Meredith Hart's Blog, page 3

Wild Things

The wild strawberries are ripening in my backyard, which always reminds me of that scene in Flame & Blade, the very first Meredith Hart novel.

 I set F&B in the spring just so I could include that moment (well, and as an excuse to have a lot of rain… with demons).

And to celebrate, I’ll share that scene here…

“What took you so long?” Lyria demanded.

“Close your eyes,” I answered, with a grin. “And open your mouth.”

Her scowl deepened. “What, are we four years old now?”

“I have something for you. You’ll like it, I promise.”

She wiped a hand across her forehead and rolled her eyes. The rain picked up, hammering down the leaf-laden branches above us.

“Vethe—”

“Come on,” I said. “Trust me.”

Her hand dropped to the dagger in her belt. I took a step backward.

“Or, don’t,” I said. “And spend the rest of your life wondering what I was going to do.”

Lyria stomped her heel in the mud, a habit I strongly suspected she’d picked up from her donkey, Theo. “Oh, fine.”

After another enormous eye roll, followed by an expression of utmost disdain, Lyria closed her eyes. Her soft, full lips parted. My insides twisted with a strange, sharp, and almost pleasant rush of longing. I slipped my fingertips between her lips and placed the largest of the wild strawberries on her waiting tongue.

Her eyes opened, and her lips closed. I watched as she fought the smile tugging at the edges of her lips.

“Oh,” she finally said.

I opened my palm, revealing the handful of ruby fruits I’d hastily gathered from the hillside. A shadow crossed her face.

“Are those poisonous?”

I slipped one between my own lips. “Very.”

“Ha. Ha,” she said, carefully enunciating the syllables so I’d miss none of the sarcasm.

“They’re wild strawberries,” I offered.

She leaned closer, frowning. “Those are strawberries? They’re so tiny.”

“Wild strawberries. About a quarter of the size of the other kind, with ten times the flavor.”

Delicately, she took one from my hand. Her fingers brushed my skin, sending another current of energy through my body. She pressed the fruit between her lips and, for just a moment, I had a fierce desire to be a strawberry. Her mouth closed. She looked almost meditative as she chewed the tiny berry.

“Wow,” she finally said. “They’re good. Why are they so different?”

The scowl had vanished; now, she was looking at me with an expression of open friendliness that made my chest ache. It reminded me of when we’d shared the Mage Fire, or when she’d spread the liniment over my chest. The expression burned me, but I didn’t want to look away.

“Wild things are usually sweeter,” I said, my voice dropping. “Don’t you think?”

Click here for Flame & Blade

Cover Reveal!

Monster of the Deep Forest, the third (and maybe final?) book in the Killers of the Towers series, is coming this September.

And the cover is fabulous!

I’m so close to finishing this one, and it’s been a wild ride. The massive, magical deep forest – inspired by this thought experiment on Tumblr – is now one of my all-time favorite settings.

Plus, Aveus, the lute-playing, forest-dwelling, badass bard and Inira, the woman hunting the monster who killed the god of her mountain, are two of my new favorite characters. Watching them grow and progress has been incredible.

(Yes, I watch my characters do their thing and then I write it down – they don’t listen to me.)

I don’t have a preorder link or a set-in-stone release date yet, but watch for Monster of the Deep Forest this coming September.

Click here to join my newsletter for all the updates

So, What’s Next?

It’s finally starting to feel like spring in Maine, and I’m sliding toward summer mode.

I take the summers off from writing, in part because my kids are home, and in part to recharge the creative batteries.

Before break time, though, I’m aiming to finish the next book in the Killers of the Towers series – Monster of the Deep Forest. I’m at 80k out of what will probably turn out to be 100k, so here’s hoping the wheels stay on long enough for me to finish the first draft. (If I post pictures of the beach on social media, yes, you have my permission to tell me to get back to writing!)

Monster of the Deep Forest is the third (and maybe final?) book of the Killers of the Towers series. It takes place on the other continent, where Aveus has been hiding deep in the jungle ever since he killed an old god and burned down the village next to the god’s mountain.

And that’s working out just fine for him.

Until he rescues a woman looking for the man who burned her village and killed the god of her mountain…

Click here to join my Newsletter for all the updates

Release Day!

Welcome to the Towers. Don’t ask where the magic comes from.

So, today is the day. Monster of the Silver City has been my book, my world, and my adventure since I first typed “It’s an honor to be here” in October of 2023. 

And today – it’s not my book anymore.

It’s yours.

Click here for Monster of the Silver CityBut is it any good?

Well, I enjoyed it. But you don’t have to take my word for it. Check out these early reviews from Goodreads:

“I LOVED Monster of the Dagger Mountains and couldn’t wait to get Veloria and Syrus’ story. And it did not disappoint. I flew through this book because it was so addictive, I could not put it down. It is fast paced and high stakes.”

“This was a very enjoyable second chance romance. I love Syrus and Veloria. They had a lot of things to work through, but their time together after escaping was very endearing. I loved returning to this world and reading a new story. I’m very excited for the next story!”

“I’ve read every Meredith Hart book with eager anticipation and I think this is my favorite yet. The characters and action and deep connection with the larger world had me hooked from the start. A perfect escape with hope for good triumphing over evil – just what is needed in these dark times.”

Happy reading!

Sneak a Peek!

Monster of the Silver City comes out on Tuesday!

I’m so excited (and nervous, of course). I’ve never written a second-chance romance before, and I had such a blast with this one. There are secrets, magical mistakes, horse thieving, a cameo by everyone’s favorite mercenary, and of course, plenty of snark and steam.

And you know what? I’m going to let you start it early.

Monster of the Silver City: Chapter One

It’s an honor to be here,” I whisper to my reflection.

My reflection scowls back at me from the murky depths of the tiny mirror. Great. Just the look I’m going for as I face the Exemplar who will decide my fate.

I sigh, close my eyes, and count to ten as my heartbeat knocks around the inside my chest. I cut my heart out, the old tavern song goes. Now there’s nothing left inside.

I open my eyes. Smile at the mirror.

“It’s an honor to be here,” I say.

In the thin light of my room, my honey-brown hair is almost as gray as my robes, as if I’ve already spent my entire life here. I close my eyes, clench the sides of the desk like a drowning sailor grasping at the wreckage of the ship that was supposed to keep her safe, and try again.

“It is an honor to be here,” I whisper as I open my eyes.

My own face smiles back at me, demure and calm beneath my gray Disciples hood.

Okay. Better. I take a deep breath, then push away from the desk. My heart flutters like a bird in a cage. I ignore the bastard, as usual.

This is just another test, after all. Just another in a very long line of tests, stretching back through the years to the day when the Exemplars of the Towers visited our summer estate with their strange silver chains.

And I’ve passed every single test, haven’t I? I passed when so many failed, when my friends vanished from the Towers one by one, the stone hallways growing quieter and quieter with each full moon. I smooth down the front of my tunic, trying to ignore the memories attempting to crawl up from the darkness where I’ve shoved them.

I passed every test except one, I suppose.

But no, that’s not fair. Syrus wasn’t a test. Not exactly. He was more like a line I wasn’t supposed to cross, a door I wasn’t allowed to open. I hesitate in the middle of the tiny little room I worked so hard to earn.

I didn’t just open that door with Syrus, did I?

Together, we burned the damn thing to the ground.

My hand clenches into a fist, and I glance over my shoulder. This room only holds a bed, a mirror, the desk I was given when I became a Disciple, and the chest I took from my parents’ house, the one that used to be called my hope chest. And that chest holds nothing but clothes, gray Disciple robes and gray dresses with gray leggings and gray shoes. The Towers aren’t known for their cutting-edge fashion.

And, stuffed beneath the silk lining in the bottom corner of what is no longer my hope chest, there’s the tiny silver key from my mother and the letter I still can’t bring myself to destroy.

My cheeks burn. That’s why I’m doing this, isn’t it? If I pass this test — when I pass this test — I’ll prove what a valuable asset I am. I’ll show the Exemplars how much I have to offer, and how important I could be on their next expedition across the ocean. I could join their ships, sail across the world, and travel with them to the very edge of the Towers’s mining expedition in the Deep Forest.

And then I can smack Syrus Maganti right across his stupid, beautiful face.

Click here for Monster of the Silver City

Sneak Peek at Monster of the Silver City

Monster of the Silver City, the epic second-chance romantasy adventure in the Killers of the Towers series, comes out NEXT WEEK.

But you don’t have to wait that long for a little sneak peek…

Why didn’t the magic kill me when it had the chance?

Maybe it doesn’t want to kill me yet. Or maybe I did this myself, healing my body without even thinking about it. Maybe I have that much control over this strange, wild power. Or—

My head jerks up. The room is as dark as the old god’s eyes, but now there’s a flicker of light seeping in from the bottom of the door.

Light and sound. The distant thud of footsteps coming down the stairs. I hold my breath, listening. The footsteps are soft, like the person approaching my cell is trying to be quiet.

Step, step. Stop. Wait. Step. Step.

The sound stops at my door. There’s a sort of rustling, followed by a dull clack of metal against metal. My breath catches in the back of my throat. There’s the click of a key entering a lock. The soft hiss as the lock retreats.

And then the door opens.

My heart stops.

She doesn’t see me, not at first. She has one hand raised in front of her and one hand in her pocket, with her long hair pulled back in a loose braid and her shapeless gray Disciples robes dragging on the floor. She’s looking at the far wall, squinting like there’s something she’s missing in the flood of light coming in from the hallway, and thank the gods for that, because it gives my numbed brain time to consider the options.

One, I am actually dead. This is a spirit come to collect my soul and take me to the Howling Fields.

Two, I’m unconscious. This is a nightmare, the worst torture my own mind can inflict on me.

Or three, the magic really does want to kill me, and is doing so in the most painful way possible.

But then Veloria turns.

Our eyes meet. Everything in my body goes cold. Her mouth opens, creating a sharp little O, like she’s going to scream or cry. I feel like I’ve just been punched in the chest.

This is real. Her wide eyes, the way the color drains from her cheeks, the few strands of hair that have escaped from her braid to dance around her temples. The way she’s trembling. The way she looks at me like I’m a demon, or a nightmare.

Real. All of it. All real.

Veloria Averyaseth is here, in the pits of the Towers.

In my prison.

Click here for Monster of the Silver City

And the results are…

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my survey from last month. I really appreciate the encouragement, and a huge thanks for the advice about setting up future surveys.

Here are a few takeaways…

I’m sticking with KU (for now).

60% of you read through KU. That’s not a huge number, but it’s the majority… for now.

I’m giving TikTok another shot.

I’m already on FB, Instagram, and Threads, so hey, TikTok can be fun, right..?

click here to watch me flail around on tiktokI’m feeling slightly less guilty about not selling signed paperbacks.

I mean, I would love to sell direct. But I also love to eat, sleep, and spend time away from my computer, not to mention keep up with my day job. Someday I’ll have a cute little shop for signed paperbacks, but honestly, I’m relieved that you guys are buying books all over the place (and not just from the authors).

I’m upping my blurb game!

Wow, those few paragraphs make the difference for a lot of you. I think I’ll beta test my next blurb, probably with my newsletter. Stay tuned!

(Also, maybe I should start advertising again?)

You are my people.

Seriously. We love all the same tropes. You’re the best!

I’m doing whatever I want for the next series!

Sweet – it’s a relief to know you’re happy to read connected stand-alones, like Fallen Hearts, or a series that follows the same couple, like Flame & Blade.

Whatever I do after Killers of the Towers, I’ll make it fun to read, I promise!

Thanks for the encouragement.

You guys keep me going. Really. I’m saving these screenshots for the days when I feel like quitting.

You’re the best!

Ask Me Anything: How does it all tie together?

Question: I know some of your book are series but it seems like others fit in the same universe. (Maybe I am crazy). But I have read them at different times and can’t fit them together. If they are in the same universe how do the titles fit together?

Answer: You’re not crazy!

Yes, three of my series fit together!

Fallen Hearts, Deceptions and Dragons, and Killers of the Towers all take place in the same world. (Flame and Blade, of course, is off doing its own thing. Vethe is done with my shenanigans.)

Here’s how it all breaks down…

The epic final battle between the wicked dragon Rensivar and the human armies of Cassonia takes place in A Matter of Deception, the third and final book in Rayne and Doshir’s Deceptions and Dragons series.

That same battle also takes place in Heart’s Escape, the third and final book in the Fallen Hearts series, after Phaedron and Alindra somewhat unintentionally explode a tower in a human settlement named Silver City.

Rowan, Phaedron, and Alindra witness the battle between Rensivar and Rayne… and Heart’s Escape explains what’s going on with Rensivar’s mysterious magic.

The Fallen Hearts series takes place 20ish years after the events of Heart’s Escape. In Monster of the Silver City, Veloria describes the tower that Phaedron and Alindra sort-of accidentally destroyed in Heart’s Escape… but of course she doesn’t believe the Towers ever held an old god in that structure.

Speaking of Monster of the Silver City, when he’s imprisoned in the Towers Syrus talks to a fellow prisoner named Aravae. And Aravae just happens to be the name of Rowan and Arryn’s daughter in the bonus scene at the end of the Fallen Hearts box set.

Hm. Maybe that’s just a coincidence.

Anyway, thanks for asking!

Got a question for me? Click here to ask it!

So tell me what you want, what you really, really want!

I’ve got questions.

Where do you find your next read? What tropes do you love and loathe? And would you buy a book because of a catchy TikTok video?

I want to know!

Click below to share your thoughts with me. As an extra incentive, I’ll send a fancy proof copy of Monster of the Dagger Mountains to one randomly selected survey participant.

Click here for the survey

Kindle Unlimited, boycotts, and the challenges of trying to live ethically in the modern era

I got a call from a friend the other day who’s trying to navigate the ethical minefield that is life in modern American at this uniquely terrible moment. She was debating cancelling her Kindle Unlimited subscription. She doesn’t want to support the billionaires, but many of her favorite authors are only found on KU. Including me!

No one wants to support the oligarchs… so why is Monster of the Dagger Mountains in KU?

First, no matter what you decide, I support you!

If you’re swearing off Amazon, more power to you. If you’re sticking with KU to read all the books, that’s fantastic. And if you’re buying books directly from authors, that’s freaking amazing too. (Someday I’ll set up a direct sales shop, I promise!)

Here’s why I’m doing what I’m doing.

Kindle Unlimited, or KU, offers indie authors a Faustian bargain. If your ebook joins KU, Amazon gives it a little nudge toward readers in your genre. In return, you can’t sell your ebook anywhere else. Paperbacks and hardbacks, sure, you can sell those anywhere. But, once you sign on KU’s digital dotted line, your ebooks can only be offered through Amazon.

It’s a bargain that’s worked out pretty well for me, so far.

At this point, KU page reads make up about 75% of my income. I’d love to move that needle down, and I’d love to start selling paperbacks directly to readers, but I don’t have the bandwidth to set that up at this moment.

However. Like a lot of authors, I’ve seen a huge shift in readers’ habits over the past two months.

So, let’s say I’m not jumping the KU ship yet, but I can see something else on the horizon. Maybe I’m just getting into my swim suit…