League of Thieves: A Character Introduction, A Cover introduction, and... a Second Cover Introduction?

It's feels so strange to be talking about League of Thieves in more than just a passing statement. It also feels strange to be introducing it. It was already introduced five years ago when I started writing it, but that was so long ago and I have been remiss when it comes to this story since then. And it feels even stranger to call it my Kindle Vella story.

And yet here we are. An introduction to LoT, my Kindle Vella story.

So, as I've stated already, this book is a Middle Eastern themed fantasy. I wrote it during my senior year of high school, I was doing world history that year and I was swept away by the history of the ancient Middle East and the rise and fall of nations such as Persia, Greece, Babylon, Assyria, even Rome and how they all affected each other, fought amongst each other, and even conquered each other. So, I created a world that was a big old mixing bowl where I blended together multiple proponents of what happened over the course of thousands of years and made them all happen at once. And so Iriale was born. I'll do one of my Worlds of Nicki Chapelway posts about Iriale someday, so I'll save all the technicalities till then, but what you need to know about Iriale is that it is a desert nation based off Rome and Persia that is bent on conquering the rest of the world.

True to its Middle Eastern roots, this story has a lot of inspiration from Middle Eastern tales and legends. Aladdin and the lamp, the forty thieves, with bits and pieces of Sinbad, and 1001 nights. There are jinnis and djinn in this world based off the ones found in Middle Eastern myths. There is a Library of Alexandira that hasn't burned down (yet). It also derives a lot of inspiration from one of my favorite movies of all time The Mummy (1999).

The story of League of Thieves itself revolves around a group of thieves (as the title would suggest). Evona and her brother Jokar have been petty thieves ever since their nomadic tribe was wiped out by Iriale's ever violent quest to expand its borders.

A picture of Evona, I don't really have a good one for Jokar
(image from Pinterest)

However, they've been offered a job that will be their chance to put their life of crime behind and finally live not just comfortably. They will be lavishly wealthy. All they have to do is steal a lamp for their employer.

However, mid-heist, Evona realizes that someone else got to the lamp before her. She is caught trying to escape and now everyone thinks that she has the lamp. While trying to skip town, Jokar and Evona are caught by the mercenary Radmir, a disgraced soldier who was hired by their employer to make certain that they don't leave him high and dry after they steal the lamp.

Radmir is the definition of burnt cinnamon roll
(picture from Pinterest)

Evona and Jokar are dragged back in front of their employer and since they don't have the lamp, things are about to end badly for them, but Radmir couldn't just let that happen so he stuck out his neck for them, convinced their employer that he needed the siblings to steal back the lamp. Now they have to find the thief who took the lamp in the first place. And this time all their necks are on the line

Which leads into the thieves who actually stole the lamp. A pair of street urchins named Damian and Creyn.

Creyn being uncharacteristically grumpy, he's actually a sunshine child and always joking around
(image from Pinterest)

Here's Damian he's....decidedly not a sunshine child
(Image from Pinterest)

Damian, in case you didn't notice, is sort of the only person here with blond hair and blue eyes. He has no memory of his home or how he ended up in Iriale. Creyn found him abandoned in the streets when they were both boys and took him in. Damian is an emotionless killer, earning himself the title the Pale Death, and the only thing he cares about in the whole wide world is Creyn.

And as you've probably guessed, the lamp that they stole was no ordinary lamp. It housed an imprisoned jinni named Shohl, who offered Damian and Creyn riches. All they need to do to claim it is travel to the legendary Amun Hadir, a hidden palace full of treasures.

Shohl being as fabulous as ever
(image from Pinterest)

With Shohl as their guide, Damian and Creyn set out to find this treasure. Evona, Radmir, and Jokar meanwhile need someone to help them track down these thieves. Which is where Sahir comes in.

Sahir AKA the pretty one
(image from Pinterest)

Sahir is a cocky smuggler with an ego the size of an island. He and Radmir have worked together in the past, and every time they've crossed paths Sahir has betrayed Radmir. So needless to say, Radmir is not too keen to trust him again, but unfortunately Sahir is the best there is. Nothing happens on the seven seas without his knowing it. And if anyone can track down Damian and Creyn it is him.

And that leads to our final main character. Adilah a female assassin who has been posing as a man for the past couple years so that she can get hired. She's been sent to kill the Pale Death and anyone he may be working with and get the lamp back for the man who hired him and Creyn to steal it in the first place. She's tracking Evona, Radmir, Jokar, and Sahri as they're tracking down Creyn and Damian. And it's basically a very complex game of cat and mouse.

Here's our stabby girl herself

(image from Pinterest)

So, there you have the whole crazy cast and the gist of the story. A bunch of thieves, smugglers, killers, and other unsavory sorts all want a lamp. Only what they weren't counting on was the fact that their greediness was going to unleash a terrible evil. One that they can only defeat if they learn to work together (and stop trying to kill each other, I'm looking at you Adilah and Damian).

This book was my first time having a ton of different POVs and main characters (the story is told from Adilah's, Radmir's, Evona's, and Damian's POVs). Of course, RLtG did come around and make this one's 4 POVs look like child's play, but this was my first introduction to having a bunch of main characters.

Also... League of Thieves has a new cover. It was designed by GetCovers and I'm so excited to finally be able to share it with you guys!.

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This is going to be a trilogy and my current plan is to release all three books on Vella first. For those of you wondering when it comes out in print, I hope to release book one in the summer of 2024. I actually have the cover for the print version as well. It was designed by Maria Spada and is way too pretty to keep secret till next year...

So here it is!

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It’s the heist that broke the world.

 

When Evona and her brother fail to retrieve the lamp they were hired to steal, they realize that they weren’t the only ones sent after the object. Now in over their heads, with their employer threatening to remove said heads for failing him and every guard thinking that they have the lamp, Evona and her brother have one last chance to save themselves. They are given the task of tracking down the other thieves and stealing the lamp back. Aided in their journey by a disillusioned soldier turned mercenary and a smuggler who definitely can’t be trusted, they set sail to take the lamp back.

 

Damian and Creyn thought they were stealing a lamp, it turns out they were actually taking a jinni. One that claims she can lead them to the legendary treasure of the hidden palace Amun Hadir. They set out in search of the treasure, only to learn that they are being tracked and soon it becomes a race between the two groups of thieves to be the first to claim the treasure.

 

Forty thieves, an assassin in disguise, and traps within ancient temples that have not been unearthed for a thousand years all stand in the way of these thieves. But unbeknownst to them all there’s a dark presence lurking in Amun Hadir, waiting for someone to free it so that it can unleash its malice on the world. Do they have what it takes to give up on the treasure they so desperately desire, or will their greed destroy the world?

 

The rollicking adventure of The Mummy meets the cunning heists of Six of Crows in this Middle Eastern inspired YA fantasy about thieves, monsters, and finding family. With hints of the tales of Aladdin and the Lamp and Sinbad, embark on this action-packed story about a group of antiheroes who must learn to care for more than just themselves.

Until then, this story is releasing weekly on Vella! The first three episodes are always free. League of Thieves | Kindle Vella (amazon.com)

Which character sounds the most interesting to you? Who do you think is going to come out on top in this tumultuous mix? There are three ships in this group, can you guess them? Comment your thoughts below!

A Look Into My 2023 Publishing Schedule

2022 draws to a close, leaving the question... what does 2023 have in store?

Well, I cannot answer that question broadly, but as far as my publishing plans for next year go, I can share those.

Last year, I published 5 books. This year it is my goal to release 8 print titles and three Vella.

I always feel a little leery sharing my publishing plans, since there are many things that could happen to throw them off that are entirely out of my control, but as far as it is in my control, this is what I intend to do next year.

I'm planning to bring two of my YA series to a close with the release of Of Dawn and Fire and An Era of Evil, Dragons, and Dark Lords. As these two series come to a close I plan on introducing two brand new YA series, An Apprentice of Death and Seer's Tapestry.

As far as adult fiction goes, I have three releases lined up for that for next year, The Gods Created Monsters and Ancient Gods and Dead Girls which are both books set in Ruskhazar, my adult fantasy world. Harbinger of the End is also getting a sequel.

And then I'm diving into Vella with both feet. I have three books that I plan on releasing through that. The continuation of League of Thieves, Awoken my first Gaming Lit/Lit RPG book, as well as a Ruskhazar story that I'm currently calling The Magicker and the Monster which is a part of The Assassin's Guide to Cheating the Gods (in case any of you remember that story I introduced a few years back).

February 13th

My first release of next year is the book one in my upcoming YA high fantasy series following the journey of a Death Elf assassin and the elite warrior who she is supposed to kill... You can pre-order this title now to have it delivered to your Kindles just in time for Valentines Day.

March 15th

Then we have the next installment in the Ruskhazar saga, this is the start of a whole new series, but it is also the next chapter in the unfolding story of the end of the world. It can be read with or separate from Rage Like the Gods and my other Ruskhazar installments. This title is also available for pre-order.

May-June

Of Dawn and Fire (Of Dreams and Nightmares Trilogy book 3)

The thrilling conclusion of the ODaN trilogy then comes out late spring/early summer of this year. Cover reveal and pre-order information will be coming soon.

July

In December I plan to finally bring my My Time in Amar series to a close with the epic finale An Era of Evil, Dragons, and Dark Lords.

August-September

Strings Kings and Dead Things (The Seer's Tapestry 1)

The first in a YA series with enemies to lovers, charming and attractive villains, and a dark academia setting.

October

An Apprentice of Death novella

In October I'm planning on releasing an Apprentice of Death novella.

December

The End of Kings

The much asked-for sequel to Harbinger of the End, Britannic legends and Norse myths mix as Loki under the guise of a sorcerer named Merlin trains up a young King Arthur and Sigyn desperately seeks a way to make certain that Ragnarök is stopped once and for all.

As well as publishing these books, I also have a plan on releasing the A Glimpse into the Unkown book bundle in print and Kindle. I'm also hoping to release my Return to Amar Omnibus in print.

And on top of all that, there are also the books I'm releasing through Kindle Vella.

League of Thieves

(Temporary cover by CK Beggan)

I've already been releasing episodes of LoT, my middle eastern heist novel, on Vella, you can catch up on them now. New episodes come out every Friday.

An Assassin's Guide to Cheating the Gods

This standalone prequel set in Ruskhazar twenty years before the events of Rage Like the Gods about an assassin lord, an elf ranger, and a young magicker all unwittingly pitted against each other as they are strangely connected through the curse of vampirism. I plan on releasing this in three different seasons, to go with the three POVs of this book. My current plan is for Season One to be about Bryn, the magicker who finds herself falling in love with her boss. Hoping to have this story start releasing by February/March!

Awoken

My LitRPG/Gaming Lit novel Awoken will be releasing on Vella soon. I don't have a set date when I'll start putting episodes up, but I'm hoping sometime this summer. Then when it starts going up I plan on releasing it on a weekly basis as well.

Well, there you have it. My 2023 publishing plans.

Some of you may already follow my Schedule page so none of this will be new to you. If you don't already follow that page I suggest you do, it is the best place to find news for my publishing plans. I do my best to keep it up to date, although since I'm talking about years from now (I go up to 2025), obviously my plans shift and change sometimes. Still, it's the most accurate glimpse into my current publishing plans.

If you don't see your anticipated release in this blog post, first of all I'm so sorry I wish I both had the time and money to put out all the books I want to next year but alas. But if you don't see your anticipated release listed here check that page and see if it is listed there. For instance, Rage Like the Gods 2 is coming out in 2024 because it's way too long of a book and there's no way I could get it done in time to publish this year.

Happy New Year to you all. And happy reading!

Ending the Year With a Bang

Last year, I started out the new year with a bang with the cover reveal of Harbinger of the End.

Whelp, I thought I would do something a bit different this time around and end the year with a bang. So here we are, at the tail end of 2022... and I have an announcement to make.

But first I just want to take a moment first and thank you all for all your support for Harbinger of the End and taking a chance on my portrayal for a very beloved (and occasionally controversial) character like Loki. Your excitement and love of this book has truly warmed my heart and I've been loving seeing your reviews as they roll in. While my readers all have differing opinions on certain things, there seems to be a very specific consensus between them when it comes to this book.

A. They like Loki's voice (which makes me very happy)

B. They like Sigyn and Loki together (which also makes me very happy)

C. They want a sequel (which left me with mixed feelings because I was very much planning on not writing a sequel)

Here are some snippets from reviews I pulled from Goodreads, to show you what I mean.

Anyway, this book is perfection, and its only failing is that it was too short.

-Jes Drew, author of Embrace of Shadows

Wow! What a book! Can we get a book two?

-Addison S. Goodreads reviewer

WHY ISN'T THERE A SEQUEL. excuse me, I NEED more about Loki and Sigyn, please and thank you.

-Miranda Sylvester, Bookstagrammer

And the reviews aren't all, I've had people DMing me telling me how much they loved the book... and how desperately they need a sequel. And while I agreed with my readers, there was definitely potential for more Loki books (I mean, one does not just say that they'll only ever write one Loki book and be done with it), I didn't really have any real ideas for a sequel. Still, the demand for one was very real and as I was brushing my teeth one night, trying to think up some short story to write for my newsletter that would be full of Loki and Sigyn fluff so that I could satisfy some of the people who wanted to see more of them and not have to commit too much... I got an idea.

An impossibly brilliant and terrifying idea.

And it wasn't for a short story... no, I finally had my idea for a Loki sequel.

So, yes, that's my announcement.

Surprise!

I'm writing a Harbinger of the End 2.

What's it about? Well, on my Instagram I've been doing a little game to guess the title and plot using image prompts. Let's see if you can guess correctly...

Title:

And what it is about:

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Well... if you guessed that the title was The End of Kings and that this will be a retelling of the legend of King Arthur with a Norse mythology twist then you would be absolutely correct!

Loki is back and mischievous as ever, this time he has rashly made a bet with Odin, trying to prove that he doesn't unleash chaotic decay on everything he touches and that he is capable of creating a great hero without destroying his life. Now under the guise of a mysterious sorcerer named Merlin, Loki takes young Arthur under his wing to teach him to be the greatest hero Midgard has ever seen.

Sigyn meanwhile is desperate to find some way to ascertain that hers and Loki's love for each other has indeed stopped Ragnarök or if the horrible things that she saw in her visions of the future will be her destiny after all.

But the Celts have their own gods...gods that won't take kindly to meddling immortals.

Unleash the gods of Norse mythology on Briton, unleash the Anglo-Saxon hordes, and unleash the heroic knights of old. The End of Kings is coming December of 2023.

2022 Wrap-Up

Was 2022 a good year?

Not by a long shot.

But compared to 2020 and then 2021 this basically felt like a walk in the park. So, I'll take a win where there is a win and just be glad that I didn't lose any more jobs or close friendships and that both my dogs are healthy and happy😌👌🏽

We actually had vacations this year. I haven't left Ohio soil since like 2017 and was beginning to think I'd never get out, but I actually made it as far as northern Kentucky this year so yusss, it's a win. I was able to breath non-Ohio air for a little while.

(I say this facetiously, of course, I'm well aware of the fact that it is all Ohio and always has been)

(from Pinterest)

Now for the rundown of my accomplishments for this year. Here are my 2022 goals for those of you wondering if I stuck with them.

Hobbies:

Whelp, the good news is that I started reading again! Not the hundreds of books I did in Middle Grade and High School, sometimes I would go a couple months without reading, but I was reading. I started taking ARCs again and I even read some books for fun. It's certainly a struggle still to feel motivated to read, but I'm so happy to have that part of me again. I've missed devouring stories and not just limiting myself to movies and TV shows as my media.

I didn't find any new video games to obsess over, very sad. But since I tend to get inspired to write books off of the video games I play (An Apprentice of Death, Domain of the North, and all of my Ruskhazar books are inspired by video games) that's probably for the best because I have too many projects as it is.

I did get out of the writing groove sometime over the summer. Still working on the balancing act that is called life and more often than not it was my art that knocked off my to do list to make room for other things.

My on repeat songs (at the time of writing this post which if you look at my dashboard you will see that it was a little bit out), but I doubt my music taste will have changed that much by the time this post comes out.

Life:

This was the first year since I started working all the way back in 2018 (because I'm actually a baby who has not been in the work force very long) that I didn't have a huge job change. I've only been in the work force for four years and yet I'm on my fourth job, and can I just say how thankful I am to still have that job by the end of the year? Oh, my word, I could cry, a gal needs a little stability now and again and I have not of late had that stability in my career choices.

I started going back to my church after taking a short break from it and boy is it good to be back to the place I attended for 20 plus years. Been able to reconnect with a lot of old friends and aquaintances through that.

My word for 2022 was CREATE... when I had first made that goal, I had been thinking of all the books I had to write. Of drawing and pursuing my imagination... I had no idea how that single word would spill out over the rest of my life. I've not only been creating storyworlds, but also a business and a career as an author, I've created a brand and platform, but most importantly I've created connections and friendships in my pursuits.

In 2021 I was coming off a huge heartbreak, a very close friendship that went awry (which was built off a different friendship that was destroyed in 2020). Neither of those friendships ended by my choice and I was afraid to open up again because I had no idea how to stop something like that from happening again. But now I look back to all the lovely people who I have connected with this past year, to all you guys! And I realize... I'm not scared anymore.

Writing:

I finally got around to creating my author website. That is something that has been on my list of things to do for some time.

In a lot of ways, my writing has changed this year. I've come to regard it and treat it more as a business than a hobby and in many ways I've seen it take off as a business. I seem to say this every year, but this was definitely my most successful writing year by far.

I can no longer keep track of all the words that I write in a year. There are too many projects and too many drafts and I am no longer capable of keeping track of them so I think it is time to bring a close of my tradition of counting how many hundreds of thousands of words that I wrote...

And just say that I wrote a lot.

I published five books!

This was quite the ambitious goal and there was a part of me that wondered back last year when I set it that I would even be able to keep it. And yet, here we are and these books are out in the world.

On top of that, I have reformatted and released my books in multiple formats that I was only just branching into at the end of 2021. I released 9 of my books in audiobook format.

I've also released eight of my books as alternate cover hardbacks.

And I put out two book bundles. One a collection of the entire Winter Cursed series now all in one tome.

And the other is a collection of three of my YA novels I released for my newsletter subscribers. Although I am planning on putting this one out in print as well sometime next year.

And finally, I also started releasing League of Thieves through Kindle Vella. I'd begun to think I would never do anything with this story so I'm pretty darn excited to finally have it out there in the world.

(cover designed by CK Beggan)

I'm sure there are other things that I'm missing, I've done so much this year that I'm probably forgetting half of them. But there you have a quick wrap-up of the year 2022.

How did this past year treat you? Which of my newest releases are you most excited about? What are you looking forward to going into 2023? Comment below!

Know the Novel Part Three: Words Written//Another Cover Reveal

 1. How did writing this novel go all around?

TGCM- it took way longer to write this book than I thought it would? Like, I fully expected to have it done in July, but it took me till December 1st to actually finally finish it. Still done is done so I'm not going to complain and it isn't as if it was a hard book to write. No, it was actually quite enjoyable, it just took a really long time for some reason.

ODAF- whelp... still working on writing this one. At about the 10k mark and freaking out wondering if it will be too short. I keep telling myself that it doesn't matter so long as the story is told to completion, but book one was like 115,000 words and book two was 90,000 and this one might be like 50,000? 40,000? Which is actually what some people say is the perfect length for a novel, with the same sources claiming that 110,000 words long is excessively long for a novel (who is going to tell RLtG?). But I'm also not too keen on having such drastic differences in lengths between books, but to be fair book one is the main conflict and the last two books are basically trying to do damage control and figuring out a way to give my characters a happy ending after what happened in book one (if you know, you know). So...yeah. Lots of existential crises, but then what else is expected when it comes to wrapping up a trilogy that you've been working on for close to five years now? (while I published book 1 in 2020, I actually first wrote it in 2018).

2. Did it turn out as you expected or completely different? How do you feel about the outcome?

TGCM- I mean, I already know that my books will never align with the perfect ideal I have in my head. Because all I have in my head are an aesthetic and a vibe and like five bits of dialogue. When I start putting scenes and words to it, the story becomes real. And to be real it must be not perfect. But with that all said, the finalized product of TGCM wound up being very similar to my original ideal. The found family came together nicer than I expected it to, there were a lot of fun parts. I think I expected it to be a little scarier, but I can always add more creepiness the next draft. As a whole I think this book balanced all its major components really well so I'm pretty pleased with the first draft I have so far tbh.

ODAF- so far...it's actually really good. Like, other than being shorter than I was expecting it's going really well. The characters are behaving exactly how I need them to. Probably because I told them to be on their worst behavior so they don't have to go against their nature. They are, at their core, evil goblins with terrible coping mechanisms and currently that is how they are acting.

3. What aspect of the story did you love writing about the most? (Characters, plot, setting, prose, etc.)

Both- Characters, it's always going to be the characters, their relationships, and of course the stuff that makes my books kissing books. I just love developing really complex characters and giving them other characters to not get along with and sit back and watch the bickering, and then see that bickering turning into them actually coming to care for each other.

4. What was your least favorite part?

TGCM- I really struggled with the climax of this one. Climaxes are, as a whole, hard for me. I always try to make something that is so huge so ground shattering and I'm usually disappointed how it turns out because sometimes I take too long to describe exactly what exactly is going on and it gets jarring or other times I feel like I don't have enough description and so no one will know what is even going on. It's a difficult balance to keep in a fast paced scene.

ODAF- there's a part in this book where a parent is a really big letdown to their kid... I HATED writing it because the parents weren't evil, they were good people who love their kids, and they made a hard decision that they thought was best. But to do that they had to do something awful to their child and now they're probably going to be hated forever by my readers and they aren't even villains. Just people who were faced with an impossible decision and thought they took the selfless option. They were wrong, of course, but they're flawed humans and my characters aren't always going to make the right choices. Doesn't mean that it was fun to write because gosh that was so hard to write about a relationship between a parent and their child being destroyed and their nuclear family unit falling apart because of it.

5. What do you feel needs the most work?

TGCM- the ending. It's a bit rushed. The last ten chapters are basically just the bare bones of the story that I was just spewing the ideas on the page and they don't look pretty.

ODAF- this will probably be the ending as well, I haven't written it yet, but my endings always need work.

6. How do you feel about your characters now? Who’s your favorite? Least favorite? Anyone surprise you? Give us all the details!

TGCM- I love these crazy kids. They truly carried the story and at some points I felt like I just had to sit back and let them do it because what they were coming up with was better than what I had. And their banter was...👌🏽 My favorite is still Conan, I love that Cinnamon Roll so much, he's just precious and must be protected at all costs. My least favorite was probably Zarynn, bro had a lot of growing to do and he is not even close to completing an arc that will continue into book 2. So yeah, he wasn't a team player and I was just like 🤦🏽‍♀️ at him quite a bit. I was actually surprised by Ikor, I expected to be a little indifferent to him seeing as he is also indifferent to everyone else, but he would up probably being my second favorite character. This socially constipated cat-loving book nerd really won me over.

ODAF- Jaye and Ravven need to be protected at all costs, these two are just... hurting. SO MUCH. And like the idiots they are, they're taking that out on each other. Thomas and Riagan are the MVPs and this book literally wouldn't exist without them. Jaye and Ravven would just spend all of eternity moping without them pulling them out of it. Keane deserves "parent of the book" award because we are not talking about any other parents in this story...Wren has always been an enigmatic figure and I look forward to fleshing her out more.

7. What’s your next plan of action with this novel?

TGCM- in a couple of weeks I'm picking up the edits of this one. It's my plan to publish it March 15th so I need to do the second draft, send it to my editor. Then it will go out to my formatter and ARC readers. Then it will be released to be read by all of you guys!

Pre-Order Now

ODAF- Well, first I need to finish it, but hopefully I'll be able to do that very soon (this week even?). Then I'm going to let it sit for a little while before I pick up the next draft. Fortunately, I have more time to let this one sit since it doesn't come out till May/June, but eventually it will go through the same process as TGCM until it too is published hopefully late spring/early summer of next year.

8. If you could have your greatest dream realized for this novel, what would it be?

TGCM- could I see this turned into a TV show please and thank you? Like along the lines of the Witcher and House of Dragon (but actually clean), or The Rings of Power (but actually true to the original story), it would have the high fantasy feel and the same focus on the wardrobe and settings... ah, oh my word I would die of happiness and then come back so that I could watch my book as a show.

ODAF- is it too much like my TGCM answer to say I want a movie for this one? Because that would be great, but to pick something more unique for this story I'd love to see a special edition of it published through a book box like Owlcrate or faecrate.

9. Share some of your favorite snippets!

TGCM:

I choke on the bite that I had just taken when mother and father both give me a pointed look. I pat my chest, trying to clear my airways. “Isn’t it a little early to begin to discuss children?”

Mother chuckles. “It’s never too early when my grandchildren are the subject.” She shakes her head with a tsk at the appalled look on my face. “By rights we should have them already but Ivan is…well, Ivan is incapable of settling down.”

“So, it falls on me? How is this any sort of incentive to be the well-behaved child?”

Now it is father’s turn to choke on his food.

I narrow my eyes on him while he coughs into his napkin. “What?”

“You have never been well behaved, dear heart,” he says, his deep voice rumbling. He reaches up wiping at his eyes. “But we love you all the same.”

I still have no idea why the king would pay much heed to a low born Highlander such as myself that he would personally order that I have such a high rank and to specifically say where I was to be stationed, but as a guard I’ve been taught to not question my orders.

Well, not question out loud. Such a thing is sure to earn kitchen duty for the rest of the year. As it is, a lot of the other guards have taken to calling me cook because I spend so much time in the kitchen. It’s a misnomer, my only talent is scrubbing pots. Leave me alone with a little bit of food and it will spoil under my gaze.

I narrow my eyes. He isn’t getting the point. Thickheaded Highlander… “Still, I wouldn’t say that sorcery is mere heresy. Just because you are immune to most magic doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t know a little more about what you are up against. Besides, a Highlander’s immunity only lasts until they die. After that, they can be brought back by necromancers same as the next person.” It does make me wonder what the magical immunity is that Highlanders possess since it only seems to work while their heart is pumping blood.

Conan dips a nod. “Duly noted, although you really don’t need to have sorcery to control me. Just offer me some cheese and I’ll be your willing servant. I’m like a mouse that way.” He shakes his head, his tone taking on a wistful note. “I’d do anything for cheese.”

“That’s just it, we don’t know them at all. But they are criminals. Zarynn is a sorcerer, and Sergei accused Ikor of killing someone—not that I trust him either.”

“The man Ikor killed?” Conan shook his head. “What did he ever do to you?”

“No, Sergei.”

“Ohhh.”

“All I’m saying is that these are the sort of men who only stick around so long as it fits their best interest. Ikor only wants his position back, Zarynn wants his freedom. They don’t care about you or I. We can’t rely on them to actually have our best interests at heart. Right now our goals align, but the second they don’t we’ll be on the chopping block.”

“I suppose my trusting nature got me into this mess in the first place.” Conan turns to me, a soft smile on his lips. “I’m with you, Alya, and only you. Whatever you choose.”

I nod, feeling a certain amount of tightness loosen in my chest. “And I have your back, Conan. No matter what.”

“It’s my front I’m a little more worried about. I’d hate for something bad to happen to my face.” He reaches up and rubs at his jawline.

“And I’m not sure you understand how special you are.” He tilts his head. “You’re like these flowers. The world is ending, people die, monsters could be out there and yet here they are. They’re blooming. And they remind me of you, how you can continue to be beautiful and brave despite everything that has happened you have not allowed that to dampen you. You make the world a brighter place.”

“Beautiful?”

His cheeks color. “I mean objectively.” He gestures at my head, it’s a short jerky wave of his arm. “Like the flowers. I’m not flirting by calling the flowers beautiful am I?”

“The flowers can’t kiss you if you do.”

Conan is on his feet in a second, his cheeks alight in the fire. 

ODAF:

I tighten my fingers around the lip of the well, my sinews growing white and strained. “What…did you do?” I demand, my voice coming out gravelly and raw. It barely sounds like me.

But then… am I really myself now?

Ravven’s eyes are wide and brilliantly purple. “You’re beautiful.”

Ravven waves his arm out. “You’re acting like the worst thing both imaginable and unimaginable has happened. You’re pretending that you are innocent in all of this and didn’t deserve a thing that happened to you.” He narrows his eyes. “And think I’m evil. You may have closed your thoughts from me, but I can still feel your emotions…” he trails off, glancing down. Now his eyes have settled to a deep blue. “I can feel your anger, your revulsion, and your… hate. Why do you hate me, pest?”

“Good people get scared.” Wren pushes away from the wall. “It’s why I stopped being a good person long ago.”

10. Did you glean any new writing and/or life lessons from writing this novel?

TGCM- leave room in your schedule for the unplanned... like a book taking an extra four months to be finished.

ODAF- sometimes things come to an end and while it can be sad, it can also be a good thing.

And now, just like I revealed the new cover for Of Gold and Iron in the last Know the Novel I did, here is the new cover for Of Stars and Shadows that was designed by Miblart...

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My gaze flicks up to Ravven who is resting with his eyes closed, pale and gaunt just a shadow of the former self he was only days ago. “So, what is your plan? I’m assuming that you have a plan.”

“More like a gamble.”

“And I’m part of that gamble? Are you sure that is wise? You know, considering our somewhat twisted history?”

Jaye MacCullagh may be the Fair Assassin now, but her troubles are far from over. Even though she killed the faerie enslaving her brother, she and Thomas are still just as trapped in the Otherworld as before. Only this time by the deceitfully glamorous Sidhe faeries of the Spring Court. Returning home seems like an impossible dream, especially when Jaye discovers that Ravven Crowe, the king of the Spring Court and her soulmate, is still alive… if just barely. Ravven needs Jaye’s help to discover how he survived, and how to stop himself from dying again. He is fading away and somehow Jaye is weakening alongside him. The only hope for either of them is for Ravven to reclaim his immortality by becoming a faerie again.

However, there is only one way for mortals to turn into faeries. They must drink from the well of Stars and Shadow on the night of the Feast of Starlight. Each court has a way to the well, but they guard it fiercely to keep just any human from becoming one of them. With every other way to the well barred, Jaye and Ravven are left with only one option. They must enter a deadly labyrinth created by the Spring Court. If they can survive and if they can make it through to the other side, the well is theirs. But in the faerie world, nothing is that simple. Especially where the Spring Court is concerned. Forced to trust the man who ruined her or risk losing him forever, Jaye struggles with her convoluted feelings toward both Ravven and the faerie world. However, when her family arrives looking for her, Jaye feels further strained. Everything Jaye has ever cared about is at the mercy of the Otherworlds, and she can’t shake the feeling that no matter how hard she fights to win she is going to lose this time.

I'm changing the cover this week so keep your eyes peeled for when this shiny new cover goes up!

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An Announcement

You know, in the post where I discussed my Redheaded Stepchild and I ended it by saying that I wanted to release Leage of Thieves "soon"? Well, I was fuffing (a term my grandma uses for fibbing/bluffing).

You see, the fact of the matter is that I've actually already started releasing Leage of Thieves. What? How? When? Where? And sometimes, why?

I promise that all will be revealed very soon.

If you follow my newsletter, you probably already know this, but for the rest of you, I have an announcement to make.

I'm a Kindle Vella author now!

If you are unaware of what Kindle Vella is, it is a form of publishing that releases a story in an episodic format, basically an episode (chapter) a week. You as the readers, then get keys to unlock episodes and follow the story in real time.

As you've likely already figured out by now, yes, I've published League of Thieves on Kindle Vella. At this moment 9 episodes are live, you can read the first three for free at any time. I put up a new episode every Friday and I've been having so much fun finally sharing this story.

Four thieves. A dishonored soldier. A cocky smuggler. An assassin with a secret. And a vengeful jinni. It’s the heist that broke the world.

 

When Evona and her brother fail to retrieve the lamp they were hired to steal, they realize that they weren’t the only ones sent after the object. Now in over their heads, with their employer threatening to remove said heads for failing him and every guard thinking that they’ve stolen the lamp, Evona and her brother have one last chance to save themselves. They are given the task of tracking down the other thieves and stealing the lamp back. Aided in their journey by a disillusioned soldier turned mercenary and a smuggler who definitely can’t be trusted, they set sail to take the lamp back.

 

Damian and Creyn thought they were stealing a lamp, it turns out they were actually taking a jinni. One that claims she can lead them to the legendary treasure of the hidden palace Amun Hadir. They set out in search of the treasure, only to learn that they are being tracked and soon it becomes a race between the two groups of thieves to see who will be able to claim the treasure first.

 

Forty thieves, an assassin in disguise, and traps within ancient temples that have not been unearthed for a thousand years all stand in the way of these thieves. But unbeknownst to them all is that there’s a dark presence lurking in Amun Hadir, waiting for someone to free it so that it can unleash its malice on the world. Do they have what it takes to give up on the treasure they so desperately desire, or will their greed destroy the world?

 

The rollicking adventure of The Mummy meets the cunning heists of Six of Crows in this Middle Eastern inspired YA fantasy about thieves, monsters, and finding family. With hints of the tales of Aladdin and the Lamp and Sinbad, embark on this action-packed story about a group of antiheroes who must learn to care for more than just themselves.

League of Thieves | Kindle Vella (amazon.com)

This cover was designed by the wonderful CK Beggan. (she has her own Kindle Vella story going right now, for those of your who read spicier books)

And a special note for international readers, I realize that Kindle Vella isn't open to you, so I'm working on alternative publishing solutions for this that won't break any Kindle Vella agreements. I'll get back to you all soon on what I finally decide!

And finally, for those of you who are wondering when you will get to hold a physical copy in your hands, I'm planning on releasing it in print in 2024. Depending on how well received this is on Vella will determine if I publish the whole series through that or if the rest of the trilogy will go straight to print.

Well, I think that about covers everything. How surprised were you guys over this news? Will you be reading League of Thieves on Vella or waiting on a full release? Comment your thoughts below!