In case the title didn't give you a hint . . . Gift of Fire, my latest paranormal romance in the Teutonic fantasy realm, is FINISHED! It's the first time in a LONG time (as in decades) that I've written a standalone story, all tied off in a nice little bow. 🎀 And I have to admit, it was fun to grant Gabi a taste of victory without sending her through six books of struggle, first.

Gift of Fire will be out at your favorite online retailer on December 10th, just eighteen days away! Don't forget, you can reserve your copy of the eBook for ONLY 99¢ during the pre-order and for a limited time afterward.

In today's newsletter, I've got a whole bunch of free books to share, including one of my own that thus far, I've never offered for free! 😱

Read on, and get ready to load up your e-reader . . . .

✨ Freebie Link to Cryptic Pathway ✨

You might remember from last week's newsletter that I had every intention of running coupon codes on some book or other in honor of Black Friday. But you know, the only retailers that permit indie authors to create coupon codes are:

Google Play

Nook

Smashwords

And I really, really didn't want any readers to be left out this time.

Especially not those among you who dipped your toes into my complete dark urban fantasy/time travel romance series, His Name Was Augustin. (The one that doesn't "fit" anywhere and has been impossible to market. That one. 🤪)

Some of you have probably read Arcane Gateway, the first book in Swanie's saga, since it's currently free on all online retailers. But have you joined Swanie in her crazy journey to the 11th century? Have you followed along as she fell hopelessly in love with a cursed—that means DEAD 💀—Teuton priest?

What ever became of Swanie once she finally returned to the present day?

Take a peek at the blurb below, and then check out the snippet . . . where Swanie has to decide whether or not to admit her love for a dead man. 👀

Her chosen love is trapped in the past, and her destiny pulls her toward an enigmatic priest.

I’m back in the twenty-first century, but it looks like my old life has dissolved. My cousin isn’t talking to me, Joel’s forsaking the mere idea of Teutonic magic, and Hans—my former crush—doubts my faith since I explored the dark path during my travels. Sure, maybe I offered my heart to a demon’s servant, but that doesn’t change anything about who I am. Right?

Now I’m torn between a sizzling urge to run back to my past lover Augustin and a loathsome destiny that pulls me toward a fated mate. My people expect me to ascend as an elegant matriarch, but I haven’t finished college yet. And it’s not like I can broadcast the fact that I spent twenty years in the eleventh century. Time travel brought about my people’s destruction once, and I can’t let that happen again.

It’d be a lot easier to just spurn my duties and flee to my medieval lover. But this fated mate thing is breathing down my neck, scratching at my peace—and Augustin claims our destinies are separate now. My heart isn’t ready for this....

✨ Get It For Free! ✨

Cryptic Pathway Snippet

That night, I met Hans in the gazebo at his request. He sent me a message on our internet forum dedicated to Teutonic history and culture, saying that he had arranged for me to meet with the Teuton Council of München on Saturday evening. “I told them last week that you’ve been chosen, and they’re aware of your career plans and educational goals. There are a few things we ought to discuss before you meet them,” his message stated.

I did not particularly appreciate the fact that he had taken it upon himself to shine the spotlight on me, but I knew that I could not keep my destiny under wraps indefinitely. So I replied to his message with a short line saying that I would see him at the gazebo around ten p.m.

Clad in gym shorts, a Süddeutsche Getriebe T-shirt, and sandals, I exited the Thaden house and set my course for the gazebo in the deepening twilight. A warm summer breeze toyed with my hair as I followed the trail through the trees, its fingers rustling the leaves above and around me. I summoned my ice to trace its way lightly through my veins, asking it to calm my restless spirit. I knew that I ought to be open with Hans tonight and tell him the full story of what had happened to me in the eleventh century. We had not spoken in person since my last dance with Freia, but I needed him in my corner when I faced the council . . . and when I faced my Keyholder, my fated mate.

Hans rose to his feet when I approached the gazebo, his lean form wrapped in the black robes of the Teuton priest. He nodded a greeting at me and asked how my first week back home had gone. I sat down on my usual bench to the right of the gazebo’s archway, and Hans sat across from me, his posture casual. My element enhanced my vision as I ran my gaze over his cloaked torso, and I sighed, clasping my hands in my lap and shifting my eyes toward the stream trickling to my left.

“I guess I’m getting back in the swing of things,” I said, though my niggling uncertainties suggested otherwise. “I remember how to drive a car and navigate public transpor­tation. I’ve nearly answered people in Teutonica once or twice, though.” I gave a nervous chuckle and twisted the sapphire ring around my finger.

“You ought to remain vague about the extent of your historical knowledge when you meet the council tomor­row,” Hans noted, “and it’d be best to keep your Teutonica to yourself. You speak it with a weird accent.”

I laughed again, my first encounter with Augustin arising in my mind. Such proper diction comes as a result of education, he had said when I had commented on his accent as well as that of everyone else in medieval Muniche. “I speak it like I learned it in the eleventh century instead of from a book,” I clarified.

“That may be,” Hans said in a flat tone, “but unless you intend to disclose the whereabouts of the Torstein, you’d best tread carefully.”

That brought something else to mind, and I looked toward Hans again, my forehead creasing. “Lady Muniche—Bertha Lohr, that is—told me that the Torstein would be taken from me if I told the council about it. Do you think she was right about that?” I watched his posture stiffen at the subject.

“The Torstein harbors dangerous potential, magic that spans far beyond our people’s typical abilities.” Hans looked toward the stream himself, his graying hair reflect­ing the starlight. “The council of any Teuton city holds great collective power, and I’m not sure it would be wise to offer them more. There are several priests on München’s council who wouldn’t approve of a young woman wielding the Torstein’s magic.”

“I’m forty-three this August, despite how my body looks. Don’t forget that.” I sneered in Hans’ direction, and he turned his face toward me with an inscrutable expression. “But I’m prepared to keep the Torstein to myself, because people don’t always use power the right way. Our people fell in the eleventh century because Prince Otto shared his song with Paulus, and the Saxons captured him. I thought he gave up the song during torture, but then I found out there were traitors working with the Saxons. Teutons of blood between eighty-five and eighty-nine percent. In the eleventh century, it was against the law to teach people like that anything about Teutonic magic because they were all hung up on blood purity. Our people were killed and scattered due to their own stupid prejudice.”

Hans’ eyes were round and black with fire. I could tell that my discourse was news to him. His hands gripped the edges of the bench where he sat, and smoke rose from beneath his fingers. “I lost a lot of respect for our people’s customs while I was in the past,” I informed him, “and I honestly don’t give a damn if the priests on the council feel threatened by the truth. I can’t keep what I learned to myself. I have to share it, because that’s what the Tor­stein’s spell demands.”

“Swanie.” Hans held up one hand in a request for silence, and I shut my lips, purpose churning within my soul. Use my position as Lady Muniche to take apart any lingering biases about blood purity. Break down the narrative of Prince Otto as an honorable saint. Spread the message of individual choice. If a man doesn’t want the keys, that’s fine. If a woman doesn’t want to have kids, that’s fine.

“Whether you take my advice or not, I urge you to conduct yourself elegantly before the council tomorrow,” Hans said in a grave voice. “Though you are now the Lady of Muniche, the respect inherent to your position builds over time. If you go before the council and spew out your unorthodox truths from the start, that could cause trouble for you and for your status in the community.”

Impatience gnawed at my soul, my ice having veiled my vision in blue. I had no tolerance for beating around the bush. But Hans’ next sentence brought me up short. “If you speak of your knowledge without proof—and you have no proof aside from your personal experience—then they might deem you a liar and troublemaker . . . and then they would seek to punish you.”

I gasped, my ice magic flooding my veins, freezing my hands as I clenched them in my lap. “Punish me?” I repeated in a squeaky voice, my courage sputtering out. “How?”

“I don’t know.” Hans frowned and crossed his arms beneath his cloak.

My teeth scored my bottom lip as I abruptly realized something else. “But you . . . you’re one of them.” My voice broke, and frightening images filled my mind, pictures of undergoing some sort of Teutonic torture delivered by Hans himself. Maybe I should not have been so frank with him all this time.

“Would you . . . would you . . . also . . . punish me?” I trembled, wondering whether I was about to lose the one Teuton priest that I actually trusted in the modern era.

Hans’ expression hardened, and he answered shortly, “No, I would likely defend you, and that would bring trouble on both of us.”

Warmth bloomed within me, and I looked down at my hands, ordering my ice to withdraw. So I’ve got Hans come what may, and I’ve got Augustin. But I’ll probably need more priests—or at least more Teuton men—on my side before I can really change things for the better.

“Thanks,” I murmured, “and I guess that means I’ll have to do what I can behind the scenes for now. Like the Keyholder.” Maybe the mysterious head of my city had good reasons for his reserve. Had he worked to improve things all this time?

“Swanie, I’ve been trying not to pry, but there’s some­thing I need to ask you.” Hans’ tone sounded strained, prompting me to lift my head to regard him. His eyes were focused on my hands. “In all the years I have known you, you’ve never been one to adorn yourself with insignificant jewelry.”

My heart stuttered, and my eyes darted downward to that sapphire jewel that I removed from my right ring finger only when I showered. “You’ve worn that ring since you returned from the past, and its style seems . . . unlike rings of the modern day. I’ve been trying to work out how you managed to bring it to the future. Is it the symbol of your marriage to Joel?”

I choked on a laugh and wrapped my arms around my torso, feeling chilled despite my ice. I had planned to be frank with Hans tonight, but now I could not decide where to start—and how much should I tell him?

“Joel wasn’t rich enough to get me this sort of ring,” I sputtered, hardly knowing what I said. “If it was his, I wouldn’t have . . . .”

I shuddered into myself and drew my legs onto the bench. How would Hans react to the awful reality—that the new Lady Muniche loved someone long gone, someone profane in the eyes of Teuton priests?

* * *

Download YOUR copy for free!

This link is good only for a week, so act fast!

https://bf.clcarhart.com/jqab1e8g57

📜 A New VIP Reader Experience 📜

A couple weeks ago, I told you that next year, I'm planning on starting up my own web store for my eBooks. I shared a Google Form asking for feedback on that concept, and 29 of you responded! I really appreciate the incredibly honest feedback—especially those of you who expressed valid doubts. I've taken copious notes & will keep your preferences in mind moving forward. 😊

Today, I'm looking for more feedback on another business venture I plan on starting in 2023 . . . and maybe even BEFORE 2023. 😮 Quite a few indie authors—as well as artists, YouTubers, and other sorts of creators—run monthly programs offering early access to their products. I'm going to do that myself very, very soon, so I'd like to get YOUR thoughts on subscription services and what sort of perks would catch your attention.

If you'd like to share your opinions with me, please fill out the Google Form linked below. I'll leave this form open for a little over a week, and I'll share a reminder in next week's Wednesday newsletter.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1vDYx4L_Wie7SBuaXMDD1BVEtRp57yQy8G_45jdJTynE/edit

✨ 100+ FREE PNR Books ✨

I promised "lots of freebies" in this newsletter, didn't I? If you haven't scrolled through this limited-time promotion yet, you'd better get a move on! November will soon be over, and your inboxes will soon be overstuffed with Black Friday emails (including one from me). 😉 Check out the book fair today, and snuggle up with some great steamy reads for the holiday season.

✨ PNR Book Fair ✨

⚡ FREE Recommended Reading ⚡

Now here's the best part—BOTH of the eBooks below are free on multiple retailers, no strings attached! That's right, no newsletter signups required. C.D. Gorri's book is recently free, and Lisa Blackwood's book is the beginning of one wild & twisted adventure. (It's true; I'm reading the final book in Lisa's series right now. So I'm recommending that one from experience. 👍)

An untried sorceress teams up with an immortal gargoyle to stop a goddess from enslaving Earth in this epic urban fantasy romance.

When Lillian finds herself facing off against demons out of mythology, help comes from an unlikely source—the stone gargoyle who has been sleeping in her garden for the last twelve years.

After the battle, Lillian learns the humans she thought were her family are actually a powerful coven of witches at war with the demonic Riven. Lillian is something more than human, a Sorceress and Avatar to the gods. The gargoyle has been her protector for many lifetimes, but when she was still a child, troubles in their homeland forced him to flee with her to the human world.

But something from her childhood has followed them to this world.

In a heartbeat, her ordinary life becomes far more complicated, and if her overprotective guardian is to be believed, there’s an evil demigoddess just waiting for the chance to enslave them both.

✨ Get It For Free! ✨

He’s the leader of his Pride.

She’s a normal with no idea Shifters exist.

Calling a Magical Matchmaking Service isn’t exactly ideal, but Hunter Maverick is desperate to find his mate. If he doesn’t have control of the eight-hundred-pound Tiger living inside him, he can’t run the Pride. The best way to manage his beast is to claim a female as his own, but no one in his Pride calls to him. Only his fated mate will do.

There’s just one problem. He has no idea who she is.

Elissa Phoenix has hit rock bottom. When she’s cajoled into accepting a blind date, she finds herself in one lousy situation after another. Bad manners and lewd suggestions leave Elissa no choice but to leave on her own.

Stranded in the rain on the side of the road, Elissa is startled when an elderly stranger in a limo offers her a ride. She knows she should run, but her gut says get in. With no other prospects, what does she have to lose?

Uncle Uzzi has found the purrfect mate for the big bad Tiger of Maverick Point, New Jersey wandering on the side of the road, but it’s up to the growly Neta to win her heart.

Can Hunter convince Elissa she’s his purrfect mate?

✨ Get It For Free! ✨

Photo Time!

It's been a hot minute since I've shared a nature photo with you, and I'd like to end this newsletter on an inspirational note. Feast your eyes on a lovely winter sunrise at Ocean City, New Jersey—one of Swanie's favorite places in the U.S. I took this photo on New Year's Day in 2013, a symbol of a fresh start. 🌟

I'll be sending an extra newsletter on Black Friday, stuffed with eBooks and book fairs . . . and maybe even a special giveaway to celebrate Gift of Fire's upcoming release. I might even ask one of the side characters from Gift of Fire to write the newsletter for me, so I can have more time to get the eBook and paperback edited & formatted. 😉

Don't forget to grab YOUR free copy of Cryptic Pathway from the BookFunnel link below! And feel free to share the link with any of your friends who enjoy urban fantasy romance with fated mates, forbidden love, and an age gap. 💖

Talk to you soon,

C.L. Carhart

Cryptic Pathway - FREE until Tuesday: https://bf.clcarhart.com/jqab1e8g57

Pre-order Gift of Fire for 99¢: https://books2read.com/ebgiftoffire

Winter Wonders free anthology: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/8vf3yn51uc

Google Form seeking YOUR feedback on a subscription program:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1vDYx4L_Wie7SBuaXMDD1BVEtRp57yQy8G_45jdJTynE/edit