Hi, everyone! It’s been a bit since I took a few minutes to stop and chat about everything going on over here—needless to say, I’ve been super busy, which is part of what this post is all about today—but I figured it was time I sat down and hammered out a few details of what’s going on and what to expect from me over the next month or so. And boy, there’s a lot to touch on!
A Special Note
First, though, before I really dive in on everything else, I had a special note I wanted to start with.
For those of you who’ve been around long enough, you know that in the past, I’ve run both my website and a newsletter to keep people up to date on what’s going on with my writing business. And for those of you who’ve been around long enough, you can count on one hand the number of newsletters that I’ve actually sent out. Part of the problem is just lack of bandwidth on my part: I just don’t have the time, the energy, or the attention span to focus on creating for both of them (especially since, when I did remember to send out a newsletter, it primarily featured just highlights straight from this website).
I’m getting away from using the newsletter, which I realize is probably heresy in the writer world, but honestly? I just don’t have the energy to split my attention between both the newsletter and this website. On top of that, Mailerlite (the newsletter host) has been making some changes behind the scenes that have done nothing but frustrate and overwhelm me, which has made me consider getting away from them. I thought about shifting everything to Substack, but there was another problem there: the issue of yet another new system to learn.
For a while, I’ve made it no secret that I’ve wanted to move as much of my contact with you readers onto my website so everything is in one place and is under my control. And that’s when I remembered/realized that WordPress (my website host) already has a Substack-like newsletter service, which is one that I’ve been using for a bit and encouraging people to sign up for. So I’ve done some behind-the-scenes work over here plotting and planning how I’m going to do this here on WordPress, and this post is the result!
My overall plans are to post a maximum of once a week here on the website, primarily on Saturdays, unless something major happens or there’s something time sensitive that needs to go out right then and there. Otherwise, everything will be compiled on one weekly post, which I think is something that will work better for everyone. If you want to receive the post via email as a newsletter, please feel free to sign up by filling in your email address in the subscribe block to the right or, if you’re on mobile, CLICK HERE to visit the page to sign up!
And if, for some reason, you want to unsubscribe (though I hope you stick around) or modify your subscription to ensure you only receive emails weekly, you can do that by clicking the “manage your subscription” option at the bottom of this newsletter to refine your preferences.
A Note to Readers
Just in case you missed it, I’m very, very excited to announce that Bloodlines, the next book in The Becoming Series—a book that is not a re-release and has never, in fact, been released before—is now up for preorder on all the major e-book retailers! (Paperback format announcement is going to be coming soon, I promise!) You can check out more details about the book and some of my thoughts on the writing process and preorder your copy by CLICKING RIGHT HERE! The book officially releases on April 30th!
A Few Quick Things
- As I mentioned above, Bloodlines is now available for your preorder pleasure! Want to know what happens to the gang you’ve been following since The Becoming was originally released in 2011 (and then re-released in 2020)? This is definitely the book you’re going to want to read!
- As an additional note related to Bloodlines, since this is the sort of thing that’s probably pretty important to know: If you haven’t already read it yet, you’re definitely going to want to pick up a copy of “The Night the Moon Died”, which is a short story in The Becoming Universe that takes place just before Bloodlines, (re)introduces the character of Dez Ikeda and the new character Emma Hadley, and sets up a premise that will become very important to the plot as the series’ storyline moves forward. So be sure to grab your copy of that! It shouldn’t take too long to read.
- As a friendly reminder, don’t forget that you can still purchase e-books and autographed paperbacks directly from me via my shop right here on my website! If you’re interested in supporting me (and not handing cash to a big corporation), this is the best way to do so!
A Bit About My Writing
There’s been quite a bit going on on the writing front over here! Most of it has been very behind-the-scenes sort of work, but I’m excited to get moving on some of it. 🙂
I’ve already started drafting the next book in The Becoming Series, which will be titled Retribution. It will literally pick up within minutes of the ending of Bloodlines—to say it’s a direct sequel would probably be an understatement—and certain new characters from Bloodlines will be taking much more prominent roles going forward. I’m having a lot of fun writing specific characters that I’m genuinely hoping you’re going to like as much as I do!
As another fun thing I’ve been working on: short stories! I’ve been doing a ton of reading and research on honing my craft when it comes to writing short stories. I’ve done a few here and there, but it’s not something I’ve ever considered myself to be particularly skilled at (believe it or not, it’s much easier to tell a story in 90,000 words than in 9,000). That’s something I decided I really wanted to change this year. Obviously, I haven’t published any of the stories I’ve been tinkering with, but I do have some ideas and plans for them that will be announced here eventually, so keep an eye out for further info on that!
A Bit About My Life
There hasn’t been much going on in my life lately, just the desperate scramble to get things done that I need to have done. I think the biggest news was my recent diagnosis with ADHD—and by recent, I mean this past Tuesday. Needless to say, it was A Revelation. It’s enlightened me a lot on why I do some of the things I do (or don’t do, as the case may be?), so it’s sparked me doing some research for compensation techniques while I try to decide what I want to do regarding medication or treatment. So that’s a thing that’s happening. I’m hoping getting this straightened out means I’ll be more productive when it comes to output on my writing and get things done in a more timely fashion so that you guys can have more books to read from me over the long term!
Things I’m Liking Right Now
This is normally the section where I’d include the books I’m currently reading or just read, what I’m watching, etc., but this newsletter is getting long enough, so I’m going to save those features to start up again in next week’s newsletter.
Don’t forget to preorder your copy of Bloodlines, and help me spread the word about the book and the series! Tell your friends, post about it on social media, whatever it is you’re comfortable with doing!
I’m looking forward to hearing what you guys think about the book once it releases on April 30th!
Discover more from Jessica Meigs
Subscribe to get the latest posts to your email.