A Peek Inside My Writing Life

Because my writing life is just that spectacular and interesting.

Of course, not at all - but I did have a ton of fun writing this post and just wanted to give you a quick update on some writing progress, how The Author Conservatory has been going, and also, news on the new business!!

Firefly Designs

First, let's talk about the business I have been working on since I joined Author - Firefly Designs! A graphic design service focused on turning visions into professional designs tailored to you and your needs, freeing up both your time and energy.

If you haven't looked at the email I sent out on Wednesday, it would be awesome if you did - or, if you would rather, here are the two questions and a bit more professional detail on what I've been cooking up over here if you want to check it out.

If you have answered the questions, thank you a million!

I seriously can not say enough how thankful I am for you and your words of wisdom (and if you want to share it with your people, I would be so so grateful for their wisdom too!)

I first got the idea for this when I started Author, originally going to make it a branding service specifically geared toward authors. But then I was like WAIT - why just authors? I can help anyone create strong visuals. I can take the stress of design off of anyone's shoulders.

So it became not Burnt Branding, but Firefly Designs - and let me just say I like the new turn it's taken! Since then my love for designing has only grown as I've stretched myself in preparing to launch this new business, pushed my designing muscles, and sucked in as much new knowledge as possible.

And all of you who answered my questions have had a vital role in this upcoming launch - so stay tuned for sneak peeks into the Firefly Designs website and the opening day (which will hopefully be around the beginning of December) sales and discounts!

But Enough About Business

Let's talk about how my writing has grown since I joined Author on... September 26th - wow! It's almost like a whole life has gone by XD

Seriously though, I can not put into words how much I adore Author - from the friends to the instructors to the lessons, it's a world of author-ness that I am amazingly blessed to be a part of.

I'm currently working on my synopsis (which is like a three-page summary of your novel used in the publishing process) and hoping to move forward to outlining soon! My goal *crosses fingers* is to start drafting by December and finish drafting... February 1st... but we'll see how that goes haha!

And the book I'm working on I just... am in love with!! It started out very dark - actually, one of the instructors literally said it needed more hope XD - but I think now it's a bit more hopeful now, and potentially, going to be my favorite thing ever to draft!

So, without further ado, the concept for Dyed Blue.

As the daughter of the biggest criminal mastermind in Old York, New York City 90 years in the future, Lilyth (Lily) Rossi, the assassin with the heart two-sizes-too-big that was crushed when she watched her mother die, has only one goal before her very own poison enters her heart and kills her: keep the innocent like her blind twin sister safe, and assassinate the strongest members of her father’s inner circle before they get too powerful… and maybe, find someone to love her broken soul. If she can’t show her true heart one last time—if she can’t love and be loved—she will die heartless… and worthless. But what she doesn’t know is that all along, the people she was trying to please were never going to heal her heart, and the one person she hated, would save it.

So yeah, the main character does have my same name, she is an assassin, and there is a love triangle... and it might just be a Beauty and the Beast retelling.

Sound exciting?? I hope so - and if it's still not exciting enough, I wrote a little snippet (that may or may not actually end up in the book) and created some character collages to really hype me - I mean you, of course - up.

And to get me in both the writer and graphic designer mood.

A Quick Little Snippet

I press my palm into the cold glass of the window, closing my eyes against my own reflection and trying to shut out the now incessant red blip in my retina display.

This can't be happening. Not now. Not with everything I've worked for so close to my fingertips. Not with the twins, and Soren, and - everything.

This can't be happening.

My breath releases in a long exhale, and I curl my hand into a tight fist.

I can feel it now, the heavy weight of the poison thrumming through my veins, weighing me down, seeping ever closer to my heart. Slowly killing its own master.

This is all his fault. My father - the king of Old York, the chain suffocating me, the murderer who killed my mom.

It's all his fault.

"Lily, you should leave." Soren's voice behind me turns my simmering rage to ice. To match his voice. To match his heart.

"You don't care about me anymore?" I whirl from the wall of glass to face his shadow, stiffly pressed against the doorway, and match his icy gaze. It takes every ounce of my self-control not to focus on the glaring red diagnostics scrolling across my vision, constantly reminding me that I'm the victim now.

He crosses his arms, a muscle tightening in his jaw, and steps towards me, the neon lights from the street glinting in his green eyes. "I care about you, that's why you need to leave. You need to go see a Mechanic who can look at your systems and diagnose what's wrong -"

"No," I cut in sharply, stepping into his shadow and looking up into his harsh eyes. My voice drops. "I need you to promise me you're with me to the end." I blink up at him, unwaveringly cold, as his throat bobs with a swallow.

He steps back, running his hand through his hair and turning away from me. "No," he whispers, voice thick, a very rare show of emotion from the stoic mafia general. The knuckles of his other hand, wrapped tightly around his gun, are white.

But when he straightens and turns back to me, his eyes have once again stilled to ice, his voice once again rings the distant commander. "You need to see a Mechanic, Lily, before you do anything else - there's something wrong."

No - there's not something wrong. I'm just dying.

So... that's what I've been up to - launching a business, trying to complete the first draft of a novel by February, blogging, doing some design stuff... and most importantly, spending time with my Savior and the people He has placed in my life.

Thank you all for being a part of this journey with me, and let me know your thoughts on all this new stuff!! What do you think of the new book idea? Are you as excited as I am?!!