---
title: Shiny, Sweaty People
description: Author Clare Dugmore shares June writing updates, prequel news, a new WIP, and creative balance tips in this fun, heartfelt monthly roundup.
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---

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 March 31, 2026

# Shiny, Sweaty People

![Picture of Clare Dugmore](https://claredugmore.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Clare%20April%2023.jpg?width=50&name=Clare%20April%2023.jpg) By  [Clare Dugmore](https://claredugmore.com/blog/author/clare-dugmore)  ·   3 minute read

**Hello, Dear Readers,**

Before I get to all my exciting bookish news for this month, a brief aside: the UK is having a heatwave (again), and it’s *just* too hot!

Now, before anyone says, *“But Clare, other countries are hotter,”* let me just say — people from those countries often agree the heatwaves hit differently here. Plus, the UK wasn’t built for 30-degree weather. Most homes don’t have air con — seriously!

Okay, enough whining. Despite the horrible heat, I’ve had an excellent June, and I’m eager to jump into July full steam ahead.

**June Progress**

I started revisions of *Fractured Loyalties — Act One* with Hubby, my first and sexiest beta reader! I always love going through my stories with him. He’s been supporting me since day one, and has read all the iterations of the *Triquetra* series.

We’ve almost finished Nola’s arc, and I’ve made some great notes on small changes — mostly tweaks to the world-building to make the PID even more terrifying.

Next, I’m excited to get stuck into Esmee and Maggie’s chapters and see what Hubby thinks of the changes since I last wrote a version of *Triquetra* back in 2018.

**Prequel News!**

I also wrote 5,288 words on the prequel novel *Before the Fracture*. Yes, you read that right — *Before the Fracture* is now a **full-length novel**!

Originally, I planned to write a 25k version for a paranormal romance anthology\*, but as I was discussing it with Hubby, we realised the story — which covers some important lore — deserves a full novel, not just a novella.

And then, in typical Clare fashion, I accidentally expanded that into *two* prequel novels. I’m even toying with the idea of a short story that follows prequel two, though the plot might naturally fit inside that second prequel. We’ll see...

*\* This was originally going to be my piece for the Into The Woods Anthology from E & E for Readers and Authors Limited. After deciding the story needed a full-length novel, I tried brainstorming something else for the anthology, but nothing felt quite right, so I decided to bow out.*

**Kindred Creativity Club Update**

June also saw me relaunch *The Kindred Book Club*, now expanded into *The Kindred Creativity Club*! I even hosted my first event: **Creating With Pride — an LGBTQIA+ Indie Creative Spotlight and Stonewall fundraiser**.

It was such a joy to highlight amazing indie creatives and make some wonderful new connections.

I also decided [*The Kindred Creativity Club*](https://kindredcreativityclub.claredugmore.com/) deserved its own website and social media accounts to keep things separate from my author platforms.

In July, we’re shifting the spotlight to a community close to our hearts: the **Write Here, Write Now** community, founded by **Karen Sanders Editing**.

📍 You can find all the details here:  
[https://kindredcreativityclub.claredugmore.com](https://kindredcreativityclub.claredugmore.com/)

**New Story Obsession!**

As the month wound down, a wild plot bunny appeared...

I started thinking about an old concept I came up with a few years ago — inspired by *The Dark Phoenix Saga*, Sansa Stark’s arc in *A Song of Ice and Fire*, the Persephone & Hades myth, *Labyrinth*, and a bunch of other sources.

As I brainstormed ideas and found new inspiration, it snowballed into a full-fledged sapphic dark fantasy romance — about a sacred flame controlled by the patriarchy and the fiery lady knight who kneels for no one but her.

You guys, this story has taken over my life. Just today, I created:

- An 80-song (6-hour!) Spotify playlist
- A Pinterest inspo board with 75 images
- Loads of notes and character development

**Balancing All the Things**

In the past, I’ve struggled with writing multiple stories and avoiding the dopamine-fueled “new and shiny” rabbit holes. But I’ve developed a better understanding of how my ADHD brain works — and this time, I’ve built a system.

Here’s what my weekly creative schedule looks like:

- **Mondays** – Write *Before the Fracture*
- **Wednesdays** – Revise *Fractured Loyalties* with Hubby
- **Fridays** – Work on *Divine Unmaking* (the new WIP)
- **Tuesdays & Thursdays** – KCC work + admin/social media
- **Weekends & evenings** – REST!

And of course, I’ll stay flexible — in case something comes up, like, oh, I don’t know, going to see *28 Years Later* at the cinema (*hello, Aaron Taylor-Johnson!*). I’m also committed to taking weekends and evenings off to avoid burnout.

Last year, I managed to:

- Complete *The Starlight Prince*
- Write *The Adventures of Josain Jovenne*
- Contribute to two anthology shorts

So I feel confident I can pull this off.

**Final Thoughts**

It’s just a matter of reminding myself *why* I love these stories — and *why* I want to devote time and energy to them whenever I start to flag.

And also, listening to my body. If I’m blocked or need more sleep than usual, I ask myself why. Is it PMDD? Anxiety? Demand avoidance? Once I figure that out, the solution is usually pretty simple.

That about covers June! Be sure to follow me on [social media](https://claredugmore.com/links) for more regular updates, WIP snippets, and behind-the-scenes tidbits. And if you want **exclusive excerpts**, make sure you’re [subscribed to my newsletter](https://claredugmore.com/letters-from-clare).

Until next time — take care and stay creative.

**T.T.F.N. **

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