Dear Friends,

It's been a while since I've been able to send a newsletter. May was a very rough month. I'll share more about that in the personal section of the newsletter (keep reading for that). But as we head into June, I HAD to share THE MOST exciting update I've had all year. Are you ready?!

White Hart, my YA fairy tale novella, is finished!

I completed the first draft and typed the words "The End" last night. And I immediately printed it off so I could get started on edits first thing tomorrow. I still have the cover to finish and the ebook file to format (I'll be getting a good friend to help with that; don't worry:) but then the book will be ready to share. ARE YOU EXCITED?!?

Part of the reason I pushed so hard to get it out over the weekend was that I wanted it to be ready for my FIRST EVER AUTHOR EVENT this Thursday! It's honestly a VERY small event; a community library's summer reading program kickoff party. But they invited seven local authors for varying audience age ranges to attend and have tables where they can talk to people, sell books, hand out materials, etc. And I am one of those seven authors.

Our family loves this library dearly and have already had so much fun at so many of their events. It feels like the perfect baby step toward attending bigger author events. A great, low-stress way to get started.

So get ready! This week will include several book update emails that were meant to be trickled down to you one week at a time. To explain why they're not, let me get back to the personal section.

At the end of March, we learned we were pregnant again. We were so excited. We'd been hoping for another baby. But on May first, I miscarried at 8 weeks. Our Heavenly Father walked with us through the trial, giving us peace and hope in the midst of the grief. And I am grateful to report a complete physical recovery.

The rest of the month was a strange rollercoaster of emotions; from determined and hopeful to despairing at a moment's notice. I was still able to write, but I found myself lacking any desire to work on anything outside of Swan Song. And I definitely didn't have enough mental bandwidth to share much of anything. (If you follow me on socials, you've probably noticed I've been pretty quiet over there.)

The crazy emotions have settled down. And the passion for ALL the stories has come back in full force. I'm finishing the final structural draft on Beneath the Curse of Six. And I'm prepping a new short story I'll be drafting over the summer with some friends. (Keep an eye out for that news:) Releasing a new book feels so good right now. I can't wait to share it with you all!

Thank you for visiting, friend. Until next time.

Joanna

 Want to continue the conversation? Feel free to email me at [email protected] or DM me on social media (@authorjoannagholden).

Clean, wholesome Christian fantasy for preteen girls.

Want to read what’s already out?

Click Below to learn about my Middle Grade Fairy Tale Retellings.

https://www.joannaholden.com/middle-grade