow being the start of a new month, it seems like a good time to crack on. I'm about halfway through, by my estimates, so if I aim for 1k a day, finishing a first draft by the end of the month should be completely achievable. Over-achievable, even.

I'm tidying up some other commitments. Common Brimstone is taking a summer holiday, and I've booked a couple of days off the day job (mostly so I can take Remic back to the vet to have his stitches removed). I'm putting aside the Amber Morgan project I've been dabbling with and I'm resisting the urge to throw myself head-first into a couple of other Shiny Things on my writing to-do list. I desperately want to just focus on In Cold Blood, but I'll admit it's felt like a slog at times. I think part of it is that this is a new story, with new characters, set in an existing world - the Urban Wolf world. I'm working hard to keep the world-building consistent with rules laid out in the series so far, which means a lot of backtracking and fact-checking. I would probably make quicker progress if I just wrote the first draft and then worried about these things, but I can't work like that. Knowing there's a potential error or gap in the story drives me mad. I can't leave it and come back to it later.

Once I've crossed In Cold Blood off the to-do list, I'll probably finish that Amber Morgan project I mentioned, since that's another shorter piece. After that it's a toss-up between three big (verging on epic, in one case) projects - Urban Wolf 6, Blood Canticles 3, or Wild Blood 3. Luckily, that's a decision for Future Nome!

“My sun sets to rise again.”

Robert Browning

So we have a release date for NIGHT AND CHAOS - June 15th! I spent last weekend and a bit of yesterday working on first and second round edits, and although the process wasn't without its frustrations, I feel like it's going to worth it. I love this story. I love Ryan and her general saltiness at the hand life has dealt with her.

There's something slightly nerve-wracking about re-releasing a title. I'm more nervous about how this book will be received the second time round, and I could waffle for hours about why that is, but I'm trying to resist because it probably isn't very interesting. I still can't quite believe how well my Urban Wolf series has been received since WOLF STRAP was re-published. And I'm holding back three titles that I realistically could find new homes for, because I don't feel like the time is right for them just now. But NIGHT AND CHAOS feels right. If you like Blood Canticles and the Ethan Banning Files, I think you'll like Ryan McCarthy and the mad science-occult mash-up that the Deva Chronicles introduces.

So! Save the date - June 15th. Hopefully I'll have some gorgeous new cover art to share with you, so stay tuned!

Wednesday Snippets Will Not Die

I'll admit that work on In Cold Blood isn't going as fast as I'd like. Real life has been busy and a tiny bit stressful, insofar as Remic's Grotesque Bulge and Kyle's on-again-off-again back surgery goes. This past weekend I was working on edits for NIGHT AND CHAOS, and I think generally speaking I'm just a bit burned out. Balancing my writing goals with my day job and Common Brimstone can be tricky to say the least, and I think I'm approaching the point where I need a holiday from one thing or the other.

Last June I shut Common Brimstone for a couple of weeks, and I'm probably going to do the same this June, too, especially since I potentially have two books coming out that month. Hopefully the timings will work out so that I can finish In Cold Blood in June, if I haven't already.

Anyway! I am still beavering away on it, and I offer you proof. Enjoy!

Wednesday Snippet!

Confession: I'm slacking on In Cold Blood at the moment, because a rabid plot bunny sank its nasty big pointy teeth into me last week and I've been working away on an Amber Morgan story since. I know! But it is what it is. It's just, you know, the heart wants what it wants.

That said, I am still working on In Cold Blood and I have no intentions of getting too distracted by my alter ego. I may have christened 2016 the Year of the Phoenix, but writing wise it's the Year of the Werewolf.

So it's time for a snippet! Enjoy.

Wednesday Snippet - In Cold Blood

So after a few days of vacillation, I decided the next project should be my Urban Wolf spin-off, In Cold Blood. I'm really loving Crow Called, but I'm wary of starting too many new projects and not getting round to my ongoing series in a timely fashion (those being primarily Urban Wolf and Blood Canticles). Although I'm working on breaking away from "must do" lists when it comes to my writing, I still need some semblance of focus, and my focus for 2016 is getting Blood Canticles 3 and more Urban Wolf books out into the world.

So without further ado, here's a little look at In Cold Blood. And there will be many more!

“Those are the voices of my brothers, darling; I love the company of wolves.”

Angela Carter

So I've been saying for a while now I want to write the next Urban Wolf novel this year, Black Dog. And if you check the nifty word count metre in the sidebar, you'll see I have indeed started. Admittedly, I started a couple of years ago and subsequently stopped, but that's beside the point. The novel has a beginning.

And there's also an Urban Wolf spin-off with a beginning. Again, started a couple of years ago and then stopped. That was a thing I did for a while. I think I've mentioned the spin-off previously too (In Cold Blood). Well, now I've finished and submitted my latest Amber Morgan project, I'm ready to dig back into my werewolf girls' world. My only problem is, I don't know which one to work on first.

I don't think it especially matters which one I go with, in terms of the timeline of the Urban Wolf world (ie, you'd be able to read either first without getting spoiled for the other - different characters, different part of the world). But there are developments for Ayla in Black Dog that are explained by the main plot of In Cold Blood, and it's a question of "do I want the readers to encounter This Thing first in the spin-off or Black Dog? Do I want readers to discover This Thing right alongside Ayla, or do I want them to be ahead of her?

I'm leaning towards working on In Cold Blood first, because I think it will be a novella rather than a novel, and it kind of follows on neatly from BLOOD HUNT in a way. I need to re-read both WIPs before making a firm decision, but either way, I'm back in the Urban Wolf world right now. And that's one of my favourite places to be.

"The Wild still lingered in him and the wolf merely slept."

Jack London - White Fang

My writing policy last year was to write what I felt compelled to write, not try to stick to a pre-determined list. It worked really well - 2015 is, I think, officially my most successful year as a published author. Huzzahs! So obviously I'm sticking to that policy this year. At the moment I'm finishing an Amber Morgan project...and then will probably move onto another Amber Morgan project...and then maybe another. I don't know for sure, but all the ideas at the forefront of my mind right now are Amber ideas.

That's not to say there aren't Naomi ideas. There are! But I think they all need a less pantsy approach than I normally take with my books. There's Blood Canticles 3 (probably titled Through Fire), which will probably require two POV characters and needs a whole new world built for it. I'm still putting together that second world (if you've read DARK DAYS, you know what that world is!), and I don't feel ready to start writing until I've nailed down a few more details.

There's the languishing Mercy's Gate, which I started in 2014 (then called Nightmare Moon). It's the book of my heart. The Book/Series that I most want to write and find a home for, and that alone is making it weirdly hard to write. I need it to be exactly so, which to be honest isn't a great frame of mind to write a first draft in, because first drafts are not for exactly so in my opinion. First drafts are just for getting the bloody thing out of your head. But I've been stalling for over a year now and I need to gather my courage, put aside my internal editor for a bit, and just write the damn book.

And, maybe foremost in my head right now, there's a new Urban Wolf book. I loved writing COLD NIGHT MOON so much, it made me go dig out the Urban Wolf novel I started a while back, then shoved away for reasons I don't quite recall anymore. The working title is Black Dog, and I do think this will be the next Naomi project I tackle. It's going to be a tough one - sixth book in the series, time to really, really explode the world and set Ayla some new challenges. I've had a Big Idea for ways to progress the Urban Wolf series for a while now (in fact, I even started a spin-off called In Cold Blood that was going to help me do it), but other projects took precedence and Black Dog ended up almost forgotten. COLD NIGHT MOON reminded me that I still have a lot of stories to tell for my werewolf girls (including that spin-off, which introduces a whole new cast of werewolf girls!).

So I think I can safely say that Black Dog is next on my to-do list. Time to unearth all my werewolf folklore encyclopedias!

Oh, and I'd like to introduce you to my new writing assistant. She's not as good as Fergus yet, but she's showing great promise. Meet Yuki.

Christmas Treats Blog Hop!

What are our favorite Christmas Treats? Books, of course! Stop by each blog for a chance to win fabulous books & gifties for the Holidays!

I've been reading a mixed bag lately - my favourite recent read was Ekaterinburg by Helen Rappaport, which is an account of the final days of the last Tsar of Russia. It's an amazing, but heavy-going book, and I'd love to get some more of Rappaport's books under the tree this year! At the other end of the scale, I've just started Libby Bishop's Ghosts of Kingston Cottage, which is a paranormal romance full of psychic investigators, ghosts, and skeptics, which is right up my street! I'm about halfway through and really enjoying it. I know there are two more books coming up in the series, so that would make another great Christmas present for me.

Giveaway!

Since it's the season of presents (and good will, obviously), I'm giving away two of my favourite things - a book and some perfume! First, an e-copy of my Christmassy werewolf story, COLD NIGHT MOON.

After a difficult year, Ayla Hammond wants to give her girlfriend Shannon a dream Christmas. A cosy, romantic cabin in the woods seems like the perfect way to put their troubles behind them and start the New Year right. And at first, everything is going according to Ayla's plan...Until night falls.
There's something in the woods. And it's after Shannon.
 
*An Editor's Pick*

And to go with that, a 10ml bottle of Wolf Moon from my Etsy shop, Common Brimstone.

Top notes of musk, blue tansy and dogwood make for a dusky floral opening that fades down into an earthy base of violet leaf, pine and cedar. A trickle of patchouli gives this scent a wild edge.

To be in with a chance of winning, just leave me a comment letting me know what your ideal Christmas gift would be!

And remember to visit the other blogs on the tour: