Hello, all! Today, I have quite a few things I want to discuss. Not only will I be talking about my week-long experience with the ketogenic diet, but I'll also touch on a few of my upcoming projects, show off a brand-new cover, and give you some information on the new short stories coming out later this month from Evolved Publishing.
BEWARE: There may be spoilers down below in the book section for those who have not read all of the books and short stories currently available!
Keto Update
Well, I've done it--I've been on the keto diet for a week exactly, and I've learned a few things about the diet and about myself. First, I learned that my main major craving is a Cinnabon. I haven't even had Cinnabon in years, so it's kind of strange that I'm craving that of all things! Otherwise, I'm okay without carbs. I don't really miss bread yet, though I'm sure it won't be long before I do. The next thing I learned is that I really don't take in as many calories as I should be. I get nauseous when I eat too much spinach or fish... well, anything, really, and I've had to pull back on my portion sizes. Because I've cut back on things that make me want to vomit, I've upped a few other "worse" things for me (but only a bit) such as cheeses, bacon, and chicken. We're both still new at this, and I'm trying very hard to keep to the diet without going over my budgeted carbs and sugars.
I also realized that my weight is fluctuating like crazy. I was down seven pounds, then up another three, then down another one, and finally made it back down to the net seven. How odd. I'm aware that my weight will fluctuate, but it is a little discouraging to see that I haven't lost what I was hoping to. Part of that, I think, is due to lack of exercise. We bought a Bowflex, but still need to assemble it (bad us!). That's on tonight's To Do List for sure! I'll keep an eye on how my weight adjusts once I start working out. I expect to gain some weight back as I build muscle, but I also expect to see more physical changes than what I've seen so far.
One my my biggest decisions was that I would only allow myself a cheat day every two weeks. I just got into ketosis Friday, which means I want to give my body time to work its magic before jumping out again. That also means it takes me about three days to get into ketosis, and boy, it's a weird process. I suggest looking up keto flu. I get some of the symptoms, but not many. That's nice, but other things happen that are a lot worse. I'll not go into the details, but it sucks. Hopefully it won't happen every time I go into ketosis after my cheat days.
Also, thanks to Bob's Burgers, I could really go for a giant salted pretzel.
Saturday is going to be the best cheat day ever! Cinnabon AND a salted pretzel!
Book Updates
BEWARE: There may be spoilers in this section for those who have not read all of the books and short stories currently available! While specific events are not described in detail, parts of them are.
This year, as I mentioned in my last post, I have a great deal of releases coming up. The first two, which are both short stories, come out on March 28--in 13 days! That's exciting! Take a look and see what's coming up soon!
This short story, the first of the six or seven that will accompany the Soulbound series, was perhaps one of the most difficult for me to write, not from an inspiration standpoint--trust me, I went through four or five drafts of this story, and loved each one for various reasons--but from a personal standpoint. Of all of my characters, I identify most with Nicholas and his struggles. Sure, parts of my other characters reflect me, but none so much as Nicholas does. He always yearns to put on a nonchalant front, a facade to make others think he has everything in his life under control, when he truly doesn't. Most people think he's selfish, and yeah, he is a bit, but he also understands what's good for the Amuli Republic in ways most other characters don't seem to. I have a lot of love for him, but I also find him detestable and his choices to be difficult to swallow at times; he is, after all, a flawed character--one who may never succeed because of those flaws.
The Frendyl Krune Origins are meant as complimentary interludes to the main series; you can read the main series without reading the shorts, but the shorts will enhance the plot and characters by a great mile. My first Frendyl Krune Origins was The Ekrim's Oath, which played two major roles in The Amuli Chronciles: First, it followed Jae after the end of Frendyl Krune and the Blood of the Sun, showing what happened to her and revealing a little of why she chose to do what she did in the novel; in this, it also explains why a group of ekra tried to steal the Blood of the Sun from Frendyl. Second, it sets up part of the plot for both Paper Sun: An Ekra Clan Short Story and the forthcoming The Vow of the Four Kings. While this short story isn't at all integral to any of the other books, it does create a structure from which other events take place.
Now, onto The Sandstone Script. This short story was easier for me to write than The Crow Prince for a number of reasons, the first being the character isn't as personal to me. Don't get me wrong! I love Melroc, and I enjoy his character immensely. He has quickly become one of my favorite amuli to write, and I may end up doing more stories from his perspective. He's had more adventures than Frendyl, and I'd be curious to learn about what kind of person he is and how he became the way he did. Why not learn magic when his elder brother, Ilbondre, was able to do so? Does Jyntre--his other brother--know magic? Did Melroc ever try to learn? These are all questions I'd love to have answered, but if I do write about Melroc again, it won't be for a long time.
Other aspects of the story enhance the world of Inrugia in so many ways; from this short story, we learn a great deal about why Melroc makes the choices he does in Frendyl Krune and the Snake Across the Sea--namely, one major choice, which I will not discuss here. All I can say is that if you enjoy a touch of irony, you would enjoy this short story in tandem with Frendyl Krune and the Snake Across the Sea.
I also have a few other projects coming out this year that, while part of The Amuli Chronicles, are not being released through Evolved Publishing. The first of these is Paper Sun: An Ekra Clan Short Story, which will be coming out soon. I still have yet to decide on a date, but the short story is over halfway complete, and should be complete by the end of next week and ready for my brilliant editor, Philip A. Lee, to dive into. After that, it won't be long. I'm hoping for an early or mid-April release.
This is the first of many short stories that will have little or nothing to do with the amuli culture, focusing entirely on ekra and their varying cultures and clans across the continents of Lasmyl and Vasmyl. All of these shorts will be written from an ekrim's perspective (or in this case, multiple perspectives). I look forward to seeing where others of this short story set will go. Few, if any, of these stories will be linked in a series-like manner; most will be stand-alone shorts.
And not least, the new cover reveal for the most recently announced new series.
Hold your breath! Here it comes!
Announcing the first in the Princess Yorsyl's Rise series of novellas...
This is the first of six books in the Princess Yorsyl's Rise series of novellas. The others, which I listed the titles of in my last blog post, will be forthcoming shortly after this one is released. While Princess Yorsyl is a character in the Frendyl Krune series, this set of novellas will not be integral to understanding the events of the Frendyl Krune series. Much like the Frendyl Krune Origin short stories, these six novellas will help to explore the history of the cultures of the Isle of Forfeited Souls and the history of Yorsyl's rise to power.
I might be a bit hopeful, but I'd like to see each book in this series released one month after the previous one, beginning in July, meaning the releases would be July, August, September, October, November, and lastly, December. We'll see, though, since I still have so many projects on my plate (and keep adding more). This first novella will be released this year, so keep checking back for the official release date!
