Dear Readers and Friends,

I’m back from Japan, South Korea, and China — alive, happy, and still wondering how we managed 20–30k steps a day for five straight weeks. 😅

So obviously… I booked a last-minute cruise.

(Um. Correction. Two cruises.)

Because that’s what you do to recover from your vacation.

As you read this, I’m probably standing in a line to board a Margaritaville cruise, already sick of Jimmy Buffett from the road trip. (Sorry — I’m not a big follower of any music. The cruise happened because I was deeply curious to try something new. For science. Obviously.)

Now, let’s talk books.

--- ☕📖 Inside the Lair ☕📖 ---

First things first: Misfit officially published today! Yay! 🎉

You can check it out HERE.

(It’s in Kindle Unlimited or available to purchase for $2.99.)

No fires. No new disasters. Hannah remains exactly where she belongs.

That means three books are now live in A Girl’s Guide to Supervillainy! — and I couldn’t be happier.

If you’re new to the series, here’s your handy guide:

• Nemesis — Book 1 (Emily’s book)

• Rebel — Book 2 (Madison’s book)

• Misfit — Book 3 (Hannah’s book, freshly released!)

Quick reminder what this series is about:

A Girl’s Guide to Supervillainy! follows five women who lost everything in a so-called heroic disaster — and decided to stop trusting heroes to fix things. They choose each other, reclaim their power, and build something dangerous, loyal, and unexpectedly full of love. Think supervillain romance, secret identities, found family chaos, and happily ever afters with a little bite.

And because celebrating feels appropriate right now…

Nemesis (Book 1) is on sale for 99¢ for a limited time (US & UK). If you’ve been curious about the Ladies in Leather — or know someone who loves supervillain romance with morally flexible women — this is the perfect place to start.

👉 Grab Nemesis HERE.

As for me? I’m taking a short breather before diving into final edits for Book 4: Mayhem — Natalie’s story. I’m aiming for an April/May release, fingers crossed. It's not available on preorder yet. I've been too busy to que it up. Hopefully I have links and a cover reveal for you in next month's newsletter.

--- 🔒👀 Classified Intel 🔒👀 ---

After Mayhem comes the final chapter of this series:

🔥 Chaos — Jasmine’s book (Book 5)

Targeting late summer / early fall for publication.

And then… phew.

Series done. Completed. Fully unleashed upon the world.

It’s equal parts exciting, surreal, and a little emotional watching this story arc move toward the finish line.

And if supervillains haven't been your thing. Don't worry. A new series set in a completely different world will be sure to come.

--- ✈️🌏 Through the Portal ✈️🌏 ---

Five weeks. Three countries. Hundreds of photos. So. Many. Steps.

Traveling through Asia was incredible, exhausting, inspiring — and honestly a little surreal — especially getting to experience it all with my kids (23 and 21) and hubby (of course.)

Now I’m shifting gears from go-go-go to float-float-float, letting my brain catch up while the next stories quietly line themselves up.

Thank you for being here — for supporting indie books, loving morally flexible women, and sticking with me through every secret identity and happily ever after.

More soon 🖤

— Joy (aka Joynell Schultz)

Writing you otherworldly stories where love is the greatest magic.

P.S. The links for all The Girl's Guide to Supervillainy! books are HERE. Misfit on Amazon is HERE.

P.S.S. - If you enjoy supporting indie authors, I’ve included a few promotions below — you’re sure to find something new and exciting to read.