Teuton Witches Are Popping Back Inside Your Inbox 🔮
Jul 17, 2024 6:45 pm
By now you probably thought C.L. Carhart had vanished into the ether never to reappear. According to my newsletter records, I haven't emailed you since June 23rd! 😱 What in the world is going on with me...and where exactly have I been???
You'll have to read through all the witchy updates I've got before you can find out what I've been up to. After all, you're here because you're a reader, not because you want to know what weirdo authors do in their downtime.
Right? 🤔
Opinions Needed: Poll Time!
If you've been hanging out with me and my Teuton witch friends for a while, you're likely aware that Gift of Air, the prequel novella to my Elemental Bloodlines series, has been free on most retailers (aside from when Amazon decides to get all freakish & controlling 💀) since summer of last year.
Now that I've got 2 complete series published and I'm working on a third, I've decided it's time to change up my retailer freebies. Gift of Air has achieved over 25,000 downloads in just one year (which is fabulous! 🤩), and it's sitting at over 70 ratings on Amazon. 💖 That means it's more likely to appear in a search.
Since there are 8 books in the Elemental Bloodlines series, I figure it's about time I switch my freebie out from the series prequel to Book 1. Right now, Book 1 in the series is Gift of Fire. Here's a quick look at the series timeline:
As you can see from that graphic, the Elemental Bloodlines series went a little bit off the rails when it comes to chronological order. 😬 Judging by the feedback I've gotten, some readers out there got confused that Gift of Snow (Book 6) dove back into the 1950s while the other main books in the series take place in the 2000s and 2010s.
Since the series order isn't super clear from the graphic above, here's how the Elemental Bloodlines timeline looks at present:
Gift of Light (bonus novella): 1898
Gift of Air (prequel novella): 1955
Gift of Fire (Book 1): 2004
Gift of Stone (Book 2): 2004
Gift of Darkness (Book 3): 2010
Gift of Water (Book 4): 2010
Gift of Wind (Book 5): 2017
Gift of Snow (Book 6): 1955
So here's my question. I'd like your HONEST opinion.
Should I re-order the primary books in Elemental Bloodlines to chronological order? This would mean putting Gift of Snow as Book 1 and moving Gift of Fire and the other books forward 1 spot. (Gift of Fire would become Book 2, Gift of Stone would be Book 3, and so on.)
Please click on the button after the statement that BEST reflects your opinion. Please choose only one button! 🥹
I've read Gift of Fire and Gift of Snow, and I think Gift of Snow would work better as Book 1 in the series.
I've read Gift of Fire and Gift of Snow, and I think they should stay in their current positions. The funky chronology isn't confusing at all.
I haven't read both books, but I think it'd be best if the series went in chronological order with Gift of Snow as Book 1.
I haven't read both books, but I think the series order is fine the way it is.
I haven't read both books, but I wish you'd put Gift of Snow as Book 1 because if you do, I'm totally downloading it once it's free.
(Yes, I had to put that final option in there because as a reader, that one would be me, LOL! No shade if you feel the same way! 🤪)
And if you've read Gift of Fire but haven't read Gift of Snow (or vice versa), please click the button beside the statement, "I haven't read BOTH books...." that matches your opinion. 😉
Opportunities: ARC Readers
You might remember that I've been struggling to get back into the writing groove after a hefty dose of creative burnout post Gift of Snow. Right now it looks like the first book in my next Teutonic Fantasy Realm series—Magical Gift—will be finished and ready to publish at the tail end of July.
And that means I'm putting out a call for ARC readers! 🎉
Being on my witchy ARC team means you'll get an eBook copy of each novella in my forthcoming series BEFORE they release to the public. In return, I hope to see your review on one or more of the usual review sites—Goodreads, BookBub, Amazon, or any of the other retailers.
ARC copies of Magical Gift should be going out no later than next Saturday. Do you want to read Sylvia's story before everyone else and then blast your opinion all over review sites and social media? If so, please fill out this Google Form:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Rz-mgT-IK3dTGwbDqDQZKJjbWb-i2aDbdZajLyim608
***If you are already on my ARC team, you do NOT need to fill out the form again. Especially if you've reviewed a couple of the books in Elemental Bloodlines. We're stuck together for better or worse. 😜
Now if you joined my ARC team at some point in the past but never shared a review of any Elemental Bloodlines book, you can fill out the form until you're blue in the face...but you won't be getting back on the team. 🤷♀️ The point of an ARC team is to gather readers willing to share honest reviews of my books, not gather a group of freebie seekers. At this point freebie seekers should have been able to grab a decent handful of my books already.
Life Updates
Now that we've got all the Teutonic stuff out of the way, here's your update on what C.L. Carhart has been getting into since we last talked. My mother-in-law's funeral went very well at the end of June, and it was nice to reconnect with some of my husband's extended family. My husband and I checked out the Manassas Battlefield Park while we were in his old stomping grounds—and wouldn't you know, he'd never been there before despite living in that area for almost 20 years!
The above pic is a pair of howitzers donated to the park, both of which were actually used in the battle. My husband's reading about them in the background.
Upon our return to South Carolina, my husband's work schedule got all messed up around the July 4th holiday, which meant he had more time off than expected. So we decided to sneak into the woods for a couple days to check out all of the spectacular waterfalls along the Thompson River in North Carolina. Can't recommend those hikes enough, although I'll probably never do them again due to the long distance and elevation change involved.
Above is me checking out Simon Falls. So inspiring, and also wet! 💙 (That was a good thing considering it was super hot out that day.)
And that one is Big Falls, the "holy grail" of NC waterfalls. Over 7 mile hike out and back, which is why we camped! Found a bunch of ripe blackberries right near the falls, and we spent about an hour admiring its beauty.
One amusing thing happened during our trek along the Thompson River that's still bothering me today. On the way to the campsite (while we lugged a whole bunch of camping material with us for over 1 mile), I crunched my ankle. At the time I shrugged it off and ended up hiking to 4 waterfalls and descending and scaling a bunch of ridges.
Upon coming home, I discovered I literally sprained my ankle. 😵
Apparently I've got some things in common with Gregor from Gift of Water.
So now I'm resting my wounded ankle while chasing a tiny tabby kitten around the house. Last Saturday, my husband and I adopted our 4th kitty, so now we're good to go for a while. Meet Mango, a teeny boy who has already decided Panther's his best friend! 😍
(Yep, that's Panther photo-bombing and licking his nose in the foreground.)
Bookish Events
We've got a couple fun bookish events going down throughout the month of July. The biggest deal is the Smashwords Summer/Winter Sale. Clicking the graphic below will take you to the sale itself, but if you'd rather just nab a bunch of my books, this link will take you to all of them:
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/clcarhart1066
✨ Every single one of my books is HALF PRICE during the Smashwords sale. Load up your e-reader and dive into the Teutonic Fantasy Realm today! ✨
Now if you'd rather load up your Kobo instead, be sure to check out all the flaming hot fantasy and sci-fi books available to binge in Kobo Plus! I've heard you can add the Kobo app to most phones, tablets, iPads, computers, and even Kindle...so take a peek and see how you can affordably read all those indie books that aren't available in Kindle Unlimited.
LoveBite Books monthly freebies:
https://geni.us/LoveBiteBooks17
Laura Greenwood's advent calendar (more freebies!):
https://www.authorlauragreenwood.co.uk/p/christmas-in-july-2024-bookish-advent.html
Other Books You Might Like
Got four books by other authors to share with you today, mainly because I should have sent a newsletter earlier this month and I didn't. 😔 Fair warning that you'll be hearing from me A LOT for the rest of the month since there's a couple freebie events on the way...plus a new release in the Teutonic Fantasy Realm. Hopefully these four tales will keep you occupied in the meantime.
Isme made a single mistake.
She lived secretly on an island with her father, preparing for the end of the world under his strict guidance. An apocalypse was a big deal, of course, but it had happened before: everyone knew that the gods had destroyed and rebuilt the world several times...
So when she sang to the sea, it was just a momentary flash of teenage rebellion. Hardly anything to be concerned about.
But now she has blood on her hands.
Driven by blood guilt, Isme must leave the safety of her island and travel to the other side of Greece. Only the famed Oracle of Delphi can tell her how to escape the fate of a murderer.
Taken from Earth and used like a lab rat…
Emily was a normal law student until she was abducted by aliens. Forced to perform death defying feats by night and undergoing medical tests by day, she doesn’t know how much longer she can take it.
When one alien takes particular interest in her she’s afraid things have gone from bad to worse. He’s got wings and fangs, and he makes her heart pound. But she can’t want an alien like that… can she?
Torn out of my world, captured by a pirate, and fighting for my life was not how I planned on spending my week.
I grew up believing my great-grandmother's tales were mostly fiction. Sure, a few scraps were true, but those dark pieces didn’t make it into the pretty fantasy the rest of the world knows.
I don’t have time for fantasy. Not when I have bills to pay and a teenage brother to get through his last year of high school.
Until he goes missing, and I wind up trapped on a pirate ship in an enchanted realm where I discover everything I thought I knew about Wendy’s stories was wrong. Including Pan, who is less of a flying boy and more of a soul-stealing demon that has made my brother his next target.
I never imagined forming an attachment, let alone romantic feelings for the beast of a man who has been holding me captive. Broderick has been ostracized his entire life and I can't help but be drawn to the wounds he hides inside. Who am I to think I can offer him any solace?
Yet, in my presence, he does seem more settled, more at ease. If I'm honest with myself, the inner restlessness I've struggled with my entire life also calms. Together we soothe each other. But then he lets me go and I'm left to wonder if we're meant to be after all....
Hope you've got enough fantastical stories to give you an escape from this crazy world we live in. Looking forward to sharing the next Teutonic adventure with you later on this month! Don't forget to sign up for my ARC team if you want to be the first to read and review Magical Gift.
Have a wonderfully weird week, and stay frosty.
Talk to you soon,
C.L. Carhart
Join my ARC team:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Rz-mgT-IK3dTGwbDqDQZKJjbWb-i2aDbdZajLyim608
Smashwords Sale (my books are 50% off):
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/clcarhart1066
Fantasy & Sci-fi in Kobo Plus:
https://bf.clcarhart.com/Kobo-Plus-Fantasy-Sci-fi-July-August/d1b2xi607n
Get Gift of Air for free (until August 1st):