Looking Back, July

Just a recap of my month in July.

Looking Back, July
Photo by Aleksandr Eremin / Unsplash

I had quite the busy month! From job interviews to pre-orders, I've had my hands full with many different projects. I also had quite a few "wins".


Blog

I've upgraded my Ghost plan, and will be upgrading my theme soon! So don't be surprised when things change, ahaha.

If you haven't already, I recommend checking out my "Revising the Vampire" series, which includes my progress so far, and snippets from some of my favorite scenes. You'll find the first in the series below:

Revising the Vampire, week 1
I’m giving myself a month to do the revising, as there’s a lot of material to work with. I think ten chapters a week is a good number—I’m still balancing other stories, after all.

I also geeked out over some of my lesser known hobbies and interests, in this post about web design and microblogging:

A Virtual Playground for Geeks
I even tried coding my own visual novel a few years ago, and want to properly learn Python now, both for gaming and a skill for future jobs.

Books

Aside from revising my novel, I've also been working on a prequel. It gets a bit steamy in latter bits, but is very much a story about grief and the MC dealing with the aftermath of their long term girlfriend abandoning them.

They hire a PI to help track her down, and the two have an affair of sorts. I say affair, but it's more of a "friends with benefits" kind of situation: the MC is a vampire and wants her blood, the PI has a biting kink, etc.

I also posted a snippet of that in the 4th episode of the "Revising the Vampire" series.

I also had a very good month with Kindle Vella, better than the previous two months. I was more active in two Facebook groups that prioritize a TOS friendly method of promotion. I like these more as there's no demand for reciprocation, though I still find the requirement of screenshots rather off-putting.

And, most importantly, Fluid Bonding is out in ebook form! Pre-order, technically. I've been busy with promoting it in various groups and sites. I'll be trying Reddit ads soon.

Fluid Bonding Cover Reveal & Pre-order!
New cover and preorder!

Life

I prepared a different statement in case I didn't get this job (I really didn't think it was possible), but later that same day, at 6:30, I finally got an update! It's not the most glamorous job, but I'll be working as a dishwasher for a catering company. It's at a local private school, and the job pays $15.

I almost regret not asking for a dollar more when asked if the pay was agreeable, but I've also never made more than $12.25 an hour, ha! And it's full time, weekends off, with time before and after for leisurely time and errands.

This is a huge relief for me, as I'll be getting my final payment (severance) from Walmart soon. I also get benefits, which I'm excited for. I don't know how long I'll stick with the job, but I'll at least try and stick with it for a year or two.

In terms of health, my allergies have gotten much better. I'll go into more detail about that in the future, but basically...quail egg powder! It's a game changer, a superfood.

I'm also finally catching up on Twin Peaks! I've been a fan for years, but never watched season 3, The Return, in its entirety. But now I have the entire collection (including Fire, Walk with Me, which I still need to watch), and a Blu-Ray player!

So I'm managing.