Today is my first ever "State of the Author" address. While it may not seem like much is happening, there's a lot going on here at my end (both in my mind and in reality XD), so I wanted to take some time to explain that.

Many of you may already be aware that I am planning to publish a sequel to my original novel, "The Heart of Everything." (If you weren't aware of that, well, surprise!) The novel is in fact written and I'm in the process of considering and rejecting the various edits suggested by my very patient editor.

Of course, as it happens in real life, editing isn't the only item on my plate these days. Nine months ago I had my second baby, and for someone so small, he takes a LOT of work! Along with that I have a three-old-year who's in the process of toilet training (so much fun, let me tell you ><). In addition to my challenges at home, I'm now working four days a week instead of just two or three. So my "free time" has shrunk considerably this past year. And with my husband intending to pursue a career change over the summer that will pull him away from family time most evenings, I'm expecting that free time to shrink even more.

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​That being said, I still have hopes of publishing the sequel later this year (see the above "pre" fan art, done by one of my teen advance readers, and try to guess what it's about ;-P). I don't know how realistic those hopes are, but I do still have them.

See, I'm wanting to switch to being completely "self-published" instead of using a third party publishing service. Part of doing that relies on my husband to be available to help me format and design a cover (and I mentioned earlier that he will be unable over the summer). The other part of that switch involves transitioning my previous books as well. That would mean pulling the current books off the market (temporarily!) and re-releasing them through my own author accounts. But that means more work before publishing another book so that all of my works can be available in the same places at the same time.

Suffice to say, I'm not in a position yet to guarantee whether or not I'll be able to release that sequel this year. And that makes me very sad :`-(. Because I'm really, really ready to complete the story arc that I started 4 years ago! But I want to do it right. And doing it right means making sure I have the time to put all the pieces together for a product and a process that I am proud to have my name on. I hope you'll continue to be patient with me as I fight to make it all come together. Please stay connected with me on my journey, and pray that I'll have the strength and wisdom I need for the days ahead!

     And if that post title didn't pique your attention, I don't know what will! XD
     My guest post today was something rather random - a mini blog I wrote during college about the ant farm I kept in my dorm during finals O_O. It's a silly piece of writing, nothing super special - but my point in sharing it is that inspiration can be found anywhere. You don't have to be rich to sparkle, because you can shine just by stepping into the light.
     Visit the link below to read it, and discover new ways to find inspiration for yourself!

https://www.thepaperhousebooks.com/post/inspiration-can-be-anywhere

     Until the next time, stay tuned!

          When it comes to the world of working and actually paying the bills, I'm a registered nurse. This is not something I often share in my writing. (Although, it clearly says that on the "About the Author" page of my books... but who reads those, really?! XD)  So, my guest post this time is a little bit different than the ones I've done before. It's titled "Nursing vs. Writing" and it explores the differences (and similarities!) between my vocations. You can read the full post here:

www.thepaperhousebooks.com/post/nursing-vs-writing

            In the meantime, keep on reading!

     I'm excited to share that a book reviewer decided to do a review of my first book, The Heart of Everything, and share it on her personal site! This reviewer had wonderful things to say about the book (which certainly warmed this author's heart!) and you can read her thoughts here:
https://justabookishblog.wixsite.com/blog/post/the-heart-of-everything-by-lynn-wallace
     The reviewer's name is Violet Perry and she's the teen bookworm who runs the "Just a Bookish Blog" website, where she strives to provide honest book reviews and clean, fun book recommendations. You can check out the rest of her site (read her reviews, sign up for her newsletter, etc) here: justabookishblog.wixsite.com/blog
     An author always loves to hear what others think of their work, and I'm open to requests from other book reviewers who might be interested in reviewing my novels. Just use the "Contact" tab of my site to send me a message! And of course I love to receive reviews on Amazon and Goodreads, so anyone who reads and enjoys my books, please leave a review for me on one (or both!) of those sites!
      Last but not least, a big thank you to Violet for taking the time to read and review my novel! :-D
      Stay tuned and keep on reading!

          Here I have the last of the Great Summer Book Sales! This one is YA paranormal/ dystopian/ sci-fi, and they've all got that little hint of love thrown in. So if you're into romance that falls into any of the urban/ sci-fi/ paranormal realms (and if you're like me and you prefer it a little more innocent and a little less for "adults") then this is the book fair for you! Oh, and did I mention all the books are $2.99 or less? O_o It only runs through the end of August, so better check it out before it's gone! Just click the image above or the link below!
https://books.bookfunnel.com/augustscifiromancesale/ctzau99oiq
       Also, this is your last chance to get "The Heart of Everything" for only $2.99 (with code SUMMER). Be sure to get your copy before it's gone!
           Enjoy these last few weeks of summer - hopefully these book fairs were a sweet treat to help you beat the heat! ;-P As always, stay tuned and keep reading!

   Here it is, folks! For the month of July, a fantasy and sci-fi book fair :-D. If you like dragons, unicorns, or any manner of monster, creature, warrior, or magical person, then this is the book sale for you! Just click on the image above or the link below!
https://books.bookfunnel.com/everysummer/ezejc3na56
    And, just like last month, I have a book in this book fair as well! This time, it's my recently published short anthology, "The Supernatural Reasons Why I Love You." Get your copy for only $0.99 today!
     The summer heat may be hard to beat, but reading is always cool! ;-) Stay tuned!  

     It's that time of the year! My quarterly guest post at The Paper House Books is up and ready to read! This time I'm discussing the noble art of storytelling ;-). Click the link below to check it out:

www.thepaperhousebooks.com/post/the-art-of-storytelling

     Also, if you've missed any of my previous guest posts with The Paper House (it appears they did some website upgrades and some of the previous links I posted weren't always working), all of my posts with them are up and available at their new site (there are 5 total). Visit their full guest blog here at www.thepaperhousebooks.com/blog and be sure to read them all!
     In the meantime, stay tuned for more updates in the future (subscribe to my mailing list to make sure you don't miss anything!) and keep on reading!

     Fun stuff for the summer! I'll be participating in a few book fairs featuring lots of books at discounted prices! First up, from June 15th to July 15th, we have a paranormal/ fantasy/ sci-fi romance book bonanza :-D. (There are books of all heat levels, just FYI.) Click the link below to check them all out:
https://books.bookfunnel.com/paranormalromancerocks/qbnvr7g8i1
     And as part of this summer special, the eBook for my first novel, The Heart of Everything, is discounted to $2.99 with code SUMMER. Just follow the link above, find my book and click the big blue "Buy for $2.99" button and enter the code SUMMER when you check out. It's that simple!
       But hurry! This sale will be over before you know it, so be sure to take a look today!

     Just dropping a note today to celebrate something small, but still pretty exciting - my book on the shelf at the local public library :-D. All you folks in the Victoria, TX area can now swing by and check it out! (And yes, it's a signed copy!)
​       Have a great weekend and a happy and safe Memorial Day!

     Just dropping a quick line today because I've put out a new guest post at The Paperhouse Books. This post is about my writing motivation, and why I'm not in the book business for the money ;-P. You can read all about it here: 

​https://thepaperhousebooks-.wixsite.com/website-1/post/my-writing-motivation-not-in-it-for-the-money

    Hope you're having a great day! Enjoy!