ClareDugmore
06 April 2020 @ 09:49 pm
Friends only...  

This journal is set to friends only, as it contains private and personal information. If I know you from elsewhere, or you feel we'd be good friends, please comment on this entry and I'll (likely) add you. :)

Shoutout to [personal profile] parapsychic[Unknown site tag] for the tutorial on how to add the Flexiable Squares layout to DW. 



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ClareDugmore
23 August 2020 @ 03:31 pm
August 2020 Update  
Remember when I made this account with the intention of updating more, then never did? Story of my life! lol
I mostly blame work, though also, I freely admit, whenever I have free time, blogging is last on my list of things to do ... apart from today, it seems.

So, here's an update of the last couple of months. Please note, the 'work' aspect of this post is copy and pasted from my author blog.
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Current Music: You're Welcome - Dwayne Johnson
Current Mood: chipper
 
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ClareDugmore
07 April 2020 @ 09:41 pm
Am I doing this right?  
 *waves*

So, I've made the move for LJ and I'm still getting the hang of the differences over here. I've made my 'friends only' post sticky, so hopefully that will always be at the top, but how about a proper update, yes?

I know the whole world is going to shit, but things here are pretty good. I guess a large part of that is down to me and Hubby being self-employed, so the lockdown isn't affecting us too greatly. My biggest concern right now is my parents (plus step-parents) or in-laws getting sick, as many of my older family members have pre-existing health conditions that would make COVID-19 rough for them. 

But as far as me, Hubby and the kids are going, we're staying in doors and focusing on work.

Hubby's Amazon sales are up slightly, which is good, even if we have to put away so much money to pay tax. I just hope this keeps up when his contract changes so that the amount he earns for Heavy affects the amount he's paid. Fingers crossed.

My work is going great. I'm so happy with it. I did two ghost writes for clients found via HotGhostWriters in March, and even though they had a super fast turnaround time (15 days to complete a 40k story) I greatly enjoyed it. I've let the HGW management know I'm taking April off, but I'm eager to get back to it in May.

In the meantime, I'm doing a ghostwrite for a book packaging company, which is going well. This is a follow up to the previous book I wrote for them, and crosses over with that book as it focuses on another couple from the story. Added bonus, it's a LGBTQA romance, so I'm having a lot of fun with that.

I'm also doing some freelance work for a couple of different companies/ clients which will hopefully lead to more ghostwriting. One is a client I've written some non-fiction pieces for previously. Right now, they're working on a story outline for me with the plan of me beginning ghostwriting it in May hopefully.

For the other I'm currently doing some transcription work. The transcription work is a little dull, but extra money is good, and hopefully it leads to something bigger.

Ghostwriting is THE BEST! Sometimes people ask does it bother me that the stories don't have my name on them. NOPE! I love the freedom of not having to worry about other aspects such as editing, the cover, marketing etc.

And of course, I'm still managing the social media accounts and acting as a publishing assistant for co-op publishers SnowyWingsPublishing and CrimsonFoxPublishing, which I self-publish my own books with. That's great fun. It's not as much pressure as CQ was, but I still feel like I'm helping authors, so it's a win-win. Plus everyone there is lovely. It's really starting to feel like *my* place and I don't know if I'll ever want to publish anywhere else.

And I'm working on my own stuff too. Right now I'm serializing a LGBTQA romance called TRULY, MADLY, DEEPLY over on my writing blog, as part of the A to Z Blogging Challenge. I'm loving it. The characters are so fun, and doing it in serial format, with daily comments, keeps me motivated. Once the story is complete, I plan on releasing it in ebook and paperback format via CrimsonFoxPublishing and have set the date June 2 for the release. My only concern right now is the cover. I made a quick one for the A to Z Challenge, but it could be better. I'm torn between having another crack at it and taking my time, or hiring someone. I know some great cover artists, and I can probably afford it, but I like having complete control! lol

After that, I'm not sure what I'll work on next. I was going to release Cupid this year, but planned on writing a prequel short-story to coincide with it, that would be featured in the forthcoming SnowyWingsPublishing Greek Mythology Anthology, but due to current circumstances, that's been pushed back to 2021, so I've decided to push Cupid back to then, too, so I can continue with my planned cross-promotion.

Now I'm going to aim for a late November/ early December release, I just don't know what. 

Originally, I was going to serialize an LGBTQA YA fantasy romance, Called UNMASKED, for the A-Z Blogging challenge, but changed my mind at the last minute and changed TRULY, MADLY, DEEPLY instead. But back then the plan was to publish UNMASKED in June and TRULY, MADLY, DEEPLY in late November/ early December. Now I'm not sure if I should stick to that plan or write something else. Sadly, my inspiration for Unmasked has died. I'm not sure if that's because I'm so focused on TRULY, MADLY, DEEPLY or what. I guess I'll see come June once TMD is released what takes my fancy. I find it's always best to write the story that inspires/ calls to me most.

While I'm working and writing, I'm still trying to get a handle on my health and sleep issues. Most days I'm sleeping in until lunchtime and I'm not sure if that's fatigue due to PCOS or if I'm not getting enough sleep. I'm having trouble sleeping, but I'm uncertain if it's self-inflicted or medical. I need to be stricter with myself and go to sleep at a reasonable time, and force myself not to nap in the morning, so I can get into a routine and rule out it being medical.
 
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