Writing Wins and Woes

Today the last episode of the first season of Courting Fae Thieves and Crowns dropped on Kindle Vella! I am so thankful for everyone who has experienced this story and supported it on Patreon, Kindle Vella, and in book form. But the story isn't over! Amberle and Rion have a long ways to go and a lot to deal with before it concludes. If you just can't wait to read Stealing Fae Hearts and Secrets (which is the second half of the season and will release in January) you can read it on Patreon or Kindle Vella.

I've really struggled writing Becoming a Fae Queen. I know I've told you about it before, but I want the Raven Court story to end strong and I refuse to put out a book that is subpar. Fortunately, I have a great alpha reader and some dear author/editor friends who have helped  me see the issues in the story. That being said, I started over again. I don't think I've ever done so many edits to one novel since maybe my practice novel.

But… I'm about halfway done and this version feels much stronger than any of the rest. 

I finished a book!

That's right! I typed “The End” on the first draft of Stealing Fae Hearts and Secrets! After some edits, the last several episodes will be uploaded to Patreon and Kindle Vella, then I'll be doing some heavy writing to finish Becoming a Fae Queen.

It's always a good feeling to finish a novel and I can't wait for you to read it!

Cover Reveal

It's finally time to show you the cover of Stealing Fae Hearts and Secrets. It's another beauty by the amazing Angel Leya (who has done most of my covers).

You can preorder it here:

Updates! Life, Writing, and Reading

Summer has been crazy in my neck of the woods! But things are calming down so I'm hoping to do some major catchup. It's a good time for an update!

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Life Update:

My kitchen remodel is still underway. It's taking much longer than I had hoped and my family is getting very weary of eating out and eating in the garage. We live in a small house and the kitchen/living room is the same room, so we've been without a couch all this time too. I didn't realize what a luxury a couch is until I've been without one. Because we have no “hang out” space, the whole family has taken over the master bedroom. It was fun for a minute, but I really miss having my own space! I'm hopeful that it will be finished soon!

But, I went on a lovely family vacation with my whole family (my husband & kids, my parents, my siblings and all their families) to San Diego. We spent time on the beach, at Sea World, walking around Old Town, and at the pool.

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Writing Update:

Writing has been really tricky this summer. Partly because the kids are out of school and we've been playing so much, but partly because I've struggled to get my head in it. Thankfully my amazing editor/friend has helped me pull through the hard parts.

Watch for a cover reveal of book two in the Fae Thieves and Crowns series within the next couple of weeks. I'll have it up for preorder too.

I also took a brief pause on my current projects to write a short story for an anthology. The short story is a prequel to Courting Fae Thieves and Crowns. I'll for sure have it available to my newsletter subscribers for FREE once it's ready. (Join my newsletter <—HERE)

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Reading Updates:

I'm still not reading as quickly as I'd like, but I am making progress with my 2023 reading goal. 

I finished Scythe, by Neal Shusterman, on audio and immediately began book two in the series, Thunderhead. It's a fantastic series.

In paperback, I read and loved The Inheritance Games, by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. Now, I'm reading The Will and the Wilds, by Charlie N. Holmberg. It's really good so far. I love Charlie's work.

Summer Vibes

Summer is finally here! I'm aware that a lot of the US are in the midst of a heat wave, but the temperature where I live has been perfect lately. Not too hot, but warm enough that spending hours at the pool keeps everyone happy.

My kids are old enough, and know how to swim well enough, that I can read or write while they're playing. I still keep them within my line of sight and look up often to make sure they are all safe. This is one of my favorite activities and I hope to get plenty of it this summer.

This was my view a few days ago:

I'm sitting on some lovely character art for book 2 in the Fae Thieves and Crowns series AND the book cover that I plan to show you very soon!!

Do you want to be listed in the acknowledgments?

I'm about halfway through writing Becoming a Fae Queen (Raven Court #4), but I would love some feedback and notes and critiques from fans. I want to know if the story is working right-- especially from those who have read books 1-3 and possibly also the prequel, Exiling a Fae Queen (but that's not a requirement!) So… I’m making it available on my Patreon.

I want to get the fourth and final book of the Raven Court series right, so I would LOVE your help!

Because the book will eventually be in Kindle Unlimited, it will only be on my Patreon for a very limited time, but it would give you a way to see my editing process and become an important part of it. (And you'll definitely be listed in the acknowledgements!)

Here's how it works. Click on the link for my Patreon below, and you'll see three tiers available:

• Star Fae Tier: Is access to ONLY Courting Fae Thieves and Crowns. This has been my longest running tier where weekly episodes of Courting Fae Thieves and Crowns release.

• Team Aria Tier: Is access to ONLY Becoming a Fae Queen. As I mentioned above, there are 5 chapters currently and I'll be adding them much quicker and possibly in bulk drops (like 2-5 chapters at a time).

• Wings and Queens Tier: Is access to BOTH Courting Fae Thieves and Crowns and Becoming a Fae Queen.

If you join either of the tiers for Becoming a Fae Queen and comment at least once on any of the chapters, I'll also list you in the acknowledgements when the book goes to press. I really appreciate your help!!

Here’s the Link —> PATREON

Do you know how to be bored?

It's the first week of Summer break for my kids. In the past, I tried to have some sort of “schedule” and list of chores, etc that started that first week, but I've learned it's always chaotic trying to get into a groove so I let go of that this year.

We'll start that next week… maybe.

Because of the lack of anything structure this week, I've had lots of “I'm bored!” complaints. Even on day one!! So, I've decided I'm teaching my kids how to “be bored." 

We will have chores, we will have Summer reading and things that they'll need to do each day, but my kids are at the age that they can find ways to entertain themselves. 

I'll still take them to the pool, we will go camping, and on other family trips, but there will be a lot of downtime too.

A few days ago, we went fishing with some friends--which isn't a pastime that our family has really done until meeting these friends. I was in heaven sitting on the bank of the lake, reading some books, but we hadn't even been there five minutes before my kids didn't know what to do with themselves. It was too cold to swim and all they wanted to do was snack.

It took an hour or more, but they finally settled and found ways to have fun. It turned out to be a fantastic day with family and friends.

Do you know how to be bored?

Writing, Reading, and Life Updates!

Life update

My kids are out of school and while a lot of parents might dread this, I'm excited for some time without schedules. I'm excited for time at the pool, trips with the family, sleeping in, and sun!

I'm also in the middle of a kitchen remodel and have been without a kitchen for more than four weeks. We live in a small townhouse and needed a kitchen that was more functional for our family of five. So at the moment, our kitchen is in our garage with our table, a few appliances (like the air fryer and a smoothie blender), and paper/plastic everything. Fortunately, we have neighbors who graciously let us use their kitchens so we aren't eating cold cereal or fast food every night. 

Writing Update

If you're following Courting Fae Thieves and Crowns on Kindle Vella or Patreon, you know that book 2 is almost complete. Which means… I'll be hopefully announcing the release of book 2 (Cover Reveal fun, etc.) very soon!

Becoming a Fae Queen (Raven Court #4, the final book) is coming! It's had a lot of hiccups, but I'm making good progress and I'm aiming for a release later this Summer. I'm so excited for the completion of the Raven Court series!

Reading Update

My goal this year was to read 23 books in 2023 and I thought I was doing SO well… but I just looked and I've only read five books and we're already into May! It looks like I'll have to do lots of reading by the pool this Summer to catch up!

I just finished reading A Shadow Bright and Burning by Jessica Cluess and I'm almost finished listening to Scythe by Neil Shusterman on audio (which will be book six). I highly recommend them both! 

Are you familiar with Kickstarter?

Are you familiar with Kickstarter? Basically, it's a preorder platform for creative projects. Authors use it as a way to offer special editions of their books, hardcovers, physical omnibuses and more. 

Each campaign has a time limit to fund (typically 20-30 days) and backers pledge different dollar amounts for different tiers that have scaling perks.

For instance, a lower tier might offer an ebook or a book mark, while a higher tier might offer signed hardcover copies with sprayed edges of an entire series (plus all the swag and goodies offered in the lower tiers).

Once the timeline ends, if the Kickstarter is not funded, no one is charged and no rewards are delivered. If the Kickstarted is funded, the backer is then charged their pledge amount and the creator sends out all the goodies!

I have been thinking of doing a Kickstarter sometime in the near future, so I wanted to educate you about them.

Click this link to browse some of the projects —> Kickstarter (If you look under the Publishing tab, you’ll see all the bookish projects)

Then tell me in the comments what you'd like to see if I offered a Kickstarter!

Another Quote!

Okay, so this one isn’t from a book, but I found it today to share on my Instagram and it sums up just how amazing fantasy is and how it takes us out of reality.

“The best fantasy is written in the language of dreams. It is alive as dreams are alive, more real than real ... for a moment at least ... that long magic moment before we wake.⁣

Fantasy is silver and scarlet, indigo and azure, obsidian veined with gold and lapis lazuli. Reality is plywood and plastic, done up in mud brown and olive drab. Fantasy tastes of habaneros and honey, cinnamon and cloves, rare red meat and wines as sweet as summer. Reality is beans and tofu, and ashes at the end. Reality is the strip malls of Burbank, the smokestacks of Cleveland, a parking garage in Newark. Fantasy is the towers of Minas Tirith, the ancient stones of Gormenghast, the halls of Camelot. Fantasy flies on the wings of Icarus, reality on Southwest Airlines. Why do our dreams become so much smaller when they finally come true?⁣

We read fantasy to find the colors again, I think. To taste strong spices and hear the songs the sirens sang. There is something old and true in fantasy that speaks to something deep within us, to the child who dreamt that one day he would hunt the forests of the night, and feast beneath the hollow hills, and find a love to last forever somewhere south of Oz and north of Shangri-La.⁣

They can keep their heaven. When I die, I'd sooner go to middle Earth.”⁣

--George R. R. Martin

Book Quotes

It's May, the sun is FINALLY shining, it feels like Summer, and I've crawled out of the Winter funk I've been in for too long! 

Do you love book quotes? I was going through my edits from my editor recently and she highlighted a passage with the note to save it for later to use in promotion. Meaning, she loved it as a ‘book quote’ to get readers excited for the book!

It got me thinking about how much I love book quotes. So I'm going to share some with you! One from someone else and… the one my editor highlighted from Book two of Fae Thieves and Crowns.

“Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.”

-Neil Gaiman

“His smirk is enough to fill every dark corner of my thieving, deceiving soul with light.”

-Fae Thieves and Crowns, Book 2