The Sea Prince

Mar

2026

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!

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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

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ICFA
March 18-21th, 2026
Orlando, FL

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

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The Great Geek Gathering
May 2nd, 2026
11:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Oviedo, FL

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

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

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

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

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

Feb

2026

Happy Book Day Eve!

Happy Book Day Eve to those who celebrate. I certainly do! Tomorrow is release day for The Coral Throne, which brings to a close a story that is old enough to drive in the state of Florida.

I’ve told this story before — in 2009, I woke up with this character in my head. His name was Tarjiaan, and he would not shut up. In the 45 minute drive to Ikea, I had most of the worldbuilding, and I actually ditched my family for about half an hour once we got there to go sit in the restaurant with a cup of coffee and write everything down. Then I shared the information with a writer friend, and we started writing what would become The Sea Prince. However, Tarjiaan stopped talking to me. Dead stop, do not pass go, do not collect $200. So things got put to the side.

Flash forward to 2023. I pulled the manuscript out from under the virtual bed, reread it (which I’d done probably about six times over the years), and realized where it was broken and how to fix it. What I felt on finishing The Sea Prince was, I imagine, the writing equivalent of summiting Mount Everest… except then I had to do it again because the story wasn’t done. I had to wrap things up and bring it all home. I had rewritten the synopsis for the second part, and I knew where it was going, but there were still some surprises (does anyone ever plan for the cat?) The transition felt rushed, and I had to rework that because there was not enough material for a third book.

Stop laughing. Even I can say that once.

And then it was done. And tomorrow, you all finally get to see the finished work.