Tag Archives: Gemtouched Memoirs

Conventions, Gemtouched Memoirs

July 2026 Update

Posted on by Rebecca Fincher

I’ve been remiss in posting on my blog here, but I’ve been busy! Lots of work on The Crystalline Alliance, and since last update, I’ve gotten married! If you don’t want to miss any updates, be sure to sign up for my monthly newsletter here. Not only will you get updates to your inbox, you’ll get fun things like quotes of the month, insights into what I’m reading, and cat photos. I promise I’ll be better about posting on the website, but it only gets a fraction of the newsletter updates.

July’s Update

I’ve been putting a lot more effort in taking care of myself with how I eat and exercise, and I’m feeling a lot better and getting more done. I’m grateful to finally be to a point again where I can improve on my health, rather than stabilize it. It’s allowed me to get a lot more done on the editing front, and I only have a couple more weeks of my first editing pass of The Crystalline Alliance! I’m hoping the second pass will go much faster and I can start a beta read soon. I’ve also started writing the short story that will go between Escape from Salmira and Gemtouched. The character it follows has more complexities than I’m used to, so it’s taking me a bit longer to get through, just to make sure I’m putting in the research I need to.
Kingdoms went well for as long as I could be there. I was in a choir concert later that night, so I had to leave early. I’m excited to see where things go next year! I’m also excited for the rest of the upcoming events I have coming up this year. Gencon this month, then Heroic Youth next month! I’m hoping to have more events this year, but I’m still waiting to hear back on decisions being made.

Gemtouched Memoirs

October 2025 Update

Posted on by Rebecca Fincher

Things got a bit crazy in September when I was getting ready to send out the newsletter, so while I wrote the update, it never went out. Rather than figure out how to combine August and September, I’ll include each update separately.

September Update

Lots of background work this month. I’ve still been puttering along at my large DM resource, though it still has a long way to go. I also was working on finding an editor for the second edition of Escape from Salmira, but wasn’t finding one that had what I was looking for within my budget. Instead, I was pointed toward a resource that has been helping me with self-editing in the area I felt I was needing help with. Extra eyes are still important, and I have people to help in the final steps, but this has been helping a lot already and giving me more confidence. I’m really excited for people to see the more finely polished version of this book!

If anyone else is looking for help with line edits, the book I was pointed to is The 10% Solution by Ken Rand.

October Update

I realized early in September that if I’m to have the second edition of Escape from Salmira ready for Dragonsteel Nexus in December, I need to have it ready to print by early November at the very latest (as hardcover printing can take a while) and need to get my edits done ASAP. Being self-employed with no set schedule, things got more than a bit thrown off when I started dating my fiancé and I really needed to get myself back into focus mode. I’m glad to say that I’ve done the vast majority of the edits I need, with only a few more passes (the fun ones, where I read them out loud) before handing it off to a proofreader and doing the layout. That has been my only focus as far as business goes this month, but I’m very happy with how well it has been going.

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D&D, Gemtouched Memoirs

August 2025 Update

Posted on by Rebecca Fincher

Summer is always busy and I’m amazed I can get anything done. July started off with a colonial village I was part of for Independence Day, things are ramping up for events this month, and I got sick. On top of all that, I’m working on a lot of things in preparation to get married.

I’m still trying to figure out what my next step is for the second edition of Escape from Salmira and book 3 is at a standstill, hopefully for only another week or two. I did get more work done on the outline for my standalone, but there’s still a lot of work to be done. Hurray for experimental structure!

What I have been doing is working on a large DM resource for worldbuilding and making the game more interesting. This is such a fun project and has been scratching the itch for something really creative, which I haven’t been getting with editing or outlining.

I also had the opportunity to go to an author convention and hang out with a bunch of awesome authors. It was nice to just get to know people and chat with friends in a chill environment and get new ideas for things I’m working on.

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Gemtouched Memoirs, New Projects

July 2025 Update

Posted on by Rebecca Fincher

It feels like things have really slowed down as far as writing goes, but I’m still hitting milestones. I finished another draft of my prologue and have started the process of finding an editor for the second edition of Escape from Salmira. I’m still slowly working on an outline for a brand new novel, but haven’t made a lot of progress on it lately. Part of that has been some recent health struggles I’ve been facing.

Not much else going on as far as novel or game writing, though I did try a new (to me) RPG called Aventuria, which has been fun. As far as other writing…

I’m writing the next chapter in my life, and have found a co-author for it! This might be a large reason as to why writing has slowed down the past few months, but it’s also helped in a lot of ways. I still plan to be working on my writing as I’m doing wedding planning and addressing my health, it just might be slower than I had originally anticipated. All things have their time and season, and I’m excited for this new season in my life.

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This is only a snippet of what I send through my monthly newsletter! If you’d like to see quotes, what I’m reading (with brief reviews!), and random facts, join my newsletter here.

Adventures, D&D, Gemtouched Memoirs, New Releases

April 2025 Update

Posted on by Rebecca Fincher

March was relatively quiet, compared to the past few months. Steady progress on the second edition of Escape from Salmira, which is encouraging. I finished my read-through, made several adjustments, wrote three new chapters and a prologue, reworked the beginning, and am now working my way through the book as a whole, rewording things and expanding on what was already there. I’ve already added over 10,000 words, which was the bare minimum I wanted to add.
Why am I making a second edition before I’ve finished writing the series? There are a few reasons. Looking at books two and three, the writing quality and style are very similar, while book one just doesn’t quite match. Since it’s the book people will start with, I want them to have a better idea of what to expect and not be jarred between books. Hopefully that hasn’t been happening, but I want to have my best foot forward as I introduce myself through my work. I’m still very proud of my book, I can just see the potential it has to be better, so I’m bringing it up to that potential.
The other big thing I’ve been doing this month is making more of an effort to be active on my social media pages. I’m most active on Instagram and Facebook, but I’ve also increased my posts on TikTok. Videos are just harder to make every day.
Each weekday has its own theme, so you can have an idea of what to expect on any given day. Announcements will still be made whenever they’re ready. Mondays I’ve been posting memes. Tuesdays I highlight something I’ve written for D&D. Wednesdays I give a glimpse into my writing process. Thursdays I’ll share something about my books, sometimes reading little scenes. Fridays are a wildcard, I just try to post something fun, but it will look different every week.

New Module!

Last and certainly not least, I finished writing and published a new D&D module! This is the second to last in my autumn series, which is the last one in my larger year-long seasonal series. The last module just needs some playtesting to make sure a few things are working properly, then I’ll wrap it all up in a big bundle! If you get any of the modules now, DM’s Guild will recognize that purchase and give you a bigger discount when you get the bundle, so there’s no need to wait if there’s one catching your eye right now. Cyclone of Fire is a combat-heavy oneshot with a hint of mystery. Travelers have been attacked by an unnatural cyclone, and it will take a bit of work to get rid of it for good. Is your party up to the challenge?

Want to See More?

This is only a snippet of what I send through my monthly newsletter! If you’d like to see quotes, what I’m reading (with brief reviews!), and random facts, join my newsletter here.