The State of November: NaNoWriMo, Hotel Fen II, Holiday & New Year Plans

Something’s cooking for December!

Wow, November’s gone by in a blur. I’d had a number of things planned, but other things – good things! 😊 – happened along the way and derailed me. While I’m not yet able to announce what those things are, let’s just say that they’ve taken priority, hence my lack of replies in the past few weeks. So I want to say thank you to everyone for sticking around and bearing with me! 💖

NaNoWriMo & Hotel Fen II

I was off to a good enough start despite my already busy schedule, but then Life Happened as mentioned and I haven’t written anything since… well, the 14th. The good news is that Meri and I are still on track for Hotel Fen book 2, so it remains scheduled for release on July 23, 2022.

Here’s my official NaNo count:

Would you believe nearly half of this was phone typed? Yeah, I write on my phone. Google Docs is a lifesaver!

We probably just need two weekend 10K sprints (at most) to finish book 2, so we’re not really worried. We’ve already found our rhythm after having written a book and a short story (coming soon! 😉) together, and we’re confident that we can complete the first draft on time despite our circumstances.

I did enjoy the experience, and I love what we’ve written so far! I was able to introduce the goats, I had a blast writing Jolene, and it’s just been great to get into the thick of the plot with more of the Norse personalities showing up. To those who’ve read the first book, I can’t wait for you to read this one! 😄

18 Reads of Christmas

I’m not American, but I do recognize that Thanksgiving is a big holiday, so now that it’s done, I can go into Christmas mode HAHAHA 🤪 Inspired by one of my author friends, Nick, this December I’m doing a little something called 18 Reads of Christmas. Because why do 12 when you can do 18, right? 🥳

It’s really simple – I’ll be featuring books, blogs and other written works for 18 days. Nevertheless, I hope you’ll follow me along that journey and support those lovely writers too! 💖

Book Reviews

Come 2022, I’ll be ramping up my book reviews! 🥳 I have my review policy outlined here, but basically:

• I’m looking for books by indie authors or those published by small indie presses.
• I can’t do expedited reviews given my day job and other going-ons in life, but I will be happy to do a book or an author spotlight in the meantime, in case the book is slated for release in the very near future.
• My BookSirens profile details my preferences, though I often make exceptions (in terms of genre and style) for my friends 😉 I might also pass on a book if I feel that it doesn’t resonate with me, and I will not post 1 or 2-star reviews, though I will let the requester know accordingly. You don’t have to be on BookSirens to request for a review, however! Just send me an email.
• I will write up a feature here and post the link to Facebook and Twitter, and I will also leave reviews on Amazon, Goodreads and BookBub, as applicable.
• I read primarily through my phone, so for ARCs, I prefer ePubs over the other formats. And if I really like a book, I’m going to purchase it! 😘

Song Commissions for Book Themes/Soundtracks

Next year I’ll also be opening up commissions for book themes and soundtracks! 😊

Here are my works, all of which are part of the Hotel Fen soundtrack. I wrote the music and lyrics to most of these, and my brother Michael did the musical arrangement, with the exception of Elevator and Let Me Be. The music to Elevator was composed and arranged by Peter Clark Guisadio, and the lyrics of Let Me Be were written by Joie Belasoto.

How about you, how has your November gone? To those who NaNo’d, were you able to complete your novel? To those who didn’t, did you do any fun stuff? 😊

---

Are you ready for the vacation of a lifetime? Grab a copy of HOTEL FEN, an urban fantasy novel by Meri Benson and Marie Sinadjan, from your favorite ebook and print store. For fans of Norse mythology, magic and fantasy, star-crossed romances, stories of vengeful old gods, and diva black cats.🐺