I attended my first Superstars Writing Seminar last week. When they say it's a fire hose of information, they're really not joking. My brain is so overloaded right now, I'm amazed I can word at all. In fact, I'm not even going to attempt to write anything but this blog post today, because I need time to digest everything I learned (and I need time to debrief my coauthor Nick on everything since he was busy being awesome with his day job). I met so many fantastic people, many of them experienced titans of the publishing industry, and made some new friends. Spending time with my friends in CKP and Three Ravens Publishing is always a highlight of attending events like this. . .and that's when I had a minor epiphany. You see, I keep saying that being a published author is the Coolest Thing Ever. And it really is. It's absolutely so freaking cool, and I hope I never lose that feeling. However, it would not be nearly as much FUN if it weren't for my friends and fellow authors. Tribe is something Superstars is a big advocate of - finding your tribe, supporting each other, celebrating successes, and extending a helping hand when someone is struggling. I've found a great tribe, and made some genuine friends. I'm grateful to all of them.
In writing news, I'll be submitting a short story to Three Ravens Publishing for an upcoming Urban Fantasy anthology. I'm pretty excited by the invitation. Even better, I've got an unpublished Urban Fantasy short story already written that I think will be a good fit. It's got it all - hidden Greek gods, a missing father, and a daughter determined to find him.
I've also been busy plotting out not one but THREE different novels in three different universes. Salvage Bunny 3, Valkyries 2, and my 4HU Depik Companion novel. I've actually already started writing Salvage Bunny 3, and I'll be pushing ahead with that one until Nick is ready to start writing our next round of Space Hyena stories.
On the editing side of the house, I've got to do a last read-thru of Shadows May Fall, my first Valkyries novel. Words cannot express how excited I am for my first full-length Urban Fantasy novel!! I love Athena and Sebastian so much, and I cannot WAIT to share their story with you.
UPDATE: I spent THREE FREAKING HOURS on the phone this afternoon talking with my coauthor Nick Steverson. A lot of it was Superstars related, but the rest was just spending time talking with my friend. Tribe ya'll. I'm telling you - you can't put a price on it. Well, I've got lots of catching up to do after being gone for five days. Adulting stuff, family stuff, day job stuff. ALL the stuff. I'll leave you guys with my favorite quote from James A. Owen, one of the founders of Superstars and an all-around awesome person!!
"The default state of the world is fear - be brave."