C.C. Bolick's Blog

Sweet Success

As I write this, I'm putting my multi-tasking skills to work. I'm also eating lunch and wrapping up edits on Legacy of Power: Season 3.

This book has been a long time coming. As I reflect on everything that happened since I published season 2, I realize who I am has changed. Due to my own health reasons, followed by the passing of my father, I left a huge gap of time between these two stories.

Was it necessary?

Absolutely. Every step of the journey must be part of the self-reflection process. Each setback makes the next success that much sweeter.

Today, I feel as if my body and mind are stronger. Plus, I've got at least a dozen more books plotted and ready to write. I look forward to sharing them with you over the coming months and years.

Will readers enjoy what I have to say? I sure hope so. Next month I'll release the new book followed by seasons 4 and 5 later this year. Despite everything I've experienced over the last two years, Charlie refuses to let me give up on her story.

I wish all my characters were this dedicated.

Hello Again

Yes, it’s been a while.

If you’re still following, thanks so much for sticking with me.

Writing has been a passion for me, a life-long passion. I’ve been dreaming up stories for as long as I can remember. The characters take on a life of their own inside my head. To me, these are real people with real issues, adventures, and hearts. I’m simply the one who makes them real on the page.

Over a period of five years, I hammered out pages on the laptop at night. On lunch breaks. I wrote thousands of post it notes (in a variety of colors) and somehow managed to organize these thought into more than a dozen books. At one time, my goal was to complete one book. Jes’s story first came to me as a teen in the nineties. Back then, I thought if I could just write her story I’d be satisfied.

But I wasn’t satisfied. Satisfied with the book, yes. Not with the fact her story kept playing in my head. Evolving. Then other characters started speaking. Loudly.

So, I kept writing. I never planned to stop.

A little over two years ago, I got sick during Covid. Since then, I’ve struggled to reach a point where I felt well again. Some days, I struggled to simply get through the day. There wasn’t much writing during that time. I’ll call it my two years of darkness.

I never planned to stop writing for as long as I did. To be honest, I feared never being able to finish another book. After many months of rest and a determination to figure out how to improve my health, I finally reached a milestone. In April of this year, I began to write again.

I’ve had to follow a strict diet. It hasn’t been fun, but I realize now maybe it was an opportunity to improve my life. The experience has changed how I feel about the world around me. I’m thankful for many things I’d lost sight of.

The ability to finish a book was something I once took for granted. Now I feel as if I’m starting over.

At least I’m not starting over alone.

For that, I’m especially thankful.

Redemption's Mark

Redemption's Mark

I'm so excited to have finally released Redemption's Mark. As many of you may know from my previous posts, I got behind on life last year and couldn't get this one out. I only released one book in 2021, which was Legacy of Power: Season 1. This year I'm catching up and adding several new releases.

Redemption's Mark is a story I wanted to write for several years. Tosh Henley was the bully from the Leftover Girl books and I always had a plan to tell her story. It didn't seem quite fair she never got to tell her side of things.

As Tosh grew throughout the Leftover Girl books, The Agency, and finally The Fear Chronicles, readers got to see a glimpse at how she felt broken. Not that her past experiences excused her actions, but she was bullied by a young agent who didn't realize the harm he'd cause her.

If you've read those books, you know it was Travis Payne who threatened her for bullying his sister, Angel. I think it's only fair he gets to work as hard for redemption as Tosh does. Maybe they'll even start to see the other isn't so bad.

Maybe.

Anyway, I had fun writing this story from two perspectives - Tosh and Travis. I had my doubts if Travis could pull off this mission so I made sure Rena was at his side. She's his voice of reason and can usually talk sense into him.

Redemption's Mark starts a new phase to the Leftover Girl universe. The idea was to bring all the original girls together and see how far they've come.

As they'll learn, peace is hard fought and sometimes short lived. A new group has risen to oppose Golvern's government and no one will be safe, including the team on Earth. The agency has faced tough cases over the years, but their most dangerous are yet to come.

The next book will be available later in the summer.

Release Day - Legacy of Power: Season 2

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09...

Charlie Conners is back for another adventure!

Sharpshooter, government agent, half-alien… almost old enough for a driver’s license.

Charlie thought running away after her mother’s death was the answer to her problems. Now she’s navigating the politics of an agency that's only begun to understand her powers.

These posts are always my favorite to write. I've finished another story with characters I love... it's time to take a day and sigh. It's all over, but is it really?

Nope.

I've already stared on season 3. Charlie's story has been fun to write but also stressful. There are so many tiny details to keep up with.

I knew it would be a blast to write Charlie's story and I always had it in the back of my mind (along with the other crazy stories waiting to get out). Going back 25 years wasn't easy. Had to remember to have the agents carry around pagers instead of cell phones, lol.

Showing characters from the agency at a younger age was interesting. Agents Mason and Payne are partners here and try to help Charlie, while the director tries to force her into using her gift to shoot with precision and take down threats. She finds her own way and shows that she'll answer to no one.

One of my favorite characters is Emily, which I didn't get to show much in the previous series (for obvious reasons!), but I get to show that connection with Charlie and how she tries to mentor the teen.

Next month, I'll release Redemption's Mark. It's planned for March 30th. I worked on this book last year but had to postpone it due to life reasons. The book is done and you'll have it soon.

Redemption's Mark starts a new Leftover Girl Universe series that starts 4 months after The Fear Chronicle books. So we've got Travis and Rena, but also several favorite characters from my other series. In this book, Tosh finally gets a voice and her shot at redemption for all the mean things she did in the Leftover Girl series.

Hope you enjoy my latest story!

The Magic of Midnight

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09CV7LH2P

Available to read through Kindle Unlimited!

My new shifter story, Chosen by Night, recently released as part of The Magic of Midnight anthology.

Marilyn never imagined shifters existed or the thrill of becoming a crow as black as the night. After an old curse is awakened, this sixteen-year-old must solve a mystery as other teens begin to shift and terrified parents scramble for answers.

Two hundred years ago, this curse started with the moon disappearing and ended with the destruction of their town. The night has chosen Marilyn and only her closest friends can help. Can they stop the curse, or will she lose everything she cares about?

I'm super excited about this story.

Besides the fact it has a wolf and a crow and it's set in 1992, I included one of my favorite characters - Lorraine Conners. Now readers can get a glimpse into her life at 15.

Chosen by Night will be a prequel to my new shifter series. The next story releases in May so be sure to let me know what you think!

Legacy of Power: Season 1

How does a writer take a year off from writing?

Not easily.

2020 was a tough year for my family and I didn't write anything until June of this year. That's literally a year off.

I took notes on stories as the weeks passed, but I didn't sit down and write any scenes during that time. After writing for more than a decade, it was tough on my mentally. I don't think I'll ever go back to not writing. In June, after the death of someone close, I opened my computer and wrote the story Legacy of Power.

Even though I'd planned to write this story for years, I never planned to start it last June. Turns out, what I needed was a way to channel my grief. It was a form of therapy since writing has always been the only way I felt comfortable with expressing my feelings.

I wrote this story in fast-paced serial episodes. If you've been troubled by my cliffhangers in the past, you might want to pretend this book doesn't exist. There will be more since this is just season one, lol!

If you've read my Leftover Girl series or The Agency books, you'll see some familiar faces in Legacy of Power. It takes place 25 years before Leftover Girl and tells the story of Charlie Conners. Yep, that's Pade's mom from the first series.

Imagine finding out your mother is an alien and you have this highly coveted, rare power to shoot. Only trouble is, the government of another planet wants that power.

Charlie's answer? Run.

As she'll learn, Charlie can't avoid her newfound Legacy of Power...

Leftover Girl: The Complete Series

The last six months have been really stressful for me, and some of you may know I had to push back the release of the first book in a new series. Not something I'm proud of, but sometimes life takes precedence over writing.

Wait, something is more important than writing?

Yes, although I love creating stories and getting them on paper, there is more to life. I've spent the last six months focusing on my job and my family. Has it been easier?

No!!! The stories in my head don't stop. I've got at least three more series planned now, and I've yet to finish the one I planned to start publishing back in August. So, I took a step back. I looked around and realized the stories could wait. I worked on getting my health to a better place. Working during the day and writing at night does take a toll.

Thankfully, I've been able to assemble a new boxed set with the five Leftover Girl books. And how about that cover? I'm pleased with the way this set has turned out. It's really been a mood booster for me during these turbulent times.

If you're new to my work, Leftover Girl: The Complete Series is a great place to start. If you've been following along with the books and realize how much I love building a universe of characters and writing crossover stories, thanks.

Thanks for reading. Thanks for following. Thanks for caring.

New Release - Fear Tomorrow

I'm thrilled to say Fear Tomorrow, the epic conclusion to The Fear Chronicles, will release tomorrow, 5/21. Which is why I had to write this post tonight.

I've had a blast with Rena and Travis and actually feel bad about making this their last story. If you've followed my other books, you'll see some familiar faces in this story.

I'm not sure how readers will feel about seeing characters from previous books, especially if they haven't read either of my previous series. Those who have read my other books should know how much I enjoy crossover stories. I couldn't waste this chance to tie up, not just The Fear Chronicles, but the universe of characters I created.

All I can promise is I wrote the book I set out to write when I started this series. Yes, I always knew how it would end. Being able to write the book I wanted exactly how I wanted is an amazing feeling. I've found it's been the biggest advantage of self-publishing. Lots of work, but it's my story.

I'm excited to hear what people think about this one. Fear Tomorrow took about six months to write. It started as a string of handwritten notes about so many different characters I unfortunately couldn't include them all. When I read the epilogue for the first time after edits, I felt both ecstatic and sad. For now this is it.

I'm sure the stories will continue in my head. Honestly, I planned to stop writing after this book. My goal was never to write for a career, but just to get the stories out of my head.

So, I re-read the epilogue and sat back with a sigh, thinking I could close my laptop and go back to living a normal life without characters whispering their stories to me.

Nope.

I've found the only way to finish a series is start a new one. I hope you've enjoyed the characters as I have, and I appreciate you visiting my world.

Maybe I'll see you again in the future.

Release Day Fear Darkness

I'm excited this day has finally arrived! Fear Darkness, the third book in The Fear Chronicles, releases today.

I've had a blast writing Rena's story and this book is fast paced like the first two. Rena will learn more about the secrets her parents kept and what she's capable of. After Fear Power, she's ready to take down everyone who betrayed her.

But Rena will find out no one should fight alone.

She needs friends to help navigate the politics of the agency. This story is told through Rena's eyes but also gives Travis's point of view. He'll discover answers he's been searching for and must decide who to trust in order to help Rena.

Some characters from the Leftover Girl series will return in this book. I tried to introduce these characters in a way that won't take away from the story if you haven't read the Leftover Girl books. If you have, maybe you'll enjoy trying to figure out their motives.

If you've read The Agency series but don't have a copy of Heart of a Traitor, sign up on my website and I'll send you a free copy.

Wow, I can't wait to hear what people think of Fear Darkness. I felt a range of emotions as I brought it to a close. That leaves just one more book in this series - Fear Tomorrow.

If you have a chance to read Fear Darkness, thanks for taking the time. If you have a moment to let me know your thoughts, please reach out at ccbolickbooks@gmail.com.

Fear Power

I'm excited to announce Fear Power (The Fear Chronicles Book 2) is now available on Amazon, including reading through Kindle Unlimited.

I apologize to everyone for the delay. I'd originally planned to release in August but faced several issues beyond my control. I'm finally back on track, with the release of Heart of a Traitor in September and now Fear Power.

***If you're on my email list and didn't get your copy of Heart of a Traitor, please send me an email!

If you've read Fear Justice, you know this series is about fearless Rena Mason. If you haven't, now is a great time to start. She'll fight to find her place at a secret government agency (think Men in Black) determined to use her power to save the world.

Yes, this new series exists in the same universe as my other books. You'll even see some familiar faces.

Please take a moment to let me know what you think of this new book. Reach out to me anytime at ccbolickbooks@gmail.com. I love to talk with readers - they bring a little sunshine to the dark basement where I'm typing like a maniac to finish book 3.

No joke, I actually wore out my keyboard last week and had to buy another.

Fear Darkness (book 3) will be ready for release in January. I can't wait to show everyone where Rena's adventures take her next!

Thanks for reading !!! ~ C.C.