Did it! Hit my word count target. Unfortunately (of course) the book isn't done. Still several chapters to go, plot-wise. But this time I purposely set a word count so that even if I go over, the manuscript will stay well under 100K. Bitter experience finally pays off! #amwriting #WriteSky #sff

Me: I won't write much today, I'm away from home, and this is a hard chapter... Also me: wow, 2000 words written? Somehow I got to the downhill part. Also me: tearing up in the restaurant because I had to kill off a favorite character. The baddies are closing in, after all. #amwriting #sff

Great to see all the pitches and inspiring manuscripts during yesterday's #QuestPit! Hope you all had as much fun as I did. Now, back to it: the writing. I mean, after I distract myself with another cup of coffee and liking more amazing pitches. Stay awesome. #amwriting #WriteSky #sff

WORLDKEEPERS Who is chasing Juan Ramirez today? 1. Hungry predators. 2. Ruthless kidnappers. 3. Killer drones. 4. Loan collectors. And he thought a corporate retreat on a remote planet would be relaxing. Of course, things are about to get much, much worse… #QuestPit #SF #W #A #YA

THE PROSECUTOR’S AEGIS Emilia Leftraro protects her abbey from forbidden magic. So she won’t fall for an evil warlock, no matter how hot, even if he breaks her out of prison, or if only they together can defeat the unholy creatures invading the country. Right? #QuestPit #F #RF #W #A #YA

WORLDKEEPERS Not all posh corporate retreats on remote planets go to plan. On this one, Juan Ramirez and other employees are chased in the rainforest by wildlife and kidnappers alike. And ancient hunters within the planet may join the pursuit. Time to ditch the champagne. #QuestPit #SF #W #A #YA

THE PROSECUTOR'S AEGIS Emilia Leftraro never expected to hide her identity in a performance troupe, acting in a romantic comedy opposite a convicted warlock. Her abbess would be horrified. But then again, Emilia never expected to be hunted by marauding armies, either. #QuestPit #F #RF #W #A #YA

CALLING ALL FASHIONISTAS: I need advice for a character. You're going on a luxury retreat in a remote rainforest. What do you take with you? Boots: check. Bags: check. Sun hat: check. What else? And how do you make them not just apparel, but STATEMENTS? #amwriting #writesky #sff #fashion

‼️IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT‼️ In solidarity with the general strike happening this Friday, we’re postponing this week’s event by ONE day. The event will now take place January 31st on Saturday. This strike is important to the both of us and we would appreciate you joining us.

I only had one job today. I was supposed to help my protagonists escape. Instead, I made things worse. That's kind of my other job. Cheers to all the authors out there making your characters' lives miserable. See you at #QuestPit tomorrow! #amwriting #writesky #sff

Got to the "Bad Guys Close In" part of the plot, and amped up all the baddies. It's getting intense now! Did I overdo it? I don't see how the protagonists can escape. But hey, that's a problem for tomorrow me. #amwriting #WriteSky #sff

I've had it up to here so I'm just going to say it: THE PAST TENSE OF "GLIDE" SHOULD BE "GLID." Right? I cringe every time I write "glided." #amwriting #WriteSky #sff

The good news: I'm over 90% of my target word count! The bad news: I'm going to go over the target word count again :( I missed my #NaNoWriQ4 goal, but should have the first draft wrapped by by February, and I'll take that. See y'all at #QuestPit! #amwriting #writesky #sff

Latest #NaNoWriQ4 update: work kicked my butt this week, and I only wrote 2500 words (vs 5000 target). I'm still targeting completion of the first draft by the end of the year! But I'll need some epic writing sessions. Send cookies and caffeine. #amwriting #sff

My #NaNoWriQ4 idea is taking off like wildfire! Thanks to all who support! (both of you) For my part, good progress so far. I'm projecting to complete on time, unless I write too much, in which case I'm going to slap myself with a wet noodle because I WANT A SHORTER BOOK. #sff #WritingCommunity

Got caught up with editing and planning passes. And now... NEW GOAL: Complete the next book by the end of the year! I call it #NaNoWriQ4. (Like NaNoWriMo, but my day job means writing a book over all of Q4 rather than just November). Who's with me? #sff #WritingCommunity #WriteSky

I had a long slog through a revision. But suddenly, I'm done! I'm always surprised at how quickly the revision is completed, once the thorniest problems are solved. On to Beta Readers! They'll tell me if anything I did was actually effective or not :) #amwriting #sff #romantasy

I re-read Ready Player One over the past few days. It's #LitRPG, isn't it? Of course it is, but I didn't notice until I read it *after* reading Dungeon Crawler Carl. Then it was blindingly obvious. Normally I don't read #LitRPG, but those two books were super fun. #sff #WritingCommunity

#pretendpanel 8/2: How much wider do you read compared to what you write? I mostly read outside of genre! I read in genre occasionally, both for fun and to stay current. But I read a LOT of non-fiction. #WritingCommunity #Writers #Authors #WritingPrompts

Just submitted the first query for my 3rd book! Maybe a bit early? But remaining edits are small, and this is an agent I love who closes to queries soon. I've been planning on querying for months, but it's always eye-opening to actually submit. More to polish! #amwriting #WritingCommunity

July/August newsletter just went out! www.goodreads.com/author/show/... If you'd like to sign up for the emails (very infrequent!) please subscribe to the mailing list on my website: www.alexanderthomasauthor.com #amwriting #sff #WritingCommunity

#WordWeavers 11/7: How is your current WIP going? Just finished collecting a second round of beta reader feedback! Book feels close now, I'm hoping to query soon. Good: readers love the pacing, romance, plot. Bad: not enough empathy with the MC. Onward to editing! #WritingCommunity #amwriting

#WritersCoffeeClub 6/26. How much of the finished work do you need to have in mind before you start writing? "I would have written a shorter letter, but I didn't have time." I want to write shorter books. And I've discovered that requires more planning. Egads! #amwriting #WritingCommunity

#WritersCoffeeClub 24/6: Do your characters value being well-dressed? When I first started, readers complained I never described clothes. That got me thinking. So my first book introduces a fashion-obsessed barbarian. In my latest book, a tailor helps save the day. #amwriting #writingcommunity

Heat wave here in the PNW! At the moment I'm editing a novel about a protagonist who leaves the heat for a heist in snow and ice. Writing about the cold does help ride out the heatwave! #amwriting #WritingCommunity

Writers: what do you call it when you finally find the perfect word to express a concept, but you can't use it because it doesn't match how the character talks? Besides "annoying." #amwriting #WritingCommunity

Editing passes are INTERMINABLE. Always another thing to fix, always more beta feedback to consider. After a day on edits the to-do list is LONGER, and then... ...suddenly, it's done! Wow. Took a while, but the 2nd draft is now in the hands of Beta Readers. Whew! #amwriting #WritingCommunity

#WritersCoffeeClub June 2: Do you write linearly? Definitely! I plot and outline in any order, but the writing is linear. For me, it's the only way to ensure the reader has a consistent experience. And things change as I write! Characters have minds of their own. #amwriting #WritingCommunity

Me: This book will be in close third person. Close third person is ideal for the MC. [Writes the first three chapters, realizes afterward they're 100% first person. Huh.] Me: This book will be in first person. First person is ideal for the MC. #WritingCommunity #amwriting #sff

#WritersCoffeeClub Day 18: What do you do to actively avoid writer’s block? Writer's block is my subconscious telling me it isn't ready for this scene or passage yet. If I hit writer's block, I journal about the scene+plot for a while. That reliably unblocks me. #WritingCommunity #amwriting

#WritersCoffeeClub May 12. Weather or season influence on what you write? In fantasy, seasons are a great way to ground the reader in the passage of time, without an alternate calendar. And occasionally the weather will punch the heroes (and the reader?) in the face. #WritingCommunity #amwriting

#WordWeavers May 11: Share an inspiration for one of your settings. The Oregon coast! Famous for pinnacles, waves, storms, goblins, hired assassins, lost civilizations, and at least one very pissed-off Sumerian demon. Also several lovely bakeries and restaurants. #amwriting #WritingCommunity

#WordWeavers 5/9 Last book you’ve read? Anything you'd apply to your writing? I'm re-reading Galbraith's The Great Crash (why read about stock market crashes these days?) It's ultimately a tragic story about personalities. It hasn't aged perfectly, but he has some wicked prose in there. #amwriting

THE SPELLMAN FILES × DEADBEAT DRUID Washed-up magician🃏Rick Firestick finds a thrift store snowglobe🔮that grants real magic🪄—until the snow settles. Now he's being hunted by a warlock✨ who wants it back. #QuestPit #A #CF #W

Emilia Leftraro must protect her abbey from forbidden magic. So of course she would never fall for a warlock she convicted, not even if he breaks her out of prison, and not even if only they together can defeat the unholy creatures invading the country. Right? #QuestPit #F #RF #W #A #YA

Master Thief Shinobu works alone. Unless Morven asks him to join her, of course. Or if she invites two annoying kids. The mismatched group has little hope of surviving the Cursed Kingdom and retrieving the famous Soul Stone, even though they were promised an easy heist. #QuestPit #F #W #A #YA

Emilia Leftraro is the pious prosecutor of a small-town abbey. She certainly never expected to hide her identity in a performance troupe, or to act in a romantic comedy opposite a convicted warlock. But she never expected to be hunted by marauding armies, either. #QuestPit #F #RF #W #A #YA

A jaded thief treks through snow and ice along a northern shore to retrieve a valuable jewel from an empty palace. But the cursed landscape isn’t as deserted as Shinobu was promised, and the jewel itself is tied to the downfall of a mighty empire, with a destiny of its own. #QuestPit #F #W #A #YA

#WritersCoffeeClub Day 6: What does your usual workspace look like? Share a picture. Coffee shops! This is one my my neighborhood favorites, great Turkish coffee. I have a minimal kit I can take anywhere, and I pick clean, uncluttered spaces to focus. #WritingCommunity #amwriting

Personal achievement unlocked! Today was the 10-thousandth time I looked up the difference between "lay" and "lie." Congrats to me! #WritingCommunity #amwriting

Support your indie authors! It's easy: sign up for their email lists. In this case, you also get a chance to win a kindle and several books. Disclaimer: my book is included. It's the one with the cute cover. No, the other one. #WritingCommunity #amwriting [Giveaway runs through 30 April]

Late to the #RevPit news! Congrats to the winners. It's well worth reviewing the 2025 winners, there are some great blurbs in there. #WritingCommunity #amwriting

#Wordweavers 4/22: Would your story work in a vastly different setting? What a great question! The answer is "yes," but then: why is the current setting best? One joy of fantasy is pushing reality--and expectations--to extremes. The current setting is best for that. #WritingCommunity #amwriting

#Wordweavers Day 18 - What would it take for your MC to become violent? Pretty much nothing would make the MC violent. Which is tricky, since they are the only one in the way of an invasion of armies and unholy fiends. Yes, the MC worries about that too. #WritingCommunity #amwriting

#WritersCoffeeClub 17 April: Do your real-world tastes show up in your writing? No! I would never subject readers to that. I mean, "no" other than the Shakespeare references. And the architecture. And the snobby critiques. And the devious antagonists. #WritingCommunity #amwriting

#pretendpanel April 11th: What's the worst piece of critique you've ever received? Rarely have I received strong negative feedback that I didn't deserve :) Critiques that are shallow, whether positive or negative, are the least useful. Maybe those are the "worst?" #WritingCommunity #amwriting

#WordWeavers Apr 9: What's the most prevalent form of communication in your world besides talking face-to-face? Fantasy and Sci-Fi: packets! That is, people physically carrying messages with them. Fantasy: because. Sci-Fi: only physical packets can go FTL. #sff #WriteSky #amwriting

#WordWeavers 4/4 Whose advice about your writing would you follow? AND #PretendPanel Are you part of a critique group? I LOVE critique swaps. That's how I started as an author, and keep a critical eye on my work. I've been happy with one-off swaps, but a critique group makes a lot of sense...

#WritersCoffeeClub Apr 1: April Fool's Day! Do you include in-jokes, hidden messages, or "easter eggs" in your writing? The first book was heavy satire, so that was required at points? But following books have required reader immersion, and so I avoided it. #WritingCommunity #amwriting

#WritersCoffeeClub How do you handle foreshadowing? How do you build up to the ‘big reveal’? I love reveals! Having a mystery throughout the book with a final twist is always a goal. But it has to be plausible and, though a surprise, also obvious after the fact. That's hard! But worth it.