Kalani Shimizu's December 2024 Monthly Newsletter
Dec 15, 2024 9:00 pm
Hello and welcome to the last newsletter of the year! There's a ton going on this month, so let's jump right in, with...
Updates
Riyati
First and foremost, Riyati Rebirth is in the 2024 Indie Ink Awards! Riyati Rebirth's been nominated for multiple categories, and I both am incredibly humbled by the nominations into the awards' nominations and would love for Riyati Rebirth to end up a finalist in one of the categories! Check out the graphic for which categories Riyati Rebirth's in. If you're looking for suggestions for other great indie books to vote for in the Indie Ink Awards, I've got some suggestions-- the voting doesn't close until the end of the year, so plenty of time to check out these books and pick your favorite.
Riyati Rebirth's Indie Ink Awards 2024 Nominations
Some of my personal picks for the Indie Ink Awards
Voting is already live, so get your votes in!
Moving on, this month's Ream bonus chapter will be a Christmas short story between Kylie and Jordan, set before Riyati Rebirth starts-- these are voted on by Ream subscribers, and are free to read for all Ream followers; I'm aiming to have this short story up before Christmas, so I hope everyone enjoys it! If you haven't followed me on Ream, now's a great time to do so to know when the Christmas story starts.
Ream subscribers were also the first to see this new Riyati Rivals art of Lianne, drawn by the amazing artist Solum!
As well, I'm happy to announce the third book in the Riyati series, Riyati Ripple, has finished its first draft; I'm hoping to release it in the later half of 2025. I don't want to talk about the plot too much given Riyati Rivals hasn't fully released yet, but I will say that Riyati Ripple is the largest draft 1 of the series so far: it finished out around 72,300 words! It was a ton of fun to write, so I'm looking forward to everyone checking it out once it releases.
Personal
It felt like this semester would next end, but it finally did this past week! I'm excited to take a much needed (university) break, and have already been working on some fun Riyati stuff behind the scenes. As well, I've been finally resting, first time since back around June (which feels like a month ago-- not six). The cats have been extra cuddly lately, thanks in large part to the much cooler weather of late, so both Hari and Krishna have been frequent writing buddies of late.
On-going Promos
Sales & Giveaways
Sales
It's Christmas season! And with that, it's time for discounted books-- Riyati Rebirth among them.
To start out, Riyati Rebirth is in the Smashwords 2024 End of Year Sale at 75% off; if Smashwords is your vendor of choice, now's a great time to pick up Riyati Rebirth!
Smashwords 2024 End of Year Sale
As well, Riyati Rebirth will be in the r/Fantasy MegaSell on December 26th and 27th across most retailers for just $0.99! As well, each purchase has a percent that is donated to the Mary Cariola Center, who assists disabled children and their families-- so each purchase not only gets you discounted ebooks but helps people out!
If you'd like to check out the Mary Cariola Center, you can see more here.
Giveaways
Interested in some free, full books? LGBTQIA+ Heroes in Speculative Fiction is the giveaway for you! All the books included have some queer representation while being speculative fiction. Even better, entering the giveaway's contest gives an entry for a $25 bookish gift card, so make sure to get some free books and enter the giveaway before the year (and giveaway) ends!
There's even more free SFF through the FREE Sci-Fi and Fantasy for December 2024 giveaway, running now through December 31!
And if you're looking for more specifically fantasy focused, Magic and Mayhem's got you covered, running from now to December 31 and featuring ebook giveaways!
Samples
Child of Tempus by Winnifred Tataw
A story of broken family ties, horrors of the past coming back to destroy the present.
Rodrick is a prince of the ruling country of Diar. He has a face kissed by the Gods themselves, with deep blue eyes and long ruby-red hair. Speaking of Gods, he also happens to be the Acolyte of Time. Gifts and curses with this power give him control over aspects of time. And being a dragon-human hybrid has its amazing perks too. But since childhood, Rodrick has had a target on his back, and his insanely power-hungry father, Demon King Ryton, comes across as his closest but worst enemy. Throw in the workings of an alcoholic mother, a bipolar sister, a recovering addict brother, and an adopted little sister with magical powers, and you have the royal family of Diar. Things couldn't get any worse until he meets the beautiful Princess Arcelia—but Arcelia isn't the main problem. Her and Rodrick are now on the run from Rodrick's father, Ryton. And with the looming risk of world destruction ahead of them, Rodrick is worried about more than college exams...
Third Generation Witch: Applications (Santa Cruz Witch Academy) by Kristen S. Walker
How do you get into witch school? YA Urban Fantasy Academy story
A teen girl fears her family’s reputation will label her for life. Her mother wants her to follow in her footsteps and learn witchcraft. Can she become a witch on her own terms?
Brie knows two things about the witches in her family. Her grandmother almost destroyed their hometown with magic. Her mother saved it. But the upheaval from their fight has caused problems for twenty years. Now witchcraft is subjected to strict laws and everyone knows the McAddams family is to blame.
When Brie is old enough to study witchcraft under the new laws, her mother, Rosa, assumes that she’ll attend the school where she teaches. But everyone would put Brie under a microscope to see if she’ll turn out to be a hero like her mother or a villain like her grandmother. She wants to hide in anonymity.
Then her second mother suggests that she try a different school—one where people won’t know her family name. Brie would have to be accepted under her own merit. The MATs—Magical Aptitude Tests—will score her ability to learn magic. But if she succeeds, Brie might find a more welcoming home at Santa Cruz Witch Academy.
She just has to pass the entrance exams.
Third Generation Witch is a prequel to the upper YA urban fantasy academy trilogy, Santa Cruz Witch Academy. The series takes place twenty years after the Fae of Calaveras trilogy, but does not require prior reading. If you like teen witches, magical schools, and queer families, you’ll enjoy Kristen S. Walker’s story about the struggle to be accepted.
Plight of the Pack by Rachel Adams & Dawn McClellan
Our dragon shifter just found a wonderful new life, but will his past pull him away from it? A historic fantasy, paranormal romance with male leads, a why choose relationship, and tests of friendship and family...
Part of our prequel series, The Life & Loves of a Dragon, this epic story takes place after our main characters have left Europe to establish their lives in the United States of the 1840s.
Sen's love and loyalty are being called into question by Sebastian when he feels the pull to the other world... Devon's in trouble. Will the dragon make it in time to help? What will be lost along the way?
Closing
Much like the year, it's time for this newsletter to be winding down. There's a ton coming up for the Riyati series in 2025, and I look forward to sharing it with everyone! In the meantime, make sure to stay warm (or cold, depending on where you're at!), and for those participating in the end of year holidays, I hope it's a great one.
Until next time,
Kala