What's Up Wednesday #2 and IWSG #5 - on project-juggling!

What's Up Wednesday is a weekly meme run by Erin L Funk and Jaime Morrow and is a great way for readers and writers to catch up! It's also the first Wednesday in August, which means it's time for the Insecure Writers' Support Group, run by Alex J. Cavanaugh!


What I'm reading

I've been reading Daughter of the Flames and FrostFire, two other books by Zoe Marriott. As I loved her first urban fantasy novel, The Night Itself, I decided to check out some of her YA high fantasy. I confess that I might be experiencing writer envy right now - I love the way she envisions every detail of the fantasy worlds she creates!

What I'm writing


With Darkworld, to my eternal surprise, things are running smoothly (touch wood!). I think that working on another project at the same time has reduced the "OMGI'mwritingthefinalbookinaserieseeek" freaking out to a manageable level! :P
On the other hand, writing YA high fantasy is HARD. As I'm working on my new project, I worry that I'm sounding too pretentious, because I'm used to writing in first-person, contemporary voices. Third person isn't natural for me, either (though it's what I used for the FIRST novel I ever wrote, back when I was 18!). In the end, I've just tried to make it readable, but I know it'll need a lot of revising later. I'm at the stage where every word is a struggle, and every writing day is a battle of wills: me versus the blank page! So I guess that's my insecurity this month.

But that's why I love the online writing community. The #WIPMarathon has been a fantastic way of keeping focused, as well as an opportunity to meet some new and awesome authors. I don't think I'd be half as motivated without it!

Also, editing on Darkness Watching continues, and sign-ups have already opened for the release week book blitz with Grapevine Book Tours (*flailing*)! Sign up here if you want to be part of the fun! Also the fabulous Giselle is organising a cover reveal for the book on 31st August, so again, you can sign up here! :) 

Here's hoping I have the edits done soon - as amazing as it is that people are asking for ARC's already, it's starting to panic me a bit that I don't know when they'll be available! So that's a rather specific writerly insecurity, amplified because I'm going to be out of the country next week and won't be able to answer emails...


What Else I've Been Up To

Well, I'm off to Italy for a week on Saturday! Since I haven't taken a day off writing for about six months, a holiday might give me a nervous breakdown! (being a workaholic :P) I've also had an interview for an internship at a publisher in London and I got accepted, so I'm moving to London for a month! :D

I've also set up an 'editing services' tab on my blog, because I've decided to put my Grammar Queen title to good use and start helping other authors with copy-editing and proofreading their work prior to publication! I've just finished editing a book for my first client and received an amazing testimonial! As I'm just starting out, I'd appreciate it if anyone could help me spread the word! :)


What Inspires Me Right Now

Two Steps from Hell and Audiomachine. Seriously, their music is an amazing backdrop to write to. Spotify is a creation of genius! (even if their advertising makes me crave Ben and Jerry's...).