Tag: querying

Times Are A Changin’

Wow, it’s 2021. How did that happen?

It’s been quite some time since I updated anything to this website or my blog and mainly that is because last year sucked the life out of me. Living in Australia has been excellent in regards to COVID and its issues, but working retail during everything that happened left me an empty shell of a man. Just to recap:

January 2020 – Bushfires

February 2020 – Floods

March 2020 – Coronavirus & Stocktake

April 2020 – Coronavirus

May 2020 – Turned 35, oh and Coronavirus

June 2020 – End of Financial Year Sale (Xmas in June really) and Coronavirus

July 2020 – Coronavirus

August 2020 – Coronavirus

September 2020 – Stocktake and Coronavirus

October 2020 – Coronavirus

November 2020 – Coronavirus, Cyber Friday Sales, Xmas Prep

December 2020 – Xmas… and Coronavirus

During last year I had four COVID tests, a health scare (my doctor found a mass in my abdomen that she was worried was lymphoma), aggressive and abusive customers for the entirety of the COVID times and on top of it all found out my wife was pregnant. To say 2020 was a rollercoaster would be an understatement. Maybe one where in the first minute the security gives way and you spend the rest of the ride simply clutching on. FUN TIMES.

As for writing, I truly feel like my soul took a beating this past year. I began questioning what I was doing with my life. I considered going into politics (I couldn’t do worse, right?). I submitted to a bunch of publishers and got a manuscript assessment; positive feedback, no takers though. I wrote eighty thousand words into book three and then my brain simply broke and I have barely written a thing since. I can’t focus. I barely get to the computer. Even this post is an attempt to get back into writing when and where I can.

This year has started off with a bang with the birth of my firstborn though! He’s super cute and going pretty well. The view from where I sit on the floor has my wife and two dogs sound asleep on the bed and my son swaddled and sleeping soundly. If you want to know what a view of the world looks like, that’s the most succinct one I can provide.

The trouble is now I must decide whether I continue working on Jefferson and Gabriel’s story or if I simply shelve it for now and write something else. There is another idea in the back of my mind for middle grade and it does tie into my world, so… maybe? I just don’t know at the moment. Although the cover artists for middle grade books are absolutely killing it, they look way more interesting than some stupid “The SOMETHING of SOMETHING and SOMETHING” titles. GIVE ME A BREAK.

Anyway, I suppose this post is just to make sure the website still works and to let you know I am still alive with the dream of being a writer. But with my wife on maternity leave, a newborn, and a full time job, sometimes dreams take a bit of a back burner. Hopefully this post is a return to some semblance of writing regularly.

Thanks for sticking around!

Sincerely, TJ Edwards

 

Oh, Hello March.

I fondly remember the beginning of February. Three blog posts ahead, a full team of managers and a plan for my store that was nearing completion to set myself up for the year. Ah, the best laid plans eh?

Staff suddenly were leaving this way and that, others who were transferring into the store decided not to and then my boss and his wife had their baby. Oh, did I mention I was in the middle of writing a novel when all this went down?

Bloody good thing I’m already bald.

The good news? I finished Firebrand, my #writeabookwithal book for February, which clocked in at just over fifty thousand words! Then I interviewed and hired four new staff. Now we are prepping for stocktake. #bossinglikeaboss? I think so.

Writing the book with Allison Tait wasn’t actually sitting in a room with her, but it was the next best thing as we all cheered each other on across Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. In fact, in episode 223, I actually got a lovely callout from the author herself on the podcast “So You Want To Be A Writer” where she spoke of my wins! The worst part about it was I was so far behind I found out about it in the Podcast Facebook group first and then had to wait patiently while I caught up!

The novel I wrote, Firebrand, is a story set in the same world as Jefferson and takes place long after Jefferson’s novel. The story follows the barbarian Balthazar who started off as a prophesied child who would rise up and defeat the gods, only for the town to fear his power after he accidentally incinerates a group of kids who were bullying him. The story follows his exile and search for meaning until he begins searching for the Wanderer, a supposed god who walks the realms of mortals searching for those worthy enough to ascend to the heavens. FUN TIMES!

The thing I love about the last two novels I’ve written is that my writing has improved ten fold and although these stories are lore building stories, it is how they tie in that makes me so happy to write them. The more of these fifty thousand word novels I write, the more intricate the details for the world become. After all, the best part about fantasy is the world building, am I right?

Seriously though, am I?

Lastly, I must mention my latest endeavour. Nope, not another novel. Not a submission to a contest either.

No.

This is nuts.

I queried an agent!!!

So for the next 4-6 weeks (as per the guidelines on their page) I will be a bundle of nerves every time my email dings. I’m both excited and terrified at the prospect of actually finding an agent. It’ll make it all too real to get one, and I’m unsure as to how I’ll react if I get knocked back. This being my first query ever, I do expect rejection but expecting it and receiving it are two completely different things. I will say this though, with Harry Potter being my biggest influence for Jefferson’s novel, I’ve chosen my agent carefully as Harry Potter was the series that turned her into a reader. I really want to do that for a new generation and I want to also welcome them into fantasy with open arms.

Not only that, but I have huge plans for my world. I have two story ideas that have come to mind as of late that are also lore building and diversifying. One tale of two womanising princes who fall for each other and cause war between their kingdoms and another with a battle maiden who sacrifices herself to save the princess she’s fallen for, only to find out that the princess is still in danger and claws her way back from death to save her. These are both stories I believe I could write out in fifty thousand words or a bit more (NaNoWriMo, I’m looking at you) so now I just have to choose!

Anyway, hopefully on my day off this week I can get back to some scheduled posts as next week is stocktake, so I will be a zombie roughly until Thursday! Until then though, let me know how your writing is going and also if you’ve got any tips for querying (as I may need them in the future) or for editing (as I continue the staring contest with my first drafts).

Let me know and thanks for stopping by!