Upcoming goodness and free stuff

Jul 14, 2022 12:06 pm

Hey awesome,

I had forgotten how incredibly lovely summer in New England is. I don't even mean the trees/flowers/scenery/foxes running through the yard (though those are also a delight). It's...it's not ungodly hot. We've barely seen 90 degrees. It cools off in the evenings - sometimes it's downright chilly in the evenings!

It's fantastic. Maybe my husband and I do need to be permanently nomadic. Just need to figure out a solution for all my books...

In other fun news - I've written over 60,000 words since I got back from Liberty Con a few weeks ago. I've been tracking, so yesterday I did the math, and that's an average of 2,974 words/day. For some authors that's a normal Tuesday, but for me, the consistency of it is feeling pretty game-changing.

Suddenly all my projects and various deadlines feel somewhat more - ok, practical isn't the right word, but...possible.

And in that vein, I have a few things to share! The Lyon's Pride, the first of my two books with Chris Kennedy, was done ahead of schedule (if you've been getting this newsletter for awhile, you might know I am so motivated by deadlines that I'm usually a 'passing things in at 11:59 pm ahead of a midnight deadline' sort of person). It will be out August 12!!

Chris and I are already more than halfway through the second book, tentatively titled (drumrollllll) World Enders! Definitely more to come there.

And in Valkyries news...whew. Two things, one: catch the latest Valkyries author interview, this time with the amazing JD Blackrose, right here. And two: get ready for this!

That's the cover for the Valkyries Initiative anthology, coming to you September 16!! I really can't get over how beautiful it is, and the stories inside...whew, I can't wait to hear what people think! There is so much awesomeness from so many wonderful humans in this book!

Speaking of wonderful humans - our cover artist, Shez, is a genius who's been doing a lot of CKP covers lately. He is based in Sri Lanka, which as you may know is in the midst of a great deal of upheaval. I know that's an understatement, and I'm sending all the good thoughts his way that he stays safe.

I know it's wild times out there in general, and I hope you and yours are as well as humanly possible. Reading, writing, and spending time with the people I love are my avenues to deal as best I can. What are you doing to take care of yourself?

If reading is one of your go-to's, I have a couple of suggestions.

From CKP we have new released awesomeness, both awesome fantasy and awesome science fiction. Can guess which is which? ;)

From Mark Stallings (the replay of his and my shenanigans for his book launch is right here), a brand new release from the Eldros Legacy: The Forgotten King!

A millennia of peace shattered. The High King murdered. Dragons have crept back into the land.

A thousand years ago, King Ora Lightbringer slew the Demon of Evernight, breaking his stranglehold on the land, suffusing Ora’s body with immortality, and ushering in an unprecedented era of peace.

Ten centuries later, Ora has long since abdicated the throne. No one living even remembers the time when he was king, and he happily travels the countryside with a hand-picked band of adventurers…

…until his great grandson, the High King, is assassinated. The murder sets off an invasion bent on conquering the kingdom, but only after they slay Ora.

Now, the forgotten king must rise again and fight to push back the invaders.

Or not only will his kingdom fall, but all of Drakanon as well.

William S. Frisbee has a new series kicking off, the Last Marines, with book one here (and the next five to quickly follow, as they're already done!):

The mission was supposed to be his last.

After more than twenty years in special operations, USMC Gunnery Sergeant Wolf Mathison wasn’t looking forward to retirement when—implanted with an experimental artificial intelligence—he deployed on his last mission with a platoon of Marine Raiders being sent to the Jovian moon Europa.

The USS Jefferson was destroyed en route, though, and only Mathison and three other Marines survived. Trapped in stasis, they were hurled into the outer reaches of the solar system, where they wouldn’t be found for hundreds of years.

Meanwhile, on Earth, the United States is destroyed and a fascist regime rises to power, expanding into the galaxy to plant its boot heel on the necks of humanity. But SOG, the Social Organizational Governance, is not unopposed, and researchers at a top-secret research outpost are working on a solution that will let SOG reign supreme. Unfortunately for the Marines, they’re awakened from stasis at the same time the researchers awaken a threat that endangers the entire human race.

The odds are against them, but that’s nothing new for the Marine Raiders.

Semper Fidelis and Semper Invictus!

And if some free stuff will help brighten your week, well! I got you, fam: