"They" say that confession is good for the soul, so I'll start...My name is Sarah, and I'm an author. Therefore, I have a lot of author friends. This means, I sign up for a lot of author newsletters because we've been told that having a newsletter is important for a plethora of reasons (namely that we own this list unlike our social media followers) and because I want to support my friends.

But here's the big CONFESSION...I don't read most of them. I know, I know, here I am writing this email and hoping that people will flock to it in droves and devour my every thought and word, all the while, I have emails piling up in my inbox, only to sit there and gather hypothetical dust. I have the best of intentions. I even go in and click on some that are really old, just so they'll have a better open rate. Others I skim. A few I do actually read. But even though many of these people I consider dear friends and chat with regularly, I don't pore over their newsletters. I honestly don't have the time to do it. Especially those really lovely ones that they've clearly spent considerable time writing because they're like fifty pages long.

Phew! Now that we got that out of the way, I have a giant ask. What I really want to know is, what do you want to see in these emails? I promise to always keep it short and sweet (I currently feel like I've nearly gone overboard already) but I know readers are not the same as writers, and some of them actually do look forward to and take the time to go through all the newsletters that land in their inboxes. And if you're one of those unicorn readers who I love and want to lavish with my presence (unfortunately not presents because I live on the other side of the world from probably everyone who is signed up to my email list and I just can't afford the postage) pretty please, let me know what you like about my newsletters and I'll be sure to put in more of that.

Hopefully, you're currently all thinking, "Castles! Please give us more castles!" So, I'm going to silence my finger frenzy (I have a mechanical keyboard and it's really loud and clicky, which makes me feel like more of an author because it sounds like a typewriter) and give you some CASTLES!!!

At the end of the summer, our family spent one day on an epic castle trip. We drove a couple of hours south and visited Rabi castle. It is the largest ruin in Bohemia and the 3rd largest in the Czech Republic, and It Is AWESOME! I can't even begin to express just how massive these walls are. It was so much fun wandering around this place.

And thankfully, I had the forethought to bring a book. After all, this is still my author newsletter, so enjoy how pretty Of Clockworks and Daggers is, and if you haven't read it and happen to be one of those spiffy KU subscribers, you can get it for free. Or, you can order the beautiful paperback and get all the fancy page edges and just enjoy how wonderful it feels in your hand and looks on your shelf or your coffee table or in your bag (because it's honestly the perfect size to put in your purse and take pictures of wherever you go--in which case, please tag me over on Instagram @transientdrifter, and I'll be sure to feature you with permission).

Seriously, the views from this place! I have loads more pictures on IG, so definitely give me a follow over there if castles and good books are your jam.

And doesn't this just look like a portal to somewhere? Where do you think it goes?

We popped over to a second castle after lunch and a relaxing river stroll. Throughout history, castles in Europe grew before the upkeep got to be too much (it's a lot harder to maintain a palace when you actually have to pay for it, rather than being able to gently convince all the people living around your land that they have to build it and care for it for you...), so you can see the changes in architecture and style throughout the ages reflected here.

I found this section particularly interesting. The bit with the arches is a bridge connecting two towers. It has little folding parts on each side that could be pulled up, trapping any invaders who got this far in the middle. A pretty handy way to starve out your enemies. We walked across it, and let me just tell you, the jump off did NOT look worth it.

And just look at how twisty these walls are! I was super impressed by this curvy structure that would be perfectly suited to a Tim Burton film.

(Note: If you're one of those people whose email I've subscribed to and I haven't clicked on it in a while, I promise to go back and open a bunch of them, just please still love me.)

Until next time, happy reading Word Lovers, and please answer my questions, it would mean a lot!

Sarah

This months featured author is J.L Burrows. I have actually read her book Freefalling, and it is a great start to a futuristic dystopian series. Check out some details:

J. L. BURROWS - NEWSLETTER

Thank you so much for sharing FreeFalling with your newsletter! 

BOOK TITLE:

FreeFalling book 1 of The Reconditioned Series

BIO:

Jennifer Burrows has a message in her heart about God's love, and she’s shared that when she was a musician in her father's church, as a missionary to underprivileged children in a third world country, and as a wife who stood by her husband through terminal brain cancer that God miraculously healed.

Now, she’s sharing God's powerful love through the art of fiction, pouring herself into edifying and helping other writers, and teaching others how to use faith in the face of adversity. Jennifer teaches in the greater Nashville area where she lives with her husband and their two children. Get to know Jennifer better at jlburrows.com, or connect with her on social media at www.facebook.com/jenniferlynnburrows or www.instagram.com/jlburrowsauthor . 

SHORT PITCH: 

Sere, her illegal AI tech, furry beast companion, and ragtag group are pitted against a government with cutting edge technology and genetically modified bio-weapons. The odds are stacked against them, but the Truth needs to rise out of the deception. Will Sere find a hero within herself and face down a future on the brink of oblivion?

TAGLINE: 

Under the Dome, peace reigns ... forcefully.

BOOK BLURB: 

One hundred and eighty years in the future, the U.S. government eradicates warfare and violence.

Serenity should feel safe, but she doesn’t.

Serenity Knowles knows two things for certain. Finishing her government assigned community service as a teacher is mandatory in order to start her adult life. And stopping those in power from reconditioning two of her favorite students will ruin her chances at a future and a life.

Everything she thought she once knew to be true, suddenly is now in question after her typically peaceful girls fight in plain view of everyone at school. The Federal Bureau of Acceptance storms in and collects them both for reconditioning—chemical brain washing. With no one to help, Serenity is driven into a wild rescue and escape plan. The girls can’t be made into shadow children, brainwashed and limited to a menial future.

All that stands between the overreaching government and her girls is Serenity’s budding faith, a furry beast companion, her modified illegal AI, and a ragtag group of men and women set against the use of cutting edge technology and genetically modified bio-weapons on citizens under the Dome. If any of them get caught, they will be reconditioned. If they don’t move fast enough, the girls will be lost. If she doesn’t become a hero, any hope of a real future will be forfeit.

In her transformation from a teacher with a broken family to a radical defector leading a team of rebels, Sere discovers America’s deadliest threat—its own government.

BOOK LINKS:

Good Reads: Freefalling (Reconditioned #1) by J.L. Burrows | Goodreads

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DPTFGM8S

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jenniferlynnburrows 

Youtube: (608) Jennifer Lynn Burrows - YouTube

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jlburrowsauthor 

Pinterest: Pinterest

Website: www.jlburrows.com 

BookBub: FreeFalling (The Reconditioned Book 1) by J. L. Burrows - BookBub

LINK FOR NEWSLETTER JOINING:

https://BookHip.com/TTZQCBA - Includes a freebie Prequel Anthology - Invading Darkness the origin stories to my Balance Keepers main characters.

And if you missed it last month, the next book in our Games of Greed and Ruin series is releasing in October! You don't want to miss out, but I recommend reading them in order because spoilers, which are particularly not cool when the books are mysteries...just sayin'!