Do you also get the blues in January? I do, without fail, and this January truly seemed endless. February, even with all the snow and endless cold, always feels better because it ends with my birthday. 🎂

I'm actually more excited than normal because I'm turning 40! It feels like a milestone worth celebrating for some reason.

This month I wrapped up another fantasy copyedit. 76K words of pure delight. This one leaned more into the realm of romantasy than I usually edit, but this manuscript broke the mold and I was obsessed.

Next up in February I'll be copyediting the final book in a sci-fi trilogy. I edited book 2 last year, so I'm pumped to see how things turn out! Plus, there's time travel and paradoxes, which is totally my thing.

Oh, and I finally got caught up with Severence. We binge-watched season 1 and now get what all the hype is about. The idea of severed workers is just... too real.

Author Resource Round-Up

Here are some cool things worth sharing:

• Brandon Sanderson's Writing Science Fiction lecture series is back on YouTube! It's free and every week he uploads a new lecture. This is my first time watching them, but they are renowned and I can attest to LOVING the first two I've watched. Check it out if you write sci-fi/fantasy.
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• My friend Liz over on Instagram shared a list of good resources for writing a nonfiction book. The Pensieve app blew my mind, for real. It's great for immediately capturing thoughts and emailing them to yourself. It even has a voice recording option that sends you the transcript in the body of the email!!
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• Here's a useful article by my eddibuddy Toni, on how to suspend disbelief in your fantasy novel.
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• Are you a perfectionist like me? Check out this virtual event on how to subvert perfectionism using ugly art. (Lore, a fellow copyeditor, is a genius at leading these workshops. I've learned so much from them!)

What I'm Reading

Fiction:

• Currently reading a really cool indie sci-fi novel, The Automaton, that chronicles how society fares with the introduction of AI/automata (and unravels...).
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• I had a hankering for some epic fantasy and put Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn on hold at the library, but I'm 15th in line, so that'll be a while still. In the mean time, I started Foundryside, which was recently recommended to me. So far so interesting! Do you have a fave epic fantasy rec for me?

Nonfiction:

• Currently reading The Telomere Effect, which is a great read about aging and what keeps some people feeling so much younger than their actual age: the answer is the length of their telomeres (protective caps at the ends of chromosomes), which as it turns out we can partly affect with our lifestyle and mindset. This book is such a great example of amazing science writing that is actually accessible.
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That’s it for this month. See you in February wherein I turn the big 4-0. 🎉

- Erika

P.S. If you're looking for a copyeditor or proofreader, I'm booking for March-April. I offer free sample edits of 1,000 words to make sure we're a good fit. Apply for editing here.

Erika Steeves ​
Fiction & Nonfiction Editor
​www.erikasteeves.com​

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