Hello everyone!
Can we just talk about how 2026 has been an absolute ride already? I’m currently in a serious "clear the decks" mode because life is about to get a bit more personal. Hubby is headed in for knee surgery in just five days, so I’m prepping to be MIA for a bit. I’m taking the first week of April to focus entirely on his recovery (ice packs and TLC on deck!), and then I’ll be sliding back into my work seat during the second week of April.
I’ve been working like a woman possessed to make sure everything is ready for this break. Just yesterday, I pulled a seven-hour report-writing marathon—over 4,000 words sent off to clients! I managed to be "out of the office" by a very reasonable time... which in my world was just after midnight.
Before I go quiet, I wanted to share a recap of why the first three months of this year have been so gloriously insane.
Meeting the Quintessential "Author-Preneur"
One of the biggest highlights was onboarding a new author client, Patrizia. She is the definition of an Author-Preneur—totally committed to the long game and building a legacy. We’ve already finished her new website, branding, next novel scope, and roadmap, and we even had a great debrief today after sprints! We are having so much fun building her foundational brand and profile while working on releasing her first book (a stunning memoir) and simultaneously tackling structural edits for her second project (a mystery novel). She is a powerhouse, and I can't wait for you all to read her books.
The Q1 Breakdown. A Month-by-Month Blur
January: The Vacation That Wasn't & Sprint Start
I was supposed to take three weeks off to rest and recharge. Spoiler: It didn’t happen. I looked at my calendar recently and my brain just went kaput—I honestly can't remember where the first ten days went! I did manage a serious achievement by posting the 2025 recap and 2026 roadmap on New Year’s Day, but by mid-month, it was all hands on deck.
The big focus was Ann Hosler and the Runebound Earth series. We successfully finished four new covers for her series rebrand and soft-launched her ARCs by the end of the month. We also kicked off the Deanna's World Author Client Community (The ACC) weekly writing sprints! One of our authors, Clark, has been at every single Saturday sprint since the very first one in January. His dedication is amazing—he’s officially onboarding with me the second week of April. We delayed his start a bit for some day-job stuff, but he’s already a core part of the crew.
February: Duo Sprints, Releases, and the "Big Smoke"
February was all about momentum. We moved our writing sprints to twice a week because the authors are just that dedicated. Nicola and Clark even held down the fort with a duo sprint one Saturday when everyone else was tied up! That was the weekend Hubby and I headed into the Big Smoke for a family Chinese New Year event. I’ll admit, I seriously contemplated logging into the sprints from the passenger seat while Hubby drove the two hours in. I managed to resist (barely!), but I still hopped in just to say hi.
On the release front, we celebrated Steve’s release of False Love (Book 4 of his Blake Willis Thriller series). It’s officially the best thing he’s written! Between Steve, Ann, and the rest of my small-but-mighty portfolio—there is one author I don’t mention by name, privacy and all that, but rest assured, she is VERY MIGHTY—I did a quick count: we are looking at 27 new releases and 50+ other projects (translations, audiobooks, and re-releases) this year. That’s almost 80 books on my plate for 2026. No wonder I don’t sleep—though I’m happy to blame menopause for that, too.
Also, for my ARC team, I’ve launched audiobook ARCs and am looking at offering limited physical copies soon. I even opened up the Typo Hunter team for new members—I'm looking for eagle-eyed readers across more genres!
March: Sprinting to the Finish Line
I’ll be honest: I am one tired bunny right now. March has been a race to finish all deadline-driven work. Along with more covers for Ann to get her ready for her US con, I’ve been deep in the trenches with Julie. I finished her outline assessment last night (part of that 4,000-word marathon!), and we have a session on Monday to discuss it before we start on some new covers for an existing series of hers when I get back in April.
While I’ve been head-down in work, Julie just got back from a three-week South American cruise! I am officially green with envy after seeing all her amazing photos—what a dream trip!
I’m currently clearing the deck of:
- Two final covers for Ann (due tonight, oof!). I will not be out of the office before midnight tonight, but I did have a nap after an early dinner in the evening. That’s counts as rest, right?
- March ARCs (very last minute—soz!).
- That outline assessment for Julie.
- A publishing industry white paper I’ve been working on (maybe...).
The ACC Sprint Success
Our little Deanna's World Author Client Community is absolutely crushing it:
- We’ve had authors finishing novellas and short stories left and right.
- One powerhouse is already 40,000 words into her next WIP.
- Another is back into his main novel after a quick novella break.
- One author is over 50,000 words into the first draft of his series finale!
- Okay, one author went on holidays for three weeks, but I'd call that a win too, because a holiday is a reset and a refresh. And we all need that now and then. She's setting an example for us workaholics!
Don’t ask what I wrote—it was a mountain of articles, reports, and some very deep world-building for a new mafia romance series for one of my authors.
A Quick Word on Staying Connected
I’m doing my best not to bombard your inboxes. You’ll always find the latest updates on the website, and I’m keeping the newsletters to a couple of times a month.
As a fun ego-check, my own brother told me today that I didn't warrant the space of two emails a month in his inbox (thanks, bro!). He’s moving over to follow me on Substack instead—though he’s currently in a protest phase because of the new Australian age restrictions for certain online content. I get it. Many people do not want to have to submit their drivers license to some random website.
In the wise words of my mother, who sparked my love of reading whenever I complained of boredom as a kid: "Go read a book".
I hope the first quarter of 2026 has been wonderful for you. Now, go find something amazing to read!
xoxo, Deanna
FOR SOME FUN BOOK STUFF...
Find me everywhere:
No comments:
Post a Comment