Tag: reading

Cup of tea on a white saucer against soft linens
Life

Mid-Spring Check-In

K.A. Doore

I’d meant to get back to sharing updates here on a regular basis and I suppose once per season can be considered regular. I’ve been busy, using every extra minute that’s not parenting or dayjobbing or generally trying to stay sane on finishing and then editing catastrophe!WIP.

Oh hey, how’s that going? Let’s check in on the progress of this Half-Life meets D&D horror fantasy (sci-fi? [def queer]), now with 50% fewer plot holes, 80% more consistency, and 100% snappy chapter titles:

Working Title: catastrophe!WIP

111,233 / 110,000 words

What’s that? It’s done? And off to beta readers already? And I still don’t hate it? Hahah, success!

In other versions of success, I’ve also been keeping up with my reading. Here are some of the books I’ve read and loved since last time (January):

Between Dragons and Their Wrath by Devin Madson
I flew through Madson’s REBORN EMPIRE series so I knew going in I was going to love this, yet somehow I was still not prepared! Three POVs balanced perfectly with a wonderfully original setting would have been enough of a sell for me and yet somehow Madson also weaves in several intriguing political plots and wild plant magic. Plus worldbuilding that’s so exquisitely layered without being overwhelming that still hints to long history, several deep and varied cultures, and a simmering tension between them all? Basically, everything I love about fantasy somehow in one book. I am waiting (im)patiently for the sequel, which I will likely devour just as fast.

House of Dusk by Deva Fagan
This one was an ARC – it comes out in August. A high fantasy that initially gave me Redwall vibes, since the protagonist is a former soldier who now spends her days in an Abbey’s garden. And like in Redwall, her horrible past isn’t really past and the monsters she’d rather avoid eventually come to mess things up. I loved that this book had an older female protagonist who actually acted and felt like she was older, as we don’t get as much of those in fantasy these days. Wise and scarred by her wisdom, all she wants to do is erase that past; but of course its that past that will end up saving her.
There are also gods, undead, creepy corpse brides, and fire magic, which all come together in a satisfying way. Check this one out in August!

Everybody Wants to Rule the World Except Me by Django Wexler
Also an ARC, but out in May. Sequel to How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying which last year was the most fun I’d had reading a book in way too long, and the follow-up/conclusion did not disappoint. A typical portal fantasy with a twist: the protagonist isn’t just genre-savvy, she’s stuck in a time-loop and learns from her mistakes. Whereas the first book leans heavily on its RPG/gaming roots, the sequel explodes more typical genre tropes. I don’t know what else to say without spoiling both, but they’re a fun, refreshing, occasionally raunchy, definitely irreverent read.

What have you been reading lately? Any faves?

Cup of tea on a white saucer against soft linens
Work In Progress, Writing

Mid-January Check-In

K.A. Doore

*casually blows off the dust on this blog* How’s it going, y’all?

I’ve been decrying the dearth of blogs once more, only to remember that: hey, I’m part of the problem. I used to blog a bit more here and elseweb, but life became busier and I became convinced whatever I had to say wasn’t worth saying. I’m not so sure the truth has changed on either of those fronts, but I’d love to pick up the practice again.

For 2025, I set myself a daily practice of nibbles in lieu of any large goals or grand resolutions. Just little things I can do every day that slowly nibble away at a larger cheese–I mean, goal. One of those nibbles has been writing, and so far I have only missed one day, and that due to a plumbing emergency (don’t ask — just picture red-tinged water bubbling up between the floorboards and the alarmed squeals of small children). Despite sometimes only writing a meager 23 words, I’ve surpassed 9k this month. Sure, it’s for this weird little story that will likely never see the light of another’s eyes and remain hidden beneath the other forgotten files on my harddrive, but I’m having fun writing for the first time in easily two years and I actually believe I can finish this.

And who knows, maybe the act of finishing something will be enough to break whatever this weird writing curse has befallen me (don’t ask — just picture red-tinged water bubbling up between my fingers). For now, let’s designate this one catastrophe!WIP, to helpfully differentiate it from catacombs!WIP and cannibal!WIP, my other two on-again off-again projects. I passed the 70k mark yesterday and foresee it being around 100/110k total, a lot like TPA.

I guess it’s a Real WIP now. To that end, maybe I’ll hearken back to my pre-publication roots and do a little progress tracker for this Half-Life meets D&D horror fantasy, now with decommissioned rail systems, survivor’s guilt, and fun explosives.

Working Title: catastrophe!WIP

71019 / 100000 words

My other daily nibble is catching up on all the books I’ve missed over the past 5 years being intentional about reading every day. I actually started this nibble back in August and it’s reaped rewards a dozen times over, but I wanted to continue it into 2025. It’s too easy to let the day slip away with work and necessary tasks and children’s needs, which is why I initially set out to read as soon as I woke up in the morning. That has slipped recently, and I’ve noticed my reading has slipped along with it. So back to the daily nibble, even if it’s just one page.

This year I’ve already finished reading one book, Metal from Heaven by August Clarke. A vibrant, violent, and at times hallucinatory fantasy about workers’ rights, the slipperiness of utopia, and the sacrifices revenge demands. This book is an overall exemplar of all that’s amazing coming out of the fantasy genre right now, timely in a way that’s also timeless. I’ve already seen it mentioned as a contender for numerous awards lists and it’s absolutely deserving of the buzz.

So yeah: starting the year off right, I’d say.

Life

2016 Reading Goals

K.A. Doore

My main goal for this year is not only to read more, but to read more of the kind of books I enjoy. That is: fun, adventurous fantasy. On top of that, I’d also like to broaden my horizon and read from a diverse array of authors.

To assemble my own list, I rifled through the 2015 year-end best of lists for fantasy and diverse authors, tacked on a few I’d been interested in from earlier years, and came up with the following 21 definitely-gonna-read books (in no particular order):

  • Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard (YA)
  • Uprooted by Naomi Novik
  • The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps by Kai Ashante Wilson
  • A Darker Shade of Magic by VE Schwab
  • Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo (YA)
  • Gates of Thread and Stone by Lori M Lee
  • The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson
  • The Accidental Terrorist by William Shunn
  • The Three Body Problem by Liu Cixin
  • Lagoon by Nnedi Okorafor
  • The Sons of Thesian by ME Vaughan
  • Too Like the Lightning Ada Palmer
  • The Shadowed Sun by NK Jemisin
  • Signal to Noise by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (YA)
  • The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen
  • Twelve Kings in Sharakhai by Bradley P. Beaulieu
  • The Icarus Girl by Helen Oyeyemi
  • Prophecy by Ellen Oh
  • The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo
  • Flex by Ferrett Steinmetz
  • On the Edge of Gone by Corinne Duyviss (YA – 2016)

My total book goal for the year is 50, so this gives me some wiggle room. I have a tendency to just pick books up randomly and on a whim as I come across them online or in the world. This way, I have the ability to still do that, but also a core reading list that will help me a) stay up to date with recent fantasy, b) diversify my reading, and c) be a ton of fun to read through.

Do you have a reading goal for 2016?

Life

December Lull

K.A. Doore

twinkle lights Christmas tree

After writing daily since June, it’s about time to take a breather. In those six months, I wrote the first draft of a short story, finished a round of really intense edits, and wrote another first draft of a novel. Having wrapped up said first draft, there’s a little wiggle room before the next big project and I intend to grab on to that with both hands and not let go until the holidays are over and the new year has begun.

That doesn’t mean I won’t write at all – I just won’t have a daily word count goal. Writing will come in bits and pieces as I turn my brain from this last project to the next one – a darker fantasy revenge story. I have some research to do and an old, tired draft to pick apart and figure out exactly how to fix. The beauty of writing is that it’s just like any other skill you hone over the years: you continue to get better. Which means looking back at this draft from – *gasp* – early 2014 is making me cringe, but also helping me realize that I have improved and am continuing to improve. And: I know exactly how to fix it.

So. December goals. Research. Re-read. Restructure. Then begin rewriting. But also:

I’m going to read. It is quiet and cold and perfect blanket snuggling weather and I have a pile of books to read. Goodness, there is just nothing more perfect in the world than wrapping yourself in a warm blanket while sipping hot cocoa and reading. Well, aside from cold morning runs. 🙂

What are your plans for December?