Kayleigh Nicol's Blog: The Broken Wing, page 7
September 14, 2018
100 Ratings and eARCs!!!
A huge thank you to everyone who has read, rated and reviewed Sorcerous Rivalry!!! Reaching 100 reviews after only five months as an indie author is huge, so thank you, thank you, thank you!
This week I have been focusing on formatting and final-final edits on Mistress Mage so it looks like I am on track for a release date either the last week of September or the first week of October. I hope to have pre-orders available soon--as early as this week, maybe? What I can say is that eARCs will be making their way out to reviewers this week, so if you are a book blogger who is interested in featuring Mistress Mage, please send me a DM and I'll be happy to share!
Happy Reading!
This week I have been focusing on formatting and final-final edits on Mistress Mage so it looks like I am on track for a release date either the last week of September or the first week of October. I hope to have pre-orders available soon--as early as this week, maybe? What I can say is that eARCs will be making their way out to reviewers this week, so if you are a book blogger who is interested in featuring Mistress Mage, please send me a DM and I'll be happy to share!
Happy Reading!
September 8, 2018
Mage-Born Seer Cera
Just recently finished writing a short story featuring Reshi's sister Cera. If you've already read Sorcerous Rivalry you'll know that we didn't get to spend a whole lot of time with her, so I didn't really know what type of story hers would be. I was a bit surprised at what turned up on the page, but it's authentically Cera and I think it's a great addition to the anthology.
So that's all of Reshi's siblings, each with their own story to tell. Is anyone excited to learn more about the mage-born siblings and their pasts? Or are there other characters you would like to learn more about? (Hint: I can include another 1-2 short stories in the anthology if there are others you'd like to see featured!)
If I were to tease just one sibling's story early, which one should it be?
So that's all of Reshi's siblings, each with their own story to tell. Is anyone excited to learn more about the mage-born siblings and their pasts? Or are there other characters you would like to learn more about? (Hint: I can include another 1-2 short stories in the anthology if there are others you'd like to see featured!)
If I were to tease just one sibling's story early, which one should it be?
August 31, 2018
Fireside Musings
Well, since I really have no new news to top last week's cover and title reveal for book two, I've decided to share a tiny little short story I wrote for Reshi, Kestral and Kila. This story would take place after meeting Reina, but before the final chapter.
SPOILER ALERT: If you have not finished Sorcerous Rivalry there are spoilers in this! If you have finished, then no worries!
Happy Reading!
Fireside Musings
“Hey, Reshi.” Kila’s tone set Reshi slightly on edge; she had been sipping from a wineskin and staring into the fire for a while now, as if thinking deeply on some matter or other. “What would happen if I killed you and didn’t coalesce your magic?”
Reshi stuttered for words, shrinking back behind Kestral, who none-to-subtly set his hand on his sword.
“You looking for a fight, Kila?” Kestral asked, voice low.
“What? Oh, no.” Kila looked up, blinking as her gaze moved away from the fire. “I was just wondering that if Reshi’s power dispersed, would it be like we each got one of his animal forms or would it be too weak to even shapeshift?”
“This is what you wonder about when you drink?” Reshi asked, still cringing away from his sister. “That’s a little morbid, isn’t it?”
“It’s just a curiosity.” Kila leaned back, kicking her legs out in front of her. She smirked and shot a wink over the fire at her brother. “If I’d wanted you dead, you’d be dead.”
Reshi huffed and busied himself with rummaging through Kestral’s food satchel. Their dinner had only been a few roasted vegetables and a single shared waterbird, so he had thought to abstain from drinking. But now he felt he could better handle Kila’s musings better with a little drink in him.
Kestral tipped his head to the side as he released his grip on his sword. “When Cera died, you each got bits and pieces of her power, even though it was coalesced. I imagine that if Reshi’s magic were allowed to disperse, you would each get enough for at least one of his forms.”
“Why are you encouraging her?” Reshi asked, finding the skin of Goldwater Whiskey and taking a short sip.
Kestral shrugged, holding out his hand for the skin. “It’s as good a topic as any.”
“Disagree,” Reshi muttered, handing over the skin of whiskey.
“If you do die, I’m claiming your snake shift,” Kila called, tipping back her wineskin once more.
“I don’t think it works that way, Kila,” Reshi protested. “You can’t just claim whatever form you want. Especially not if you’re the one who kills me.”
Kila pursed her lips, staring into the fire again. “What if I just let you die? Can I claim the snake form then?”
Reshi made a noise of protest before Kestral tossed the skin back at him. Rather than contribute to the disturbing conversation, he busied himself with a long drink of the heady whiskey.
“I can’t see any of your other siblings wearing the snake form as well as you, Kila, so you might as well claim it.” Kestral glanced over at Reshi, still sipping from the skin. “Your brother Eagan would take your cat form.”
Reshi sputtered and choked. “What?” he gasped, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand as Kestral stole the skin of whiskey from him. “The two of you are just doling out my magic now? How sick are you?”
“Oh, this is fun!” Kila cheered, setting her wineskin aside to rub her palms together. “Let’s see. There’s rats on ships, right? So that means Velyn would get your rat form.”
Reshi groaned and dropped his head into his hands.
“Then what form would Reina get?” Kestral leaned back on one hand as he sipped the Goldwater Whiskey. He nodded as he lowered the skin. “Spider form. That’s the form she first saw Reshi in.”
“All the stars’ luck to her,” Reshi grumbled, earning quizzical looks from the warriors. He rolled his shoulders in a shrug. “Wouldn’t it be a bother for her to make spectacles that fit?”
Kila and Kestral roared with laughter, Kila slapping her leg, Kestral tossing his head back in a rare moment of abandon. Reshi couldn’t help but smile at him as he stole the whiskey away for another sip.
“What does that leave?” Kila asked, wiping a tear of mirth from her cheek. “Your crow form, right? Who would get that?”
“Didn’t we cover everyone who—”
“Cera.” Reshi dropped his gaze sorrowfully to the fire. “I first met Cera as a crow. If she lived, she’d get my crow form.”
Kestral set a comforting hand on Reshi’s shoulder. Reshi nodded before toasting the stars with the whiskey. Even Kila fell uncharacteristically silent for the somber moment. Then she shuffled, a strange look on her face.
“But then, what would Laki have gotten?” she asked solemnly. “Do you have any other forms?”
“No, that’s all of them.” Reshi shrugged. “Maybe because the two of you are twins, he would also get the cobra form?”
Kestral shook his head. “I can’t imagine Laki with your snake form. It doesn’t suit him.”
“I agree,” Kila said, tipping her head up to look at the stars. “The crow form or even the—”
“I got it.” Reshi smiled wryly. “But after this, you both have to promise me we’re dropping this morbid topic.”
Kestral and Kila murmured their agreement.
“If the rest of you all got my shapeshifting powers, then Laki would have gotten my nature magic to talk to beasts and such. Would have made him a hell of a lot harder to beat, don’t you think, Kestral?”
Kestral snorted. “I don’t think we could have beaten him even with the magic he had. Your nature magic would have been…” The mage hunter just shook his head.
“Yeah, that’d suit him,” Kila said, nodding. “Good thinking, Reshi.”
“Yeah, great.” Reshi corked the whiskey skin and tucked it away. “And now if we’re all done killing me and dividing up my magic, I’m going to bed.” He paused, shooting Kila a skeptical look. “Kestral, I’m sleeping inside the bedroll tonight.”
Kestral chuckled, rising to follow. “Like she says, if she wanted you dead, you’d be dead.”
“Yeah, well.” Reshi glanced back to meet Kila’s smirk over the fire. “That doesn’t mean I have to make it easy for her.”
“You never make anything easy.”
SPOILER ALERT: If you have not finished Sorcerous Rivalry there are spoilers in this! If you have finished, then no worries!
Happy Reading!
Fireside Musings
“Hey, Reshi.” Kila’s tone set Reshi slightly on edge; she had been sipping from a wineskin and staring into the fire for a while now, as if thinking deeply on some matter or other. “What would happen if I killed you and didn’t coalesce your magic?”
Reshi stuttered for words, shrinking back behind Kestral, who none-to-subtly set his hand on his sword.
“You looking for a fight, Kila?” Kestral asked, voice low.
“What? Oh, no.” Kila looked up, blinking as her gaze moved away from the fire. “I was just wondering that if Reshi’s power dispersed, would it be like we each got one of his animal forms or would it be too weak to even shapeshift?”
“This is what you wonder about when you drink?” Reshi asked, still cringing away from his sister. “That’s a little morbid, isn’t it?”
“It’s just a curiosity.” Kila leaned back, kicking her legs out in front of her. She smirked and shot a wink over the fire at her brother. “If I’d wanted you dead, you’d be dead.”
Reshi huffed and busied himself with rummaging through Kestral’s food satchel. Their dinner had only been a few roasted vegetables and a single shared waterbird, so he had thought to abstain from drinking. But now he felt he could better handle Kila’s musings better with a little drink in him.
Kestral tipped his head to the side as he released his grip on his sword. “When Cera died, you each got bits and pieces of her power, even though it was coalesced. I imagine that if Reshi’s magic were allowed to disperse, you would each get enough for at least one of his forms.”
“Why are you encouraging her?” Reshi asked, finding the skin of Goldwater Whiskey and taking a short sip.
Kestral shrugged, holding out his hand for the skin. “It’s as good a topic as any.”
“Disagree,” Reshi muttered, handing over the skin of whiskey.
“If you do die, I’m claiming your snake shift,” Kila called, tipping back her wineskin once more.
“I don’t think it works that way, Kila,” Reshi protested. “You can’t just claim whatever form you want. Especially not if you’re the one who kills me.”
Kila pursed her lips, staring into the fire again. “What if I just let you die? Can I claim the snake form then?”
Reshi made a noise of protest before Kestral tossed the skin back at him. Rather than contribute to the disturbing conversation, he busied himself with a long drink of the heady whiskey.
“I can’t see any of your other siblings wearing the snake form as well as you, Kila, so you might as well claim it.” Kestral glanced over at Reshi, still sipping from the skin. “Your brother Eagan would take your cat form.”
Reshi sputtered and choked. “What?” he gasped, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand as Kestral stole the skin of whiskey from him. “The two of you are just doling out my magic now? How sick are you?”
“Oh, this is fun!” Kila cheered, setting her wineskin aside to rub her palms together. “Let’s see. There’s rats on ships, right? So that means Velyn would get your rat form.”
Reshi groaned and dropped his head into his hands.
“Then what form would Reina get?” Kestral leaned back on one hand as he sipped the Goldwater Whiskey. He nodded as he lowered the skin. “Spider form. That’s the form she first saw Reshi in.”
“All the stars’ luck to her,” Reshi grumbled, earning quizzical looks from the warriors. He rolled his shoulders in a shrug. “Wouldn’t it be a bother for her to make spectacles that fit?”
Kila and Kestral roared with laughter, Kila slapping her leg, Kestral tossing his head back in a rare moment of abandon. Reshi couldn’t help but smile at him as he stole the whiskey away for another sip.
“What does that leave?” Kila asked, wiping a tear of mirth from her cheek. “Your crow form, right? Who would get that?”
“Didn’t we cover everyone who—”
“Cera.” Reshi dropped his gaze sorrowfully to the fire. “I first met Cera as a crow. If she lived, she’d get my crow form.”
Kestral set a comforting hand on Reshi’s shoulder. Reshi nodded before toasting the stars with the whiskey. Even Kila fell uncharacteristically silent for the somber moment. Then she shuffled, a strange look on her face.
“But then, what would Laki have gotten?” she asked solemnly. “Do you have any other forms?”
“No, that’s all of them.” Reshi shrugged. “Maybe because the two of you are twins, he would also get the cobra form?”
Kestral shook his head. “I can’t imagine Laki with your snake form. It doesn’t suit him.”
“I agree,” Kila said, tipping her head up to look at the stars. “The crow form or even the—”
“I got it.” Reshi smiled wryly. “But after this, you both have to promise me we’re dropping this morbid topic.”
Kestral and Kila murmured their agreement.
“If the rest of you all got my shapeshifting powers, then Laki would have gotten my nature magic to talk to beasts and such. Would have made him a hell of a lot harder to beat, don’t you think, Kestral?”
Kestral snorted. “I don’t think we could have beaten him even with the magic he had. Your nature magic would have been…” The mage hunter just shook his head.
“Yeah, that’d suit him,” Kila said, nodding. “Good thinking, Reshi.”
“Yeah, great.” Reshi corked the whiskey skin and tucked it away. “And now if we’re all done killing me and dividing up my magic, I’m going to bed.” He paused, shooting Kila a skeptical look. “Kestral, I’m sleeping inside the bedroll tonight.”
Kestral chuckled, rising to follow. “Like she says, if she wanted you dead, you’d be dead.”
“Yeah, well.” Reshi glanced back to meet Kila’s smirk over the fire. “That doesn’t mean I have to make it easy for her.”
“You never make anything easy.”
August 24, 2018
Mistress Mage Final Cover Art
It's finally here! The cover art for Mistress Mage, Book Two of the Mage-Born Chronicles!
You can check out the cover art on Facebook or on Twitter.
Mistress Mage is the second half of the Sorcerous Rivalry duology and ties up Reshi and Kestral's story. The manuscript is still going through some edits, so no release date yet, but rest assured, once it's as perfect as I can make it, I'll release book two into the world.
I hope you'll take a look and let me know what you think!
You can check out the cover art on Facebook or on Twitter.
Mistress Mage is the second half of the Sorcerous Rivalry duology and ties up Reshi and Kestral's story. The manuscript is still going through some edits, so no release date yet, but rest assured, once it's as perfect as I can make it, I'll release book two into the world.
I hope you'll take a look and let me know what you think!
August 17, 2018
Book Two Cover Reveal...soon!
Don't you hate it when authors are vague? But yes, quite soon I'll have a new beautiful cover to reveal for book two of the Mage-Born Chronicles, as well as the actual book title. So far, it's coming along gorgeously, so stay tuned!
Also, the manuscript is back from the editor, so next week will be dedicated to some pruning, preening and general cleaning. It's looking like there might be a whole new book ready by the end of September! But don't hold me to that, anything can still go wrong...
And the best for last: I received not just one SPFBO review this week, but TWO! Yes, the lovely and talented book reviewers Esme Weatherwax and SuperStarDrifter both reviewed Sorcerous Rivalry and it looks like they both enjoyed it! I honestly could not have been more thrilled about how my reviews turned out and if you would like to read them, you can find them on Goodreads or follow the links to their blogs below:
Esme's Review
SuperStarDrifter's Review
I also got my first video blog review! Check it out: Becky M's Video Book Review!
Happy Reading!
Also, the manuscript is back from the editor, so next week will be dedicated to some pruning, preening and general cleaning. It's looking like there might be a whole new book ready by the end of September! But don't hold me to that, anything can still go wrong...
And the best for last: I received not just one SPFBO review this week, but TWO! Yes, the lovely and talented book reviewers Esme Weatherwax and SuperStarDrifter both reviewed Sorcerous Rivalry and it looks like they both enjoyed it! I honestly could not have been more thrilled about how my reviews turned out and if you would like to read them, you can find them on Goodreads or follow the links to their blogs below:
Esme's Review
SuperStarDrifter's Review
I also got my first video blog review! Check it out: Becky M's Video Book Review!
Happy Reading!
August 10, 2018
Cover Art for Book Two has Begun!
Lots of exciting things in the works this week! First, I contacted the cover artist who created the cover of Sorcerous Rivalry and he has agreed to create another beautiful cover for book two. Hopefully by next week I will have a cover to reveal as well as the book's official title! Can't wait to see how this turns out!
Second, this week I hope to be hearing back from my beta readers and my editor, so I'll know if there are any extensive rewrite necessary. Hopefully it's all manageable criticism so I can begin moving forward on formatting and maybe even ::whispers:: a release date!
And finally, the SPFBO review for Sorcerous Rivalry drops on Monday! Keep an eye on The Weatherwax Report to see how my entry fairs. Many great SPFBO reviews have already been released, so if you are looking for some new self-published fantasy novels to read, keep an eye on Mark Lawrence's blog.
Second, this week I hope to be hearing back from my beta readers and my editor, so I'll know if there are any extensive rewrite necessary. Hopefully it's all manageable criticism so I can begin moving forward on formatting and maybe even ::whispers:: a release date!
And finally, the SPFBO review for Sorcerous Rivalry drops on Monday! Keep an eye on The Weatherwax Report to see how my entry fairs. Many great SPFBO reviews have already been released, so if you are looking for some new self-published fantasy novels to read, keep an eye on Mark Lawrence's blog.
August 4, 2018
The Terrible Waiting Game
This week has been a lot of waiting. It's halfway through the beta reader window and I'm waiting for that feedback to see if there are any rough patches in the sequel to Sorcerous Rivalry. My wonderful editor is halfway done with her first read through - and that's not stressful at all. Then we have the SPFBO and the great "First Round Culling". Six books thus far have been eliminated of the 300 contestants. My rating and review will be released on August 13th - and then I wait to see what happens next for the #teamweatherwax group.
To distract myself from stalking these various people, of whom I hold each and every one in great esteem, I've been working on some short stories, reading some of the other fine works from SPFBO, and I'm participating in a 99c/99p sale with other SPFBO entrants. Check this sale out before it ends tomorrow!
You can find a list of all the books on sale here!
To distract myself from stalking these various people, of whom I hold each and every one in great esteem, I've been working on some short stories, reading some of the other fine works from SPFBO, and I'm participating in a 99c/99p sale with other SPFBO entrants. Check this sale out before it ends tomorrow!
You can find a list of all the books on sale here!
July 27, 2018
Book Two is Off to the Editor!
I just sent Book Two of the Mage-Born Chronicles off to my editor! To celebrate, I'm hosting a giveaway of Sorcerous Rivalry on Twitter. Simply follow my Twitter @KayleighNicol5 and retweet the giveaway announcement and you will be entered to win one of five physical copies. Giveaway ends at midnight on Sunday (7/29/18, EST), winners will be selected at random. Good luck!
In other news, I just finished Velyn's short story. It's a bit rocky, but I think it'll smooth out. I know he's not really the friendliest of Reshi's siblings, but I have a lot of love for him. Next up would be Cera's short story, but next week is looking just a bit crazy for me, so I might not get the opportunity to get it started. I know I pitched this anthology as a series of short stories giving the background on Reshi's brothers and sisters...but are there any other characters who need their stories told? Ammon? Wix? Hmm...
Oh, and SPFBO (the Self-Published Fantasy Blog Off) begins this week! I can't wait to start seeing the reviews on some of these entries. Good luck to everyone who entered!
In other news, I just finished Velyn's short story. It's a bit rocky, but I think it'll smooth out. I know he's not really the friendliest of Reshi's siblings, but I have a lot of love for him. Next up would be Cera's short story, but next week is looking just a bit crazy for me, so I might not get the opportunity to get it started. I know I pitched this anthology as a series of short stories giving the background on Reshi's brothers and sisters...but are there any other characters who need their stories told? Ammon? Wix? Hmm...
Oh, and SPFBO (the Self-Published Fantasy Blog Off) begins this week! I can't wait to start seeing the reviews on some of these entries. Good luck to everyone who entered!
July 20, 2018
Mage-Born Stormcaller Velyn
I finally got to start Velyn's short story this week! I've been looking forward to writing it as it's just a bit different from the other siblings' stories but just as exciting (to me, anyway). It's at about halfway complete now and I already know I need to fix the beginning, but it's fun and exciting and I can't wait to share it!
I did finish the third rewrite on Laki's story but...ugh. I still might rewrite it again. Why is this child so difficult to work with? You'd think he was mad at me for some reason. Don't worry, Laki, I'll keep trying until I get it perfect, but for now I have to focus on something else for just a little bit.
In other news, Sorcerous Rivalry received an absolutely wonderful review today from BriarGrey! You can check it out on the GoodReads page or you can read it on Reddit.The scariest part My favorite part is the line that says "I pretty much enjoyed the crap out of this book and want book 2 in my hands like NOW." I promise I'm working on it, but now that there are expectations, I'm so scared it won't hold up! Please wait while I make it perfect! /cries
Thank you so much, BriarGrey! And to everyone else, Happy Reading!
I did finish the third rewrite on Laki's story but...ugh. I still might rewrite it again. Why is this child so difficult to work with? You'd think he was mad at me for some reason. Don't worry, Laki, I'll keep trying until I get it perfect, but for now I have to focus on something else for just a little bit.
In other news, Sorcerous Rivalry received an absolutely wonderful review today from BriarGrey! You can check it out on the GoodReads page or you can read it on Reddit.
Thank you so much, BriarGrey! And to everyone else, Happy Reading!
July 13, 2018
Book Two Break
This past week has been a nice break from Hunter's Retreat. I am once again working on the short stories for the Mage-Born Anthology I hope to put together and though I'm really excited to get to writing stories for Velyn and Cera, I really felt like I owed it to Laki to make some adjustments to his story.
Which, of course, required an entire rewrite.
Which, of course, came out worse than the first one.
So now, I'm working on a third rewrite of Laki's story. And I thought Kila was the difficult twin. In any event, I hope to wrap up Laki's final (fingers crossed) rewrite and move on to Velyn's story next week. I have a fun idea for it and I hope it works out.
I've also been reading in my "free time" (haha). I finished both books in the Best Laid Plans series by Rob J Hayes, winner of last year's SPFBO. If fantasy pirates is a subgenre you enjoy, I recommend these books! Currently, I am reading KS Villoso's The Wolf of Oren-Yaro, soon to be followed by The Ikessar Falcon, which I'm terribly excited for. TBR mountain is towering with great self-published fantasy books right now and I can't wait to get to all of them!
Happy Reading!
Which, of course, required an entire rewrite.
Which, of course, came out worse than the first one.
So now, I'm working on a third rewrite of Laki's story. And I thought Kila was the difficult twin. In any event, I hope to wrap up Laki's final (fingers crossed) rewrite and move on to Velyn's story next week. I have a fun idea for it and I hope it works out.
I've also been reading in my "free time" (haha). I finished both books in the Best Laid Plans series by Rob J Hayes, winner of last year's SPFBO. If fantasy pirates is a subgenre you enjoy, I recommend these books! Currently, I am reading KS Villoso's The Wolf of Oren-Yaro, soon to be followed by The Ikessar Falcon, which I'm terribly excited for. TBR mountain is towering with great self-published fantasy books right now and I can't wait to get to all of them!
Happy Reading!
The Broken Wing
Come in, sit a spell, enjoy a drink or two, but beware what gifts you accept from fairies!
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