Devyn Jayse's Blog, page 3
January 19, 2018
Are you a fan of Boxed Sets?
Are you a fan of multi-author boxed sets? I am!
I enjoy picking up boxed sets and anthologies because they allow me to sample a variety of new authors for a low price, since most boxed sets seem to be priced at around $0.99-$2.99.
Last year, I had a really positive experience with the Fall of Magic urban fantasy anthology. So much so that this year I’m participating in FIVE different boxed sets. Here’s a little about each one of them:
The first is paranormal romance boxed set and will contain a story from the world of Magic Runes .
The next one is a fantasy boxed set that will feature a short story from my fantasy pen name.
An urban fantasy boxed set by the same organizer as the above set.
A fantasy charity anthology with the funds being donated to charity. I’m going to include an urban fantasy short for this project.
The last one of the year will be another urban fantasy boxed set with a fun theme.
You’ll be hearing about the first boxed set very soon and I’ll update the status of each project as the year passes.
January 17, 2018
A Pretty Big Decision
I made a Pretty Big Decision yesterday. I can’t really talk about it but it has the potential to really change my writing career. Okay, scratch that, it will change my writing career.
It’s funny how the universe puts things in our path. I had finally locked down my writing schedule only to have it turned upside down again by an opportunity I couldn’t let pass by. It was something I had wished for but thought was too early for me to gain at this point in my self-publishing journey.
I was wrong.
It’s been one day and already I’ve realized how much value I’ve gained by making the Pretty Big Decision. I know this experience will be instrumental in how I manage my writing career moving forward.
2018 is the year of seizing opportunities and experimenting. I’ve got a lot of work ahead of me over the next few months but I’m excited to start this journey. It’s going to be epic!
January 16, 2018
Writing: Dragons in Barcelona
If you get my newsletter you know that I’m currently working on my upcoming book, Supernatural Slayer. Originally my big alpha guy was part of the Supernatural Bureau of Investigation but I’ve already done that in Magic Runes. I didn’t want to give readers the same story.
I played around with various shifters and wondered if a dragon shifter would work for my novel since it was set in Barcelona. I decided to do some research. Boy, was I in for a surprise!
So apparently dragons are HUGE in Barcelona. Color me surprised. I had no idea. They even have dragon tours.
It allegedly started with the legend of St. George and the Dragon. I had never heard one of the “most famous legends of Catalonia“. Short version: St. George (Sant Jordi) saves princess from dragon.
I’ve seen dragons depicted around the city but I saw other creatures as well so the dragons didn’t stand out for me. I’ve even taken several tours of Casa Batlló I must have forgotten the part about it representing the famous legend. I’m embarrassed by how little I knew and how much I learned researching.
Naturally, this newfound knowledge works perfectly for my novel. So expect lot of interesting details to crop up in Supernatural Slayer! I highly recommend clicking on the sources below to see some cool examples of how dragons permeate the city of Barcelona. I may have to schedule a trip back to Barcelona to take my own photos 
January 12, 2018
Reading Week January 6-12
Have you chosen a goal for 2018’s Goodreads Reading Challenge? I decided to repeat 2017’s goal and stick to 100 books.
I’m currently ahead of schedule but I have one extra book that shouldn’t be there. It’s the boxed set. I’m not sure how to work around that. I wanted to show that I read the boxed set and also show the three books included within the set. I guess I’ll have to read an extra book and make my goal 101.
This week’s books:
Michael Wolff – Fire and Fury – Yes, I was one of the many putting this book in #1 spot. I’m fascinated by this White House. It’s dysfunctional and messy, and Wolff covers all that.
Assorted Authors – Fall of Magic Urban Fantasy Anthology – Finally managed to finish the anthology I was in. Lots of fun stories. If you haven’t picked it up yet, it’s $0.99 on Amazon.
Lindsay Buroker – Dragon Blood Books 1-3 Boxed Set – Containing the books Balanced on the Blade’s Edge, Deathmaker, and Blood Charged. Enjoyed these light fantasy romance reads. Recommend picking up your copy. It’s currently free on Amazon.
What books have you read this week? What books are you planning to read this weekend? If you have any recommendations for fantasy reads leave me a comment!
January 11, 2018
False Claims
I’ve received a couple of false claims emails that will restructure the way I announce my giveaway winners.
A person contacted me claiming to be the winner of a giveaway. What they didn’t know is that the actual winner had already reached out and claimed her prize. I had linked to the winner’s twitter account in the December Giveaway Winners post and so I requested that they tweet me from it. I wanted to see how far they’d go to claim a $15 Amazon gift card that they hadn’t won. They tweeted back, but not from the linked account. It was a different one but using the same profile photo the real account had.
Kindly note that I don’t usually share private correspondence but they posted the email for all to see on Twitter so I haven’t redacted it from the screenshots.
Due to this unfortunate incident, moving forward, winners will be contacted directly by me to confirm their emails and claim their prize. I will still post the name on the blog for transparency’s sake but I will initiate first contact. Thanks for your understanding.
January 5, 2018
Can You Guess the title of Magic Runes Book 3?
The first and second book in the Magic Runes series are Magic Runes and Magic Rifts, respectively. Can you guess what the title of book 3 will be?
Hint: The first word is Magic
WARNING SPOILERS: Magic Runes
Have you read Magic Runes? If you did, I have a question for you:
Did you think the book ended with a cliffhanger?
I’m not going to share spoilers on the main post but added a warning label because I expect there to be some spoilers in the comments.
Why am I asking this? Well, I had a friend read Magic Runes before it was published to offer feedback. She told me the book’s ending wrapped things up nicely. I was surprised when an author friend told me a few days ago that it most definitely was a cliffhanger. Now I’m wondering how many of you think it was a cliffhanger. I know some readers hate that and it wasn’t my intention to do that. I thought it was an interesting way to lead to the second book in the series.
I’m working on a revised ending now. If you’ve read the book, I’d really appreciate you sharing with me your thoughts on the ending in the comments section 
January 4, 2018
December Giveaway Winners
Thank you for participating in the December giveaways. Congratulations to our 6 winners! Please contact me if you see your name &/or email below. My email is devyn AT devynjayse DOT com.
Giveaway #1
Congratulations Priscila! Send me an email to claim your prize!
Giveaway #2
Congratulations Billie Farrar (te*************@o******.com).
Giveaway #3
Congratulations Dianne Kitson (d***********@*****.com.**).
Giveaway #4
Congratulations Alice Amerte. Send me an email to claim your prize!
Giveaway #5
Congratulations Sonia Paul. Send me an email to claim your prize!
Giveaway #6
Congratulations Kelly Donovan PA. Send me an email to claim your prize!
Congratulations to the winners and thank you all for participating! Keep checking this blog on Tuesdays for your chance to win the next giveaway! In the meantime, remember leaving a comment on any new post on this blog enters you in a giveaway for $15 Amazon gift card.
December 31, 2017
New Year Giveaways
To celebrate the new year, I’m giving away books and a $25 Amazon gift card. Click on the images below in order to enter the giveaways. You can enter all the giveaways you would like to win. Since these giveaways are for US residents, for my international readers I’m including a different giveaway opportunity. Leave a comment with a book you’d like to own & the country you live in for a chance to win! Bonus: it doesn’t have to be one of the books included below!
Winners will be announced 31 January 2018. Good luck everyone!
December 22, 2017
2017 Writer Resolutions in Review
On 1st January 2017 I wrote the following post:
How did I do? Well…
I published at least one book. I didn’t published my planned 10 books, instead I published 3 books and 1 short story (A Sword of Fortune and Fate, A Sword of Shadows and Light, Magic Runes, and Fall of Magic).
I didn’t blog once a month. I missed March & May. This will be my goal for 2018.
I did start a newsletter and have over 50 subscribers. My readers are active and engaged. Are you on the Devyn Jayse Readers Group?
I did make over 50 sales. As of today, total number of books sold is 1,518 (not including Fall of Magic sales). A huge thank you to everyone that’s given me a chance. I never thought I’d do so well in my first year of publishing! I couldn’t have done it without you.
I did help many writers on my website here and on my other website www.fantasyandmagicbooks.com. I’m proud of the friendships I’ve cultivated over the course of the year. Working together lifts all of us.
On the 1st of January 2018 I’ll list my 2018 Writer Resolutions. I have a lot of goals I want to reach and I can’t wait to share them with you.
