Welcome to the October 2021 roundup!

After spending 262 (non-consecutive) days of the last 18 months at home, we’re finally out of lockdown! Unfortunately, our case numbers here in Victoria are still high (relative to our country, I know case numbers are higher elsewhere), so we still have restrictions in play, but our vaccination rates are climbing each day and that will hopefully start to bring things down.

With case numbers the way they are, the ripples are being felt in our hospitals, and my endometriosis surgery has just been postponed for the third time in two years. I’m now back on the waiting list until a Dr who can perform my complicated hysterectomy is available, and crossing my fingers that it won’t take too long to be rescheduled. If you haven’t already, and you can, please get vaxxed. Our hospital systems and health care workers really need all the help they can get.

On the upside, no longer having a major surgery to recover from in the next two months might see me actually publish Blackbirch 3 this year.

It’s with new betas now, and if their feedback doesn’t result in major changes to make, I might possibly get it ready for a 2021 release. I don’t want to rush it, and I’m also aware there are publishing delays in the industry due to COVID impacting paper resources, but if I can swing it, I will.

I really want to get the book out for those who have been waiting to see what happens after The Dark Half cliffhanger, and I thank all of you wonderful readers for your patience. As with anything anyone has tried to do in the last two years, nothing has gone to plan, but we keep going and hope it works out for the best.

What I’ve Been…

Writing

Blog posts – With Blackbirch 3 in the hands of beta readers, I’ve been trying to get ahead with blog posts and have been attempting to draft enough to cover the rest of this year. I’d like to have a stockpile ready so I can throw myself into publishing BB3, or just in case I do get a new hospital date before the end of the year, so that’s what I’ve been writing for the last two weeks of this month.

Watching

Only Murders In The Building – Season 1 (Disney+) – In times of upheaval, it’s shows like this that the world really needs. It might be about a gruesome murder, but it’s also funny, good-hearted entertainment. Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez make a surprisingly perfect trio of sleuths looking to solve a crime in the building where they live. There are mysteries, double-crosses, surprising twists, great characters, and a good cliffhanger to kick off the next season. Check it out if you haven’t already.

Locke And Key – Season 2 (Netflix) – After last season spent time setting up the magic of Keyhouse, this season we get to see what the Locke family do with all those keys. Still grappling with the Dodge aftermath, Tyler, Kinsey, Bode, and the friends in on their secrets try to move past what happened. But Dodge is a tricky demon and they realize too late that she’s still around, culminating in an epic showdown. While the final episode ties things up, it also leaves just enough new threads hanging for another season, which looks to delve into an old enemy of Keyhouse.

You – Season 3 (Netflix) – I wasn’t sure anything could top season 2 when Joe met his murder-stalker match in Love Quinn, but along came season 3. As they try to settle into suburban life with their new son, interest from a neighbor causes chaos in Joe and Love’s relationship and more basement glass cage lockups. A great twist in the last episode leads into season 4, which has already been greenlit.

Reading

Skalsinger (Chronicles of Algarth #2) by L.A. Webster – Taking over from book 1 with a new set of characters, L.A. Webster has created such an amazing fantasy world in Algarth that following new people for a different story is just as fun. In Skalsinger we learn more about the magic that manifests when the people of Algarth come of age. We also follow Cahira, a recent widow whose singing can create vivid images. Too late, she realizes her power can be used for something other than entertainment and has to decide how she’ll use her gift when war comes to her hometown. Beautifully written with vivid descriptions, Skalsinger tells its story from the point of view of multiple characters, all of whom are well-rounded and worthy of following for an adventure. Recommended for lovers of fantasy.

Stay Home – A Year of Writing Through Lockdown by Various Authors – Starting life as a series of blog posts, Stay Home takes those tales and creates a collection written by authors from all around the world (including one I wrote about my cat, Dash). Even though the writers are from various places, the stories of life during the last two years are similar, as is the theme of hope running throughout the collection. Navigating through personal thoughts and experiences, fictional tales, and poems, each is a wish and a reminder of what we’ve survived, what we’ve lost, and what we hope to see change in the future. All proceeds for this anthology go toward funding Chasing Driftwood Group, a CIC providing adult writing adult classes, and children’s creative writing workshops in the UK.

If you’ve got any good recommendations, let me know in the comments, or be my friend on Goodreads and share your books/recommendations with me!

If you’d like to add the Blackbirch books to your “Want to Read” shelf and/or check out the reviews, click the following images!

Taking Photos Of

Evening walks! Now that we’ve hit daylight savings, I’ve been taking a quick walk after dinner, in addition to my usual morning walk. The best thing about evening walks is seeing how the sunsets play with the early night sky and light up the spring trees.

On The Blog…

In case you missed any of my posts, or want to read them again, here are the latest blogs.

• September 2021 Roundup
• How To Stop Self-Sabotaging Your Writing Progress
• World-Building Basics

Writing Tip Of The Month…

#WritingTipWednesday posts are added to my social media feeds every week and here is the most popular tip for this month. It’s taken from my blog post, 7 Tips For Creating Awesome Characters.

For more tips, visit my Writing Tips Pinterest Board.

Blackbirch Teaser Of The Month…

This teaser comes from Blackbirch: The Dark Half.

If you’d like to read the books released so far or find out more about each novel, here are the links:

• Blackbirch: The Beginning (Book 1)
• Blackbirch: The Dark Half (Book 2)

If you’ve read either of my books—and haven’t done so already—please consider leaving a review or a star rating. It could help another reader find their next fave book.

Quote Of The Month…

I’ve hoped you’ve enjoyed my October Roundup. Let me know what you’ve been up to in the comments!

— K.M. Allan

Find me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.