I Know, I Know. I'm Late. đľâ
Feb 29, 2024 4:00 pm
I know, I know. I left you all alone last week, and the week before that, Nelke wrote to you instead of me. So now you're going to unsubscribe because WHO the heck is C.L. Carhart, anyway??? đ
Before you go, you might want to take a look at the one-day Instalove Book Blast happening until the entire earth has switched over to March 1st. Quite a few books involved are Kindle only, but there's some great options available on multiple retailers. Including one of Laura Greenwood's books that I don't think has been free before. (Pretty sure I just stuck it on my TBR.)
Just click the graphic above to browse a little over 100 short and steamy stories loaded with the love we all fantasize about. đ And be sure to grab Gift of Air if you haven't gotten it yet. Ilsa & Horst would be honored to have you join them in an arranged romance that actually turned out...kinda good.
So What's Up With Gift of Snow?
Two weeks ago, you might remember that Nelke, the snow witch heroine of the last full-length novel in my Elemental Bloodlines series, introduced herself to you and gave you a small taste of what's ahead for her in Gift of Snow. And in case you haven't already guessed it...this author has been struggling to get Nelke's story onto the page.
If you've been hanging out with me for a while, then you've probably noticed that I usually publish 1 full-length novel every 3 months. That's how I handled my first series, His Name Was Augustin, and that's the schedule I've maintained with the Elemental Bloodlines series. But at this point, I have to confess that creative burnout has utterly kicked me to the curb. It'd probably be a lot easier to publish a new novel with a fresh cast every 3 months if I wrote simple, formulaic stories that most of us romantic fantasy readers are used to reading....
...But...my brain just doesn't work that way.
At least not when I'm crafting a full-length novel.
So even though Gift of Wind hit the retailers at the end of November, there's no way possible at this point for Gift of Snow to arrive in February. I'm sorry. đ
My hope and plan is to finish and publish Gift of Snow on Wednesday, March 20th, which is exactly twenty days from now. Since I've managed to get to Chapter 9ânearing the halfway pointâthat goal should be attainable unless something drastic happens. But hopefully things are simmering down in my world now that my husband & I have regained our health. đ¤
And it's about time for those violets to start coming up anyway, so weird salads will be plopping onto our plates very soon....
In the meantime, here's a peek at a photo I found on Facebook that reminds me of how I envision Nelke wandering the forest in a snowy winter. You can find it alongside many other fantastical photos on The Seamstress of Rohan's Facebook page.
Indie Fantasy In Kobo Plus
You may have seen news floating around this month about a fantasy eBook & audiobook event happening at Kobo Plus. Since today is the last day of Februaryâwhich makes it the last day of the eventâI'm here to remind you about it one last time.
I know a lot of readers, maybe even you, subscribe to Kindle Unlimited for an affordable way to binge through your favorite indie eBooks. As a reader, I totally understand how great Kindle Unlimited is when you can't afford to buy every single book you consume. I mean...I have a free book addiction myself. đŹ
The big choice every indie author has to make once they're ready to publish is whether they'll put their eBooks into the Kindle Unlimited program or not. Many indie authors do it, but others do not because of the exclusivity clause. Basically, if you're an indie author and you put your eBook into the KU program, you're not legally allowed to publish that eBook anywhere other than Amazon.
Not on library platforms so people can read for free.
Not on Nook, Kobo, Apple, or Google Play.
You can't even give your eBooks away for free if they're enrolled in KU. đ
As someone with a deep-seated disgust for giant corporationsâespecially the ones that imagine they have a monopoly on the marketâI can't justify putting my own eBooks into Kindle Unlimited. Especially since my husband reads on Apple Books and my dad reads on Google Play. Because dude, I want to make sure my family can enjoy my weirdly witchy books, even if no one else can!
Luckily, there is an amazing alternative for readers who subscribe to KU and get frustrated about all those great indie books they can't get unless they actually buy them. đ The Kobo Plus subscription program is out there in the wild, waiting to welcome binge readers into its warm hug. Kobo Plus doesn't demand exclusivity, so it's much better for indie authors. And right now it's much better for readers in some countries, because it's cheaper than KU.
And you can even get eBooks plus audiobooks for a lot cheaper than if you're subscribed to both KU and Audible. đ
If you're dedicated to KU, you can always add the Kobo App to your phone, tablet, or Kindle and then switch between KU and Kobo Plus every couple months. That way you'll be able to enjoy all the indie eBooks out there, since most are available in either KU or Kobo Plus. The best of both worlds!
If you haven't browsed all the options in the Kobo Plus Fantasy Binge event, you'd better get on that right now. I can personally recommend Lisa Blackwood's Gargoyle And Sorceress series, and my dad would recommend Kyra Halland's Daughter Of The Wildlings series. Be sure to browse all the great reads by clicking the graphic above!
If you'd rather glance at a smaller batch of Kobo Plus reads on BookFunnel, check out the link below.
https://bf.clcarhart.com/koboplusfantasy/8ud1sqrpcd
Other Books You Might Like
Got three intriguing books to share with you today, from romantic time travel to magic in the city to what appears to be a why choose wolf pack. Be sure to click on whichever ones strike your interest!
Starving artist April McCall tolerates her job for her brother's sake, and when her boyfriend proposes, she can't decide if good enough is good enough any longer. Promised a distraction, April accepts her quirky roommate's dream experiment, but as she's drifting off, she's given a surprising mission: Prevent Sam Hartley's arrest in 1852, otherwise he will be murdered.
In 1852 Wisconsin, Sam Hartley wishes to return to blacksmithing, where he could use his hands to create, but until something is done about his tyrannical boss, he's trapped. When an extraordinary woman comes asking for him, escalating threats and her suspicious knowledge force him to keep her close. But too soon he must decide if risking her safety is worth mending his heart.
Time's running out, and April must choose between her mediocre boyfriend and 1852, risking her life to save the man who stole her heart.
Until Meredith Williams was brutally attacked and almost kidnapped, she had no idea that magic existedâor that she was born with it. But when her family friend and secret crush, FBI Agent Jack Knight, rescues her, she learns that her mother bound her powers for her own safety.
Jack knows itâs time to come clean about his role as a special agent in the undercover magic task force. Heâs protected Meredith from afar since tragedy struck her family twenty years earlier, loving her but never being able to reveal his true feelings.
Now Meredith must accept who she is, because if she doesnât, the spellbinding will sentence her mother to death. Yet accepting her magic when itâs caused so much heartbreak and lies isnât just difficult for Meredith, itâs almost impossible.
But the evil that shattered their pasts is back and seeking revenge. And this time, unless Meredith can embrace her magic, it could spell destruction for all of them....
After the death of my mother, Iâm a broken shell.
Thatâs when Hayden reappears.
Tall.
Handsome.
Covered in tattoos.
A player wolf shifter who broke my heart.
I try avoiding him.
But he and his Alpha brother Dante make that impossible.
Tempting me with their strong muscles, their dark eyes.
The intensity of my need scares me.
If I give myself to them wholly, what will be left of me?
How do I know Hayden wonât break my heart again?
When I become the target of a rival pack, the brothers are my only hope.
They got me in this mess.
Theyâre the only ones who can save me.
Iâve never wanted anyone as badly to rescue me to claim meâŚ
Can the three of us stop fighting destiny, or will our stubbornness destroy us?
All right, I'd better get going so I can dive into Chapter 9 in Gift of Snow. Things are starting to get tense just as Nelke's birthday is coming around, so how much can possibly go wrong while she's celebrating with friends, family, and that earthen priest who's captured her heart?
Let's hope we can all find out on March 20th! Creative vibes appreciated. đ
Wishing you a wonderfully weird week, and grab some violets to munch on if you're into weirdly flowery foods!
Talk to you soon,
C.L. Carhart
Instalove Book Blast:
https://www.instalovebookblast.com/free-books
Kobo Plus Fantasy Binge:
https://www.kobo.com/en/p/kobo-plus-fantasy-reads
Elemental Bloodlines series:
https://clcarhart.com/collections/elemental-bloodlines-series-ebooks
His Name Was Augustin series: