Tiffany Shearn's Blog, page 8

Hidden Sanctuary Release!

Book two of the Hidden Series of Elaria is out now and available in paperback and ebook formats! In this second installment of the fantasy action-adventure series, Annalla and Larron continue their quest to save the people of Elaria from war. Even as new powers emerge to aid their efforts, Kahnlair continues to expand his control and eliminate any opposition. 

Rejoin old friends and meet great new characters as you follow a mage’s old family legend toward either salvation or ruin in Hidden Sanctuary! 

An old story, a living legend, and a desperate mission.

You can find links to both books in the series on the My Books page, and don’t forget to sign up for my quarterly newsletter on the Home Page. 

Reminders 

Two reminders/announcements regarding things I have mentioned here and in other places are:

 I will be at the Washington Midsummer Renaissance Faire for two weekends in August! I set up a Facebook event here if you want that additional reminder. I will be signing and selling books at my booth there!I mentioned this in my newsletter, but for everyone else… I have a full chapter I removed from Hidden Sanctuary to cut the word count down. When I reach 40 ratings/reviews between the two books, I will make this chapter available as a free extra on my website!

As always, thank you all for your support, and I hope you enjoy Hidden Sanctuary as much as I do.

OL Reign – 3 Reasons to Go

The OL Reign moved to Seattle again this season, which removed the final barrier for me grabbing up a couple of season tickets. I brought my niece and nephew to a few games and we all love the experiences. It is a shame that, as big as soccer is in Seattle, even more people are not yet taking advantage of great players in their own backyard. So, here are a few reasons to buy tickets to a National Women’s Soccer League game today! 

(Disclaimer: I am no expert, just a fan. Take all of this with that grain of salt.)

1. Great Soccer 

On every team and in every game, you will see multiple national team players and probably at least two world cup champions. I find it difficult to pick a favorite player on the team, but I usually return to Jess Fishlock. Check out these moves from the pride match: 

Twitter link- https://twitter.com/JessFishlock/status/1544822247017238528

My niece liked Tziarra King and Alana Cook in the games she attended, and my nephew got excited watching Phallon Tullis-Joyce make saves. I could go on to list the entire team, but you can look them up here or, even better, comment with your favorites. Right now, the OL Reign are undefeated at home this season (yes, I knocked on wood), and they look to continue the run.

2. Value Entertainment

I call it ‘value,’ but you get more than you pay for with these games. All the great soccer and amazing players are available for your viewing pleasure at a reasonable price. My seats are only four rows back, nearly at midfield, and they are less than half the cost of my Sounders seats further back. You can purchase tickets for as low as $17 each, and they are all in the 100- and 200-level sections right now.

In addition to the game, you get performances by Reign City Riot, the OL Reign band. The band also marches out to the main concourse steps after the game, with the drum line playing the entire time. Then, for special events, they often have additional small performances from local artists or groups.

Another plus about soccer games is that you can easily plan your day around them. They are about two hours, start to finish, every time other than playoff/championship games. I usually grab a bite in Seattle before the game, but you can easily plan something afterward.

3. Support & Inclusivity

To be fair, I have zero scientific evidence to support this part, only my own experiences. Looking around at the games, at all the people attending with friends, partners, and families, you feel at ease and welcome. I only tick one diversity box, but I sincerely hope others feel the same as I do. 

Another piece I will mention here is related to the phrase ‘representation matters.’ I hear it all the time, and I support the concept wholeheartedly. Course correction requires a concerted effort beyond simply turning the wheel straight. I felt the lack of women leaders and role models highlighted when I was young, but the monumental weight of representation did not hit me until I witnessed the impact on my niece and nephew of seeing the OL Reign play. 

They have an awareness, acceptance, and expectation of greater equality than I ever did. We are not where we need to be, but we are clawing in that direction one generation at a time. I hope these and similar experiences help them stand a little taller and reach across barriers a little further than I ever thought possible. Take the kids in your life, and share the strengths and accomplishments of these players with them. 

Call to Action

So, with all these reasons and more, go to the website and make plans to attend a game (or two, or more!) this season. Get out there, watch some soccer, and have some fun. If you don’t know the game, I’m sure there are some new friends around your seats to help you out! 

To Sounders season ticket holders, the team is offering a discount in their latest Full-90 email for tickets to the 7/10/22 rivalry match. 

Another Milestone

This week was full of writing milestones for me across multiple books. All of these are in preparation for upcoming events. 

Hidden Sanctuary  

On Tuesday, the proof copy of the paperback version arrived. With the same font settings as Hidden Memory, the second book came in at about 450 pages and felt a little heavy in my hands. I’ve decided to drop the font down a size to reduce the page count and a couple of other minor changes. 

If it were only the little adjustments, I would have proceeded. However, the font change is big enough that I have a second proof copy on the way. While the proof processed, I worked to finalize the digital formatting. The copyright is submitted, the book is listed in all of my accounts for reviews, and I have put out the call for ARC readers. The first ARC email went out on Friday! Once my second proof copy arrives – hopefully looking amazing – I will move up the release date so I can order author copies for my booth at the fair! 

Hidden Promise  

Hidden Promise is the third book in the Hidden Series. The preorder for the eBook is live on Amazon, with a release date scheduled for June 2023. I know it is a long preorder, but I can always move it up if I want to later.

Books three and four have not gone through as many iterations as the first two did before I decided to publish. I’m becoming a better writer, but I do not want to rush things. Thursday I officially passed the draft to my alpha readers, so we will see what they say. While they work, I will start on the major rewrite of book four!

Side note: to reward my fans for joining me early, Hidden Promise will be $3.99 for the eBook during the preorder period! 

Coming Soon

A couple of other changes will also happen once I push for Hidden Sanctuary to go live. I spoke of it before, but I decided recently to put my work into Kindle Unlimited. Hidden Memory will switch over as soon as the request processes, and Hidden Sanctuary will shift over about a month later. The delay is to give all of my preorder supporters a month ahead of the pack as thanks for purchasing my book. 

If you are in Washington State in August or September and are interested in purchasing a signed copy of my paperbacks, you will have several opportunities! I will be at the Washington Midsummer Renaissance Faire on August 13, 14, 20, and 21 in a little 5×5 booth selling and signing books. Then, on September 24, I will be back at Page Turner Books in Kent, WA for a book signing event they are holding with several local authors. It is called Fall Festi-Con Fair. 

I hope to see some of you there or see more great reviews popping up on Amazon! I have a chapter cut from Hidden Sanctuary I will post on my website once I hit 40 total reviews/ratings between the two books. Hidden Memory is currently at 17, and I’m hoping the additional release and KU will push this even higher. 

Thanks for stopping by and have a great week!

Of the Realms – Interaction

Side note before I begin this week’s post: I’m doing a social media giveaway for a free eBook. The winner will receive an Amazon (US) coupon code for Hidden Memory, and you can enter by sharing my series on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram and tagging my account! The winner will be drawn when I receive my proof copy of Hidden Sanctuary, so enter by Monday, 6/27!

Of the Realms

Welcome back to another informative post regarding the realms I mention in my books. I began with an overview of the power and forces at work in the “Orientation” post. I recommend checking that one out first, as I will reference that information here. 

Movement 

While the realms all exist along the spectrum of physical/mystical power, their positions are not static. Each realm has a central governing force acting as an anchor around which it shifts. Aryanna is a physical realm, anchored by science and physics. With this anchor, it will never be a high magic realm. The limitation does not, however, mean mystical forces are unable to enter or influence the realm. 

A realm’s movement can ebb and flow naturally, or it can shift based upon the efforts of the people living there. In a physical realm, the more people learn and leverage scientific advances, the further the realm shifts in that direction along the spectrum. The same is true for high magic realms, but often in much less predictable ways. 

This movement is predicated upon the influence of a realm’s governing force. A high magic realm might have natural laws regarding the creation and consumption of magic. In such a realm, overuse of magic could push the realm toward the physical side of the spectrum as magic becomes depleted. 

Interaction

The movement of the realms facilitates the rare occurrences of interaction, which requires overlap and connection. Realms overlap when the movement of two realms brings them close enough along the power spectrum for their spheres of influence to “touch.” It could be anything from barely brushing the outer edge to occupying the same space along the line. So long as there is at least one point of contact, interaction is possible.

Because we are talking about the power spectrum and NOT about physical space, occupying the same place is 100% possible and does NOT convey any higher probability of interaction. For interaction to happen, a connection must be formed. Each time an overlap starts, there is a small percentage chance that the “friction” created will trigger a bridge to be initiated. The bridge is the connection making interaction possible.

When realms are connected, a pocket forms physically where people and creatures can pass. As two realms overlap more, the pocket can become more stable and visible. Then, as they drift apart, the pocket destabilizes until it finally fades and doesn’t return. During the initial and final stages, when the connection is unstable, the pocket can move, shift, or even split in the physical world, and many bridges never achieve stability.

A natural bridge, such as this, is how humans and dwarves came to live in Elaria. The dwarves fled persecution, while a few groups of humans explored and expanded out of curiosity or need. Some human explorers returned to Aryanna before the pockets faded, bringing along stories of the elves. However, the first elf to enter Aryanna found their essential connection to the world depleted to the point of pain, and no others attempted to cross over.

The arrival of the magai, in contrast, was not the result of a natural bridge. An artificial bridge provided the link between Scorcellen and Elaria. Using their magic, and certain spells learned through the ages, the magai stretched their realm’s sphere out from one point. They pushed it until the point touched another realm, then caused friction with their power in an attempt to force a bridge into existence.

The power expenditure was massive, and the attempts failed more often than not. For those reasons, the process became highly regulated in Scorcellen. The connection to Elaria was made, and all the magai arrived within a month. Then, the bridge collapsed, and Scorcellen’s sphere snapped back into its natural shape, causing ripples throughout the realm.

History

Thus are the ways the realms move and interact, along with a tantalizingly brief history. What happened to Scorcellen? What was Elaria like before the others arrived? I intend to continue this series with some of these answers in the future. For now, thank you for visiting, and I hope this helps explain some of the references in the Hidden Series.

Happy Father’s Day!

Another busy week in the books! Tuesday, my sister and I took our dad to the Sounders game against the Whitecaps. The odd weeknight game was a rescheduled game from when The Sounders were battling for the CCL championship. We had some BBQ sandwiches before the game and watched our team win 4-0 while missing many of our usual starting XI due to international play.

I had some trouble hitting the button to take the picture, and ended up dropping it as my finger found its mark. I considered this pic “close enough” to not bother trying again. I’m very bad at selfies.

Yesterday, I headed up to Seattle for another two soccer games. The Sounders played again at noon, with The OL Reign playing later in the evening at seven. I went to this extended double-header with a friend of mine. His wife said that his getting to go for thirteen hours of soccer and fun was his father’s day gift.

Between the two games, we had five hours to kill. The two teams put on a pretty cool little event outside the stadium with local vendors and games. We hung out until the crowds died down a bit, then grabbed some of the food and a picture with the CCL trophy. I did not snap a picture of the BBQ Pork bun that I had, but I did find the website for the company serving them: Umami Kushi. I would describe it as an Asian/Cajun culinary fusion. My friend and I both enjoyed them.

Picture with the CCL trophy!

I had already changed into my OL Reign gear for the next game. (Friend only cropped out for privacy!)

This morning we went for an early Father’s Day lunch with my family to celebrate. All of the activity is why I’m late getting my post out this week, but sometimes life gets in the way. My manuscript is also back from the editor, so I still have to look at all those edits and get the book into KDP to order a proof copy! I really need another long weekend…How long until Independence Day?

Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there!

Faire Booth Preparations

I mentioned recently that my application for a booth at the local Renaissance Faire was approved. This weekend, I planned to go shopping for additional items for an outdoor booth dressed in the necessary theme. I hoped to have ninety percent of the materials and do a test run in the backyard. I would take some pictures of how amazing it looked and share them with you to bask in the glory of my creative use of limited funds. 

As you can imagine, little of my shopping today went according to plan. The canopies we have are too big—my booth space is only 5×5—and none of the stores we stopped at had any options smaller than 8×8 or a 7.5-foot circle. Looking for decoration accents was also a bust. The craft stores were too DIY for my skill/time, while Party City’s merchandise was too modern. 

Fortunately, our most important stop of the day paid off and made the shopping headache worth it. Looking into suggestions for decorating a Ren Faire booth, there were many recommendations to use old sheets to wrap modern supports to make them look more like a medieval cloth tent. 

We went to Goodwill to search the linens, picking up a number of sheets to cover the tent, table, and chairs. I plan to use our twine to tie it all to the supports for that billowy tent feel. On a pass through the decorations, we also found another picture stand and a wood box to replace some of the more modern items we used at my first book signing in February. 

This was the table at my first signing. I will use most of this again in August.

The rest will need to wait for delivery, as it had to be ordered online instead. I should have most of it before the end of the month to do a trial run. In addition to the tent, I ordered more sealing wax for more wax seals, some cute butterfly hair clips for potential giveaways with books, and some bookmark charms shaped like swords and other old weapons. Along with the advertising flag I ordered, I think my booth is going to look marvelous, and most of the supplies can be used again in the future!

Books at the Faire

I have seen a lot of advice on how many books to bring to events like this, and it still feels like I am stumbling in the dark. Some say 20 per 1,000 attendees at the event (I’m not sure if this is for each book or total), which would mean about 600 for this event for me. Another person recommended 50-100 of each book for a two-day event, depending on size. This would put me at about 400 books for this two-weekend event. I have decided to order 250 more of my first book, which will give me around 280 available. I’m debating between 150-200 of the second book, which I hope will arrive before the first weekend. The books will not go bad, so hopefully, my guesses will not be a massive overspend. 

As for my second book, it has been with the editor for a couple of weeks now. This one is about 30k words longer than the first, so it is taking a bit more time. She expects to have it back to me by next weekend. Over this next week, I want to finalize the cover, frontmatter, and backmatter so it is all ready to upload to quickly order a proof copy. If that first proof looks good, then I will have about six weeks for a large order to be printed and shipped in advance of the event. 

This also means the book is likely to be released ahead of schedule! I need the paperback to be live to order author copies on KDP (yes, I know there are other options). Sign up to follow my blog here or for my newsletter on the homepage to hear when Hidden Sanctuary officially goes live. 

As a final note today, thank you to all the new readers leaving reviews for Hidden Memory. I am now up to 16 ratings/reviews! Reviews are amazingly important to new authors, and I appreciate all of you for taking the time. 

Have another great weekend!

Of the Realms – Orientation

Elaria is a realm where the current inhabitants are not all native in origin. Throughout the Hidden Series, I make references to other realms and the races coming to Elaria from them. For the story in this series, the specifics of how the realms interact are not critical. It is enough to know humans, dwarves, and magai are immigrants.

However, I have been asked about the realms by readers. I could add more explanation into the books, but it adds little to the story, slows down the pacing, and can start to feel like a lecture. Instead, I have decided to lecture here and offer these “realms” posts as bonus insight for my readers who check out my website. Details on specific realms will come later. Today, we will look at the general structure and interaction of the realms.

Orientation

So, what are the realms?

The realms exist upon another dimension. I’m not referring to the “everything that can happen, does happen” type of multiple dimensions, but about X/Y/Z dimensions.

3D, Time, and the theoretical “mystical power” dimensions.

Back and forward. Right and left. Up and down. These are the physical dimensions in which we exist as we pass along the time dimension. I am not a theoretical physicist, so this is where I will depart any proven/measurable science to delve into the world of fantasy.

The various realms exist along a spectrum of mystical power and governing forces with diverse expressions.

Aryanna (Earth), Elaria, and Scorcellen as they currently sit on the dimensional line.

Our realm exists toward the physical end of the spectrum. Toward this end, science and the laws of physics hold sway. One plus one will equal two. Actions and reactions, from a physics perspective, will be calculable. The further this direction a realm goes, the further it departs from magic and mysticism and becomes more structured and standard.

Moving in the other direction along the spectrum is where things become more chaotic and fascinating. Magic and other arcane forces change how the people of a realm interact with the world around them.

In Elaria, the world and its creatures exist connected to the people evolving there. The natural world strives for balance, and it exerts influence on and through those people. While there is power beyond the physical, most life conforms.

Further down the line, Scorcellen sits seeped in magical energy at the edge of what the magai call the boundary between high and low magic. Our world is on the low magic side. On the high magic side? Wonders. All you can imagine, glorious and terrible, can exist in those realms.
Fae, dragons, and even god-like beings dominate independent high-magic realms.

Perhaps they have visited. Maybe it is only stories of their existence that have passed down through the realms. They exist out in the far reaches of the power spectrum, spinning and ever-changing.

“But how do they all interact and fit together?” you ask.

Such interaction is a topic I will touch on further in the upcoming “realms” blog installment. Until then, have fun imagining a realm of your own making.

Bionic Font

I see this new Bionic Reading font popping up on my social media accounts lately. It is the one that bolds portions of many words in a way intended to help guide the reader’s brain through the text and provide a means of faster, in-depth reading comprehension. 

“What do we want? With Bionic Reading, we aim to promote reading and comprehension of textual content in a hectic and noisy world.”

bionic-reading.com

bionic-reading.com

This article on uxdesign takes a look at it and the recent reaction on Twitter. It also has a couple of comparisons between “regular” font and the bionic reading conversion. 

I like the text and think it speeds up my ability to read and retain the information I have read. Reading is one of my main hobbies, and I read a lot. Not the 100+ books a year I have seen some folks claim, but I think my annual book count is up there. This means I can already read relatively quickly with comprehension. It felt like the font smoothed this out for me, as though it built a road between reading and processing. 

With that said, I would be hesitant to jump into an entire book in this font just yet. If I read for an hour, does it tire my eyes faster? Would it give me headaches? Would that road it creates decrease eye/brain strain over time? I do not know and have not taken the time to test this myself, but I am intrigued. 

Check out the links and share your thoughts. Do you like it? What would you think about this font in your next eBook?

Being Unhappy

It has been a rough week emotionally. No, nothing really bad happened. Yes, some good things also happened. Yes, I’m fine. Sometimes, the bad worms deeper, and this is where my head is right now.

Work

I am not naturally confident about myself, but I have always stood by my work. Unfortunately, because I am more comfortable with my professional work, I also tend to place a great deal of my self-worth into that area of my life. When work is not coming up roses, it tends to shake the foundation of my confidence.

Lately, the day job has been a bit meh. There are some improvements in work I’m pretty excited about, and I get energized thinking about the opportunities. However, I also feel like a storm is hovering at the edges. We are not aligned, I do not feel heard, and the threat of “return to the office” remains. (Many of my fellow introverts can sympathize with the last sentiment.)

I’m trying. The leaders are trying. The puzzle pieces are not yet clicking into place. There have been a lot of organizational upheavals recently, and finding how everyone fits takes time. Part of me wonders if I will fit in the box they want for me. After seventeen years, I’m no longer interested in pretending to be something I’m not to fit someone else’s box.

I know my lines. I need to stop worrying about other people, but that is easier said than done.

Home

Again, no big event happened here to drive me into a lather, but my stability came crashing down this morning. All of those little things that seem inconsequential one at a time reached a tipping point when combined with the work uncertainty.

Bottom line? I’m feeling unappreciated. It feels stupid to write it, but there you go. I take care of all these little things that need to happen but are nothing groundbreaking. Day in and day out, and it is expected, receiving little to no thanks or acknowledgment. Usually, it doesn’t matter, I even enjoy doing the little things. Then, a threshold trips, and it matters a great deal.

I’m a big proponent of counselors and mental health check-ups, so maybe it is time for another chat. Being unhappy is nothing to be ashamed of, but it can be a symptom of something deeper. For today, I’m going to do some thought exercises that have helped me in the past and find my happy place.

Take care of yourselves!

Hidden Sanctuary Cover Reveal!

The time you have all been waiting for has arrived! Okay, maybe it is just me, but I’m going to share it and pretend everyone else has been biting their nails in anticipation. If you can’t wait even a moment longer, you can scroll down to see the new cover, but I first wanted to share some exciting news. 

WA Renaissance Faire

The organizers have accepted my application for a booth at this summer’s Renaissance Faire! I will be there for the second and third weekends of the fair, August 13/14 and August 20/21. With Hidden Sanctuary set to release on August 16th, I am scrambling to make the necessary changes with enough time for author copies to arrive in time for inclusion at the booths. If all goes well, I will be able to sell some advance copies that first weekend!

August 13/14th is the “Fairytales & Fantasy Adventures” weekend, aligning perfectly with the story told in the Hidden Series. Then, on August 20/21, the theme is “Across the Multiverse,” for those who want to dress up in more of a geek chic than fantasy nerd. Either way, I will be there all four days selling books and signing them all!

Hidden Sanctuary

Thank you to Jonathan Lebel for another piece of beautiful artwork. He, once again, took a stick figure sketch from me and turned it into this beautiful landscape with inspiration from the stunning Cascade range we have here in Washington State. 

After the entire series is released, I will probably look at changing up the covers to something more action-oriented and target-market, but I love the art of these images. These original covers will be for me, and I can appeal to the market later. 

*Spoiler alert* This blurb below includes spoilers for Hidden Memory. 

Larron’s hope fades as he discovers it is not only his people facing the brink of destruction. As the council tries to save what they can, a young mage approaches Annalla with a tempting, if crazy, proposition. He knows a story, an old family tale, and it might hold the answer to finding the fairy.

Join Larron and Annalla as they work with new allies to continue their desperate quest against a cruel dictator bent on destruction in Hidden Sanctuary!