Hello Fellow Scribes, 
As the month of April came to a close, I was graciously invited to speak with Pamela, who is the creator of ​The Picky Bookworm. Not only did we chat about Key of Arcandus, but I got to speak with her about my process when I outline my novels. It was a wonderful opportunity that many self-published authors are rarely afforded. So, I was more than happy to make an appearance and enjoy the conversation!

​If you have Spotify, you can catch the episode here as follows:

If you find yourself liking the content, follow The Picky Bookworm on Spotify, Twitter @PickyBookworm, and check out her website where you can find her editing services, forum, and other materials!

Toodles!
​Lauren

Happy Springtime Fellow Scribes!

It has been a hot minute since I last posted a blog update. So, let's recap on where I am this April!

OBLIGATION'S UNITY: Work on book 2 is progressing as planned and is "on time" per my schedule. Call-outs for BETA readers will commence on 05/01/22, and the reading process itself will begin in June. 

MERCH & OTHER GOODIES: Have been delayed. I was hosting family for a month (and went on vacation), so I focused on creating / scheduling social media content on IG and YouTube back in Feb / Mar. After a general analysis of this 'productivity', I'm going to pull back on social media to create more income-generating material / services this year. Merch will be part of that process. 

YOUTUBE: I planned on giving The Writer's Block a year-long 'shot', but after 6 months of no growth or live stream viewers, the content I'm producing clearly garners no interest. Rather than burning away time brainstorming production topics and streaming only to my spouse (love him), I'm going to use my YT channel to only post pre-scripted content I want to make at the time I want to make it. Things like book reviews, AuthorTube topics / interviews, and gaming will be added to the channel, but there will be no set frequency schedule.

I'm not disappointed in these changes because I'm still in the 'experimental' phase of my career as a fulltime author. Writing and completing the Carving Legacies series is always priority #1 over all of these other things. But book sales don't pay the bills (unless you're a legacy author). So, I am trying to expand to other opportunities that I enjoy doing and have the skill set. I have some new ideas and will be adding them to the site soon. 

​Toodles!

Happy New Year, Fellow Scribes! Welcome to 2022 and the Year of the Tiger all in one post!
I know January was a silent month for me, but that's because it was my Month of Preparation where I outline my goals and objectives this year to help grow the world of Clayne into a recognizable brand. This post is to give a sneak peek at what I have in the works for 2022!

BOOKS
Nothing is planned for release this year, however, Obligation's Unity is currently undergoing its editing phases, and a call for BETA readers will commence in May. While the manuscript is with readers, I will be working on the initial drafts for Book 3 and a standalone supplement novella featuring Sebastian and Niamh. The goal is to complete the Carving Legacies series no later than 2030 so that I can move onto the "next phase" of Clayne's timeline. 

MERCH
I will be expanding my merchandise line-up this year with a new storefront provider. People who liked the Vanis Aer Guild will be able to show off their rank with pins, while those who love the Skivat homeland of The Hive will get to show their pride with varsity tees for their favorite gangs and Shot-Pipe teams.

GAMES
After years of putting it on the sidelines, I will be working on publishing a tabletop game concept of mine for digital download only. For people who enjoy one-shot tabletop campaigns where the focus is on laughter and shenanigans...this game is made for you!

SOCIALS
I am biting the bullet this year and expanding to more platforms. This is the year of experimentation for me, so I'm putting my feelers out to see where the stronger following resides. I've mapped out a social media schedule for all of the platforms listed below. Subscribe, follow, like, comment, and do all of those social engagement things pretty please! 

That is 2022's game plan! There are plans to release a few extra tidbits or expansions, but those greatly depend upon the overall responses I receive from the general public. Hopefully I am able to grow my channels so that it warrants further expansion, but for now, keeping all of these constantly updated will keep me plenty occupied.

Have a wonderful February, my dear scribes!

the process better. 
I'm not ready for BETA readers yet. I will begin phase one of the editing process in January of 2022, and it will take a handful of months to perform a reverse outline, rewrite known issues, merge / cut chapters, smooth out some character arcs, check consistency, etc. My goal is to be ready by April 2022, but we'll see how things come along. I have plans to go on a trip between now and then, plus I have family visiting for a while, too. It might be closer to June 2022. 
Either way, if you're interested in becoming a BETA reader for Obligation's Unity, stay tuned to my website, follow me on Instagram and YouTube, and in due time you'll see the official call-out. In the meantime...I'm going to enjoy the rest of what remains of 2021. 

Happy holidays, everyone!  

and family, a small circle of indie authors in the Instagram space, and the general ability to sell my books through a global market via Ingramspark no matter how long it takes me to pick up steam! To all of my current supporters, I thank you from the bottom of my heart!
 
But 2021 is almost over, I must move onto finishing Book 2, and rolling out new projects that I’ve been putting off for far too long! After toiling and self-teaching, I am finally on the precipice of producing new content in the form of a YouTube channel and live stream session that my tiny community can munch on while I work on completing each installment of Carving Legacies.
 
We also have NaNoWriMo coming up in the next couple of months, and that will be my final sprint to the finish link on Book 2’s initial draft completion. It took way longer than I hoped, but two years to finish a rough draft sure beats the six years it took Key of Arcandus!
 
What new lessons have you learned about the creative space during the pandemic? Comment below and let’s discuss!

You can now purchase Key of Arcandus at any major online book retailer or request through your local bookstore. It is self-published through Ingramspark with global distribution channels, so no matter where you are in the world you should be able to grab a copy somehow, somewhere. 

Thank you to everyone who has supported me through this process, and who will continue to support me after launch! Your reviews and word-of-mouth help gain traction in building a community that supports indie authors like myself so that we can achieve our life's dream of making this our full-time career. 

What's in store next, you might ask? 

2021 is going to be busy as I go back to the writing table and tackle not just Book 2 in the Carving Legacies series, but a standalone novel for two of the supporting cast members from Key of Arcandus. I have a ton of projects for the world of Clayne, and as I gain momentum in my writing craft I'm hoping to bring new stories, series, and characters to everyone who becomes a fan. As it currently stands I have two full series planned (Carving Legacies and a post-CL pantheon series), with three stand-alone novels, and another potential two series that would cover the Finnean Rebellion and the war between the immortal gods during the ancient era. Whew! I better get writing!

Join me on Instagram live, Thursday, 10/01/2020 at either 12:00 pm or 5:00 pm MST where I'll be reading chapters 1 and 2, giving away signed copies of my book to randomly selected winners, and hosting a small Q&A session at the end! 

GISHWHES (Greatest International Scavenger Hunt the World Has Ever Seen). I remember having a ton of fun with my friends doing some of the silliest of things in the name of love, kindness, and fun! I wanted to port those good feelings into my book giveaway in the hopes that people might enjoy tapping into their inner child a little. 

Currently there has not been any traction of participation, so the odds of winning just by participating might be in your favor since the contest is only for two weeks (well...one and a half now). 

All you need is an Instagram account, and the challenges are pretty simple. Even though it's a KoA-themed contest, none of the challenges require you to have any knowledge of my book to win. So follow me, tag a friend or two, and take an hour or two on a weekend to show off your favorite book, ice-related thing, or best dress, and just have some fun with it!

​Good luck to those who participate!

​You can pre-order Key of Arcandus through any major online book retailer such as Barnes & Noble or Amazon. Or support your local brick-and-mortar bookstore by requesting a copy through their distribution channels. I’ve published through Ingramspark, so every retailer should have the ability to order copies through their networks. They just need someone to request it of them.
 
I will be doing multiple events and giveaways (mostly online) to help get more copies out there into the world. Stay tuned to my website or Instagram to be notified when such events become available!