What's Up with Me! Updates in a Writer's Life

It's been a very long time since I've done a What's Up with Me! post. This is in part due to the fact that I've been very busy. It's also because I like to keep my What's Up posts quarterly, so I can sum up my months quickly. Not that I'm in a hurry or anything. (anybody who knows me well knows that I like to do things fast!) Here's what I've been doing during the last few months: 

• Writing State of Collapse. The third installment in The Collapse Series is due out January 2014. I've been working on this book since July of this year, and it's been a process getting it written and edited - you wouldn't believe how much work goes into just one novel. 
• Running Writing Belle. Did you check out the awesome 2013 Fall Author Program Writing Belle hosted this year? Lots of authors, lots of interviews and lots of guest posts. It was a whirlwind organizing it all. 
• Publicity. The Collapse Series has done so extraordinarily well that I've had to run at a full sprint to keep up with all the publicity and hubbub about the novels. Stories like the one in The Fresno Bee and the upcoming spread in Traffic Magazine have kept me plenty busy answering readers' emails and questions. 
• Work, work, work. I've got a couple of surprises coming up for you guys. These are things I've been working on for a long time, and I think readers will be pleased when they find out what's about to happen! Meanwhile, count on a mid-January 2014 release for State of Collapse. 

Be sure to check back here on Monday. The Collapse Series is going on sale for one week for Christmas - both books in the series will be .99 cents! 
Until then, stay warm, friends!! It's COLD outside!