FREE BOOKS: The Adventures of Josain Jovenne and Seeking The Truth

Greetings Readers!

I've been talking about my spicy, sci-fi romance novella THE ADVENTURES OF JOSAIN JOVENNE for a while now, and I'm happy to announce it's complete and you can claim your copy completely free.

Additionally, I'm also offering free copies of my urban-fantasy short-story SEEKING THE TRUTH, for those who might have missed it when it was a mailing list incentive before.

Read on for the details of both books and how to claim your copies.

The Trouble with First Drafts when you have ADHD

 

If you've been a follower of my blog for a while, you may have noticed that I often start a project, and dive in full steam ahead, only to lose my momentum a few months later.

I used to think it was a failure of mine. I used to think there was something wrong with me because I had so many incomplete stories on my hard drive.

Then I learned I have ADHD.

For those who don't know, ADHD is basically a dopamine deficiency. This means almost everything someone with ADHD does is in pursuit of that precious dopamine (and why we struggle with tasks that don't give us much/ any).

Writing, specifically starting a new project and sharing it with everyone gives me a huge dopamine rush. Sometimes I share details of a new story when it's barely past a half-formed idea. Then the dopamine wears off, and I lose interest.

I'm trying my hardest to find ways of generating dopamine differently so that I have more success with completing projects. Coaching is helping a lot.

But one of the pitfalls I've realized of my frenzied, dopamine-seeking early sharing of projects is that, sometimes, after they're shared I realize they weren't quite ready for the world yet.

You know me, I love a good food analogy, and when I was talking to my ADHD coach recently, I likened this problem to telling all your friends you're baking a cake. Halfway through cooking you announce, "The cake is ready, come and get it." Only, when you cut into the cake, there's raw batter in the middle.

When I get a new idea and start a new project, I get over-excited and want to share it with the world. So often, I do. Sometimes in the form of snippets or blurbs, sometimes in the form of serials ...

You can see where this is going, right?

I love serials because they give me that instant gratification dopamine I crave. BUT what if the serial I'm sharing is a first draft, and halfway through, I realize, crap, there's raw batter in the middle?!

THAT'S where I find myself with Wings, Witches and Wonder. I still love the story, and I still believe in the concept of serials and the platform Ream Stories. But, for me at least, I realize first drafts probably aren't the type of thing I should be serializing.

There are parts of Wings I love, and parts of Wings I hate and want to re-write. And I don't want to continue serializing a story with parts I know aren't as good as they should be. I want to give you my BEST stories. (As a side note, this is one reason I unpublished Truly, Madly, Deeply. But that's a story for another time.)

So yes, all that to say, I have unpublished Wings, Witches and Wonder. It will be back (this year, hopefully), and when I release it (I'm not sure if it will be as a serial or complete novel), it will be a version I'm closer to 100% happy with. No raw batter in the middle! ;)

As I said above, I still believe in the concept of serials and the platform Ream Stories, only for me, it works better with a story that is complete, and that I'm as close to 100% happy with as I can be. A story I won't want to later pull and re-write.

To that end, I will be serializing ALL IT TAKES. It was on Amazon for many years, but I want to reach new readers, especially as Kyra and I have been working to tie it into both her Game On Series and our forthcoming co-written wrestling-themed novel. And, as previously mentioned, I have plans for an age-gap rockstar romance also set in that shared universe (don’t worry, I won’t jump the gun serializing this one! lol).

Additionally, SEEKING THE TRUTH is also on ReamStories as it’s complete and I don’t foresee me making changes and/or expanding on that universe.

So yeah, that's where I'm at. If you've read/ commented on the previously published chapters of WINGS, thank you! Your support and encouragement means everything to me. <3 <3 <3 I hope you will still love the story when I've had a chance to work on it more.

From here on out, I will be posting weekly chapters of ALL IT TAKES and SEEKING THE TRUTH, and I'll have news about other projects -- including WINGS and the aforementioned rockstar romance -- when I'm sure they're properly 'cooked' as it were.

I'm also considering starting a blog series on my experiences as a writer with ADHD, so please let me know if that's something you'd like to hear more about.

Until next time, stay safe, and keep reading & writing!

T.T.F.N

Sometimes a Break Really is as Good as a Holiday

 

Yes, I know we're already one month into the new year, but honestly, it's taken me that long to settle into 2024!

The holiday period was great - we visited family, ate lots of delicious food, and were all very happy with our gifts.

As the new year started, I began thinking about what's really important to me, and two things topped my list:

Health and Writing.

I won't go into too much detail here, but I have a handful of health issues that are causing me some problems, and I want to focus on getting the right help so I can continue growing into the best version of myself.

But along with these health issues comes the realization I can't do everything. I had to remove something from my life, and I found myself having to choose between going forward with my planned proofreading business or continuing to push my career as an author.

And well ... I can't just stop writing. That would be like asking someone to stop breathing. Thankfully, I may be able to get some financial support due to my health issues, meaning I can focus on my writing without having to take on extra work (like proofreading) to pay the bills.

So, with writing firmly in the forefront of my mind, I've decided to make some changes to what I'm doing with Ream and my stories.

Both my contemporary-romance ALL IT TAKES and my urban-fantasy novella SEEKING THE TRUTH will be available in weekly serial format for $5 a month, or if you'd prefer to read it all in one go, you can 'unlock' the whole novella for $10 a month.

Fellow author Kyra Lennon and I are releasing a wrestling-based story later this year, and we want to build it into a shared universe that will not only include our co-written story, but ALL IT TAKES, Kyra's Game On Series (which you can read on ReamStories too!), and an age-gap, rockstar romance from me.

As my updated bio says, reading and writing has always been an escape for me, and I really hope my stories offer those of you out there in need of a little respite an escape too!

That's all I have for you this week. So, until Friday, take care and read on.

T.T.F.N!

Story Updates & Taking a Break

 

This will be my last Ream Stories update of 2023. While I'll still be around *somewhat* over the holidays, my stories are taking a break until the new year. But I've uploaded a free, bonus short for you all.

https://reamstories.com/claredugmore/public

I usually *break up* for the holidays around the 20th, but this year I'm feeling a little burned out/ hormonal, so while I'm not officially going offline, I will likely be around less. I want to try and finish my proofreading course by the end of the year, and then begins all the festive fun, visiting family and Youngest Kiddo's birthday.

If you follow me on social media, I will likely still be active over there, even if it's just sharing photos and memes.

While I am here, I'd like to thank everyone for their support over 2023, not just of my writing, but of me personally. 2023 was a wild year for me, but also one of the best years, as I *finally* feel like my life is on the right track again.

I'm excited for the Christmas break, crafting, and seeing family, and then to dive back into things next year by launching my proofreading business, and also giving more focus to my writing career, including the return of ALL IT TAKES, and hopefully some other projects.

Thank you to everyone who has supported me in any way, be it by becoming a subscriber, commenting on my stories, or offering me words of encouragement.

I hope you all have a wonderful time with loved ones over the holiday period, and that 2024 gets off to a wonderful start for you.

Until then,

Peace, love, and blessings

Wings, Witches and Wonder Chapter Nine, and Other Updates

Chapter nine of WINGS, WITCHES AND WONDER, a weekly, serial paranormal-romance, web fiction on ReamStories is now available to subscribers of the Apprentice tier and above. Chapters 1-4 are now FREE to all tiers. 

https://reamstories.com/claredugmore/public

Additionally, chapters 1-4 of my urban fantasy novella, SEEKING THE TRUTH are free to all tiers.

I will also have a little Christmas surprise for everyone later in the month.

Plus, in the new year, I will be re-serializing ALL IT TAKES.

And if that's not enough content from me, here's a little snippet of the new paranormal story I've started working on, featuring a brooding vampire, and a witch on the run. Hopefully, this story will also be coming to Ream Stories in 2024!

In other news, this past Monday, Me, Kyra Lennon and Paula Grabow recorded the Christmas episode of the Write Here, Write Now podcast, with special guest, children's Christmas author, Kirsty-Louise Garbutt. Many laughs were had. I will let you know when the episode goes live, but if you want to follow our Facebook page, and take part in the regular discussions over there, here's where to find us.

https://www.facebook.com/whwnpodcast

And last but not least, speaking of Kyra Lennon, after a three-year publishing hiatus while she's been building the Write Here, Write Now Community, Kyra is releasing a new book. Her cute, grumpy/sunshine Christmas Romance, RE-WRITING CHRISTMAS is out on December 14, and it's AMAZING!

You can pre-order your copy here: books2read.com/rewritingchristmas 

Wings, Witches and Wonder Chapter Seven and Some Other Updates

Happy Friday, everyone.

First, chapter seven of Wings, Witches and Wonder is now available on ReamStories to all members of Apprentice Tier and above.

Secondly, I have made chapters 1-3 of Wings, Witches and Wonder available (and free) to all tiers, as well as chapters 1-3 of Seeking the Truth.

Over the next few weeks/ months, I'm going to be experimenting with ways of making my stories more available, in the hope of growing my community.

This might mean I move to an "early" access period, where paid subscribers will get chapters weeks or months in advance of non-paid subscribers.

Additionally, I am working on another story alongside Wings, which has a sexy witch/vampire pairing.

Here's a little peek!

Whenever I start a new project, I can't help but make the character on something. This time Sims 4. Any guesses who inspired my vampires, Antares?

Another thing I am considering adding to my subscription is contemporary romance stories, including my previously published on Amazon and now unavailable MMA romance ALL IT TAKES, and my queer romance TRULY, MADLY, DEEPLY, as well as any new stories I write (I may have ideas for an age-gap rock-star romance!)

Be sure to follow me for regular updates, so you know what's coming, and when a new chapter is released.

https://reamstories.com/claredugmore/public

Finally, for those who were following my NaNoWriMo progress, I decided to stop. I added almost 17k to Wings, which means I have a decent backlog of chapters for you. But I've come to realize I am no longer able to write daily, especially with a specific target (i.e 1667 words a day for NaNoWriMo), and it was actually having the opposite effect and making me LESS motivated. Go figure. Anyway, rather than forcing it and coming to hate writing, I decided to stop. 

Now I'm free to work on what I want and when I want, as well as devoting time to setting up my proofreading business and co-writing a contemporary romance with Kyra Lennon.

All that to say, while I dropped out of NaNoWriMo, I don't see it as a failure, and you should expect lots of fun things from me next year!

Until next week. Stay safe, and read on!

First Chapter Freebies

To give you all a little taste of my writing, and what to expect should you subscribe, I've decided to make Chapter One of SEEKING THE TRUTH (which is available now) and Chapter One of WINGS, WITCHES AND WONDER (which goes live on Oct 6) FREE FOR EVERYONE.

If you enjoy either story, you can gain instant access to the entirety of SEEKING THE TRUTH, and new weekly chapters of WINGS, WITCHES AND WONDER, by subscribing to Apprentice Tier or above.

https://reamstories.com/claredugmore/public 

WIP Joy Challenge - Day Seven: Tell Us About YOU and Your Work!

For the month of January, I'll be taking part in the WIP Joy Challenge, created by Bethany A. Jennings (found via a share from Adam.C.Macdonald).

Well, for those new to the blog/ me/ my writing, I'm Clare, a thirty-something British Girl Woman, from the West Midlands.

Even though I've been writing since 2005 - starting out in the world of fan-fiction, before moving onto original fiction in 2010 when I took part in NaNoWriMo for the first time - I still consider myself a fairly 'new' writer in that I've only recently been published.

My first story, a paranormal-romance novella called SEEKING THE TRUTH, is part of the LOVE IN THE FIRST DEGREE ANTHOLOGY, which was published July 18, 2016.

My first full length novel, ALL IT TAKES, a contemporary romance about life, love, responsibility and self-discovery, will be published on February 14, 2017. 

I have a number of other novels, written mostly for different year's NaNoWriMo, which I may or may not return to in the future.

However, my focus right now is All It Takes' release next month, finishing my age-gap romance, and another project I can't announce just yet! 

The Love In The First Degree Anthology Cover Reveal Sign Up

Happy Monday, folks!

As I've mentioned before, in July the Love In The First Degree Anthology, the proceeds of which are going to the Innocence Project, and that I have a story in, titled Seeking the Truth, will be released.

Before then though, we're having a cover reveal on June 17, so if you're interested in taking part, please sign up here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/148BoJrfddR_zwg1Fmn6_J5-w3NHLfrc218skRwjbyIs/viewform?c=0&w=1

Hope to see you all next week for the reveal!

Writing Update

Now I'm not updating All It Takes regularly (*sad face*) it feels like I haven't posted here for ages, so I thought it was high time for a little writing update.

All It Takes is currently "resting" while I decide what to do with it in terms of publishing, querying etc. and I'm using that time to work on my story for the Love In The First Degree Anthology.

For those who're interested, here is the synopsis:

I'm also definitely not thinking about/ plotting a YA fantasy about a girl from the modern world who is transported to a medieval realm and discovers she's a long lost princess ...

What has everyone else been up to recently? Let me know in the comments below, I'd love to hear what you're doing!

Until next time,