I meant to write and post this 6 days ago so the newsletter resolution is going great so far.
Before I dive into the plans for this coming year, I want to add the caveat that life tends to throw curveballs at my face, so it's extremely likely this will change.
Q1 - Jan to Mar
First up: I'm turning Old(er)! I'll be running a sale on all my ebooks from Jan 26th to Feb 2nd. This will be across kindle and kobo worldwide.
I'll also be plugging away at Cozy Adventure novel which has been progressing much slower than anticipated. Something something world events bad for writing optimistic atmosphere. BUT. Here's a sneak peek just for you awesome readers!
There was a skeleton in Velta Quorrie’s swamp, and she had no idea how it got there. Perched on her broom, the young witch looked down at the gleaming skull that sat in the murky water. It was deceptively close to the surface, resting in a patch of grasping aloe. Thick tentacle-like leaves wrapped around the skeleton and the golden breastplate it wore. Nutritious and helpful for burns, the plant was one that Velta harvested regularly. It was also, unfortunately, quite carnivorous. Unwary travellers only had to place a foot too close to one of its leaves and the aloe would wrap around them, pulling the unfortunate soul underwater to drown. The heavy breastplate would have made escape nearly impossible for the traveller. Reaching into the satchel hanging from her broom, Velta pulled out a small glass bottle of sea salt. Bottle in hand, Velta slipped off her broom and lowered herself into the water. Freshly fed, the aloe stirred, but was sluggish as it reached out to wrap one of her legs in a strong tendril. The water was up to her mid-thigh, and if she didn’t act quickly, Velta risked becoming yet another plant meal. Unstoppering the salt vial, she shoved her hand down as deep as she could without having to put her face underwater. Shaking the vial, she let the water dissolve the salt and carry it to the base of the aloe. The tendril around her leg twitched, then let go as the whole plant recoiled, squirming its leaves over itself to try to clear its surroundings of the saline water. “Hah!” Velta said. “I know your tricks.” Pulling her hand back up, she tucked the now empty vial into her belt and pulled free a small sickle. Its sharp blade sliced off one of the aloe’s outermost leaves and with a grunt, Velta pulled it out and draped the leaf over the handle of her hovering broom. It curled around the wood instinctively, a clear jelly oozing from where it had been cut. The skeleton posed a bigger problem, however. Now that the aloe had let it go, Velta could see that a heavy shield and sword were still grasped in its hands. It would be too heavy for her to pull free, even using her broom for leverage. But she couldn’t just leave it here. Someone with armor that shiny was important, and too often witches ended up on the sharp end of misunderstandings when important people turned up dead.
Okay, so it's spooky-cozy. If Legends and Lattes can start with punching a hole in a monster's skull, I figure I can start with a skeleton.
Q2 - Apr to Jun
Hopefully, I'll be publishing Cozy Adventure right before June in order to pounce on SPFBO X, but given the slow start, we'll see how it progresses before making any firm decisions. The story comes first, as tempting as SPFBO can be.
June: sleep. And work on the Cozy paperback, which will be Fancy with a capital F.
Don't worry, my editor will ensure it's a good story.
Q3 - Jul to Sept
Might fuck around and write a novella.
I really enjoyed working on a short project between bigger books last year, and I have a few stories that are waiting in the wings, including a Shattered Spirits sequel.
Q4 - Oct to Dec
We begin the third and final book in the Mildred Berry trilogy, No Legend Lives Forever. Legends & Legacies has more stories to tell, but after this the books will become standalone adventures.
What to expect from No Legend Lives Forever:
Sweetpea and Arnaud meet
The return of fan-favourite Max the Mustang
The discussion of legends vs legacies and what those mean
the chaos Berrys return
I hope you've had a great start to the year and are keeping warm! Bird loves you, and I need to get back to working on Velta's story. Look for another snippet next month!
