Novembers and News

Wow, Novembers seem to be really good to me, and not just because it's my birthmonth! Last year, I did NaNoWriMo in 12 days and donated my hair. This year...

It took me 20 days to complete NaNo2019 but I'm quite pleased with it. Instead of starting a new novel, I had a few projects I wanted to tackle. I finished a book, wrote an 18k word novella, got halfway through another novella, and partway through another book. I know, that sounds crazy, but it works.

I stopped keeping track at day 21 because there were no more badges to get.

I would have pushed myself harder, except that I was still preparing for two releases this month! Yes, the Knockout Girl series is now finished with Outside Edge and Hooked. It's bittersweet for me to say goodbye to this series and these characters, but I'm happy to see so many people enjoying them. I love hearing readers' thoughts because everyone has a different takeaway from my books.

Remember, reviews are what keeps writers writing, whether they're good or bad. If you have a chance, please check out my Goodreads page and leave a review for any of my books you've read. Thank you!

So a cool thing my husband and I learned about this month is something called aphantasia. It's a condition where people can't visualize/conjure images in their minds or have a very hard time doing it. It's estimated that it affects 2-3% of the world's population, though that's hard to tell since people who have it usually don't even realize they have it. Seriously, read about it here and take a test to see where you fall on the spectrum.

Last thing: I'm doing my first holiday craft fair where I'll be selling my books and signing them. If you're in the area feel free to check it out. Click here or go to that "Events!" tab up top for details.

I have more news coming before the end of the year but until then, 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