CM Simpson: Writer & Gamer

And it's done! Yesterday, I completed my 50,000 words for NaNoWriMo, but the book isn't finished. It's nearly finished, and I'm aiming to have it done by the end of the month so I can add it to the publishing queue for next year.

Yeah, I know; it would probably have been more interesting if I’d started posting these earlier, but I was kinda busy, so it didn’t happen. I’ll try and do better next year. Anyway, I decided to try NaNoWriMo this year, despite not completing it last year. Here’s what’s happened, so far: Project Title: Shades of Memory Project Blurb: When Aggie Dormain arrives in Canberra to paint some old diggers, she does not expect to meet an out-of-work archaeologist investigating an alien conspiracy, much less to be pulled into an adventure that would give Indiana Jones a run for his money. Project Description: A crime noir novel of between 50,000 and 60,000 words set in an urban fantasy world, where conspiracy theories have some validity and maybe a bit of a thriller as well. Progress so Far: November 1-3: Nil words on Shades ; take-home exam started, completed and submitted; November 4: 5,146 words completed on NaNo novel; November 5-8: Nil words on Shades ; take-

Just received the cover for this Friday's science fiction short story release: The Sevarine Sidestep . Pretty cool. What do you do when your brother betrays you, and you end up on another world, in the employ of a company whose recruiting methods leave a lot to be desired? Well, I guess you keep your head down, while you try to figure out a way to get back home.

This announcement is a bit late, but you know how it is. The Taletellers' Slumber released on Friday, and should be available from the usual outlets: Smashwords, Amazon, Kobo, DriveThruFiction, OmniLit and via Draft2Digital distribution. When Grey, the colony’s Head Botanist, disappears, Kiralee worries. When he has not returned after five months, she goes looking for him, for Grey is more than chief botanist, Grey is a storyteller at heart, a believer in the importance of the tale—and so was every single one of those who disappeared before him. Can Kiralee discover where they went, before the stories are lost forever?

Well, still getting back into the routine of writing full-time. Studies are over, but the results aren’t in. I got a fair amount done – more than I thought I had. This week, I took a couple of long walks for fitness, and caught up on a few things around the house, while I worked out some plot-knots in my NaNo novel. And I revamped the writing and publishing schedule to something more realistic, as I relearned limits within the framework of real life.   Overview New words produced: 21,747 Old words revised: 5,914 Outlines and Notes: 377 Works completed: 21 (for inclusion in 5 different collections) Works revised: 1 (partial, prior to continuing) Covers created: 1 (for this week’s release: The Sevarine Sidestep ) Works published: 0 Works submitted: 0 Competitions Entered: 0 Bloggery: 440 University Prep and Assignments: 0 Stepping Up Challenge Update As this challenge becomes less relevant to the direction I’m headed in, I will consider discontinuing