It's Coming! The Second Part Of Helena's Saga ✨
Aug 20, 2025 9:01 pm
This email's hitting your inbox a little late today, so if you've forgotten who the heck C.L. Carhart is, that's completely understandable. Yep, should have sent you an authorly email last week. Nope, didn't.
(If you just jumped onto my newsletter last week, you can ignore the above paragraph! Hiya weirdos! 💖)
So what's my excuse this time? It might have something to do with a light witch named Helena and that undead muse of hers named Konstantin. I'll tell it all in the next sections of this email, so if you usually skip down to the book fairs and recommended reading, don't do that this time or you'll miss out!
This Earthen Cage Book 2: Creative Snags
If you've read all the way to the end of my latest release—Claimed by the Undead is available in eBook and paperback at multiple online stores—you probably closed the book thinking, "What?! How dare C.L. Carhart let THAT happen to Helena and Konstantin?! Does she have no heart?!" 😭
I'll be the first to admit that ending shattered me too. In fact, it's taken me a lot longer to whip my creative muse back into shape and convince it to flow while I'm sitting in front of my laptop. Sure, I crafted the 'brain dump' and 'outline' for the second book in Helena's saga with Konstantin all the way back in May right after Claimed came out. But actually writing? Like putting chapters together?
LOL, what's that again? 🫠
As it stands, I eventually decided I needed some outside pressure to convince my brain to get creative again, so I put up a pre-order for Helena+Konstantin Book 2 on Amazon and a couple other retailers.
The writing did NOT commence.
Had to delay the pre-order once, which means I literally CAN'T delay it again on Amazon or I'll turn into a pumpkin. 🎃 In other words, somehow, some way, I have to publish Book 2 in the This Earthen Cage saga on September 10th.
Right now the book in question has 13 chapters completed and polished.
With 22-23 more to go. 😱
Let's be real.... I don't know how I'm going to do this. But I really don't have a choice this time unless I want to 'lose my pre-order privileges' on Amazon for yet another year. That already happened to me once unexpectedly when I published Gift of Water 'too late' a couple years ago. 😒 Can't let it happen again.
Due to the way pre-orders work, I have to upload the final eBook files onto the retailers no later than Saturday, September 6th. That gives me exactly 18 days to write 22-23 chapters. When I typically can manage only 1 chapter per day.
You guys?
Help. 😭😭😭
No matter what happens, I'm committed to bringing you the absolute best version of Helena+Konstantin Book 2. You can be sure I won't be cutting any corners in my writing. But I might be living on coffee for the next two and a half weeks. Sleeping in spurts. Losing the bra. Showering? Um....
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
How about some good news now?
Cover Reveal: Hunted by the Undead
The secret is out—Book 2 in This Earthen Cage is called Hunted by the Undead. And I've been sitting on its absolutely spectacular cover art since April. Here's your first peek at what you can expect in Hunted, and major congrats to my awesome cover artist, J. L. Wilson Designs, for nailing my vision!
The lighthouse!!!! 😍😍😍
Without doubt the lighthouse is my absolute favorite part of this cover. It's a fun and mysterious setting that plays a major role in the second half of the book, so I can hardly wait for all of us to start a seafaring adventure! Can you guess the location of this fictional lighthouse? Which ocean or sea do you think it's at? What country do you think it guards? Let me know in a reply!
Pre-order Contest: Hunted by the Undead
I don't know about you, but I'm super excited about where Helena and Konstantin's story is going next. My 'evil author plan' is to get you excited about it too, so I'm not over here partying all by myself! 🥳 So it's time to tell you about the pre-order contest for Hunted by the Undead.
As of today, you can pre-order Hunted at the following retailers:
Yes, I'm aware I'm missing a couple major platforms like Kobo, Google, Itch, and my book shop. Hang tight; the pre-order will be ready for you next week!
To enter the pre-order contest, here's what you need to do:
- Pre-order Hunted by the Undead at your preferred store
- Take a screenshot of your order (proof you've done it)
- Email that screenshot to mail@clcarhart.com
- In your email, mention what country you reside in
Here's what you'll get once I've seen your screenshot:
- Obviously your spot in line for Hunted's release on Sept 10th. 📖
- A PDF download from BookFunnel that shares my 'brain dump' and 'outline' for Book 1 in the series, Claimed by the Undead. Get an inside look at how this weirdo author's brain works! 🧠
- A fun cartoon-style character artwork of Helena and Konstantin, included in the same PDF! 👫
If we can manage to reach 20 pre-orders of Hunted between today and September 10th, I'll draw ONE person from my collection of pre-order screenshots to win ONE signed copy of Claimed by the Undead.
The signed paperback giveaway is open only in the US, since we're dealing with tariff insanity over here right now. But everyone is eligible to snag that PDF with the background info on Claimed by the Undead, plus the human-made character art of Helena and Konstantin!
Ready to pre-order and email me your screenshot? Start right here:
Then take a screenshot proof of your pre-order and send the screenshot to mail@clcarhart.com. Can't wait to send you a personal reply with your digital goodies!
Small Is Magical: Itch.io Bundle
I've got another bookish bundle at Itch.io for you to browse today. This one's a compilation of 36 short stories and novellas by a variety of authors. My bundle contribution is Gift of Light, the story of how Helena and Konstantin first met in a Beauty-and-the-Beast-inspired adventure. Check out the bundle by clicking the graphic, and feel free to share the link with your reader friends!
Remember, if you buy an indie author's eBook(s) from Itch.io, that author will be able to take home the BIGGEST percentage of royalties out of any of the online book retailers. Rather support the little guys instead of the big billionaires with your hard-earned cash? Start buying from Itch every now and then. 🙂
How about some BookFunnel events to keep your reader heart happy? I'm a part of three of them this month, so be sure to browse them all to unearth the diamonds in the rough.
Other Books You Might Like
I've dug up two more fantastical stories for you to add to your TBR this week. Both involves witches of different sorts, and one of them also includes a shirtless wolf dude. 😶 Take a look!
Summoning a demon has never been on my bingo card, but that's exactly what I'm about to do. It's the only way to save my sister, my parents, and my entire coven from extinction.
Yes, the demon is a prince. Yes, bringing a being with that much power across the veil might cause a rift or two, but it's nothing a Holland witch can't handle. Besides, he'll owe me one.
Discord has been imprisoned for over four centuries, and I plan to make him an offer he can't refuse.
My methods might be unscrupulous, but I always get the job done. Sometimes even light witches have to get a little dark.
A werewolf hungry for vengeance, and a witch cursed with seeing the future, must find a killer before they destroy the Salem Pack…
Werewolves and witches don’t mix in Salem, but after pack werewolves have been killed and dismembered during the full moon, tensions are rising to a boiling point. Someone is using wolf body parts to power their dark magic, and Zeke O’Brien is determined to stop them, or die trying.
Ruby Towne is running out of time and magic. She’s the last of her mother’s line of witches, and gifted with clairvoyance, but seeing the future comes at a hefty mental price. When she catches a glimpse of her own death, she also sees a red wolf on a sacrificial table.
Zeke shows up on her doorstep with retribution on his mind, but one touch sets them on a collision course with a forbidden love that could change the destiny of the Salem Wolf Pack forever. Can a wolf and a witch stop the dark magic brewing around them, or will Ruby’s ominous prophecy claim them both....
All right, I've written you an entire novel with this email, so I'd better send it out right now and dive back into Helena's story with Konstantin. She's about to get herself kicked out of her safe haven, and Konstantin...well...he's about to clash with Nemo for the first time since the end of Claimed.
That might get a little dark. And violent. 🥊
Don't forget to pre-order Hunted by the Undead, take a screenshot of your order, and email it to me (you can even attach it in a reply to this email)! That'll get you an exclusive look at how Claimed formulated itself into a story, plus a super sweet cartoon of Helena and Konstantin together.
I hope you have a wonderfully weird week, and I'll catch you again at the weekend for news about the Narratess Indie Sale.
Talk to you soon,
C.L. Carhart
Pre-order Hunted by the Undead:
https://bf.clcarhart.com/h3rjjdnaj6
(then send me a screenshot of your order! 💖)
Start the series with Claimed by the Undead:
https://bf.clcarhart.com/fd9deoy799
Read Gift of Light to learn how Helena met Konstantin:
https://bf.clcarhart.com/z0k1vqfsss
Check out the Itch.io novella bundle (ends tomorrow):