20/20

What a crazy year, right? 2020 is definitely not turning out the way anyone imagined it would. At the beginning of this year, I really wanted to have 20 published works, whether that would be novels, novellas, or short stories.

It would be a feat, for sure. I had a few books already written to back me up and I was working on other stories. Everything was going great.

Then March hit. And nothing went great for anyone. But I have to say, I'm proud of all my friends and family for persevering. Those of you who went through hell for a few months or are still there but holding on... You are amazing!

I'm also proud of myself. Yes, I think I can say this every once in a while. Especially since... I made my goal! That's right, in a couple of months, I'll have 20 published works out there in the world.

Next month on October 8th, I'll be releasing the 7th book in my Onepian Chronicles series. "Lost on Nagasan" is the story of Owen who travels to Nagasan with his friends, Thalia, Layla, Liam, and David. When two of his friends get kidnapped, he takes it upon himself to rescue them. You can pre-order the book here.

I left a loose thread at the end of the book that one of my characters wasn't happy about, however. So I ended up writing an extra story for those who wanted to know about that thread. I'll be making this story available on Amazon after the release of "Lost on Nagasan." I can't tell you too much about it just yet, but you can get a look at the cute cover here.

So yes, that's my big number 20!

  ...

But also, I've been working hard on the 8th book in the series and if all goes well, that will hopefully get published this year, too. As in, I might surpass my ridiculous goal. Wish me luck. And as always, happy reading! 

- Natasja

NaNoWriMo 2019!

NaNoWriMo 2019 is starting this Friday, Nov. 1! This will be my ninth year entering and so far I've got a streak of four years won in a row. Last year, you might recall that I finished my book in 12 days. That was The B-Boy, which was published and released in August.

My first NaNo was in 2011, when I wrote My Best Friend's Brother/The Summer I Turned into a Girl. I published that one the following summer and have since published a sequel. 

This year I'm hoping to tackle a few projects. Yup, you read that right. I need to get more words written than the requisite to win NaNo. I do have a complete novel that I plan to write during the month (more on that later), but I also have a couple of novellas and another book to finish before the end of the year. And what better time to get those done than during November?

Other things happening in November: both Outside Edge and Hooked are coming out near the end of the month, which will wrap up my Knockout Girl series! I'm excited and I'll probably find some fun way to celebrate. I'm also a little sad to say goodbye to Knockout Girl. So...don't be surprised if at some point I say I've got another book for the series, but it won't be any time soon.

 

I have a new project I'm working on but I can't elaborate on it just yet. I've mentioned it before, though, so if you scroll through my past posts and find anything related to spaceships and other planets...you might have a piece of the puzzle.

Anyway, if you're even remotely interested in doing NaNo this year, head on over to https://nanowrimo.org/. It's loads of fun, even if you don't make it to 50k words. There are local write-ins, chats with other writers, pep talks from published authors, and badges to collect! If you're trying it this year, feel free to add me as a buddy. Just search for Natasja and you'll find me.

Happy writing! I'll check in at some point next month.

- Natasja

Rinkside is here!

Today's the day! Rinkside is officially available on Amazon in paperback, ebook, and on Kindle Unlimited.

Rinkside is my first published novella, a story that fits neatly into the timeline of The B-Boy. The fun thing is you could read either one first and still catch everything that's happening. Of course, if you haven't read Knockout Girl and Standup Guy yet, I recommend starting there. Because, you know, spoilers.

So, what's it all about? After graduating from high school, Cherry's plan is simple - work at her parents' arena for the summer and then go to school for business in the fall. Everything is set.

That is, until she meets Richie.

The young, attractive nephew of the arena's former Zamboni driver, Richie turns Cherry's world upside down from the moment they meet. Not only does he question her decision to study business, but he also makes her rethink her decision to stay close to home. 

If only Gary hadn't gotten sick, if only Richie had never filled in as the Zamboni driver, if only he hadn't admitted he's never left Ontario, if only he hadn't touched Cherry's tattoo...

Maybe then, things would have stayed perfectly on track. But life is never that clean cut, and Cherry's about to find out that plans and fate can coincide if she's willing to let them.

There we have it! I'm super excited for you guys to read Rinkside and tell me what you think on any of the following platforms:

Goodreads

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

Youtube

Or you can drop me a comment on this blog post! Also, if you really enjoy my blog posts as much as I enjoy writing them, feel free to subscribe to them! You'll get my posts straight to your email, so if that sounds like something you'd interested in, enter your email address in the box on the right that says "Subscribe to my blog!"

Happy reading!


- Natasja

News - The B-Boy

Mark your calendars for August 8, 2019! The B-Boy will be coming to Amazon in paperback, ebook, and Kindle Unlimited. It is the official sequel to Knockout Girl and Standup Guy and I'm super excited to share the blurb and book cover with you today.

Now that high school's over and he's left his life as a bully behind, Red finally has the time to focus on what he wants: boxing. For as long as he's able, that's what he'll do.

Zara's passion for dancing is rivaled by none, but her dreams are shattered when her dance partner sprains his ankle weeks before their showcase. With no other options, Zara's friend and Red's cousin suggests they team up.

Now Red has a tough decision to make: stick to what he's always known or find the courage to love something new?

When I started writing Standup Guy, I had no idea that Red and Julian would become such good friends. Nor did I realize that Red would have his own story to tell. I love a good redemption story and I was happy to see Red grow up and grow out of old habits. But he still has a hard letting go of his tough-guy image - that is, until he meets Zara.

Zara is sweet and talented, and she's just as dedicated to dancing as Red is to boxing. She ends up being the perfect person to bring him out of his comfort zone while also showing him that his worth goes far beyond his muscley facade.

You'll still get to see Elli and Julian before they head off to university as well. While they're preparing for a more academic life, Red and Zara share a bond of wanting to dive straight into their careers as a boxer and dancer. I think the way they help each other out is beautiful and I hope you'll all feel the same way, too. 

And don't forget - My Brother's Best Friend/Learning to Sing Like a Girl is coming June 29!!

- Natasja

PS. I haven't forgotten about Cherry. More about her later...