Happy spring, everyone! With April coming to a close, I thought I’d share an update on my writing…
Book Edits
April was a quiet month for me, writing-wise — or at least it was supposed to be. I planned to take a break from my book so I could come back to the final edits with fresh eyes. Writers call this “resting” your manuscript. But as many other writers can attest, it’s hard to take a break from your book baby!
For Song of the Shieldmaiden, February was my drafting month, March was my editing month, and April has been my beta reading month. I’ll be tackling the last edits in early May before formatting the book for release.
So April was the month for me to rest my manuscript… but as I got feedback on my book, I incorporated some changes right away. The story is stronger now, and my edits in May will be much more minimal now that the book is in such a good place.
I can’t wait to share this story with all of you in June!
I’m Writing a Short Story…
This week I have another project: a short story about one of the main characters of the Daughters of Valhalla series. If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen some of my teasers about the three sisters who feature in Song of the Shieldmaiden and the whole series:
- Svanhild, the oldest, wants to be a shieldmaiden.
- Haldis, the middle sister, is training to be a seer.
- Brynja, the youngest, longs for a simple life but is destined for much more.
This short story I’m working on is about the birth of Haldis, who has a unique origin story. I don’t want to give too much away before you read Song of the Shieldmaiden, but it felt like a story that needed to be told in its own way.
I don’t usually write short fiction, so this is a fun challenge for me. I’m enjoying this new way of exploring my story world and characters, and I hope you enjoy it too. I’ll keep you posted on how it’s going and share the story when it’s done!
Follow Me on BookBub!
In other news, I am officially on BookBub! If you haven’t heard of it, it’s a site that notifies you of deals and discounts on books you’re interested in. You can also follow your favorite authors to see deals on their books AND book recommendations from them! I’ve already recommended several books there that I think you might like. Follow me for more. 🙂
That’s it for this month! Aside from Song of the Shieldmaiden edits and my short story, I’ll be outlining Book 2 of the Daughters of Valhalla series very soon. I already have an idea of the story, which will focus on Haldis — what’s missing is the title! Any suggestions? ?
Until next time!
– Ashley