The Iron Virgin

May

2025

On Your Mark…

On your mark… get set… GO! This is the point where I close the file for King of Swords and put those notes to the side so that I have a hope of finishing a manuscript before the end of June. I’ll pick Teren’s story back up once I finish The Coral Throne, or in September, whichever comes first. Which means I may be pushing back on starting The Iron Virgin until January of 2026. (or I may launch right into it while I’m still in a nautical state of mind. Which means I need to get on with my research, and get the books I’ve been putting off ordering.)

I really do want to keep The Coral Throne (the series) to two books. I think I can, if I can rein in the side quests and “oh, that’s a fun detail that takes us off on a nifty tangent that advances the plot but adds 15K words.” However, I should probably go looking for stock photography that fits my mental image of Nika, because if there is a third book, then the title of the current one will be changing and The Coral Throne will become book 3. Which will put Nika on the cover of book 2 and Daanir on the cover of book 3.

And, of course, now that I said it… nope. Two books. This series is TWO BOOKS.

(But I’m still going to see if I can find her…)

Now that I can focus on one book and one book only, I’m hoping I can get the other half of this book done before I take July and August off to read and do research.

With that being said… GO!

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!

Preorder Now!

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

Order Now!

Work in Progress

The Coral Throne
(The Coral Throne, book 2)

40974 / 90000 (45.53%)

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, FL

May

2025

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.