Write Faster!

Winding Down

Winding Down

It’s the end of October, and my brain is starting the process of winding down for the end of the year. Which is a little bit of a problem, because I am two (I think two) chapters from finishing Have Yourself a Merry Little Witchmas, and it’s due in on Friday! No winding down! Must make all the words!

In a fun instance of “This is Liz’s brain on writing…” Witchmas is now set in the same universe as Heart’s Master. Which means that if I stay with writing Camber and Merlina (which I might, because they are SO much fun to write!), there’s a possibility of a cameo by a certain blind bardic mage.

I really do need to get back to that series and figure out where I broke Holy Orders (Drum Mage 2). And float the idea to my publisher that hey, it’s ten years old! Can we have a shiny new cover and re-release like we did with Sable Locks and Ravenborn? I’ll have to draft that email up later. Or next week, once Witchmas is put to bed.

There are still three shows before the end of the year, but those are short and once they’re done, they’re done. I’m looking forward to Maker Faire next week — I haven’t gotten our placement yet, but the early information shows us in the Opportunity building instead of Spirit (Spirit is where we were last year.) Once I know for certain, I’ll let you know where to find us. And by the time Maker Faire rolls around, I should have hardcovers for Ravenflight! Against all odds, the paperbacks showed up on Friday, right before we left for Author Night at Native Home Marketplace. Considering that they weren’t supposed to be here until November 7th at the earliest? I was more than a little shocked!

They’re very pretty! And they’ll be on the table to Maker Faire!

Back to work!

Promotions

Now Available!

A hero. A son of Eire. A reckoning long overdue.

Lorcan never asked for glory. Crowned a noble and hailed as a savior after crushing rebellion, he walks the marble halls adored by all—except himself. Haunted by prophetic visions, he sees not triumph, but torment: his family caged, his homeland threatened, and his cousin’s dark ambitions on the rise.

He knows where he must go.

Leaving behind the splendor of Empire, Lorcan returns to the emerald wilds of Eire, where ancient magic stirs and old loyalties are tested. Beside him stand his mates and his chosen kin—fierce, loyal, and willing to follow him into the heart of danger. But the blood that binds can also betray, and the most dangerous enemy may not be on the battlefield… but seated at his own family’s table.


Half Off Sale!

I am down to my final four complete sets of Swords of Charlemagne with the old covers. Remember, when these are gone, they’re gone! You can a single title for $12.50, or all four books for $37.50. This includes the thumbdrive!

Why? The Swords of Charlemagne have a new home with Riverdale Avenue Books! New covers and edits will be coming soon!


Sale!

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?

On October 30th, and for one day only, The Sea Prince will be available wherever ebooks are sold for 99 cents! Click the image to see what other books will be available on the day!


Work in Progress

Have Yourself A Merry Little Witchmas

 
19408 / 25000

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

 
35962 / 90000 (39.96%)

Appearances

Maker Faire
November 7-9th, 2025
Central Florida Fairgrounds,
Orlando, FL

***

Enchanted Knights: Winter Bazaar
December 6th, 2025
Oviedo Mall
Oviedo, FL

***

Ravenflight Signing!
Spellbound Books
December 20th, 2025
12:00PM – 2:00 PM
Sanford, FL


2026 Appearances

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.

***

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 2025 plans, a-writers-life-is-never-dull, accountability, appearances, Blood of the Raven, Maker Faire, Ravenflight, the-end-is-near, upcoming books, upcoming work, Updatey things, WIP, Witchmas, wordcount, Write Faster!, 0 comments
“I forgot to turn off the subtitles on my inside voice.”

“I forgot to turn off the subtitles on my inside voice.”

“I forgot to turn off the subtitles on my inside voice.” The line that made me giggle for several minutes. I am enjoying this manuscript. These characters are wonderfully snarky, and I’m just having fun. Now, that’s not to say that i don’t enjoy all of my writing. I do. But Merlina and Camber are amusing me all out of proportion, and the hard part is going to be keeping this to the required 20,000 words. I keep telling myself that sequels are a thing.

Which means I need to make a series plan. I’ll work on that during my down time once I finish this, while they’re still fresh in my head. Which might mean doing research into Elizabethan history, because if there are going to be sequels, there also need to be origin stories and oh my giddy aunt…

I’m starting to plan out my 2026 appearances, and three new shows have hit the radar all within the past three days. The organizer of the Page and Pen festival has announced THREE dates for 2026, in April, June and October. I’ve applied for all three, so we’ll see how things go and if I get all three. Once I know, I’ll add them to the calendar.

I just had a Lorcan moment. I looked at the calendar, and realized that today is the 13th. That means that this Saturday is the 18th, and Ravenflight releases. I seriously thought I had another week, because I somehow forgot how numbers work. How is this a Lorcan moment? Because in Ravenflight, he gets blindsided by something, and his response is “I thought I knew how to count!”

Which means I should leave you with this:

Promotions

Preorder Now!

A hero. A son of Eire. A reckoning long overdue.

Lorcan never asked for glory. Crowned a noble and hailed as a savior after crushing rebellion, he walks the marble halls adored by all—except himself. Haunted by prophetic visions, he sees not triumph, but torment: his family caged, his homeland threatened, and his cousin’s dark ambitions on the rise.

He knows where he must go.

Leaving behind the splendor of Empire, Lorcan returns to the emerald wilds of Eire, where ancient magic stirs and old loyalties are tested. Beside him stand his mates and his chosen kin—fierce, loyal, and willing to follow him into the heart of danger. But the blood that binds can also betray, and the most dangerous enemy may not be on the battlefield… but seated at his own family’s table.


Half Off Sale!

I am down to my final four complete sets of Swords of Charlemagne with the old covers. Remember, when these are gone, they’re gone! You can a single title for $12.50, or all four books for $37.50 when you use the code SWORDS in my shop. This includes the thumbdrive!

Why? The Swords of Charlemagne have a new home with Riverdale Avenue Books! New covers and edits will be coming soon!


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?


Work in Progress

Have Yourself A Merry Little Witchmas

 
9129 / 20000 (45.65%)

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

 
35962 / 90000 (39.96%)

Appearances

Author Night at Native Home!
October 24th, 2025
6:00PM – 9:00 PM

***

Ravenflight Signing!
Spellbound Books
November 1st, 2025
2:30 PM – 4:00PM
Sanford, FL

***

Maker Faire
November 7-9th, 2025
Central Florida Fairgrounds,
Orlando, FL

***

Enchanted Knights: Winter Bazaar
December 6th, 2025
Oviedo Mall
Oviedo, FL

2026 Appearances

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

***

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

Posted by EASchechter in 2026 plans, accountability, appearances, Blood of the Raven, forthcoming works, Happy Book Day, progress, promotions, publishing, Ravenflight, Release date, upcoming books, upcoming work, WIP, Witchmas, wordcount, Write Faster!, 0 comments
Breathing Space.

Breathing Space.

The three week run of shows is now over, and I have a little breathing space before my next outing. Time to rest, to resupply, and to get some writing done! And other writing work — page proofs came in today for Ravenflight, and I need to turn these around quickly. I also need to get some words done on Have Yourself a Merry Little Witchmas, because that deadline is creeping up on me. Assuming I can keep from having a million little things pop up that keep me from writing and editing, I’ll get these done on time. I just need to focus.

Which is something of a tall order, but not impossible.

(insert ten minutes doing promo on Facebook.)

Where was I? Oh, right. Focus. I can focus. Twenty-four completed novels in fourteen years says that I can focus quite well. But I can’t focus all the time. Sometimes, there will be doomscrolling. Sometimes, there will be cat videos on Tiktok. And sometimes, there will be random promotional posts that break out in the middle of a paragraph. So getting these two things done? Completely doable, especially now that there are no shows to prep for until the 24th, and that one is an abbreviated catalog show (which means that the exceptionally spicy books have to stay home.) Page proofs will be done this week, then I need to buckle down and get the other 15K words on the page for Witchmas.

Promotions

Tonight!

Tonight, I’ll be part of a TheoReads webinar on newsletters and why they are important for writers. This is free, and you can join us here.

Preorder Now!

A hero. A son of Eire. A reckoning long overdue.

Lorcan never asked for glory. Crowned a noble and hailed as a savior after crushing rebellion, he walks the marble halls adored by all—except himself. Haunted by prophetic visions, he sees not triumph, but torment: his family caged, his homeland threatened, and his cousin’s dark ambitions on the rise.

He knows where he must go.

Leaving behind the splendor of Empire, Lorcan returns to the emerald wilds of Eire, where ancient magic stirs and old loyalties are tested. Beside him stand his mates and his chosen kin—fierce, loyal, and willing to follow him into the heart of danger. But the blood that binds can also betray, and the most dangerous enemy may not be on the battlefield… but seated at his own family’s table.


Half Off Sale!

I am down to my final four complete sets of Swords of Charlemagne with the old covers. Remember, when these are gone, they’re gone! You can a single title for $12.50, or all four books for $37.50 when you use the code SWORDS in my shop. This includes the thumbdrive!

Why? The Swords of Charlemagne have a new home with Riverdale Avenue Books! New covers and edits will be coming soon!


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?


Work in Progress

Have Yourself A Merry Little Witchmas

 
5936 / 20000 (29.68%)

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

 
35962 / 90000 (39.96%)

Appearances

Author Night at Native Home!
October 24th, 2025
6:00PM – 9:00 PM

***

Ravenflight Signing!
Spellbound Books
November 1st, 2025
2:30 PM – 4:00PM
Sanford, FL

***

Maker Faire
November 7-9th, 2025
Central Florida Fairgrounds,
Orlando, FL

***

Enchanted Knights: Winter Bazaar
December 6th, 2025
Oviedo Mall
Oviedo, FL

2026 Appearances

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

***

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

Posted by EASchechter, 0 comments
Crunch Time!

Crunch Time!

My original plan was for this to be my last blog post before my break started on July 1st. Instead, while this is still going to be my last blog post until September, it’s crunch time that starts tomorrow. My break will start August 1st or whenever I finish writing The Coral Throne. I’m currently about two-thirds of the way done with the manuscript, and I will be spending the next month getting it to something approaching a draft.

I may not get much writing done today because today is the end of Q2, and there are things that need to be done. I’ve already updated my press kit and paid my quarterly taxes. Next, I need to revisit my plan for the rest of the year and reset my kanban board. (And supervise the unpacking of the van — it was pouring down rain when we got home from a show yesterday, so the books are all still in the back of the van. The Schechter men will probably do that while I make dinner.) There might be writing time after that, but I’m not counting on it. The real writing starts tomorrow.

Sometimes, I have to do the not-fun business things instead of playing with my imaginary friends. Adulting, right?

I did get to add a new show to the appearances list. We will once again be appearing at Maker Faire in November! I’m excited for it — I had a grand time last year. I’m waiting on the jury results for the Enchanted Knights Winter Bazaar in December, and I hope to have that added to our appearance list to round out the year. There might also be one or two other things, depending on release schedules and how they solidify. More information will be added to the website as I learn it.

Before I disappear into a deadline cave for the next two months, I want to say thank you to everyone who had been on this ride with me. I appreciate each and every one of you, and I look forward to making more magic with you.

See you in September!

Promotions

Half Off Sale!

From now until they sell out, you can get the Swords of Charlemagne paperback books from me directly for half off. That’s $12.50 for each, or all four books for $37.50 when you use the code SWORDS. This includes the thumbdrive!

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. (Note: This sale does not extend outside of my bookstore! Books bought from other booksellers are still going to be full price until I take them down.)

Free Books!

Final day! 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?


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)

65937 / 100000 (65.94%)

Appearances

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

***

Maker Faire
November 8-9th, 2025
Central Florida Fairgrounds,
Orlando, FL

Posted by EASchechter in 2025 plans, accountability, appearances, Maker Faire, Planning, promotions, Swords of Charlemagne, The Coral Throne, Write Faster!, 0 comments
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
Live from Sunday Night!

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!

Promotions

Free Books!

For the month of June, 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)

55678 / 100000 (55.68%)

Appearances

Enchanted Knights: Summer Solstice
June 21st, 2025
11:00 AM – 6:30PM
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 2025 plans, appearances, Planning, promotions, public displays of geekery, summer, The Coral Throne, The Sea Prince, WIP, wordcount, Write Faster!, 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
Sumer Is Icumen In

Sumer Is Icumen In

Sumer is icumen in,
Lhude sing cuccu!
Groweþ sed and bloweþ med
And springþ þe wde nu,
Sing cuccu.

If you’re not familiar with old songs, Sumer Is Icumen In is the oldest recorded song. Some people may have been introduced to the song through the movie The Wicker Man, but it’s far older than that — first written down in the mid-13th century. It’s in Old English, and roughly translated, the first line means “Summer has arrived.” It’s very pretty, and meant to be sung in six parts, as you can hear below.

@rashaanroriallwood The buck farts—excuse me? and yet this is one of the most sophisticated musical pieces from medieval England. Sumer is icumen in is a 13th-century English canon from a manuscript believed to have originated at Reading Abbey around 1260. It’s the earliest known six-part polyphonic composition in Western music and combines earthy realism with intricate counterpoint. The cuckoo sings, the lambs bleat, the bulls leap—and yes, the buck passes gas—all layered in a joyful round celebrating the arrival of summer. I’m singing and playing it on clavichord, bringing this medieval loop to life 800 years later. #sumerisicumenin #medievalmusic #clavichord #earlymusic #readingabbey #englishcanon #medievalcanon #13thcenturymusic #polyphony #loopculture #historicalperformance #oldmusic #musicology #earlynotation #britishlibrary #middleenglish #medievalvibes #ancientmusic #oldinstruments #folkloremusic #musicnerd #buckefarts #cuckoosong #historicalinstruments #counterpoint ♬ original sound – RashaanRoriAllwood

(And yes, there is indeed a lyric about bucks farting.)

Why am I writing about incoming summer? Partly because it’s Memorial Day today, which is the unofficial official start of the the summer season. School in Florida is out this week, and the spring quarter of college ends, too. June starts in six days….

And I have about half a book to finish writing, and I’m not completely certain it’ll happen. I think I’m still a couple of chapters from the hinge point of The Coral Throne, which is also when I’ll reevaluate my total word goal (the hinge is the halfway point. I think the wordcount will be going up by 10K or so.) Which puts me into a Nano situation — can I write 50K words in a month? Tune in and see!

Right now, I still think that this will be a two book series. I really do. We will see if the book agrees with me.

I find that I’m looking forward to July and August, and taking some down time. There are so many books I want to read, and I’m planning on reading as many as I can once The Coral Throne is a draft. Top of the list is For Whom the Belle Tolls by Jaysea Lynn — my paperback is just sitting there waiting because I can’t spare the attention to read it. Also in the pile is Wooing the Witch Queen by Stephanie Burgis, Till Death by Kellan McDaniel, and both books in the Royals and Romance series by Sara Raasch. I started The Nightmare before Kissmas, (Royals and Romance book 1), and it’s adorable. Then I had to put it down because finish writing the book, Liz.

Fall quarter starts up in September, and that’s when I’ll get back to King of Swords. Unless something happens to punt it back in the queue, that is. Flexibility is key when you have several irons in the fire.

Also in my queue this month is a long-awaited call for submissions for the Lord Ruthven Bulletin, the journal put out by the Lord Ruthven Assembly. I’ve never edited a journal before, but as President, that’s one of my duties. It’ll be an adventure and a learning experience (oh, no, not another learning experience!) That’s something I hope to have at least a draft on by the end of Q2… which is the end of June. When I’m trying to have a book done.

Back to work!

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)

44831 / 90000 (49.81%)

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

Posted by EASchechter in 2025 plans, a-writers-life-is-never-dull, accountability, Draft by the Solstice, progress, promotions, Raven's Flight, Ravens Fall, Release date, summer, Tales from the Arena, The Coral Throne, The Sea Prince, upcoming books, upcoming work, WIP, wordcount, Write Faster!, 0 comments
On Your Mark…

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!

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

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

Posted by EASchechter in 2025 plans, 2026 plans, accountability, Draft by the Solstice, forthcoming works, Iron and Silk, Planning, progress, Tales from the Arena, The Coral Throne, The Iron Virgin, The Sea Prince, upcoming books, upcoming work, WIP, wordcount, Write Faster!, 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