Spring Update

High desert weather is weird. Winter weather typically starts in October and ends in April (although we've had snow in late May). This is followed by blustery Spring weather in April and May. Summer weather starts in June and Fall weather starts in September.

The Spring winds were brutal again, but we had nice days here and there to do yardwork. We've created a flower garden in our backyard, and it's relaxing to sit out there and enjoy wildlife sightings. A roadrunner built a nest in the crown of our tree, and we can hear her babies cheeping when she returns to feed them bugs or lizards.

The backyard landscaping is coming together.

Favorite TV

• Andor, Season 2. You don't have to know much about the Star Wars universe to enjoy this one. Andor is a slow burn about the making of a rebellion, following the Rogue One rogue, Cassian Andor. As a writer, I was blown away by the masterfully-written dialogue, filled with subtext, and the realistic worldbuilding that transports you to a galaxy far, far away. Most importantly, the show speaks to our current political climate.

• Four Seasons - A delightful remake of the classic Alan Alda film, featuring Tina Fey and Steve Carrell, this Netflix comedy explores the relationships of a group of friends through four vacations.

• The Rookie - Still my favorite current show with unforgettable characters. It's premise is that a middle-aged man (Nathan Fillion) changes careers to become the oldest LAPD rookie, but it's so much more than that. If you haven't seen this one, I can't encourage it enough.

  
  

Favorite Reads

I'm on track to meet this year's reading goal. Here are my favorites so far:

• Terminal List - Jack Carr

  • I tore through this thriller in about a week, an unusually high speed for me. It's a great revenge story starring a Navy SEAL.

• Tread of Angels - Rebecca Roanhorse

  • Weird western/murder mystery, featuring the descendants of angels and demons, by one of my favorite NM authors.

• Fractured - Karin Slaughter (Will Trent #2)

  • If you like the Will Trent TV show, the first book (Triptych) may disappoint you, but Fractured has the vibe you're looking for.

I Need Ratings

If you like my work, please rate and/or review Midnight Agency on Amazon, B&N, or Goodreads. Those stars truly help me get more visibility.

Accountability Time

• New Fantasy Novel Queries ✅

  • Active: 4

  • Declined: 8

• Midnight Agency, Season 3 😞

  • Goal: complete draft by June. Sadly, no.

    • Word count: 45K

    • 64% toward goal

    • Realized I was writing book 4 instead of book 3 and had to rework it. Ultimately, this is a good thing, but it cost me time.

• New novel series -- goal: start draft of a mystery, crime, or thriller in July. 😞

  • Not started yet, but thinking about it. I need to finish MA3 first.

• Short stories ✅

  • Active: 5

  • Rejected: 6

• New Story Written ✅

  • I wrote a new story for the Skull X Bones anthology, loosely tied to my other pirate story, "The Wreckers," which is loosely tied to my fantasy novel that I'm trying to sell. Fingers crossed that this story is accepted. I love this one.

• Craft - actively improve writing skills.✅

  • Books:

    • How to Write a Howling Good Story - Wulf Moon

    • The Making of a Story - Alice LaPlante

  • Classes:

    • "Revise with Hannah Tinti" - One Story self-paced course

    • "Big Punch in a Little Package: Creating Short Stories that Sizzle and Sell" - webinar with K.C. Grifant

    • "Live Editing Flash Fiction with Rebecca E. Treasure" - Apex Workshop

• Books - read at least 30 books in 2025✅

  • Completed: 15

• Blog - write quarterly accountability posts and at least four posts that might interest readers.✅

Slowly but surely making progress.