Last year was the first year I didn’t have a set publishing schedule. I had a few changes in my personal life that left me in a mental fog. Outside of signing on for the seasonal anthologies, I didn’t really have any personal publishing plans. Lady Luck kicked me in the rear (deservedly so) and I managed to get A Summoned Husband out in June. This felt slow for me, but it was still a win. Writing in first person wasn’t really something I had planned to do, but it was a huge accomplishment.
This year feels… ominous. It’s the first time since I published my first book that I have very little plans or ambitions where my writing is concerned.
I’ve had a lot of amazing feedback for She Was No One. There has been a surprising amount of amazing and supported readers reaching out to me and asking for the second book in the Children Of Refuge series. If I’m being honest, it has been in its second round of edits for a few years now and I can’t seem to move past that point. I would love to push forward, but it’s not one of my most read books through Kindle Unlimited or sales. As much as I would love to put it out, right now it doesn’t make a lot of sense to do that. Don’t worry, that doesn’t mean I’ve given up on the series, I just don’t know where it will fall in the schedule moving forward. I think I may bounce it back to one of my alpha readers and see if I can get motivated for this series again.
Sarika was a fan favourite in A Summoned Husband. Arzen didn’t get a lot of page time in A Summoned Husband, but her crush on Sarika seemed to have the readers wondering just what might be in store for them. I think if I could get a few other projects into their final stages this year, there is definitely the possibility for another book.
A Bite Full of Death is still at the frontline of my books. Poe and her deranged mind hypnotized my readers and keeps pulling them in. Though the book was a standalone, I had plans to build a whole monster universe and I think the second book is definitely something I need to put out this year.
I know, you’re reading all this and thinking ‘this is a whole bunch of nothing in particular, SJ!’ but I promise, I’m trying to come up with a more solid publishing plan. The issue with being a mood writer is at any given time I have about five stories on the go. I think as the next few weeks pass, I’ll get a better understanding of where my head is and know what projects are the ones I’ll be putting out this year.
My goal is to put out at least one book. Which one, only time will tell.
SJ Stewart Books 