It’s been a busy weekend so far
All of my filament arrived, and I still don’t have a place to put it all but that’s all right because I’ve been making these:
And these:
And most importantly, these:
I’m giving the fans away every week on my Tiktok account, along with the pretty fantasy bookmarks, and I’m working up a giveaway for the Olympic Cove bookmarks as well. Now I just need to design bookmarks for the rest of my books…
So I have a little problem…
Hello, my name is Nicola, and I have an addiction. And it isn’t even one of the cool ones like booze or hard drugs that give writers a louche, tawdry appeal. No, I went and got myself addicted to 3D printing filament.
I blame Ramón for this, I really do. He was the one who showed me how he could print dollhouse furniture for me on his Creality K1, then he surprised the heck out of me by buying me a Bambu Lab A1 Mini in January 2025 with a roll of UJOYBIO hyperPLA in natural, the better to print sturdy miniatures with.
I went nuts with that thing. I bought scads of furniture and architectural files off of Ebay and used those to go to town on the architectural elements of my Painted Lady dollhouse (at left). All of the rococo elements on the eaves and tower, the corbels, and the decorations on the supporting pillars? All 3D printed. And I designed a set of fishscale shingles to fill in the attic wall. Like I said, I went nuts.
Then I discovered the wonder that is MakerWorld, the Bambu Lab model forum, where people were posting amazing 3D models of miniature furniture for free, and I downloaded a slew of new files from there. The next dollhouse I built was for a work colleague’s daughter who wanted a Girly Goth dollhouse, and I delivered in spades (at right). I designed the shingles, the porch spandrels, the window pediments and corbels, the railings around the roof, and the miniature brick flowerbed walls. I am so proud of that house I could burst.
In the process of printing an astounding amount of miniature furniture and architectural decor, I picked up a lot of nifty new 3D modeling skills with Blender and FreeCAD, mainly thanks to my coworker M who said, “Hey, if you like 3D printing and you’re good with graphics, you should really try these.” So I did, and I even wound up making a couple of brackets for things at work.
Seeing my output, Ramon touched his fingertips together and asked me to replicate a set of Vero PCB rack handles for him because he needed them in a variety of lengths and colors, and getting even a few in one size would cost beaucoup money. Tra-la, I found a mechanical drawing and duplicated the handles perfectly in PETG, even adding set-in screw holes just like the real handles.
Because my beloved does not know when to leave well enough alone, he then asked me to design a bracket that would hold a thermometer element in our pool pump timer that had failed (a generic thermometer element was $5 – the official replacement was over $100). I designed a bracket that fit the thermometer like a glove and could be printed in polycarbonate filament so that it would survive Texas heat.
Of course, in the process of doing all this I also picked up a significant amount of filament, raiding Ramon’s collection of white, black, and grey PLA first before discovering the twin enablers of Micro Center and Amazon.
But I didn’t realize I had a problem quite yet. I mean, yes, I’d discovered the joys of Micro Center and Amazon, but I only had maybe ten or twelve rolls of filament. That was perfectly normal, right?
And then I started designing and printing swag for my Patreon members and my newsletter readers, which ranged from cute little “arumigumi” printed sea creatures to mermaid earrings. Then I found this stunning dragonfly wing fan on Makerworld and planned on printing it in a variety of filament combos so that I could give them away. But to do this I needed really knockout, gorgeous filament in both opaque and translucent colors, which meant my existing rolls of filament were quickly joined by more from Inland, Elegoo, Sunlu, Protopasta, Cookiecad, and other gorgeous makes of filament in a wide variety of types, colors, finishes, and inclusions.
And then I thought, well, hey, I bet lot of my readers would like bookmarks, and if I could find or design some that were mainly cutouts I could back them with a thin layer of translucent filament like the dragonfly wing fans. So I found some very nice fantasy-style silhouette bookmarks on Makerworld and backed them with filament, and indeed they were lovely. Then the same coworker who got the dollhouse saw them and mentioned that his girlfriend loved to read and really adored orchids so could I make an orchid bookmark in this style?
I most certainly could, thanks to a combination of FreeCAD, Illustrator, and Bambu Studio *takes deep breath* which then prompted me to make custom bookmarks for each book in the Olympic Cove series. At which point I looked at the completely full five-shelf filament rack in my office, the pile of rolls propped up next to it, the additional Protopasta shipments that were inbound, and thought, “…um.”
Now, compared to professional 3D print farms or serious hobbyists, my current collection is a drop in the bucket. But for someone who only started 3D printing eighteen months ago, I’ve somehow managed to garner *stops to count* 54 rolls of filament, not including the incoming Protopasta rolls and sample packs, and I am rapidly running out of places to store all of it. I’m already eyeing a replacement filament rack with seven shelves, which will require the relocation of my recliner from my office to the bedroom, but sacrifices must be made.
But that’s okay, because the filament is so pretty. And I can stop at any time, really. Right after I print some more fans and bookmarks for my giveaways.
(BTW, if any of you have 3D printers and would like to print my customized bookmarks for your own use, I’ll be setting up a directory of them here on the website where you can download them. Because I’m damned if I’m going to be the only one out there stocking up on pretty filament.)
I love rights reversion letters
Just got an email from Evernight—they’re taking down their antho Lawless, which has my short story “Gentleman Jackson.” What that means is that the rights are officially reverted to me, which is great. But I have to wait until Evernight takes the antho down everywhere and I know from previous irritating experience that it can take some of the partners on Draft2Digital a good six weeks to get their act in gear. But that’s okay—it gives me enough time to design a cover, maybe expand it a bit (it’s 13,700 words and definitely has some dangling threads at the end that I could weave into something new) and then I can put it back up around the end of September.
Now if they would just take down Bad Alpha: Manlove Edition and Vanilla-Free Christmas: Manlove Edition, I could finally put out a collection of my MM romance shorts. I should probably check my royalties and see if those are bringing in any money—if no one’s purchased them for a couple of quarters, I may ask for my rights back.
In other news, Mage of Fire continues to increase in wordage. I think the fact that I decided to dump the super bleak plot in favor of something inspired by The Taming of the Shrew mixed with The Mummy helps. I’m sorry, but the world is a dumpster fire and I’d rather write a fun adventurous romp than something super heavy. There will be more than enough time for that with the last book.
Why is writing ad copy so hard?
I would like to think that by now I’m a pretty good writer—I know how to craft a plot, create interesting characters, and build a story that keeps a reader interested until the last page. I understand the power of words, and how important it is to choose the right ones. I get written communication, you know?
Until I have to write marketing text for a book, and then I start screaming. I’m fully aware that marketing is a whole skill set in its own, and I admire the hell out of authors who are also good marketers and understand how to get a potential reader’s attention.
I am not one of those authors. Being neurospicy, I’m fully aware that what appeals to me in an ad or a blurb isn’t going to appeal to 90% of my potential reading audience, so working on effective marketing material can be … a challenge. Yes, let’s call it a challenge.
That being said, I don’t make enough to outsource this to pro marketers, so I have to suck it up and try to be the best marketer I can with my neurospicy brain. Frex, I’ve just worked on some marketing issues with Storm Season (Olympic Cove Book One). According to Amazon Ads I’m getting a relatively good number of impressions (when an ad is displayed to a potential customer), and clicks (when a customer clicks on an ad). But I’m not getting purchases of the book, which usually means that the ad looks interesting enough to get someone to click on it, but when they land on the book’s Amazon page either the cover or the blurb makes them think, “Nah.”
I’m in the process of overhauling all the Olympic Cove covers and making them look more like the current visual standard for mythological romance books (jewel-toned decorative background, a focus object, and titles in a swoopy font with a gold embossed effect), but I decided the blurb could also use more of an emotional hook. Everything I’ve been reading on marketing says that emotion is one of the most important tools an author has when it comes to selling a book. It’s my job to dangle an emotional promise in front of a reader—this book will make you feel happy, horny, engaged, maybe a little angry, maybe a little thoughtful, and immensely satisfied at the end.
And I get to pack all that into a blurb. Whee. Now I just have to wait and see if I managed it correctly for Storm Season.
Apparently my writing muscle is really, REALLY swole
As you know, Bob, it’s been a busy couple of months for me—I finished Typhoon Warning, sent that off to the editor, then put it up for preorder. And then because that simply wasn’t enough, I nailed my shapely butt to the chair and finished my Hidden Empire novella Goddess of the Nile. Because why not?
Buuuuuuuut once I finished Goddess and put it aside to marinate, my muse (who apparently has learned how to be a slavedriver) reminded me that I have Book Five of my Two Thrones series teed up and waiting on the writing desk. And so, as of today I have completed the first chapter of Mage of Fire, which follows the (well, let’s be honest here) fuckboi Ignis mage Luc Bernais from Lady of Thorns as he gets sent off to the dangerously pious country of Muñoz to locate and retrive a vital book of lost magic from a bibliophile count’s library. My Patreon members got a sneak peek of it, and I’ll be posting more chapters there as I finish them, so if you want to read the book as it’s being written I invite you to consider becoming a member.
One wee problem—said library is managed by the count’s lovely daughter, who is about to be married off to a man she doesn’t love. And Luc does love a challenge…
I also had a thought this morning on the way into the day job. Typhoon is my nineteenth published book, and Mage will be my twentieth. That number seems special, somehow, so I need to come up with some extra ways to promote and celebrate Mage once it’s out (which may be early August at this rate). I’ll have to muse on that some more, but if you have any ideas let me know and I’ll give you a free ebook.
Oh, bee tee dubs, I’m still looking for ARC readers for Typhoon Warning so if you’re interested sign up here.
And Goddess of the Nile is Soup
As of a few minutes I ago I finished the Hidden Empire novella Goddess of the Nile, which weighs in at a respectable 28,376 words. I’m going to let it gel while I get to work on the edits for Typhoon Warning, then I’ll get it cleaned up and off to the editor. At this rate I should be able to release it sometime in late June.
And while I’m editing Typhoon I’m going to get cracking on Mage of Fire because I really want to go back to that series and pick up where I left off. Also, they’re in completely different worlds and can act as a palate cleanser for each other.
Yes, I know, who am I and what have I done with Nicola? All I can say is, writing is a muscle and at the moment I am swole.
Ergonomic, my @ss
When I started at the day job, I was astounded to learn that my office chair was the most comfortable one I have ever sat in, and that includes ones I bought myself. I liked it so much that I looked up the make and bought one for my home office (it was time—my old chair was patched with tape and had seen better days).
All well and good. Except that over the year I noticed that my home chair was getting more and more uncomfortable, while my work chair was absolutely fine. Today, I got sick of my left leg spasming after only a half hour at my desk and decided to do something about it, because I would really like to be able to write without crying in pain, ya know?
So I Googled instructions on how to adjust an office chair and started playing with settings. The seat was at an ergonomic level so that was fine. I tried adjusting the tilt tension and the seat tilt but that didn’t help. The instructions also suggested that I look to see if I could raise the back at all.
I couldn’t feel any controls so I turned the chair upside down and checked where the back joins onto the seat. There was no way to raise the back, but I did notice that the positioning of the back could be adjusted in a horizontal direction. Since I am blessed with a bodacious booty I took out two screws, slid the back as far to the rear as the remaining screw would allow, then retightened everything and sat in it.
Hosanna. Now it feels like my office chair and my lower back is nicely supported. I can only assume that whoever used the office chair before me was also gluteously blessed and had adjusted the chair for their comfort. I’m gonna take a closer look on Monday and see what they did, but for now I am quite pleased with my MacGuyvering.
ISO ARC Readers for Typhoon Warning
As you know, Bob, Typhoon Warning will be released on June 2, 2026. Which means this is the time when I need to round up people who 1) like getting free books and 2) will leave an honest review at Amazon, Goodreads, B&N, or whatever their favorite review site may be and offer them an Advance Reading Copy of Typhoon.
Un petit problème—since it has been over a year since I released High Tide (or, well, anything), my readers have kind of scattered. I have a grand total of three pre-orders on Amazon for Typhoon (and if you’re one of them you are in my will), and despite my best efforts on social media and newsletters I’m not getting a lot of traction. I’m hoping that it will be easier to attract ARC readers—after all, it’s a free book and all they have to do is leave a review.
To that end, I’ve set up a signup sheet for ARC readers at the Google and will start sending them out on May 22. If you want an advance look at the final book in the Olympic Cove series (my editor says I’ve outdone myself with this one) and are willing to leave a review online, please consider grabbing a space. And to quote the old Bartles and Jaymes wine cooler commercials, we thank you for your support.
Rabbit Rabbit
Or as Justin Timberlake would say, “It’s gonna be MAY.”
Writing update: Goddess of the Nile currently stands at 20K words and I am having an immense amount of fun with it. Wordcount would have been more, but some sort of upper respiratory bug smacked me yesterday and laid me out but good. Mind you, I’m still not feeling all that great today but at least the room isn’t going “Whoosh whoosh whoosh” around me anymore.
Have I mentioned how much I hate vertigo? Because I hate vertigo.
In other news, I should get the edits on Typhoon Warning back from the editor this weekend, which means I can get started on that next week. She said it’s pretty clean—no glaring plot holes or confusing bits, just the usual array of weasel words that I need to cut out. That’s normal at this point in the edit so I’m cool with that.
The current goal is to get Warning in ARC shape by 5/11 and release it to my ARC readers … just as soon as I round them up. It’s been a while. Luckily I still have the lists for the other Olympic Cove ARC readers so I’ll send them an email and see if they’re interested in Typhoon Warning. Also, if you happen to read this before 5/18/26 and want to be an ARC reader, hit me up and I’ll send you an ebook ARC.
So what are your plans for the weekend?
The Muscles of Writing
As you know, Bob, after almost a year away from writing I nailed my butt to the chair last year and finished Typhoon Warning. Then I nailed said butt to said chair once again in late March/early April of this year and got the damned thing edited. It is currently in the hands of the Editor and I look forward to her extensive use of the Editorial Machete when I start doing the next round of edits.
Alongside this, I also started a novella called Goddess of the Nile set in the Hidden Empire series. Originally it was meant to be a palate cleanser when I needed to get out of the weeds of Typhoon Warning—a fun romp with Henry, Louisa, Fyodora, and Callum in Luxor, Egypt that would serve as a bridge story between The Crimson and the Black and To Love a Wild Swan. Granted, it was a bit of a slog at first, but I put that down to me being woefully out of practice with writing, and it got easier as I delved further into the story. It had to be put on hold when I started editing Warning, but once that was off to be sliced and diced I pulled Goddess back out and went back to work.
You may have heard someone say that writing is like exercising a muscle—if you don’t do it regularly, you lose strength and coordination. Once you get back into the habit of writing, however, you build that muscle and writing becomes, well, if not easier than at least not nearly the slog it once was.
All of this is to say that, whoa, my writing muscle is back in shape because I have been cranking on Goddess this week. I’ve finished 18,000 of a projected 30,000 words, and if I keep on at this pace I should have it done by the end of this upcoming weekend. Which is absolutely perfect timing because I should get the edits for Warning back by then, and my brain is all swole and ready for more words, growr. And once that’s released into the wild, I can work on editing Goddess and plan a release around the beginning of July while I work on writing Mage of Fire.
Come hell or high water, I will write and publish my 20th full-length novel this year. And then I just have to work on my marketing, tra la…
Nicola Cameron Writes 