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Vera Brook

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Year In Review

My writing & publishing year in review: 2021

I won’t lie: it feels presumptuous to be writing this post, even if I don’t mention “award eligibility.”

I have been writing and self-publishing for five years, but in many ways I’m still finding my voice and learning the ropes. It’s definitely not a quick or easy journey!

But, in the spirit of treating my fiction writing as a career as well as a passion, I want to get in the habit of reflecting on what I accomplished in terms of both writing and publishing, and use it to set better goals for the future.

So here is my 2021 in review, divided into three categories:

  1. The work I published
  2. The work I wrote but haven’t published or even finished yet
  3. Other writing-related endeavors

1. My Work Published in 2021

> SAND RUNNER SERIES BUNDLE (BOOKS 1-3)

My first series bundle collects the first 3 books in my YA near-future science fiction series about extreme racing and bionic tech: SAND RUNNER (Book 1), CAGE RUNNER (Book 2), and GHOST RUNNER (Book 3). Published in February 2021 exclusively on Kobo (for now).

Sand Runner Bundle Cover

> OF BUGS, DEBTS, AND DISTANT PLANETS

Science fiction flash fiction (995 words) published in Fifth Di… in June 2021.

> MIRA

Science fiction/ biopunk short story (1350 words) published in Hyphen Punk in June 2021. (The POV character, Mira, briefly appears in SAND RUNNER.)

> MUSIC THERAPY

Science fiction novelette (9950 words) inspired by neuroscience research on therapeutic effects of acupuncture — meshed with lab politics, secret romance, and irreverent humor. Published in Aphelion in November 2021.

> FRIENDS & FOES

Paranormal/ dark fantasy romance with a twist (short story, 1475 words) posted on Wattpad and my website in October 2021.

Cover for the short story Friends and Foes by Vera Brook

> THE GAME

LitRPG portal fantasy (short story, 2075 words) posted on Wattpad and my website in November 2021.

Cover for The Game short story by Vera Brook

> SECRET TEETH, HIDDEN CLAWS

Dark fantasy about the writing process (flash, 960 words) posted on Wattpad and my website in November 2021.

Cover for the short story Secret Teeth, Hidden Claws by Vera Brook

> THE KISS

Paranormal love story (11,500 words) published on Amazon (for now) in November 2021.

Promo image for The Kiss by Vera Brook

2. My Work Written (But Not Yet Published) in 2021

> YA ROMANCE ABOUT HIGH SCHOOL THEATER

This is a new series and a new genre for me: contemporary romance without any speculative elements. Romance is all about characters and relationships, so my goal is to both expand my range and strengthen my craft.

Book 1 in the series is complete at 106,000 words. I am also 68,000 words into Book 2. My plan is to write 3 books in this series and edit them together, and then publish all 3 on a rapid-release schedule. I am also writing some tie-in short fiction to gift to my readers.

Here are the two main characters, Ana and Cory, as I imagine them. (Artwork made with Artbreeder.)

> YA SCIENCE FICTION ABOUT COGNITIVE ENHANCEMENT

Same plan as above. Book 1 is finished (at about 80,000 words), but I want to write books 2 & 3 as well, edit them together, and publish the whole trilogy on a rapid-release schedule. It requires a lot of patience, but I believe it will be worth it.

> SCIENCE FICTION NOVELETTE ABOUT CONSTRUCTION WORKERS

Currently on hold with a market I really love (fingers crossed).

Lately, all my short fiction grows to novelette length. No regrets in this case, though, even if it might be harder to publish. I am very fond of the characters, and I hope my readers will enjoy them too.

3. Other Writing-Related Endeavors in 2021

This post is getting too long, so I’ll only mention 2 things here, not to torture you, kind souls who are reading it.

> AUTHOR NEWSLETTER

I had an author newsletter before, but I’ve neglected it to the point of almost murdering the poor thing.

But an email list is still considered a key marketing asset, and I subscribe to a lot of author and writing-related newsletters myself and enjoy them. So I finally got over my resistance and reanimated Vera Brook’s newsletter in 2021.

You are welcome to sign up for it here: http://eepurl.com/cTQmKD! 🙂

> CLARION WEST WRITE-A-THON 2021

I loved, loved, loved participating in the Clarion West Write-A-Thon 2021, to support their amazing Clarion West speculative fiction workshop & other events. Participants set their own goals, write alongside the Seattle workshop participants, and help raise funds for future workshops.

In addition to a daily writing goal and a fundraising goal, I pledged to read a short story a day. You can see a partial list of the amazing short stories I read, with links to where you can read them as well, on my website. I also included some writing & publishing resources. I hope you will find them useful.

And that’s all she wrote! I’ll tackle my writing & publishing goals for 2022 in a separate post.

Thank you for reading, and all the best in 2022!

Filed Under: News/Media Tagged With: 2021, Eligibility Post, Writing Process, Year In Review

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