Monday, June 22, 2020

AN ANNOUNCEMENT (and guess what it STILL isn’t the one you think) (but you’ll like it)

(via Pinterest)


Wish I could take credit for that title but I can't. I think my brain died last week so I had my mate Faith think up a blog title for me. Wish I could have gotten someone to write this blog post too, but no unfortunately this is 100% Nicki original just with the added flavor of no brain working.

Friends and fellow bookworms I have been looking forward to today. Why? Well it's the first day of summer LONG LIVE THE SUMMER COURT (also never mind the all caps part of that sentence because it is totally spoiling my secret). What secret? Well that's the thing about secrets....

But if you must know, the other reason I have been looking forward to this day is because today I have an exciting announcement to make...

I'm publishing a book!

Oh my dear goodness, what book? You may be asking.
AHHHHHHHH, I am screaming in reply.



We have three fundamental rules when dealing with the faeries. Never trust a faerie. Don’t make bargains with faeries. And never go anywhere near a faerie without wearing a charm of protection. 



(via Pinterest)


Maybe some of you recall Of Gold and Iron? I wrote it a few years back (if you are curious about the specific timeline it was around the time I was working on A Certain Sort of Madness). Perhaps this post will jog your memory a little bit: https://nickichapelwayauthor.blogspot.com/2019/01/language-of-worlds-linkup-announcements.html

Of Gold and Iron is the first book in the Of Dreams and Nightmares trilogy. It is a portal fantasy about faeries. Specifically the ones from Irish folktales and legends. It's a dark and twisty tale full of backstabbing, and plots, morally gray characters and, sarcasm. It's the story of a quest to become an assassin and how pesky love can be.

“I’m losing patience,” I grit out. His smile grows as if he can’t think of anything more enjoyable than to see me lose patience.

“Breathe, mortal, you’re in the Otherworld. You are no longer decomposing around your own bones. You have time to actually be civil.”

It has been largely finished for the past year and a half but I was querying it around with some traditional publishing companies. I didn't find any company that was a good fit for this story so it has been sitting on my computer collecting dust as I tried to figure out what just to do with it. After months of considering it, I have finally come to the decision to publish it myself.

I just really want to have the freedom of keeping the title I have come to adore for this series, and not feeling pressured to add extra steam to it (what with that being a popular thing in mainstream faerie books). I have had to butcher scenes and delete others altogether to reach the very strict word count limits of the companies I sent Of Gold and Iron to so another plus to deciding to self publish it is that I can make it however long or short the story needs to be to be cogently told. Finally, I have ideas for expansions for this series, both a prequel and a sequel series, and I want to be able to keep those options open for myself.


(via Pinterest)

I'll be working on wrapping up the final edits as my camp project next month.

“You already know not to trust the Winter Court. But avoid the Spring Court as well, as if your life depends upon it, because it most likely will. The Summer and Undersea Courts should hold you no ill intent, but they are not your friends.”

So with all that said the question remains. When I am planning to publish it?

October of 2020
(via Pinterest)

“Swear on something else. Swear on your humanity.”
I suddenly find it very hard to swallow. My humanity? With a jolt I realize that there are far greater things at risk here than just my life. I’m in the faerie world, anything could happen. Even immortality.

Make sure to mark your calendars. If you want to be a part of this release I shall be looking for beta readers soon. And/or blog tour participants. Until all that you can add it to your Goodreads shelves here.

And don't forget, I'm planning to do a blogoversary celebration Q&A, I believe I said sometime in July. So if you got questions for me about my writing, this upcoming release, or as revenge for a question I may or may not have asked about you during your blogoversary be sure to drop them in the comments below!

Wednesday, June 3, 2020



Heya all, in case the above header wasn't a dead giveaway, today we have a special exciting post and by special exciting post I mean a... cover reveal. As I'm sure most of you know, I'm an absolute sucker for fae...




 it's kind of a recurring theme in my own books >>>>


So you had better believe that I'm excited about this book titled An Echo of the Fae. It just looks so charming and whimsical. But enough about my impression of the cover why don't you just take a look at it yourself and form your own impressions.


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Don't you just love that cover? I think it is quite enchanting. For all of you curious souls, the cover art/design was done by Savannah Jezowski with Dragonpen Designs. 


And now a little more about the book...
Blurb:

Echo enjoys the peace and solitude of the Faeorn forest, regardless of how strange spending time in the “haunted” wood seems to others.

But on the cusp of her thirteenth birthday, the discovery of a family secret reveals why Echo has never been drawn to the sea like her mother. This discovery shakes the foundations of her world and sends Echo on a quest, not merely into the forest, but into the heart of the fae-lands themselves, to rescue the sister she didn’t know existed.

Elves, dragons, and fairy courts will put Echo’s wit and resolve to the test. But with time running out for her sister, will Echo even be able to save herself?

A fairytale adventure perfect for fans of The Secret of Roan Innish and The Girl Who Drank the Moon.

~“Enthralled by the terror, charm, riddles, and beauty of a richly depicted fae world, I devoured this marvelous book in two sittings! Readers of all ages will love Echo, a heroine strong in her weakness, clever and resolute amid her doubt and fear. An Echo of the Fae is sure to satisfy lovers of adventure and faery!” -- J.M. Stengl, author of The Faraway Castle Series


Here are some links so you can get your grubby little mitts on this lovely looking story.





A little about the author:

Jenelle first fell in love with stories through her father’s voice reading books aloud each night. A relentless opener-of-doors in hopes of someday finding a passage to Narnia, it was only natural that she soon began making up fantastical realms of her own. Jenelle currently resides in the wintry tundra of Wisconsin—which she maintains is almost as good as Narnia—with her knight-in-shining armor and their four adorable hobbits. When she is not writing, she homeschools said hobbits and helps them along on their daily adventures... which she says makes her a wizard.

Follow Jenelle around the interwebs to get news about latest releases and her writing adventures:
WEBSITE



And... an excerpt!

Do the fae read books? Echo wondered suddenly, and voiced the question before she had time to consider whether or not it might be rude.
“We don’t read about life; we live,” Malilia replied. “And we learn, not from reading, but from living.”
“That’s beautiful,” Echo said. “And yet... hollow.”
Malilia arched an eyebrow. “Hollow? What is in your books that is so wonderful?”
“Everything!” Echo enthused, warming to the topic. “Why, in books you can be anyone, go anywhere. There’s a freedom to reading unlike anything else. When you read, it makes you think differently about the world and your own life, and sometimes it helps you understand what’s going on around you by showing you a different perspective. And... well... there’s beauty to be discovered in books, more real and more true because it’s only limited by your own imagination. And besides, it’s.... it’s just... fun!”
Malilia grew thoughtful. “This is something you care about.”
“Yes.” Echo felt a little embarrassed. She did not usually speak so forcefully. “I like reading.”
“I can tell.” Malilia’s eyes twinkled with amusement.




Very exciting if I do say so myself. And speaking of excitement, I'm getting ready to finally have my one year blogoversary that I should have had in January but oh well what's the real difference between January and July? Anyway I'm doing a Q&A because certain people desire to extract their revenge on me. Comment on this post or any of my coming June posts with a question and it will be included in the said upcoming Q&A!