Dear friends,

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

There.

I said it.

Cautiously perhaps, but it is heartfelt!

What do you think? Is it going to be a good year or more of the same?

I feel relieved, to be honest. I can't help but hope this year will be better than the last. I've decided I'm going to focus on what I need to do while leaving plenty of breathing space in case something unexpected pops up. And its okay if 2021 is going to be more of the same, as long as the outcome is that we are healthy and able to get together again.

In any case, I'm sure we all learned valuable lessons in 2020. We'll end up realizing that we have acquired new skills we didn't even know we could master (like becoming Zoom experts, learning to wash our hands correctly, making bread from scratch or learning the correct way to put on a face mask).

I learned to master these skill with flying colours. How about you? (lol)

The Alien Skill Series in 2020

It's time to check what happened on the writing front in 2020.

Let's take a look at the numbers...

• Paperback sales:       7,080 units
• Free ebooks:           4,530 units
• Ebook sales:           1,058 units
• KU page reads:      788,268 page reads
• Total for 2020:         15,587 units
• The Cosmic Fall is a Wishing Shelf Book Awards 2019 Silver Medal Winner.
• The Cosmic Fall gets five stars from Reader's Favorite.
• The World Beyond is a winner in the 2020 IAN Book of the Year Awards.
• The World Beyond publishes on April 9, 2020 and becomes an Amazon bestseller.
• The Star Rider publishes on September 17, 2020 and becomes an Amazon bestseller.
• The whole Alien Skill Series becomes widely available in paperback and hardcover format. The ebook version remains exclusive to Amazon.
• Best ranking in paperback categories: #2593 in the overall Amazon store, #1 in Teen & Young Adult Alien Science Fiction.
• Here's an article by Lyndi Allison where I explain a bit of my writing process and marketing strategies: https://bit.ly/3hBC3wA

What's planned for 2021?

• Publish The Toreq Son on March 4th, 2021 (I think I said March 2nd in previous newsletter. Oops! It's supposed to be March 4th).
• Publish a boxed set of books 3-6.
• Publish a boxed set of books 1-6.
• Work on a new series, The Lost Space Treasure.

Yes, that's right. The Alien Skill Series is coming to an end with the release of book 6, The Toreq Son. It makes me terribly sad to say goodbye to Ben and Mesmo, but at the same time another story must be told. If you've read the prequel, The Great War of the Kins, then you will know I'm talking about a girl who is put in cryosleep on a spaceship laden with treasures and heading towards the unknown...

I had hoped to start publishing The Lost Space Treasure at the end of 2021 but my timeline has shifted somewhat (No! Really??). Like most of you (I'm sure), my 2020 planner has long ended in the garbage and I hesitate to fill in the one for 2021... My family remains in self-isolation, my children will continue their virtual schooling until June and my husband is working hard to recover his health, so I don't want to pressure myself too much and promise things I might not be able to deliver on time.

Calling all BETA readers!

But lets get back to the exciting stuff. You know that one book you're waiting for - Ben Archer and the Toreq Son (The Alien Skill Series, Book 6)?

Well, I'm looking for beta readers.

Beta readers have provided me with invaluable feedback on the Ben Archer books BEFORE they were published, and I would love to continue the tradition.

I am currently looking for 3 beta readers to read and comment on Ben Archer and the Toreq Son.

How can you apply to beta read Ben Archer and the Toreq Son?

------

Send an email to:   raeknightly@gmail.com

Email title:        Application to beta read Ben Archer and the Toreq Son

Subject (copy/paste):

Hi Rae,

I would like to apply to beta read Ben Archer and the Toreq Son.

I understand that a beta reader gives constructive feedback on the story (plot holes, errors, inconsistencies...) 

I understand that my comments must be returned to the author by January 31, 2021.

I understand that I cannot reveal any details of the plot until after the book publishes on March 4, 2021.

I understand that this story is copyrighted and cannot be copied or distributed for sale or otherwise.

I confirm that I have read all the books in the series.

------

I will email the chosen beta readers with a link to the book on January 20, 2021. :)

Winners of the Christmas giveaway

Congratulations to the following winners (I ended up giving away 6 books instead of 5):

• Anita C., The Star Rider has been mailed
• D'artagnan M., temporarily on hold as requested
• Paul H., The Star Rider has been mailed
• Giselle S., The Moon Paradox has been mailed
• Manognya B., The Alien Skill has been emailed
• Dan L., I haven't heard from you, please check for an email which I sent you on December 10th.

Stuff that didn't work out in 2020.

I'm incredibly proud of what The Alien Skill achieved in 2020.

That said, not everything worked out, and that's okay, but I think its important to mention these things in case you were wondering about them:

• I noticed I'd mentioned a possible animation series back in January 2020 but I turned it down because I wasn't sure the offer was legitimate.
• I was not able to attend any book conferences in 2020 (no surprise, there).
• There is no Ben Archer Photo Quilt this year as I did not receive any submissions.
• I did not win the Writer's Digest Book Awards 2020 or the Goodreads Choice Awards 2020. Absolutely no surprise there, seeing the quality of the winning books, but I appreciate all of you who made the effort to vote for Ben Archer!

What's up in the neighbourhood?

We had a lovely family dinner last night with our self-isolating family. My husband made delicious ribs, we played Jenga and watched a movie (when we have a movie night, we each take turns to pick a movie. My son chose the animated film Storks).

We had a bit of a white Christmas and were able to go sledding for a couple of days before the rain washed everything away.

What about you? What did you do? (email me at raeknightly@gmail.com or post your answer on Facebook).

January 2021 reading list

Exiles by Jay Toney

I am at the end of my resources. The Alliance has confiscated everything of value and conscripted or mindwiped most of my crew. I am being taxed again. It is the third time this month. There is no way I can earn enough credits to satisfy the Alliance tax collectors, and they know it. They are watching my ship, making sure that what is left of my crew and I can't escape. The next time the Alliance boards my ship will be the last. I need to find a way to escape them, and cross the border into the Coalition of Free Worlds.

We will become exiles, never able to return home. It doesn't matter. I have no desire to return to the Alliance. It is up to me to restore my family’s wealth and get revenge against the government for what they are doing to my friends and family.

Nathaniel Roberts is unaware that the Alliance is breaking a century-old treaty in preparation for war. The Alliance isn't alone, they have formed a pact with the Crimson Tide—a pirate organization. Captain Roberts won't be facing one enemy, he will be facing at least two. He will have to fight both while trying to make a new home for his crew.

Where Weavers Daire by R.K. Bentley

Ten years after the last war, Melinda Scott discovers something in deep space and is dragged back into a world her family was banished from. Now with Necromancers to her left, Liches to her right and humanity in the middle it’s up to her to figure out why someone is trying to kill her. Where Weavers Daire is the first book in a new rip-roaring space opera series in the same vein as Babylon 5, Firefly, Farscape and Star Wars!

I wish you all the best for 2021. Stay strong, better times are coming!

Rae