MCD: FAQ: Fall/Winter 2023 schedule

IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS FOR MCD, PLEASE SCAN THIS POST FIRST. If you can’t find the answer below please feel free to drop a question in the comments.

Updated November 23, 2023

CURRENT RELEASE

Endings and Empathy (Amplifier 6), eBook, paperback, and audiobook all available

ALL AUDIOBOOKS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE, including Dowser 7, 8, and 9

UPCOMING RELEASES

(in order of release, with updates)

TBR (Conduit 1)

Release date (on all retailers): January 25, 2024
Limited edition preorders are now available (and will be released a few days earlier)
Cover reveal: November 29, 2023
Influencer PR Boxes and eARCs sign-ups for a Release Day Promo Blitz are available via R&R Book Tours

Soulmates, Doorways, and Other Unruly Magic (Dower 9.5)

Release date: June 2024 [Kickstarter backers already have their exclusive copies].
Available for preorder.

Secret Audiobook Project:

Release date: midDecember (TBC)

CURRENTLY WRITING

[title to be revealed] (Conduit 1.5)

Projected release date: early Spring 2024
First draft in progress
A prequel series of shorts/novelettes, releasing after Conduit 1 because they’re riddled with spoilers, and for the first time at least, should be read out of order.

[title to be revealed] (Archivist 3)

No projected release date.
Currently in brainstorming stage.

CURRENTLY IN THE STORE/DIRECT SALES

T-shirt/logos/etc.

Audiobooks

THINGS OF INTEREST

All of the Dowser Series Tenth Anniversary rewards, except the annotated copies, have been shipped/emailed!

ALL LINKS OF INTEREST IN ONE PLACE

Freebies and Extras (including various downloads and character illustrations/bios). Just FYI the cookbook and all the ‘extras’ will be given a major overhaul/trim in early 2024.

Adept Universe Reading Order (including full printable list). This info can also be found at the front and back of every book.

F.A.Qs

[slowly adding to these]:

Question: Do you ever offer ARCs or books to BookTok/Booksgram/BookTube Influencers?

A: MCD Starter Pack: Current Call for Influencers (Google Doc)

Question: What are your favourite books/favourite series?

A: Blog post: MCD’s completely incomplete list of favourite books.

Question: Places to go when visiting Vancouver (as related to the Adept Universe series/books):

A: Blog post: A Guide to Vancouver according to the Adept Universe

Question: What are your favourite/go-to Dim Sum dishes?

A: Blog post: MCD’s Dim Sum picks.

WHERE ELSE TO FIND/CONTACT MCD

Do you have any burning questions? Post them below and I’ll try to answer!

F.A.Q: Dim Sum

An email from Barb that is currently sitting unanswered in my inbox (sorry, Barb!) has prompted this addition to my slowly growing FAQ posts. And yes, if you haven’t yet noticed over on my various social platforms, I freaking adore dim sum. I adore it so much that I wrote it into Artifacts, Dragons, and Other Lethal Magic (Dowser 6). (Click here to read the scene/excerpt).

Vancouver, BC has a number of great dim sum places, and the menus all differ slightly, but here are some of my and Michael’s favs.

MCD’s Dim Sum Must Haves:

Steamed prawn dumplings
Streamed scallop dumplings (hard to get/find these days?)
Pan-fried shrimp and chive or green onion dumplings (some have pork!)
Deep fried squid
Deep fried garlic shrimp spring rolls
Gai Lan (Chinese Broccoli) in garlic (it’s normally served with oyster sauce)
Sauce: a touch of soy sauce

Michael’s Dim Sum picks:

Sticky Rice Wrap (often with pork, scallop, and shrimp)
Pan-fried Taro Root Cake
BBQ pork pastry
Anything new of the menu that looks tasty (MJH is always will to try everything once).
Sauces: mustard and/or hot sauce (add a touch to a dumpling, etc).

Other traditional picks (not necessarily personal favs but options) (Also MCD doesn’t eat pork):

Rice rolls (all different kinds. A little ‘starchy’ but MCD will order prawns or scallops)
Baked BBQ Pork Buns
Pork/shrimp Shu Mai (dumplings)
Veggie Dumplings
Bean Curd rolls (usually they have pork, but I’ll order if I can find a veggie or seafood option).

What have I missed? What are your go-to dim sum dishes?

Becca’s questions, answered in part.

When I published The Full Reading Order of the Adept Universe, as of Jan 2022 in preparation for the release of the collection of stories in Moments of the Adept Universe 1, Becca accepted the challenge of re-reading the entire universe! 40 stories in total!

And, as of a few minutes ago, Becca has questions.

Ahem.

A LOT of questions!

So … for fun, I thought I’d have a go at answering Becca’s lingering concerns/hopes/wishes:

Readers will catch a glimpse of Mory and Liam in Misfits 2, and Mory is slated to narrate Misfits 3.
No current/set plans for Freddie, though I wouldn’t be surprised if she shows up in the Misfits books.
I politely suggest a re-read of the Reconstructionist trilogy. While I understand that readers come to their own conclusions while reading, and I really should keep my mouth shut about it, I was very careful in how I constructed the trilogy. It ends exactly as it always was going to end, exactly how I set it all up from the VERY beginning. And it is the only ending that Wisteria – it is, after all, HER story, not Kett’s – could have survived. It also happens to be the right choice for the executioner, who doesn’t know himself as well as he likes to think even after 1200+ years (see Estelle’s comments, plus see the third Dowser trilogy and Misfits 1).
Unlikely. 😂
Maybe. As a bonus scene after Amplifier 6 (aka the end of the main series). Maybe. But only for fun. And only because readers keep asking.
Yes.
The ‘secrets’ hidden in Dusk’s power (as well as other secrets) will (mostly) be revealed in Archivist 3.
Ditto the above.
Will be slightly less of a mystery after Archivist 3, but still likely quite mysterious (how’s that for an ‘answer? 😂).
See Misfits 2.
See Misfits 2. And one (?) more Kandy short story.
See Misfits 2. 😂
Yes. [See the timeline].
No plans for anymore ‘making babies’ (that will never be a big theme in my books, as I’m not a mother myself) but more families will expand by other means and there will definately be more ‘marriages’ (aka unions/mates/bonded couples), next up see Amplifier 6.
Hmmm, Tony can go either way at this point … and I’m not talking about sexual orientation.
No plans for any more Dowser POV books. I’ve explained why in length in previous posts (they are trilogies, readers getting nasty, etc), so I won’t reiterate it all. But there will be more Jade, probably always. I do adore her myself.
Besides being rare? I think just the nature of their power answers that question, but also see Amplifier 5 (hint), and more fully, Amplifier 6.
The reasons behind the twins not being accepted into the Academy has been hinted at in a few places. See the later Dowser books, Misfits 1, etc. Its rooted in their abusive childhood (see At Just the Right Moment) and the Academy’s prejudices/concerns about that trauma. With that said, Gabby will narrate Misfits 4 and more shall be revealed!
Yes. See Amplifier 5.5 (Zans’s POV) and Amplifier 6.
Not anytime soon. 😂 Way too complicated. Though I posted an early version of Dusk’s family tree (not canon!!) when I worked it out for Archivist 0.

Done! Hopefully, that was as good for you as it was for me. 🤣

Thank you for (re)reading and commenting, Becca! And the rest of my lovely readers, of course and always.

Drafting my newsletter now …

The full reading order of the Adept Universe, as of June 2023

If you are new to the Adept Universe, you might want to start by reading the novels, then the shorts and novellas. Click here for just the main novels (with the book covers and extra info about characters, etc).

If reading from the beginning is too overwhelming, possible entry points into the Adept Universe are set in bold and marked with an asterisk.

Or DOWNLOAD THE ADEPT UNIVERSE READING ORDER PDF.

THE READING ORDER OF THE ADEPT UNIVERSE

(as of June 2023)

Novelette: In But A Moment (Moments of the Adept Universe 0.1) (Kandy 0.25)

Novelette: In Less Than a Moment (Moments of the Adept Universe 0.2) (Kandy 0.5)

Novelette: At Just the Right Moment (Moments of the Adept Universe 0.3) (Gabby 0.5)

Short: From One Moment to the Next (Moments of the Adept Universe 0.4) (Kandy 0.75)

Cupcakes, Trinkets, and Other Deadly Magic (Dowser 1)*

Short: Anchored in the Moment (Moments of the Adept Universe 0.5) (Audrey 0.5)

Short: A Difficult Funeral (Dowser 1.5)

Trinkets, Treasures, and Other Bloody Magic (Dowser 2)

Treasures, Demons, and Other Black Magic (Dowser 3)

I See Me (Oracle 1)*

Shadows, Maps, and Other Ancient Magic (Dowser 4)

Maps, Artifacts, and Other Arcane Magic (Dowser 5)

I See You (Oracle 2)

Artifacts, Dragons, and Other Lethal Magic (Dowser 6)

I See Us (Oracle 3)

Novelette: The Graveyard Kiss (Reconstructionist 0.5)

Catching Echoes (Reconstructionist 1)*

Short: Dawn Bytes (Reconstructionist 1.5)

Tangled Echoes (Reconstructionist 2)

Short: An Uncut Key (Reconstructionist 2.5)

Unleashing Echoes (Reconstructionist 3)

Champagne, Misfits, and Other Shady Magic (Dowser 7)

Misfits, Gemstones, and Other Shattered Magic (Dowser 8)

Novelettes (collection): Graveyards, Visions, and Other Things that Byte (Dowser 8.5)

Gemstones, Elves, and Other Insidious Magic (Dowser 9)

The Amplifier Protocol (Amplifier 0)*

Novelette: Close to Home (Amplifier 0.5)

Demons and DNA (Amplifier 1)

Bonds and Broken Dreams (Amplifier 2)

Mystics and Mental Blocks (Amplifier 3)

Idols and Enemies (Amplifier 4)

Short: The Music Box (Amplifier 4.5)

Instincts and Impostors (Amplifier 5)

Endings and Empathy (Amplifier 6)

Misplaced Souls (Misfits 1)

Novelette: A Momentary Misunderstanding (Moments of the Adept Universe 0.6) (Burgundy 0.5)

Awakening Infinity (Archivist 0)*

Invoking Infinity (Archivist 1)

Short: A Momentary Retrieval (Moments of the Adept Universe 0.7) (Archivist 1.5)

Compelling Infinity (Archivist 2)

Revealing Infinity (Archivist 3)(Coming Soon)

Novelette: Soulmates, Doorways, and Other Unruly Magic (Dowser 9.5)*

Notes:

The Moments of the Adept Universe shorts 1 through 7 can be found collected in Moments of the Adept Universe 1.
The Dowser Series is written in trilogies: Dowser 1-3, Dowser 4-6, and Dowser 7-9, so please expect the overall story arcs to take the full three books to resolve.
A Difficult Funeral (Dowser 1.5) is a free ‘flash fiction’ found on MCD’s blog under Extras and Freebies.
The Reconstructionist Series is a complete trilogy.
The Reconstructionist shorts are bundled together in the Reconstructionist Short Story Bundle.
The Amplifier series is an ongoing series.
Close to Home is bundled with Amplifier 0.
The Music Box is bundled with Amplifier 4.
The Misfits of the Adept Universe series contains standalone novels that tie back to the main universe and are therefore best read in order. It is an ongoing series.
The Archivist Series is an ongoing series.
Dowser 9.5 is technically set outside/beyond the current timeline.

MCD’s newsletter: troubleshooting

I’m about to send another free download treat to my mailing list/newsletter subscribers, so I thought I should finally get around to clarifying a few FAQs about how to subscribe, how to check that you’re subscribed, etc. This way I can just refer my lovely readers to this post when needed.

It’s lovely that no one wants to miss a newsletter – or more specifically a new free Adept Universe short – but I cannot troubleshoot the mailing list subscription for each individual at a time. Most of it is actually out of my hands, because: automations, some user errors, and of course, your email provider just being nasty.

So!

If I miss anything I’ll try to add it to this post going forward.

IMPORTANT!! THE NEWSLETTER MAILING LIST IS NOT THE SAME AS BEING SUBSCRIBED TO MCD’s BLOG.

I REITERATE.

THE NEWSLETTER MAILING LIST IS NOT THE SAME AS BEING SUBSCRIBED TO MCD’s BLOG.

The blog/mailing list/newsletter conundrum seems to generate a large amount of confusion. You sign up for the blog to get notified every time I blog, but you have to click through to read the actual post. Whereas, the newsletter appears in your inbox as a whole. The blog is for permanent posts (unless I delete them) and the newsletter only archives the last twenty or so emails.

TO SUBSCRIBE to the newsletter, aka get on my ‘mailing list,’ click this link: MCD’s newsletter. Or the link under the image of the Adept Universe cookbook. Or the link under the image of the Adept Universe cookbook in ANY of my books.

Screenshot of the sign-up form (i.e. what you see AFTER you click the link to sign up).

You will get a confirmation email in your inbox right away. If you don’t, please check your spam/junk/promo folders. If you find any email from me in any folder other than your inbox, please drag it into your inbox and add my email address to your contact list/addresses/etc, to (hopefully) receive my emails in the future.

After the confirmation email, you will get a series of automated emails from me, as well as any new newsletters I might send.

You can unsubscribe at any time.

TO CONFIRM YOUR SUBSCRIPTION simply click through as if to subscribe and try to add your email. The form will let you know if you are already subscribed. Easy!

I’m sorry, but I cannot double-check your subscription on an individual basis. Please don’t ask me, please don’t think you are the exception. I will not be replying to those requests anymore because I feel like a broken record. My newsletter has 5k+ subscribers, certainly you can understand that I cannot – every single time I send an email – dig through the backend of my mailing list provider (i.e. MailChimp) just to confirm you are or aren’t subscribed. It is far, far easier for you and me for you to do so simply by checking yourself. Thank you in advance.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU DON’T RECEIVE MY EMAILS. First, refer to the paragraph under the screenshot (above).

But! Unfortunately, sometimes readers check every junk/spam/promo folder and still can’t find the email they should have received, even after they’ve confirmed their subscription. That means your email provider has declined to send it to you. I cannot fix this issue on my end. The best thing to do is to subscribe with a different email address or unsubscribe, and then re-subscribe to see if you can trigger the welcome email.

I cannot (for the reasons previously mentioned) send out duplicate newsletters and/or short stories to individuals on request. If you are worried that you’ve missed a short see below and/or they will all be professionally edited and published together at the beginning of 2022.

WHAT IF YOU’VE MISSED ONE OF THE NEWSLETTERS OR SHORT STORIES? Simply click the view this email in your browser link at the top of any of my newsletters. Then, once the newsletter opens in your browser, click the Past Issues button at the top left, and scroll down to find the newsletter you missed. Yay!

Hopefully, this is helpful for anyone having trouble!

😊