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 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
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:
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:
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:
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 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.
Until next time — take care and stay creative.
T.T.F.N.