Don't forget to grab your copy of The Curse of Asalie. You can preorder it now and catch up on the series before Tuesday, Jan 26.

WIP:

Okay, slightly misleading that I'm actively working on this snip. I had the chance to apply for a position and they asked for a 250-word writing sample on the spot. There was a short requirement (given character names and a setting, asked to write the first words of a book), but the rest was on us. I gotta say I'm a little proud of this guy. What do you guys think? Should I turn it into something after the Warrior series?

"Get out of the damn pond, Mar," Ravlen hissed, his golden eyes darting nervously between the trees around them.

"Relax, Rav. I saw something in the water. It'll only take a minute," he replied, waving off the young man as he moved carefully through the shallow pond.

Ravlen grumbled. "That's what you said when you claimed this was a shortcut home."

Mar stopped walking and turned to face Ravlen. "We can go back to the road, if you'd like. I'm sure the King's guard would love to see what you have in that satchel."

The man instinctively pulled the bag on his shoulder closer to his body, scrunching his nose in annoyance. "I hate you sometimes."

Mar grinned. "If you truly hated me, you would have reported me the minute you learned my real name." He returned his gaze to the water, lifting his legs slowly to avoid kicking up dirt. "We'll be home before dark, promise."

He heard Ravlen mumble something incoherent but ignored his friend, his eyes trained on the bottom of the pond. Little creatures scattered with each step he took in the water, weaving through the rainbow moss and plants that danced with the ripples he created. Mar leaned down, running his fingers along the surface as energy sparked through his veins. He didn't know what he was looking for, but he knew it was magic. It called him into the water, just like it had called him along this path. It wanted to be found.

Street Team - Time to Vote:

I'm looking to build a street team in the new year - a group of volunteers who would be willing to share some graphics on their social media, participate in some fun conversations, and spread the word about my books... but of course, we need an awesome name before we get going. If you're interested in joining the street team early, you can join the private Facebook group!

The time has come to VOTE on the name of our team! You can head to this form to vote on your favorite. Don't forget to join the Facebook group!

Here are the top name ideas:

• Supernovas
• Blue Stars
• Winter's Crew
• Winter's Knights

Review Copies:

First off - HUGE thank you to everyone who has asked to review my book. You're amazing and I love you.

I'm really working hard to get this Warrior Series off the ground. It's possibly my favorite world to live in (hard to admit when Finnley is my baby), so I'm going to ask you - my super awesome tribe - for some help!

I would LOVE to get some more reviews up for The Stolen Lives. I'm hoping you guys can help me out a little bit.

I'm sharing a REVIEW COPY of The Stolen Lives with you guys. It's FREE to read, and in exchange I'm hoping you can leave an honest review on Amazon. Goodreads is great as well, and if you have an extra second, you can copy that review straight to Amazon! That's where I find the best return (sorry to be picky, but know I love you for it!)

If you're interested in leaving a review but aren't sure what to leave in the text area, here are some ideas!

• storytelling ability
• your impression of the world, worldbuilding
• who your favorite character was and why
• how the mystery and magic impacted your emotions while reading

So click the link above and get the book for free! AND if you reply to this email with a screenshot of your review on Amazon, I'll send you the link to review book 2 for free as well.

Find me elsewhere on the Internet:

Patreon - Costs less than a cup of coffee and has just as much caffeine. If you want a preview of my behind the scenes stuff, there's a video coming next week. You'll also get a personalized notebook from me.

Reading List - Full of free books, awesome new authors, and a lot of reading escapes to keep you in your own little world when our world sucks.

Passion Planner - Get 10% off all Passion Planner items using code LAURAW10. They also have free downloads if you can't afford one right now. This is the planner I use for everything and it's incredible.

Outro:

I've recently been going back through some of my old stuff as I work on some revamping of covers and other details. It's been a lot of fun to see all the old notes I left myself throughout the text.

And - WOOF - do my first drafts need some TLC after writing. I've gotten better through the years, especially as I actively work to write a close-to-finished book nowadays. Consider when I was posting my fourth Soul book live on Wattpad - it was rough, but fairly sturdy considering it was a first draft.

It had me thinking... if you could go back and tell your younger self something, what would it be? Seeing my old material was a good reminder that every word I wrote got me one step closer to the finished goal. Without crap, there is nothing to polish and make better. Now I have a tribe of great people who like my work. It's really wonderful.

So respond to this email! I want to know what you'd tell your past self. I love hearing from you guys and I respond to every email I get. If you're a little shy, fill out the 'ask me anything' form instead!

Sending you love, kindness, and peace for wherever you are right now.