Hello all! The Oracle Series Tenth Anniversary Kickstarter fully funded yesterday, then tipped over the first stretch goal – aka two more tattoo designs by Inked By Chloe – yay!
So, of course! Now we need a poll!
I bet you saw that coming. 😜
Here are some of the descriptions of Rochelle’s tattoos from the book (just in case you need a refresher:
I had a tattoo of barbed wire with various things snagged in the spikes running up my left arm. The ‘things’ were eclectic — keys, spiders … even a black-and-white Canadian flag. With the addition of the peony, I was getting Tyler to extend the tattoo over my shoulder now. Eventually, it would meet and intermingle about two-thirds of the way across my back with the ivy leaf pattern that ran up my right arm. – I See Me (Oracle 1), Chapter One
Tyler gave me the peony tattoo as a birthday gift. He was cool like that, though he could easily get a hundred and sixty an hour for his tattoo work. I was pleased with the results. I’d drawn a section of the peony’s petals like they were pierced by the barbed wire, so it looked as if the flower was hanging over my shoulder blade by that precarious attachment alone. I could extrapolate that the placement reflected life, or could read something boring and tenuous into it like I was the black peony and the barbed wire was life, but that was hokey as hell. I wanted it to look that way, end of story. Though obviously I wouldn’t be flashing the new tattoo to my shrink or social worker. – I See Me (Oracle 1), Chapter One
Static electricity danced across my left forearm, just below the elbow. I glanced down to where the far seer had turned his attention from the sketchbook to the tattoo of the skeleton key on my left arm. The barbed-wire tattoo passed cleanly through the intricate series of Celtic-looking knots at one end of the key.
“This will come in handy.”
“What do you mean?”
“Do you know how sorcerer magic works?”
“No.” And apparently massive segues were the theme of the day.
– I See You (Oracle 2), Chapter 1
While I was waiting for Beau to return, I idly tested the henna I’d mixed on my own right arm, sketching out a snake design I’d been thinking about twining alongside the twists and turns of the ivy vine. I positioned the snake so its tongue flickered through its half-inch fangs against the inside of my right wrist. Next time we went into Vancouver, I’d have Tyler at Get Inked make it permanent. But I hadn’t quite decided on the design of the snake’s body yet. I applied a simple crosshatch to the henna test model. I wasn’t skilled enough with the cone applicator to go for anything decorative, though I was thinking of something Asian inspired, similar to the gold embroidery on Chi Wen’s white robes. – I See Us (Oracle 3)
Tenth Anniversary for I See Me (Oracle 1): October 30, 2024
Kickstarter Info
Essentially Kickstarter is a funding platform. It helps a creator cover their EXPENSES (i.e. money already spent or needed to be spent to create the product). You select a tier and ‘pledge’ that amount to support the campaign. Warning: you cannot pledge multiple tiers. Though I suppose you could do so with multiple accounts. If the main funding goal is achieved, then you receive the item you pledged by the date listed (hopefully!). After the initial goal is met, there are often stretch goals (‘free’ extras/rewards) that come into play. Which people who have already baked the project (at a certain level) receive without spending any more money.
Why run a Kickstarter for Oracle 1 in the first place?
For me, a Kickstarter functions partly as a preorder – I don’t run a store, so I don’t ‘carry’ stock. A Kickstarter lets me know what my readers are interested in so I can order the minimum amount. The only guaranteed way to get any of the limited editions of Oracle 1 is to pledge/back the item you want via the Kickstarter campaign.
A Kickstarter also functions as a way to help creators finance special editions or new endeavors, etc. In my case, I’m taking the opportunity to rebrand the entire Oracle trilogy (with all new covers, etc).
Tiers
The tiers are explained in detail on the Kickstarter page, but here they are in brief:
DIGITAL ART & LOOKBOOK
A limited edition EBOOK OMNIBUS that includes I See Me, I See You, and I See Us.
A limited edition PAPERBACK of I See Me (Oracle 1).
PAPERBACK and EBOOK OMNIBUS bundle.
Three limited edition PAPERBACKS– I See Me, I See You, and I See Us.
A limited edition OMNIBUS HARDCOVER that includes I See Me, I See You, and I See Us.
OMNIBUS EBOOK and OMNIBUS HARDCOVERbundle.
OMNIBUS EBOOK, I See Me (Oracle 1) PAPERBACK, and OMNIBUS HARDCOVER bundle.
OMNIBUS EBOOK, THREE PAPERBACKS, and OMNIBUS HARDCOVER bundle.
ANNOTATED OMNIBUS HARDCOVER – only 3 available.
Add Ons
PR Box (limited to 50): Apple Pie Soy Candle, Apple Pie lip balm, an enamel butterfly pin, plus every piece of art in printed format (postcards, stickers, temporary tattoos). Plus, a handwritten (personalized by name) note from MCD with download codes for the Oracle Series audiobooks (can be gifted if you already own the audio).
GIVEAWAY CLOSED. THE (FIVE) WINNERS HAVE BEEN EMAILED!
Hello, my lovely readers! Today is my 51st birthday (and yes, though I just sailed through 50 without a blip, I’m seriously trying to not freak out about this milestone). If you follow me on Facebook, you know I usually do flash giveaways on my birthday, mostly of my favourite things, and therefore mostly about books! Unfortunately, Facebook is a very uncomfortable platform on which to host giveaways now, and my posts often get hit with a lot of scammers and spam. Hence the move here to the blog.
Also! I collected a bunch of autographed books from fav authors for my book club (etc). But having stepped back from that for the foreseeable future, I can’t just have these pretties collecting dust in my cupboard. So now you all get a chance to win them. YAY!
Are you ready?
😜
Of course, you are!
Well, I’ll get to it. See the ‘rules’ at the end for more info, etc. Presented in alphabetical order, here are some of my favourite books/authors:
Content Note: all of these books contain ‘on the page’ sexual situations and some darker themes, please check trigger warnings.
Giveaway A. An autographed copy of Amanda Bouchet’s A Promise of Fire (Romantic Fantasy/Romantasy), three postcards from the series, a chocolate bar from Kasama Chocolate, and a hand poured by MCD chocolate candle.
Giveaway B. An autographed copy of Jennifer Estep’s Only Bad Options (Sci-Fi Fantasy/Space Opera), a bookmark, sticker, and an autographed bookplate, plus chocolate bar from Kasama Chocolate and a hand poured by MCD chocolate candle.
Giveaway C. An autographed copy of Jeffe Kennedy’s Dark Wizard (Dark Fantasy Romance/Romantasy), a chocolate bar from Kasama Chocolate, and a hand poured by MCD chocolate candle.
Giveaway D. An autographed copy of Kathryn Moon’s Baby and the Late Night Howlers (Omegaverse/Why Choose), a chocolate bar from Kasama Chocolate, and a hand poured by MCD chocolate candle.
Giveaway E. An autographed copy of Lola Rock’s Park Darling (Omegaverse/Why Choose), series branded bookmark, stickers, and quotes, plus a chocolate bar from Kasama Chocolate, and a hand poured by MCD chocolate candle.
To enter, simply comment below and tell me which birthday book box (A, B, C, D, or E) you most desire (or AOTA: all of the above)!
Please be honest, for example, unlike me 😁, not everyone enjoys Omegaverse aka Why Choose, or darker themes (kidnapping, rejected mate, etc), and I would prefer these special books go to the perfect homes!
Happy birthday to me!
Notes/Rules: OPEN INTERNATIONALLY. One entry per person. Five winners will be selected by random number generator. Only entries that follow the stated requirements will be valid. Email addresses are not collected for any purpose other than to contact the winner. No purchase necessary. The comments are moderated. I will approve your entry just as soon as I have a moment to do so.
Neither the authors nor the chocolate maker are affiliated with this giveaway. This is not a sponsored post, I purchased (or made) all the items included above.
Giveaway closes SATURDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2024 at 11:59 pm PDT.
Hello, my lovely readers! If you read my August newsletter, you know I’ve stepped back from doing too many ‘extras’ for the last month, which means I’ve done a lot of reading and a lot of knitting. Plus daily walks (and Sunday hikes), plus binging fav TV series.
Below are some of the books that I’ve been reading, my next anticipated reads, and the new releases I can’t wait to dig into!
[I’ve used Amazon USA affiliate links (yes, out of laziness, sorry!) but remember you can change the .com to .ca or .co.uk (etc) to find your preferred store].
Recent Reads
I’ve picked up more romance-centric books in the last month than normal (for me), tearing through a bunch of authors’ backlists. The standouts were:
Ahem, why yes, I wanted to have this all together for release day … but better late than never?? This is the exact box (only missing a couple of extra touches, not pictured below) that I would put together as a PR Box. I thought it might be fun for one of my readers to win it. 😁
Book Cover designed and hand-lettered by Alicia (aka @CheekyLettering) Scenery illustration by Kateryna Vitkovska Character Illustrations by Nicole Deal
Are you interested in winning an autographed paperback of Mirth, Part 1? A set of seven character/art postcards? A peaches and cream soy candle hand-poured by MCD? And a bookplate? [Plus one more adorable addition that I don’t have my hands on yet].
Yes!??
To enter, comment on this blog post with your favourite quote or moment from Mirth, Part One!
Notes/Rules: OPEN INTERNATIONALLY. One entry per person. One winner will be selected by random number generator. Only entries that follow the stated requirements will be valid (i.e. it must be an actual quote/fav scene, not just a copy/paste of the synopsis, etc). Email addresses are not collected for any purpose other than to contact the winner. No purchase necessary – all my books are available for free via your local library. The comments are moderated. I will approve your entry just as soon as I have a moment to do so.
Giveaway closes SUNDAY, AUGUST 18, 2024 at 8 pm PDT.
Rian Callaghan. Wolf shifter. Horse Trainer/Breeder. Character illustration by Nicole Deal (@nicole.deal.art).
Content Note: language.
He’s not rescuing me.
He’s protecting the horse still dancing and snorting in the ring. Protecting Perseus from me.
My energy is so volatile that a stranger thinks that I would harm —
Shifting his hands from my upper arms, he presses his forearm across my chest, leaning into me and finally switching to slightly accented English. “What the fuck were you thinking? Trying to ride him in the dark? Do you want to die? Do you want him to kill you? Do you want to be responsible for his death when he breaks a fucking leg?”
That’s too many questions to answer. Even if I had the answers.
“Look at him! The ears, the eyes!” the enraged figure spits madly. “He’s scared of whatever the fuck you’re trying to do in the middle of the fucking night.”
Realizing that my arms are free to move and that the ground is once again solid under my feet — as if my mind is still checked out, still expecting the death blow I saw coming and did nothing to thwart — I finally shove my hair out of my face.
I look at Perseus in the ring.
I look and see everything I’ve willfully ignored.
My rescuer eases back, slowly removing his arm from across my upper chest and muttering a disconcerted, “Fuck, fuck …” under his breath.
I stay pressed up against the side of the stable, knowing I’ve fucked up and not really wanting to face it. Cowardly, yes. Except …
I’m no longer coming out of my skin.
As stupid and reckless as my actions might be, I feel invigorated for the first time in months.
So I meet the stranger’s gaze.
He’s fucking gorgeous. In that way that only a pretty boy transitioning into a grown man can be.
Sharp jawed, wide green eyes, slashes of prominent cheekbones, medium-brown skin flushed with health. Full lips. Straight teeth. A shifter of some sort.
He’s holding his hands up now, his gaze flicking between my eyes and my left shoulder.
Because he can’t remember if it’s okay to look royalty in the eyes? Or because he’s noticed the purple hue to my gaze?
His palms face forward placatingly. No, pleadingly.
He’s just realized who I am.
Who he’s pinned up against the side of a stable.
Putting unwanted hands on me is technically punishable by death. As in, there’s an actual archaic law covering that, still logged in some ancient tome in my father’s study.
“Your Highness …” he murmurs, his tone gentle as if waiting for me to bite back. To lash out with whatever my purple eyes declare I can do.
I am, however, not my father’s child in essence. Not like Armin was.
“Have I …” He stammers as he continues, “I didn’t know … I would never hurt …”
A slow, wide grin spreads across my face. I’m all riled up, but invigorated rather than desperate now — and I’m not sure I’ve ever been so struck by someone in my life. Attraction is usually a slow sort of burn for me.
Confusion mars his perfect fucking brow, and he swallows hard.
Maybe he’ll be less pretty in the daylight. But as inappropriate as the impulse is, I’m moments away from asking him to press me against the side of the stable again. Even if it doesn’t go anywhere sexual, just being … dominated? No, that isn’t the right word, not the right feeling.
Just being out of control of my own body, my own choices, even for just a moment was … freeing? But not in a destructive way.
His hands and guidance are forceful, but not —
A soft smile finally overtakes his confusion, possibly because he’s noticed I’m still just staring at him and still smiling myself. As if I’m shocked dumb by his beauty, by our abrupt … introduction.
And maybe I am.
– Grand Romantic Delusions and the Madness of Mirth, Part One
[I just realized I hadn’t shared this illustration here, and I need it for the Extras and Freebies page 😁][it is also in the limited-edition eBook of Mirth, Part One].
Her Royal Higness Princesss Euphrosyne. Aka Mirth. Awry. Heir to the United European Nation. Character illustration by Nicole Deal (@nicole.deal.art).
CONTENT NOTE: language
The door to the suite opens. Anne hustles in. She’s wearing a light-gold full-length wrap-style silk dress. She pauses just inside the door, blinking at me, then taking in Sully, then Bolan.
“Oh,” she finally says. “Good. Sully. You’ll help Mirth get into her dress? Mimi and Tavi have been roped into service by the Mertons. Apparently, our lack of ability to house all the staff they would have preferred to bring is … irksome.”
No titles in private. No formalities.
Unless I impose them.
But only after I explicitly lift those protocols in the first place.
That was Sully’s point. About protocol.
“Yes, of course.” Sully grins widely and wickedly. “Why else would I be in Her Royal Highness’s suite?”
Anne huffs, playfully pleased. “I have your father waiting to escort you,” she says to me.
“Escort me?” I echo, abruptly displeased.
“We’ll go straight through to dinner,” Anne says, ignoring my tone. “The rest of the guests will start arriving around nine for the ball.”
“Of course,” I say. I did know that already, but apparently I’m still having issues with holding everything in my head all at once. As if new information is at constant war with the continual grief and the continual state of overwhelm.
Anne casts a look over all three of us again, then smirks. “Ten minutes. Or I’ll send in the twins.”
Sully raises his hands in surrender.
Anne steps back the way she came, snagging the door closed.
“Well, this is going to be a blast,” Bolan says sarcastically.
“It will be awful to do sober,” Sully says blithely over his shoulder.
“Fuck you, asshole.”
“Not today. But I do like it when you beg.”
I huff, spinning away from them both.
Sully attempts to follow me, but stops instantly at my snapped, “No!”
Bolan’s laughter follows me back through to my bedroom, then beyond the door that I slam in my wake.
I put on the decadently voluminous silk ballgown skirt and the beaded bustier. Then I carefully slip a diamond-crusted platinum coronet into my perfectly coiffed hair.
Because if they want a fucking princess, I’ll give them a fucking princess.
– Grand Romantic Delusions and the Madness of Mirth, Part One
I meant to put this list (below) in my new release newsletter, but then I felt like I was cramming too many things into it last week so I didn’t. Jade, over in the reader-run Facebook fan group, was looking for a list of why choose books after reading Mirth, Part 1, which reminded me I already had this list put together. So! Here is my (incomplete) list of books and some brief thoughts on ‘delving further into the why choose genre’.
As it is rapidly becoming apparent – yes, I’m already making notes on another duology. I wish I could write faster – my Conduit World books are going to feature Why Choose romances.
The reason for this is made clear(er?) at the end of Mirth, Part One. And, while I don’t want to spoil the discovery about how the Conduit World works for the powerful awry and intersection points, specifically, it’s not just about sexy times with multiple partners (though that is hopefully fun as well). And while the Mirth duology leans heavily toward the romance – the plot is centered around a matchmaking event, and the book, now duology, was meant to be a fun, palette-cleanser sort of book for me – that won’t necessarily be the case for all the Conduit World books (see Awry, for example).
I’ve cobbled together my own (completely incomplete) list of why choose books. Most of these books are in Kindle Unlimited (sorry in advance to my wide readers!) but you might be able to grab the audiobook/paperback, etc. I’m seriously (overwhelmingly) pressed for time right now so I’ve only used my Amazon USA affiliate links below, but as always, simply change the .com to .ca or .co.uk (etc) to redirect to your country store.
A Conversation and a Hot Chocolate with Jeffe Kennedy: August 31, 2024 at 2 pm PT. Join the guest list for the live zoom: https://forms.gle/qJ6zBJR1jb9AG4GFA (instructions and link will be emailed three days ahead)(also these lists don’t roll over, you must sign up every month, pretty please).
Giveaway (see paperback above): drop a question in the discord (there will be a thread under August) or in the chat during the live zoom event to enter to win the autographed paperback and bookmark.
A Conversation and a Hot Chocolate with Maria Vale – video now available!
Follow me on YouTube if you don’t want to miss any other videos (though I will try to post here as well).
July Giveaway: Deb won the autographed paperback of The Last Wolf!
Also, since this is time-sensitive, I’ve been invited to be an attending author at RARE London 2025. Tickets go on sale on August 3 at 9 am UK time. And sell out very quickly.
Vampire Unicorns has just launched phase two of their officially licensed adorable Dowser Series merch designs! [click here for a post about phase 1 and an explanation of what it means to license merch from an author/creative].
Screenshot of the Dowser Series-inspired designs from Vampire Unicorns. I adore all the T-shirt designs, but the ‘I’ve Never Tasted Magic like Yours’ design is pretty freaking perfect.
Can you guess my new favorite? Here’s a not-so-subtle hint. 😋
