Hi! Charlotte's Back!

(By Popular Demand.)

Greetings, My Dearest Friends,

It is I, Charlotte the Spider, spinning tales from my cozy web once again, after a year and a half away. I hope this message finds you surrounded by mountains of books and weaving your own stories of wonder.

Oh, my! In my silk-filled excitement last time, I forgot to share the juicy details about my favorite author (and only author I know—Joynell Schultz) current projects. My little spiderettes have been keeping me busy, but that's no excuse. Let me make it up to you with some thrilling updates and a double cover reveal!

First, our industrious author is halfway through Book 3 of A Girl's Guide to Supervillainy. Who doesn't love rooting for the villain? It's almost as entertaining as watching Wilbur chase his tail!

Now, the moment you've been waiting for...

Ta-da!

Behold the covers for Nemesis (Book 1) and Rebel (Book 2)!

These beauties are available on Kindle Vella (https://amzn.to/4ckj4Rz). It's a must-read for readers who love a good tale of revenge and redemption. A little humor, a little romance, and a whole lot of action. The first 10 episodes are free, with the remaining 14 costing less than $1.40 total.

(Non-US readers? Don't fret! You can read a version of the story on Radish here or reply to this email for alternative reading options.)

With love and silken threads,

Charlotte 🕷️

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From Joynell's Desk:

Hello Friends,

Thank you for your heartwarming responses to my last email about imposter syndrome. Your support means the world to me.

What do you think of the new covers? I'm absolutely excited to finally have stories that go with them! (I may have a slight cover obsession – I own dozens that have been waiting for almost five years for their stories to be written.)

Next month, get ready for an exclusive peek at another Kindle Vella series I've been working on. It’s been a ton of fun to write!

And also, for all of you who like paperbacks or regular kindle books, these will be coming in early 2025.

Until then, happy reading!

--Joy

P.S. Scroll down to read the first chapter of Nemesis.

P.S.S. Connect with me:

Website/Blog: www.joynellschultz.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joynellj

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joynelljschultz

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Here’s a quick summary of Nemesis.

Step into Obsidian City, where the Ladies in Leather are turning the tables on those pesky "heroes." 👠💥 Our girl Emily's got a wild mission: break her ex-hubby (and super-villain extraordinaire) out of the slammer! 🏢🔓

But here's the kicker – old flames don't die easy, and these two have some unfinished business. 🔥👫 Will they save the day... err, ruin it? Either way, you're in for a rollicking good time!

Ready to root for the baddies? Grab "Nemesis" on Kindle Vella now and join the dark side. We have cupcakes... and killer fashion sense! 😎

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Nemesis: A Girl's Guide to Supervillainy

Prologue–The Very Beginning

"What if we become villains?"

The words hung in the air, heavy with possibility. My four friends sat around our usual table at Wine a Little, Laugh a Lot, our favorite bar. The low lighting cast shadows across their faces, each displaying a different stage of shock at my suggestion.

Hannah's eyebrows shot up as she set down her wine glass with a decisive clink. Madison's eyes widened, a giggle already bubbling up in her throat. Natalie leaned back, crossing her arms with a skeptical smirk. Jasmine's hand flew to her mouth, her eyes filled with a mix of concern and intrigue.

We had formed our little support group almost a year ago after the accident we didn't want to talk about, but still did more than we liked. The accident where each of us lost someone close to our hearts.

I lost my sister, Madison her father, Hannah her husband, Natalie her friend, but Jasmine's pain was unimaginable. She lost her six-year-old son.

But our wounds weren't all we shared. The accident that took lives also gave us superpowers that we were finally getting to understand—enough to be dangerous.

"We can't just sit here and do nothing." I enunciated each word, my hands gripping the edge of the table. When none of my friends said anything, I continued, "We have to fight back. For the five we lost, Ellie, Marv, Hank, Nell, and Jack. They deserve justice. After all, the villain is the hero of their own story."

Finally, Hannah's lips turned up into an evil grin. "Ooh, I like the idea." She rubbed her palms together, her eyes twinkling with mischief. A gust of wind suddenly swept through the bar, ruffling our hair. "First, we'd need to assemble a team of loyal henchmen and gather resources to overcome those superheroes."

"SuperZEROS." Madison giggled, her fingers idly tracing patterns on the table. Where her skin touched, faint wisps of steam rose.

Natalie lifted her wineglass and took a sip of the Moscato. Her eyes darted around the room, as if reading the thoughts of other patrons, but I knew her power hadn’t grown that advanced. She needed to touch someone to get into their head. With a sly smile, she added, "And then we need to create a master plan.”

"We'd have to train and be prepared for anything," Jasmine said softly, absently levitating a napkin with a flick of her finger, then dropped it quickly when she realized we were in public.

Hannah stood from the table and drained the last of her chardonnay. She wagged her finger at us in warning, but her smile betrayed her true intentions. "Don't forget we need to keep our enemies close, all while we stay hidden."

"And then we'd strike...” I slammed my fist into my palm, my feet lifting slightly off the ground in excitement. “When the superzeros are least expecting it. Like a pack of highly trained wolves hunting together. Okay, maybe that's not right. More like hyenas, laughing viciously all the way to the kill."

Madison's giggle turned into a full-blown laugh. "Don't forget the highly important chocolate and wine rations, guys. We can't go into battle without it."

Us five ladies had enough of the superheroes. All of Obsidian City worshiped them, but we knew their dirty little secret. Last year, when the men in tights diverted Dr. Quackery's missile on its way to destroy downtown, the superheroes might have saved millions of people, but they didn't think before they acted. The Wonderful Wons diverted the projectile into the countryside, right into the heart of WynGlo Chemical. Many innocent people died there. People like our families and friends. With great power comes great responsibility and all that shit.

"This is good... our supervillain code. Let me write it down." I grabbed a napkin and scrawled the only title across the top that made me smile. A Girl’s Guide to Supervillainy. It was the first time the powerless feeling of not being able to seek justice for the death of my sister disappeared.

Hannah twirled her empty glass, a small storm cloud forming above it. "I mean, think about it. We'll be like the anti-heroes of this story. We can be the ones that actually bring about real change and justice, instead of just saving the day for the sake of it."

Madison raised her glass, the liquid inside starting to bubble. "Here's to being the bad guys for once. To finally getting the recognition we deserve and making those arrogant superheroes pay for their mistakes."

Natalie grinned and clinked her glass against Madison's. "And let's not forget, we'll also have the best supervillain costumes. No lame spandex for us."

Jasmine nodded firmly, her eyes gleaming. "Absolutely. We'll be the most stylish and formidable foes the superheroes have ever faced."

"And we'll have really cool superhero names like the Mind Mistress, Storm Singer, The Scorch, Dark Sky..." Jasmine's voice trailed off as she set her glass down with a soft thud. "Damn. That's all I got."

“It’s a good start.” I smirked as I raised my glass to join the toast, hovering a few inches above my seat. Dang. I couldn’t help the levitation since I was too damn excited. "To The Ladies in Leather and our mission to bring about real justice and change in the world."

We spent the next hour and two more glasses of wine brainstorming our membership code. When we left our support group, The Ladies in Leather was alive with determination and a fierce, burning desire for revenge filled each of our souls. We were ready to take on the superheroes and show them the true meaning of consequences.

We also left a little tipsy, but that's a whole different story.

A Girl’s Guide to Supervillainy

1. Choose your villainy. Are you interested in world domination, or are you content with being a criminal mastermind? There is no right or wrong answer, but you should pick something that you’re passionate about.
2. Choose your weapon. Whether it’s a ray gun, a giant robot, or mind control, every supervillain needs a trademark weapon to help them take over the world.
3. Develop your skills. Whether you’re planning on being a physical threat or a mastermind behind the scenes, you’ll need to develop your skills. Practice your fighting if you want to be a physical threat, or work on your hacking and computer skills if you want to be a mastermind.
4. Create a master plan. This is the key to any successful takeover. Without a detailed plan, your villainous schemes are likely to fail.
5. Build up your resources. A supervillain can’t do everything alone, so you’ll need to build up a team of loyal henchmen (or women) to help you achieve your goals. You’ll also need to stockpile weapons and other resources that you might need for your evil plans.
6. Keep your enemies close. It’s important to keep tabs on your enemies and thwart their plans.
7. Stay hidden. The best villains are the ones who stay hidden until they’re ready to strike. Work on your disguise and evasion skills so that you can stay hidden from your enemies.
8. Be prepared for anything. The world is a big place, and there’s no telling what your enemies might throw at you. Be ready for anything and you’ll be one step closer to world domination.
9. Strike when your enemies are least expecting it. The element of surprise is key for any villain. Plan your attacks carefully and strike when your enemies are off-guard.
10. Always make time for wine and chocolate and the company of like-minded women.

To Read Chapter 2-10 for FREE, Click HERE.

Note: Affiliate links were used in this email, where the author earns a small commission that helps buy things like wine, chocolate, and books. (Just kidding, more like covers and editors.)