Welcome to week 3 of the Book Blast for my new Vella serial: Love Over Kpop. Each week I’m giving you a look behind the scenes on my blog. Plus, a list of blogs to tour through and enter my special giveaway, and learn facts about the new Vella Platform on Amazon. This week, I’ll talk a little more behind the scenes on what it is like to write on Vella and the whole serial writing process.

I started “Love Over Kpop” about 3 years ago as a Nano Writing Project. I had this idea for a rockstar romance that had a K-pop star as the male protagonist. I’d recently discovered kpop by watching k-dramas, and was getting hooked on the music. So, it was a logical way to express my new found love for the genre.

Meanwhile, I kept writing my paranormal romances and was trying to figure how this new, sweeter romance was going to fit. I usually write steamy romances, but this particular story was much sweeter, and characters “closed the door” on me when things got a bit spicy. I just couldn’t write anything steamy; it just didn’t fit. I just accepted, well, this novel is just going to be a bit different.

As I was going through the process, I finished the manuscript and did some preliminary rewrites with an editor. Then, COVID-19 hit in Spring 2020. I got hit with the worst writer’s block I’ve every had, mostly due to real life turning into fiction. It really did a number on me. I couldn’t go to writers’ conferences or participate in Renaissance Fairs, my other hobby obsession. It really affected my creativity, but I worked through 2020 on nonfiction projects and wrote a children’s picture book called “I Don’t Want to Wear a Mask!”. The romance writing still remained hard to write though.

Now that 2021 is here, I can tell the writer’s block had to do with the experiences of 2020. The isolation, buying a house and then having it become threatened by wildfire, can really take a toll on a person’s creative energy. So, having some projects on the back burner was a survival skill just to get through the pandemic and the chaos of that year.

2021 has proved to be much more creative. I wrote a play to get the creative juices flowing again. I didn’t win the competition I entered, but at least got the muse to awaken. Then, Amazon announced Kindle Vella as a new serial platform. I thought about my current projects and realized “Love Over Kpop” would be a good fit since I was used to serial writing on Wattpad due to my online novel, “Saving My Heart”. It was a sweeter, contemporary romance, different from my typical paranormal romances. So, maybe having it on a new platform would be a good way to introduce it to my readers. I decided to start writing again, and it awakened the abilities I’d lost in 2020. I was writing romance again.

I got myself a serial editor to continue through the manuscript, and I’m proud to say I’m about halfway through posting the book. I have 12 episodes up now, and there are about another 12-14 episodes to go. I am a little stuck on episode 13 with a possible total rewrite or cut of a scene. So, as I’m running into some rewrite issues, I’m finding the process of getting an episode posted is taking longer. But it is part of the writing process as well.

I also have a regular life, and am still moving and settling in a new house during a pandemic, while working at the Northern California Renaissance Pleasure Fair for the fall. Life is busy again, but at least well. I’m writing again, and enjoying the new Vella format to keep this current project flowing.

I invite you to check out the story so far. I promise, there will be a finished project in the end. I know some people have been commenting they like the whole finished book. Which is fine. Yet, as a writer, I know that it is written in stages, one chapter/episode at a time. If you want to see how the process is done, please follow the story and check out each episode as it’s posted. Plus, liking and a “Fav” for my story will be greatly appreciated. This whole process of writing on Vella has helped to get my writing juices going again, and that is an important by-product, getting back to writing during this crazy pandemic.

With Vella, I’m finding it’s helping me to finally write again, and I’m really enjoying reading other stories on the platform as well. The shorter episodes are great for quick reads, especially if I’m just finding something to chill for a moment or two.

I hope you will enjoy my stories and the other stories available on Vella. The top listings are great to look over, especially with tags by genre. You get 200 tokens to start yourself off, and the token bundles are reasonable in price. All of the tokens support authors to help write more. After all, I’ve got to eat and have a roof over my head, and so do all the other authors on the platform. Having a monetary way of supporting oneself while writing is very helpful, especially during the pandemic.

So, kick back, link to my story, and enjoy the ride. I am hoping to finish by the end of the year, and who knows what 2022 will bring. The best way to write better is to keep writing. Vella is helping me to do that for you, my reader.

This brings me to the list of bloggers participating in my book blast this week. Please follow the links below to check out information on Vella, “Love Over Kpop”, and enter the giveaway for a $25 Amazon Gift Card. Thanks for stopping by, and remember to stay safe, wear a mask and please get vaccinated.

-Marilyn

Participating Blogs in Weeks 3:

1: Andi’s Book Reviews
2: Tina Donahue Books – Heat with Heart
3: Welcome to My World of Dreams
4: Travel the Ages
5: Independent Authors
6: Stormy Nights Reviewing & Bloggin’
7: The Faerie Review
8: Iron Canuck Reviews & More