Hello my wonderful readers! I have some awesome news for you all. I've really enjoyed my switch to a new mailing server and it is reducing a lot of overhead on my side of things... which means I have more time to deliver this newsletter how I originally intended.

Stay reading until the end: I have a really awesome opportunity for you guys to get FREE books.

Moving forward, I'm going to be testing out some new subsections in this email. You can vote for what you'd like to continue seeing on this Google Form. The more popular subsections will be sent more often. Not every newsletter will be this long, but I wanted to give you a taste of the things I'll be including in the future.

Here's a preview of what the subsections will include:

Ask Me Anything:

What was the hardest part of creating a new world for your Warrior Series?

I think it boiled down to making everything flow. When you make a magic system or build multiple gods and legends into the history of a place, everything has to make enough sense. I mean, not make sense in our world, because a winged cat isn't exactly something you see on Earth, but if it makes sense in the new world, it has to remain consistent. Rules have to exist, so if I want to make Kahyr have magic, that system has to be set up beforehand. And I can't suddenly take it away later unless there are consequences. Things that exist on page one can't suddenly not exist later in the books. Everything is permanent, and if you don't have a solid foundation, it falls apart later and you lose readers.

Character Feature: Kahyr

Seeing as Kahyr's book just released this week, it makes sense that she's our character feature today. I derived her name from the Irish name 'Cahira', which means warrior. The gods name the Kallie based on their duty to the forest, so as an innocent who has just survived a mass murder of her other innocent siblings, she has to be given a fitting responsibility. I will always write strong women into my books, and it seemed only fitting to give her the literal name 'warrior'. She's strong, stubborn, and takes no shit... from anyone. In the end, she will serve as guardian and warrior of the forest in whatever form that takes. Even with her past traumas, she will serve her duty until her last breath. (She also has a Pinterest board)

Work In Progress (WIP):

Because I publish on Amazon and offer my books free for Kindle Unlimited, I can only give away so much material (up to 10% of published material). In WIP spaces, I'll either share some unedited pieces or I'll give little snips of a published book. Today, I'll give a paragraph from Kahyr's book. She's still a little girl, trying to figure out how she can climb a tree that is much too big for her, and Amdt comes to offer advice.

“You are too small to be climbing this on your own,” a voice said from above her.

Kahyr opened her eyes to see Amdt, a boy just a few years older than her, looking down with a smile. Annoyed, Kahyr growled and bared her teeth, but the boy just laughed.

“I do not mean that as insult. You are not grown. But even the Kuruk have help when they are large,” Amdt said, reaching down to pull Kahyr up from the ground. She dusted herself off as he continued talking. “The Kuruk use claws to help them climb. When you are tall, you will not need help, but for now, use claws.”

Photo Inspiration:

As I'm preparing for NaNoWriMo this year, I've been dabbling with a Pinterest board for inspiration. It's not new, but it has been a while since I've done this. Here's a look at an image that has struck my fancy.

Behind the Scenes:

Here's a screenshot one of my friends took from my Instagram Live release of The Stolen Lives (Warrior Series Book 1). It was a lot of fun to release this series, and the first time I've celebrated a book release!

Made With Patrons:

Thanks to my awesome tribe over on Patreon for making these things possible:

• Medium: Repurposing Fiction | Be Kind to Creatives
• Patreon: Soul Forgotten Commentary CH 35 & 36 | They also got a copy of The Troubled Stranger early
• Reading List
• 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.

Wrap Up & Bonus Opportunity:

Newsletters won't be this long in the future. I'll pick two or three of these to include and keep you guys up to date on what's happening. There will still be a section at the bottom to give you guys free access to my articles as well as a shoutout to my Patrons.

Alright, are you ready for FREE books? I'm offering a great deal for you guys. If you leave an honest review on Amazon for The Stolen Lives, I'll send you book 2 of the Warrior Series (The Innocent Named Warrior) FOR FREE. And if you leave an honest review on Amazon for that book, I'll send you book 3, The Troubled Stranger, FOR FREE AS WELL. That's a $9 value that you're getting for just the purchase of my first book. 67% savings!

All you have to do is leave a review and send a screenshot of that review to me at author.laurawinter@gmail.com and I'll share the files with you!

Thank you guys so much for sticking around. I'm really excited for the future.

Stay tuned, because next week I'll be announcing the fourth book in the series!