Sometimes a Break Really is as Good as a Holiday
Yes, I know we're already one month into the new year, but honestly, it's taken me that long to settle into 2024!
The holiday period was great - we visited family, ate lots of delicious food, and were all very happy with our gifts.
As the new year started, I began thinking about what's really important to me, and two things topped my list:
I won't go into too much detail here, but I have a handful of health issues that are causing me some problems, and I want to focus on getting the right help so I can continue growing into the best version of myself.
But along with these health issues comes the realization I can't do everything. I had to remove something from my life, and I found myself having to choose between going forward with my planned proofreading business or continuing to push my career as an author.
And well ... I can't just stop writing. That would be like asking someone to stop breathing. Thankfully, I may be able to get some financial support due to my health issues, meaning I can focus on my writing without having to take on extra work (like proofreading) to pay the bills.
So, with writing firmly in the forefront of my mind, I've decided to make some changes to what I'm doing with Ream and my stories.
First and foremost, for all you fans of WINGS, WITCHES AND WONDER, a brand new chapter will be coming this Friday - February 2, 2024. Here's a little sneak peek!
Read on ReamStories at www.reamstories.com/claredugmore
I have also made the decision to publish Wings 'wide' as it were, and have started adding chapters to Radish, Royal Road, Wattpad, FictionPress, and Inkitt.
However, if you're a paid subscriber on Ream, you will be five chapters ahead of what is available for free, and that's not all you're getting ...
My urban-fantasy novella SEEKING THE TRUTH will be available in weekly serial format for $5 a month, or if you'd prefer to read it all in one go, you can 'unlock' the whole novella for $10 a month.
But wait, there's more... Starting in February (probably around the 14th) I will be serializing my contemporary-romance ALL IT TAKES. Weekly chapters will be available to subscribers of the $5 tier or above, and as with Seeking the Truth, if you want to 'unlock' the whole story at once, you can do for $10 a month.
And I'm just getting started ... I will, of course, be completing Wings, Witches and Wonder and once that's finished I will begin work on book two in the Order of the Ancile Series, LICHES, LEGENDS AND LOVE, which will focus on the West Midlands Motherhouse, and feature a protagonist who is descended from beings of legend.
AND, hopefully, I will find time to work on some more contemporary-romance too. Fellow author Kyra Lennon and I are releasing a wrestling-based story later this year, and we want to build it into a shared universe that will not only include our co-written story, but ALL IT TAKES, Kyra's Game On Series (which you can read on ReamStories too!), and an age-gap, rockstar romance from me.
After that, who knows, but I have plenty of ideas I cannot wait to share with you all.
As my updated bio says, reading and writing has always been an escape for me, and I really hope my stories offer those of you out there in need of a little respite an escape too!
That's all I have for you this week. So, until Friday, take care and read on.
