It's Nanowrimo Time

Novel in a Month?

That means it's November when writers all over the world connect with other authors and write their stories.

Every year I say I'm not going to do it, and every year since I started, except one, I've done it. This year I'm working on a number of novelle sized short stories. Two for a series of fairytales I'm doing with Raven Williams, one for my Little Match Girl novella, and another for a Christmas anthology, due next year. I've found it best to get the anthologies done as soon as I can so I made it a priority.

So far, I'm not doing as well as I hoped, but I'm keeping up with things. I was short in word count one day, but had enough overage on other days to keep up with it. I also need to keep up my reading for the screenwriting contest, as well as a few other obligations, so seriously, I have no complaints with my totals right now.

My first story is about a girl being harassed by a witch invading her dreams. When the stress becomes too much, her mom sends her to stay with her grandmother hoping it will help. There she meets the vampire Lucien, who lures his victims with his violin. This story is almost finished. I featured an excerpt in this month's newsletter, if you're curious to see it.

Another thing Nanowrimo always does is bring new friends. I try to connect with my regions as much as I can, although I don't attend the write-ins. My typing skills are not the best, so I don't think I would get much done with distractions. I do connect with people online on my buddy list, as well as a couple of Facebook groups. We're only four days in, and I'm having fun already.

My next story is about a princess who gets turned into a wild animal. Did I mention the fairytales are meant to be dark? I'm always told I write a little on the dark side, although I've never really seen it that way. I just try to write a good story and make it realistic, even if it's fantasy. Isn't that the challenge for a fantasy author? We make the imagination come to life, if we do our jobs right.

I'll admit the Little Match Girl is not my norm, but it isn't far off, since I'm fond of, and have written historical fantasy novels. This is the same, but a little more grounded. I've started a Hans Christian Andersen class and done a lot of research, so I hope that helps me get into the original author's head to see what he saw and hear his thoughts.

I've been waiting for a couple of A Horde of Dragons, paperbacks to arrive, and they are signed by each Author. We'll be setting up a giveaway on Goodreads and another on Facebook as soon as they arrive. I'll also be giving away an unsigned copy. I hit a thousand likes on my facebook page and want to celebrate. The unsigned copy is in honor of that celebration. Keep your eyes open for more information on my Facebook page, here.