07/31/2023 — I think it’s time to answer a few more questions…
How did you celebrate when you finished the first full draft of your book?
By violently crying. There’s no pretty way to say it, and—thankfully—there were minimal witnesses. On a more serious note, I truly think that To Favor Blood & Flowers is the only thing I have ever finished for myself. Just for me. And that will forever be special.
The only real celebrating I did was by ordering a physical, bound copy. I still keep it in my room with me and glance through it from time to time.
How will you celebrate when your book is officially published?
More violent crying, definitely. It has been a long process bringing To Favor Blood & Flowers to life (Still going…). Some of those tears might just be from relief, but a lot of them will be from excitement. I really cannot wait to share TFBF with you.
Celebrating-wise, I probably will crack open some prosecco (no champagne allowed) and maybe... a tattoo to commemorate it all? Anyone have some good bookish tattoo ideas?
Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?
For those who don’t know, To Favor Blood & Flowers is the first book in a trilogy. I have been tempted to grow Carina’s world with more books centering around other characters. For example, Willem—one of the royal family’s guardians—would make a hilarious protagonist in his own story. It’s definitely tempting to continue writing books in this world, but I know I want to branch out into other fantasy worlds and genres. Not to say that Willem and others’ stories are completely off the table…
How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have?
All right, let’s break this down.
Dystopian/Sci-Fi: 8
Fantasy: 6 (Including To Favor Blood & Flowers trilogy)
Contemporary: 2
Historical: 2
Poetry: 1
Total: 19
I was surprised with how many dystopian and sci-fi books I had started! That’s the next genre I’m most excited about, along with poetry. I have over 200 poems sitting in a folder just begging to be organized in some coherent manner. Would anyone want to read an anthology?
I’m seriously hoping that fall weather kicks in soon. Maybe some rain and cozy clothes at a coffee shop will give me a boost in my edits! Fingers crossed.
Much love and happy reading,
Gail ❤
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