Stay Magical's release date will be revealed soon! - July 8th, 2025
Hello, readers!
If you’re reading this, that means that my Canada Day 2025 Sale just ended yesterday. Thank you to everyone that supported the sale - I really appreciate it very much!
However, if you missed the Canada Day 2025 Sale and you want to get your hands on “Winner Takes All” at a discounted price…
Well, you’re in luck - “Winner Takes All” is 25% off exclusively on Smashwords for all of July!
This is part of their 2025 Summer/Winter Sale! During this sale, you can get my book, along with books from many other great authors, at a discounts ranging from 25%-100% off (free!) so you can get to reading them right away.
You will find the promo at the following link, so check it out: https://www.smashwords.com/shelves/promos/
Buy “Winner Takes All” on Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1317785
Please share this promo with your friends, family, and any other murder mystery readers looking to stuff their e-readers - especially those looking to start a new murder mystery series!
Thank you for your help and support, and happy reading!
Stay Magical Book Cover & Release Date REVEAL Coming July 14th!
I’ll reveal the official book cover and release date for “Stay Magical,” my upcoming YA magical girl-themed short story collection, on July 14th!
You’ll get an official email from me about this on the day of said reveal (assuming you’re subscribed to this newsletter that is 😆). I will also reveal the book cover & release date on socials, too! Make sure you keep an eye on your inboxes (and/or your socials so you don’t miss it, and spread the word to any magical girl enthusiasts you know! Thanks!
What Am I Writing Lately?
I noticed, during the last week of June and going into July, that I had some trouble writing my first drafts of various works-in-progress (WIPS).
The first issue: I got sick with a cold during the last week of June, and it was so bad that I could not focus on my writing. Given this, I had to take time off writing to focus on my health until I was completely recovered.
The second issue: I have several WIPs that I’m writing right now (both poetry and fantasy fiction books), so it’s strange to me that I kept getting…stuck.
I then realized it was precisely because I’m writing the first drafts of all these WIPs that I was getting so stuck. It’s been quite a long time since I wrote the first draft of anything, let alone writing several first drafts of several projects at once. The last time this happened was back in 2020, when I was drafting the Harlow Mystery series. In a way, I’m back to a fresh new start in writing - and that can be frustrating, intimidating, and exciting all at once. However, it felt more like the former two elements than the latter.
What did I do to solve this? I did my best to figure out the plot for rest of the books. This way, I at least knew how the WIPs would resolve, and I just had to write the scenes in more detail. A better way to word this is: “When in doubt, plot it out.” I know the pantsers (the writers that write based on instinct, by the seat of their pants) might disagree with me, but having some combination of “pantsing” and “plotting” usually works out for me.
Other than the above, I drafted more of the one book I started last month (the one inspired by the Secret Garden). I also finally gave it a working title - “The Secret Gardens We Grew Together!” Progress is slower than I’d like with writing the whole book. However, at least some writing is actually getting done, even if it’s in small chunks at a time.
I also…started drafting another cozy fantasy standalone book. I’m really interested in writing a lot of cozy fantasy right now, so the ideas I have for writing for that genre are fun to explore! I won’t give much more information about this specific WIP right now except that it draws inspiration from games like Fields of Mistria, Rune Factory 4, and Stardew Valley, and the Skyblock Kingdoms SMP web series.
Other book-related things I did that were writing-related but not actual writing included:
Setting up marketing material for “Stay Magical,” my upcoming magical girl-themed short story collection releasing in Fall 2025!
Designed the cover for “Found,” my fairytale short story collection.
What Am I Watching Lately?
This time, I’ve been watching Skyblock Kingdoms SMP, Season 2! My understanding is that Season 1 started sometime last year and ended earlier this year, so I’m both surprised and excited that Season 2 has already started!
Skyblock Kingdoms is a Minecraft survival multiplayer server where all the players are divided into groups looking after specific themed kingdoms (for example, the Birch Kingdom, the Dark Oak Kingdom, the Nether Kingdom, etc.)…except unlike many other Minecraft servers, everything takes place in the sky. The risk of accidentally falling off the edge of the earth is even higher than it usually would be in gameplay. With 22 content creators taking part in Season 2, some focus on telling a specific story while others are more focused on the general worldbuilding and just having fun. Either way, they’re pretty fun to watch.
What Am I Reading Lately?
With summer vacation season happening for many right now, I’m not surprised to see articles like this one from The Guardian emerge about what to find for the perfect beach read. However, while I was sick (and therefore couldn’t go to a beach), I mainly just focused on finding books that made for good light reading (though I did also read some more “heavier” reads when it came to nonfiction).
One of the “lighter” books I read was “Rose In Bloom” by Louisa May Alcott. You’re probably more aware of this author thanks to her book “Little Women.” However, “Rose In Bloom” is the first book I’ve ever read by Alcott.
The titular Rose is a young woman who inherited a massive amount of wealth, and now she has seven bachelors to deal with (the book mainly focuses on four specific bachelors out of the available seven, though). While trying to figure out who to end up with, she also questions her “traditional” role in society as a wife-and-mother-to-be. She’s bold, outspoken, and honestly one of my favourite heroines that I’ve read in a long time!
Other books I’ve read include:
“A Treachery Of Swans” by A.B. Poranek
“The Castle Of Otranto” by Horace Walpole
“Reclaiming Conversation: The Power Of Talk In A Digital Age” by Sherry Turkle
“Modern Romance” by Aziz Ansari
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).