Mar. 4, 2025

A Bit of Insight

Traci Dowe/Kenworth

So yet again, they’ll be some changes to marketing my stories as well as my website, lol. After a MG & YA Club meeting, I discovered when we were looking at book covers, that my books fit into both YA as well as NA (new adult) & College. I had upped my characters age for one but also, the material lends to a more mature audience too.

I’m not talking sex scenes here, although from the looks of things this new age group is more towards the Fifty Shades of Grey than I am, lol. But, there is violence, there is coercion, there is some dark situations involved. Like some other genres, I’m just learning this group exists.

Now, of course, I knew young adults and college students exist. I’ve been there before myself. It’s just as a targeted age group for certain books, I had no idea. I had heard of NA years ago but heard that it fizzled out. Apparently not. It is some of the top titles out there, Onyx Storm and A Cold and Heavy Crown and more.

Those books are listed in both YA and the NA & College age groups. I know there are adults that read them as well. So it’s a wider audience than I imagined. Sarah J. Maas’s  books fit nicely into this as do Leigh Bardugo’s. Everyone’s hoping for that bigger bite of the pie, so to speak.

Egh. I have to once again, fix my websites and landing pages, newsletters, etc. Of course, when I go to put the book up, it’s going to matter more what genre I put it in but then there’s a place for age groups I’ve been told to fill in. Meanwhile, I’m deep into three books, a weekly prompt, two contests, and my own stuff. Overload! I’m really enjoying deadlines as you see. What have you been doing in your writing aisle?

Reading, yeah, the same: Summer of Fear by Lois Duncan (a favorite reread), Nora Roberts’ Stars of Fortune (almost done), and Writers of the Future 40^th Anniversary. I’ve been so busy my reading time slipped. Trying to correct that. I did listen to the three audios and hope to hear more.

TV, I need to get another. Ours went out.

Music, kind of taking a break from right now.

The Seven:

1. John Howell: Detour on the Eternal Road – A Review by Thomas Wikman | Fiction Favorites ” I am a retired software / robotics engineer with a background in physics—but this blog is primarily about Leonbergers, an unusual and fascinating dog breed that is known for its size, affectionate nature, and intelligence.

I know a lot about Leonbergers because my family was lucky enough to live with one for thirteen years. His name was Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle—but we called him “Bronco” for short.

Dogs can be special to their families and others. We had a golden retriever/labrador mix that was a gentle giant. He loved his people and we loved him. He’s been gone about seven years now. RIP Bear!

• Books and Such: #BlogTour Unhallowed Halls by Lili Wilkinson #fantasy #gothic – Books and Such A teen girl travels to an exclusive boarding school located deep within the Scottish moorlands after a deadly incident at her old school, but the wood-paneled halls of Agathion are built over centuries of secrets—including an ancient society which may have ties to demonic magic—in this dark academia fantasy perfect for fans of Curious Tides.

Writing it down!

• The Smorgasbord Magazine: Smorgasbord Afternoon Videos – Cat answers the phone. | Smorgasbord Blog Magazine

Hilarious!

• Life in the Realm of Fantasy: Idea to story part 8 – world-building and society #writing | Life in the Realm of Fantasy We have been plotting a novel for the last seven weeks in our series, Idea to Story. The previous installments are listed below, but at this point, we have our two main characters, Val (Valentine), a lady knight, and the enemy, Kai Voss, a court sorcerer. Both are regents for the sickly, underage king.

We also have our ultimate enemy, Donovan Dove, Kai’s half-brother and most trusted advisor. We have plotted our basic story arc (an enemies-to-lovers romance) and have a working title that speaks to the genre of romantasy (fantasy romance), Valentine’s Gambit.

We have allowed the characters to tell us the story, and we have begun building their world, placing the set dressing in each scene.

But we have more world-building to do. This is background info that will be hinted at in the narrative, shown in small ways rather than dumped. But this is crucial information for us, the author, as it tells us why our characters see things in a certain way and what their gut reactions will be.

This gives me new info to think about!

• Entertaining Stories: Done and Dusted | Entertaining Stories I just dropped our daughter off at the Boise Airport. (5:00 am) I’m back home and trying to catch up a bit.

I missed a bunch of blogs and will try to catch up with everyone. I may be moving fast and mostly reading. I’ll try to hit the like button everywhere.

We really didn’t do a whole lot other than hang out. It was completely wonderful. Mom took her south during the early part of her trip and she got to visit both grandmas. I think this is wonderful. Daddy-daughter time came via me burning leave.

It’s nice to spend time with your loved ones.

• Writers in the Storm: Play, Don’t Pitch: Connecting with Your Fans Let’s be real: the phrase “email marketing” can make a lot of us twitchy.

We’re writers, not brand strategists. We know how to build rich, emotional worlds—but a newsletter subject line that converts? Ugh. That sounds like a corporate memo, not a love letter to our readers.

But here’s the thing: connecting with your readers isn’t about marketing. It’s about play. It’s about building that same sense of delight, curiosity, and “what’s next?” that keeps someone turning pages at 2 a.m.

I’m just getting into writing emails to my subscribers. I try every two weeks through a mail template service I found. Although, I only have fifteen subscribers, I’m working on it.

• Life in the Realm of Fantasy: Idea to story part 9 – technology and world-building #writing | Life in the Realm of Fantasy Today, we’re going to look at how the available technology affects the believability of our narrative. Eight weeks ago, we began our series, Idea to Story. The previous installments are listed below, but over the course of the series, we have built our two main characters, Val (Valentine), a lady knight, and the initial enemy, Kai Voss, a court sorcerer. Both are regents for the sickly, underage king.

We also have our ultimate enemy, Donovan Dove, Kai’s half-brother, and most trusted advisor. The basic story arc has been plotted (an enemies-to-lovers romance), and we have a working title that speaks to the genre of romantasy (fantasy romance), Valentine’s Gambit. We may keep the title, or we might not.

When we began this journey, we allowed the characters to tell us the story as they saw it. They showed us snippets of their world, and we started placing the set dressing in each scene. Our characters’ place in society has been determined, so we have an idea of their preconceived notions and cherished prejudices.

I can spend forever world building. I love to tinker with things. And then when I think I’m done, I’m still tinkering. Through the writing process, I’m always evolving, changing things.

What I’m Reading: Clarkesworld Magazine, Nora Roberts Stars of Fortune and The Writers of the Future Vol. 40.

What I’m listening to: podcasts I’ve missed.

What I’m Watching: Kitchen Nightmares with Gordon Ramsey. Markiplier. Mr. Beast.

My newsletter at https://traci-kenworth731.kit.com/758a3a9324