October 26, 2020

The Ports of Surset Book 2 is almost ready to go to Beta Readers, I have a couple of new roommates and we are all still locked in our homes, being held hostage to a microscopic terrorist!

In The News

As of this morning, Covid 19 news has recorded 8.9M cases in the US. With over 230,000 Covid 19-related deaths reported, the official mortality rate is reported nationally at 4%, down from the 6% two months ago. We have the answers to the questions I asked last time. 1-Donald Trump cannot, in his capacity as POTUS, postpone the upcoming November elections. In fact, everywhere in the US, lines are stretching around buildings with people waiting for their chance to vote early. 2-Mail-in votes, while not yet being stopped, may still be contested successfully due to talk regarding how Trump appointed a new Post Master General to slow down the system, remove sorting machines and even had fake ballot return boxes planted in highly Democratic areas. 3-Florida schools did not delay their return to classes, although they did offer the opportunity for students to choose to continue to participate in remote classes. Not just in Florida, but around the country, many schools were closed just days after opening due to new outbreaks of the virus. What were they thinking?

Closer to home, my husband and I invited two new people to move in with us. I have roommates. They are a man I have known for almost 30 years, and I consider him to be a valued friend; and his wife. I am hoping the arrangement will be beneficial to us all. Still, no matter how well the arrangement works out, there will be an adjustment period. One good thing that can come out of the roommates arrangement is feeling less socially isolated. Sitting at 7 months since I went into lockdown with the rest of the world and still not having much in the way of outside interactions, having others to talk to and interact with will either cure me of the need for human companionship entirely or be plenty to keep me from feeling isolated.

I have high hopes for many of the changes that I am making in my world right now but these are just a few of the things that have been causing upheaval around here. By way of apology for the long lag in new posts, I’m putting extra effort into this one with lots of good writing news.

WIP News

My current writing project, The Ports of Surset Book Two, is going out to Beta readers next week! I want to be through Beta revisions and be ready to order a final proof copy in paperback by the first week of December. I want to release in early January, to miss the election and holiday distractions. I would be willing to release earlier if it is ready and I have anyone clamoring for it. I may relent and put it up for pre-order. We’ll see.

Social, Media and Otherwise

You can find me on Twitter , Reddit/r/ubrielbrynebooks, Facebook and Instagram (ubrielbryne20). I just finished a short series of Behind the Scenes or In-World Trivia posts for Book One. Those seem to have taken off and done well. I am currently considering another set of them to begin on November 1st. I am hoping that with the release of Book Two, I will have a whole new set of interesting facts about the world of my books to delve into. Perhaps I can do a short series on how real world science facts are used as a basis for some of the unfamiliar tech and mech in the book! We’ll see.

That’s really all I can say at the moment. Too much stress and interruption in my world is keeping me from being the best Amy I can be right now. I am just aiming to weather the storm and finish out Book 2 so I can move on to Book 3 before the new year. For more information about my books and my dogs and my reasons for rebelling against Thanksgiving, sign-up for the mailing list!

Take Care! –Amy (aka Ubriel Bryne and Jami Montgomery)