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Jun

2025

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

Order Now!

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

Jun

2025

Live from Sunday Night!

I’m off for a writing retreat tomorrow, so I’m coming to you live from Sunday night this week. I’m hoping to get some quality words written. I’ve pretty much admitted to myself that there’s no way that I’ll be getting 50K words written in 15 days. It’s not happening. So I’ll be continuing writing into July, until this book is done. My incentive for getting to a complete draft as soon as I can? A stack of books that keeps growing.

This past week was full, and the upcoming week promises to be just as busy. Today I had a Meet and Greet at the local indie bookstore, and it was awesome. I adore the Spellbound Bookstore, and I love having events there. If you’re in Sanford, Florida, be sure to check them out (they’re about a mile and a half from the Autotrain station, so if you’re taking the train north, hit the bookstore for some reading material!) There are three copies of The Sea Prince at Spellbound, so you can grab a copy if you stop in.

And for our next event? Saturday the 21st is the Enchanted Knights Summer Solstice Faire at the Oviedo Mall. It’s a Renn Faire, but with AC and no mud! Win! (Unless you like the mud, in which case… sorry. No mud.) I’m not sure where we’ll be this time, but as soon as I know, I’ll post it in my socials. I still have to draw out the changes to my display, because we have shelves now. Something to do when I have a brain break at the retreat, I suppose?

As much as I enjoy shows and meeting readers, I do have to say that I am very much looking forward to June 30th, when I will be able to start focusing completely on finishing this book (once I do my quarterly taxes and reset my kanban board for Q3, that is.) I want to see how The Coral Throne ends! (I mean, I know how the outline says it ends, but we all know that outlines and my writing brain don’t always agree on what is actually going to happen in a story.)

My brain has stopped. Time for me to get some sleep. Must sleep to make words!