Clare Dugmore

 

November has felt like a whirlwind, but in the best way possible. Most of my focus this month was on Novel-November, where I worked almost exclusively on my vampire romantasy, KISS ME AFTER THE KILL — and I’m thrilled to say I wrote almost 54,000 words! It’s the first time in years that I’ve taken part in a NaNo-style challenge and actually won, which feels incredibly motivating.

I’m not quite finished with the draft yet. I still have about three chapters and several spicy scenes left to write, but after such an intense month, I can feel the burnout creeping in. Instead of forcing myself to reach my original goal of 62k, I’m taking a break until January. Then I’ll dive back in with the plan to finish the first draft by the end of the month and begin revisions with Hubby in February. That said, I’ve already sneaked into some early revisions because I woke up with the urge to polish things — so the timing has worked out nicely!

Alongside KMATK, a few new story ideas have been growing. For the Snowy Wings Publishing nursery-rhyme anthology, I’m returning to my original concept: a YA story about a girl marked for death who falls in love with a fae grim reaper. It matches my preferred tone perfectly and feels much more manageable than the cozy sapphic magical-school idea I briefly considered.

I’m also planning ahead for my next big project for 2026: an enemies-to-lovers fae romance featuring a masked, shadow-drenched Prince. I’m desperate to write it already, but I’m keeping myself disciplined — planning only, until KMATK is done.

This month also brought a major personal and career realisation: I’m stepping away from self-publishing. My spicy Christmas short, A Winter’s Kiss (out December 2nd!), will be my last self-pubbed project for the foreseeable future. I have nothing against self-publishing, but it no longer feels like the right path for me creatively. I want to focus the next few years on querying romantasy, fantasy-romance, and paranormal-romance, which feel like my truest writing home.

On the health side, things are looking brighter. My PMDD has been the mildest it’s been in years — hopefully a good sign that my HRT patches are doing their job. I’m also still waiting to hear from Psychiatry UK about ADHD medication, but overall I feel like I’m moving in the right direction. This new stability has inspired me to reach out to my ADHD coach about helping me take the Kindred Creativity Club to the next level in 2025.

Outside writing, November was quieter. Hubby was ill for part of the month, Oldest started his new job, and we didn’t get out much — though I did buy a dancing gecko that sings “Feliz Navidad,” which genuinely brings me joy every time I look at it. Holiday prep is mostly done, Youngest’s gifts are on the way from Japan, and we’re figuring out plans for Oldest’s partner depending on her dog’s health.

It’s wild to think December is here already, and that I’ll be posting both a December wrap-up and a yearly one soon. If you’d like to read the full, detailed version of this month’s update, including all my writing reflections and holiday plans, you can find it here:

👉 [Read the full November wrap-up blog post]

Thanks for joining me this month! 💜