February Writing/Publishing Update

So much has been happening lately, I have been remiss in keeping this blog up to date. At this point, I’m not even sure where to begin, so I’ll stick to the highlights.

At the end of January, I was told my application to the University of Atypical’s D/deaf and Disabled Artists Support Fund was successful, allowing me to purchase some equipment, get some mentoring, and work with my editor on the second and third books in my trilogy.

This news went public across my social media on Tuesday, swiftly followed on Wednesday by the news that I’d also secured a grant from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland under their Individuals Emergency Resilience Programme. This money is to help me and my artistic practice survive the loss of earnings incurred due to the pandemic.

Both sets of funding are obviously a huge boost, but that’s not all!

I am currently setting up my own independent press, which I will be publishing my trilogy (and more) through––more on that in a future blog post.

And as for the trilogy itself, I am right on the edge of several things:

  • Finishing up last minutes tweaks to book one with my editor. (This has been such a long process, but the book is so much better for it.)
  • Sending book one to the proofreader.
  • Launching the pre-order campaign.
  • Having ARCs (advance reader copies) become available for review on NetGalley.
  • Being able to share the book with everyone who generously contributed to the crowdfunding campaign.
  • And finally getting a physical book to hold in my hands!

It’s a bit behind the schedule I had originally planned, but all of the above bullet points should literally be happening in the next week or so. (Maybe slightly longer for my physical proof copy to arrive.)

If I’ve missed anything, or you have questions, let me know!