May Newsletter

Hello, everyone! How was your month?

To all of you mothers: Happy Mother’s Day! Today I have a special story to celebrate.

Writing: The Day Mother Saved Mother’s Day

I wrote this piece of flash fiction a couple of months ago, hoping to submit it for publication. That didn’t end up working out, but now I get to share it with you all! I hope you enjoy it!

Reading: 100 Days of Sunlight

100 Days of Sunlight by Abbie Emmons

When life knocks you down.. Get up.

When 16-year-old Tessa Dickinson gets in a car accident and loses her eyesight, her grandparents hire someone to help her with her poetry blog. Tessa feels like she will never be happy again and would like nothing more than for the cheerful boy helping her to go away.

Weston Ludovico understands what Tessa’s going through painfully well. He readily agrees to help her but with one request— no one can tell Tessa about the absence of his legs.

Tessa is convinced Weston has no idea the pain she’s feeling and is not shy about taking her emotions out on him. But slowly, Weston pulls her out of the darkness and shows her that there is more than one way to experience life.

When Tessa’s sight begins to return, will Weston be brave enough to stick around and let himself be seen?

100 Days of Sunlight is amazing! That’s all that needs to be said right there. Tessa and Weston are such relatable characters and they’re adorable together. Their journeys to overcome their fears were so well written and their world felt extremely well developed.

I loved this book so much that I have the sequel, Tessa and Weston: The Best Christmas Ever, on my shelf right now waiting to be read!

Spotlight: Interview with K. Florence and Project: Raven

Today I have an interview with a friend of mine on a community for young writers (The Young Writer’s Workshop) whose book I’ve had the privilege to read. I’m so excited for this book to be available for you all to read as well!

Hello, K. Florence! Thank you so much for agreeing to do this interview. First, would you mind telling me a little bit about yourself and your writing journey?

Hello, Abby, thank you for having me! This is a dream come true! 

Well, as you already know my name is K. Florence, I love cats, coffee, and Jesus. I live in Northern Wisconsin - even though I am allergic to the cold lol - with my amazing family. I write way too much, day and night, most likely getting less sleep than I should be. One of my greatest weaknesses is fresh chocolate chip cookies mouth waters and don’t even get me started on fairy tales. I could read them all day, every day. It is a slight obsession of mine. 

Enough about me, let's get into the rest of this interview! 

Would you tell us a little bit about Project: Raven?

I would love to! Here is a little blurb I whipped together: 

Project: Raven is the first book in the Wonderland War series, a retelling of Alice in Wonderland. This book tells the tale of an assassin who is made to do horrible things, things that fracture her soul and make her mind break. It tells of a girl who is forced to fight for the crown she didn’t want. It tells of someone who is broken, shattered, and bleeding coming to find herself through her own darkness. 

The story tells of a boy who has lived in his father’s shadow his whole life, a shadow made of dark things and power. It weaves a tale of a boy who has one last chase to step into the light, facing not only his death but his own twisted mind. It speaks of someone who wants to discover that life can be worth living even if you have lived through your nightmares. 

Where did you get the idea for Project: Raven?

I think the original idea came from my love of fairy tales. One day I was thinking of the story Alice in Wonderland when I had a thought. What if I told her story from the perspective of queens from each suit of card?

My heart fell in love with the idea and my mind took the brainstorming process to the whole next level and soon I had a five-book series brainstormed with possibly more to come. So here I am presenting to you Project: Raven.

What is your favorite part about writing this story?

Honestly, I don’t think I could have just one favorite part. But I really love the dialogue between Raven and Carson, it is chef’s kiss The emotion, action, and banter they have between one another are so amusing! Every time I write an argument I think of all the ways it could go wrong, and has. (No I am not going to tell you how it goes wrong, when the book is out you will have to find out for yourself!) 

Do you have a quote or two you could share from Project: Raven?

I would love to share some with you! Here are a few of my favorites:

“He wasn’t like them, because his scars didn’t lie on his skin.” 

And for the second one: 

“One can’t feel the night; it was simply there. Waiting and ready, crouching and in anticipation for its turn to attack.”

When can we expect to see Project: Raven? (I can’t wait to hold it in my hands!!)

I am so stoked to see you so excited about it!! I don’t know exactly when you will be able to hold it in your hands. The next step (after finishing the first draft lol) is beta readers then off to a content editor. I do hope to (sometime) this year get a literary agent or start querying one - as I want to traditionally publish this book. 

As I continue in this journey you can keep up with Project: Raven’s happenings on my blog: Kflorencewrites.com! 

Thank you again for this interview! God bless! And Don’t forget to Rock On!

~K. Florence

Quick Writing Update

• Completely finished editing Thawed: A Snow Queen Retelling

• Finished and wrote 10,000 words in an unnamed novelette

• Finished outlining an unnamed contemporary novel

• Started outlining an unnamed sci-fi novel

Did you enjoy my Mother’s Day short story? How do you celebrate Mother’s Day? Let me know by replying directly to this email or leaving me a comment on the website that corresponds to The Introverted Writer!

Thank you so much for reading! Have a great rest of your day!

Abby Henderson

P.S. Keep an eye on your inbox for some exciting news about Thawed: A Snow Queen Retelling!