K.R. Gastreich's Blog, page 16

Filling the Glass

Even a tiny house can feel too big when the person you thought would be there is gone.

For almost a year now (longer, depending on your perspective), I’ve been living alone in a home made for two.

I’m not talking about the size of my house, but about the organization of its space. Places once occupied by my ex-husband (so strange to use that word!) had been left undisturbed. Even though he no longer lived here, it felt appropriate to reserve his place until we sorted out whether fate, circumstance, and the will of our hearts were going to give us another chance.

In one of the unspoken traditions of my family, the space we live in not only says who we are, but also embraces us. “Home is where the heart is” can be rephrased as “the heart is in the home.”

I learned this not through words and lessons, but through the example set by my mother, who keeps a bright and welcoming home; a place where guests always feel at ease, a space that expresses the family’s heart. All my life, no matter how humble my dwelling, I’ve tried to emulate her magic touch.

Last August, when the writing on the wall became clear and I peered down the long road toward divorce, my first instinct was to sell this house. It seemed empty without the promise of my husband’s return. Too big, too much, for just me to live in and take care of. It’s not a large house, mind you. It’s just that when we purchased this place, I envisioned it as a home for two. Now, it was half empty.

After some consideration, I decided to give myself a chance at making this space work for one. All those little household and garden tasks my husband used to do I folded into my own schedule (taking care of him was replaced by taking care of my home), or I hired out for help when it was too much to do alone.

The biggest expression of this change was the decision to repaint earlier this summer. The trim was peeling, and some of the siding needed replacement. All in all, the exterior work was more than I could afford, and I will be paying off the debt for some time. But at a deep, emotional level, I needed to do this. New colors don’t necessarily make a new me, but they can herald a new beginning, evidence of ownership over a project that is slowly but surely becoming mine.

Changes to the interior have been a little slower in coming, but after I signed the divorce last week, I knew what would be next: the closets.

The master bedroom of this house has two closets. Ever since we moved in, one has always been “his” and the other, “hers”.  Of course, “his” has stood empty for a while, evolving into a storage space for random belongings that sooner or later must be claimed by him or will be given away.

I could have left it that way (his few remaining possessions still need to be stored somewhere), but “his” closet had become dead space. A small mausoleum that housed the ghost of my husband past. Now that the decision was made and the papers signed, I felt it had to go. Or rather, be transformed.

What seemed a simple idea at first (clearing out his stuff and dividing my stuff between two closets) turned out to be a week-long, intense process of cleaning, packing, sorting and re-sorting. It was physically exhausting, with an unpleasant emotional undercurrent that I managed to ignore if I focused on the mundane tasks of dusting, vacuuming, folding, and at the very end, deciding what to put where.

Late last night, I finally finished. I now had two closets, “mine” and “mine”, each with their own set of functions going forward. Pleased with the results, I showered off the dust, made myself a cup of lemon ginger tea, and watched a little late night TV. Then, for the first time in almost twenty years, I slept in a room that was 100% my own.

From a certain perspective, all of this sounds kind of trivial. After all, they’re just closets. But on a deeper level, those closets mattered in a way I didn’t understand until I finished last night. After all, at the beginning of the week, my bedroom was half empty. Now, it’s full – not just half full, but full. A small but significant affirmation that one is – and will continue to be – enough.

There’s a something of a miracle in that, and also, a touch of joy.

Next week, I think I’ll start on “his” office…

Swords and Shadows

Detail from the cover of Sword of Shadows. In this scene, Kel’Barú is Eolyn’s only hope against the forces of darkness. Artwork by Thomas Vandenberg.

I want to express my deepest thanks for everyone’s support during last week’s post. I’m always shy to share personal matters on my blog, but your responses moved me deeply and were a great help in getting me through the week.

I’m back home now, moving forward with new projects and old ambitions. And…we are now less than a week away from the release of Sword of Shadows, Book 2 of The Silver Web! (Where did the summer go?)

Sword of Shadows was previously published by Hadley Rille Books under the title High Maga. Those of you who read High Maga will find some changes in this new edition. Namely, you’ll have the opportunity to see certain events from the point of view of the villainess, Queen Rishona of the Syrnte. I’m really happy with Rishona’s scenes, and I hope you will enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them.

In addition,  Sword of Shadows includes a preview of the third and final book of the series, Daughter of Aithne. 

I’ve had several people ask me why I changed the title, so I want to talk about that a little here. The Sword of Shadows actually refers to Eolyn’s sword, Kel’Barú, which makes its first appearance in Eolyn, Book One of The Silver Web. 

Friends and fans of Eolyn will know that she is rather averse to swords. This is not due to some stereotypical “feminine” weakness, but stems from a deep conviction that swords represent the worst aspects of feudal power, the exercise of dominance through violence.

 

In Book One, the appearance of Kel’Barú in Eolyn’s life presents an irony and a dilemma. Kel’Barú is presumably her brother’s sword, and yet it does not “listen” to him. The only person Kel’Barú listens to, and the only person who can understand its song in all of the Kingdom of Moisehén, is Eolyn.

Kel’Barú’s song is not the ordinary dialect of metals, a language all warriors in Eolyn’s world come to understand. Rather, it is a magical language infused with the sorcery of the wizards of Galia.

Herein lies the untold backstory of the trilogy: Why does Kel’Barú connect with Eolyn and no one else?

No spoilers here, because at it turns out, I never quite found the opportunity to explain this in the three books I wrote for the trilogy.

The answer to this question centers on Eolyn’s father, Eoghan, a Galian warrior who came to Moisehén to support the magas in their struggle against the Mage King Kedehen. Eoghan fell in love with the maga warrior Khelia, and shortly after the war ended, they conceived a daughter, Eolyn.

Eolyn, therefore, carries her father’s Galian blood. Since Kel’Barú once belonged to his family, the sword recognizes her as one of its own. (It goes without saying, then, that Eolyn’s brother, Ernan, had a different father; this is the fundamental barrier that keeps him from being able to use the Galian sword effectively.)

In the first book of the trilogy, Eolyn never quite overcomes her aversion for all swords, including Kel’Barú. But in the second book, Sword of Shadows, she must come terms with the special power she has over this weapon, as the future of her people may depend on it.

So on one level, the new title alludes to a very particular aspect of Eolyn’s journey as a woman in magic. On a deeper level, however, the title also refers to the ominous power swords continue to represent in Eolyn’s world. Sword of Shadows is a book about war and all the terror it brings. In this sense, every sword becomes a sword of shadows. Every sword is doomed to leave death and destruction in its wake.

SWORD OF SHADOWS will be released in Kindle on July 19th and is available now for pre-order from Amazon. 

 

Independence

Traveling up Bear Tooth Pass to Yellowstone last summer; our last big trip as a married couple.

This year, while fireworks burned bright over Kansas City and friends & family gathered around the grill, I celebrated Independence Day in an usual and hopefully not-to-be-repeated fashion: I traveled to Costa Rica in order to sign the papers for my divorce.

This trip marked the last chapter of what has been a long, painful struggle around the question of what to do when love runs strong between two people whose lives are taking off in completely different directions.

I’ve avoided talking about the break up of my marriage, in part because I’m not one to air my private life in public forums, but also because in this case my private life was also the private life of someone I care for and respect very much.

There’s nothing quite like seeing seventeen years of love wrapped up and snipped off in the clean, cold language of lawyers and judges. It’s an experience that shakes you to the core; one that I would not wish on anyone.

Seventeen years ago this month, my then-to-be husband (and now-to-be-ex) asked me out for the first time. Not only did I accept; I was so certain something fundamentally important was about to happen that I called up another man I was dating at the time and told him, in no uncertain terms, that I was not going to see him again.

From that day forward, through all our years of dating and marriage, there was no one for me but this one person and the joy, passion, and adventure that we shared. If I’ve learned one lesson from the sum total of my experience with my marriage, it is this:

Always choose love.

In case you didn’t get that the first time around:

Always choose love.

My marriage may have come to an end, but no one can take away the years we shared, or the happiness we gave each other. And despite the pain I’ve suffered, despite the sadness I feel, if I were given the opportunity to go back and do things differently, I wouldn’t change any of it.

Except, perhaps, if I could find a way to make us last a little longer. That I would do. But if that opportunity ever existed, it passed us by, and this is something I am slowly learning to accept. At the end of the day, there is no going back. One life is given to us. We do the best we can with every precious moment, and then we move on.

Ironically, I’ve also learned that the one thing that makes heartbreak bearable is love itself. The memory of love, the presence of love, the promise of love, in all its forms. Even as the tears fall, even as I go through another box of tissue and reach for another bar of chocolate, I have no regrets. I feel sadness, at times deep and gut-wrenching melancholy, but that is not the same as regret.

Regret is when you’ve done something you wish you hadn’t done. I will never wish away the years of my marriage. I mourn their end, yes, but I am very grateful to have had them.

He and I made the brave choice, after all. We chose love. And our blessings have been many because of that.

The road to Poas Volcano this morning; my first solo outing after filing for divorce.

To the exclusion of all else…

Detail from the cover of Sword of Shadows. Artwork by Thomas Vandenberg.

I have been thoroughly focused on two tasks lately:

finishing final proofs of Sword of Shadows in preparation for the July 19th Kindle release, and
polishing up my new manuscript, The Hunting Grounds, in preparation for the next round of queries and submissions.

When classes are in session, I can go for days – some times weeks – without finding space in my calendar to write. So this summer has been such a luxury for me, writing-wise. I expected the two projects mentioned above to take the entire season; but as of today, they are pretty well done. And my imagination is now set free to ponder what new project I should take up next.

One drawback of all this devotion to the current works in progress is that some things have been neglected. Like house cleaning. And blogging. I’ve also fallen way behind with my on-line writers group. (Sorry!) My critique partners have been waiting waiting waiting for me to respond to their reviews and reciprocate. Some of them are probably starting to wonder if I’ve fallen off the face of the earth.

I feel bad about that, but what can I say? The fervor of the moment just swallowed me up. I’m excited about these projects; so excited it’s been impossible for me to set them aside for any significant length of time.

While I’ve been caught up in writing, my Uptown Author friends have been busy scheduling a series of events throughout the Kansas City area. Over the next few months, you’ll be able to find us at Prospero’s Book Store, Inklings Book Store, Kansas City Comicon, and Reader’s World, among other locations. You can see the full list and schedule on my Appearances page.

I’ve also scheduled a couple of virtual book tours to celebrate the upcoming release of Sword of Shadows. Goddess Fish Promotions, who did such a great job with my tours for Eolyn, is coordinating a Sword of Shadows Book Blast for July 20th and a virtual book tour starting September 5. I’ll have more information about both those events as we get closer to the dates.

Last but not least, this week I started a Goodreads Giveaway for Eolyn, Book One of The Silver Web. Five signed copies are up for grabs. To try your luck, enter below or visit the Goodreads giveaway page.

Goodreads Book Giveaway


Eolyn
by Karin Rita Gastreich

Giveaway ends July 25, 2016.

See the giveaway details

at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

 

Those are the updates for now. Thanks so much for stopping by. Now, it’s back to brainstorming for my next WIP…

Cover Reveal: Sword of Shadows

Happy Summer Solstice! I’m celebrating today with the cover reveal for SWORD OF SHADOWS, Book Two of THE SILVER WEB.

As part of the cover reveal event, today and tomorrow only, the Kindle edition of the first book in the series, EOLYN, is FREE! Download your copy and discover the power of the magas today.

About Sword of Shadows (Book Two of The Silver Web)

Lands ravaged. Dreams destroyed. Demons set loose upon the earth.

Sisters in magic, Eolyn and Adiana seek to revive a millennial tradition once forbidden to women. When war strikes, their fledgling community of magas is destroyed; its members killed, captured or scattered.

Determined to defend her people, Eolyn seeks to escape the occupied province and deliver to King Akmael a weapon that might secure their victory. Trapped by the invading army, Adiana is taken prisoner and placed at the mercy of the ruthless Prince Mechnes.

Even as their world is torn asunder, Eolyn and Adiana cling to a common dream. Courage and perseverance guide them toward a future where the Daughters of Aithne will flourish in a world set free from the violence of men.

“War propels the story forward, and the characters are at their best when circumstances are at their worst.” -Publishers Weekly

Cover art and design by Thomas Vandenberg.

Pre-order your copy on Kindle.

Haven’t read the first book in the series? Download a free copy of EOLYN and start the adventure now.

Sword of Shadows was first published in 2014 by Hadley Rille Books, under the title HIGH MAGA. Those of you who have read the first edition will find a few changes in this new version. The opening chapters have been tightened, and I’ve rewritten several scenes from the point of view of the novel’s arch-villainess, Rishona, Queen of the Syrnte. Best of all, the new edition includes a preview of the third and final novel of the series, DAUGHTER OF AITHNE, set for release in Spring 2017.

About Eolyn (Book One of The Silver Web)

In a land ravaged by civil war, the Mage King Kedehen initiates a ruthless purge of the magas. Eolyn, last daughter of the magas and sole heiress to their forbidden craft, seeks refuge in the vast and impenetrable South Woods. When she meets the mysterious Akmael, heir to the throne of this violent realm, she embarks on a path of hope, seduction, betrayal, and war. Desire draws Eolyn toward Akmael’s dark embrace, but fate binds her to Corey of East Selen, a cunning mage whose ambition challenges the limits of love and loyalty.

Can she trust either man?

Hunted in a realm of powerful wizards and brutal deceptions, Eolyn must find her own path to freedom or she will burn on the pyre.

“Vigorously told deceptions and battle scenes, with a romantic thread.” –Publishers Weekly

A “dream-like, fairy-tale ambiance…immersive political machinations and grand battle scenes.” –Kirkus Reviews

“Masterfully written.” –The Kindle Book Review

EOLYN is available FREE on Kindle, June 20 and 21st. Download your copy today!

Summer Love

The Dollbabies get together to celebrate love and friendship.

My sunshine months continue with a marvelous stay on the East Coast. I spent a weekend on Long Island attending the wedding of a good friend, where I was reunited with several of the Dollbabies. This is the group of extraordinary women that I meet with each year for a week of writing and relaxation at Virginia Beach.

 

Not a fan of flying anywhere for just a couple nights, I extended my stay to spend a few days with fellow author, editor, and all-around amazing person, Terri-Lynne DeFino. Terri’s home is a veritable sanctuary, a large yet somehow cozy house nestled in a riverside woodland. There are fairies here, I’m certain. And gnomes. There are also bears, coyotes, and turkeys (though I haven’t seen any yet). And four lovely cats (I’ve definitely seen those).

My write time has been devoted this week to The Hunting Grounds. I thought I was just shy of finishing, but then I decided to expand one of the character points of view. So I’ve added several chapters to my to-do list. But I’m getting close, very close.

My work on The Hunting Grounds has taught me something: every novel I craft is somehow closer to my heart than the last. I remember feeling this way when I first wrote Eolyn. Again when I journeyed through Sword of Shadows, and just as intensely when I completed Daughter of Aithne. 

Now I’m working on my fourth novel, and like every novel before this one, I find myself thinking that no other story has been closer to my heart, more daring in its intimacy. I like to believe this is a healthy sign; a reflection of an instinct that leads me to craft the appropriate novel in the precise moment; an openness to my inner creative life that is at once thrilling and scary.

Thrilling because, shouldn’t we all dig ever deeper as authors? And isn’t this evidence that I’m doing just that?

Scary because sooner or later someone will read, and presumably judge, this latest baring of my soul. What will be their response? Understanding? Indifference? Scorn and ridicule?

It shouldn’t matter, I know. Once we give our stories to the broader world, they are no longer ours, but rather, belong to the reader. They must have the freedom to interpret our tales, just as we had the freedom to write them.

Still, there’s always a little piece of me that cares about what others might think, and whether they will understand. To deny that would be dishonest to myself and to all of you. And at the end of the day, worrying about their response, at least a little, once in a while, probably makes me a better writer.

One thing’s for certain: if you’re strong enough to bare your soul in the first place, you will be strong enough survive that exposure, no matter what the outcome.

You will also find others who appreciate and share this strength, and as time goes on, they will become your soul mates, bringing as much beauty and depth to your life as you seek to give to your stories.

~*~

Join us on Monday, June 20th, for the official cover reveal of SWORD OF SHADOWS, Book Two of THE SILVER WEB. 

Sunshine Months

Look who showed up at our table during ConQuesT!

Last week, I took a well-deserved break from internet and all things marketing. Attending cons two weekends in a row was fun, but a little exhausting! All in all, Uptown Authors did well at both Planet Comicon and ConQuesT; personally, my best weekend was at ConQuesT. There was a lot of interest in Eolyn, and I had a full house (!!) for my reading Saturday afternoon. Many, many thanks to everyone who came to hear my stories.

After ConQuesT, I had some important tasks to finish before I could call spring semester “over” at Avila. Once that was done, summer began, and with it came a long list of summer projects.

This will be the first summer since moving back to Kansas City that I will actually be in Kansas City for the greater part of the season. I have two short trips planned, one in June and the other in July. But most of my time will be dedicated to my home and the happenings in my own back yard.

There’s much to talk about here, but some of it I can’t discuss explicitly. Not until after July. Suffice it to say that I feel like I’m finally taking ownership of the life changes that impacted me last summer. Autumn 2015 was about survival; Winter/Spring 2016 about recovery. Summer 2016 will be dedicated to laying the groundwork for a future I can call my own – very different from the future I imagined just a year ago, but mine nonetheless.

Summer projects include monitoring bees at a local prairie restoration site. Meet Bombus fraterus, photographed in action last Friday.

Some very good news today; I am done formatting Sword of Shadows. I’ll be printing up the whole book this afternoon for one last hard-copy edit, and then I think we’ll be ready for publishing. Yes, that means what you think it means – the Kindle edition of Sword of Shadows will be released this summer!! Probably by the end of July. Hooray!!

For those of you awaiting the paperback edition, that may not appear until end August. At this point, the time line for the release of the paperback is determined not by what I can do, but by how long it takes to get back the editorial reviews I’ll be requesting. Editorial reviews can be important for the back cover, so we’ll hold out for those until they are available.

For me, the most exciting part of finishing the current edition of Sword of Shadows is that I was able to include a preview of Daughter of Aithne at the end. Which means we are now at last in sight of releasing the third and final installment of The Silver Web trilogy.

With so many reasons to celebrate, I’ve got something very special planned for this month: The cover reveal for Sword of Shadows will coincide with Summer Solstice on June 20th. Enchanted Tours will run a book blast for the cover reveal, and the event will be accompanied by a giveaway. Please stop by to join the fun.

While we haven’t officially done the cover reveal, Sword of Shadows is available for pre-order on Kindle. (And yes, you can see the cover there!) Sign up to receive your copy the day it’s released!

Wishing all of you a season of warmth and fun.

 

ConQuesT 47: Prime

It’s that time of the year again! ConQuesT, Kansas City’s oldest fantasy and science fiction conference, is this weekend. I’ll be participating in a couple of panels and giving a reading Saturday afternoon. My full schedule is below. When I’m not at a panel or reading, look for me in the vendor’s room. I’ll be sharing a table with my fellow Uptown Authors. Copies of the new edition of Eolyn will be available for purchase and signing.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Friday, May 27 – I’ll be in the vendor room at the Uptown Authors table between 12pm and 6pm.

Saturday, May 28

11:00am – Panel (M): Are expectations of female characters in SF/F too high and unrealistic? 

Female characters have become more and more common in SF/F, and everyone  seems to have an opinion on how they should be written – people talk about  writing strongly characterized women, rather than just strong women, and  then someone inevitably turns up and uses the phrase “men with breasts”.  It’s quite obvious that the characterization of women in SF/F receives  more critical attention from readers. Do the subconscious biases which  affect women in real life, translate to fictional characters?

3:30pm – Reading. Haven’t yet decided what I’m going to do with my spot, but I will probably feature new scenes from the second edition of Eolyn. I am also open to requests!

Sunday, May 29

10:00am – Panel: Costuming characters in your writing. 

Dressing a character in a story is far more complicated than you’d think.  Writers need to consider all manner of things when clothing the people in  their stories from movement to warmth and from practical materials to  extravagant accessories. What are some good examples of authors who got it

right and some who got it really wrong (and why!)?

 

The Plight of the Villainess

At Planet Comicon with friend and fellow Avila professor, Benjamen Pascoe.

I had a great time at Planet Comicon last weekend. Met some fun people, saw lots of great costumes, sold a few books… All in all, it was very enjoyable, and I think I’ll be up for more when the time rolls around again next May. Many thanks to all the folks who stopped by Uptown Authors to say hi, check out our books, and support our work.

Next weekend, I’ll be at ConQuest, the annual meeting of the Kansas City Science Fiction and Fantasy Society. In addition to having a table in the vending room with my fellow Uptown Authors, I’ll be on a couple panels and will also do a reading Saturday afternoon. I’ll post the full schedule later this week.

One of my panel topics centers on female characters in SFF: Are our expectations of female characters too high and unrealistic? From the panel description:

“…the characterization of women receives more critical attention from readers. Do the subconscious biases that affect women in real life translate to fictional characters?”

When I was first assigned to moderate this panel, I thought it might be something of a straw man – or, ahem, straw woman – discussion. But as I’ve reflected on the topic, I’ve realized that I’ve run into some important biases in responses to my own female characters. In addition to discussing these next weekend, I’ve decided to talk about them in a series of blog posts, starting today with unconscious biases against female villains.

The Plight of the Villainess

Revisions for The Sword of Shadows, the second edition of High Maga, are well underway. I don’t anticipate a lot of changes in this new edition, but some details need to be tweaked, mostly due to revisions in book one of the series, Eolyn. 

Among these changes, I’ve decided to give a handful of scenes to a new point of view (pov): Rishona, Queen of the Syrnte, will have the opportunity to tell part of the story from her perspective.

I love to play with multiple pov’s in my novels. Everyone has a different perspective on important events, and showing this diversity of lenses, I think, can greatly enrich a story. That being said, one has to be careful not to divide a novel into too many points of view, as this can lead to a dispersed story line that confuses the reader.

When writing High Maga, I had to make some decisions on which characters would get their own pov. Rishona made the short list, but she did not make the final cut. This was a difficult call on my part, but one that felt right at the time. Rishona’s co-villain, Prince Mechnes, seemed plenty capable of representing Team Evil, and it wasn’t clear to me what more Rishona would have to offer.

But an interesting thing happened when I started hearing feedback from readers about these two characters. For many readers and critique partners, Rishona was easy to hate from the moment she appeared. The Syrnte Queen was seen as evil and manipulative, jealous and violent, ruthless in all her ambitions. Most of all, she was without hope or redemption.

Mechnes, on the other hand, was given much more leeway in his behavior. Some of my readers even worried that poor Mechnes was in over his head with Rishona. They speculated that he might be redeemed by “the right woman” – in this case, another character whom he captured, tortured, and then enslaved. No matter how violent and brutal Mechnes’s behavior, it seemed readers were willing to believe that unlike Rishona, this awful man could somehow become a better person.

This double standard troubled me, because as the author, my understanding of the characters was exactly the opposite. Mechnes is evil, pure and simple. He’s amoral, interested only in indulging his own sadistic pleasures and advancing his own selfish interests.

Rishona, on the other hand, is more torn in her path. She seeks to right and old wrong – the betrayal and murder of her parents – and she’s driven to an alliance with Mechnes because he becomes her only hope for military superiority against the Mage King, who occupies a throne that should be hers. Granted, she indulges in a little human sacrifice and demon summoning, but in her heart of hearts, Rishona is trying to serve a greater good.

How was it possible that some of my readers did not see this? For a long time, I blamed it on my own decision to omit Rishona’s point of view from the story. And maybe that was part of the problem.

Rishona’s mother, brutally murdered by her husband’s assassins, was named after Tamar of Georgia. Painting by Mihály Zichy (1880s)

But that doesn’t explain why these same readers were so lenient in their judgement of Mechnes. There is nothing in his point of view that hints at the possibility of mercy in his heart. The first time we step inside Mechnes’ mind, we learn he’s an incestuous pedophile. A few chapters later, he’s revealed as a rapist and a torturer. How is this in any way redeemable? And why is Rishona, obviously at Mechnes’s mercy because he has the army she needs, judged so much more harshly?

Has Rishona been a victim of unconscious bias? Are we quicker to condemn her simply because she’s a woman? Do we perceive it as less acceptable – more perverse, somehow – when a woman character chooses the dark and violent path?

No answers here, just questions. I’d be curious to hear your thoughts.

For myself, I’m hoping to do Rishona a little more justice the second time around by giving readers some insight into her thoughts and perspectives. In Sword of Shadows, we will get to see certain events from her point of view. This will not condone her actions, of course, but perhaps it will help change the balance a little when her evil is weighed against that of her ruthless uncle, Prince Mechnes.

Next Week on my Female Characters in SFF Series: The Other Woman. 

Weekend Events and Freebies

Getting set up at Planet Comicon.

The Goodreads Giveaway for the paperback edition of Eolyn ended this past Wednesday. Many thanks to everyone who participated and congratulations to the five winners! Your books are going in the mail today.

If you didn’t win this time on Goodreads, don’t worry! Today only, you have another chance for a FREE copy of Book One of The Silver Web. Until midnight tonight, you can download the Kindle edition of Eolyn at no charge. Visit Amazon and start the adventure today!

This weekend, I’ll be at Planet Comicon with Uptown Authors Rachel Ellyn, Christine Williams, and Dennis Young. Come visit us at table 1641; we have a great selection of books for every taste and age. Most of all, we’d love to chat fantasy and fandom with all of you. Hope to see you there!

In other news, we’re getting very close to the cover reveal for Sword of Shadows, Book Two of The Silver Web. Tune in next week for more on that, as well as a discussion about female villains: What we love to hate in women on the dark side.

Wishing you a great weekend!