stacy benedict

Third quarter came and went so fast, I never got a chance to say a proper hello.  Life was interrupted this quarter by personal issues, a hurricane, and the daily struggle to balance work and life. Since one of the best ways to stay on track with goals or annual resolutions is to write them down and to periodically keep regular progress reports, here are the steps I took in third quarter. You can follow my first & second quarterly goals blogs here and here.

Reading Goals

I read the following:

Witch Hunt: An Urban Fantasy Mystery by SM Reine (5-stars. The book was fast paced and had great twists. The main character, Cèsar Hawke, wasn’t the usual boring jerk male character that you typically find in urban fantasy stories.)

2BRO2B by Kurt Vonnegut (5-stars. I wish I could write short stories this awesome!)

The Dark of Twilight by Kate Danley (5-stars. Wonderful story! When I downloaded this book, I thought it was an urban fantasy for some reason, but it’s a fantasy. The young female lead, Aein, is hella brave and hella tough.)

Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper by JL Bryan (4-stars. Ellie Jordan is a smart urban fantasy female character that ain’t afraid of no ghosts! I want to read the next in the series.)

Moon Called by Patricia Briggs (4-stars. I wanted to give this 5-stars, I really did. Mercy Thompson is an interesting, likeable, and kind shapeshifter, but she wasn’t the strong, kickass heroine the novel’s hype suggested. Also, the reviews said the novel had “twists and turns,” but the plot played out exactly the way I expected. It was an entertaining read overall.)

I Am Lioness by Dee Garcia (4-stars. A sexy fun romance.  Loved Hazel and Knox and their budding relationship.  My only critique was I wanted more MMA action.)

Rope on Fire by Mark Parragh (4-stars. I don’t normally read thrillers, but I’m glad I picked this one up.  It was fast paced. The lead, John Crane, was not a snarky, mean spirited jerk. At no point was the plot bogged down.)

Dream Stalker: Talented: Book 1 by Amy Hopkins (3-stars. The lead, Emma, was blah in every way—from her boring magic teas, to her boringly quaint tea shop—and so was her boring love interest. The well-drawn world, murder mystery, interesting magic and side characters are the best parts of the story.)

Origin of the Sphinx by Raye Wagner (3-stars. Lovely cover and there were no typos.  I liked the Greek mythology background, but the love story wasn’t for me.)

Black Magic (The Demon Curse) by Alex Fox (3-stars. Loved the cover and there were no typos.  I didn’t care about the main character, Dante, and the plot felt disjointed.  The side character, Phineas, has potential. A black, gay vampire, yall! He was fun and could steal the story away from Dante if it delved more into his character. I didn’t understand the ending.)

Eternity (The Immortals Book 1) by Maggie Shayne (3-stars. There were no typos. The blurb compares it to Outlander and Highlander, but it is not. The story overall was good.)

Burn (Elemental Hearts Book 1) by Jayelle Morgan (3-stars. There were no typos.  It is a paranormal romance and not an urban fantasy novel.  The leads, Brooke and Levi, didn’t have chemistry, in my opinion.  Levi is a typical Alpha-hole who gets violent for no real reason, is instantly obsessed with Brooke, and has to save her from herself (this includes bad dreams and life in general). Brooke is a typical damsel who is carried in Levi’s arms a lot. This novel just wasn’t my cup of magic tea.)

 

I’m currently reading: Sandman Slim by Richard Kadrey

 

Writing Goals

Third quarter was a mixed bag of disappointment and happiness in terms of my writing.  A lot of time was spent editing my first two novels.  I’ve written at least 20k additional words for novel number three and wrote a few chapters for my novella, but have not done any flash fiction or short stories.

Shorts and Flash are way harder to write than their small word count suggests.  Unfortunately, I most likely won’t meet my goal for writing these at the end of the year—at least, not without abandoning my other writing goals.

 

Author Goals

I’m finally a published author!  My debut novel, Hound Dog Confidential, was published.  The paperback is available on Amazon, the hardcover version is sold at Barnes & Noble and the e-book is offered through Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and iBooks.

The second novel in my urban fantasy series, Through the Villain’s Eyes, returned from the editor last week.  It needs one final read through then it’s off to the proofreader.  I’m on schedule to publish it in December.

 

The things I want to accomplish in fourth quarter are: 1) Finish writing the third novel in the series; 2) Write at least half of my novella for Instafreebie and the mailing list sign-up; 3) Update website; 4) Write more flash fiction and a short story; 5) Publish Through the Villain’s Eyes in December.

What was third quarter like for you guys?  Have you checked anything off your to do list?

I hope you liked this week’s blog post. The first book in my urban fantasy series is free for a limited time.

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