Maegan M. Simpson's Blog, page 2

Time Moves So Fast…

Hello hello!

Is it just me, or is this year passing far too quickly? I have so much news that this post is going to be a bit of a whirlwind, but here we go!

First, Heir Eternal is out in the world! You can now read the ENTIRE Agonizomai Series! Seven books and six years later, the journey I began with Frosted Fire has come to its conclusion. Whew! 

Now please don’t be sad…for those who love this world, it isn’t goodbye! I have plenty more stories to tell in Agon. There’s an entire spinoff series I have loosely planned, filling you in on the stories that you don’t get to see in the main series. In fact, I might have Illias and Bryndis’s story partially written already… It’s messy, and since I wrote it a few years ago it’ll need some in-depth editing, but all that to say that I’m not finished with Agon. Not by a long shot. I do intend to take a break from this world for a while, though. Not a long one…but at this point, I’m not planning on starting work on the companion series until next year at the earliest. 

 

Second, the Ashton Legacies has some exciting updates. Aderes in Karkhana has a new, professionally designed cover and it is AMAZING! MoorBooks Design continues to awe me…they captured Gaiseric and Aderes AND the world of Karkhana better than I could’ve hoped! This cover is already up on the Kindle version (though I don’t know when Amazon will update it for those who already bought the book), and the paperback is in the works. I ordered the proof today!

For those who liked the style of the first cover, I might eventually release a special edition hardback with a similar cover (symbol based, rather than having the characters on the front). Let me know if you’d be interested!

The second book, Viggo in Orlin, also has a beautiful cover than I am very excited to share with you. It also has a preorder link! Click here to see it on Amazon! The date for the release isn’t solid yet…I won’t know if I have to change it until after camp, when I take stock of how much I have left to write.

And that brings me to my other piece of news: Summer is upon us! And with it, my yearly absence. The Bible Camp I work at starts this Saturday, meaning you probably won’t hear from me again until late July.

However! This year, for those who want bookish content while I’m away, I have great news! I’ve scheduled episodes of Memories of Blood and Bone to release twice a week for the entire time I’ll be away! So far there’s 80k-90k worth of episodes available for you to devour (for reference, Frosted Fire is about 90k words long in its entirety. Yeah…Blood and Bone is going to be ridiculously long). This does come with the caveat that these episodes aren’t fully edited, so there will be some adjustments in the story before it’s released in Kindle form. That said, if you want this story before its release in late Fall, it’s there for you to explore! (Here’s the link) If you do read it, don’t forget to like the episodes and follow the story so Amazon will show it to more potential readers! Having a serialized story has definitely been a learning curve, and I appreciate all the help I can get!

I believe that’s everything… Life has been crazy, but I’m excited for all of it. I hope your summer is going well, my friends! And let me know your thoughts on all of this lovely news!

 

Heir Eternal Preorder!

Hello hello!

I finally have a release date for Heir Eternal! Lord willing, you’ll have this massive book in your hands on June 2nd. There’s even a preorder up! Click here to see it on Amazon! And when I say it’s massive…I do mean MASSIVE. It’s 550 pages long! And I thought Memories of Salt and Stone was big… It’s also rather distinct in the story, focusing more on political conflict than the other Agonizomai Books. However, I also was able to include a lot more time for our cast of characters to spend time just being friends. Overall, I hope this book proves a fitting conclusion to this series. (And it’s not a full goodbye…I have future plans for other stories within Agon).

I have more Heir Eternal hype to work on, so I’ll leave for now. But below are the cover and description! Comment with what you’re most looking forward to in this book! 

A reluctant king.
A shy healer.
A kingdom consumed by darkness.

With the help of his friends and by the strength of the Creator, Henry survived his captivity and saved Waneroth from a devastating war. But while the people of Waneroth celebrate, Henry faces his most difficult challenge yet. How is he supposed to bring light to a kingdom full of people still clinging to shadows? Between the irate nobles, poisonous advisors, and persistent assassination attempts, even surviving the year seems too much to hope for. If only he could guarantee that his friends won’t fall with him.
Sioned feels utterly lost in this world of royalty and politics. She came with her friends to stand beside Henry, to ensure he survives whatever battle he must face as he takes Ecleath’s throne. She’ll gladly offer her life and strength if it means Henry and her new family survive the deadly threats that surround them, but she’s left unsure of where she belongs when there’s no healing to be done. Could she have a purpose at Henry’s side besides guarding his life?
For generations, Ecleath’s people have lived in hope of Henry’s return. But can Henry and his friends convince them that the truth is greater than the legends? Or will the reign of the Heir Eternal end before it truly begins?

The Weeks Ahead

Hello hello!

Well, once again it’s been too long since I’ve been on here.

But I’ve been busy! Of course, not all of that busy was work, but…we won’t talk about that. In completely unrelated news, I have a lot of new book recommendations.

Anyway, here’s a long overdue update on my books:

-Heir Eternal is currently with my editor. It’s taking more work than I anticipated, as it’s very long and complex to work on (culmination of the series, and all that). I’m a bit behind, so the release date is up in the air at the moment, but it’s coming! If I can’t manage a release in May, I’ll only delay it to June.

-For Memories of Blood and Bone: The first 28 episodes are live on Kindle Vella! I am much further than that with writing it, though. The draft is nearly 100,000 words long! And in total honesty, it’s going to be by far my longest book yet. See, I was originally planning on splitting Danika’s story into a duology, but then I got to where the first book would’ve ended and…I can’t end it there. I can’t explain why because spoilers, but I’ll say that the emotional angst is just…too much. I won’t do that to any readers. So now the plan is to have the book in two “parts”, and you’ll have the rest of the story (including the happy ending) already in front of you.

-And to top it off I have ONE announcement that I’ve only shared with my newsletter folks so far: Aderes in Karkhana is getting a new cover! I already have it, and it is STUNNING. I’m waiting to switch it over until I have time to go through Aderes and shine up a few rough spots, but I can’t wait to show it to you all! And the switch to the new cover will be part of gearing up for the release of the next book in the series, Viggo in Orlin (which I might also have the cover for already…)

Finally, my last bit of news is that I’m going to be MIA for the next week and a half, due to traveling for my brother’s college graduation. If you message me privately I’ll try to respond, but other than that I’ll be taking a step back from most communication. But once I get back we’ll dive in to Heir Eternal hype goodies!

I hope your spring is going well! And for all you students, those preparing for graduation and those with more classes ahead of you, keep going! The end is in sight!

The World of Enwylda

Hello hello, friends!

I hope that you are all having a gentle (or as gentle as possible) time change transition this week! Mine…hasn’t been. But that’s partly because of a wonky sleep schedule and one morning where I got up at 2:30am, so what can I expect? With enough coffee, I’m still awake enough to acomplish a few things. If this post is rambling, please blame the sleep deprivation, not the fact that I’m a nerd who finds worldbuilding absolutely fascinating.

Memories of Salt and Stone has been out for a couple of weeks, and now it’s time to dive in to some of the behind the scenes stuff that I’ve been excited to share with you.  This week I’m focusing on the world, particularly the fae. While there are some fae creatures you’ll probably recognize in the book (such as sirens), there are probably a lot that you’re unfamiliar with. And most of them aren’t my original creations. *Beware of spoilers? Nothing major, but I do mention specific characters from here on out.*

For the world of Enwylda, I wanted to have some of the classic fae creatures, but I also wanted to dive into some lesser known folklore for inspiration, to give Legends of Emyr a flavor all its own. So I turned to Slavic folklore and searched for what their legends have to say about mythical creatures filling the world. 

Slavic folklore is absolutely fascinating, and it has a dark and morbid flavor to a lot of it that I probably find a little too pleasing. Just the amount of subcategories they have for vampires provided me with hours of research (though you’ll see more evidence of that research in the next book than you do in Salt and Stone).

Rusalki are one of the creatures I spent the most time researching, understandably given how much space I give to Nikita and Vasska. I wanted the villains behind the conflict in Tyrzen to be devestatingly powerful, but I also wanted them to be a specific creature, not just generic “high fae.” Enter the rusalki. While most of the stories I found about rusalki were women, I did find one source that allowed for a male rusalka (it also said they would have red hair, which I encorporated for the fun of it).

One of the fascinating parts about rusalki is the amount of variation I found about them: some are said to be beautiful women with long pale hair, some as tall as aspens with skin like bark, some with goose shins that they hide by sitting on lily pads… which is why I chose to make them masters of glamours, able to shape their appearance to their own desires. Another interesting note about rusalki is that many of the stories seem to claim that a rusalka kills her (typically male) victims by tickling them to death. Honestly,that’s a pretty cold blooded way to kill someone, no matter how silly it sounds. 

Most of the other creatures I mention–such as bauk, kikimora, vila, upyr, mare, and the two headed giant– were also inspired by my research on Slavic folklore, but I won’t bore you with all of my notes on the Emyr. (It’s a rather long document). And if you’re curious, I did include the celtic version of what we think of as the classical “high fae.” I’m curious if you can pinpoint who they are…message me or comment if you know!

However, I did want to talk about one more creature: gwyll (pronounced something like gwi-shl, soft on the “l”). I struggled a lot to figure out what sort of Emyr Helia is. I knew she was something from the beginning, and I knew a bit of what she could do (mainly go unseen and find her way around with uncanny accuracy). But it took me a long time to find a folklore creature that fit with that. I ended up searching through some old Welsh legends (well, English accounts of Welsh legends), and I found the gwyll!

The gwyll (plural gwyllon) is known as a creature that leads travelers astray. There are accounts of travelers following old women to ask them for directions, but they can never seem to catch up. Or travelers who hear the old woman laugh in front of them one moment, and hear their laughter on an entirely different mountain right after. They’re supposed to be able to make travelers lose their way even on roads that they know well, and in the stories I found they usually appear as an old woman. For the purposes of Legends of Emyr, I add that they can go unseen (at least, unseen by most) and that they’re as good at guiding as they are at misdirection, if they choose to be. They’re one of the few kinds of fae in Enwylda that can be created, rather than born.

My search took me pretty deep into the wells of Google books, but if you’re curious to know more you can search for The Old Woman of the Mountain. Of course, I used all of the folklore sources I read purely for inspiration, and I tweaked some of the creatures quite a bit to turn them into what I wanted for this world, so please don’t use the information you find in Memories of Salt and Stone like it’s an academic work. It is purely fantasy.

Alright, I’ll make myself stop there before I get too carried away. If you want to know more about any of other creatures in Memories of Salt and Stone, or have any favorite fae creatures you’re hoping to see, let me know! I’ve already talked my family’s ears off with all this, so I would love new victims. *Ahem.* I mean a new audience. Now I have Heir Eternal edits to work on! Happy reading, friends!

 

Book Launch: Memories of Salt and Stone

Hello hello, my friends!

Memories of Salt and Stone is officially out in the world!

I’m so excited for you all to read it! I know I’ve mentioned it before, but this book has a very different feel from most of my others, and it’s one that still has me captured mind and soul. I hope you find Ronan’s story as enthralling!

To celebrate the launch, I have a few goodies to share! The book’s playlist is already up on the Soundtrack page of my website, under the “For Readers” heading. And I have a map for you! It shows the western half of Enwylda, where Ronan travels. I don’t have her course marked, but you might be able to pick it out as you read… Feel free to download it and keep it as a reference!

 

And my next goodie for you is a bonus scene! All of Salt and Stone is written from Ronan’s point of view but there’s one scene in particular that I really wanted to have from Corwin’s perspective as well. So I wrote it! And I want to share it with you! So now, if you sign up from my newsletter you’ll receive this scene in with the other short stories! You’ll find the form at the bottom of this page. (If you’ve already signed up for my newsletter, don’t worry: I’m planning on sending the link so you can download the collection with the new story included.)

That’s all I have for now, but in a couple weeks I’ll post again to talk about some of the inspiration behind the world of Enwylda! Until then, enjoy reading!

An Exciting Announcement!

Hello hello!

I have exciting news for all you southwestern folks! This year I’ll be attending the Tucson Book Festival!

A few months ago I submitted Stone Heart and Aderes in Karkhana to the Festival for a chance at a Pavillion space to sign and sell books. And I was selected! So on March 4th, from 10am to 1:30pm, I’ll be in a pavillion with copies of Stone Heart and Aderes in Karkhana! I would love to see you there!

Here’s a link to my little part of the website, in case you want more information: Click here!

That’s my news for this week. Let me know in the comments if you’re planning on being there!!!

Writing Update

 Hello hello!

I hope your week is starting out alright, friends! It certainly feels like a Monday…I’ve already had two cups of coffee, and I’m tempted to make myself a third. In the meantime, I have tea and music to hopefully keep me upright and working. So while I sip my tea, let’s look at where I am with my various projects!

First up, Memories of Salt and Stone! I sent it off to my lovely beta readers last week, and so far I’m getting positive feedback! I also have the preorder up!  (Check it out HERE) The preorder is $0.99 cents, which will go up to $2.99 after release, so make sure to get it soon! The book launch is March 3rd, so we’re only two months away! Time is flying so fast. What happened to January?

Secondly, Heir Eternal. The rough draft is over 80k words long now (for reference, Frosted Fire is around 85k). So you’d think I’d be almost finished, right? Wrong! I still have twelve chapters to write. Twelve! So yeah, this book is going to be a long one. But I’m getting into the high stakes section of the book, which hopefully means I’ll be able to write it fairly quickly. I’m still set for a May release, though at this rate it might be late May. We’ll see!

Those are my two main projects for now! I have others I’m planning, but I’m trying really hard to keep my focus on Memories of Salt and Stone and Heir Eternal for now. All the pretty new projects have to wait!

And just a side note: isn’t Salt and Stone’s cover pretty???? *Sigh* I love it so much. I’m excited to make the inside all pretty too! 

Have a good week, friends! And if you have any questions (or encouragement) send them my way!

 

Next Book: Memories of Salt and Stone

Hello hello!

It’s hard to believe we’re already halfway through January… Stone Heart’s launch was a month ago today, which hardly seems possible. But, ready or not here we are. And today I have some information on my next book, launching March 3rd.

Memories of Salt and Stone is the first book in a new series I’m launching called “Legends of Emyr.” It’s dark fantasy, which basically means that though it’s still clean and hopeful, it does deal with some darker issues. The world itself is also a little more intense (though I can’t think of anything in there that’s darker than Born in Darkness or Broken Healer, so it’s not like I’m delving into uncharted waters as far as content).

The series itself will be similar to the Agonizomai Series in that each book has different main characters with their own story, but the stories in Legends of Emyr will be only loosely connected. There’s no big conflict that all the books are telling, though I think there will be some villains (and probably side characters) that span multiple books.

I won’t share the cover yet, since I’m doing a big reveal on Instagram and Facebook this Friday, but I will say that it’s by the same designers that created Stone Heart’s new cover, and it is gorgeous. I am so happy how it’s turned out, and how well it reflects the atmosphere of the book. So make sure to watch my Instagram so you can see it!

To hold you over, here’s a moodboard I created for the book…I love the vibe of this story so much, friends! It’s so dark and wonderous.

To give you a littel taste, below is the blurb for Memories of Salt and Stone. Be watching for more snippets and sneak peeks!

A woman tormented by her past. A man who knows her secrets but has never offered his trust. A threat they can’t ignore…even if it leads to their downfall.

Ronan has long given up looking to the future. Instead, she keeps her focus on the present: working, surviving…hiding. And she tries not to be overwhelmed by memories of a life she never wanted to leave behind. But secrets, like memories, have a way of taking you when you’re least prepared.

The land is changing. Refugees flee from the north, children are going missing…and Ronan might have the key to both mysteries. Even though it risks what little she has left, can Ronan ignore a cry for help? Once, she was more than this…perhaps she should be again. But if she stands to fight, there’s no turning back: hiding will turn to running…and she’ll have to face more than memories if she wants to survive.

Which means a reunion with the one man alive who knows her every secret: Corwin. Even in the good times, Ronan never knew where they stood between friend and foe. Now, with no one to make them get along, Corwin has no reason to trust her and every reason to leave her behind. But memories have a way of drawing people together. And Ronan will need every ally she can find if she means to enter this fight.

Bound together by a grief they can’t forget, both determined to enter a war they have little chance of winning…Ronan and Corwin may find that their hearts are more united than they ever would’ve guessed. And that has more power than the stories say…

That’s all for this week, friends! I hope you’re staying warm and safe, with plenty of good books to cozy up with!

2022 Review and a New Year Ahead

Hello hello, and Happy New Year!

I hope your entrance to 2023 was pleasant. I actually managed to stay up until midnight to ring in the new year this time…mostly thanks to reading an excellent book. (Which I still need to finish…) Now we’re hunkering down for a snow storm, which has already led to a power outage. Overall, 2023 has been fun so far, especially being with my family.

But before I discuss my plans for this year, here’s my review for last year…

Last year was a bit of a crazy one! As my first full year of writing full time, I entered 2022 with a lot of plans and prayers, and in many ways this year surpassed my hopes! I never would’ve expected to accomplish so much in twelve months, especially with the lovely but chaotic summer I had.

In 2022 I…

Rewrote and relaunched Frosted Fire and Born in Darkness, complete with new covers to match the rest of the series.Released three Agonizomai Books, taking us nearly to the end of the series.And rewrote and relaunched Stone Heart, featuring a professionally designed cover that is more beautiful than I ever could’ve imagined for one of my books.Overall, this year I managed to write 415k words, amounting to roughly four novels (one is still in progress).  

Thanks to you, Stone Heart’s second edition has had the most successful book launch of my career to date! Relaunching Stone Heart was not something I’d planned to do in 2022, but I am so glad I did! It’s extremely encouraging to see you, dear readers, enjoying Ember’s story so much. Reading your sweet reviews and receiving your messages pushes me to keep going, so I can share more stories with you! 

With that in mind, here’s what I’m planning for 2023 (Lord willing, as always):

Release the last book of the Agonizomai Series, Heir Eternal, sometime around May. (It’s already half written)Release the next Ashton Legacies book, Viggo, Champion of Orlin (which got pushed off in 2022 in favor of focusing on the Agonizomai Series and Stone Heart)Launch the first book in a new series called Legends of Emyr. This has been my sneaky project, which I’ll be officially announcing in the next few days.And as always, I’ll leave room for wherever the Lord takes me…who knows what new adventures await?

Stay warm, friends!

Stone Heart Launch

Hello hello!

Welp, I’ve done it again and missed many weeks of posting. But I haven’t been idle! And today marks a very special day for two reasons: first is that today is the launch of Stone Heart’s second edition, and second is that it’s my birthday! So obviously we’ve got a make a party out of it.

First off, below is the soundtrack for Stone Heart, in case you want to listen while you read! (Feel free to download the graphic) I even have a playlist on Youtube Music that you can save! (Click here to check it out)

Next, don’t forget to get Stone Heart’s ebook soon, while it’s still $.99! I’m raising the price after Christmas, so now is the time to snag it!

If you want a signed paperback, I still have some left! (Click here) They probably won’t make it to you by Christmas, but you can still order them!

Also, throughout the day on my Social Media, I’ll also be sharing excerpts and fun tidbits. And if you signed up for my Giveaway, make sure to check tonight to see if you won!

I think that’s all my news for now. Read below for an excerpt of Stone Heart!

And here's a link to Stone Heart on Amazon, because of course...

Bargains

Ragged breathing echoed through the shadowy hall, originating from the stocky man collapsed on his knees before the throne. He quivered, fighting not to look up at the monster seated above him. His resistance failed. He couldn’t help himself: he’d never seen a living being as strange, or terrifying, as the beast of living stone he knelt before.

The intruder’s fear served Dyrerisan’s purposes well.

“For the last time,” Dyrerisan said. “Why did you steal from me?”

His low, rough tone had more of an effect on the intruder than if he’d shouted. The man flinched, lowering himself a little closer to the floor.

“Forgive me, milord,” the man replied, his voice shaking even more than his limbs. The mighty protector, Dyrerisan scoffed privately, his lips twisting in a sneer.

“I took it as a gift for my daughter.”

“And the ruby rose you chose is my most prized possession,” Dyrerisan replied, matching lie for lie.

The trinket was one of many littering his halls, taken from a dusty cabinet he hadn’t paid any attention to for years. But it was his, and he didn’t take kindly to thievery. Nor to cowardly lies. Dyrerisan leaned forward, making the wooden throne creak.

“I’ll have the truth, now.”

The man didn’t reply, staring at the floor in terrified silence. Dyrerisan waited a breath, then gestured to the masked guard standing on his left. The guard drew his sword, and the intruder flinched.

“I’m in debt,” he said, looking up to Dyrerisan. “To the Duke of Sarnere. If I don’t repay him in five days…he’s threatened to take one of my girls into his service.”

“And you resorted to thievery to save yourself.”

“Surely…surely, you’ll take pity on my family. It’s such a small piece of your wealth, milord.”

“To you it is no small bit of wealth.”

The intruder was slow to respond to that. Dyrerisan could see his eyes darting around, could guess at the thoughts churning in his head. He was searching for a way out of his predicament, a way that bore no consequences for himself. Selfishness. It was always the most predictable human reaction.

“The Duke of Sarnere,” Dyrerisan mused. “I’ve heard of him…he’s known for his cruelty, yes?”

“Yes.”

“Entering his service is poor fate for any person, let alone your beloved family.”

The man rose a little, hope lighting his face. Dyrerisan resisted another sneer.

“Yes, milord. I would do anything to keep my daughters from him.”

Dyrerisan knew that already. He also knew the man’s dedication didn’t protect all of his household. Dyrerisan would use that to his advantage.

“And if I offer you a bargain? Enough wealth to repay your debt?”

“I would accept, gladly.”

The man spoke eagerly, without any apparent thought to the cost of such a bargain. Duke Kelan wouldn’t have needed to work hard to entrap this rabbit-hearted man. Dyrerisan rose from his throne, accepting the ache that came from forcing his stiff limbs into movement, and stepped toward his victim.

“And in return,” Dyrerisan said, “You’ll serve me.”

The man blanched. Dyrerisan smiled.

“Unless you’d rather serve your punishment for thievery in my dungeons, of course.”

“I…I can’t,” the man gasped, nearly falling over as he leaned away from Dyrerisan, eyes wide in terror. “I can’t leave my family, my home…”

“Then send one from your family,” Dyrerisan said with a negligent wave of his hand. “You had a victim chosen for the Duke of Sarnere, surely. Send them to me instead.”

“I…” the intruder trailed off, the first time in their interaction that he’d taken a moment to think. Perhaps if he used that thick head more often, he wouldn’t find himself in this situation. But Dyrerisan doubted this sop would ever learn to weigh his decisions…he’d seen this type of man waste away their lives too many times to believe otherwise.

Dyrerisan reached behind him, and his second guard placed a heavy sack in his hand. He tossed it to the ground before the intruder, and the clink of gold coins against the marble floor pierced the silence. The intruder’s eyes widened, his fingers brushing against the full purse almost reverently. Dyrerisan’s lip curled.

“Your decision?” Dyrerisan prompted.

“I accept your bargain.”

Dyrerisan grunted his response, watching the intruder snatch up the gold like his life depended on its cold weight. Perhaps he believed it did.

“I expect my servant in two weeks,” Dyrerisan said, gesturing to his guards. They stepped forward to seize the intruder by his elbows. “Don’t keep me waiting, Radcliff.”

The man finally looked up from his prize, skin ghostly gray as he met Dyrerisan’s gaze. “How do you know my name?”

“Does it matter?” Dyrerisan asked with a stiff smirk. “Our bargain is sealed. You dare not disobey me now.”

Radcliff allowed the guards to drag him backwards, out of the once-lavish hall. Dyrerisan held his gaze in a silent warning until the doors were shut. Then he returned to his throne with a deep sigh, glancing around the shadow-ridden room as if seeing it for the first time. The statues lining the walls loomed over him from their darkened pedestals, silent witness to his ignoble interview with Radcliff. Dyrerisan sighed and looked away, to his stiff hands.

Radcliff would not return to these halls, but he wouldn’t risk breaking the bargain, either. He had a ward he seemed content to leave vulnerable. Dyrerisan had no doubt that she’d be Radcliff’s choice for a sacrifice. The only question left was whether or not the young woman would agree to the terms. Dyrerisan doubted she had any idea of the fate that waited for her in Dyrerisan’s halls…or the fate left to her if she refused to come.