Just Keep Writing, Writing, Writing

So the power is back on.

But more important, since that was an upleasant couple of days I really don't want to relive now (I'll come back to it later with a post on big business and customer service), I've been writing.

I have completed Snow in Her Eyes, which came in at 17K words. A far cry from the short story I thought I'd sit down and knock out in a few days. But the last two days of writing on it were darn near effortless - my writing is back. It's been a struggle to write, this last year, with so many changes and stresses. They were good, life is good, but it affected my writing brain in a big way, and I've been hitting the wall hard every time I tried to push words out. Which was terribly frustrating, and at one point I was convinced I'd never write again. Not like I had in the past, at very least.

So, in addition to finishing Snow, getting the two chapters of progress on East Witch rolling off the fingertips was a huge relief. It's not going to be a bed of rose petals, I know that. I also know I haven't lost it. Actually, part of it is the job. I have long periods during the day where I'm waiting on a reaction to progress, and have nothing else to do. That allows me to think, and plot, and mull over the work. I'm not focused on multiple classes, the home stuff is distant, and that lets my brain come fully online. I'm still learning - the lovely thing about analytical chemistry in a small lab is that you can be learning all the time, there are always tests you haven't mastered yet. I'm sure if I were here for years, that would become all routine, but for now I'm taking one or two tests at a time and perfecting them before being certified on them.

I plan to publish Snow during the first week in August, and I'll post that link here on the blog, as well as my usual social media venues. As you can probably tell, I'm very happy with how it came out. It just went off to beta readers, so hopefully they like it, too - my alpha reader loved it. But then again, the main character was inspired by her, so I'm glad she did like it!

I have a cover in mind for this one, and will work on it this weekend. I'll put that up when I have something, so you all can tell me how bad it is. So this is my preliminary blurb:

Amaya Lombard is a witch hunter, and a damn good one. Hated by the magical community as she works with the cops, feared by some policemen for her abilities, she walks a tightrope daily. When an entire family is killed and magic is involved, Amaya is the only one who can find answers to the seemingly senseless killing. Because even the dead deserve answers.

A novella