Busy Months

Posted on April 21, 2024 by DebyFredericks

After I finished setting up the pre-release for Aunt Anne’s Archive, I paused to take stock. I’ve been shocked at how much has gone on for me within the past six months.

In August, I released Renegades of Skaythe, the paperback that combined my novellas “The Renegade of Opshar” and “Prisoners of the Wailing Tower.” Then in November, I published the series finale, The Tale of the Drakanox. I also read from my work at Fall Folk Festival in November of 2023.

In January, Wolfsinger published Borne in the Blood, an anthology that includes one of my stories. In February, I was Author Guest of Honor at RadCon. That’s something I will never get tired of talking about! Another anthology, Wee Folk and Wise, was re-issued in late March. That was one I edited.

Next month, Aunt Anne’s Archive comes out. Then in June it’s Queen Titania’s Court. People who aren’t familiar with my career might have the impression that I’m such a dynamo all the time, but honestly… I think I might need a break after all that!

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my blog, Wyrmflight, or follow me on Bluesky, Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram.

Sold/Aunt Anne

Posted on April 14, 2024 by DebyFredericks

Light glows through the windows of a magical library.

I recently received the contract for a short story I submitted to an anthology last fall. Whoot! Of course, it won’t come out until 2025, so it’s hard to get too excited. Nevertheless, I took a few days to bask in the moment of success.

In addition to that, Aunt Anne’s Archive is up for pre-orders with a release date of May 15th. I’m currently going through the printed proof for last minute corrections.

What’s in it? Twelve short stories, from the brooding “Bonewood Forest” and “Hag” to the humorous “Buried Treasure” and “Rosewood’s Challenge.” Some of them are previously published, while others are coming to the public for the first time. And all for just $9.95!

Pre-order from Amazon or Books2Read if you’re interested.

Getting It Done

Posted on April 7, 2024 by DebyFredericks

How do you know when you’ve written enough for one day? In terms of productivity, that is. This was a topic in one of the panels I did at RadCon last February. It was very interesting how many different techniques people have to stay on task and meet their goals.

One of the authors worked in Hollywood and almost everything was written toward deadlines. He basically worked in a series of sprints. Setting a timer, writing as hard and fast as he could without doing revision. Then at the bell taking breaks, having drinks or snacks, answering e-mails and secondary writing tasks. After a while, he set the timer and did it again.

One of them went by word count. She set out to write a certain number of words before her session could be over. I know another who only has weekends for writing, and he crams in as much as he can until he’s exhausted. At a convention, I once heard an author say he began writing at midnight and went until six o’clock in the morning. That would never work for me!

For myself, I go by pages. I have to finish two pages before I can be done. But if I’m near the end of a chapter, then I have to finish the chapter. That may not sound like much, but I have a day job and a house to maintain. I have basically an hour after dinner for writing. One night of the week is reserved for gaming, and two nights my siblings will call to talk. If only they all got along and would call me together on Discord! I could have another uninterrupted work night.

Anyway, I’m curious how you get your writing done. In sprints, by the clock, or by the word? Something else? Let me know in the comments!

Woman At Work, April 2024

Posted on March 31, 2024 by DebyFredericks

What’s Happening? Confession time: I’ve been struggling a bit this week. The Hugo Award nominations were announced, and I see so many happy congratulations to the nominees. While I, myself, will never have the honor. I’m not envious, just a sense of being left out. This is part of being an Indy author, and I’m well aware of it. Not sure why it’s bothering me this year.

What I’m Working On. The Spirit Binder travels on to a new location, Willow Shrine. I’m at a point where I need to sketch the area and think about plot turns. Onward!

What’s Next? Most of the layout is done for my next short story collection, Aunt Anne’s Archive. Both ebook and trade paper layouts are mostly finished. I plan to work on that more so I can release it on May 15, just in time for Queen Titania’s Court in June.

Where I’ll be. Speaking of which, I’m recruiting more authors for Queen Titania’s Court for 2024. If you know any fantasy authors, especially independents, feel free to share the link to the details.

Fun and Games. Right now I’m playing Animal Crossing with some upgrades to my village. Dragon Age Inquisition is coming in second because the companion my character wants to romance keeps pushing them away.

Happy Easter to those who celebrate. I will be in the garden, planting my potatoes and early crops like lettuce and peas.

Re-Issue! Wee Folk and Wise

Posted on March 17, 2024 by DebyFredericks

A fairy woman sits in a mystic forest. Title reads "Wee Folk and Wise." Illustration by Carol Hightshoe using Midjourney.

After more than a year of rallying and agitating, Wee Folk and Wise is being re-issued by Wolfsinger Publications. This is the anthology of fairy stories I first edited for Sky Warrior. I’m excited to see it return to print, possibly as early as next week. Never fear, I’ll post purchase links as soon as I have them.

A World of Enchantment

All over the world, fairy tales are told. There are big fairies and little fairies. Ugly fairies and pretty fairies. Wise fairies and silly fairies. Sweet fairies and scary fairies. Sixteen authors share their own fantastic fairy tales in this magical collection. What kind of fairy will you meet here?

Future Release

Posted on March 10, 2024 by DebyFredericks

The moon glows over a beautiful fantasy library. Text reads "Aunt Anne's Archive, Tales of Magic and Mystery by Deby Fredericks." — Illustration by DeKreator

Here’s a sneak peek at the cover for my next planned release, Aunt Anne’s Archive. Isn’t it pretty? Bear in mind, this is a work in progress and there are bound to be changes. It gives you an idea what I’m going for, though.

This will be a short story collection, companion to one of my first independent releases, Aunt Ursula’s Atlas. Where Aunt Ursula collected Lucy D. Ford’s short work, Aunt Anne will be under Deby Fredericks’ byline. My initial plan was to also re-release Aunt Ursula with a new cover. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to determine whether AI had been used in that image, so it’s temporarily on hold.

I almost have enough stories for a second collection of Lucy’s work, but one thing at a time. Besides, I’d have to decide which literary aunt I wanted to dedicate to.

Anywho, I’d love to hear what you think about this cover. Tell me about it in the comments!

Woman At Work, March 2024

Posted on March 3, 2024 by DebyFredericks

What’s Happening? It’s March, and I’ve started to think about doing yard cleanups, pruning, and so forth. It’s snowing this morning, though, so I don’t have to get right into it. My wildest dream is to get a grape arbor this year. We’ll see if that comes true.

What I’m Working On. Part 2 of The Spirit Binder is done and I’m taking a thinking break before I go on to part three. It’s a complete change of setting and I’m sure there will be parts of it I blog about. It’s about 40,000 words now and I’m getting worried about it going beyond the expected length for a middle grade book. I might have to prune this book pretty hard, eventually.

What’s Next? It took some harping, but I connected with all the authors for the re-issue of Wee Folk and Wise. With their approvals of the final proof, I turned in the master document to Wolfsinger. It may be released as soon as the end of this month, so brace yourself for the announcements.

Where I’ll be. Not exactly a where, but it’s time to start thinking about Queen Titania’s Court for 2024. That means scaring up some authors to participate. If you know any fantasy authors, especially independents, feel free to share the link to the details.

Fun and Games. Right now I’m playing Animal Crossing and replaying Dragon Age Inquisition for about the eighth time. It’s like visiting old friends.

It’s snowing outside, right now. Happy spring?

After RadCon

Posted on February 25, 2024 by DebyFredericks

Last weekend I was Author Guest of Honor at RadCon science fiction convention. So how was it?

Incredible! And exhausting. And educational.

Incredible, because being Guest of Honor was a rare honor for me. I’m pretty much an unknown author, even in my region. It was more recognition of my career and skills than I’ve ever had — and probably ever will have again. (Just keeping my expectations realistic, here.) I really had the chance to talk about my series, Minstrels of Skaythe, and why I chose a message of nonviolence.

I also know that a lot of aspiring authors, artists and other creative people flock to these conventions, and I tried to put out an encouraging message for them. “People will tell you, don’t give up your day job. I say, don’t give up your art.”

Exhausting, because I was on so many panels. Each panel is about an hour, and they take concentration to stay on topic with relevant things to say. They had me scheduled for three in a row, twice during the weekend. I moderated some of them, too. It was just a lot of being on camera and focused.

Educational, because it was my first time doing a dealer’s table to sell my books. My husband sat in during the times I was on panels. He was willing to help, and in fact he was a great salesman, but it took a lot of his time, too. The table itself went really well. I sold lots of books, partly because I was Guest of Honor and that always creates interest and partly because people heard me speak on panels. My main takeaway was that I can’t volunteer for so many panels, and if they try to put me on more, I have to say no.

Will I do a book table again? Absolutely. I wouldn’t want to do the full con circuit, with a convention every month, but two or three a year would definitely be possible. It also coincides neatly with my resolution to make 3 personal appearances each year.

At RadCon

Posted on February 19, 2024 by DebyFredericks

I have been at RadCon this weekend. Hope you all have a great weekend and I’ll check in with you next week.

Welcome to the Magical Worlds

of Deby Fredericks and Lucy D. Ford