On January 1st of this year, everything looked simple. After years of instability, things were finally settling down to a routine. I felt safe enough to start looking into a big trip for my family—mixed with a research trip for upcoming books (yes, multiple!).

But this summer hit us like an earthquake—in the best possible way.

One major thing? In a series of perfect events, my family found our dream home and was able to leap at the opportunity to move. We had zero plans—I had, in fact, given up on my decades-long dream to move, but when the chance arose, we seized it. And we’re so happy in the new place, even if it’s been more than a little chaotic.

The big family trip happened—we made our way to both Norway and Scotland (a country each for a different book I’m working on), and I was so inspired by what I saw, I’m low-key thinking of writing a nonfiction book and have amassed a frankly embarrassing number of research tomes.

This trip was planned partly for The Crimson Throne, the young adult historical romantasy that’s coming out (checks notes) IN JUST TWO MONTHS WHAT THE WHAT???????!!!!!!

The Crimson Throne is set in Scotland, and a huge chunk of it is set at Stirling Castle. A key goal of mine was to see this place I’ve been imagining with Sara Raasch, my co-author, in real life.

Stirling Castle sits atop a fairly steep hill—very good for defenses. But the tour bus dropped me and the fam off at the bottom of the hill, and through a series of mishaps, we ended up not being able to actually go inside…but I did at least get a very very clear idea of just how much energy it would take to rush up the side of a blasted mountain to get to the top, lol.

If I look exhausted and out of breath and red in the face, that’s because I am, ha. But I got the book through the front gate at least!

It’s always pretty magical to see the real-life setting that I’ve studied and imagined for so long. After so many books set in fantasy or sci fi worlds, there’s truly something special about a place that’s real.

While Stirling Castle was the obvious place to visit for research and bookish things, I must confess to many more spots of inspiration. I’ve been working on a book now since before The Crimson Throne was written, and although it’s not yet been announced and is still currently a secret, some hints:

This was truly a trip of a lifetime. Outside of book research, I have utterly fallen for both Lofoten Islands and Shetland Islands. And if I can get another book out of it, you can bet I’ll be on the first flight back to either/both of these dreamy places!

Before I stray too far away from books, let me bring it back to The Crimson Throne, and remind you all of two important things! Thing Number One: BOOK TOUR!

Will I be coming to a city near you? Come see me and Sara at any of the stops below!

PreOrder and Event links below:

• Asheville, NC: October 6 at 6pm at Malaprops Bookstore

• Lexington, KY: October 7 at 7pm at Joseph-Beth Booksellers

• Houston, TX: October 8 at 7pm at Blue Willow Bookshop

• San Diego, CA: October 9 at 7pm at Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore

• Winston-Salem, NC: November 14 at 6:30pm at Bookmarks

ProTip: All of these bookstores can order any of my other titles, and I’ll happily sign them there as well!

Signed books and some exclusive goodies (including something special for that upcoming Norway-influenced book I keep hinting about) will be available at every stop! And remember: Every single first edition copy of the book will have beautiful stenciled edges in a gorgeous red and gold Celtic knotwork design that features daggers and thistles.

And speaking of The Crimson Throne: Thing Number Two: Walmart Exclusive Edition!

The Walmart exclusive edition also features the beautiful stenciled edges, but comes with a different variant of the cover that’s reversible and features stunning full color artwork (that I am so going to frame) of Altyh with a knife to Samson’s throat, alongside dagger end pages and a stamped case cover! IT IS SO PRETTY Y’ALL.

Get the WalMart Exclusive Edition

And speaking of gorgeous books…

The Fate of Magic paperback is coming in hot with neon pink edges designed with a gorgeous moon and world and world tree print! They look stunning next to Night of the Witch (and are accidentally the colors of Wicked, lol).

You can order signed copies of all of these books at my book tour stops listed above, and both Sara and I will sign them! If you’re a collector, it’s a little hard to get both of our signatures in books, and the book tour is about the only guarantee of this happening in the foreseeable future.

And just in case you’re on the fence…Kirkus Reviews, notoriously harsh professional critic, loves The Crimson Throne, calling it an “atmospheric fantasy brimming with intrigue and heart!”

New Merch Store!

In addition to moving, travelling, and gearing up for some big book launches, Bonfire reached out to me with an idea to start a merch store. At first, I was really hesitant, but then I realized I had the perfect design that I really love, that embraces both what I adore as a writer and what I think my readers love, too:

This design is SO me. (And note that dragon! Maybe it has something to do with some of those Norway hint pictures….)

If you love it, too, you can get this design on a variety of print goodies at Bonfire. Visit my storefront here!

Visit the Merch Store

Upcoming Wordsmith Retreats

After having a blast at the Pigeon Forge Wordsmith Retreat, we’ve got two new retreats already booked! Join us in Texas in November, or Mexico in February of next year!

(In Texas, you get to be loved on by the ranch dogs; in Mexico you get coconuts and beach. Why choose, come to both, haha!)

Our retreats are fun, inclusive, and will meet you at whatever level you are at—we’ve got people who’ve published with major publishers and people who’ve not yet completed their first novel in our ranks. And most importantly? We’ve got a community of helpful authors and we’re just a friendly, driven bunch. If you’ve ever thought of joining us, now’s a great time!

Find Out More

Over on Patreon

We’re deep into the “Idea to Finished Project” series—once a month, I tackle the next step toward getting your book from an idea to a complete manuscript. We’re in the middle (literally) of working on the middle of your book right now, with a detailed examination of story structure. This series will eventually be turned into a course that anyone can participate in, but Patreon gets it first as it’s being developed!

We’re also about two-thirds done with Global Quest, the serial novel I’m publishing a chapter at a time, where the main characters are chasing down an inheritance by following clues that take them all across the world. Apparently, this last month’s clue was the toughest yet, ha!

You can join Patreon for as little as $2 a month, or you can join higher levels as a layaway plan for critiques and coaching (or cash them in monthly). I truly want to make this a community that helps and serves you, whether you’re a reader or a writer. Feel free to pop on and check it out for a month (just cancel before the billing cycle starts and preview everything for free).

OH! And Patreon members are going to get the first sneak peek of the cover for my upcoming release of Darkness Fills the Void. Patreon’s already gotten a chance to read the full novel as a perk of the program, and they’ll get the ebook and the chance to see the cover and behind-the-scenes first, too.

What I’m Working on Now

• Adult romantasy novel: finished the first round of edits, working on all the exciting bits

• Adult romantasy novel 2: 15k words done, clear outline developed, trucking along!

• Short story 1 in Chaotic Orbits series: Done, and will be in an anthology next year

• Short story 2 in Chaotic Orbits series: Done, and will be published in something special next year

• Crimson Throne 2: Two rounds of edits done, waiting on copy edits

• Nonfiction book: Research, research, research mode

• Middle Grade Idea: outlining

• Global Quest: Updating regularly on Patreon

• Side gigs!

  • Weekly posts and videos about writing at Patreon

  • SNHU as an online adjunct in the MFA writing program

  • Accepting critique and coaching jobs with Wordsmith Workshops—in addition to doing Word Lab!

  • Actively doing in-person school, library, and book fair events—book me for panels, signings, and workshops for both adults and teens on writing! If you’d like to get an idea of some of the programming I do, I describe it a bit here.