Hello, Realmers! As I looked at my blog today, I saw three Quotation Stations in a row just as I knew I would, and that’s when guilt prompted me to compose a post that wasn’t a brief wave in passing. So, as I sit here consuming a strawberry banana smoothie while classical music plays in the background, let me tell you what’s been happening here at Realm Central.

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I paused in my writing to edit my current work in progress. I’ve heard this isn’t the best way to do things, that one should complete the work before editing, that I should have outlined my novel so this didn’t occur, but that’s not how I work. Like so many writers who came before me, I must start writing even the barest sliver of an idea before I can see where it’s going to take me.

Fortunately, as I worked through the details of my storyline, I found things that I, with my store of authorial knowledge, assumed had been clearly conveyed in my manuscript. I reworked certain passages to make sure what needed to be expressed was present without spoon feeding the story to my readers. I’m pleased with how these sections became sharper, and very soon, I’ll resume writing.

One exciting thing I’d like to share with you, Realmers, is the opening of Ohio Tea Co. at their new location. If you haven’t discerned by now that I have a passion for tea, you must visit the Tuesday Tea section of my blog. Ohio Tea Co. is featured there quite heavily as they are not only local but also one of my favorite places to procure amazing teas. If you can’t visit, then be sure to order something from them. You won’t be disappointed. I’m still thrilled at having been the first customer in the shop the day they opened. Congratulations once again to Ohio Tea Co.

Other brief updates include a lovely Valentine’s dinner enjoyed with our dear friends, Doug and Jeanette Nelson. Doug is my primary beta reader, and Jeanette handled much of the marketing for Realm. We ate like kings at Café Anatolia, visited Frank’s Hebrew Bookstore, shopped at Legacy Village, and finished the day with cocktails and cheesecake at The Cheesecake Factory.

I’m still working with my young writing mentoree as well as the little fella I’m helping prepare for kindergarten. Truly, I am the one blessed every time we meet. What started as an exercise in paying it forward has blossomed into the sweetest relationships. I love these kids!

The weather is improving in my neck of the woods, but having lived here all my life, I know this is simply Fool’s Spring. Still, getting out to walk in the sunshine really gets my creative juices flowing, which means the sooner I complete my current WIP, the sooner I get to publishing the second in the Realm universe. There’s usually an increase in posts during this time as I don’t have a major work of my own to concentrate on, so stayed tuned.

One thing I am looking forward to doing is beta reading for my beta reader! He’s very close to printing his edited first version, and then we’ll spend some time poring over the whole manuscript again. Reading for someone else is such a unique experience, and I highly recommend finding a beta reader who can work one-on-one with you from the beginning of your story through to the end.

Not sure how to go about the beta reading process? Read How Do Beta Readers Work? from my editor, Kori Frazier Morgan of Inkling Creative Strategies. The next step will be to introduce Doug to Kori. I know the writing/working relationship will produce great things.

That just about sums up my life at the moment. Have a great day, Realmers.