What comes next?
Jul 06, 2024 3:00 pm
July News
Contents
- Introduction, updates, and newsletter giveaway
- Sales, freebies, and/or new releases
- Writing Snippet
- Giveaways and promotions
- Book recommendations
- Closing remarks
- My books
Hi ,
I want to thank everyone who prayed for Jacob and/or sent me birthday wishes. I'm so very grateful. I'm sorry if I haven't responded to your email yet. I plan to respond to everyone, but it's taking me longer than I want.
Jacob is doing well at the moment. We're still waiting on the results from the cardiologist to find out if his problems are heart related, but the break from his father's house has done wonders for his anxiety level.
The winner of last month's giveaway is Linda at lk...ca at yahoo . com. If this is you, you should have already received your gift card for the giveaway.
Although things started to calm down, I took a couple weeks to recharge rather than pushing forward because I felt myself approaching burnout. Now I'm eager to get back into everything.
Once upon an Isle of Treasure will remain free for newsletter subscribers, but in the next few days, I plan to publish it wide as well.
I have a couple chapters of feedback left to work through on Princess of Hope, so it will likely be ready for the technical editing soon. The cover is something I haven't worked on recently, but I'm hoping to dust that off and have something to share by the next newsletter.
After Princess of Hope is done, I have 2 priorities. Once upon a Betrothal is a priority, but because that one was almost finished a while ago, I will want to work on a fresh draft first. A while back, I signed up to make another book in the Supernatural Assassin's world to follow The Fox Assassin. In order to clear my mind before I dive too deep into Once upon a Betrothal, I will be drafting my second book for that series with a scheduled release date of January 7th, 2025 and a tentative title of The Lost Assassin. Once upon a Betrothal should be ready to publish sometime early next year or maybe late this year.
Before I finish those 3 books, I need to decide which books I want to prioritize next. I am leaning toward a couple of ideas. One of the books I've wanted to write for a while now is something that I've never planned on making a profit off of. I plan to write a story for Iris and Jonathan (Ella's stepmother and father from Once upon a Shoe). Although this will have a happy ending like my other books, it's one that will be necessary to include a content warning because Iris suffers from abuse before Once upon a Shoe starts. Her story would need to include it. Once this book is published, I intend to send ALL of my profit for it to one or more charities that help abuse victims.
Another book I'm leaning toward adding to my active work soon is Rumplestiltskin (this will follow Ella's friend Jenna and a new character). Since I love all of my story ideas, it's hard to decide for certain. So for this month's $5 Amazon gift card giveaway, I have a quick survey for you to tell me which of my story ideas you are most excited to read. It will include most of my current ideas.
I know it's last minute notice, but I didn't want to say anything until I knew for certain that I was accepted to the event. But if you're interested in meeting me in person, I will be at the White Mountain Festival of Books on August 3rd. It's at the Elk's Lodge in Show Low, Arizona from 9am-3pm. The address is 805 E Whipple St, Show Low, AZ 85901.
Sales, Freebies, and/or New Releases
Nothing much right now. The Fox Assassin is my only book that is still in KU. The rest either are available on Ream and wide, or will be soon.
Next month, I plan to have Once upon a Shoe available for followers to read for free on Ream all month. Follow me on Ream if you're interested.
Writing Snippet from Princess of Hope
Then Zaia saw Adam covered in blood. Her heart stopped before she realized it wasn’t his blood. Adam and Neville were supporting Taeron between them. Taeron was bloody beyond recognition. He was barely breathing.
“Taeron!” Tempest cried, pushing herself through the crowd toward her brother. Glaring, she turned toward Zaia. “This is your fault. I will kill you!” Zaia had seconds to deflect a powerful magical attack, much like a tornado.
Shoving down the reflexive indignation, Zaia focused on compassion. She could only imagine how Tempest was feeling with her brother in this state. Still, she wasn’t going to just take the attack without defending herself.
“How is this my fault? I wasn’t there. But if you stop attacking me and let me near him, I can heal him.”
Giveaways and Promotions
This last promotion is on both StoryOrigin and Bookfunnel. I think some authors signed up on both, but some only signed up on one of the two sites.
Book Recommendations
Welcome to Tervia, a land of forgotten histories, ancient magic, foul beasts, and heroes in all shapes and sizes.
Follow the stories of myriad characters, from a fearless general faced with a terrible choice, to a peasant girl fighting to keep her family alive.
Lose yourself in this epic fantasy world which unravels with each story and draws you deeper and deeper. By the end, you'll never want to leave.
Fans of high fantasy, epic fantasy, low fantasy, urban fantasy and grimdark will love the stories that make up the Tales of Tervia.
Readers of Joe Abercrombie and George R.R. Martin will appreciate the gritty realism of Richie Billing's writing, yet at times it possesses a light-hearted and humorous touch akin to the works of James Barclay and Nicholas Eames. And for those who adore the coming of age heroes of Brandon Sanderson and Patrick Rothfuss, you'll find characters that will whisk you away on epic journeys of discovery, intrigue, friendship and love.
An imposter posing as a princess. A brooding prince who hides within his castle. An arranged marriage that could ruin them both.
Calia believes in ghosts. How could she not when she is haunted by a past encounter that sent her into hiding? She concocts a plan so crazy, it just might save her— if it doesn’t lead to her downfall. All she has to do is impersonate a missing princess and fulfill that princess’s betrothal to the Prince of Ebonwood.
Prince Brone believes in nothing—certainly not the curse rumored to plague the royal wives of Ebonwood. After the untimely death of his first wife, all he wishes is to be left alone. Once more facing a marriage not of his choosing, he vows not to make the same mistakes that cost him so dearly last time.
Calia soon discovers that fooling the prince will be much harder than she thought. As her complicated feelings for him begin to grow, so does her fear of Ebonwood—a kingdom shrouded in darkness, secrets, and even murder.
Will a warning from beyond the grave save Calia from the fate of the previous Ebonwood wives, or will it spell her ultimate ruin?
Inspired by the classic poem “In a Dark, Dark Wood,” this clean, standalone romantic suspense is perfect for anyone who loves fairy tales with a Gothic twist. Perfect for fans of Beauty and the Beast and Jane Eyre!
Author's Note: In a Dark, Dark Wood is a standalone book, so it can be read at any point in the Forest Tales series. Recommended for ages 14 and up (due to some mature themes).
Tutored By a Fae: An Enemies to Lovers Soulmates Romance
Parvati recently discovered that magic exists—and her world has turned upside down.
Parvati’s (fairy) godmother whisks her away into the woods on her eighteenth birthday.
She shares an unmistakable connection with Cyril, the fae mage teaching her magic.
Cyril cannot deny the bond he feels to Parvati, but he’s forbidden to do anything about it.
Parvati’s newfound magic can save or destroy the world. She and Cyril must band together to defeat the evil fae set on destruction.
Trained by a Fae: A Fated Mates Romance
Hannah’s main focus was training to protect her people; then she met Torrin.
Hannah wants to use her new fighting skills to help protect humans from the Unseelie.
Torrin is a Fae scout who would rather stick to his solitude. But he and Hannah are soulmates.
To protect Hannah, Torrin takes over her training.
As they try to figure out what to do about these new feelings, the threat of the Unseelie grows.
Rejected By a Fae: An Enemies To Lovers Soulmate Romance
As a Seelie Fae, Elaith always distrusted humans—then she found herself mated to one.
Elaith reluctantly supports her brother’s decision to marry his human mate. But it can be dangerous to invite humans to a Fae wedding.
The one danger Elaith did not expect was Quinn, her human mate, who could die more easily than she could.
Believing it will protect him, Elaith wipes Quinn’s memories.
However, the mate bond is still there. Quinn wants to explore this bond and get involved with the Fae.
Meanwhile, strange evil Unseelie Fae is threatening the village. Elaith must protect mortals from this danger.
Elaith faces an impossible decision: her mate or the world..
Kalani: Mists of Despair by Jolene Fine
In the riveting sequel to Kalani: Shadows of Destiny, danger lurks in the ethereal Mists of Despair. Zach and Desiree, joined by allies Yu and Rohan, form a rescue party with a singular mission—to save the abandoned souls ensnared by the malevolent Army of Awry.
As the group ventures deeper into the haunting Mists, they must confront both the formidable challenges of the realm and their own deepest fears. The journey will force them to grapple with moral dilemmas, prioritizing their mission over the countless souls pleading for salvation. The very essence of their characters will be tested as they wield newfound weapons and discover latent powers.
Unique destinies unfold for Zach and Desiree. Desiree emerges as the Ornith, a prophesied figure whose crystalline light banishes evil spirits like a celestial exorcist. Meanwhile, Zach embraces his fate as the Soul-gazer, wielding powers of discernment to traverse realms and ignite faith in the faithless. Will they rise to their calling or succumb to the enemy's influence?
Closing Remarks
Don't forget to let me know which book your most excited for me to write to win a $5 Amazon gift card. Here is the survey link.
Here is the link for the subscriber free content.
