Effie Calvin's Blog, page 2

2018 Retrospective

I can’t believe TQOI was released less than a year ago. It feels like I’ve lived a lifetime since then. Rereading some of my old blog posts, I’m pretty amused at how much my plans for the series have changed over the months. I think they are all changes for the better, though! I’m so glad for all the reader feedback that helped me realize where I wanted to take this series.

So, here’s where we’re at right now.

Tales of Inthya 3: The Queen of Rhodia will be released in May 2019. As I mentioned elsewhere, it will be narrated from Adale and Esofi’s point of view, but Aelia and Orsina will also feature in it. Book 4 should be out in December 2019, and I’ll share more information about it when we get into the new year.

At this point, I am shooting for 6 books in the series, though I plan to reassess that once I get there. I’m hoping that both books 5 and 6 can also be released in 2020, but I guess we’ll see what happens. It’s a bit of a tight schedule but I am optimistic that I can keep to it.

As a present to all my readers, I am hoping to release another free short story about Adale and Esofi this month as we draw nearer to Christmas. Once it’s posted, it will be on the Bonus Content area of my website. I am sorry that I don’t have an exact date for you guys, but I’ll update again once it becomes available!

Most of all, I wanted to thank you for being a fan of the series. This has been a wild year for me. I’ve received comments and emails from readers all over the world, and it’s such an amazing feeling to know I’ve made a difference to so many people. I am truly grateful for your support, and I that hope you are able to spend this winter and the coming year surrounded by people who love you unconditionally.

Book 2 Release and Free Short Story!

Hey guys! If you follow me on Twitter, you probably saw that the second book in the Inthya series, Daughter of the Sun, was released on Monday. I just want to offer a huge thank you to everyone who has already read and reviewed! Reviews are so important to me, and they’re not just for my ego! Reviewing on sites like Amazon helps me reach a wider audience, which means I earn more money, which means I can spend more time writing and less time playing the violin on a street-corner.

Anyway, I redesigned my website, and if you have visited in the past, you’ll notice there’s a new page called “Bonus Content.” This is where I am going to begin putting short stories and potentially other content, like essays about how Inthya works and its history, as well as a description of the pantheon and some of the major players. Everything under Bonus Content is going to be 100% free to read. I’ve kicked it off with a short story called Ioanna. It does contain minor spoilers for Daughter of the Sun, so I encourage you not to read it unless you’ve already finished the book! I also would like to hear feedback on the layout; if it’s easily readable or I need to fiddle with it to make it easier on the eyes.

I hope to make this a regular feature on my website. None of the bonus content will be mandatory for your enjoyment or understanding of the books, it’s just a nice little extra thing I think you might like. I’m already working on a winter-themed story about Adale and Esofi, so hopefully I will have that up sometime in December. And if there’s anything else you’d like to see from me, do let me know in the comments! I love to hear from you guys!

Last thing: Book 3 in the Inthya series, The Queen of Rhodia, is scheduled for a May 2019 release date. I’ll be talking a little more about that in future blog posts, so hold tight for that!

Book 2 Preorder Links

Hey guys! Thanks so much for sticking around. Book 2 is only a few weeks away, and if you haven’t been following me on Twitter, you might not have seen me post up the preorder links.

If you want to order from Amazon, you can get it here: https://www.amazon.com/Daughter-Sun-T...

If you want to order direct from my publisher (and get it three days early!) you can go here: https://ninestarpress.com/product/dau...

The book is also going to be available on Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, Kobo, and whatever other websites you might have purchased a copy from. If you need help locating those links, let me know!

I’m really excited for this release, and I’m really excited to hear your feedback. Book 3 should be coming in spring 2019. I’ll have a more specific date for you soon. As I’ve mentioned in other posts, Book 3 will take us back to Adale and Esofi, and explore what happens when Esofi’s mother comes to Ieflaria.

Anyway, that’s all I’ve got for today. Thank you so much for your support.

In Defense of Wish Fulfillment (and book 3 title reveal!)

First, the update: I have officially settled in to write book 3 in the Inthya series, titled The Queen of Rhodia. As I mentioned before, I’ve gone back on my word about not writing another Adale&Esofi-centric story. Book 3 will go back to alternating chapters from their point of view, and explore their married life together, their differing perspectives on parenthood, and trying to forge an alliance with the dragons that are living off their northeastern coast all while Esofi’s mother does her best to make their lives miserable. I am hoping it will be released in the spring of 2019.

Okay, now that that’s out of the way, I want to talk about some thoughts I have on my own writing.

Some people like to read stories where LGBTQIA+ characters struggle and overcome a bigoted society, drawing strength from one another and building families of choice. And I think it’s great that we’re finally seeing more stories like that, instead of ones that end with one or both halves of the couple dying and/or miserable.

But I’ve seen less that’s straight-up fairy tale wish fulfillment, where LGBTQIA+ characters aren’t just awkwardly tolerated, they’re seen as part of the natural order. I know stories like that do exist, you don’t need to reply with BUT WHAT ABOUT (INSERT TITLE HERE)??? They exist, they’re just not as common. They’re also the sort of stories that would have helped me when I was younger. And most importantly, they’re what makes me happy right now.

When I wrote my first draft of The Queen of Ieflaria, I didn’t write it for an audience. I wrote it for 16-year-old me, miserable and confused and not understanding why I was so discontented when the pretty girl married the handsome boy at the end of every story.

I do not reject the books I read growing up. I love those books. They made me who I am. But if one—just ONE—of those handsome boys had been a pretty girl, my world would have been forever changed and it might not have taken me until college to admit I was gay.

I realize that there are always going to be people who tell me that a fairy-tale romance where a princess marries another princess and they rule a kingdom together isn’t just unrealistic, it’s impossible from an anthropological standpoint. Even when I am the one controlling the anthropology, and backing it up with boatloads of magic to iron out any issues that would arise in our own world. My argument is that there’s really no way to prove or disprove it one way or another. So why not have a little bit of fun? If a reader can’t suspend their disbelief, that’s okay with me—there’s plenty of other stuff to read. Not every book is going to appeal to every person! But for the people it does appeal to, it just might make all the difference. And it seems a bit petty to take that away from people who might need it.

I Am A Liar

Hey all! If you follow me on Twitter, you might have seen me announce this last night, but there’s been a change in plans! Remember how I was all “yeah I don’t think I’m gonna write another book from Adale and Esofi’s POV unless it’s like on Patreon or in a million years from now?” Well, I lied. Surprise to everyone, including myself. Turns out I really, really want to tell this story.

So, here’s what’s happening. Daughter of the Sun: Tales of Inthya #2, should still be coming out in November. The book formerly known as #3 is now #4. The new #3 is about Adale and Esofi adjusting to married life, and being dragon moms while preparing to rule a nation. It’s going okay, until Esofi’s mother, Queen Gaelle of Rhodia, shows up on their doorstep to demand custody of Carinth.

I hope people are happy with this development. I know a few people expressed regret that the second book wouldn’t have any of the characters from the first book, so maybe this will help! I don’t know why it took me this long to realize this was what I wanted to do. The creative process is weird.

On Reviews

Hi everyone! I talked about this on twitter a little, but I also wanted to post here for the people who don’t follow me there. I’m so thrilled at how many reviews I’m getting on Goodreads. As of right now, I have over 100, which is about 98 more than I ever anticipated getting. Even people who don’t write reviews but just leave stars, it makes my day!

So, if you liked the book and already left me a score on Goodreads, I would also super appreciate it if you also left me an Amazon rating! Having more reviews on Amazon helps me get promoted by their algorithms and reach more readers. If my sales do better, I’ll have more time to dedicate to creating supplimental materials for you guys.

Thanks so much!

DotS Update

Hey all, just a tiny little update. Daughter of the Sun is complete and was sent off to my publisher a few days ago.

The Future of the Series

I know that I personally always like to know what authors are planning on doing when it comes to a series, so I thought I’d share my internal brain workings with you guys.

At this point in time, I have outlines for three more novels in the Inthya series. Now, Inthya is a pretty big world, so don’t run away from this post yelling “the series is gonna have four books total and then it’s done!!!!” That’s just all I have outlined so far. The total series count depends on a couple things: how popular the series is, what kinds of things fans express interest in seeing, and what sort of ideas I get in my brain. I hate being constrained by labels like “trilogy” or “quartet” or…what’s the word for a series of five? Quintology? If I wind up writing five, please promise you won’t call it a quintology. Okay, Google says it’s actually a pentology. You know what, I think I did know that already but I forgot because I see it so infrequently.

Going in, I knew I wanted every Inthya book to stand alone. That is, you’ll be able to pick up Book 2 even if you haven’t read Book 1. Each book is going to revolve around a new couple, though you might notice an overarching plotline that they all contribute to.

For those of you who are currently panicking because we’ll never see Adale and Esofi again: Don’t! They’re in book 3, I promise. They’re a little older, and a little more mature, but it’s still them! For those of you who are absolutely desperate to read from their POVs again, I am considering writing another novel centering around what happens when Esofi’s mother learns about her new grandson. But this would happen either at the end of the series, or on Patreon. It’s up in the air, is what I’m saying.

Here’s where things stand right now. Book two in the series, Daughter of the Sun, is only a few thousand words away from completion. Once I’ve revised it once or twice, it’s going to go to my beta readers, and then my editor. We are hoping for a November 2018 release date, but I can’t guarantee anything.

After that, I’m going to actually take a step away from Inthya to work on a completely unrelated middle grade fantasy. It’s actually more than halfway done, but I put it on pause to work on TQoI. Once that’s finished, I’m going to write Book 3 in the Inthya series, and hopefully have it nearly complete by the time DotS is set to come out.

So that’s more or less what I hope my 2018 will look like. I hope someone found this helpful!