We've made it to May (yay!) and by now you've probably noticed I haven't come clean about whether I managed to finish at least half of my goals for the first quarter. Aaaaaand there might be a reason for that.... 😬

Yep. You guessed it. The first quarter won its fight against me by a long shot.

Which means today it's time to indulge in public humiliation of C.L. Carhart—or sympathy if that's more your style. Either way, bring it on. This frazzled author needs a pack of hungry readers chasing her down so her creative muse stays fresh and active. We all want more stories about Teuton witches and their chosen partners, right?

1st Quarter Goals—BIG Miss

Let's get all the depressing stuff out of the way so we can move on to more positive subjects. Here's the list of 15 goals I shared with you back in January. My hope and plan each quarter is to finish at least half of the goals by the time the next quarter rolls around.

Writing goals:

• write, edit, and publish Gift of Snow—DONE! The Elemental Bloodlines series is finally complete! 🥳
• write, edit, and publish Gift of Darkness bonus novella—didn't even get a chance to peek at the outline for this...so nope
• outline several bonus novellas related to the Elemental Bloodlines series—DONE!
• brain dump for the next 2 series in the Teutonic Fantasy Realm—not done, although I've had an influx of ideas for a forthcoming saga about a Black Priest we all met in Elemental Bloodlines. Can you guess which one?
• format & publish paperbacks for Darkness, Water, Wind, and Snow—still nope...no excuse for that except hyphenating is mental torture

Business goals:

• create social media graphics for each published book—almost done, but I've still got 2 more books left that need graphics
• set up email flows for my bookshop's newsletter—still nope 🤦‍♀️
• prepare author Facebook page to run ads—also nope 🤦‍♀️
• run 2 limited-time sales on 2 different books—DONE! Hope you were able to snag Gift of Water and His Name Was Augustin: Complete Collection when they were on sale
• begin business-related online course—nope
• begin business-related mentorship—nope, but I just forked out a bunch of dough for this so it's about to happen!

Personal goals:

• plan US road trip for 2024—this is also in process, but it's not fully planned
• walk the neighborhood at least 2 times per week—DONE!
• get a haircut (it's been literally 4 years since my last one)—heh...I still have bushy, witchy hair frizzing around my face, so nope 😜
• prep & plan for this year's garden—DONE! And the garden is planted!

Welp, as you can see, I managed to finish only 5 goals out of 15. Which is definitely NOT half. So it's time to point and laugh at the author who's too lazy to do anything productive. 😔 And who thought it was a good idea to write (and quickly publish) a series of 6 full-length books and 2 novellas with each one starring a different couple. Not my brain's preferred way to envision a story....

Now that's not to say I won't ever write another series starring different Teuton couples in each book. That's actually what I'm working on right now, although novellas take a lot less time & brain power, thank goodness. So hold on tight, because more standalone novellas will be dropping onto the retailers and my shop as 2024 progresses.

But there's definitely another Teutonic saga simmering in the Carhart brain. One more along the lines of Swanie and Augustin's twisted journey in His Name Was Augustin. Undead priest cursed to serve a demon...and an innocent Teuton witch who hardly knows what she's getting into when she falls for the dead.

^^^ ☠️ This is TOTALLY my thing. ☠️ ^^^

If it's your thing too, please send me a batch of creative vibes so I can bring the next Black Priest antihero into the reader world! 🖤

3 Carhart Kitties

In case you've been wondering what's happening with all the kitties in the Carhart household, unfortunately we had to say goodbye to Bearing not long ago. He's been wasting away since Nightfall left us last spring, because they were best buddies. So now our first two male black cats are together again, and the other kitties have claimed our futon for themselves. Literally.

You might have to zoom in to make out everyone. Let me introduce them to you. From left to right, you've got Spooky, our 7-year-old female blackie. In the middle is our 14-year-old codger Thunar, the only cat included in several of my books. And on the right is our new kitten Panther, who has made himself right at home in no time. He loves to play with Spooky, and Thunar is his nap buddy.

PNR Book Of The Month

I've joined up with my fellow indie authors who participate in LoveBite Books for another year, so every month I'll be dropping info about which free story you can download by signing up. April's offering, Royally Entangled by Catherine Banks, is still available for another week. Find the blurb below, and if it sounds intriguing to you, click the graphic to sign up and grab your freebie!

Ending a war makes her a savior to some…but a target to others.

Videogamer Jolie Bernardo hadn’t planned on ending a war when she moved to Jinla, but fate stepped in and thrust her into the path of four sexy princes.

Now her dream to make a name for herself in the video game community is threatened, as Others are out for her blood.

When the four princes of Jinla inadvertently forge a bond with her, it draws and binds them to one another. Unfortunately for them, it now means abandoning their chances of pursuing females to focus on keeping her alive. But with a new battle on the horizon, Jolie will have to choose between her heart…and her life.

Other Books You Might Like

Got two books that are free with newsletter sign up for you to check out today, the first of which I've actually read myself! (And yes, I liked it. Maybe you will too.)

She’s unpopular. He’s the golden boy. Will releasing her dark magic ruin their chance at love?

Val isn’t who she always thought she was. Her family has betrayed her and she can't get to grips with her powers. Her desperate desire to fit in at the academy could be the very thing that outs her as un-fae.

And if she exposes herself, she’ll lose everything.

✨ FREE On BookFunnel ✨

Juniper Lake...a tiny mountain town out in the sticks where a demon can finally get some peace. Or so you'd think.

I'm Delilah Hawthorne - Vengeance demon in dire need of a vacation.

Renting a cabin on a lake in the middle of nowhere sounded like a good idea at the time. I mean, who would need a demon out here in the showy-ness of nature, right?

WRONG.

Turns out a trio of morally questionable (okay, downright evil) witches can't resist a good summoning. Or setting a demon trap.

✨ FREE On BookFunnel ✨

I hope one or more of the three books I shared can keep your muses occupied while I force my creative brain into submission to craft more stories about Teuton witches and the honorable men (and sometimes women) who love them. Which side characters in Elemental Bloodlines do you think deserve their own novellas? Send me a reply and let me know! I always love hearing from my readers, no matter what you have to tell me.

Even if you want to point and laugh since I barely finished any of my goals for the first quarter. 😉

I hope you accomplish everything you've set out to do this week, and I'll catch you next Wednesday. Stay weird and wonderful!

Talk to you soon,

C.L. Carhart

Get Gift of Snow:

https://clcarhart.com/products/gift-of-snow-ebook

Elemental Bloodlines series:

https://clcarhart.com/collections/elemental-bloodlines-series-ebooks

His Name Was Augustin series:

https://clcarhart.com/collections/hnwa-series-ebooks

LoveBite books:

https://geni.us/LoveBiteBooks17