Monday 6 March 2017

February round-up, goals for March, my wife's blog launch and Dark Winds Rising cover reveal

Wow! We're already nearly a week into March and it's high time I put down some goals for the month.

First, let's look back at February. I was pleased to have got quite a lot done and I hope that continues for this month:
  • Added 10,000 words to my WIP. Reasonably happy with how this is going and can finally see an end in sight.
  • Wrote and submitted a short story for an anthology.
  • Got caught up on writing book reviews. This is big for me - it's something I need to get much better at.
For the rest of March, I will be taking a short break from my WIP and, with the A-Z Challenge waiting just around the corner, doing my best to get as many posts prepped as I can. Having sat out last year, I'm really hyped for this. And I say I'll be "taking a break" from my book, but without giving away too much before the theme reveal, these posts will really help me reconnect with the series as a whole and should end up being very useful.

Next, my lovely wife, Heather, has just launched her very own blog where she will be talking all about her business, our family and dogs, animal rescue, and whatever is going on with us. Please click on over here and show her some support! 

And finally, a good friend of mine, Mark Noce, recently unveiled the cover for the second in his excellent historical series set in medieval Wales. I highly recommend you check out the first installment, Between Two Fires. You can check out my review here.

Dark Winds Rising is the sequel to Mark's debut novel Between Two Fires, and comes out with St. Martin’s Press December 5th 2017.



Dark Winds Rising (synopsis)
Queen Branwen finds her world once again turned upside down as Pictish raiders harry the shores of her kingdom. Rallying her people once more, she must face her most dangerous foe yet, the Queen of the Picts. Ruthless and cunning, the Pictish Queen turns the Welsh against each other in a bloody civil war, and Branwen must attempt to stop her before her country threatens to tear itself apart. All the while Branwen is heavy with child, and finds her young son’s footsteps dogged by a mysterious assassin. Branwen must somehow defeat the Picts and save her people before the Pictish Queen and a
mysterious assassin threaten to destroy their lives from the inside out.


About the Author

Mark Noce writes historical fiction with a passion, and eagerly reads everything from fantasy to literature. Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, he’s an avid traveler and backpacker, particularly in Europe and North America. He earned his BA and MA from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, where he also met his beautiful wife. By day, he works as a Technical Writer, having spent much of his career at places like Google and Facebook. When not reading or writing, he’s probably listening to U2, sailing his dad’s boat, or gardening with his family.

Dark Winds Rising is his second novel in a historical series published by St. Martin’s Press. His debut novel, Between Two Fires, (also published via St. Martin's Press) is available wherever books are sold. Learn more at marknoce.com or connect via his newsletter or blog.


Between Two Fires: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Macmillan

21 comments:

Maria said...

Hi Nick, I think I'll have to set myself a few goals. I have to get a few more things done, I never seem to get to the end of my 'to do' lists. That series looks very tempting, I'm going to watch out for this author. I love historical fiction.

The Cynical Sailor said...

I should get better about writing book reviews too, especially as I know how much they mean to the authors. Great job on your goals last month and looking forward to your A to Z series. I've seen Mark's cover on another blog - it's stunning. Cheers - Ellen

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

I'm not doing the Challenge this year. Might even take a week or two off in April. First time I've done that in seven years.
Ten thousand words is great!

JeffO said...

Good on you for hitting your February marks, Nick, and good luck with this month. Congrats to Mark on his cover--it looks quite nice!

Stephanie Faris said...

I did my last A to Z last year, but excited to read all of you guys' posts! 10,000 words!!!! I could only hope to be that productive.

Madeline Mora-Summonte said...

Looks like you had a productive February. Good luck for March and for A-Z! :)

Christine Rains said...

You're doing fantastically, Nick! And yay for Mark! Love that cover.

Anonymous said...

Good luck with your goals.
The cover is beautiful. Congrats to Mark.

H. R. Sinclair said...

Congrats on getting those words down!

I LOVE medieval Wales as a setting!

cleemckenzie said...

There's a lot coming up. That's for sure.

Here's another congrats to Mark on his new book.

Cherie Reich said...

I've been slow to write up reviews the past few months. I need to get better about it.

Congrats to Mark! Love that cover!

betty said...

That is a great cover reveal; best of luck to Mark with the book!

Good for you for reaching some of your goals! I'm sitting A/Z out this year, but look forward to reading what you post with your theme, etc.

Did visit your wife's blog :)

betty

Chrys Fey said...

I visited your wife's blog and gave her a follow. :)

Mark said...

thanks so much, Nick! I appreciate the share:)

Liz A. said...

Have you been giving your wife blog writing advice?

Tyrean Martinson said...

Woohoo! Congrats on the writing, the A to Zo, to your wife, and to Mark!
So much good news, all at the same time. That's awesome!

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Nick - I'm probably being thick - butcouldn't see Heather's blog?! Dumb I expect!

Well done with your goals and preparing for the A-Z ... I missed last year so must do it this year ... then Mark's cover - does look enticing and imposing ... cheers to you all - Hilary

Carol Kilgore said...

Have fun with A-Z. I loved Mark's first book, and I'm looking forward to reading this one. Now I'm going over to check out your wife's blog :)

Sherry Ellis said...

Sounds like you've been very productive! Congratulations on your wife's blog launch. I hope she enjoys blogging.

Mark's cover looks awesome!

Arlee Bird said...

Sounds like you've been a busy guy. Good to hear that you're doing A to Z again--hope you like the way we're doing it this year. Did you tell your wife about doing A to Z since it's a good way to get some additional exposure?

I click on over to Heather's blog to check it out. I doubt whether my wife would ever do a blog. If she did she'd probably prefer to do it in Spanish even though her English is highly competent.

Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out

Heather R. Holden said...

Congrats on your February accomplishments! 10K words in a single month is impressive. Best of luck prepping for the A-to-Z challenge!