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Woohoo! It’s 2020, and we made it into another year! (and decade!?)

In terms of indie publishing, three books doesn’t feel like much—but it was HUGE for me. One year ago, I was in the throes of a career crisis and realizing I needed to go forward with Plan C: begin writing full time. Admittedly, this wasn’t my Plan A, but there you go. Life doesn’t need to follow my plans to be awesome.

2019 is complete and I’ve got three publications to share: Living Without the Dead, A Bigfoot’s Gift, and Illiam. Furthermore, I have two more first drafts done: A Bigfoot’s Quest and The Wild Mermaid.

As for 2020, I’ve got so many goals that I’m hesitant to announce them, after all, life is chaotic. However, I will confess that both A Bigfoot’s Quest and The Wild Mermaid are into editing.

It’s gonna be a good year.

—Mel

Hey readers,
 

I’m really proud of the progress I’ve made over the last few months — A Bigfoot’s Gift is out, Illiam is in beta reading, and A Bigfoot’s Quest is on pace for a spring 2020 release.

A Bigfoot’s Quest is proving to be a quick paced adventure. Alice is gets to meet her ma, and of course, nothing goes as planned. I’m really excited with how this narrative is pacing and how my writing style continues to mature. I really can’t wait to share this next adventure with you. 

Cheers and happy reading,
— Mel

Fall updates

• A Bigfoot’s Gift was released! If you haven’t gotten your copy yet…buy it now! Or…inside scoop, wait for Oct. 11-13 because I’m running a promo and the ebook will be free.
   
• Illiam is in beta edits and is currently free to read on Wattpad. Final version to be released December 2020. Read the beta version here.
   
• The Wild Mermaid: This live first draft keeps getting more and more interesting! This is an underwater adventure about a mermaid learning the underwater realm is much darker than she expected. I’m estimating this will be completely online in late 2019.  [read here]

…and happiest of Thursdays to you too.

I’m simply ecstatic to share this news with you: A Bigfoot’s Gift is now available! This YA fantasy is available through kindle and print, just follow this link.

To be honest, a lot of things had to fall apart before this book could be written. I wish I could say “it all fell together for the best,” but that’s not quite true. Instead, I’ll say: I’m glad to have made it here, there was a time I wasn’t sure I would.

Bottom line: I’m thankful to have this story to share.

Mel Braxton

Hey there readers!

June has had some hard lessons in picking my battles. I love this work, and the variety of projects I get to work on – but the truth is, I stretched myself too thin. I didn’t make the progress on the Jayne/Jude or Illiam projects that I had hoped for. 

However, priorities come first, and A Bigfoot’s Gift is running on schedule! Proofreading is in process, and I expect to publish (kindle universe and print) mid-to-late July. It’ll come just in time to be that fun summer read. Check out the synopsis and cover reveal below.

I hope you have a wonderful summer!
— M.B.

P.S. Quick update on this blog system – I’m going to be switching over to quarterly updates. Expect your next newsletter in October!

Summer updates

• A Bigfoot’s Gift: Proofreading has started – this is the final edit! Check out the cover reveal below. I’ll send an email once this is officially online.
  
  
• Illiam: The Lost World: Will be my next indie release after Bigfoot. This novelette features Elysa, a space adventurer who crashes on a sentient planet.
  
  
• The Wild Mermaid: What began as fun storytelling has grown some roots. I’ve finished plotting this story and can’t wait to tell it. The first draft is published on Wattpad with weekly updates. [read here]
  
  
• Jayne and Jude go to Space! (silly working title) Massive shout out to the fantastic beta readers who I’ve talked to in the last month. All your feedback has been so encouraging and insightful. I’m in the depths of plotting, and draft 3 is around the corner.

Hey there! I hope that you are enjoying the summer transition and long sun-soaked evenings. After some pretty big shake-ups, I’ve found my routine. It’s time for me to chase the sun with some dedicated writing and editing.
– Mel Braxton / Myra Bates

June Updates

• A Bigfoot’s Gift: My feedback is in! I’ll be deep in edits for this story in June. After another round of editing, it’ll be off to proofreading. Reaching the home stretch for this story about a teenager Bigfoot attending high school. Coming to the market this summer!
   
• Illlium: the Lost World:  First draft  is nearly done! This novella is about a woman stranded on a sentient planet and is on schedule for a fall release.
   
• The Korai Book:* My traditional-publishing hopeful has been sitting on my shelf for 6-months. Developmental edits are in and it’s time to hash out the next draft for this story.
  *Too many working titles here to simply pick one. Possibilities include: The Psykik Academy, Collapsars Rising, Journey from Eden, and (best of all) Jayne and Jude go to Space!

Hi readers, writing to you today from a new home! My books are still in boxes, (boo!) but the rest of the home is turning out lovely. Can’t wait to put my new office together, finish settling in, and dig into my summer projects!
– Mel Braxton / Myra Bates

May Updates

• A Bigfoot’s Gift went through two revisions and is now in the hands of editors! It amazes me how a draft comes together in revisions. Expect this to hit the market in June/July!
  
  When Alice reached her fourteenth summer, she knew her life was going to change. She was an adolescent in the Bigfoot village and her parents would choose her first suitor.  However, Alice didn’t expect to receive a gift from the Fae – a gift that allows her to take a human form, forever changing the direction of her life.
   
• Introducing Illium: the Lost World. This is a little novelette I’ve been daydreaming of for over a year now. The first draft is in the works with plans to release in late summer.

Welcome to my blog post! Hopefully, this will be the first of many monthly updates. This will be my place to not only keep readers up-to-date on recent happenings but a place of personal accountability. Thanks for your support in this crazy and awesome lifestyle.
– Mel / Myra

P.S. If there is any content you are looking for in these posts, feel free to let me know. I’m open to suggestions.

What happened in March:

• Living Without the Dead was released! I’m incredibly proud of this final product and happy to share it with readers.
  
  Due to the highly intimate nature of this piece, the final stages of production were un/surprisingly draining. However, the feedback I’ve received suggests I succeeded in my goals and wrote something cathartic!
   
• The first draft for A Bigfoot’s Gift was completed and this book is on pace for a summer release. While writing, the plot took some twists that made the story better. I can’t wait to share this narrative. Synopsis below:
  
  When Alice reached her fourteenth summer, she knew her life was going to change. She was an adolescent in the Bigfoot village and her parents would choose her first suitor.  However, Alice didn’t expect to receive a gift from the Fae – a gift that allows her to take a human form, forever changing the direction of her life.

Plans for April:

• I’ll finish the big-picture editing for A Bigfoot’s Gift before sending it off for external editing and fine-tuning.
   
• My personal life will be a touch messy: we are moving to our first house! Budgeting an unfortunate amount of time for housework and the move – but no worries – I’ll hit the ground running once my new office is set up!