It's My Birthday
I like to celebrate my birthday properly: giving gifts, rather than receiving them! I've cajoled several of my friends to celebrate with me and I've got a spectacular giveaway with over a dozen physical books to gift!
A Notion Tracker for Authors with Crappy Chronic Illnesses and Sparkly Goals
If you don't already know. I am an author. With multiple chronic illnesses. I love using Notion to craft the exact dashboard I need in order to keep track of all the things in my life—medications, doctors appointments, and OH YEAH, my writing!
There's more to being an author than just writing, though. And it's all the other things that can be hard to keep track of. I've been using the HB90 system for goal setting and quarterly project management. I made a few modifications to it to suite my own needs as someone with chronic illnesses and disabilities. I love the system and the way it helps me stay on track with my eye on the prize.
I designed a huge section of my Notion around merging my health tracking and my goal tracking and I am making it freely available for other authors with chronic illnesses.
Episode One: A New Student – The Last Page
The following is the first episode in my ongoing serial, The Last Page. The Last Page is a loving romp through the otome isekai genre, but with tons more GAY. I started writing it as a way to wind down after a hard and depressing editing session with Smoke & Steel. My brain needed some sweet candy, and this is the result. All my favorite tropes — sheepish sapphics, in love with the villainess, dethawing the ice queen, pretend or fake engagement / dating, forced proximity, unlikely allies, and lots of magic and mystery! If you enjoy this episode, you can read more on my Ream page. Follow me on Ream—which is FREE—and you will get one new episode per week, every Friday! If you want even MORE, you can become a paid subscriber for $4.99 and get early access and TWO episodes per week! As of today (5.8.2024), Followers can read up to Episode 11 and paid members are at the start of Season 2 (Episode 43!).
The darkness presses in, suffocating her just as much as the coarse rope digging into her neck. A shadowy figure looms over her, its features indistinct yet hauntingly familiar. Calloused hands tighten the noose, each tug more merciless than the last.
Ein claws at the restraint, her nails digging into the rough fibers. She tries to scream, but only a strangled wheeze escapes her lips. Panic seizes her chest as the world around her grows dim. The figure leans closer, its breath hot against her ear. A raspy voice, both strange and intimate, whispers something into her ear, but she has no clue as to what.
Drenched in a cold sweat, Ein jolts awake; her heart thunders in her ears as she gulps down mouthfuls of air. Trembling fingers clutch at the silk sheets she has tangled herself in.
The Chaotic Way to Plot a Serial Story for Recovering Novel Writers and Over-Plotters
If you did not know, I've been releasing a serial titled THE LAST PAGE on my Ream. This actually started off as a novel, but it had a TON of subplots and it was just too much going on all at once. When I discovered the serial format, I knew that this story was meant to be a serial, not a novel. And upon reflection, I am realizing that STARS AND SOIL might have been better suited as a serial, too. Here, I am gonna take a few minutes to explain why I believe some of my stories would be better told as serials and give you a rundown of how I have been plotting my serials in case you, too, wish to use this storytelling structure!
Things I Didn't Know with Ingrid Moon
This is the second post in a blog series I am calling “Things I Didn't Know I Needed to Know!” In this series, I will speak to authors about their research process for their novels and the strange things they found themselves searching the internet for at 5 am!
Today, I am hosting Ingrid Moon, author of THE HANDLER'S GAMBIT and discussing the side quest she ended up embarking on involving quantum mechanics and astrophysics as she wrote the Saxen Saga.
Pre-Orders Available for SMOKE AND STEEL
I've been busy both editing Smoke and Steel and making sure it is up for pre-order everywhere that it can be.
So far you can pre-order the ebook at:
- Amazon
- Apple
- BN
- Kobo
- Smashwords Find it at your favorite retailer
SMOKE AND STEEL follows the journey of Saritrah, a princess who seeks to reclaim her crown from violent insurrectionists who are determined to spread dangerous ideas of freedom and equality to the people. The Oracle promises the power needed in order to secure her reign and ensure prosperity, but only if she can find an ancient artifact in a lost mythical city.
This is 100% inspired by Xena: Warrior Princess and follows the redemption arc of a violent and power-hungry warlord trying to overcome the traumatic past that made her as violent as she is.
If you are not already signed up for my newsletter, you better get to it! That is where I will be announcing the go-live date for my direct store, and my newsletter subscribers get both a discount and the ability to order on my store before it's available elsewhere.
If you really, really can't wait any longer to read it, join my Ream today! I've been releasing early draft chapters of it, and all members get access to the final edition even earlier as part of their membership!
More Ways to Get My Books
Great news! All of my books are now available on Google Play! Prior to 2020, it was a little bit of a pain to have books listed on Google Play; they would randomly put people's books on sale without telling them, which would cause every other retailer with your book to also lower your book's price for price-matching. This was especially bad as lowering the price on Amazon would drastically decrease your royalties. So it was more of a risk than a reward. But no more!
Queer Indie Awards Nomination: Stars and Soil
Today I learned by complete accident that STARS AND SOIL was nominated in four categories for the QUEER INDIE AWARDS!
- Best Overall Fantasy
- Best Overall Epic Fantasy
- Best Overall Dark Fantasy
- Best Supporting Character (Kegan Moore)
Indie Ink Award FINALIST!
I got the most amazing email the other day! Indie Ink Award staff messaged me the following:
Hello! We’re delighted to tell you that your book A Lake of Feathers and Moonbeams has made it to the finals for Writing the Future We Need: Trans or Nonbinary Representation. Also, Shades and Silver qualifies as a finalist for Writing the Future We Need: Disability Representation by a disabled author.
I am so honored that so many of you took the time to vote for my books! I can never thank you enough! Please use the code INKFINALIST on my shop for 75% off of Shades and Silver and A Lake of Feathers and Moonbeams now through the end of the month!
Buy A Lake of Feathers and Moonbeams
If you have these books already, purchase them for a friend and spread the word! Thank you so SO much for all of your support for me and my writings. I am nothing without my readers!💜💜💜
If you want updates about things like this before anyone else gets them, make sure you sign up for my newsletter!
Things I Didn't Know with Liz Sauco
This is the first post in a blog series I am calling “Things I Didn't Know I Needed to Know!” In this series, I will speak to several authors about their research process for their novels and the strange things they found themselves searching the internet for at 5am!
Today, I am hosting Liz Sauco, author of Lost Blades and talking about the many, many rabbit holes she jumped into.
