Woman at Work, January 2025

Posted on January 5, 2025 by DebyFredericks

What’s Happening? Winter break has been good, but I’ve come to the part where I feel I should be more productive and I’ve already done all the productive things. Getting back to my regular work schedule will be nice, too.

What I’m Working On. A new short story is in the works. It’s a satirical fantasy about resisting the takeover of a government agency. Gosh, what could be the inspiration? It’s currently just under 7,000 words with a projected length of 10,000. This makes it perfect for the vague idea I have about my fall project.

What’s Next? Cleodora, Book 1: Willow Lake is steady on my calendar to release in May of 2025. I’ve started the process of cover design with the artist and expect to do one more editing pass before then. There’s plenty of time for that.

Where I’ll be. My next in-person event will be RadCon, in February 2025. My table in the Artist Alley is confirmed. I’m ordering books and gathering table decorations to make that fun.

Fun and Games. A couple of years ago I got an Indy game, Mika and Witch Mountain. That arrived in early December and I had a good time with it. I’m still enjoying Veilguard adventures and after a year my Animal Crossing village is about to have a make-over.

I have a lot of concerns about this next year. Starting off with two terrorist attacks is not reassuring me. Good luck to all of us!

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 or Pinterest.

New Resolutions

Posted on December 29, 2024 by DebyFredericks

The Smashwords Year End Sale is still going on. All of my e-books are 50% off until January 1, 2025. My catalog with them is here, and Lucy D. Ford’s books are here. I hope you’ll take a look!

Resolutions. Love them or hate them? No blame on anyone who doesn’t keep them and then feels bad. For me, I find resolutions helpful. They give me a target to aim at. Otherwise, I can just write story after story and never do anything with them.

Rules. The resolutions have to be something that I, myself, can control. So rather than vow to sell stories, a decision that is not up to me, I vow to submit them. This way I don’t unnecessarily set myself up for failure.

Resolution 1: Publish the second part of Cleodora. This work is already complete and the first part (Acorn Canyon) has been published. Bringing out part 2 (Willow Lake) in May seems like a pretty straightforward goal.

Resolution 2: Host Queen Titania’s Court in June. This is always very fun, although I noticed a drop in participation last year. That makes this one something to strive for.

Resolution 3: Write 3 short stories and submit each one to three or more markets. This is one of my perennial goals. While I’m between novels, I keep myself going with short work. In fact, I’m already working on one that I know I won’t finish until probably mid-January. (That almost feels like cheating.)

Resolution 4: Make three or more personal appearances to support my writing. As a push goal, be present in the Dealer’s Room or Artist Alley at one event. I won’t resolve to be an Author Guest of Honor again (that comes under the category of things that aren’t my decision). On the other hand, I will be attending the World Science Fiction Convention in August. If I can be on programs there, I’m going to give myself bonus points.

Resolution 5: Project X. I like to publish every six months, in May and November, However, I don’t have a clear idea what my November project will be this year. I have some longer short stories/novelettes that I could combine in some form. I don’t know what it might be yet, hence “Project X.”

If you’ve read my blog in the past few months, you’ll be aware how the last election really threw me off my stride. I’m sure this is why I’m confused about “Project X.” I trust I’ll get re-oriented and come up with something by next fall. I’m a creative person, after all.

What goals will you set for yourself in 2025? Comment to share your thoughts!

More Featured Books

Posted on December 22, 2024 by DebyFredericks

The Smashwords Year End Sale is going on. All of my e-books will be 50% off until January 1, 2025. My catalog with them is here, and Lucy D. Ford’s books are here. I hope you’ll take a look!

Going on to highlight my books in the Smashwords sale, this day is for Lucy D. Ford! This is the pen name I use for juvenile novels. “Lucy” only has two novels out, but I’m just as proud of them.

Cleodora, Book 1: Acorn Canyon. People say the shrine is cursed. To her, it’s just home. Ten-year-old Cleodora grew up in Acorn Canyon, where her mother is guardian of a shrine to the nature spirits. Spiteful rumors have isolated them from the rest of Tenebira. Then a stranger arrives. Navaire is a member of the Majian Guild. He’s on an urgent mission — to learn why the nature spirits have made it stop raining. But a corrupted spirit is chasing him. Instead of fighting, Cleodora saves it. Now her life will never be the same!

Masters of Air & Fire. Three young wyrmlings lived on the green slopes of Hot Mountain. Then their peaceful world was shattered by the eruption of their volcano home. Now they must struggle to survive in a world dominated by beings alien to them: humans.

This book has a special place in my heart. This very blog you’re reading and a lot of my following career are related to Masters of Air & Fire. If you have an interest in dragon family drama or bold spirit girls, both e-books are 50% off until the end of the year.

Too Political, Redux

Posted on December 15, 2024 by DebyFredericks

The Smashwords Year End Sale is going on. All of my e-books will be 50% off until January 1, 2025. My catalog with them is here, and Lucy D. Ford’s books are here. I hope you’ll take a look!

The great wheel turns. The political forces we thought we vanquished have again reared their ugly heads. Writers and artists have been threatened with bans and harassment all along, but the danger grows more imminent with each day.

What are we to do? Should we stop writing/art before we get attacked? We could take down old posts and images, clean up our online presence to avoid offending the harassers. Then just keep our heads down and try to get through each day.

Or should we keep up our art, as a way to defy the authority? Our stories may give hope and courage to those who resist. More than that, they may keep us sane by releasing our anxiety into an artistic form.

Whatever we decide, it is definitely informative to pay attention as these events unfold. The incoming faction claims a overwhelming mandate. Cabinet nominees are grossly unfit for office, an open insult to the institutions of government. Politicians, pundits and billionaires bow down to the monster they helped create.

Will the institutions fight back? If so, how? It might seem we are helpless, watching from the sidelines as it all unfolds. But this is all material we can use, from the single word to the big confirmation fights in the Senate. We can watch, and let events spark our creativity.

I have said before, all stories are political. Writers and artists should continue to create work that reflects our times. We can satirize the hypocrites. Blame the guilty. Call for a better future.

We must. And, here we go again.

Shifting

Posted on December 8, 2024 by DebyFredericks

Fall has shifted into winter around here. The old year will soon shift into a new one. A new administration is coming in — one which promises to take us into much darker times. And I am still trying to shift into a new writing project.

But stories don’t exist in a vacuum. They are shaped by their time and place, the people around us, and important events in the world. Part of my hesitation around what to write next may come from the uncertainty of these times.

Looking back at what I’ve written in the past, I can see the trend line. My Minstrels of Skaythe series began in 2018 and continued through the first Trump presidency. The White House was in the hands of an erratic narcissist. Human and civil rights were under constant attack. Then came a terrifying pandemic — followed by an attempted coup.

The direct inspiration for Minstrels certainly was the Dragon Age video games, but the darkness of its setting definitely reflects the stress and uncertainty of its era.

By the time I completed that series, we were into the Biden presidency. That administration used its powers to support the people through the pandemic and staved off economic collapse. It’s been a time of renewal and hope for the future. This era allowed me to write Cleodora, the tale of a bold young girl trying to save her world from climatic disaster.

Yet, the pendulum is about to swing again. We are returning to chaos and endless threats to human and civil rights. Publishing Cleodora now seems almost naive. The story is coming out in a different era than when it was written. (I will publish it, though. Don’t get me wrong.)

I still don’t know what I’m going to write next. But I suspect, as storm clouds gather and the light of freedom fades, that my next story will again reflect a darker era.

Woman at Work, December 2024

Posted on December 1, 2024 by DebyFredericks

What’s Happening? December is here once again. It’s time to start wrapping things up in my writer’s year.

What I’m Working On. This is the time when I go through a number of chores. I check this web site and my blog to be sure all the book links are working. This year I’m also making sure Amazon’s links are gone. Then I go over the header art and sidebars to make sure everything still looks good. My union was good to me this year, and I have a five day break to get started.

After that, I still have no work in progress, and it’s starting to worry me.

What’s Next? Cleodora, Book 1: Willow Lake is on my calendar to release in May of 2025. I’ve just finished a revision, but it still needs more. It would be pretty early to start promoting Willow Lake, anyhow.

Where I’ll be. My next in-person event will be RadCon, in Februrary 2025. I plan to have a table in the Artist Alley there.

Fun and Games. I’ve been focused on the lastest Dragon Age game, Veilguard! I already wrote some thoughts about it. (Go back one post if you missed that.) And I’m back to Animal Crossing as my villagers were feeling a bit neglected.

I hope your holiday weekend has been safe and peaceful!

That Story

Posted on November 24, 2024 by DebyFredericks

It came in at 1,800 words and I submitted it… to get an immediate rejection. Alas! That just means I have to look for other publications that have submission windows open. A lot of my short stories come in over 5,000 words, and even that can be too long for a lot of publications. With this one, I at least have more potential markets.

My main job at the moment, however, is to continue with revisions on Willow Lake (Cleodora Book 2), so I’d best get back to that!

She’s Here

Posted on November 17, 2024 by DebyFredericks

That’s right! Cleodora, Book 1: Acorn Canyon is now in release as an e-book or paperback. This is for ages 9-12, so if you know a young fantasy fan, it would make a great holiday gift.

Cleodora, Book 1: Acorn Canyon

People say the shrine is cursed. But to Cleodora, it’s just home.

Ten-year-old Cleodora grew up in Acorn Canyon, where her mother is guardian of a shrine to the nature spirits. Spiteful rumors have isolated them from the rest of Tenebira.

Then a stranger arrives. Navaire is a member of the Majian Guild. He’s on an urgent mission — to learn why the nature spirits have made it stop raining. But a corrupted spirit is chasing him.

Instead of fighting, Cleodora saves it. Now her life will never be the same!

Get it from Books2Read!

Fall Folk Festival

Posted on November 10, 2024 by DebyFredericks

This is the weekend of Fall Folk Festival! My reading time is on Sunday, the 10th, at 1:15 pm, in the Skitch Conference Room at Spokane Community College.

I’m bringing three books to the event, Aunt Anne’s Archive, Aunt Ursula’s Atlas, and Cleodora Book 1: Acorn Canyon. I’ll be dropping those off early and checking their craft show. I plan to engage in some shopping therapy. The show continues all weekend, and I’ll be in and out. I plan to see some Philippine dancers, a group of Scottish pipers and drummers, and a group of protest singers called the Raging Grannies.

You probably won’t be surprised to hear that this week’s election has thrown me badly off my pace. I have already been harassed at work by the “winners” so this weekend gives me a chance to refocus on my success.

Woman at Work, November 2024

Posted on November 3, 2024 by DebyFredericks

What’s Happening? I am writing this on Hallowe’en night, my favorite holiday of them all. I wore my decorated witch hat to school and got lots of smiles and compliments. Only a few trick-or-treaters yet, but it’s fun to see them, too.

What I’m Working On. Currently my attention is on the project to transition off Amazon. I have all my print books set up on Draft2Digital and proofs are on order. I hope the print copies will release by November 15th, but that remains to be seen.

What’s Next? Cleodora, Book 1: Acorn Canyon is scheduled to release on November 15th. It has nature spirits, cozy fantasy and a bold girl growing up. What more can you ask for?

After that, I have no work in progress, and it’s a very strange feeling.

Where I’ll be. Fall Folk Festival is this month! In fact, it’s in one week! I’m reading on Sunday, the 10th, at 1:15 pm in the Skitch Conference Room at Spokane Community College. The remaining print copies of Aunt Anne’s Archive, Aunt Ursula’s Atlas, and Cleodora Book 1: Acorn Canyon will all be in the festival store.

Fun and Games. The latest Dragon Age game is here! I’m avoiding the reviews and fannish nit-picking so I can play it without spoilers or advance knowledge. It already looks to be very good.

I hope you have something great to read this fall!

	Best Books of 2025 \|… on Queen Demon
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	Best Reads of 2025 \|… on Queen Demon
	Best Reads of 2025 \|… on The Witch Roads
	DebyFredericks on The Tower in the Mist

Welcome to the Magical Worlds

of Deby Fredericks and Lucy D. Ford