Last year, I posted quarterly updates to my invisible writer’s progress, but 2021 brought so much about, I barely blinked and it was already the end of June. So here’s a quick roundup of the first half of my year.
By a chance, I’ve learned that World Dracula Day, commemorating the publication date of Bram Stoker classic, falls on May 26, and it sparked some thoughts about vampires in fiction and pop culture. They’ve been around in books since late 19th century (if we take Dracula’s release date as a marker), and had accompanied us for thousands of years in oral storytelling, folklore, and various myths. After such a long time, are they a little bit stale? Are they… dare I say it, boring? Or, perhaps, like certain pieces of clothing, vampire never go out of style?
When I was young, I used to read voraciously. Several books a week was my norm. I frequented my local library, and though I mostly scouted the science fiction and fantasy shelf, I would read almost anything. But every new book meant refining my literary tastes a bit more, and as I grew older, I had less time to read, so I became more and more picky. Yet, I still strove to finish every book I started. After all, I chose them.
The idea of not finishing a book never occurred to me.
I’m excited to partake in a limited-time Fantasy Book Bundle prepared by International Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Authors. By the Pact, book one of my epic fantasy series is one of over 20 books available in the bundle. Check them out now or keep reading for details. The Fantasy Book Bundle will be available from April 19th thru May 9th.
I’m excited to announce that book 2 of Pacts Arcane and Otherwise, Scars of Stone is coming out on July 10th, 2021! If you enjoyed Kamira and Veelk’s adventures so far, you won’t be disappointed: more witty banter, powerful magic, corrupted mages and plotting demons! If you haven’t met the duo yet, there’s still time to catch up – get By the Pact now.
Keep reading for the cover, blurb, and stores links!
Back in February, JD Estrada—writer, poet, and Youtuber—invited me to take part in his online event, March of the Writers. With many interesting prompts, I was hoping to join in the fun, but unfortunately, reality decided otherwise. The beginning of March wasn’t too kind to me, and as weeks passed, things didn’t improve enough for me to take on another commitment. But I still didn’t want to miss the opportunity, so in a way of a compromise, I’m writing this post. I won’t cover all the 31 prompts, but I chose the ones that seemed the most interesting. (more…)
It’s been 5 years since I moved over to the USA, and it feels like I should write a short summary. I’ve already mentioned a lot of what happened in the last year’s post, and due to the circumstances around the world, there wasn’t much exploring or activity outside of my apartment. So this year, let’s focus on adjusting to life in a new country and achievements, which I had quite a few. (more…)
I wasn’t expecting to be writing this post today, but the new space opera movie from Netflix is worth noting. In the times when everyone’s favorite childhood franchise is producing mediocre trilogies and spin-offs (with one supposedly decent streaming series coming to the rescue), and when we have had long abandoned all hope in seeing more of Firefly, Space Sweepers is like a breath of fresh air: fun, engaging, and with a story that manages to hit all the tropes we love without feeling cliche.
The short preview on Netflix was enough for Inq and I to get curious about Space Sweepers. Science fiction setting, good special effects, and a promise of fun action seemed like a good bet, and we were saving the movie for the weekend, so we could enjoy it without distractions. And sure enough, we did enjoy it a lot.
Recently, Inq and I have re-watched all the seasons of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D as a refresher before diving into the seventh, final season for the first time (we aren’t the “get it as soon as it’s out types, so we took our time). By now, I must have watched some of the seasons four or five times already, and I’m sure it’s not the last of it. Even though it’s not perfect, out of all the superhero shows I’ve watched, this is probably my most favorite (followed closely by Gotham), and there are so many reasons to love it! (more…)
Oh what a year it’s been, don’t you agree?
On one hand, I had some of my plans derailed, and things had not gone the way I thought they would. On the other, I was one of the lucky few who hadn’t been much affected by the unexpected situation that changed the way we live our lives. Yet, even for me, it was not a year of major achievements or hitting important milestones. Rather, it was a year of trying to move forward and succeed despite the odds. (more…)