My year has started a little rough, to be honest. Like being dragged over wet sea rocks covered in fishy seaweed, kind of rough.

On January 1st I woke with a chest infection. It's my fourth in six months, and I admit that I mentally tell it to sod off every day. As I write this, with only a few days left of January, I still sound like an old man who has smoked a pack an hour for decades. My doctor's office requires you to ask for an appt online, but the moment they've filled the day's appts, they shut down the online option. Today it was shut down at 8:30am.

I'll just keep coughing, then...

But there were also a couple other things that happened. First, my wife (Robyn Nyx) and I went down to the beach on the 16th to bury a little piece of paper. On that paper was something I needed to let go; a darkness surrounding that date. On the way to the beach, I slipped on seaweed covered rocks, laying myself out, and leaving an offering of sorts to the sea god in thanks for hearing my prayer. (That's what I'm positing as, anyway.)

I also had an audiobook come out under the name Ally McGuire, and that was a very, very cool experience. Heart of the Storm is now out, if you're interested in listening to an emotional sapphic romance with plenty of quirky side characters.

And now, as we're heading toward the 1st of Feb, I'm working my bum off to tell people about Ship of Dreams, my sapphic steampunk romance. I have to say, the ARC reviews have really blown me away. So many readers have said they've never read a steampunk book, and this was a great introduction (see below). The comments have allowed me to think that maybe, just maybe, I'm not too bad at this writing thing.

And speaking of writing things...

I struggled a little* with my writing mojo last year. So this year, I'm going to try and recapture it by writing every day using the Writing Down the Bones cards. These will be off the cuff, personal writings. Sometimes to do with my books, but more often about whatever the card brings up in the moment. I'd love it if you'd join me on that journey, as adventures are always better with friends along for the ride.
​*a lot

I hope you'll grab a copy of my new book, and when you've read it, if you could leave a review somewhere, it would be amazing. The more you share about books you like online, the more it will reach the other readers like you who might love it as well. And it keeps us writers going, too.

And here it is.

​Ship of Dreams is officially out on Saturday, Feb 1st. Pre-orders have been coming in, which is always a great feeling. If you're not sure about the genre, have a look at what other readers have said, and maybe give it a try yourself...

Thanks for sticking with me. I'm looking forward to a full year of stories, travels, coaching, and adventures.
Also, I'd love to hear from you. So much of writing is solitary, and hearing from readers reminds me that I'm not alone at my keyboard.

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Brey Willows

BlueSky