Eleni Konstantine's Blog: Eleni's Taverna

Romance Author Panel & more writerly things

 Hello to all.

It's been a long time since I've blogged. Because I hadn't been writing, I didn't feel like I had anything to say. 

But now I do.

First of all, I'll be on the Paranormal / Fantasy Romance panel at the Romance Author Panel on 3 August at Ngutungka West Lakes.

As you can see there are more sessions for the day.

While the event is free, you do have to book.

Paranormal / Fantasy Romance 

Historical Romance

Contemporary Romance

Rural Romance

Secondly, I'm heading to the Romance Writers of Australia conference in August. It's in my home town. It's been a long time since I've been to conference and looking forward to catching up with writerly friends and to meet new authors.  It's also a way to kickstart my writing again. 

Tickets are still selling. 

If you're a reader, there's the book signing with many romance authors, writing all sorts of sub-genres. 

I have been volunteering for the Romance Writers of Australia as one of the Hearts Talk Design Editors. It's been interesting as the format is on an online platform which is for mobiles (Mobimag). The magazine is full of writerly information and is for RWAus members only. 

I have been writing articles and conducting interviews, which has been inspiring. 

I've still been coordinating the DarkSide DownUnder. It's had a little bit of a change on the blog with the DarkSider News now being in broken up into type: Events; New Releases & Sales; General news; Pre-Orders & Covers. It's to avoid the posts being too long. 

We also have Magic Thursday - topic by one of our members, and DarkLight On - usually an author interview of one of our members.

Come and have a look! 

How do I do this with chronic conditions? 

What I do is not 9-5. I'm able to mix and match my days. I do things in bite sized pieces. I'm not at the computer all day. I just can't. I used to push myself many years ago but it's not possible anymore. I need to move.

One thing that has suffered is my pre-made covers as HelzKat Designs. I have been working on some custom work this year but the PM covers have pretty much stalled. 

Yes, it's to do with the above but I've also been - gasp - writing again!!

I'm working on a dragon short story collection. Yes, the same collection I had talked about pre-covid. Who would have thought a few years later fantasy romance aka romantasy would be the 'it' thing in the reading world.

It has been uplifting to know that there is an audience out there for my work. I'm not chasing the trend, but just working on stories I would have written anyway. Some are fantasy, some fantasy romance, all with dragons. I mean, who doesn't love dragons!

So watch this space! 

Yia!!
~Eleni

2022 in Review and Happy 2023!

 

Wishing you all a most fantabulous magical year in 2023!

2022 in Review

As much as I wanted to be more active in writing in 2022, that didn't happen. I started a few stories but did not finish them. All except one - Believe in Magic. 

This story is now part of a limited available anthology, A Special Gift. 

A Special Gift anthology has six heart-warming holiday romances that feature a gift of love, and a guaranteed happy ending.

If you enjoy reading about lovers reunited and relationships helped along by a touch of seasonal magic, this one's for you!

It's available in ebook and paperback.

Get a copy

It's so good to have a short story out there again. 

What else has been happening? 

Not much since my last post. I continue to do some work on the DarkSide DownUnder , enjoying
sharing the stories from our lovely DarkSiders. 

I also share releases for the SARA group on the Facebook page. 

I'm still doing pre-covers as HelzKat Designs - around one a week. My Facebook group gets previews and a discount. I decided to only do custom covers for those I know personally and those on my Facebook group. I do this mostly to keep creativity going as I fight my brain fog. The projects are not as long as writing a story so it gives me a sense of completion. 

Oh and I finally got covid in October. Having a number of health conditions, I was able to get anti-virals. I was in isolation for about 8 days and thankfully didn't pass it on to the rest of the family. 

Health wise, 2022 has been a struggle as my fibromyalgia is worse and so is the brain fog. It's affected my reading. I've achieved 55 books at time of writing this post (29 December - I've been trying to schedule more posts on social media). In 2021 I had read 124 books and 137 in 2020. So it's half my regular reading. Sigh. Though as others have pointed out, that's still a great number of stories read. So silver linings. 

I have been viewing podcasts of independent news. I try not to be political with my author persona but that could change. I am a person who wants the best for others and hate seeing injustices. The biggest I see is that our freedoms are being eroded slowly and our neo-liberal system is not working. Perhaps my response can be in fiction. 

We lost our beautiful dog Elektra due to a serious hip problem. The vet has never seen such an eroded hip on a dog so young (4.5 years). The other hip was on it's way of being the same. The kindest thing we could do for her was to let her go. It was so hard to say goodbye and we felt cheated that we didn't get to spend more time with her. 

As fate would have it, a few weeks later we had a new joy in our lives with Kalypso. She's spunky and loveable and just what we needed so we didn't wallow in our grief. She's not one for photos. I have to take about 10 photos to get a decent one of her because she's not fond of having her photo taken. 

Again, may you have a most fantabulous magical year in 2023!

Hiatus with more signs of a hiatus...

Artist: Elena Schweitzer Depositphotos  

Yes, it's been a long time since I've blogged. I suppose I haven't much to say as my writing has been as a standstill as the brain fog of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome continues in my life. While I've been able to design some covers as HelzKat Designs (at a low output), I haven't been able to focus to work on fiction. 

I have managed to work on posts for the DarkSide DownUnder blog because it's other people's good news and I'm not 'creating' it as such. That lifts me up and I've allowed myself just to enjoy other people's successes without trying to force myself to write when I'm not ready. 

When I do design the pre-made covers, l come up with a little snippet of a story.  Perhaps the first step back is noting these snippets down.

I tend to be on Facebook/Instagram for design and the DarkSiders rather than as my writing self. I'm trying to streamline my time there and am scheduling posts so I don't get drained, as it can be information overload for me on social media. And if anyone who follows my reading blog will have noticed, I haven't kept that updated either. One reason is that reading has also been affected.

So basically I'm taking each day as it comes but am hopeful for the future. Hope is important.  

That's my status. I hope you're all safe and well. 

Yia!

 

DarkSide DownUnder's Spooktacular Halloween Giveaway

 

I'm part of the Spooktacular Halloween giveaway over at the DarkSide DownUnder blog. For your chance to win, just visit the blog, follow the link to the form and enter for your chance to win an ebook bundle.

The bundle includes:

The Heart of a Shadow (Book 1, Merged Worlds) by Samantha Marshall

Spell Struck (Book 1, Merry Magic) by Shelley Russell Nolan

Phantasia (Book 2, Phi Athanatoi) by Efthalia

Edge of Eon (Book 1, Eon Warriors) by Anna Hackett

Witch Bound (Prequel, Pack Bound) by Leisl Leighton

Enchanted Dreams (speculative fiction short story collection) by Eleni Konstantine

Good luck!
~Eleni~

From the cave

It's been a long time between posts. 

2020 has been a hell of a year for the world. To be honest I haven't felt like I've had much to say especially since my writing went into a hiatus again. Oh, there's been ruminating on ideas but there's been only a couple of short story first drafts written. 

I pop occasionally on social media but I'm only there for quick visits. 

I even stopped the DarkSide DownUnder for a bit too. Sometimes you just need a break. 

I even took a short break from reading. TV was my entertainment avenue. As was a lot of people's during lockdown. 

I'm going through a flare up of the chronic conditions - you know the drill - energy for home and family first followed by everything else. 

But I'm back to reading. 

Currently reading: 
Chocolate and Old Lace (Rosie Hart Mystery #1) by Kaz Delaney (Pssttt... HelzKat Designs designed the cover this) - cozy mystery
Last read: Gunmetal Magic (Kate Daniels #5.5) by Ilona Andrews - urban fantasy with romantic elements
Next: Marry in Haste (Marry of Convenience #1) by Anne Gracie -  historical romance

I'm also back organising the DSDU. 

I even wrote a blog post about writing flash fiction this week. 

I'm enjoying on catching up with all the fantastic news from the DarkSiders. It really is great seeing all the names out there and adding to my TBR pile. 

~Yia!~

ARRA20 Ticketpalooza - chance to win a ticket to event

As some of you will know, I am participating in A Romantic Rendezvous, a book-signing event in Adelaide on 17th March, alongside authors like Darynda Jones, Susan Donovan, Trish Morey, Elizabeth Rolls, Lilliana Rose, Suzie Hindmarsh-Knights, Maggie Mundy, Leesa Bow and more.

And ... drumroll ... I have a ticket to give away to one lucky reader on Valentine's Day. What better Valentine's Day gift could I give you than the opportunity to discover some new book boyfriends?

If you don't live in Adelaide, don't worry, there will be five events - Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide - and you can win a ticket to the event of your choice! All the details on these event, including the authors signing at each one, are available here: http://australianromancereaders.com.au/events/arr2020/.

To be in the draw, please comment on the relevant post on my author Facebook page or on this post and let me know who your favourite, or most recent, book boyfriend is. Feel free to share this post with all your friends - if I receive more than 50 entries I'll be able to give away a second ticket! So spread the word! I'll draw the winner on Valentine's Day and announce them here.

The more who come along on the day, the more fun we'll have. (If you don't want to wait to see if you're the winner, tickets start from $20 and are available for purchase now at Trybooking.)


Hope to see meet some of you at the signing.

~Eleni :)

Writing Groups - Fiona McIntosh's MasterClass National Conference 2019

I've been very lucky in my writing journey in finding groups who have been instrumental in keeping me going in writing.


One such group is Fiona McIntosh's Masterclass. I was in the Autumn 2018 class and this past week, I with over 100 delegates attended the inaugural Fiona McIntosh Masterclass National Conference (NatCon), which was open to alumni only.

I'm not going to go into detail of the weekend as Faran Silverton has done a great job blogging about  it.

Michael Robotham gives his keynote. Fiona McIntosh opens the conference.What I do want to say is that it was a great mix of catching up with class mates, meeting other alumni, listening to the amazing keynote of Michael Robotham , and getting industry news from publishers, booksellers (great to hear how books get on the shelves) and other authors. We had the opportunity to pitch which I took advantage of (and had a request- yay!).

The energy of the conference was amazing and a great boost. Even when the fibromyalgia was playing havoc, the enthusiasm of the room kept me going. Not surprising with Fiona McIntosh at the helm and the setting O'Leary Walker Wines in the Clare Valley giving inspiration.

There were smiling faces everywhere. I love smiling faces. Smiling faces rock. And while there was some nerves over pitching, there was also encouragement from fellow delegates keeping others grounded.

Overall, everyone had wonderful a few days.


Speaking of nerves, one thing I do have to work on (and you wouldn't know judging by this blog) is approaching publishers and published authors. Part of this is the CFS making me feel slower and part is general nerves. These days authors can't just sit behind the keyboard and not worry about making appearances. So while I'm fine (though nervous) at giving talks, it's the off the cuff stuff that has me stumbling a little.
Idyllic setting
Fiona McIntosh (middle) with successful graduates of her Masterclass,
Adam Cece and Tricia Stringer.
I was lucky enough to share a lovely cottage with my writing buddies from Adelaide who have been keeping me going by attending regular meetings since our Masterclass. Thanks Kate and Amanda.  It would have been lovely to stay longer but real life beckoned.


Cooke Cottage, Clare Valley

Would I go again? The answer is an assuredly "Hell, yeah!"

I'm looking at making realistic plans for the coming few months to keep the momentum going. While I can't go at the pace of NatCon, I can definitely kick things up a pace.


Me (L) with the lovely Mandy Mackay from Dymocks, and fellow
MasterClasser and SARA, Mercedes Whibley (R).

Thanks Fiona, Nathan, and team for a fabulous conference.

Writing Tribes - Fiona McIntosh's MasterClass National Conference 2019

I've been very lucky in my writing journey in finding groups who have been instrumental in keeping me going in writing.


One such group is Fiona McIntosh's Masterclass. I was in the Autumn 2018 class and this past week, I with over 100 delegates attended the inaugural Fiona McIntosh Masterclass National Conference (NatCon), which was open to alumni only.

I'm not going to go into detail of the weekend as Faran Silverton has done a great job blogging about  it.

Michael Robotham gives his keynote. Fiona McIntosh opens the conference.What I do want to say is that it was a great mix of catching up with class mates, meeting other alumni, listening to the amazing keynote of Michael Robotham , and getting industry news from publishers, booksellers (great to hear how books get on the shelves) and other authors. We had the opportunity to pitch which I took advantage of (and had a request- yay!).

The energy of the conference was amazing and a great boost. Even when the fibromyalgia was playing havoc, the enthusiasm of the room kept me going. Not surprising with Fiona McIntosh at the helm and the setting O'Leary Walker Wines in the Clare Valley giving inspiration.

There were smiling faces everywhere. I love smiling faces. Smiling faces rock. And while there was some nerves over pitching, there was also encouragement from fellow delegates keeping others grounded.

Overall, everyone had wonderful a few days.


Speaking of nerves, one thing I do have to work on (and you wouldn't know judging by this blog) is approaching publishers and published authors. Part of this is the CFS making me feel slower and part is general nerves. These days authors can't just sit behind the keyboard and not worry about making appearances. So while I'm fine (though nervous) at giving talks, it's the off the cuff stuff that has me stumbling a little.
Idyllic setting
Fiona McIntosh (middle) with successful graduates of her Masterclass,
Adam Cece and Tricia Stringer.
I was lucky enough to share a lovely cottage with my writing buddies from Adelaide who have been keeping me going by attending regular meetings since our Masterclass. Thanks Kate and Amanda.  It would have been lovely to stay longer but real life beckoned.


Cooke Cottage, Clare Valley

Would I go again? The answer is an assuredly "Hell, yeah!"

I'm looking at making realistic plans for the coming few months to keep the momentum going. While I can't go at the pace of NatCon, I can definitely kick things up a pace.


Me (L) with the lovely Mandy Mackay from Dymocks, and fellow
MasterClasser and SARA, Mercedes Whibley (R).

Thanks Fiona, Nathan, and team for a fabulous conference.

Writing Update - Pre-order, promo, rebranding, & newsletter

Pre-Order and Promo Price

Enchanted Dreams is now available for pre-order at retailers (not Amazon yet. I'm waiting on Amazon who because I've gone through a 3rd Party, will not review until release date of 4th October.)


I decided to have promo price of 99c (US) until the end of October (regular price: $1.99)





Re-branding

For a couple of years, I've wanted to rebrand even undertaking Nikki Logan's Author Branding online course (via Romance Writers of Australia) last year to help me along with that.

Finally, the rebranding is done and I've launched my new brand - Beyond The Looking Glass. I fell in love the image by artist Elena Schweitzer. It has an other-word magical feel, which is exactly what I wanted.




I even came up with a symbol which I used in to seperate the stories from my Author's note in Enchanted Dreams.





The fairy served me well for years but alas it's time to move on. So long...




Newsletter
And finally last but not least, I have changed newsletter providers and created a new signup.






~Eleni 

Enchanted Realms Cover Reveal and update

During the course of a number of blog posts over on the DarkSide DownUnder blog, I've been going through the process of cover design as my alter ego, HelzKat Designs, using my upcoming release, Enchanted Dreams.

The latest blog post reveals the final tweaks and the cover.

But don't worry, here's the cover here.


I've gotten the edits back from my editor.  I'm still recovering from a bad cold. It's drained me and of course stirred up the usual suspects, but I'm hoping to get to the edits in the next couple of weeks.

I'll keep you updated with a release date once I have that all sorted. 

I'm really excited that this project is almost here.

~Eleni