It's Been a Long Time

Well hello there!

Welp, it's been a long time since I sent out my last newsletter. It appears life caught up with me and I have dropped the ball on some of my career responsibilities. I apologize to all of you for not being around more. Then again, all of you are already so busy, that it was probably good to not have another newsletter crowding your inbox for a little bit.

That's all about to change! Move over Morning Brew, another newsletter is entering the chat…but you know, less often and to a much smaller subscriber list.

Anywhos, where to start? Ah yes, probably from where I left off.

Book Updates

First, let’s talk about some books. I am incredibly excited about the updates in this area of my life. I’ve been having some great fun and energy being placed into writing books, and I’m setting the year up for some excellent releases.

Right now, we have passed the 1st anniversary of the release of The Curiosity Collection: The Rings of Flight. Last year was a great year of learning the business and building a foundation. This year has already been amazing, and I have had plenty of opportunities to put what I learned last year into place this year, and with some wonderful success.

New Books

I have released a new book!

The Curiosity Collection: A Hairy Encounter

This book is available exclusively on Amazon in Paperback, Kindle, and Kindle Unlimited.

Lowell and Rudy loved classic scary movies, but this changed when the movies they loved became their reality.

Not only were Lowell and Rudy best friends, but they were also twins. They shared everything. The same food, the same games, even the same taste in movies. Until, one day, they woke up with unique abilities. Abilities that set them apart from everyone else. With their bond stronger than ever, they felt invincible, but new gifts can come at a steep cost. As they try to uncover the mystery and origin of their abilities, people around town grow suspicious, catching the attention of the government. The twins must use their new abilities and race against the clock before their secrets are discovered and they cause destruction beyond repair.

I am also working on multiple other books as we speak. I believe I have about four I am actively working on with ten more on the back burner. The four I am currently working on are more of The Curiosity Collection, along with two new series that are for middle-grade as well as a young adult series. I will reveal more about these as I get closer.

The most current and finished product I have is another The Curiosity Collection book that I am aiming for the end of September/beginning of October release. It’s currently on draft one, but moving along pretty smoothly.

Life Updates

It's been a busy year for ol’ A.B. Queen. First off, I left my 9-5 job to pursue my writing career full-time. This was and still is a risky move as the success of my writing career hasn’t been set in stone yet. However, I am fortunate enough and eternally grateful that I am one of the lucky few who can take a leap such as this. After years and years of saving, being strategic, and logical, and having an amazingly supportive partner, we decided it was best for my health to take this chance.

If I am honest, I was incredibly miserable at my 9-5 job. It was a pretty secure position in the tech world with the same company I had worked at for nearly a decade. But, at the end of the day, I had very little to show for it. It wasn't where I wanted to spend the rest of my life or even the next couple of years. Not to mention the disgustingly toxic environment that was growing wild and out of control. Again, my health was and is a priority.

After I left, I could feel the stress melt away the very next day. The interesting thing is that I am still figuring out some residual emotions and habits that pop up here and there. These are often followed by a high dose of anxiety that seems to be left over from the tech job.

So, I take each day as a brand new day and tackle these emotions and anxiety as they come along. Each day appears to be getting better as I work towards my goals.

Writing Updates (Non-Book)

As for the writing in my life that is not related to my books, things had started off a little slow and rocky. However, lately, I have been getting into a pretty good groove and finding that rhythm needed to write and publish articles each week.

I have a goal of writing and publishing one to two articles a week for my site queenswrite.com. Below are a few articles that have recently been posted.

Book Reviews

I have also been documenting and uploading reviews on Queenswrite.com regarding new books I have been reading. Specifically middle-grade and young-adult genre. The goal of the reviews is not to critique other authors—as we should all be supporting each other—but to promote middle-grade and young-adult reading to more readers. To show how many amazing books are out there and to maybe help that reader find the right book.

I will leave a couple of links to some recent reviews below:

What I’m Reading/Watching/Listening

Novels

• Tales from Lovecraft Middle School: The Slither Sisters by Charles Gilman

  • About 50% through on this one and will have a review out later this week.

• Word of Radiance - Brandon Sanderson = 30%

  • I know I am behind the trend of reading them. Their size scared me, but I’m now loving them.

• Fluent Forever - Gabriel Wyner = 65%

  • I’m really enjoying this book. It’s proving to be useful for learning my second language.

Shows/Movies

My shows and movies have been more limited lately. I haven’t had the attention span to sit down and enjoy a good amount. We usually only watch an episode of something a night, and then I usually go do some work or a hobby.

• Wings (T.V. Series)

  • This one is always on my list and I will usually have it on in the background.

• Dr. Who

  • Another thing I am a late bloomer on, and until the beginning of this year, only saw about 15 episodes or so. However, my partner wanted me to start from the beginning of the revival, so we are currently going through those each weekend. I am already obsessed and will probably become a mega fan by the time we are done.

  • The 2024 Euro Cup

    • My family is currently obsessed with the cup rat the moment and watching most games.

Music

My music has been more involved with my writing lately. Through Spotify, I am creating curated lists for my WIPs and writing scenes for specific songs. It’s kind of feeling like each novel will have my own personal Peter Quill mix with it. Now, whether or not I ended up sharing those playlists publicly or enjoy them for the internal amusement they are, we have yet to see.

What Inspired Me

This one is a pretty big one that I have been studying more about for the past few months. It starts with my ultimate life goal of having a rescue farm for all kinds of animals. So, within my research, I have been scrolling through the countless forums and pages of rescue farms and seeing all of the amazing and heartwarming stories, pictures, and videos of people with their own rescue farms and the animals they have saved.

This has reminded me that while there are cruel humans in the world, there are also beautiful souls doing everything they can to save, protect, and love the animals in need.

Thing of the Week

European Walking Tours on Youtube. I am obsessed with these as background noise. I have gone through so many videos of Italy and just feel relaxed at the sound and view of the city ambiance as someone takes a stroll through the streets of Rome or Positano.

Also, if you haven’t picked up your copy of The Curiosity Collection: The Rings of Flight, I have placed the links below:

Amazon Paperback

Amazon Kindle

Disclaimer:

***Please note that links in this newsletter contain product affiliate links. At no extra cost to you, I may receive a commission if you make a purchase after clicking on one of these links.