Heart’s Master

Jan

2026

Happy New Year? I Think?

Boy, 2026 started off…

I think that’s all we can say, isn’t it. 2026 started off. Happy New Year? I think?

Today is my first day back from a much-needed break. Today, I get started on the sensitivity edits on The Coral Throne, which I hope won’t take more than a week or two. Once they’re done, I’ll be able to get the cover started for the book (I have the stock images already picked out. It’s Daanir on the cover and I can’t wait for you to see him!)

And while we’re talking about The Coral Throne universe, I get to announce that The Sea Prince made it through the lottery for SPFBO 11! It will be read by a blog with which I am unfamiliar (The Fantasy Hive). I hope they like it!

In other news, Have Yourself a Merry Little Witchmas came out on December 23rd, and you can find it on Kindle Unlimited. I’m currently thinking about the next book in the Coven Tree series (tentative title — Six More Weeks of Witches), and planning out the series as a whole. I might start actually writing it if things stay quiet at the tents at the Highland Games. We’ll see how that goes.

The Highland Games are why I’m not jumping right into working on King of Swords. I’m going to be distracted by prep for the Games, and I know it, so I’m going to work on something shorter and easier to transition away from if I need to go do something else. If you come by the Games, you’ll find me at Bairn Care, near the clan tents. Stop in and say hi!

The other project I’m pulling out of mothballs is Holy Orders, which is the sequel to Heart’s Master. 2026 marks ten years since Heart’s Master first came out, and I really should get the next book done. Especially since Coven Tree is set in the same universe, and we might be seeing some familiar faces in the later Coven Tree books. I just need to see where I broke the manuscript (which is why I put it aside the first time.)

In person events are lining up in the schedule. I have at least one a month for every month except May (and I might be traveling in May, so I may leave that month open.) The schedule is below, so check it out and come find me at an event!

Promotions

Now Available!

Merlina Sherbourne was ready to close her magical shop for the holidays—until a charming stranger appears at her door carrying a curse and a quiet kind of desperation.

Camber Kincaid never meant to fall under a spell, but one enchanted ring leaves him with no choice but to seek help from a witch he’s never met. With Christmas fast approaching and magic misbehaving, Merlina agrees to help him break the curse… even if it means changing her holiday plans entirely.

What begins as a practical arrangement quickly turns into something warmer. Late-night conversations, gentle magic, and shared meals by the fire draw them closer, and soon Merlina and Camber discover that some connections feel impossibly natural—like they’ve always belonged together. As family secrets surface and old magic stirs, they’ll have to trust not only their spells, but their hearts.

Sweet, tender, and wrapped in holiday charm, Have Yourself a Merry Little Witchmas is a cozy paranormal romance about found family, soft magic, and falling in love when you least expect it.

Perfect for readers who love low-stakes romance, witchy coziness, and comforting seasonal reads to return to year after year.

Now Available in Kindle Unlimited!

Work in Progress

Tales from the Arena: King of Swords
(Tales from the Arena, book 4)

35962 / 90000 (39.96%)

Appearances

Galentine’s Day Sip and Shop
Native Home Marketplace
February 5th, 2026
6:00pm – 9:00 pm

***

ICFA
March 18-21th, 2026
Orlando, FL

***

Storyteller Summit
April 11th, 2026
11:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Oviedo, FL.

***

Summer Lovin’ Book Festival
June 6th, 2026
11:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Oviedo, FL.

***

Summer Creatives Market
July 18th, 2026
10:00Am – 3:00PM
Sanford, FL

***

Tanoshii Con
August 22nd – 23rd, 2026
Ocean Center Arena, Daytona Beach.

***

Smut Lovers Conference
September 16th – 20th, 2026
Orlando, FL

***

Page and Pen Festival
October 3rd, 2026
11:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Oviedo, FL.

Sep

2023

Calendar Fall

On September 1st, I saw something on the news that said that September 1st was the first day of calendar fall. Which… if you live someplace where you don’t have actual fall, like Florida, then having a purely calendar fall makes sense. I guess. School started a month ago, and Spooky season started July 5th, but sure, it’s fall now.

(If you think I’m joking about spooky season starting July 5th? There was Halloween merchandise on sale in Joann’s Fabrics over a month ago, and the wholesale clubs have the Halloween themed candy out.)

In two weeks we’ll be at Necronomicon in Tampa. I’ll be on four panels (I think it’s four? Maybe five) and I’ll have a table in Writer’s Alley. I WILL have print copies of Princes of Air (for the first time EVER!), but I will not have the new covers on House of Sable Locks just yet. (I MAY have a cover reveal for Sable Locks in the newsletter this week. Do you get my newsletter? Would you like to?)

I’ve heard from my editor about Morrigan’s Heir, and I should have edits in hand next month. He tells me that the edits are minimal, so there’s still a good chance that we’ll have this book out in 2023! More as soon as I know more!

In terms of current writing, things are moving slowly with The Sea Prince, as the characters reveal things that I hadn’t realized where there. And I am just about to finish chapter 6 of Balance of Power, racing to keep ahead of my Patreon! There’s a new myth in this book, which I’m currently working into the narrative, and which may show up as a short at some point later.

The Sea Prince
The Coral Throne, Book 1

49934 / 120000 (41.61%)

Balance of Power
Heir to the Firstborn, Book 7

18966 / 90000 (21.07%)

Two projects that I thought were hibernating have started to stir, one of which led me to reread Heart’s Master for the first time in an age. All I can say is that when I finally get around to writing Holy Orders (and yes, that’s the title of the next Drum Mage book), it’s going to be very obvious that there were a bunch of years and a lot of growth as a writer between the two books. Maybe I can talk to my editor about a re-edit at some point?

The other thing that started to make waking-up noises is the short/novella/what-is-this-going-to-be that will tie The Chronicles of John Zebedee into Swords of Charlemagne, and lead the way into Children of the Swords. The astute reader may have noticed the throwaway line in the first part of John Zebedee that told you it was the same universe. Did you catch it? Children of the Swords is still a few years down the line, because I know nothing of Gilded Age England, or about England in WWI, and I suppose I could just watch Downton Abbey, but that feels like cheating. I have to do research.

Written in Water is still in the running over in SPFBO, with just over a month left in the first round. The suspense is getting real over here!

And today… I applied to be part of the creative track at ICFA.

And that’s about where I am in my area. Planning for edits, writing words, creating worlds, and trying to keep ahead of my readers on Patreon. Busy, busy, busy!

Back to work!

Jun

2021

Writing is a Solitary Profession

Most of the time, we’re alone in our rooms, banging our heads on the keyboard and drinking something caffeinated. Or, if you’re writing later in the day, non-caffeinated. Perhaps alcoholic. Or maybe not. I’m so not judging your choice of libations. Right now? I’m drinking water and writing this blog, and thinking about the next thing that’ll happen in Heir to the Firstborn. (Owyn is in trouble. Again. When is Owyn not in trouble?)

Heir to the Firstborn(Heir to the Firstborn, book 5)

100240 / 150000 (66.83%)

Writing is solitary. Except, of course, for when it isn’t. This morning, I spent an hour interviewing the fantastically funny Amy Christine Parker about scene architecture and story structure, and during the interview, this came up in conversation:

Being a writer is fun. You get to do things like interview other writers. You get to go to conferences and meet the people who’ve read and loved your books (or people who haven’t read your work yet, and have just discovered that you exist.) You get to meet the writers whose work you’ve loved, and learn that they’re really cool people (most of the time).

The actual writing part? That can be hard — in 1949, someone asked sports columnist Red Smith if writing a daily column was difficult. His response? “Why, no. You simply sit down at the typewriter, open your veins, and bleed.” Sometimes, you just really stare at the screen, or at the page, or at the backs of your eyelids, and you wonder where all the voices in your head went (I do hear my characters — that’s how I know I’ve got them figured out.)

I have two partial manuscripts I’d love to finish, but the characters won’t talk to me anymore. There’s something wrong in the outline, and I haven’t been able to figure out what or how to fix it. (I talk about them every so often — The Sea Prince is one. The Willow Sword is the other.) Now, it took me six years to figure out what was broken with Heart’s Master, and finish that one, so I have high hopes that one of these years, you’ll see a book cover with one of those titles, and my name on it. But not until I figure out what’s broken and how to fix it. I’ll be taking another stab at The Willow Sword once I finish Heir to the Firstborn. Maybe this time, I’ll pull a hat out of a rabbit.

No, I don’t have that backwards. Any magician can pull a rabbit out of a hat. Who pulls a hat out of a rabbit? A really GOOD magician.

Or a writer.

Jul

2020

“I’d Like Some Dull Now…”

Wings of AirHeir to the Firstborn, Book 4

51671 / 120000 (43.06%)

So, can we stop living in interesting times now? I’d really like some dull now.

Granted, the whole “staying home and not interacting with people you don’t live with” thing is getting really old and boring. But the reasons that we’re doing that haven’t gone away, so we’re going to keep on staying home and not interacting as much as possible.

And, in my case, I’m going to keep focusing on writing. Because I know everything will be all right in the worlds I’m creating — they’re romances, after all. The HEA is guaranteed.

Wings of Air is progressing nicely. I’ve FINALLY gotten them out of Terraces, and I’m heading for a scene that I’ve been waiting to write for a while.

The synopsis for John Zebedee and the Monstrous Town is done, and I’ll start putting together the synopsis for John Zebedee Meets the Witch-Queen of Elfland once I’m not with something SOOPER SEKRIT and very exciting.

I was honored to be part of Wordier Than Thou’s Night of Paranormal Stories this past Friday. I read from Heart’s Master, which was fun to revisit. (and, of course, reread over the weekend!)

(Yes, that’s my office. Yes, that’s Super Grover.)

Not much else is happening. We’re having a quiet anniversary — 23 years for me and Mister M. (Well, today is 23 years observed. We were actually married by a Justice of the Peace on July 11th, 1997.) Apparently, we mark 23 years with manual labor — M and I got out in the garden this morning, and it’s looking good. Well, better than it had been. I’m still not sure just where those tomatoes came from, because they’re not the ones I planted. None of my other seeds started — well, except the peas, and they’re done. So I went out yesterday and picked up started plants and potting soil. We may have the repeat of the Year of the Eggplant — I got two Black Beauty eggplants and two orange bell peppers. I potted a couple of pineapple crowns, for when we redo the pineapple bed in the back of the garden. (That’s going to wait for cooler weather.)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Elizabeth Schechter (@schechterelizabeth) on Jul 27, 2020 at 8:37am PDT

It’s thundering at the moment — not unusual for a summer afternoon in Florida. So I’m going to go off and get some offline stuff done.

Stay safe, everyone. Wear your masks and wash your hands

Jun

2020

Show of Hands?

Who else thinks that 2020 needs to knock it the fuck off already?

Yeah, me too.

This past week has been emotionally exhausting. I’m doing what I can to support BLM. I’ve been amplifying posts and signing petitions and honestly, I was not expecting Pride this year to go quite that retro.

(If I need to explain to you that Pride started as a riot… well… look, you learned something today. Gold star!)

There’s been writing. I can’t not write, especially when there’s too much and I get overwhelmed. I’ve heard other writers say that they’ve been having trouble during the quarantine because how can you be creative now? I have the opposite problem. Under stress, I tend to dive into a manuscript, because I know everything will be all right in there. Perks of being a romance writer, I guess. You’re guaranteed a happy ending in romancelandia. In real life? Not so much.

So there’s been writing. I might finish Echoes of Light this month. And Wings of Air is promising to be a beast of a book — I’m eight chapters in and we still haven’t made the big move to take us on the first step to the end.

Echoes of Light

25389 / 50000 (50.78%)

***Wings of AirHeir to the Firstborn, Book 4

24898 / 95000 (26.21%)

So, where do I go from here? Once I’m done with Wings of Air, what am I going to do with the Patreon?

Well, I have two options. I have The Willow Sword, a YA idea that I started ages ago, and that sort of lost momentum. That would be two books — The Willow Sword and The Stone Mountain. And I have The Sea Prince, which is a sort of steampunky, Master and Commander kind of thing that I started years ago with a friend. That one also lost momentum. That one would be three books — The Sea Prince, The Coral Throne, and one that I can’t remember what title I was going to use. It’s been a while, and I don’t think I wrote it down.

Between those two series, I think I’m set for Patreon fodder for a while.

I also need to plan out the rest of the Flesh and Blood series (those are the BDSM Vampire books). Five in that series, counting the one that I finished already.

I need to write the second White Raven book.

I need to figure out the third Tales from the Arena book.

And I need to go back through the outline for the next Drum Mage book (Holy Orders, sequel to Heart’s Master) and figure out what I did wrong that made it stop short.

And then… and then….?

I forgot I had this running list (and I completely FORGOT about The Mentalist’s Cat. That would work for Patreon.)

To Write

- - Wings of Air
  - Echoes of Light
  - The White Raven: Morrigan’s Wrath
  - The Sea Prince (started, shelved)
  - The Willow Sword (started, shelved)

To Edit

To Outline

- - Flesh and Blood (five books)
  - The Mentalist’s Cat
  - Holy Orders (Sequel to Heart’s Master)
  - Coral Throne (sequel to Sea Prince)
  - Tales from the Arena: Dead Man’s Hand (Tales from the Arena 3)
  - Men of Mortal Seeming (An Artificer novel)
  - Towers of Light (Metropolis project)

To Sell

- - The White Raven: Morrigan’s Heir
  - Bonds of Blood and Steel
  - Blood Bound
  - The Ice Raven

To Self-Publish

- - Swords of Charlemagne (4 books)

So I’ll be busy and out of trouble for a while, it looks like.

Stay safe, everyone.

May

2018

Work in Progress: The Lady and the Sword, week 14

The end is near!

I’m halfway through the second to last chapter of The Lady and the Sword, so I’m calling it. Draft by the end of the week!

The Lady and the Sword
Swords of Charlemagne, Book 2

78653 / 85000 (92.53%)

I have to say, for the record, that I am never again writing a book that has a non-linear timeline. Margaret, Douglas and Mystere are linear — their timeline starts in book one, and will continue unbroken until book four. Roland, Olivier and Turpin are not linear — their timeline jumps, and it’s been interesting. Especially since the Carolingian parts of The Lady and the Sword happen between the first two sections of Hidden Things. I keep having to go edit the scenes in book one to fit what happens in book two. Thankfully, the Carolingian parts of Ashes and Light will happen directly before the final Carolingian section of Hidden Things. I know that part of the story already, so most of the edits to book one have already happened. (That being said, I just thought of something that needs tweaking.)

Okay, now for what may very well be the last excerpt:

***

Roland nodded. He looked up, seeing the torches on the walls of Pavia. “There are bathhouses in Pavia.”

“Probably, yes.”

“Think we could sneak into the city and visit one? I need a bath.” Roland glanced at Olivier, who was clearly trying not to laugh. “What?”

“Little things that I never understood about you before. Now that I know you better, they make perfect sense.” Olivier answered. “We can’t visit a bathhouse, but you can still bathe. The surgeons will probably insist on it. And I’ll help you shave, if you want.”

“What’s funny about bathing?”

Olivier looked around, then switched to silent conversation. “When you were telling me about running wild as a boy, you said that you remembered two things. You remembered being hungry and being dirty. Ever since I’ve met you, I’ve marveled at how much you can eat. You’re thin as an arrow, and you eat more than anyone I’ve ever seen. And you bathe more than my sister’s cats.”

Roland blinked. “I… I never connected them.”

“You probably wouldn’t. You’re inside it. You can’t see the whole of it.”

Roland looked away, trying to think of something else to say. “I… you have a sister? Who has cats?”

“Aude,” Olivier answered. “She’s six years younger than I am. And she has three cats.” He sighed. “At some point, I really should find her a husband.”

“Not me,” Roland answered quickly, and Olivier burst into laughter.

“If you’re certain?”

“I’m certain,” Roland said.

“Then not you,” Olivier agreed. “Although, I admit that I wouldn’t object to having you as a brother.”

Roland swallowed hard and smiled. “Thank you, Olivier.” He frowned looking down at the dirt as they walked. “I don’t know that I’m ever going to marry. A woman, I mean.”

“Do you even like women?”

Roland considered, then nodded. “I like everyone,” he said. “I prefer men, but I like women, too. I know Uncle wants me to marry at some point. I’m just… I don’t know. The idea is terrifying.” He looked around, then pitched his voice low. “Olivier, may I ask you a question?”

“Let’s get you bathed first.” Olivier stopped outside the bath tent and looked inside. “We’ve got it to ourselves. We can talk in private. Come on.”

“I’m going to need help,” Roland looked down at his left arm.

“I know. You don’t mind my help, do you?”

Roland smiled. “I’m glad of it.” He stayed quiet as Olivier helped him remove what remained of his clothes, helped him scrub dirt from his skin, listened to Olivier grumble over the multitude of scratches and bruises.

“You look like you fought with a thorn bush and lost,” Olivier said, wrapping a drying sheet around Roland’s waist.

“Sit down and I’ll comb your hair.”

“Thank you. And I think I did. With the thorn bush, I mean.” He sat down on a bench and closed his eyes as Olivier started working the comb through his hair. It felt just as good as when Turpin did it. “Olivier, may I ask that question now?”

The comb went still, then started again. “Of course.”

“You have sons— ”

The comb stopped again. “I don’t beat my children, Roland. I don’t hurt them. I don’t treat them the way Ganelon treats you.”

Roland turned around to face Olivier. “I wondered. I can’t see you ever hurting them. But you’re here, and not there. You’re not with them.”

“Even when I’m with them, I would never hurt them,” Olivier said. “Not my boys.” He frowned, then set the comb aside and straddled the bench, facing Roland. “Roland,” he said gently. “Not all fathers are like Ganelon. You’ve seen Charles with his children, haven’t you?”

Roland nodded. “Yes.”

“My sons, they mean the world to me. I would never hurt them. Charles is the same. Your father, your real father, I imagine he would have been like that.”

Roland shrugged his right shoulder, then winced. “I don’t know. I can’t know. And… that’s why I won’t marry, Olivier. I’m not going to do to any child what was done to me.”

“You wouldn’t,” Olivier said firmly. “Because you know what it’s like.”

Roland frowned. “Is it that easy?”

“Being a father isn’t easy, Roland.” Olivier smiled. “When they handed Aquilante to me the first time, I was terrified that I’d drop him! But I’d never change it.” He paused, then nodded. “The next time I go to Vienne, come with me. I want you to meet my boys. Meet Gismonda.”

Roland smiled slightly. “I’d like that.”

***

The other news this week happened over on Twitter. Months ago, I paid in to have the cover of Heart’s Master included in advertising at the Romance Times Convention, which was this past week. I’d forgotten all about the ad until I got an email from the president of my RWA chapter — my cover was one of two that had been deemed unfit for public consumption in the hotel, and had been censored.

Now, I wasn’t at RT, but Cecilia Tan was. So I texted her and told her what was going on. And, oh, what a can of worms that opened!

Things did resolve happily, however, and the ads were replaced by the next morning. I also had a lovely conversation with the general manager of the hotel, who fell all over himself apologizing for the mess. All’s well that ends well.

Upcoming plans — once this book is in the can, I’ll be proofreading The White Raven: Morrigan’s Heir so I can send that off to Circlet. Then I’ll proof this one and send it and the updated Hidden Things in to Forbidden Fiction (which just recently changed to Enspire Publishing).

And once those are in, I’ll spend the rest of the summer doing some worldbuilding for the Elemental thing. But for that, you’ll need to be following me over on Patreon.

Dec

2017

Work in Progress: The White Raven, week 10

And… I’m officially behind. Another off week, and I’m now just about a thousand words behind where I should be at this stage. I’ll be working on making that up this coming week.

The White Raven
Week Ten Total Wordcount

Things I learned this week? Fight scenes take longer for me to write than sex scenes, but it’s for the same reason — blocking. Figuring out what’s happening where, and who is doing what to whom, takes time. Here’s hoping that once I get through this fight scene that things speed up.

Instead of an excerpt this week, have a short story — my only Christmas story to date: Snowbound. If you like it, it is included in the Circlet anthology Jingle Balls.

It’s late here, and things are going to start early here. To everyone out there in the virtual world, have a Merry Christmas. (If you don’t celebrate Christmas, have a fantastic holiday that you do celebrate!)

Aug

2017

I might have forgotten to post this…

In the sheer mental exhaustion that came after nearly a week at RWA Nationals, I might have forgotten to post this…

Heart’s Master is a finalist in the LGBT category for the Golden Flogger Award for Best BDSM book of 2017!

Here are all the finalists:

BDSM Light:

D.M. Barr	Expired Listings
Sierra Cartwright	Boss
Chloe Cox	Trust An Even Hand
Jill Shannon	Onxy
Maddie Taylor	Sweet Submission
Jade Waters	The Assignments

Advanced
Alexis Abbott	Owned by the Hitman
Lilly Freeman	A little band of red
C.D. Reiss	Marriage Games
Elizabeth SaFleur	Perfect (Elite Doms of Washington Book 3)
Amelia Smarts	Emma’s Surrender
Tara Sue Me	The Master
Katy Swann	Behind the Scenes
Cecilia Tan	Taking the Lead
Maddie Taylor	French Kiss
Jillian Verne	Harmony
Dark Erotica
Alaska Angelini	Insufferable
Jennifer Bene	Lethal Sin
Annabel Joseph	Trust Me
Claire Thompson	Secrets


Dominant women/submissive men
Cailin Briste	Maon: Marshal of Tallav
Monica Corwin	On a White Horse
Mariel Dumont	A Job Well Done
Elia Winters	Tied Score

LGBT
Elizabeth Andre	Give Me Thorns
Lynda Aicher	The Deeper He Hurts
Jenna Jacob	Bound to Surrender
Elizabeth Schechter	Heart’s Master
L.A. Witt	Kinky Sprinkles
Ménage
Livia Grant	Infamous Love
Joey W. Hill	Naughty Wishes
Cherise Sinclair	Mischief & The Masters
Lainie Suzanne	Wicked



Novella
R.E. Hargrave	Brooklyn Blues
Renee Rose	Theirs to Punish
Tara Sue Me	The Claiming
Minxie Wells	Communication Skills
Jade Waters	The Assignments

Paranormal — Futuristic — Fantasy
Cailin Briste	Maon: Marshal of Tallav
Monica Corwin	On a White Horse
Joey W. Hill	Medusa’s Heart
Christian Kennedy	The One Gold Slave



Non-fiction
Mrs. Darling	Darling Discovered: A True Story of Submission
Felicia Vine	BDSM Mastery: 29 Must-Know Tips to Spice Up Your Sex Life



Anthologys
HL37	Make Me Take it for You
Ashe Barker	His Domain
Mari Carr	One Night in Vegas

The awards will be given at BDSM Writers Con in New York, on August 17th.

And hey, if you’ve read this far, maybe support the Thunderclap for Where Home Lies? That will be coming out in September!

Jul

2017

And the Prism goes to….

Someone else. Harper Jameson won with her very first book The Spirit. Congrats to her!!!

Heart’s Master tied for second. I’m still very pleased!

Jul

2017

Shh… it’s a secret!

I have cover art for Where Home Lies (the final Rebel Mage book). You just can’t see it… yet.

I also have a date. The projected publication date for Where Home Lies is September 5th. The date is currently written in warm jello, but it’s solidifying rapidly.

I can’t wait to show the cover art to you all — but you have to wait until July 28th, which is the date of the official unveiling. I will (I hope) have the artwork up that night. I have to see if I can do delayed posts on this thing. It looks like I can, but trusting technology is like trusting the Florida government to do what it promises. It doesn’t always work like it says on the tin…

Now, I will be at the RWA National convention that weekend, and I’ll be signing at the Literacy Signing on July 29th. So if you’re near Disney, come to the Dolphin from 3-5 on Saturday, July 29th. The event is open to the public, and there will be 400 romance writers with their latest and greatest work, ready to meet you. I’ll have Heart’s Master and Haven’s Fall, and I’ll have the cover art for Where Home Lies. So come see us, maybe pick up some books for charity (the proceeds from the signing benefit literacy programs), and check out the new cover art in person!

Heart’s Master

Happy New Year? I Think?

Promotions

Now Available!

Work in Progress

Appearances

Calendar Fall

Writing is a Solitary Profession

“I’d Like Some Dull Now…”

Show of Hands?

Work in Progress: The Lady and the Sword, week 14

Work in Progress: The White Raven, week 10

I might have forgotten to post this…

And the Prism goes to….

Shh… it’s a secret!

Works in Progress

Appearances

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