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. 

High Praise and WEDDED TO DARKNESS

So, I woke up this morning to the nicest note via Instagram private message. There’s a screenshot above, but the text says:

Just wanted to drop you a note & say how much I appreciate you & your writing! I discovered your books a few months ago via an Amazon recommendation & have devoured 15+ books since then. What I especially appreciate is that you write/publish books consistently while maintaining quality (obsession-inducing) writing. I am reading Dark wizard now & just purchased Bright Familiar. Thank you for doing what you do! 🙌🏻

Isn’t that lovely? It’s especially meaningful because I sometimes get the sideways snarky comments implying that my books must be lower quality because I write fast. To be fair, these remarks come from other authors, not readers. Most of the time I can shrug it off – we all get jealous of other writers, we’re human – but when someone uses the phrase “churn books out” like I’m running a widget factory, it sets my teeth on edge. So to have a new reader specifically praise my consistency and quality? Well, it means a great deal. I needed to hear that today!

In other news, I’m publishing a book on Kindle Vella! This is a new program of Amazon’s – their attempt to glom the Radish market – where you can read stories episodically. Mine is an erotic paranormal – along the lines of Petals & Thorns, though slower burn – called WEDDED TO DARKNESS. It’s a Jekyll & Hyde story, gothic and a bit creepy, only sexy! The first three episodes are up, and they’re free. After that, readers pay in coins to read the next episodes. I hope to post a new episode weekly. Maybe on Fridays? We’ll see!

Jeffe’s Stupid Human Trick

Our topic at the SFF Seven this week is “Stupid people tricks – what’s something you know how to do?”

I feel I should qualify that that “stupid” in this topic is intended to modify the tricks, not the people. That said, want to know what mine is? Come on over to find out!

Meanwhile, in the Happy Human Tricks Department, I’ve been loving the reception for BRIGHT FAMILIAR, which released on Friday. This was the best Amazon ranking I saw, but the book has been sitting pretty in the Top 100 of all its subcategories all weekend. Hooray!

I’m way prouder of this than the cherry stem Thing.

Updates on My Release Schedule!

BRIGHT FAMILIAR releases on Friday!! I’m super excited not only because I got the book done in time – whew! – and not only because I have over 1,000 preorders on Amazon for this book and still climbing – a personal record! – but because early reader-reviewers are saying such wonderful things about it. My heart and cup runneth over, for sure. You all are amazing in your love for this series. If you haven’t preordered yet and want to, you still can 🙂

Some of you have been asking about my release schedule for both this series and Heirs of Magic. The obsessive fans alert among you have noticed that my release date for THE STORM PRINCESS AND THE RAVEN KING has drifted into 2022. And GREY MAGIC, sequel to BRIGHT FAMILIAR , is coming out at the end of December. The reason for the release date drift is that I’m wedging in a novella for another midwinter holiday fantasy romance anthology! Everyone is still figuring out if they can fit it into their writing schedules, so I won’t tell you the participants yet. But as soon as I know, you’ll be hearing about it! Worse comes to worst, we pull the plug on the anthology and all of these release dates move up.
Here is my current plan (italics indicate tentative dates):

 

THE DRAGON’S DAUGHTER AND THE WINTER MAGE (Heirs of Magic 3) 9/13/2021

holiday novella 11/15/2021
GREY MAGIC (Bonds of Magic 3) 12/20/2021
THE STORM PRINCESS AND THE RAVEN KING
(Heirs of Magic 4) 2/22/2022

Finally, in case you missed it, THE LONG NIGHT OF THE CRYSTALLINE MOON, the prequel story to Heirs of Magic, previously only available in the UNDER A WINTER SKY anthology, is now available as a standalone.