Synopses – the Pain Never Ends

Our topic at the SFF Seven this week is “Queries & Synopses: Bane, Benefit, or Both?”

Besides all of us immediately screeching BANE – because all sane human beings hate writing synopses – I’m here to tell you to learn to, if not love, then at least bear with them. Being able to write a decent synopsis is a critical skill for a writer, even indies. Same with queries. Come on over to find out why. 

Using the MICE Tool to Find Where the Story Begins

This week at the SFF Seven, we’re asking each other which MICE quotient we usually start with in a story. Come on over to learn what the MICE tool is and how it can help to structure stories of all lengths. 

Worldbuilding and Political Landscapes

Our topic at the SFF Seven this week is politics and – no, wait! Come back!!

Politics in FICTION, okay???
We’re asking how politics and the political landscape of the world flavor the outcome of stories. This is my particular catnip as the political landscape of my books is always as important – if not more so – than other facets of the worlds I build. I even teach a workshop called “Worldbuilding: Political Systems in Conflict.” Why politics? Because they are about the conflicts that affect an entire society – and societies beyond them, too. As we’ve all learned from the political turmoil of recent years, politics affects the bedrock of our lives, our very rights as sentient beings. Come on over to learn more. 

Writing the Intuitive Way

Our topic at the SFF Seven this week is as follows:

Of the 7 types of hooks, which one do you use most? The “Why” Hook. The “Character” Hook. The “Catastrophe” Hook. The “Setting” Hook. The “Contradicting Emotions” Hook. The “Inherent Problem” Hook. The “Goal” Hook.

Come on over for my take!

      

DARK WIZARD on sale!

Need a good beach read, whether you have beach or not? Dark Wizard is on sale this week for only 0.99¢!!

In The Witcher meets The Selection

***

She ran from him… but couldn’t escape her heart.

“Dark Wizard is one of my top reads ever.” ~ NY Times Bestselling Author Darynda Jones

“Dark Wizard will be on my keeper shelf for freaking ever.” ~ NY Times Bestselling Author Dana Marton

“Jeffe nailed what it is to write a fantasy romance. Fabulous!” ~ USAT Bestselling Author of Radiance, Grace Draven

“…utterly compelling…clicked Buy right at the end of the sample and just kept reading and reading because this book is so good, with such a rich world and characters. I’m so glad I picked it up…now can it be June already so I can read more?” ~Amazon reviewer

Lord Gabriel Phel wants one thing: to rebuild the shattered fortunes of his people and restore his ruined house to its former station in the Convocation’s highest tiers of elegant society. Fortunately, through a wild chance of birth, he was born with powerful wizard magic, the first in his family in generations. If he can obtain a familiar to amplify his magic, a highborn daughter he can marry, to be mother to his children, he’ll be that much closer to saving his family. With her by his side, he can ascend to such a position of power in  the Convocation that he can destroy it forever.

Lady Veronica Elal, captive in her tower, has only one way out. To her bitter disappointment, she will never be a wizard. Instead, through a twist of fate, and despite her expensive Convocation Academy education, Nic is doomed to be a familiar like her mother. Forced to participate in the Betrothal Trials, she receives a wizard suitor for one night each month. Whichever man impregnates her will bond her to them forever. With no choice but to serve the one who wins her, Nic has one hope for control over her life: a wizard she can manipulate.

Gabriel Phel seems like the perfect choice for Nic’s gambit—he’s desperate and untutored in wizardry—but within moments of meeting him, she feels the bonds of magic tying them together. Afraid of losing her will to the compelling wizard who touches her heart like no other, Nic does the unthinkable: she runs. Pregnant and alone, Nic eludes monstrous hunters, searching for a safe haven. But when Gabriel catches up to her, their adventure has only begun.

Loved Dark Wizard? Bright Familiar Coming Soon!

So exciting that Dark Wizard has over 100 reviews on Amazon! Thank you all for taking the time to rate and review. I’m hard at work on the sequel, Bright Familiar, which is set for release on July 9. Preorder available on the below retailers or via my website store. Meanwhile, the cover reveal is coming Friday!! Newsletter subscribers will get first eyeballs on the gorgeous cover, and members of my private FB group, Jeffe’s Closet, will get a sneak peek tomorrow. There may also be a snippet from the book in progress. It’s not too late to subscribe to either or both! I can promise that both are very low-key in pinging for attention.