My friends,
We live in Minnesota with four school-aged kiddos, so news of the tragedy at such a nearby school really hit hard this week. As I've processed my sadness and fear, I wondered if I should even bother putting together this newsletter since talking about book recommendations and writing projects feels a bit trite in the midst of so much grief. And yet stories so often provide inspiration, light, and even a bit of humor in times of darkness. They can remind us to be brave and how to find the best versions of ourselves and others. So while I pray and shed tears for those families whose children were killed, hurt, or traumatized by Wednesday's events, I also want to stay committed to writing and sharing books that could positively impact your life with a thought-provoking quote or even just banter that makes you smile.
On a lighter note, I'm thrilled to report that August has been a very productive writing month! It's been a slow year for my author journey, with a lot happening behind the scenes that hasn't come to fruition yet and some burnout from writing and publishing two books last year (including my first-ever self-formatted, self-published book!), plus re-releasing Common and Traitor with a new publisher. But with a recent surge of renewed writing energy, Book 3 in my Tales of the Mystics series is getting SO CLOSE to being ready to send to my publisher! This story's theme centers around true inner beauty and hits close to home, which has made it challenging but so meaningful to write. And the characters have such fun banter and adventures! I'm hoping to wrap it up in the next month or so. Once that's sent off, my next project will directly benefit all of you lovely newsletter subscribers, hopefully by late fall / early winter :)
In the meantime, I have fantastic news for audiobook fans! Fellow romantic fantasy author E.V. Everest has started a YouTube channel called Romantasy Vault, where a new audiobook in the fantasy romance genre is posted every week! The beauty of this model is that readers can listen to audiobooks for free, while the authors get compensated through the advertisements. So everybody wins! The books featured on the channel will range from zero to moderate for language and no spice to closed door for romance, so hopefully there will be something for every comfort level once we get enough audiobooks posted.
Wait, did I just say we? If you're wondering whether I'll have an audiobook on the channel someday...it's a strong possibility :) Stay tuned! I know I keep saying that, but your patience will be rewarded during this second half of the year with some big announcements and hopefully a new release!
In the meantime, I need to get back to labeling my kids' school supplies and soaking in these last few days of summer. I pray you're all doing well, and for anyone just starting or about to start school as a student, parent, teacher, etc., have a wonderful school year!
Book Spotlights
If you've been following me for a while you probably know I'm a big Mary Mecham fan, and she has a new release! The premise of Escaping Pirates has me so intrigued - a Cinderella retelling involving a pirate captive. *insert heart eyes here* Mary writes fabulous snarky banter and such swoony (but clean) romance, I'm really looking forward to reading this one!
I'm usually gushing about fairy tale retellings, but I love retellings of other classics too! So if you're a fan of Greek mythology, you absolutely need to check out the Lives of Legends multi-author series! The series takes 8 Greek tragedies and turns them into happily-ever-afters, and the authors are donating proceeds to the Human Coalition to help provide for mothers facing crisis pregnancies. You can't go wrong with fantastic books written for a great cause! A Quest for True Love by Jes Drew retells Orpheus and Eurydice and sounds so intriguing with a stolen bride and search through the criminal underworld!
Valia Lind writes the coolest clean fairy tale retellings with a Russian flair (not to mention gorgeous covers!), and her upcoming release is a Little Mermaid retelling! The Storm Dancer features a fake marriage, a hunt for a legendary Golden Fish, and talking animal sidekicks - so many elements for a fun, romantic adventure!
I love discovering new-to-me authors, and T.T. Greenshaw just released his debut novel! Roving encampments, forbidden magic, dangerous political maneuvering - Witchcraft and Fury is Book One in Chronicles of the Divided Isle and is definitely moving to the top of my to-be-read pile!
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