November has traditionally been a Nanowrimo month for me. For those that don’t know, National Novel Writing Month is a writing challenge where people around the world try to write 50,000 words in 30 days. It used to be a great community and even in the years when I was too busy to commit to a full 50,000 words, I still participated to some degree. Over the last year or so, there have been a couple of scandals that I won’t get into here, and the response from the Nanowrimo board did not sit well with me, so this is my first year not participating at all. Has it been strange? A bit, except there are so many other wonderful initiatives popping up all over. Here are a couple that I’ve been keeping an eye on/participating in:

1. First Draft Fall

   New this year, First Draft Fall is hosted by the Weeknight Writers Group and runs from October through to December 13. The goal is to write the first draft of something, helped along by their social media sprints/prompts and, if you have the cash, by subscribing through their Ko-fi page. I joined at the Supporter level to test it out and found their worksheets helpful. The community has been supportive and uplifting. I hope this is run again next year.

2. SinC November Marathon

   I have been a member of Sisters in Crime (SinC) for a couple of years now, and it is a great organization. This Nanowrimo replacement is only open to members, but if you are a crime writer, their organization has a lot to offer. From weekly year-round write-ins, to grants, mentor programs, and regular webinars, the membership is worth it. For November, they send out daily emails and host 5 write-ins per day. I can’t hit all 5, but I’m participating regularly.

3. Starting Off Write

   This one is much more fledgling and will take place in January, but I’ve joined the Discord and am seeing how it develops. Even though their website is barebones, the community is growing and I think this one has a lot of potential.

How about you? How was your November? Are you a recovered Nanowrimo-er looking for greener pastures? Know of any other initiatives starting up?

Announcements

Exciting news - the ebook for Thin Slices, my horror flash fiction collection is now available for pre-order on Amazon. It’s available worldwide, but here are the Canadian and American Amazon links. Paperbacks to come.

In less exciting news, I have decided to leave Twitter/X for good and have deactivated my account. I am still on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram. Bluesky has really blossomed in popularity, and thanks to the Twitter exodus and starter packs, I have gained 1000 followers over the last few weeks.

Writing Update

My progress on Rescued has been slower than planned, but I am still moving forward. Lookout Point received a couple more rejections, but I have also now sent out a fresh wave of queries to agents and publishers, so I’m not letting the rejections slow me down.

For Short Stories, I wrote and submitted 3 flash pieces this month and started work towards one I plan to focus on in December.

Monthly Posts and Reviews Round-Up

Sadly, on November 6, an author I have long admired, Dorothy Allison passed away. In her memory, I have written my first Author Profile on Melody Writes.

I also finished Sadie Hartmann’s 101 Horror Books to Read Before you Are Murdered, and I have read an embarrassing 1.5 of them. I set myself a challenge to try and remedy this shame.

November Reviews:

Vampires in BC by Keith Costelloe - Ginger Nuts of Horror

Ghost Apparent by Jelena Dunato - The Horror Tree

The World Outside by Elad Harber - Melody Writes

From the Archives: A Memory of Light by Robert Jordan and A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin

What I’m…

Watching

This month I have been watching the final seasons of both What We Do in the Shadows (WWDITS) and Cobra Kai. WWDITS is a hilarious show about incompetent vampires bumbling through life. It’s spun off of the movie with the same name, and while the move is great, I love the show so much more. Cobra Kai is a goofy, heartwarming show that is a sequel to the Karate Kid stories. I love this ridiculous show. As my Sensei says, “the writing is terrible, the acting is terrible, the karate is even worse. I can’t wait for the next season.” I’ll be said when both of these end.

Playing

This month, I’ve been working through my back catalogue of free games from Epic while I wait for Hades 2 to update again. I played and enjoyed Lost Castle, a cute little rogue-like game that is simple in story and gameplay, but deceptively difficult. As well, I finished Bookwalker: Thief of Tales about a writer who has to travel inside books to steal artifacts. Both games are fun, but neither truly amazing. They are good for light play.

Thin Slices Sneak Peek #3

The first section of my collection, From the Past, features stories based on Greek mythology, fairy tales, nursery rhymes, and history. Below is a sample of one of my 100-word stories based on the legend of the Trojan War:

The Ashes of Troy

Ashes peppered Cassandra’s skin as all her unheeded warnings came true. She crept through the ruins of Troy to the throne where her father’s body lay broken.

Soldiers poured into the room. They tore their plunder from the walls. Agamemnon curled Cassandra’s hair into his fist and dragged her to his ship.

“Curse you, Apollo!” she whispered. “What good is prophecy if nobody listens?”

Apollo answered with visions of Agamemnon’s fate. Deserved destruction at his queen’s hand. As the last of Troy faded from view, Cassandra took comfort in this final prophecy and, for once, was happy nobody would listen.

Thank you for reading this month’s newsletter. Want to help me feed my book addiction? Consider supporting me on Ko-fi.