Four Book Pile-up; December 26 2020

An incredibly happy holiday to everyone who is celebrating or did celebrate! The new year is almost upon us!

Even if we put aside the appalling stress of Covid-19 and the losses we’ve suffered, I know 2020 has been rough on most everyone. It’s been one of the worst years of my life. I’ve accomplished more than I ever thought I could, lost more than I knew I could lose, and struggled every step of the way. I’d love to claim it made me stronger, but it didn’t. It just made me sad.

Writing while single parenting is difficult enough, but it’s that much harder when depression rears its ugly head. I finished writing my fantasy series, ‘The Rebirth of Qistedei’, but there was nothing inspirational about it. I had a deadline, and I met it. Now I don’t have a hard and fast due date for my works and I’m afraid I won’t know what to do with myself.

So, here’s where I hold myself accountable: I want to tell the world about the projects I have on the backburner. Some of these projects have been started, some are still in the planning stages.

We have:

The Whispering Palace.

A fantasy-horror mash-up, this story was inspired by magical girls, idols, and the toxicity of fame. Plagued by a hivemind entity known as Corruption, the world relies on ‘Princesses’ to battle the beasts… and be entertaining while they do it. Broadcast almost 24/7, these Princesses fight for relevance in hopes of their popularity skyrocketing them to Queendom. There’s always the possibility of being killed in battle, but going out in a blaze of glory is hardly the worst thing that can happen.

No, for a Princess, retirement is a fate worse than death. No one knows what happens to retirees, except that their names quickly fall to obscurity and they’re forgotten by the rest of the world.

Neon Bethel.

Long after the apocalypse, vampires make up the overwhelming majority of the population and exalt the remaining humans – their source of food, of reproduction. When the human king dies under mysterious circumstances, his daughters go to war with each other for the throne, amassing slavish followings.

While this is going on, one human man – Lysander Adeyemi – copes with the betrayal of a cheating, recently-turned wife. The only place he might find a new start is in Soli Deo, the royal capital, the city that never sleeps. An heiress’ cult, a secret terrorist cell, and the potential for new love await him.

A Nuanced Prophecy.

When a baby is born with constellations all over his skin, the people of Starcrest know this means he will grow up to be a legendary hero. Princess Destine grows up alongside Herolai, watching insurmountable expectations pile up on him, no one knowing what cataclysmic event Herolai will eventually save them from.

Until the sorcerer Atran takes over the kingdom. The people wait with bated breath for Herolai to rise up against this tyrant, except…

Maybe Atran isn’t so bad, behind the scenes. Maybe Princess Destine, after being ‘forced’ to marry Atran, finally has the chance to make a change in the patriarchal society she’s grown up in. And maybe being a true hero doesn’t mean doing the popular thing.

Casus Belli.

Intrigued by his family’s history with witchcraft, Dale Lawson dabbles in old magic without knowing that he’s being covetously observed by the Cartier coven, a potential candidate to be turned into a vampire if it turns out his magical prowess is real. Isaac Villeneuve, leader of a rival coven, has no intention of letting them have Lawson.

Unwillingly, Lawson is drawn into a war he had no idea existed, and a disastrous first meeting makes it difficult to tell which side has the better intentions. He has a lot to learn, and quickly, before someone takes drastic action to sway him to their side.

I’ve been struggling for ages to decide which project is next, but after a lot of deliberation (and the news that vampires are making a comeback on the publishing market), ‘Casus Belli’ is the most likely candidate. The characters and basic story have been floating around in my head for almost fifteen years! It just might be a good time for them.

I hope that I can get the first draft of at least one of these stories down in 2021. After writing three books in 2020, I don’t doubt that I can achieve that much.

Anyway, speaking of books, here’s a reminder! In January 2021, both of my self-published e-novels – ‘The Wishing Maiden’ and ‘Virtually Reality’ – will be available for FREE! From January 1-5, they’ll be free on Amazon for anyone with a Kindle. Alternatively, if you don’t have an e-reader or prefer things in PDF form, they’ll be available upon request for the entire rest of the month! All you need to do is message me for a copy and I’ll happily send one along.

I hope everyone reading has a much better year ahead of them!