publishing

If It’s Not One Thing…

If It’s Not One Thing…

If It’s not one thing, it’s two things. Or six. Usually, it’s six. Last week? It was a doctor appointment every morning, then heading out to the writing retreat after, going right into the Renaissance Faire on Saturday.

Which, I suppose, is my way of saying I’m tired today.

The retreat was amazing, and there are some exciting things that are coming out of it that I can’t really talk about yet. Things are written in warm Jell-O right now, but are solidifying nicely, so I’ll tell you more once I can.

For the writing part of the writing retreat, I added over 6,000 words to The Coral Throne last week. Which is a fantastic number, but that leaves me with just about 39K words to finish before I have a draft. This means that I won’t be done by next week, so I’m shifting my vacation until August, and taking July to finish this manuscript. So after next week, there will be no blogs and no newsletter until September (there won’t be a newsletter next week. I think I may have forgotten to announce that.)

Things are moving on the publishing side, and I’m hearing buzz about a late fall/early winter release on two books. I don’t have an exact date, nor would I announce one this early — things might change. But I have two books projected to come out later this year (if it’s not one thing, it’s two things!)

One of those would be Raven’s Flight. The other…. is Hidden Things.

Wait, what?

Yes, Riverdale Avenue Books have optioned the Swords of Charlemagne series! At some point later this summer, the existing books are going to vanish my store, and from all online bookstores. Because of this, I’m running a sale on existing paperbacks. If you want the existing covers, get them now. When they’re gone, they’re gone! Find the sales code below.

Back to work!

Promotions

Half Off Sale!

From now until they sell out, you can get the Swords of Charlemagne books from me directly for half off. That’s12.50 for each, or all four books for $37.50 when you use the code SWORDS.

Why? The Swords of Charlemagne have a new home with Riverdale Avenue Books! I’m waiting for my editor there to tell me when I have to take down the existing listings. Once that happens, these covers are going away.

Free Books!

You have one week left! Come find a selection of free steamy books! Click the graphic and take a look!


Now Available!

To end the war with the Empire, all Prince Tarjiaan has to do is deny his heart and marry the Emperor’s granddaughter. Peace is assured…

Or is it?

The Sea Prince sets sail on June 10th!


Now Available!

Kidnapped from his home and sold as a slave in Rome, Raven-Prince Lorcan must survive in a world where entertainment is murder, diplomacy is betrayal, and love is a commodity. And where a raven who is only supposed to ever have one mate will somehow find two…

Read it before Raven’s Flight comes out!

Image of a book cover. Cover is red-orange, with an abstract design over which there is a raven in flight. Text reads Book One in the Blood of the Raven series. Raven's Fall. Wings of Blood and Desire. By Blood Betrayed.  Elizabeth Schechter

Work in Progress

The Coral Throne
(The Coral Throne, book 2)

61947 / 100000 (61.95%)

Appearances

3rd Annual Summer Artisan Market
June 29th, 2025
Brannon Center
New Smyrna Beach, FL

***

Smut Lovers: The Conference
September 17th – 21st, 2025
Orlando, FL

***

Necronomicon
September 26th – 28th, 2025
Tampa, FL

***

Page and Pen Festival
October 4th, 2025
Oviedo, FL

Posted by EASchechter in 2025 plans, accountability, appearances, Blood of the Raven, forthcoming works, Hidden Things, progress, promotions, publishing, Raven's Flight, Swords of Charlemagne, The Coral Throne, upcoming books, upcoming work, WIP, wordcount, Write Faster!, 0 comments
Tomorrow!

Tomorrow!

Happy Book Birthday Eve! Tomorrow is the day! The Sea Prince releases tomorrow, at long last. My earliest notes on this novel are from 2009. So technically, The Sea Prince is older than Princes of Air. The concept, anyway. It’s really kind of bizarre to think that, after so many false starts, broken plotlines, and rewrites, this novel is finally going to be published. It’s a very different book from when it started, way back in 2009. But in some places, it’s very much the same.

And tomorrow, you get to read it!

One of those things that changed is that in the original manuscript from 2009, Nika had a cat. There were plot points as to why and how the cat was important, but in the latest rewrite, I decided that the cat didn’t make any sense. So there’s no cat in The Sea Prince. However, about halfway through The Coral Throne, someone asks Tarjiaan why the Wave Runner doesn’t have a ship cat, because it’s traditional for Meradonese ships to have one (or more). They take Tarjiaan and Nika to meet their cat’s litter… and one of them bonds immediately with Nika.

(song cue!) And the cat came back! She wouldn’t stay away….

Nika isn’t the only one to come away with a cat, though. Tarjiaan is also adopted/claimed by an opinionated and unique calico cat. For the record, I already adore Tripod:


Tarjiaan heard a yowl, and looked down to see a cat at his feet. This wasn’t a kitten — from its size, it was at least a year old, with a smooth coat of many colors completely unlike the fluffy forest cats. It yowled again, then jumped, and Tarjiaan scrambled to catch the cat before the animal could set its claws into Tarjiaan’s coat and the skin underneath.


“I apologize, Captain,” Mentiras said. “This is Tripod. He was born on the Endurance, and placed with us… well, you see why.”


“I see,” Tarjiaan said. The reason for his name was clear — Tripod was missing his right front leg. “What happened to him?”

“The ship physician said it was a birth injury.” He reached out and scratched Tripod’s ears. “We’re not sure of his bloodline — the Endurance’s queen went missing when they were last in Sualiman, and she came back gravid. Tripod was runt of the litter, and no one thought he was going to survive. He doesn’t seem to have any trouble getting around, but the Endurance’s captain didn’t think that he was suitable to be a ship cat.”

Tarjiaan shifted the cat in his arms and started scratching him behind the ears. “I think Tripod disagrees,” he said. “I think he’s decided he’s not only going to be a ship’s cat, he’s going to be the captain’s cat.” He stopped scratching, and Tripod twisted and reached up with his front paw, catching Tarjiaan’s sleeve and dragging his hand back down. “Oh, I see! You’re already letting me know you’re in charge?”


Tomorrow, you get to meet Tarjiaan and Nika and Daanir, and fall into their world. I can’t wait!

Promotions

Free Books!

For the month of June, come find a selection of free steamy books! Click the graphic and take a look!


Stuff with Fantasy Bookish Solstice!

Coming June 14th is the Stuff With Fantasy Bookish Solstice event, where every book is 99 cents. I’m not sure how many books are included in this sale, but it certainly looks like a lot!


Preorder Now!

To end the war with the Empire, all Prince Tarjiaan has to do is deny his heart and marry the Emperor’s granddaughter. Peace is assured…

Or is it?

The Sea Prince sets sail on June 10th!


Now Available!

Kidnapped from his home and sold as a slave in Rome, Raven-Prince Lorcan must survive in a world where entertainment is murder, diplomacy is betrayal, and love is a commodity. And where a raven who is only supposed to ever have one mate will somehow find two…

Read it before Raven’s Flight comes out!

Image of a book cover. Cover is red-orange, with an abstract design over which there is a raven in flight. Text reads Book One in the Blood of the Raven series. Raven's Fall. Wings of Blood and Desire. By Blood Betrayed.  Elizabeth Schechter

Work in Progress

The Coral Throne
(The Coral Throne, book 2)

52080 / 100000 (52.08%)

Appearances

Meet and Greet for The Sea Prince book release
Spellbound Bookstore
June 15th
12:30PM -2:30PM
Sanford, FL

***

Enchanted Knights: Summer Solstice
June 21st, 2025
Oviedo Mall
Oviedo, FL

***

3rd Annual Summer Artisan Market
June 29th, 2025
Brannon Center
New Smyrna Beach, FL

***

Smut Lovers: The Conference
September 17th – 21st, 2025
Orlando, FL

***

Necronomicon
September 26th – 28th, 2025
Tampa, FL

***

Page and Pen Festival
October 4th, 2025
Oviedo, FL

Posted by EASchechter in a-writers-life-is-never-dull, accountability, forthcoming works, Happy Book Day, happy-happy- joy- joy, promotions, publishing, Release date, Self-publishing, The Coral Throne, The Sea Prince, upcoming books, upcoming work, WIP, wordcount, 0 comments

The Halfway Point. Sort Of.

I’ve hit the halfway point of The Coral Throne... sort of. Why sort of? Because today I made the decision to increase my wordcount. I took it from 90K to 100K words, which means that my percentage complete dropped. However, I’m still hoping to have this book done this month. It’ll be just like that November book writing challenge that we don’t talk about anymore! I do still think that I can keep this to a two-book series.

No, that is not permission to come and giggle in my general direction if a wild book three appears.

There’s a lot happening this month in addition to writing. The Sea Prince drops next week, and on Sunday the 15th, I’ll be a guest at Spellbound Bookstore for a meet and greet celebrating the book release. (Yes, I know it’s Father’s Day. I just… sort of forgot when I set up the date.) More information on that below.

There’s also a free book promo for the entire month of June! The link is below, and all you need to do to get a selection of free books is sign up for newsletters. If you’re not already subscribed to mine, this is a good way to do it — you get a free book out of it!

If you’ve been around me for long enough, you know that I’m pretty passionate about reminding people with breasts to do your breast exams, and to get your mammograms if you’re in the demographic where that’s recommended. I don’t think I’ve done it in a while, so if you didn’t know that before, that now counts as your thing you learned today. Part of the reason for this is genetics — I am at a higher risk for breast cancer (and two other cancers besides.) I get monitored regularly, and my annual breast MRI was two weeks ago… and they found something. Biopsy scheduled for one week later, and I spent the entire week repeating the mantra of “It’s NOTHING!”

And it was nothing — when they did the MRI to map out the needle placement for the biopsy, whatever it was that they saw the previous week was gone. I’ve been telling people that I manifested “IT”S NOTHING!” so hard that whatever it was vanished.

Don’t take that risk, though. If you’re supposed to get your annual testing done, schedule it. It could save your life.

And there’s my soapbox for this week. Back to writing!

Promotions

Free Books!

For the month of June, come find a selection of free steamy books! Click the graphic and take a look!

Stuff with Fantasy Bookish Solstice!

Coming June 14th is the Stuff With Fantasy Bookish Solstice event, where every book is 99 cents. I’m not sure how many books are included in this sale, but it certainly looks like a lot!

Preorder Now!

To end the war with the Empire, all Prince Tarjiaan has to do is deny his heart and marry the Emperor’s granddaughter. Peace is assured…

Or is it?

The Sea Prince sets sail on June 10th!

Now Available!

Kidnapped from his home and sold as a slave in Rome, Raven-Prince Lorcan must survive in a world where entertainment is murder, diplomacy is betrayal, and love is a commodity. And where a raven who is only supposed to ever have one mate will somehow find two…

Read it before Raven’s Flight comes out!

Image of a book cover. Cover is red-orange, with an abstract design over which there is a raven in flight. Text reads Book One in the Blood of the Raven series. Raven's Fall. Wings of Blood and Desire. By Blood Betrayed.  Elizabeth Schechter

Work in Progress

The Coral Throne
(The Coral Throne, book 2)

47986 / 100000 (47.99%)

Appearances

Meet and Greet for The Sea Prince book release
Spellbound Bookstore
June 15th
12:30PM -2:30PM
Sanford, FL

***

Enchanted Knights: Summer Solstice
June 21st, 2025
Oviedo Mall
Oviedo, FL

***

3rd Annual Summer Artisan Market
June 29th, 2025
Brannon Center
New Smyrna Beach, FL

***

Smut Lovers: The Conference
September 17th – 21st, 2025
Orlando, FL

***

Necronomicon
September 26th – 28th, 2025
Tampa, FL

***

Page and Pen Festival
October 4th, 2025
Oviedo, FL

Posted by EASchechter in a-writers-life-is-never-dull, appearances, Draft by the Solstice, except-for-when-it-is, Healthy writer, happy writer, promotions, publishing, Release date, The Coral Throne, The Sea Prince, WIP, wordcount, Write Faster!, 0 comments
What An Odd Thing to Say.

What An Odd Thing to Say.

I need to remember to start saying “What an odd thing to say.” to people who come up to my table at events and proudly proclaim, “I don’t read!” I mean, you have to admit that this is a very odd thing to say to someone selling books. Do they do that in Barnes and Noble, too?

I’m not talking about the people who consume their media in other formats, who stop at my table and tell me, “I prefer audiobooks,” or the ones who prefer to do their reading on a tablet. I understand that. (I like non-fiction in audio, myself.) I’m talking about the people who seem to have an allergy to consuming media at all, and who will let anyone in the vicinity know about it. I don’t get it, and in not getting it, I never know what to say to them. I mean…

This is brought to you by the second show in a row where it seemed as if everyone who stopped at my table was a proud non-reader.

June will turn things around. We have another Renaissance Faire, and The Sea Prince will release on June 10th. More information and The Sea Prince cover and preorder link are both down below. Paperback preorders for The Sea Prince have not yet been set up. Those are waiting until I get the paperback proof to go over. That should happen soon — I just got the shipping notification.

I’m trying to decide if I want to take one of the WIPs and set it aside until Fall. That will allow me to focus on getting the other one done before I take July and August off. And if I do that, which one? (Okay, that’s sort of an easy question. I’d focus on The Coral Throne, so that I can get it out late this year or early next. Finishing King of Swords can wait, because traditional publishing takes time. My publisher already has a backlog of things from me.)

I should have an idea of what I’m doing by the end of the month, and then I’ll have all of June — well, most of June — to finish. This might push The Iron Virgin back a bit, but will give me more time to do research into Venice and Constantinople (the two cities that inspired places in the series.) Speaking of research, Tasting History seems to have set the seeds for another Weird Western, but that one is percolating until I have more of an idea other than the main character is a young hobo, and there are vampires. That’s a new area of research somewhere down the line.

Remember, your output comes from your input, so you should consume all the media. You never know where it will take you.

Preorder Now!

To end the war with the Empire, all Prince Tarjiaan has to do is deny his heart and marry the Emperor’s granddaughter. Peace is assured…

Or is it?

The Sea Prince sets sail on June 10th!

Now Available!

Kidnapped from his home and sold as a slave in Rome, Raven-Prince Lorcan must survive in a world where entertainment is murder, diplomacy is betrayal, and love is a commodity. And where a raven who is only supposed to ever have one mate will somehow find two…

Image of a book cover. Cover is red-orange, with an abstract design over which there is a raven in flight. Text reads Book One in the Blood of the Raven series. Raven's Fall. Wings of Blood and Desire. By Blood Betrayed.  Elizabeth Schechter

Work in Progress

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

34643 / 90000 (38.49%)

The Coral Throne
(The Coral Throne, book 2)

37992 / 90000 (42.21%)

Appearances

Enchanted Knights: Summer Solstice
June 21st, 2025
Oviedo Mall
Oviedo, FL

***

3rd Annual Summer Artisan Market
June 29th, 2025
Brannon Center
New Smyrna Beach, FL

***

Smut Lovers: The Conference
September 17th – 21st, 2025
Orlando, FL

***

Necronomicon
September 26th – 28th, 2025
Tampa, FL

***

Page and Pen Festival
October 4th, 2025
Oviedo Mall

Posted by EASchechter in 2025 plans, a-writers-life-is-never-dull, accountability, appearances, Draft by the Solstice, forthcoming works, Iron and Silk, Planning, plot bunnies, progress, publishing, Release date, research is fun, Tales from the Arena, The Coral Throne, The Iron Virgin, The Sea Prince, upcoming books, upcoming work, WIP, wordcount, Worldbuilding, 0 comments
Setting Sail!

Setting Sail!

No, we’re not going on another cruise. Not this year, anyway. The Sea Prince is setting sail on June 10th! I got the cover teaser for The Sea Prince on Friday morning. It’s down a little bit, and I am loving this cover (another winning cover from GetCovers!). Full cover reveal and the preorder link will both come at the end of the week, so keep an eye on my socials for that.

Your klutzy author managed to keep from stretching her length (and possibly hurting herself badly) in the parking lot at Ikea this weekend. I saved myself by catching the door pillar of my car with my left hand, and something with my right thigh. I have no idea what, but the bruises in the left arm and right leg are starting to come in despite slathering arnica on it as soon as we got home. There was also a general “wrench everything OW!” that goes with stopping a heavy something (me. I’m something) in mid-fall.

I’m fine. Nothing broken. But ugh… gravity is not my friend.

We’re coming up on the end of the spring quarter, which means that I’m supposed to be coming up on the end of a manuscript. Ah… not really? I’m hoping to have both The Coral Throne and King of Swords wrapped by the end of June, though. Which means I really need to get moving because neither of them are even halfway done. I might have to put one to the side to focus on the other if I want to have anything finished before I take July and August off. But which one?

Probably King of Swords, to be honest. I’m self-publishing The Coral Throne, which means I need a faster turnaround. If I get the two Tales from the Arena books off to the publisher by the end of the year, rather than in the Fall, it’s still going to be a time before they see print. Getting The Coral Throne done means I may be able to finish out the series by the end of the year (assuming that it stays two books, which for me is a pretty big assumption.)

Decisions, decisions. I’m also still waffling on what to write next.

I have an in-person show this weekend. Come see me in Ormond Beach at the 6th annual Mother’s Day Bazaar, being held at the Ormond Beach Elk’s Club. More details down below, or at the link.

Coming Soon!

Image of a tall ship on a blue background. The words The Sea Prince. Elizabeth Schechter are superimposed over the ship.  A book with a ripped wrapping is on the left of the ship, the rip revealing a similar blue background and a partial image of a man with a beard.

TARJIAAN: To end the war with the Empire, all Prince Tarjiaan has to do is deny his heart and marry the Emperor’s granddaughter.

DAANIR: His newly-awakened magic saved his prince, but the cost was his place at Tarjiaan’s side.

NIKA: Forced to marry Tarjiaan, the Butcher of Meradon, she expects a monster, but finds a man willing to fight the world for her before he even knows her name.

Together, Tarjiaan, Daanir and Nika must navigate a course through secrets, truths and lies in an attempt to end an endless war. But there’s an unseen threat lurking below the waves, and the battle is much closer to home than any of them expected.

The Sea Prince sets sail on June 10th!

Cover reveal and preorder link coming NEXT WEEK.

Now Available!

Kidnapped from his home and sold as a slave in Rome, Raven-Prince Lorcan must survive in a world where entertainment is murder, diplomacy is betrayal, and love is a commodity. And where a raven who is only supposed to ever have one mate will somehow find two…

Image of a book cover. Cover is red-orange, with an abstract design over which there is a raven in flight. Text reads Book One in the Blood of the Raven series. Raven's Fall. Wings of Blood and Desire. By Blood Betrayed.  Elizabeth Schechter

Work in Progress

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

32096 / 90000 (35.66%)

The Coral Throne
(The Coral Throne, book 2)

35181 / 90000 (39.09%)

Appearances

Image of a white background with purple and yellow flowers. 
Text reads 6th Annual Mother's Day Bazaar. Saturday May 10th, 2025. 10AM to 3PM at Ormond Beach Elks Lodge. 285 Wilmette Ave. Ormond Beach, FL 32174. If interested in being a vendor, email ftlosevents@gmail.com. Come find mom, grandma, your aunt, friend or yourself the perfect gift for Mother's Day. Plus, door prizes will be given throughout the event. Free to attend.

6th Annual Mother’s Day Bazaar
May 10th, 2025
Ormond Beach Elks Lodge
Ormond Beach, FL

***

Enchanted Knights: Summer Solstice
June 21st, 2025
Oviedo Mall
Oviedo, FL

***

3rd Annual Summer Artisan Market
June 29th, 2025
Brannon Center
New Smyrna Beach, FL

***

Smut Lovers: The Conference
September 17th – 21st, 2025
Orlando, FL

***

Necronomicon
September 26th – 28th, 2025
Tampa, FL

***

Page and Pen Festival
October 4th, 2025
Oviedo Mall

Posted by EASchechter in 2025 plans, accountability, appearances, cover art, presales, publishing, Release date, Tales from the Arena, The Coral Throne, The Sea Prince, WIP, wordcount, Write Faster!, Writer on the Go!, 0 comments
Brain Break!

Brain Break!

For some reason, last week ended up being a brain break for me. There was very little writing done, and a lot of reading. I reread Heir to the Firstborn (yes, I reread my own books), and found a continuity error in one that I can’t believe I made, and that I also can’t believe NO ONE has caught! (If you do catch it, email me and identify it, and you can have your choice of any book in my catalog!) I also started The Nightmare Before Kissmas by Sara Raasch, which is all kinds of adorable!

I have a draft of a cover for The Sea Prince, and I’m really excited to be able to show it to you… soon. Ish. Soonish. It’s not quite ready for prime-time yet. We’re on round two of revisions, and it’s closer than it was. Close enough that I can’t confidently say YES, we have a release date! The Sea Prince will finally release on June 10th! Preorders will be live as soon as that cover is finalized.

Now that the house is back together, I need to take all of the book boxes and show stuff out of my closet and get ready for the 6th Annual Mother’s Day Bazaar in Ormond Beach on May 10th. I haven’t done this show yet, but I’ve found that shows on the beach seem to do really well for us (maybe it’s because beach reads? I don’t know.) As always, if you come find me at the show and tell me that you saw this post or any of my social media, you get a 10% discount on your total purchase.

Oddly enough, I’m at about the same point in both works in progress right now — about a third of the way into each book. Usually, when I work on more than one thing at a time, one of them will attempt to eat my brain, and I’ll be a lot further along with that one than the other. Not this time. I’m hoping to have them both done by the end of June, so that I can work on edits before I take time off over the summer. My goal is to have both Tales from the Arena manuscripts in to my publisher in the fall, and have The Coral Throne out before the holidays. Let’s see how close I get!

What’s next? Well, I’m currently doing the research for Iron and Silk, my Venetian inspired pirate princess series that’s been in my brain since 2022. I might start The Iron Virgin in the fall. Or I might start Crossroads, since the Covert Saloon series plan is still fresh in my brain. Or there’s that Metropolis retelling that I was challenged to write…

Decisions, decisions.

We’ll see which one yells loudest in September.

Now Available!

Kidnapped from his home and sold as a slave in Rome, Raven-Prince Lorcan must survive in a world where entertainment is murder, diplomacy is betrayal, and love is a commodity. And where a raven who is only supposed to ever have one mate will somehow find two…

Image of a book cover. Cover is red-orange, with an abstract design over which there is a raven in flight. Text reads Book One in the Blood of the Raven series. Raven's Fall. Wings of Blood and Desire. By Blood Betrayed.  Elizabeth Schechter

Work in Progress

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

30039 / 90000 (33.38%)

The Coral Throne
(The Coral Throne, book 2)

33278 / 90000 (36.98%)

Appearances

Image of a white background with purple and yellow flowers. 
Text reads 6th Annual Mother's Day Bazaar. Saturday May 10th, 2025. 10AM to 3PM at Ormond Beach Elks Lodge. 285 Wilmette Ave. Ormond Beach, FL 32174. If interested in being a vendor, email ftlosevents@gmail.com. Come find mom, grandma, your aunt, friend or yourself the perfect gift for Mother's Day. Plus, door prizes will be given throughout the event. Free to attend.

6th Annual Mother’s Day Bazaar
May 10th, 2025
Ormond Beach Elks Lodge
Ormond Beach, FL

***

Enchanted Knights: Summer Solstice
June 21st, 2025
Oviedo Mall
Oviedo, FL

***

3rd Annual Summer Artisan Market
June 29th, 2025
Brannon Center
New Smyrna Beach, FL

***

Smut Lovers: The Conference
September 17th – 21st, 2025
Orlando, FL

***

Necronomicon
September 26th – 28th, 2025
Tampa, FL

***

Page and Pen Festival
October 4th, 2025
Oviedo Mall

Posted by EASchechter in 2025 plans, accountability, appearances, cover art, Covert Saloon, Draft by the Solstice, forthcoming works, Iron and Silk, progress, promotions, publishing, summer, The Iron Virgin, The Sea Prince, upcoming books, upcoming work, Updatey things, WIP, wordcount, 0 comments
Busy! Busy, Busy!

Busy! Busy, Busy!

Time is supposed to keep everything from happening at once, right? If that’s the case, it is HORRIBLE at its job! Today I am busy, busy, busy!!! And a lot of it is fiddly annoying bits that will only have to be done once, but until they’re done, it sucks.

For example? I’ve already finished the quick tasks — sent the taxes off to our accountant, backed up the laptop, and printed things off for the Lord Ruthven Assembly annual meeting on the 21st. I’ve updated the website to reflect the fact that I’ve set up an Itch.io store! Now you will be able to buy ebooks directly from ME!

The store is currently a work in progress — there’s one book available, and that’s because I wanted to have the shop online before I updated the website. I’ll be adding more for the rest of the day, which is the fiddly part — I have to upload each book individually. And I need to edit the covers to fit the size parameters allowed on Itch.io.

Now, there will only be ebooks of the books that I have full control over — the Heir to the Firstborn series, The Chronicles of John Zebedee, Chains of Light, and all of my short stories. Anything that comes through a publisher is something you’ll still have to purchase through one of the big retailers.

I don’t expect to get any words on the page today. But I’m okay with that!

Now Available!

Kidnapped from his home and sold as a slave in Rome, Raven-Prince Lorcan must survive in a world where entertainment is murder, diplomacy is betrayal, and love is a commodity. And where a raven who is only supposed to ever have one mate will somehow find two…

Work in Progress

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

18184 / 90000 (20.20%)

The Coral Throne
(The Sea Prince, book 2)

19467 / 90000 (21.63%)

Promotions

Smashwords Read an Ebook week started yesterday! My entire catalog is 25% off. And, because of reasons I don’t fully understand, I still have two links. Half the catalog is here, and the other half is here.

(And if you look at my traditionally published books? I have three more pages! Here, here and here. No, I do NOT know why!)

Appearances

This weekend, you can find me in my Morrigan-best attire at the Oviedo Mall Renaissance Festival! And there is a *chance* I will have copies of Raven’s Fall on the table! (It all depends on if the copies come in by Friday.)

Enchanted Knights: Myths and Legends
March 8th, 2025
Oviedo Mall
Oviedo, FL

***

ICFA
March 19 – 22nd, 2025
Orlando, FL

***

3rd Annual Spring is in the Air
April 13th, 2025
Venetian Center,
Leesburg, FL

***

6th Annual Mother’s Day Bazaar
May 10th, 2025
Ormond Beach Elks Lodge
Ormond Beach, FL

***

Enchanted Knights: Summer Solstice
June 21st, 2025
Oviedo Mall
Oviedo, FL

***

3rd Annual Summer Artisan Market
June 29th, 2025
Brannon Center
New Smyrna Beach, FL

***

Smut Lovers: The Conference
September 17th – 21st, 2025
Orlando, FL

Necronomicon
September 26th – 28th, 2025
Tampa, FL

Posted by EASchechter in 2025 plans, a-writers-life-is-never-dull, accountability, appearances, Boosting the signal, ebooks, promotions, publishing, Sales, Updatey things, WIP, wordcount, 0 comments
Blursday

Blursday

Usually, when I say it’s blursday, I mean that the days are all running together and I don’t know what day it is. Today, though, I know exactly what day it is. It’s the day I get my eyes dilated enough that I see all timelines at once. It’s not a fun experience — my appointment was at 8:15 this morning, and here it is 3:20 in the afternoon and I still can’t see clearly. But things look fine — everything is status quo, so we’re good for another year.

(Why do I do this? Because I am so VERY nearsighted that it’s possible for my retinas to self-destruct with no warning.)

Thankfully, I don’t have much on my plate today. I finished my revision pass on The Sea Prince last night and sent it back to the sensitivity reader, which brings it one step closer to publication. Once I get the all clear from the sensitivity reader, I’ll get the layout done and the cover ordered. I’m looking at a summer release, so that I don’t dilute Raven’s Fall.

The first reviews are starting to come in for Raven’s Fall, and I’ll be honest — I am reading them. I know that it’s not recommended for writers to read their own reviews, but I want to see what people think! And I’m loving that every review so far has called out the accuracy of my research. That makes EVERY bit of web crawling and cross-referencing and finding obscure references worth it! And to my reviewers? You are going to LOVE Raven’s Flight for just that reason! There’s a reference list of healing herbs used in one scene, with the proper names in Latin and Gaelic, cross-referenced from Dioscorides’ De Materia Medica (c. 64CE) and John Cameron’s Gaelic Names of Plants (1883).

Do I overdo it on my research? Possibly. Do I need to go and spend three hours to find a reference on trains from Aachen to Salzburg in February of 1899. in order to find out of there was a direct train, or if they would need to change trains? Possibly not, especially when those three hours of research translated to three lines of text. But my readers are the ones who will know exactly what trains I’m talking about, and will know that I’ve gotten it right. So I owe it to them to get it right from the start. And yes, someone did know the train I was talking about, and did appreciate that the research was correct!

In the case of Raven’s Fall? The areas of research I spent the most time on were on types of gladiators, on Roman weddings, and on Roman baths. Now, no one has yet mentioned the baths in a review, but that was, I think, the largest research topic for me — in what order were the rooms experienced, how were things heated, and what rooms were included. Part of the research was a surprise — actually experiencing a caldarium! (Really, who expects to find a reasonably accurate Roman bath experience on a Disney cruise???) For the record, the baths Lorcan experiences are a combination of the Old Baths at Pompeii and the Baths of Caracalla (with a slight hint of flavor from the caldarium in the Rainforest Room on the Disney Fantasy.)

I am history geek, see me over-research!

Now Available!

Kidnapped from his home and sold as a slave in Rome, Raven-Prince Lorcan must survive in a world where entertainment is murder, diplomacy is betrayal, and love is a commodity. And where a raven who is only supposed to ever have one mate will somehow find two…

Work in Progress

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

15673 / 90000 (17.41%)

The Coral Throne
(The Sea Prince, book 2)

15354 / 90000 (17.06%)

Promotions

Stuff with Fantasy is coming February 28th! Over 300 authors, over 300 books, free for the taking! One day only!

Appearances

Enchanted Knights: Myths and Legends
March 8th, 2025
Oviedo Mall
Oviedo, FL

***

ICFA
March 19 – 22nd, 2025
Orlando, FL

***

3rd Annual Spring is in the Air
April 13th, 2025
Venetian Center,
Leesburg, FL

***

6th Annual Mother’s Day Bazaar
May 10th, 2025
Ormond Beach Elks Lodge
Ormond Beach, FL

***

Enchanted Knights: Summer Solstice
June 21st, 2025
Oviedo Mall
Oviedo, FL

***

3rd Annual Summer Artisan Market
June 29th, 2025
Brannon Center
New Smyrna Beach, FL

***

Smut Lovers: The Conference
September 17th – 21st, 2025
Orlando, FL

Necronomicon
September 26th – 28th, 2025
Tampa, FL

Posted by EASchechter in a-writers-life-is-never-dull, Blood of the Raven, book reviews, promotions, public displays of geekery, publishing, Ravens Fall, research is fun, The Sea Prince, upcoming books, upcoming work, WIP, wordcount, 0 comments
Updates!

Updates!

So…updates.

8 days ago, I got the cover for Morrigan’s Heir and released it to the world.

7 days ago? My publisher decided on an entirely different marketing push. So this cover?

Won’t be on the final book. Which… I like my sad gladiator, but he’s not exactly on trend…

So… new cover coming as soon as I get the files from the cover artist (who’s been working overtime to get this turned around.)

There’s a new TITLE for the book as well. Book one of The White Raven is now Raven’s Fall. Book two will be Raven’s Flight.

Release is still slated for next week (ish?)

There are more exciting things coming for my Ravens (all of them!), but I haven’t been cleared to be specific. Once I can say something, I’ll let you all know!

Posted by EASchechter in 2025 plans, publishing, Release date, The Willow Sword, 0 comments
FaRo-What?

FaRo-What?

Yesterday, my husband/Darling Editor looked at my calendar and asked “FaRo-What? What’s FaRoBub?

“It’s a book promo event. One day only, 200 free books. I’ve got Hidden Things in for free download. That reminds me. I need to get KDP to call me. It’s not free on Amazon yet.”

So that was part of my Sunday — making sure that Hidden Things was free for today. And it is, and people have noticed and WOW, that’s a lot of downloads! I hope everyone who grabs a copy enjoys it!

Tomorrow, the fun starts of getting the prices turned back on. That’s always an adventure.

I’m finding that writing has been… interesting over the past month. I may have to shelve one of these books I’m working on and focus completely on the other, because writing TWO books where the main theme is standing up against tyranny and injustice to protect a weakened nation is a bit much for my heart right now. I may focus on The Coral Throne, because the turnaround on getting that published will be faster than on King of Swords. I’m looking at publishing The Sea Prince in late spring or early summer, so focusing on book 2 of that series seems to make more sense. I haven’t even started my editing run on Dead Man’s Hand, which will be going in to my publisher because it’s part of a series.

If I sound like I’m trying to convince myself, you have much to go on.

I have a release date for Morrigan’s Heir — I’ve been told we go LIVE February 11th! There isn’t a preorder link yet, but that will come sometime this week and I’ll post it to all the socials once I have it. I also received permission to share the cover, which is below. This cover has been a long time coming — that stock image (and the stock image that will be on Morrigan’s Wrath) were purchased years ago, and I sat on them until it was time to put together the covers, when I sent them to the cover artist and said “What can we do with these?”

I can’t wait to see it in print! I’ll have copies by the Enchanted Knights event in March — they won’t get to me in time for Saturday.

Yes, this Saturday! I’m gearing up for our first in person event of the new year. Love is in the Air is this Saturday from 10AM to 3PM at the Lakeside Community Center in Port Orange, Florida. If you get there early, there will be swag bags for the first people through the door (18+ only), and in those bags, you’ll find a little something from me! You have to come early to find out what, but I assure you that it’s cute.

Time to get back to work!

Coming Soon!

Kidnapped from his home and sold as a slave in Rome, Raven-Prince Lorcan must survive in a world where entertainment is murder, diplomacy is betrayal, and love is a commodity. And where a raven who is only supposed to ever have one mate will somehow find two…

Coming February 11th!

Work in Progress

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

13876 / 90000 (15.42%)

The Coral Throne
(The Sea Prince, book 2)

7049 / 90000 (7.83%)

Promotions

Today is the day! FaRoBub– 200 free fantasy romance and paranormal romance books.

Appearances

6th Annual Love is in the Air
February 8th, 2025
Lakeside Community Center
Port Orange, FL

***

Enchanted Knights: Myths and Legends
March 8th, 2025
Oviedo Mall
Oviedo, FL

***

ICFA
March 19 – 22nd, 2025
Orlando, FL

***

3rd Annual Spring is in the Air
April 13th, 2025
Venetian Center,
Leesburg, FL

***

6th Annual Mother’s Day Bazaar
May 10th, 2025
Ormond Beach Elks Lodge
Ormond Beach, FL

***

3rd Annual Summer Artisan Market
June 29th, 2025
Brannon Center
New Smyrna Beach, FL

***

Smut Lovers: The Conference
September 17th – 21st, 2025
Orlando, FL

Posted by EASchechter in 2025 plans, a-writers-life-is-never-dull, accountability, appearances, cover art, forthcoming works, Hidden Things, public displays of geekery, publishing, Release date, Tales from the Arena, The Sea Prince, The White Raven, upcoming books, upcoming work, WIP, wordcount, 0 comments