New Cover Art: Elves of Lessa

Greetings, Champions! I’ve been busy working on the still unnamed Red Rope of Fate sequel. I’m in the editing stage, so everything is looking good for that mid to late July release.

But I have some fun news! With the launch of the sequel, both books will be getting illustrated covers. This was a tough decision. I like the current Red Rope of Fate cover a lot, but in the end it had to be a marketing decision. The current cover is more of a fairy tale style, and I’d like to make it a bit more clear that Red Rope is more of a fantasy-romance story.

So I asked Nibleart–my illustrator for my Second Age of Retha series–to create the covers! (I felt so bad for him though, because Solus from Second Age of Retha and Arion are the only two male protagonists in all my books who have the dark hair/blue eyes combo and wear armor! So this was a testament to his styling skills.)

But, without further ado…here is the new cover for Red Rope of Fate!

In addition to the character art, I have to say he really  NAILED the background. I asked him to put them inside a castle since they spend the whole book in Haven, and wowza did Nibleart deliver! (Also, Tari’s dress brings me such joy since it’s very reminiscent of her practice uniform. Loveitloveitloveit!)

He’s still working on the cover for the sequel, but it is in a similar style. I can’t wait to show you all the final product, though! This cover will be going up this weekend, so if the photo covers are more your style, you might want to snag this book now.

That’s all for today, Champions. Stay tuned later this week, though, as I have an exciting announcement I’ll soon be sharing!

Red Rope of Fate Sequel

Depending on if you follow me on other social media platforms, you may–or may not–be aware that I am currently working on a sequel to Red Rope of Fate. (Woohoo!) It doesn’t have a title yet–I can’t tell you, Champions, how much I hate coming up with titles–but I’m already over halfway through writing it!

The story takes place approximately three years after Red Rope of Fate, and the protagonists are two character’s you’ve already met. (Or at least briefly seen.) Prince Benjimir of Calnor, and the elven Princess Gwendafyn of Lessa. Kitty, you might be thinking, Benjimir was a VILLAIN in the previous book! How can he be a protagonist? Champions…I give you the most wanted archtype you voted: Villain turned hero.

This book has been a real blessing for me. Writing The Revived (Book three in my Second Age of Retha series) mentally bankrupted me because it turned out to be so long and massive. This sequel, however, is much lighter and fluffier–which is something I haven’t been able to write in ages as the Timeless Fairy Tales are really ramping up in terms of tension and complexity. (No complaints here–I love that sort of thing–but it does get tiring to write after a while because I spend so much of myself completing the stories.)

I’m hoping to finish it (it being the as-of-yet-untitled-sequel) and get it edited in time for a mid July release. I do hope you guys like it. Gwendafyn and Benjimir are a much more sarcastic/jaded couple than Tari and Arion, but they have some of the cutest interactions too.  (And yes, you get to see quite a bit of Tari and Arion in the story. And Thad, Wilford, and Grygg. And Seer Ringali. And King Petyrr. Basically, EVERYONE IS BACK!!)

That is all for today, Champions! I hope you have a lovely week, and I would like to leave you with an important question: which character(s) are you most excited to see again?

Fanart and Audio Book!

Happy Friday, Champions! I’m going to bust right into this because I’ve been waiting forever to share this news, but Red Rope of Fate‘s audio book is now available for purchase!

Ta da! Isn’t it pretty? If you want to hear an audio sample click here to go to Tantor media (the publisher of the audio book) and right below the picture is a sample of the first few paragraphs of the book. Listening to it simultaniously fills me with awe and makes me want to scream into a pillow. When I decided to forgo traditional publishing I pretty much gave up on the idea of having audio books, so watching Red Rope turn into an audio file has been incredible! (The narrator, Lucy Rayner, did an amazing job!) It’s available on Audible and Amazon, but I think the cheapest spot is if you buy the MP3-CD directly from Tantor, though I have no idea what their shipping is like.

We’ll have to celebrate its release, but my brain is playing dead right now as I spent the morning playing with Create Space. (Good news: Heart of Ice’s paperback should be available next week. More News: Myrrhlynn is hoping to tackle Sacrifice’s paperback cover this weekend, so it shouldn’t be too far behind Heart of Ice. Slow news: B&B’s paperback revision is in progress.)

But the fun isn’t over yet! I received some fantastic fanart just when Swan Lake was released, but this is the first time I’ve had a chance to show some of it off! Today’s incredibly talented artist is our very own Hobbitlady97! She made a pretty awesome sketch of Elle of Beauty and the Beast. She said the portrait of Elle is specifically after Severin’s curse is broken, but before he comes after her in Verglas.

I think her hair is my favorite part. That might sound odd, but my drawings/stick people usually end up with three hairs on their head because I lose patience or their haircut looks like a bunch of noodles, so I can really appreciate how difficult it is to pull that off!

Okay, that’s it for now, but next week I should have something fun in store for everyone! Until then, thanks for reading, Champions! Have a splendid weekend, and thank you for being you!