Standby. Data processing...… + Reading Recs

I've been getting lots of emails and messages asking:
WHEN WILL THE NEXT BOOK BE READY???????

;D

So I thought I'd take just a moment for a quick post to let you know what is going on over at Chez Wells. Scroll to the bottom to find out what I've been reading myself lately as you wait for the next book to drop.

VENGEANCE, Confluence Book 5, is in the final stages of production and should be ready to sell by the end of August.

I'm currently working through the notes that my developmental editor has given me. These are story-level changes that strengthen the story. Jeff (contact info on the page: Author Resources) reads and analyzes my story and looks for areas that are my blind spots. He makes brilliant suggestions about what I can do better. It's wonderful to have a skilled mind on that task because I work on these books mostly in a vacuum. I bounce ideas off my partner, but that's not always enough to get them right. A professional resource is needed to keep my work in the un-put-downable zone!

Later this month I will be getting the cover art for the novel from artist Galen Dara, Hugo and World Fantasy Award winning artist.

I have a deadline at the end of this month to complete the developmental edits. That's when the book is due to go to the copy editor. He will have the manuscript for about 10 days or so and then it comes back to me with errors highlighted in MS Word track changes. I will then work through those changes, format the book, and put it up for sale.

Nieve to my left and Link on my lap. :)

In other news, my free time is being spent training our newest family member, Nieve, an 8 month old Great Pyrenees we just rescued. She's a doll. She's also a puppy. (@__@) So my partner has been treating her like a full time job while he's off teaching duty for the summer. When he's got her sufficiently worn out, he leaves her with me while I work, so he can do something else for a while. Lots of walks and ball playing going on to keep her tired! A tired dog is a good dog!

​I'm also working on developing my art skills--I enjoy doodling, experimenting with watercolors, and I'm in the early stages of trying Copic and Prismacolor markers. I currently draw like an 8-year-old. I'm okay with that and am hoping to keep improving steadily though I don't get as much time to draw as I'd like.

And of course I've been spending as much time as possible with my kiddos who are enjoying the freedom of their summer break--both of them taking advantage of the free time to play with the new puppy and video games. 

I've been wanting to get back into knitting more (it used to be my primary hobby) and I just ordered some yarn to make a small decorative everyday silk scarf.

You may know that I'm also a bit of a gamer. I don't really watch much tv or movies any more. Just an occasional anime. I really enjoy playing MMORPGs (massively multiplayer online role playing games). Lately I've gotten a bit bored with WoW (World of Warcraft) and started playing Rift until WoW launches it's new expansion in August. I like leveling in Rift so much, WoW is really going to have to be amazing to lure me back.

Leveling is my favorite part of game play. Endgame level content just doesn't hold my interest due to its repetitive nature. I like a challenge and I love reaching goals. As a consequence I have 4 characters at max level in WoW--I've been playing about 2 years now. My first main was a Draenei monk, then I leveled a Gnome hunter, a demon hunter, and finally a Worgen druid. I also have many lower level characters, my fave currently being a Lightforged Draenei priest. It's been fun experimenting with the different class types and play strategies. I always play a DPS role.

In Rift my favorite character is a Bahmi rogue Saboteur named Keilauf. Damn. I love blowing shit up. I'm addicted to playing instant adventures with this character and consistently finding myself at the top of the DPS charts! RAWR! She is nearing level 50 after several weeks of nightly game play. I've found I prefer the Bahmi body type. I also have a couple Kelari characters but I don't enjoy playing them as much. They don't look anything like me. ;D

The house is a mess. Tufts of white fur everywhere. Cluttery. But we're all healthy and happy here. My work is a pleasure and I'm so happy to be able to do something I love to support my family! 

What I'm reading now...

Generally I read for an hour or two before I sleep every night. Here is a list of my favorite books that I've been reading lately.

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​Forever Fantasy Online by Rachel Aaron and Travis Bach. This book is described as Sword Art Online meets WoW and it delivers! Adored every minute of this book!

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​The Genius Plague by David Walton is the type of scifi pandemic story I love. Whenever biology and psychology come into play, I'm there.

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​Binti by Nnedi Okorafor is an utterly enthralling novella. I can't find words to describe it that will do it justice, but it won both the Hugo and the Nebula and rightly so--read it! I'm looking forward to reading the rest of this series!

Space Team by Barry J. Hutchison

This is an absolutely absurd romp! I tore through the entire series in no time flat. Something like Douglas Adams meets Guardians of the Galaxy with a screw-up but lovable protagonist.
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Flotsam by R. J. Theodore. Steampunk and airships with aliens AND high adventure! What? Such a fun fresh read by a talented new author!

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We Are Legion (We Are Bob) Bobiverse Book 1 by Dennis E. Taylor. Wry humor abounds in this novel which contains a lot of brilliant techy stuff and fresh new ideas for the space opera genre. If you enjoyed the snarky narrative style of Andy Weir's The Martian or Ernest Cline's Ready Player One or Armada, you will also love this book. I know I am enjoying every minute I spend with it!

That's it for now. Just a casual sort of update. Hope you found something herein to interest you. Let me know in the comments. I can try to do more of this if you find it worth my time.

As ever, please leave reviews for the books you read, good or bad--reviews legitimize an author and help them get a foothold in a competitive market. You can make a difference in an author's livelihood by just taking a moment to type up a few words about what you liked or didn't like about a story.

And keep reading! There's so much good stuff out there. There's no reason to be bored in this day and age! Tell your friends, relatives, and neighbors about the books you love--get them hooked too! A lot of the stuff we do as modern people will pass the time, but nothing will expand your mind like a good book!

​Read on!