March Writing Update and Wednesday Words: A Blade So Black by L.L. McKinney

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I was doing a sensitivity read last week, and this week I'm sick, so you're getting a delayed 2 for 2 blog post today!

So big news: my Kickstarter reached its goal and even overshot it! I'm currently receiving surveys for the rewards, so I now have to work on those. I'm also talking with the cover artist I'm commissioning, and she is really nice! This is going to be an exciting year for Fractured Princess.

I haven't done too much writing otherwise, just some last touches on FP, so I'll be pushing myself to work in my other projects now.

This week I started reading L.L. McKinney's A Blade So Black.

This book is a spin on Alice in Wonderland. I was a big fan of the cartoon, the first live-action movie (with the dragon!? I need to find that movie), the Disney series, but honestly, I couldn't get into the book. Alice was too precocious for my liking, so I never finished it. I was hoping A Blade So Black would help me enjoy another Wonderland take, and I can say so far that it does. Here is the blurb:

The first time the Nightmares came, it nearly cost Alice her life. Now she's trained to battle monstrous creatures in the dark dream realm known as Wonderland with magic weapons and hardcore fighting skills. Yet even warriors have a curfew.

Life in real-world Atlanta isn't always so simple, as Alice juggles an overprotective mom, a high-maintenance best friend, and a slipping GPA. Keeping the Nightmares at bay is turning into a full-time job. But when Alice's handsome and mysterious mentor is poisoned, she has to find the antidote by venturing deeper into Wonderland than she’s ever gone before. And she'll need to use everything she's learned in both worlds to keep from losing her head . . . literally.
The first scene was emotional and intense, and I don't mind a book that throws us immediately into the action, which this one does. I can't wait to see what else happens. Also, the Mad Hatter as a cutie? I'll take it.

Let me share a line I've read already, don't want to spoil anything for myself:

A dog stepped out of the black. Huge paws ended with long, wicked claws that clacked against the ground. Inky skin, no fur, rippled as it moved. Illuminated eyes blinked at her; one pair, then two, and three.

Yeah, multiple eyes are a good place to stop.

What are you reading this week?