Life got kinda busy, and it’s been a little while since I updated the blog. In today’s post, I’m giving you a quick rundown on what I’ve been up to, what I’ve been reading, and the progress I’ve made on my WIP books.

I am alive.

I’ve found that I really like blogging, even though at this stage in my career it’s pretty much just my own echo chamber. Shout out if you’re here now! Hopefully someday soon you can call yourself a real OG fan!

That being said, I’ve been really slacking on updating this website and writing pieces for this blog, which does make me sad. This blog is kind of therapeutic for me, and allows me to talk about my projects without annoying my friends too much.

So, dear diary, here is a bit of a life update, from what I’ve been up to, some of the books I’ve read, and my writing progress. I’ve made some big steps in my writing recently, so keep reading for more!

Life Updates

Social Media

So my public profiles haven’t been totally dead, in fact they’ve been doing really well!

My Instagram had a big boom in September, getting my page nearly 50k views in a month!!!! I also passed 200 followers, which was a big goal of mine!! In my post about social media, I expressed my slight overwhelm at marketing myself online, but since then I’m starting to hit a stride.

I also made a TikTok account! At the moment, I’m just uploading some of my Instagram content there, but I want to work out the platform more and see what else I can do there.

Injuries

I’m very accident prone. I’m also hypermobile, and this combination has led me into many sticky situations.

I’ve done some damage to my rotator cuff baton twirling, which has meant I haven’t been able to finish our performance season. I also twisted my ankle quite badly, which has limited my mobility even more. I’m devastated that I can’t dance, and it’s driving me crazy not being able to walk anywhere, but I am making the most of my rest time by reading, writing and playing Minecraft.

Reading Updates

Current Reads

I always have a two books on the go at once: an audiobook and a physical one.

Currently reading: Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Currently listening to: Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V. E. Schwab

Autumn TBR

There’s so many books I want to finish before the end of the year. To keep up with what I’m reading, you can follow me on Goodreads. Here’s a few I’m expecting to get to soon:

Poison by Chris Wooding
Weyward by Emilia Clarke
We Are the Ants by Shaun David Hutcherson
Gifted and Talented by Olivie Blake
The Mousetrap by Agatha Christie

Writing Updates

Driftwood

I’m still not set on a title for this mystery romance novella (I’m between this and The Many Keys of Madeline Garber), but I’ll need to decide soon, because I finished the first draft!

Trust me, it’s nowhere near readable right now. There’s missing scenes, lots of brackets and the writing isn’t giving what I want it to yet, but it’s a big goalpost to reach.

My plans with this project is to self publish it around March/April 2027.

Don’t Shoot the Messenger

Unfortunately, my word count in my cosy mystery novel hasn’t budged. I’ve focused most of my time into the novella, and I’m pretty stuck on the middle of this one.

I’m going to make my own “crime board” and plot out the middle in more detail in post it notes on my wall. This does mean nobody will be reading it anytime soon, but I still plan for this to be my debut novel. I’m hoping one day this will get traditionally published, but I’m still along for the ride and can’t wait to see what happens.

New Ideas

I have so many! I have a fantasy book I shelved earlier this year that I might come back to. I was having too many ideas for it and need to rein myself back in a bit. I also had an idea for a dark academia romantasy that’s in very early stages, but I will get around to one day.

Thank you for reading! You can follow me on socials here!

Francesca Dowdeswell

Where I’ve Been

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