Ivy's Inkwell: Rowena Two Updates and More!
Vol. 1 Issue 2
Congratulations to Veronica M., winner of the copy of Rowena’s Song! Please check your DMs Veronica so I can send your prize.
Welcome to Issue 2 of Ivy’s Inkwell, in which FMC Indie Author Ivy struggles with an acute case of spring fever. While a temporary problem, Ivy succumbs to this ailment every. single. year. Having learned the importance of “touching grass” before it was popular, her mental health is vastly improved by digging in the garden. Unfortunately, this phenomena never bodes well for her current longform WIPs.
But that’s ok!
As I explained in volume one of my newsletter, I plan my life around the traditional calendar wheel instead of the hell-on-earth-that-never-never-ends calendar cycle of 24/7 productivity. That means I am exactly where I need to be.
Taurus season is here in its full glory. The veil is thin enough to allow all manner of new life to burst forth. Just yesterday, the nest of baby robins living atop my outdoor lamp hatched. Momma is busy now, bringing bugs to feed their immense mouths. So adorable. In addition to bringing May flowers, the April showers helped coax all of my spring bulbs out of the earth, and I’ve been enjoying their happy colors and the greening up of the grass. What a delight after so many days of winter drab. Most of the perennial fruiting plants I put in last year survived, flowered, and now I have soon-to-be-ripe strawberries and blueberries, along with loads and loads of wild black raspberries that ought to be ready to eat in June.
My parents were definitely onto something when they named me Ivy. I am most at home in the garden.
Updates on Rowena 2:
Last month, I turned my attention to writing ACT 1 of the follow-up to Rowena’s Song. I’ve had success, but not in the manner I expected. After tweaking the beginning, I knew exactly what plot event I wanted to show that Rowena’s life has taken another unexpected turn from which she can not go back.
I wrote the inciting incident, which is based on historical texts, while also refreshing my knowledge of the layout of 5th century Londinium and the Christian heresy of Pelagianism. I’ve always loved fantasy stories that have religious figures butting in to create trouble. Think the Apparat from Shadow and Bone (the Grishaverse trilogy), Ianthe from ACOTAR, or the White Cloaks in the Wheel of Time series.
LOL—if you are familiar with these characters, you can probably guess how Rowena is going to feel about organized religion.
So that has been going wonderfully, but after wrapping up the inciting incident, I hit a wall. It was like I could not focus or write another word. The writer’s block was real. When this would happen to my clients, we would dig in together to figure out why. Usually the main character’s goal wasn’t clear, or the outlined plot wasn’t where the character actually wanted to go.
In my case, it turned out that I didn’t want to continue rewriting scenes I had completed several years ago.
What? What did she just say? That this is a rewrite?
Correct. The project currently known as Rowena 2 was fully written and finished in 2019. At that time, I realized too much of the narrative was being told as backstory. I wasn’t strong enough of a writer to weave two timelines together (as seen in When the Moon Hatched by Sarah A. Parker). I proceeded to take all of the backstory and turned it into a story present. That was how Rowena’s Song came about.
In rewriting that backstory into a full-on novel, I became a much stronger writer. I decided that I would write the second book from scratch. And I even made some progress.
It turns out, however, that some of that old narrative really did come from the heart. When I was hopelessly stuck, I decided to open up my “dead darlings” file, and low and behold—60K words that aren’t actually bad at all.
They also don’t fully match up with the story as it now stands. So I’ve started a cut and paste project for the ages. But I am the sort of person that struggles with a blank page, but can happily edit for days. And that’s where I’m at right now. Those 60k words should get me through ACT 1 by this time next month.
It will not be easy, but writing a novel that is both a romantasy and a historical fiction never was supposed to be. Why did I make this my brand? That question is something I will delve into later, probably after the third book is done.
Stay tuned to find out by liking this post and subscribing to my newsletter.
Indie Author in the Wild: KPOP Demon Hunter’s Party at my local library
As many of you may already know, I am also an assistant librarian at a public library in the Chicago suburbs. We are known for our awesome programming, and there are times I really cannot believe I get paid for the work I do. This month was no exception. My literal, paid gig was to help parents get their kids into a traditional Korean costume, keep Derpy tiger safe, and sing along to Golden.
YES, I really did get paid to do something I would have done for free just cuz. Libraries are the BEST.
Media Matters
It turned out to be a romantasy-heavy reading month, but I did manage to pull my head out of a book for a few minutes to catch up on the current astrology. Here are a few of my recent favorites to give you an idea of what I put into my head, so you understand what comes out on the page.
Shadow and Bone and An Ember in the Ashes reread: I am currently researching an article for Romantasy Realms that looks at the early YA romantasy titles that were popular 10-15 years ago to see what early reviews had to say, what gives them their staying power, and how they have influenced adult romantasy titles since that time. This was inspired by a reread I did of Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas alongside other readers at the Romantasy Substack. It is always a delight to revist old favorites.
When the Moon Hatched by Sarah A. Parker: OBSESSED. I adored this book. You can read all of the reasons why for free over at Romantasy Realms. While the chapter by chapter summary is behind a paywall, you should not read that if you haven’t had a chance to dive into this dark, sexy, dragon and fae filled romantasy. It’s like Fourth Wing and ACOTAR had a baby. I wish I was the godmother.
The Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook by Matt Dinniman: Continuing my listen to the audiobook version of this very popular fantasy/sci-fi/lit rpg book. I do love me some over the top, and everything about this series is quite honestly unhinged. I mean, the talking, tiara-wearing cat likes to get drunk on Dirty Shirley’s. This is a series that you just gotta roll with.
The Pluto Chronicles by Lori Lothian is a Substack that looks at world news through an astrological lens. As someone that is 100% into the woo and has come to see the validity of many conspiracy theories, I trust the astrologers more than the editorial board at most mainstream newspaper operations these days. I also like learning about current events in this manner, because astrological transits have a start and stop time, unlike the 24/7 cable news that gives the impression that the world is five seconds away from catastrophe. Ugh, so exhausting. Go touch some grass CNN.
Oracle Card
Every month, this newsletter will feature an oracle card meant to help all the members of my reading community. This month I chose The Intuition Oracle by Monte Farber and Amy Zerner. I’ve had this deck for a few years now, and I continue to be drawn to the gorgeous purple pallette and the collage images that are full of whimsy. Unlike a lot of cards, the book is a nice guide but unnecessary as the meaning is printed on the reverse.
As I shuffled, I asked, what does my growing community of readers need to hear at this time? I pulled card 31: The Partners. The affirmation that accompanies this message is, “I keep my word and put my partnership first in all ways.”
What a lovely card! Dear readers, here we are at the start of my author career, and I am here to let you know that I am showing up to the best of my ability. Even though it has been slow going, Rowena 2 is fully underway, and most of book 3 is outlined. I do not want to do to you what George RR Martin did to me: Leave readers hanging while also doing a main female character dirty.
Unhinged rant moment: GRRM, did it ever occur to you that Daenerys could have been the one to break the Targaryen curse? No. You decided to take a MOTHER archetype and make her a murderous tyrant. On a mythical level, that simply doesn’t work. But I digress…
Back to the card. Pictured are partners, perhaps lovers but not necessarily. A woman stands behind a man. Her hand is either helping to steady him by placing her hand on his shoulder, or perhaps she is praying to him and/or sending good vibes because the text on the reverse states she uses her words to honor others. We cannot tell how her hand is but it could also be receiving the flow of light and love from the sun above that is allowing the butterfly to fully shine. With this assist, this partner is bathed in the glow of this celestial goodness. At their feet a plant is growing, colorfully just like the man. The woman, on the other hand, is robed in black and white, a symbol of balance. It is like the light of the sun is reflecting off her first, to illuminate him, before it brings the color to her. I feel like that is how the divine feminine works—it is nurturing, giving, and happy to shine on others.
This is the vibe I bring to my storytelling. If you like that as well, thank you for being here!
Also, this is a great time to reflect. What areas in your life allow you to be a supportive partner? Can you use your speech carefully and ensure that you can keep your word? It’s a good way to live, even if you don’t normally do the woo.
Enjoy the rest of this lovely month. See you in four weeks!
Ivy