SPFBO

09
Mar
2026
Do NOT Pinch Me!

Do NOT Pinch Me!

It hasn’t been a week yet, and I swear that I’m still dreaming. If I am, do NOT pinch me!

Let me explain. The 11th annual Self-Published Fantasy Blog Off has started. This is my third time entering SPFBO, and I honestly had no expectations other than possibly getting some new reviews. I entered Written in Water three years ago, and Counsel of the Wicked two years ago. This year, I entered The Sea Prince.

The blog that was assigned The Sea Prince has one of the strictest judging criteria in the contest, They read the first 10% of each entrant, and decide which of those are strong enough to want to read more. They started their eliminations last week, and promised to update on every Wednesday.

Yesterday, I saw the Discord notification that they had released this week’s eliminations and their second semi-finalist. I clicked the notification and saw the graphic included The Sea Prince.

Then I saw the first response — “Congrats @Liz Schechter – The Sea Prince !! It was a great book and you deserve it!”

WAIT, WHAT????

The Sea Prince is a SPFBO 11 Semi-finalist!!!

To say that I’m shocked is like saying that Everest is a little tall.

The contest is only a month in, and it will take months before the winner is named. The field will get smaller, and the competition that much greater. The books will all be amazing… and I’m a part of that.

I’m dreaming.

Don’t pinch me.

(if you’re a newsletter subscriber, yes. This is the same as the intro to this month’s newsletter. I couldn’t think of a better way to say it! If you’re not a newsletter subscriber, click through Spells and Spaceships below, and you can grab a free copy of The Sea Prince.)

Promotions

Free with Newsletter Sign-up!

For the entire month of March, you can download any of the Spells and Spaceships books for free (newsletter sign up required). That includes The Sea Prince! You can also enter to win a $25 gift card to the bookstore of your choice!

Yearning for a New Way to Read Fantasy Romance?

Check out Yearn! Newly launched, women-owned, and backed by luminaries in the romance world.  Combines the best of Booktok, KU and Goodreads, without the toxic messes. 

You’ll be able to find my work there soon — the entire Heir to the Firstborn series. The Coral Throne, and The Chronicles of John Zebedee will all be part of the catalog. And if you use my referral code, you’ll get 50% off your first month! That’s good even if you have to wait for the Android release — put the code in when you join the waitlist, and you’ll still get 50% off your first month. 

Referral Code: Schechter50
Download the iOS app here.
Android users (like me?) Sign up for the waitlist here.

Now Available!

The Imperial Navy has been destroyed. Now Tarjiaan must save his kingdom. With his beloved Nika by his side and their consort Daanir at his back, he must gather his allies and defeat the traitor hiding beneath the waves. To save his people, Tarjiaan must master his newfound magic, defeat the traitors, and conquer his deepest fears.

The end of the war is in sight, but treachery runs as deep as the ocean.

Buy now!

Work in Progress

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

51394 / 100000 (51.39%)

Appearances

Enchanted Knights Fairytales and Fables
March 14-15th, 2026
Oviedo, FL

***

ICFA
March 18-21th, 2026
Orlando, FL

***

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

***

The Great Geek Gathering
May 2nd, 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.

***

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

***

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

Posted by EASchechter in a-writers-life-is-never-dull, accountability, appearances, awards, KermitArms, kvelling, never-in-million-years, promotions, SPFBO, The Sea Prince, upcoming work, WIP, wordcount, 0 comments
05
Jan
2026
Happy New Year? I Think?

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.

Posted by EASchechter in 2026 plans, a-writers-life-is-never-dull, accountability, appearances, Coven Tree, forthcoming works, Heart's Master, progress, promotions, SPFBO, The Coral Throne, The Sea Prince, upcoming books, upcoming work, Updatey things, WIP, Witchmas, 0 comments
30
Sep
2024
Give Me The Coffee And No One Gets Hurt…

Give Me The Coffee And No One Gets Hurt…

Otherwise known as the Monday after a convention. Today is definitely a “give me the coffee and no one gets hurt” kind of day.

We found out Thursday night that Necronomicon was going to happen, so Friday morning, we packed up and headed out. The normally two hour trip to Tampa took us over three, but the hotel was lovely as always (except in a few places where it was… not. No functional elevators while trying to load into the room was not fun.) The area of Tampa where the convention is held is on the eastern side of Tampa near Busch Gardens, and you don’t have to cross the bridges to get there. Which is good, because when we hit Tampa, all the bridges were still closed. We didn’t see any of the flooded areas, but the convention was feeling the effects of the storm — the halls were empty, and panels that were usually packed had maybe six people in the audience. Entire panels and games were cancelled because people simply could not get to the convention.

And yet, it was still a good convention. Smaller audiences made for more intimate panels, with better opportunity for discussion. The opportunity to connect with fans and with other writers were increased. New friends were made.

It was a good convention.

Edits for Morrigan’s Heir should be hitting my inbox any minute now, and I can’t wait! One step closer to having you all meet Lorcan! Hopefully, we’ll be able to get this turned around for later this year. Cross your crossables!

I was eliminated from SPFBO right before we left. Honestly, I was expecting it — the judge who was assigned my book is very upfront about not liking erotic or dark, and Counsel of the Wicked is both. I’m not sure she even finished it. Which… again, it’s not a surprise. That book is A LOT, and I’m starting to debate if it’s worth it to keep it in print. I may pull the series at the end of the year. We’ll see.

Now, I’m prepping for my next show, the Not So Spooky Hallowfest in Deltona, Florida. I’ll have an abbreviated catalog with me — it’s a family focused event, so I’ll have Heir to the Firstborn and The Chronicles of John Zebedee and that’s all. If you’re in the area on Sunday, come and check out the show, which is going to be from 10AM to 4PM at The Center at Deltona, 1640 Dr Martin Luther King Blvd, Deltona, FL 32725-2912. If you come out and tell me you saw this blog, you get a discount!

Work in Progress

Tales from the Arena: King of Swords
(Tales from the Arena, book 3)

71118 / 120000 (59.27%)

Promotions

I’m going to be a part of Enchanted Realms, and this promotion runs for the entire month of October — sign up for newsletters, get free books and enter to win a $30 gift card!

Coming up on October 11th, I have Chains of Light available for free in So Queer To My Heart, a spicy queer romance event.

Finally, I’ll be participating in a Stuff Your Kindle event from October 18-20th. There are over 400 books that will be free or discounted for that weekend, and I’ll have Written in Water up for free!

Appearances

Not So Spooky Hallowfest
October 6th, 2024
Deltona, Florida

***

Wizards, Witches and the Weird
October 27th, 2024
Daytona Beach, Florida

***

Maker Faire Orlando
November 9-10th
Orlando, Florida

Posted by EASchechter in a-writers-life-is-never-dull, accountability, appearances, Chains of Light, Counsel of the Wicked, edits, giveaway, Heir to the Firstborn, Hidden Things, Necronomicon, promotions, SPFBO, Tales from the Arena, The White Raven, WIP, wordcount, Writer on the Go!, Written in Water, 0 comments
02
Sep
2024
Falling into Fall

Falling into Fall

September 2nd means that Summer is on it’s way out, and we’re falling into fall. Officially, it won’t be Fall until the 22nd, but there’s Pumpkin Spice and Halloween everywhere, so… yeah. It’s Fall.

I’m also falling into what’s going to be a very busy seven weeks, starting with Necronomicon Tampa on September 27th, and running until Maker Faire in November. The full list of events is below, so if you’re in the area, come see me!

We’ll see how the writing goes during that period, but I’m very pleased with how King of Swords is going, and I am hoping to have a complete manuscript by the end of the year. I’ve got a playlist growing for this project — my main criteria for adding a song is that it needs to sound like it would work in a fight sequence soundtrack or a training montage. The link to the final playlist will be listed in the back matter of the book once it’s done. There’s almost always a playlist for various books — this is the one for The Sea Prince, which is almost done with first round edits. (Yes, this will also be in the back matter for that book.)

So I’ll be spending the next couple of weeks writing like mad, fueled by copious amounts of coffee and music, and trying to wrangle my book suppliers into fixing their mistakes because when I ordered copies of books to sell, I want MY books, not someone else’s! (Instead of the 28 books I ordered, I received 8 copies of mine, and 10 copies of a book by some author I have never heard of. Whee!) And once it all starts, I’ll be doing my best not to get sick at ANY of these events. I’ve somehow never had COVID and I don’t intend to start now! Nasal spray, masks and air purifiers at the ready!

Listening to:

Fight, Little Wolf. Epic: The Wisdom Saga.

Work in Progress

Tales from the Arena: King of Swords
(Tales from the Arena, book 3)

55058 / 120000 (45.88%)

Promotions

Counsel of the Wicked is still a contender for SPFBOX, which means that it is still on sale wherever ebooks are sold.

Appearances

Necronomicon
September 27-29th, 2024
Tampa, Florida

***

Not So Spooky Hallowfest
October 6th, 2024
Deltona, Florida

***

Wizards, Witches and the Weird
October 27th, 2024
Daytona Beach, Florida

***

Maker Faire Orlando
November 9-10th
Orlando, Florida

Posted by EASchechter in 2024 plans, a-writers-life-is-never-dull, accountability, appearances, conventions, Counsel of the Wicked, Necronomicon, Playlist, progress, promotions, SPFBO, Tales from the Arena, The Sea Prince, upcoming books, upcoming work, WIP, wordcount, Writer on the Go!, 0 comments
01
Jul
2024
Reality is Overrated.

Reality is Overrated.

I think that says it all. Reality is overrated, and I’m going to hide in a fantasy world with a guaranteed happy ending for a while. It’s better for my heart.

Not saying I’m not going to do anything. Voting is something. Raising money is something. (The Romancing the Vote auction starts today, and you can win a full set of Heir to the Firstborn.) But it’s still weird and scary out there, and I’m trying to stay informed while not overloading myself to the point of rocking in the corner.

I sat down and did my review of the first half of the year, and I’m doing pretty well in this year’s goals. But I noticed that there’s something I’ve been saying I’m going to do for over a year, and I still haven’t started. I have had on my plan to do a read-a-long of Written in Water, reading a chapter a week on Tiktok. And for some reason, I keep putting off getting started on that. Not sure what’s going on my head that’s causing the mental roadblock, but it’s time I figured that out. Maybe I just need to set a date to start and let the deadline override the roadblock?

I’m trying very hard not to let the Covert Saloon overtake my entire writing world — it’s shiny and new and it wants to be a real live book RIGHT NOW. But it has to wait — right now the work in progress is King of Swords, and the progress is going very well. I still have to have the first two books open to refer back to, but that’s more because it’s been eleven years since the other books came out. The characters are still very familiar, and I’m enjoying the process of writing their story of fighting back against a fascist government…

What can I say? Your output comes from your input. And I said I’m hiding. I didn’t say I wasn’t paying attention.

Work in Progress

Tales from the Arena: King of Swords
(Tales from the Arena, book 3)

10006 / 90000 (11.12%)

Promotions

Support Democracy and get cool stuff! The Romancing the Vote auction starts today!

In and among all the other cool stuff is a COMPLETE set of Heir to the Firstborn in paperback. The bids are still low, so it’s a steal! Click the image to go right to the item in the auction.

The Smashwords Summer Sale is live! And, because of reasons too silly to go into here, I have two author pages. You can pick up my entire catalog on sale here and here.

Counsel of the Wicked is still a contender for SPFBOX, so it is STILL on sale, but because of the Smashwords sale, it’s even BETTER — it’s FREE!!!

Appearances

Necronomicon
September 27-29th, 2024
Tampa, Florida

***

Not So Spooky Hallowfest
October 6th, 2024
Deltona, Florida

***

Wizards, Witches and the Weird
October 27th, 2024
Daytona Beach, FL

Posted by EASchechter in 2024 plans, accountability, Counsel of the Wicked, Covert Saloon, forthcoming works, Heir to the Firstborn, politics, progress, promotions, SPFBO, Tales from the Arena, upcoming books, upcoming work, WIP, wordcount, 0 comments
30
Oct
2023

Closing In On The End.

Here we are, closing in on the end of 2023. Halloween is tomorrow, and then we get into November and the slow slide toward a new year. Yesterday, I hit the halfway point on Balance of Power, which means I’m well on my way to finishing the book by December, just in time for Cookiepocalypse. Planning for 2024 has started (slowly, but it has started), and I’m looking forward to closing the book on 2023.

It’s been a good year. A weird year, but a good one. I’ve learned a lot, and I’ve come to a lot of realizations that will change how I work going forward. What, you ask? Well, working multiple projects at a time isn’t something sustainable for me anymore, to start with. I have to focus on one thing at a time in each category — planning, researching, writing and editing. If I try to do more than one in each category, then none of the others get done. Time to adjust so I can accomplish more by doing less.

I forget if I let you all know that Written in Water didn’t make the finals for SPFBO. It had a fabulous review, though. You can see the finalists here, and there’s still one more to come (by tomorrow, I think!)

So what’s in the cards for 2024? Keeping in mind that things are still in the squidgy, warm Jello stages of planning, 2024 holds at least one convention (possibly three — I applied to present at ICFA, and I’m in the waiting list for a convention that I’ve never done before), more events with the Cavalcade, at least one but possibly two books from Riverdale Avenue Books (Morrigan’s Heir is still on the roster for this year, but they have Bonds of Blood and Steel, and I will be sending them Morrigan’s Wrath once I finish the Heir edits.) There will be at least one self-published book — that would be Balance of Power, and getting research done for Imaginative Anthropology and for the worldbuilding for Iron and Silk.

So, if I keep with the categories, here’s my 2024 starting lineup.

  • Planning:
    • ???? (at the moment, I have a pile of story outlines ready to go. So this with either stay empty for a bit, or just be business planning.)
  • Research
    • Imaginative Anthropology
      • Iron and Silk research when done
  • Writing
    • The Sea Prince
      • ???? when done (Either Tales from the Arena: Dead Man’s Hand or Tower of Light.)
  • Editing
    • Balance of Power
      • Either The Sea Prince or whatever comes back first from RAB.

I’m looking at perhaps a March or April publishing date for Balance of Power, but that will depend on several factors (how long edits take, how long cover creation takes, and what other books I have releasing and when.)

On a personal level, someone who lives in my house and is taller than I am now graduates in the spring of 2024, and starts college in the fall. All the applications are in, applications for scholarships have started, and we do the financial aid paperwork in December. Then we wait…

Oh, and there’s a two-years-postponed vacation in there somewhere. I really can’t wait for that!

Works in Progress

Balance of Power
Heir to the Firstborn, Book 7

47097 / 90000 (52.33%)

The Sea Prince
The Coral Throne, Book 1

63623 / 120000 (53.02%)

Promotions!

First in Series Friday is Coming! Friday, November 24th (Black Friday in the US), the first books in Heir to the Firstborn, Rebel Mage, and Swords of Charlemagne will be on sale everywhere for 99 cents.

Posted by EASchechter in 2023 plans, 2024 plans, accountability, Balance of Power, Best laid plans, Best planned lays, Cavalcade of Authors, Counsel of the Wicked, Draft by the Solstice, forthcoming works, Heir to the Firstborn, Hidden Things, ICFA, Imaginative Anthropology, Iron and Silk, Planning, progress, promotions, publishing, research is fun, SPFBO, The Sea Prince, The White Raven, Tower of Light, upcoming books, upcoming work, WIP, wordcount, Written in Water, 0 comments
25
Sep
2023

No More Peopling.

I had a blast at Necronomicon — the Writing Sex panel was awesomely fun, and next year I’ll be pitching a panel I’m calling Mystery Science Sex Scene 3000, where we have audience members read snippets of our work, and identify the authors for fun and prizes.

I love conventions. Honestly, I do. But I spend the week after a convention recovering and avoiding talking to people. Partly because my throat is usually shot by Sunday — talking through an N95 mask is hard. (I did have a small air purifier for panels so I could unmask, but three days of talking is about two and a half more than I’m used to.) The rest of the reason is that I’m not an extrovert. I just play one at conventions. So by the time we get home, I’m ready for no more peopling for a while. My brains are spongy.

Today was a mellow day (see, spongy brains above). Only the essentials have been unpacked and most of the convention stuff is still stacked in the living room. I reconciled inventory records, paid taxes, and got somewhat caught up on things I missed over the weekend. No real writing yet today, and there may not be, but I did discover that there’s been a setting turned off in Scrivener for The Sea Prince, and it wasn’t tracking new words!

The Sea Prince
(The Coral Throne, Book 1)

62021 / 120000 (51.68%)

Balance of Power
(Heir to the Firstborn, book 7)

27250 / 90000 (30.28%)

In other news, I’ll be doing another Cavalcade of Authors promotion in October. This one runs from October 13-15, and you’ll need to check every day because there will be new books EVERY day of the promotion! Click the graphic to sign up for more info. I’ve put Forged in Fire into this promotion.

Also, as of 5:19 Eastern on September the 25th, Written in Water is still in the running at SPFBO. It’s getting nervous over here…

And I think that’s about all I have the brain for today. Go sign up for the giveaway!

Posted by EASchechter in 2023 plans, appearances, Balance of Power, Cavalcade of Authors, conventions, giveaway, Heir to the Firstborn, Necronomicon, public displays of geekery, SPFBO, The Sea Prince, WIP, wordcount, Written in Water, 0 comments