Of Magical Girl And Editing
Hello, readers!
April is here, and it's a new month!
Also, a solar eclipse occurred yesterday! I didn't any solar eclipse glasses, so I just watched it online. It was pretty cool to see it in action, even though I didn't directly look up at the sky to see it happen.
230 Followers on Bluesky!
I reached over 230 followers on Bluesky early last week! Thank to everyone who followed me there -I really appreciate it!
And if you haven't followed me on Bluesky - well, the link is right here!
What Have I Been Writing Lately?
I just posted my monthly writing update post last week on the 1st. Check that out if you haven't read it yet!
I also announced, in that same blog post, that I will officially reveal the cover for "Bloody Fantasia," my next book, on May 1st. I hope you look forward to it! At this point in time, we're about two months away from "Bloody Fantasia" releasing, so
Since then, I'm happy to share that I already completed drafting 25% of "Immortalz," my isekai LitRPG novel! It turned out that, after checking how many chapters overall and comparing it to where in the story's timeline I reached, I already surpassed that earlier this month/last week.
More drafting will likely ensue for the rest of the month. I'll give more updates in next month's writing progress post or in another newsletter depending on how things go.
In between preparing for "Bloody Fantasia"'s release in June, I started slowly editing my magical girl short story collection, "Stay Magical!" I know this might be a surprise to you, but yes, I adore magical girl-oriented media. I grew up with Sailor Moon as one of my first anime, so that's probably a reason I enjoy the genre so much.
During the past few years, I started watching Pretty Cure, another magical girl anime series. Unlike Sailor Moon, each season of Pretty Cure (also known as Precure for short) can be viewed as their own story (with the exception being the first two seasons). This is because they have different main characters and themes for each season. The current season focuses on pets and friendship, and the magical girls involved have transformations based on those themes. In fact, two of those magical girls are actually animals that can transform into humans. I've also watched past seasons of Pretty Cure, including Tropical Rouge, Kira Kira A La Mode, and Delicious Party.
I also found that magical girls are a great reprieve from the other genres of stories, since most magical girl series don't get too dark and grim. There are some exceptions - Puella Magica Madoka being one of the main examples of a dark magical girl anime - but I tend to avoid those.
I also realized that I hadn't really submitted work to lit mags last month - and I'm unlikely to submit to lit mags or contests a lot this month either. I would love to do more this month, but these bigger projects have my first priority right now.
What Have I Heard Lately?
For my audiobook and/or podcast rec this time around, I recommend listening to the audiobook "The Search For The Sunken Treasure/The Mummy With No Name" by Geronimo Stilton!
Yes, I know, the Geronimo Stilton books are aimed for children. However, I thought this audiobook did a good job of the narrator voicing every character. At least, I think it's the narrator voicing every character. The only bit of voice acting that threw me off was for Benjamin, Geronimo's nephew, as he sounds a bit older than I personally thought he should sound. Everyone else was fine enough, though, and the voices used suited their personalities.
What Have I Been Reading Lately?
I've been specifically reading more fiction, lately, and I have to admit: The Minecraft books are all surprisingly quite good. Yes, they're obviously promoting the Minecraft franchise, but I do think the books actually would appeal to new and experienced fans without being a total cash grab.
I also tried reading some other book series aimed for children that have been around for a while, but I hadn't gotten to yet like the Candy Fairies series by Helen Perelman. If you enjoyed books like Daisy Meadows' Rainbow Magic series or the Fairy Dust series by Gwyneth Rees, you'll enjoy the Candy Fairies series too!
Recent reads include:
"The Mob Squad" by Delilah S. Dawson
"Bubble Gum Rescue" by Helen Perelman
"The Mouse Island Marathon" by Geronimo Stilton
"Bollywood Burglary" by Geronimo Stilton
Thank you for following my writing journey!
I hope you look forward to seeing more of my writing process and work. I also look forward to giving all of you more frequent updates as well, so stay tuned for more!
If you have any questions, feel free to email me at clarislamauthor@gmail.com! I’ll respond within 48 hours (except on weekends and holidays).
Access the Freebie Library! (Password is "Buttondown")
Thank you for following my writing journey!
I hope you look forward to seeing more of my writing process and work. I also look forward to giving all of you more frequent updates as well, so stay tuned for more!
If you have any questions, feel free to email me at clarislamauthor@gmail.com! I’ll respond within 48 hours (except on weekends and holidays).