The Arrows of the Heart

The Arrows of the Heart Has a Cover!

The Arrows of the HeartYesterday we revealed the cover of THE ARROWS OF THE HEART!

Isn’t it pretty?? Plus: CLUES.

And yes, I’m writing it and it’s coming along. Here’s a little snippet that amused me greatly:

***

Finding myself staring, pruriently fascinated, I decided to pour more [tea]. “Why do you refer to Her Highness Queen Andromeda by her title, but Her Majesty High Queen Ursula you call by any number of irreverent nicknames?”

“Irreverent nicknames,” he echoed, sounding vastly amused. “Because, my sweet Dasnarian, Queen Andromeda is my queen, Queen of the Tala. No matter how many documents my mossback cousin might draft declaring her majestyness, Annfwn and the Tala don’t belong to her and her cluster of acquired realms.”

“But Annfwn is the thirteenth kingdom of The Thirteen Kingdoms,” I pointed out. “That’s the law. Doesn’t such irreverence make you a—” I glanced about, to be sure no eager ears lurked nearby to overhear. “A traitor,” I whispered.

“A traitor?” Zyr shrieked, clutching his hands to his heart. He’d popped his chair up onto its two hind legs, so it wobbled wildly with his gesticulations, threatening to pitch him over the edge. “Oh, no! Save me, someone—the big, bad mossbacks are coming to get me!”

***

There’s a bit of insight into my process, too. The [tea] in square brackets like that means I haven’t decided what they’re drinking yet. So, rather than get distracted while I’m writing, I just put square brackets around anything I need to revisit. Then it’s easy to go back later and search for those.

So, I know I hoped for May on this, but some deadlines imposed by my traditional publisher got in the way and I had to set this aside. I’m hoping for June, but it might be July. Very early July, though! I notice my assistant is judiciously saying “Summer 2018.” She is wise.

But, once I’m confident of my progress, etc., we’ll get the preorder links up. 

 

The 2018 SFWA Nebula Conference

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America’s 52nd Annual Nebula Conference will be held in Pittsburgh, PA in 2018!

When: Thursday, May 17th, 2018—Sunday, May 20th, 2018

Where: Pittsburgh Marriott City Center, 112 Washington Place, Pittsburgh, PA 15219

Mass Autographing

I will be at the (free) mass autograph session on the Sunday afternoon at 1:00pm. This signing is open to the public as well as to the Nebula Conference attendees. 

SFWA will operate an onsite book store that will carry as many of the participating authors’ books as possible.

Sunday, May 20th, 1-3 PM
Pittsburgh Marriott City Center, Grand Ballroom
112 Washington Place
Pittsburgh, PA 15219

 

Welcome to My Mediterranean Villa

I often joke that in my old age, I shall be writing from the balcony of my Mediterranean Villa. Grace Draven plans to live with me (we figure our husbands will be gone by then – sorry, guys!) and we’ll have several very handsome young men with medical training to look after us.

Why the Mediterranean instead of the Caribbean, you may ask? Many of you know that’s my favorite place. 

No hurricanes. Better medical care. A girl has to plan this stuff. 

That’s our topic at the SFF Seven this week: If you could not write in your customary spot, what’s your dream writing environment?

What about you all – dream writing spot? Dream retirement spot?

Important Things to Know about PRISONER OF THE CROWN

The alert readers among you – some of you people are amazing how fast you find stuff! – have noticed that I have covers and copy up for two new releases coming this year. These are the first two in the high fantasy trilogy I’m doing with Rebel Base Books, Kensington’s new Science Fiction and Fantasy imprint. (They just launched in January 2018.) The trilogy is called The Chronicles of Dasnaria – I told you before that it was The Lost Princess Chronicles, but we changed that – and the first book is PRISONER OF THE CROWN, not Princess of Dasnaria as previously reported. 

The reason for these changes? Well, it turns out that any time you put “princess” in a title, people go running straight to Young Adult (YA) in their heads. Including cover artists, it turns out. The first cover for PRISONER OF THE CROWN was way too Disney princess for the content of the book. A major problem!

Because…

And this is the entire point of this post and I hope you all will help in sharing this widely!

THIS TRILOGY IS NOT YA!

In fact, it’s not even fantasy romance. 

There’s dark shit in these books, people. Lots of rape/abuse triggers, too. 

Here’s the copy for PRISONER OF THE CROWN (releasing June 12, 2018):

 

***********

She was raised to be beautiful, nothing more. And then the rules changed…

In icy Dasnaria, rival realm to the Twelve Kingdoms, a woman’s roleis to give pleasure, produce heirs, and question nothing. But a plot to overthrow the emperor depends on the fate of his eldest daughter. And the treachery at its heart will change more than one carefully limited life…

THE GILDED CAGE

Princess Jenna has been raised in supreme luxury—and ignorance. Within the sweet-scented, golden confines of the palace seraglio, she’s never seen the sun, or a man, or even learned her numbers. But she’s been schooled enough in the paths to a woman’s power. When her betrothal is announced, she’s ready to begin the machinations that her mother promises will take Jenna from ornament to queen.

But the man named as Jenna’s husband is no innocent to be cozened or prince to charm. He’s a monster in human form, and the horrors of life under his thumb are clear within moments of her wedding vows. If Jenna is to live, she must somehow break free—and for one born to a soft prison, the way to cold, hard freedom will be a dangerous path indeed…

***********

Okay? 

The husband is a monster. He’s not an alphahole, not a hero-in-disguise, not a villain tranformed and redeeemed. This is Jenna’s story and no romance AT ALL in this first book. 

Here’s the  copy for the second book, EXILE OF THE SEAS (out September 4, 2018):

It’s a bit spoilery, but hey, so is the title, right? And if you’ve read THE EDGE OF THE BLADE, you knew what happened to her anyway, so…

 

***********

 Around the shifting borders of the Twelve Kingdoms, trade and conflict, danger and adventure put every traveler on guard . . . but some have everything to lose.
 
ESCAPED
Once she was known as Jenna, Imperial Princess of Dasnaria, schooled in graceful dance and comely submission. Until the man her parents married her off to almost killed her with his brutality.
 
Now, all she knows is that the ship she’s boarded is bound away from her vicious homeland. The warrior woman aboard says Jenna’s skill in dancing might translate into a more lethal ability. Danu’s fighter priestesses will take her in, disguise her as one of their own—and allow her to keep her silence.
 
But it’s only a matter of time until Jenna’s monster of a husband hunts her down. Her best chance to stay hidden is to hire out as bodyguard to a caravan traveling to a far-off land, home to beasts and people so unfamiliar they seem like part of a fairy tale. But her supposed prowess in combat is a fraud. And sooner or later, Jenna’s flight will end in battle—or betrayal . . .

***********

 

So, as you can suss from this, there’s not really romance in this one either. Although, there is the beginning of a something something that you keen romance-sniffers will detect. And the third book…

Well, I’m writing WARRIOR OF THE WORLD (out January 2019) right now, so we shall see!

<insert evil laugh here>

Okay, who are we kidding? You all know I love an (eventual) happy ending. But, you know, if you see readers putting these on their YA shelves on Goodreads or Booklikes, talk them out of it. Really, they’ll be glad you did. These books tell a heroic tale, but our heroine goes through some bad stuff that I didn’t want to flinch away from or gloss. 

All that said, I think the trilogy is a fantastic journey and I can’t wait for you all (those who won’t be triggered, that is) to read it!

Reviews Are for Readers – Or Are They?

Our topic this week at the SFF Seven is on our calendar as “Reviews – I’m rubber, you’re glue.”

Which gave me pause, I’ll admit. The phrase comes from US playground taunts among children (do other countries have this one?) where the teased child will reply “I’m rubber, you’re glue. What bounces off me, sticks to you.” In other words saying that any insults hurled at us bounce off and stick to the the one flinging them. Come on over for my take. 

Books on Sale!

A lot of you have been sharing that the book that kicked off my Twelve Kingdoms and Uncharted Realms series, THE MARK OF THE TALA, is on sale for only $2.99 for 

the ebook version.

 Which is awesome of you all – thank you! Just thought I’d let you all know that the first book in The Uncharted Realms cycle, my RITA® Award Winning Fantasy Romance, THE PAGES OF THE MIND, is also on sale for that low, low price. 😉

Happy Weekend All!