We've nearly made it to Valentine's Day, which means you're getting all kinds of romantic book advertisements in your inbox, whether you enjoy fantasizing about such things or not.

Maybe you're anticipating a cozy date with your significant other this weekend.

Maybe you're impatient for February 15th so you can stock up on discounted candy. 😁

Or maybe...you just bought half the birthday cards you need for the year at Publix with the buy-one-get-one-free coupons they put out around each holiday.

Yep. That last one is me. 😅

Before I start sharing all of the current book fairs that might catch your interest, let's get down to business. Saturn's finally moving out of Pisces into Aries, so maybe all of us indie authors who've faced creative burnout and miasma these past few years are about to catch a break. I've got more Teuton story ideas simmering in the cauldron, plus I need feedback from YOU about a question I asked last month.

Teuton Books For 2026...Plus Vids?

If you've been hanging out with me for a while now, you likely noticed last year was pretty much a bust for new stories set in the Teutonic Fantasy Realm. Only 3 books published in 2025. One standalone fantasy romance novella, and the first two full-length novels in an ongoing dark romantasy series.

I know. I know. 🫣

Until last year, I managed to publish at least 4 new Teutonic fantasy books every year since 2021 when I started this author thing. If you were disappointed by my pitiful bookish output in 2025, well...you aren't the only one. 😔

The market hasn't been supportive for most indie authors either, except for those with thousands upon thousands of devoted readers, and for those with innate skills at catching the video algorithms on TikTok or Instagram.

Neither of those qualities applies to me.

But I can't give up. I've got way too many Teutons grumbling in my brain, informing me their stories need to be told. And it's up to me to do it.

Here's a sneak peek at which Teuton books we can expect to see in 2026:

• Book 3 in This Earthen Cage
• Book 4 in This Earthen Cage
• A gnarly prequel novella about Konstantin's backstory
• One or two more standalone novellas in Elemental Gifts, a series that highlights the romances of side characters from the complete Elemental Bloodlines series
• One (or two?) potential boxed sets

I'm aiming for 4-5 new books this year, and I'd like to get Elemental Bloodlines bundled up in boxed set form for binge readers. I'd also like to to lean into things I actually enjoy doing, when it comes to this author 'career' of mine. And the one thing I really enjoy is reading my books aloud to my husband as I'm writing them and getting his feedback.

Which typically consists of nothing except, "That sounded good." 😜

But I do enjoy reading my own books aloud, so I'd love to start getting feedback from readers like you when I do it. While technology seems to have pulled humans apart from each other in many ways, it's also given everyday people the ability to gather and listen to podcasts and chat in the comments. A fresh form of connection without borders.

So how about we combine two things I enjoy doing into something I haven't seen any other indie authors do yet?

I'm going to start recording videos of myself reading aloud 2 chapters of various books I've published (no, I'm NOT going to read other people's books; I'm really, really bad at doing that). Then at the ends of each video, I'll share my 'weirdo author thoughts' on the chapters and ask for your feedback in the comments.

If you'd be interested in watching or listening to videos of that nature and can find time to fill out a Google Form on the subject, please do that here:

https://forms.gle/Jk7v7D5BbypcJAxd6

Or just shoot me a reply and let me know! I'll probably start with YouTube since that's the most widely used video platform, but hey, if it turns out people like listening to the ramblings of a weirdo indie author? Maybe I'll expand later. 🙂

February Book Fairs

Like I said at the start of this email, Valentine's Day is almost (or already) upon us, and there are two book bundles happening on itch right now that focus on themes of love. The first is a general romance bundle with 29 books for only $25. This bundle is available from now until February 15th.

And the second is a bundle of sapphic stories which highlight women loving women. This one's 22 books for $22 and ends on February 16th. If you haven't read Gift of Darkness about how the Teuton witch Doro overcame the odds to claim and marry her outsider girlfriend Amira, grab the Sapphic bundle to get their story and many others for a super low price!

Here's some adventurous sci-fi and fantasy stories available to read for free with a Kobo Plus subscription. Or you can find and buy these books at the retailer of your choice:

And here's a batch of romantic fantasy tales that are free with newsletter signup:

Other Books You Might Like

I came across two books by other authors that you might want to check out. Definitely start with the Faerell Box Set, since it's just 99¢ until it goes to full price on February 15th. Then dive into a realm of djinns and wishes with a newsletter freebie by Lisa Manifold.

Step through the magical veil into Faerell, the land of faeries and wolves.

This land is ruled by a deceptive queen.

Until she is betrayed, her crown stolen by an even more evil faery. His goal: turn the wolves and fae into enemies.

And it’s working, until the queen’s secret daughter, hidden away in the human world, returns. With her wolf warrior by her side, the new queen claims what is rightfully hers, and is determined to set her newfound world to rights.

If only a single, successful battle was all it took.

Unfortunately, the scars created by the usurper run deep. So very deep.

This box set contains the first three books in the Faerell series: Once Rejected Twice Shy, Every Rejection You Make, and Hard to Reject.

✨ All Retailers ✨

After a long night of eating ice cream and lamenting her less than wise choices, Tibby Holloway wakes up to find a freelancing djinn sitting on her bed. He makes her the offer of a lifetime: three wishes - three chances to go back and change her life.

She can choose a difference career, find the man she loved and lost - in short, she can go back and do everything right this time.

But there's a catch.

Once she's gone back three times, once she’s created three new—and hopefully better—realities, the djinn will decide where she ends up.

Maybe it would be better not to even know … but that’s a chance Tibby will have to take if she wants to have her three wishes.

✨ FREE On BookFunnel ✨

That's it for me this week. I've got some outlining to do, along with learning the basics of making YouTube videos when the only equipment I have is my husband's laptop with its built-in camera. Once I start reading my books out loud, you can be sure you're getting the real deal, not some perfect actress who never misses a line.

For that matter, I have 0 experience blabbing on camera. Not from the CA coast where everyone's made an attempt. 😉 This NJ/SC girlie would rather escape into the forests than fake a performance in front of blazing lights on a set.

So once I start my author YouTube? You'll be getting to know the real me.

As if you haven't already been getting that in these newsletters. 😝

I hope you have a wonderfully weird weekend filled with romantic adventures both fictional and actual (if that's your thing), and don't forget to munch some heart-shaped candies once they've cut them to half price on the 15th.

Talk to you soon,

C.L. Carhart

HEY! Share some feedback on my forthcoming YouTube channel️ ⬇️

https://forms.gle/Jk7v7D5BbypcJAxd6

Valentine's Day itch bundle ⬇️

https://itch.io/b/3515/valentines-day-romance-bundle

Sapphic Stories itch bundle ⬇️

https://itch.io/b/3483/sapphic-stories

Sci-fi and Fantasy books in Kobo Plus ⬇️

https://bf.clcarhart.com/sci-fi-fantasy-koboplus-february/c866yhsea5