More Shifter Books!

OTHER SHIFTER ACADEMY BOOKS

Since the Shifter Academy universe has more than 20 books, many of them were not written by me so I wanted to share a few with you! (Click the title for the link)

MORE SHIFTER BOOKS

There are so many books that aren't in the Shifter Academy universe. I wanted to share a couple of those with you too!

Characters/Shifters in Shifter Academy

Did you know that I’ve written/co-written THREE trilogies in the Shifter Academy universe?

Siren Prophecy (Shifted, Scorched, Summoned)

The first one was the Siren Prophecy with four other authors (Angel Leya, Jesse Booth, Tricia Barr, and Alessandra Jay).

We each wrote a point of view character (Jesse wrote two), so each of the characters had their own tone/voice since each of them were written by a different author.

  • Myreen Fairchild is the main character (written by Tricia Barr and some scenes by Angel Leya). She’s a mermaid shifter but doesn’t know it. At the beginning of the story, she learns about her nature and is taken to the Shifter Academy school to learn with other shifters, ala Harry Potter.

  • Kol Dracul, the love interest (and written by yours truly) is a dragon shifter with scales that can change color in order to camouflage himself into his surroundings. He’s from a long line of royal dragons.

  • Oberon is the headmaster of the school (written by Jesse Booth). He’s a gryphon with a tragic backstory. He lost his wife and his child years in the past. He’s the one who finds Myreen and brings her to the school.

  • Leif Villers is a vampire (also written by Jesse Booth). He’s an unlikely friend of Oberon and becomes entwined with the events at Shifter Academy.

  • Kenzie Maclugh is a selkie (written by Angel Leya) who can perform magic–sort of like a witch. She’s Myreen’s best friend and eventually ends up at the school with her.

  • Juliet Quinn is a phoenix (written by Alessandra Jay). Her dad is one of the teachers and she struggles with her powers, but also becomes a good friend of Myreen.

Frost Boarding House (Frigid, Frost, Frozen)

I wrote Frost Boarding House in tandem while writing the Siren Prophecy with the others, but the trilogy was published the summer after, in 2019.Frost Boarding House takes place one hundred years before the Siren Prophecy with a new cast of characters, but many have a connection to characters in the main series (you’ll notice many of them have the same last names. It’s about how a school for shifters first begins.

  • Camilla Frost lives at the boarding house with her family. She’s a ‘human’ who hates shifters.

  • Aline Dracul is a dragon princess who comes to stay at the boarding house.

  • Evandrus Quinn is a phoenix and Aline’s bodyguard who travels with her to the boarding house.

  • Leif Villers works at the boarding house in the orchard. He’s like a brother to Camilla and is also a ‘human’

  • Gemma MacLugh is a selkie and Leif’s sweetheart. She’s been staying at the boarding house for a few months and is a dear friend to Camilla.

Reclaim (Reflect, Relinquish, Reclaim)

The Reclaim trilogy was a passion project for Jesse Booth and I. Leif didn’t get his happy ending in the Siren Prophecy, so it was a love letter to Leif and Gemma. We wrote dual point of view (Jesse wrote Leif and I wrote Gemma). 

The story begins before Frost Boarding House and ends after the Siren Prophecy. A lot of the same characters in the Siren Prophecy are in the Reclaim series.

Which shifter are you?

Back when the Shifter Academy main series–the Siren Prophecy–launched, we had a super fun quiz where you could find out what type of shifter you were based on a series of questions. Unfortunately, that quiz is no longer available, but below I have something similar.


So… according to my list, which shifter are you? Which one do you most identify with?

Which Shifter Are You?

Kitsune:

  • Mischievous

  • Playful

  • Cunning

  • Clever

  • Tech Savvy

Dragon:

  • Ambitious

  • Fierce

  • Fiery personality

  • Strategic

  • Insightful

Mermaid:

  • Graceful

  • Empathetic

  • Intuitive

  • Emotional maturity

  • Connect with others on deep level

Phoenix:

  • Resilient

  • Strong-willed

  • Character growth

  • Artistic/imaginative

  • Adaptable

Naga:

  • Patient

  • Mysterious

  • Calm and serene demeanor

  • Spiritual

  • Charismatic

Hounds (werewolves):

  • Strong sense of justice

  • Instinctual/strong common sense

  • Able to navigate difficult situations

  • Fierce

  • Loyal

Harpy:

  • Strong-willed

  • Bold

  • Independent

  • Free-spirited

  • Adventurous

Ursa (werebear):

  • Gentle

  • Protective

  • Strong

  • Endurance

  • Strong connection to nature

Mao (werecat):

  • Independent

  • Cunning

  • Adaptable

  • Quick-witted

  • Agile/athletic

Gryphon:

  • Courageous

  • Loyal

  • Protective

  • Stoic

  • Leader

Selkie:

  • Playful

  • Patient

  • Introverted

  • Can see a situation from different perspectives

  • Kind

Alicorn (Unicorn with wings)

  • Pure-hearted

  • Wise

  • Mystical

  • Healing

  • Inspire and uplift

Not Your Typical Shifters...

I’ve talked a lot about Faerie and the different types of creatures since that is the world I’m currently writing in, but I’ve also written a lot of books about shifters (6 to be exact)! It’s time I gave them some love too!

You’re probably familiar with the typical shifters: werewolves, dragons, bears, maybe even mermaids, but there are so many more! Namely, phoenixes, Maos, nagas, harpies, gryphons, kitsunes, alicorns and more!

Let me tell you about a few. First, what they’re described as in lore, then their attributes in the Shifter Academy universe.

Kitsunes

Kitsunes are Japanese fox spirits that can take on human form. They are known for their shapeshifting abilities, as well as their mischievous nature. They have multiple tails, with each additional tail indicating greater power and wisdom.

Shifter Academy: Naturally pretty humans of Asian ethnicity that can transform into anthropomorphic foxes with tails made of electricity. They can manipulate and channel electricity and frequencies and at top skill can become so entwined with electricity that they can phase through solid matter. Their electrical abilities can be manipulated to make them very tech savvy/proficient.

Nagas

Shifter Academy: Average looking humans with a pension for righteous and vengeful behavior that can morph into beautiful and terrifying anthropomorphic lizards with iridescent scales. They have paralytic venom from the sting of their tale, and at top skill can hypnotize people with their mesmerizing snake-like eyes. Their venom is particularly hazardous to vampires, who die within minutes of being stung.

Nagas are mythological creatures from Hindu and Buddhist traditions, often depicted as half-human, half-serpent beings. In some stories, nagas have the ability to shapeshift into human form or into other animals.

Phoenixes

Phoenixes are legendary birds from Greek and Egyptian mythology that are said to be able to rise from the ashes of their own death. They are often associated with fire and are known for their regenerative abilities. (this one is my favorite!! There’s a phoenix on my logo!)

Shifter Academy: Phoenixes can shift into birds literally made of fire. They too can manipulate fire and can teleport in a burst of flames.

gryphons

Shifter Academy: These powerful (and endangered) beings are known for their stoicism and leadership skills. They’re incredibly strong and large, and can manipulate weather. The more skilled they are, the more they can focus and prolong their weather attacks. In some instances, gryphons have been known to take their young, newly shifted children high into the sky and drop them to teach them to fly (of course, being ready to catch them if--and when--they fail). Gryphons rarely produce more than one child, which is part of the reason they’re on the brink of extinction. And they mate for life, so if they lose a partner, they have no hope of finding another.

Gryphons are mythical creatures that have the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle. They are often associated with strength and wisdom, and are said to be fierce guardians of treasure. They are sometimes depicted as having the ability to transform into other animals or even humans.

Click HERE to learn more about the Shifter Academy books!

Five Years

Five years ago on March 22, 2018 was the day In Her Dreams published. If you're newer, you might not recognize this original cover, but this was a pivotal moment for me. (I had forgotten this day was coming, but I plan to do something at the five year anniversary of when this series completed later this year).

It caused me to reflect on the past five years. Where I was, how far I've come, and the plans and goals I have for the future. I made some pretty graphics for Instagram, but I wanted to share my reflection with you too. 

Five Years

On March 22, 2018…

  • After decades of learning and hard work, my debut novel was finally published.

  • It wasn't only the end of a journey, it was the beginning of a greater one.

 

In five years…

  • I've written and published 20+ books all while improving my craft...

  • I've met life-long friends and made some amazing connections with incredible people.

  • I've stepped out of my comfort zone again and again and never regretted a second of it.

It’s been five years… but I’m just getting started

The Reasons Why...

As I've been taking a minute to care for my mental health and find my love of writing again, I did an exercise of listing all the reasons why I write. From my very first reasons to some of the benefits I didn't imagine, but love. Here they are!

 

Why I Write

  • It makes me happy

  • Control: I've read books I didn't like the ending to, or how the characters reacted. I have much more control over my own stories (sometimes… ha ha)

  • It makes me a better wife, mother, and human.

  • Friendships: The amazing authors I've met and the fans I've had the pleasure of talking to and becoming friends with wouldn't have happened any other way.

  • It helps me make a better sense of the world.

  • Freedom: I work when I want and I'm free and flexible to be present for my children and family.

  • It's fun to see my pretty books on shelves and in social media feeds. (A bonus!)

  • Growth: It's good for my soul. As I've learned more about storytelling, as I've stepped out of my comfort zone, as I've made life-long connections, I am becoming a person I never dreamed was possible. 

 

ANNOUNCEMENT

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I’ve joined CleanAuthors.com as a featured author. It’s a great site where you search for books based on your preferred genre, audience, content level and more! You can even search for audiobooks.

AND… when you subscribe to Clean Authors, you get ten books for FREE!

Updates - March 2023

This month I planned to tell you all about fae humanoid creatures, but life derailed--or rather my writing and my mental health derailed--so I'm pivoting!

 Instead, I want to give you an update and some plans I have and hope to accomplish this year. It would be WONDERFUL if you commented or found me on social media to tell me your thoughts and feelings about all of this.

Courting Fae Thieves and Crowns

First of all, I wanted to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone who has sent me messages, left reviews, or praised this book in one way or another. If you've been with me the past year and a half you know just how much I love this story and how much hard work and passion has gone into it.

And the love has moved to the story on Kindle Vella and Patreon too! For the first time ever, Courting Fae Thieves and Crowns ended in the top #100 on the Kindle Vella favs list in February (it has been in the top #100 and even top #50, but was always bumped higher by the end of the month). This could not have happened without lots of readers crowning Courting Fae Thieves and Crowns as their “fav” of the week!!

I am also over the moon at the number of people who have signed up for Patreon to continue reading the story. The comments I receive from those early readers help to develop the story moving forward and give me an excellent barometer into the mind and thoughts to help me tweak things to make it more enjoyable and understandable.

Episodes on Kindle Vella release on Tuesdays now, but they release on Patreon on Thursday the week before. So Patreon readers get them several days sooner.

Book 2 is about halfway done and once Raven Court is wrapped up, I plan to get it written quicker. So… crossing fingers, Book 2 in the Fae Thieves and Crowns series will release later this year! 

BOOK

KINDLE VELLA

PATREON

Raven Court

I promise I have not forgotten about Raven Court. I know Evading a Fae Queen (book 3) came out over a year ago and I know I said that Becoming a Fae Queen (book 4 and the final book) will come out this spring.  

With the nature of Kindle Vella/Patreon episodes coming out once a week, I have pushed myself to keep up on that schedule and deliver on time, while fitting in writing Raven Court as well. Writing Courting Fae Thieves and Crownscomes fairly easily to me. Not always, but most of the time. I know a lot of that is due to the help of my amazing editor and friend who has spent countless hours on the phone with me as we've discussed different scenes and plot lines. But there are just some things about that story that is easier to write.

I don't have that same help with Becoming a Fae Queen, but the story is also vastly different. Just this week I realized--while battling a bout of writers block that ended up being partly a mental health block--that although I have written about ⅓ of Becoming a Fae Queen, it isn't working. The story isn't working. Basically, I need to scrap it and start over. 

Scrap hours and hours of work, of writing and start over.

I refuse to put out sub-par books and I want to finish the Raven Court series in the best way I can. (I even plan to use my additional experience to edit books 1-3 to make the story stronger/better. Something I couldn't do the first time around).

I wanted Becoming a Fae Queen to release in May. Maybe I can still push it and get it written and ready by then. But I wanted to be transparent with everything going on. 

RAVEN COURT

Kickstarter

If you've made it this far, THANK YOU! I just wanted to let you know about one more thing. I have been seeing all of these amazing hardcovers and book boxes all over Instagram and a lot of these are coming from Kickstarter campaigns! 

I'm doing my research, I've been to several classes about kickstarters and hope to have a campaign of my own hopefully by this fall!

Do you ever back kickstarters? 

Love on the page: Romance Tropes in my books, Part 2

It's the last blog post of February, meaning it's the last week of Romance Trope talk. Have you enjoyed it? Have you learned anything? Let me know your thoughts!

Like last week, I'm listing the tropes in some of my books. So last but not least…

Dream Walker Academy

Friends to lovers: Actually, Tessa and Sebastien’s romance is more like friends to strangers (he doesn’t remember her) to lovers.

Slow burn: Slowish. It takes two books: Remember and Control. And then there is another romance that begins in Belong.

Fish out of Water: Okay, maybe I'm stretching it because I'm not sure if this is a romance trope. But… in Remember, Sebastien is suddenly a new student at Dream Walker Academy and forgets that he knows everyone (they forget about him too, except for Tessa). She remembers him, but he doesn’t remember her.

LEARN MORE HERE

Raven Court

Enemies to Lovers: Tien kidnaps Aria and for that reason alone, she hates him in the beginning. 

Fish out of water: When Aria is first brought to the Raven Court, Sterling can’t help her because of his responsibilities, so Aria must rely on Tien more to navigate the realm of Faerie and the world of the courts.

Forced Proximity: Ballroom scene! (I really like these)

Love triangle: Between Aria, Sterling and Tien (a la The Vampire Diaries. Two brothers and a girl)

Slow burn: It takes a long time for things to fall into place, for obvious reasons. (and it’s not quite over yet!)

He falls first: It’s not as evident as other he falls first but it’s true.

LEARN MORE HERE

Ta-da!! That’s it! Next week I’ll have a new topic for March!

Love on the page: Romance Tropes in my books, Part 1

We can't talk about romance tropes without talking about the ones that are in my books! My descriptions in the list below are vague, but… warning. If you don't want any spoilers… like ZERO, then maybe skip this post.

On the other hand… maybe this list will give you a better idea of what is in each series and will make you want to catch up on the ones you haven’t read! **wink, wink** 


Courting Fae Thieves and Crowns

Since this was my most recent release, I thought I'd begin with Courting Fae Thieves and Crowns! It also probably has more romance tropes than the others because as I've learned more about the craft of writing, I've learned more about tropes and made sure to include them!

Enemies to lovers: Amberle and Rion history as children. The prince was constantly pranking and teasing Amberle so she hates Rion and remembers how much he hated her too. This is immediately brought back up when they see each other for the first time in the story.

Forbidden Romance/Cross Class: Rion is a prince, Amberle is a commoner. Amberle cannot win the Tourney (not that she wants to because she hates him)

Forced Proximity: In the form of a ball scene where they dance. This has been illustrated in the beautiful character artwork I’ve shared and love so much!

Bridal Competition (like the Bachelor): Several woman vying for the heart of one man (the prince)

He falls first: You’ll have to read it to find out when this happens!

Slow burn: This might be my slowest one yet! I'm not going to tell you how long it takes for them to kiss.

LEARN MORE HERE

In Her Dreams

Insta-connection/ love at first sight: Emily and Andrew have an immediate connection to each other, but…

Impossible Romance: Emily lives in the present. Andrew lives 100 years in the past. There is no way they could be together.

Friends to Lovers: Duncan starts out as just a good friend to Emily, but that quickly changes.

Forced Proximity: There is a ballroom scene in book one.

Love Triangle: They don’t know about each other, but there is a bit of a love triangle between Emily, Andrew and Duncan.

Grand Gesture: I'm adding this one because as the series goes on, there's a very big thing that one of the characters does that is a crazy sacrifice for the other one.

LEARN MORE HERE

Frost Boarding House

Enemies to Lovers: Camilla hates shifters. So she insta-hates Evandrus the moment she meets him. But he doesn’t hate her, so this isn’t like a true enemies to lovers.

Forced Proximity: Ballroom scene (Can you tell I kinda love these!)

Slow burn: It takes the entire trilogy for Camilla and Evandrus’s romance.

Love at first sight: But… Leif and Gemma fall in love quickly, then have… complications that don’t resolve until the Reclaim trilogy.

LEARN MORE HERE

This is already getting long-winded! So I'll share the tropes in the Raven Court series and the Dream Walker Academy series in my next post.

Have you read any of these books? Did I leave any romance tropes out?