❄️ Gift Of Snow Q&A ❄️
Mar 25, 2024 7:16 pm
Yep, here's C.L. Carhart not keeping her word about Gift of Snow's entrance into the wide reader world...again. 🤦♀️
Have to admit I've learned a few negative things about myself since I missed my Amazon deadline for Gift of Water way back in August of last year. For one thing, apparently I need actual "outside of myself deadlines" to stay focused enough to actually meet said deadlines. Just telling you about my deadlines hasn't been enough to keep those creative juices flowing.
(On that note, let's not talk about how I've barely met ANY of my goals this quarter.... 😬 We'll leave that for April.)
So what's the deal with Gift of Snow?
Luckily, I've finally finished writing the bulk of the book! Got that epilogue done on Sunday (yesterday), so all that's left now is fleshing out a few scenes that need clarification. And writing a blurb. And formatting the book from a Word docx into an ePub, which is the type of file e-readers use.
So how about we do a Gift of Snow Q&A, and then I'll drop another sneak peek at a fun scene involving Nelke & an energy witch she met at secretarial school. Then of course we've got the usual book fairs & recommended reads down at the bottom.
Gift of Snow Q&A
Q: Wait a minute. From what you've been saying in your past couple emails, it looks like you literally publish the FIRST DRAFT of your books onto the retailers. Without a thorough edit. 😱 Because you just said you finished Gift of Snow's epilogue YESTERDAY. And it'll be available to read later this week??
A: Heh. Yeah. Well. Aside from my love for eating violets, another weird thing about me is that I don't write books the "usual" way most indie authors write (judging by the advice I see floating around on social media). I don't sit down and "sprint," or rather "mindlessly word vomit" for hours on end and then move right on to the next chapter or scene. My brain doesn't let me work that way!
Q: Okay then? How DO you write?
A: Here's a peek at what generally happens when C.L. Carhart has a new chapter to write.
-sit down at laptop, write 3-ish paragraphs
-read said paragraphs & change some wording
-write another couple paragraphs
-read those & fix things
-get up & find something to drink, feed the cats, bathroom break
-sit down at laptop, read ALL paragraphs again, improve things
-finally, dialogue time 🥳 write a full page of dialogue
-read through the page, make some tweaks
-pet kitty, smooch kitty
-read the entire chapter again, improve things, change repeated words
-rinse & repeat until the chapter is finished (this generally takes 3-4 hours)
Q: Dude. You are WEIRD. Like NObody writes books that way. So you basically edit as you go? And your writing process forces your thinking brain to get involved? I thought the creative brain was supposed to lead the way!
A: Yeah, that's what everyone else says. But I've admitted my weirdness front and center from the start. My brain is way too analytical to allow "creative juices" to flow without a Carhart-built canal guiding the path of the water.
Q: Um. Maybe you shouldn't be an author.
A: Um. Maybe you shouldn't be an engineer. 🙄 Moving on.
Q: Sorry. So what can we expect from Gift of Snow?
A: This question would be a lot easier to answer if I'd already written a blurb! But since that's my next task, for now I'll drop a reminder about the prequel to this series, Gift of Air. That novella follows Ilsa's steamy journey to love with a fire priest. It also introduces her best friend Nelke. Gift of Snow is Nelke's love story! After the events in Gift of Air, she moves from an Alpine village to the Austrian city of Wels to attend secretarial school...and meets a handsome earthen priest along the way. 💖
Q: How do you pronounce 'Nelke'? Is it NelKEEEEE???
A: No. In German, most of the time an "e" that's between consonants or at the end of a word is pronounced like a short English "e". So "eh" or "uh" if the first option seems too funky. So it's NELL-keh or NELL-kuh.
Q: OH so basically her name should be spelled "Nelka" and we'd all be able to read it!
A: Pretty much. But you'll have to take that up with "the Germans." 😜
Q: So Gift of Snow is Nelke's story, set in the 1950s like Gift of Air. How dark can I expect this book to be? Does it have a lot of triggers?
A: Gift of Snow has a similar darkness level to Gift of Air, Gift of Darkness, Gift of Light, and Gift of Wind. Basically middle of the road. It's got the usual triggers like sex scenes, profanity, and an on-page murder. 👀
One potential trigger that might be tough for some readers is that two of the prominent side characters are gay men. Since this book takes place in the 1950s, their relationship isn't right out in the open like it would be in the modern era. Nelke has to mull her own feelings about homosexuality over in her mind to pull herself away from the societal prejudices of that time period. So keep that in mind when you start the story!
Q: That makes sense that you'd have to handle a subject like that delicately. I'll definitely keep that in mind when I read it. Are there any other books in the series that I ought to read first?
A: If you haven't picked up Gift of Air at your favorite retailer, why not do that now and dive in so you can meet Nelke's best friend Ilsa? You should be able to get it for free here:
https://books2read.com/ebgiftofair
But if your favorite retailer's being funky about it, snag it here:
https://bf.clcarhart.com/6w57qgfhc9
If you want a bit more background about another pair of side characters who appear in Gift of Snow, check out Gift of Light, a bonus novella about a small town witch who falls for an undead priest in a mysterious castle:
https://books2read.com/ebgiftoflight
Here's a trope graphic to give you an idea about Gift of Snow's contents:
Then stay prepared, because Gift of Snow should be hitting my book shop and the retailers on Wednesday this week! Will send another email when I've got links to share. 😍
Gift of Snow — Snippet #3
Today's snippet is a short one. A result of the conversation she had with Tobias over milkshakes the day before. (You might remember that one since I included it in my last newsletter, but if not you can find it here.) Let's see what happens on Nelke's second day at secretarial school, after she learns a damning truth about one of her classmates....
***
On Tuesday morning I arrived at the Albergaschule just before eight a.m., parking my bike among the others and striking out for the main entrance with no trace of apprehension. At least on the outside. While I knew Ilsa had told me the truth—that I needed to confront the Keyholder issue with Sylvia as soon as possible—angst had kept me awake until after midnight. In class yesterday, I began to imagine building a friendship with Sylvia, but that might crash and burn now that I knew her lineage.
Part of me hoped Sylvia did not support her father’s methods of preserving Teutonic bloodlines. Maybe that was why she attended school, not yet having matched herself with some preapproved priest or other Teuton mate. Maybe her eagerness to learn secretarial skills was an honest quality, not a scheme to render unsuspecting witches vulnerable to the Keyholder’s sway.
Maybe. Even then I could not let my guard down, not when Tobias motored me out of the café the instant he realized the Keyholder had entered. My element had sensed how powerful the man’s magic was, though he did not look physically intimidating. The Keyholder of Wels stood just a hair taller than his daughter, yet his position meant he could squash any attempts to reform society. I wondered if the local witches’ birth rates were as dismal as he seemed to believe.
I sensed Sylvia’s dark energy crackling silently in the invisible realm before I stepped into the classroom. My pace slowed as I gathered every trace of courage lurking within me, and I took a steadying breath. She’s already here, so you’ll have about five minutes to get everything sorted. You can do this.
My thoughts switched from standard dialect into Teutonica as I entered the room, my gaze passing over the dozen outsiders perched at this desk and that one, gossiping about lighthearted themes. No time for carefree chatter today. Sylvia sat at her desk in the center of our row, her braided hair falling almost to her waist, a textbook from our etiquette class open in her lap. I must not have been the only student who did not finish yesterday’s reading.
She looked up when I placed my bag beside my desk, trying to keep it from sticking too far out into the tight pathway along the windows. I had brought extra pears today, so I did not need anyone to accidentally trip and squish my lunch. Sylvia spoke a greeting as I slid into my chair, but I did not hear it. Instead, I fixed her with a stern glare and said, “So you’re the Keyholder’s oldest daughter.”
A spark of violet-black darkened her irises for a fleeting second. “How—how did you find out?” Her Teutonica sounded shaky, and she put a hand to her throat, her countenance blanching.
“My neighbor told me yesterday when you and your father walked into the café across the street from here.” I watched her reaction closely, my snow keeping tabs on the state of her dark energy. It had begun to coil into her spirit, almost as if it wished to hide. Embarrassed?
“I thought that was you at the bar! Your neighbor? He seems—protective of you.” Sylvia tilted her head, her raised eyebrows sending an obvious message.
“He tells me your father and the Old One manage some sort of breeding operation for unmarried witches in this city.” I tapped my fingers on my desk, not allowing her to shift the subject to Tobias.
“Oh no. You already know about that?” She pressed a hand to her forehead and turned away, distress pulsing from her aura.
Anger clawed at me, and I shot back, “If you think you can convince me to hand myself over to some withered old prune with a fetish for—”
“Hush!” Sylvia made a slicing motion at me as the lady who had sat beside her yesterday tripped into the classroom, cheeks red and auburn hair windblown. “She understands Teutonica. Her father is just under the threshold.”
I swallowed my frustrations while our companion plopped into her seat and groaned that she missed the bus and feared she would be late. She had taken her heels off to run to school in her tights, dust streaking her ankles as she rubbed each one. Sylvia comforted her while I stewed in silence. The outsiders in my hometown did not bother studying Teuton history or our ancient language, so it surprised me that the other lady in our row had insight into a culture she could not reach. My element detected no hint of magic in her, so her mother must be mundane.
When the professor arrived and began the lesson, Sylvia leaned toward me and whispered, “Why don’t we talk this over at lunch? I can’t cast a shield to make sure no one overhears us in a tight space like this.”
Shock struck me anew. “You can do that?”
Sylvia’s lips contorted into a scowl. “I’m not ignorant. I know a spot where we can eat in peace. It’s just a couple streets from here.”
I did not respond for a few minutes, making an effort to pay attention to the lesson while my brain sought to decipher everything. She’s ashamed to be the Keyholder’s daughter. She knows about the breeding situation, whatever horrors it entails. She thinks Tobias is more than just your neighbor. And she’s friendly with an outsider who knows the Teutonic dialect but likely doesn’t know about the Keyholder’s plot to maintain the bloodlines.
Maybe I should lie to Sylvia and say Tobias was my betrothed. That should keep her father from prying into my affairs. But the idea of doing so made my stomach churn in discomfort. I hated portraying myself as anything more or less than who I truly was. My snow tasted unhappiness in Sylvia’s spirit, and I realized I ought not to judge her until she explained herself.
So I leaned back toward her and murmured, “Okay. Lunch.”
Fantastical Freebies
If you want to add some free books steeped in fantasy and adventure with a touch of romance on the side to your TBR, then check out all the awesome indie books available in this week's book fair. Each one is free with newsletter signup. And if you want to snag Gift of Light for free instead of dishing out the $3 it costs to get it from a retailer, scroll through the book fair to get your copy today!
Other Books You Might Like
Got two other books for you to drop onto your TBR this week. One looks like it involves shifters & St. Patrick's Day (an intriguing combination!), while the other seems to involve a bare-chested angel. 🔥 Curious? Take a peek at each one and support other authors like me.
After watching five couples find their happily ever afters, my mate literally falls into my lap. I’d never let that kind of luck pass me by.
Then I find out she’s engaged to another. Why should I work shifter speed dating events when finding my happily ever after is off the menu?
Now we’re running for our lives from both the shifter council and her jilted intended. Talk about a fast burn.
His job is to vanquish the demon threat. But when a mortal woman gets stuck in the crossfire, can he protect her from the new target on her back?
Titan is second-in-command of the fallen sentinel angels, a fearsome group of earthbound angels who are tasked with protecting heaven from the demon charmers. The eternal struggle has cost many lives, one of which Titan still blames himself for six months later. But when a mortal woman becomes a target of his enemy, he saves her—only to discover she looks just like the woman he lost months ago.
Not a day goes by that Rose Meyer doesn't spend looking for her twin sister. With a newfound lead at her fingertips, she heads out in search of clues to her sister's whereabouts. What she finds, however, is a frightening magic user intent on killing her—and a hulking angel of gleaming metallic titanium who shuttles her out of the kill zone.
And refuses to let her out of his protection.
I'd better slide back over to my own laptop, since I've got a blurb to put together (help!) plus some final tweaks & improvements to do for Gift of Snow. Keep an eye out for another newsletter for me on either Wednesday or Thursday this week, when Nelke's story will leap out of hiding and onto your e-reader.
ARC team, you should be getting an e-mail from me with ARC copies of Gift of Snow attached tomorrow. Assuming my creative/analytical brain does its job today and lets me write a blurb & finish those final improvements.
I really, truly appreciate you sticking with me, and I hope you enjoy Gift of Snow as much as my beta readers have. 💖
Talk to you soon,
C.L. Carhart
Get Gift of Air for free:
https://bf.clcarhart.com/6w57qgfhc9
Get Gift of Light:
https://books2read.com/ebgiftoflight
Elemental Bloodlines series:
https://clcarhart.com/collections/elemental-bloodlines-series-ebooks
Fantasy Freebies: