Update: Monday, July 19, 2021

Some sweet peas from Hey Day Farm to add a bit of colour to my other Archivist ‘touchstones’ – my version of Infinity and a brass dragon (see the page breaks in the books).

I’m all geared up to work full time, hopefully with no other distractions, on the second book in the Archivist series for the entire week. Though I’m slightly apprehensive about my second Covid19 shot on Wednesday. The first shot pushed my Chronic Daily Headache into (at least) six weeks of ramped up pain during which very little writing was accomplished, putting me far, far behind my schedule for 2021. But, as I understand it, many people react differently to their second shots and I hope that is the case for me as well.

Other than that, there has been a tiny bit of knitting, and an even tinier bit of gardening. And a ton of other books/stories thrashing around in my head (don’t worry I’m making notes) such as a couple of more Kandy shorts (and an Audrey short), leading up to Misfits 1. As well as more brainstorming for the new Multiverse series (long term project, urban fantasy). If the headache would just give me some peace, I have a ton of books aching to get out of my head!

The first three Moments of the Adept Universe shorts (previously released in my newsletter) are with the editor for story editing. I’ve finished the first draft of what was supposed to be Burgundy’s second story (the first is outlined but not written) but I’m a little torn about ‘releasing’ it next because it falls forward in the timeline (after Misfits 1 but before Archivist 0) and therefore might be a bit confusing. So I might need to hold it back for a bit. Memo is taking break from the sketches for the Adept Universe bible until September, because she is crazy busy, but there are more coming – yay!

I’ve been reading the Psy-Changeling series by Nalini Singh finally (Amazon USA link, for ease of sharing). I just finished book nine and am still really enjoying the sexy, sexy series. I would call it paranormal romance because each book ends in a HEA (Happily Ever After) EXCEPT there is a ton of world building, and a larger overall plot threading through the background of each book, which makes it more of an urban fantasy series.

Okay, wish me luck with the second Covid19 shot, and I should get back to writing Archivist 2!

A brief addendum that I can’t believe I needed to write: I’m not interested in being sent anti-vaccine propaganda. I believe in science and that my medical system/government is interested in keeping me alive, even if only for the taxes I pay. And I cannot believe that anyone would suggest that so-called ‘lifestyle’ changes (rather than a doctor or ‘pill’) would be all it would take to cure my headaches. Do you actually think that anyone would be in this much pain, for almost two years, and not have tried EVERYTHING, including diet and massage? No one with a chronic illness sits around hoping a ‘pill’ will cure them. But! Amazingly enough, because science is cool like that, sometimes the right ‘pill’ actually works.

Book Bonanza Raffle 2021

I’m donating an ‘Adept Universe Swag Box’ to the 2021 Book Bonanza Raffle. The prizes are insane! And all the $$ goes to charity. If I understand it correctly, you buy raffle tickets for certain items to enter to win that particular item. And yeah, I’m about to drop some serious cash myself …

ADEPT UNIVERSE SWAG BOX

Donated by Meghan Ciana Doidge

Items included:

From the Dowser series: six audiobook CDs, nine recipe cards, and Cake in a Cup stickers.

From the Amplifier series: two autographed paperbacks, six oracle cards, and a sticker.

From the Archivist series: two autographed paperbacks and five bookplates.

From the Misfits series: one autographed paperback and a cashmere/merino/silk hat (adult size small/med) knit by the author.

Plus a $100 Amazon GC

Shipped internationally.

MORE INFO/PICTURES: https://bookbonanzaevent.com/product/meghan-ciana-doidge-bundle-100-amazon-gift-card-donated-by-meghan-ciana-doidge/

ALL RAFFLE ITEMS: bookbonanzaevent.com/raffle

I just bought raffle tickets for four items I’d probably never buy for myself: the Louis Vuitton Purse, Dyson Airwrap, Bose Sleepbuds, and an absolutely gorgeous quilt!

Fun! Fun!

Edited to add more pictures of the raffle items (they are a little blurred on the main page right now):

The state of my desk, July 2021 edition

Treadmill desk, Archivist 0 uploaded on iPad, updated desktop picture, napping Persian cat, and hot chocolate – check! Commencing reread in 3 … 2 … 1 …

Apologies to the illustrator Nicole Deal for the red blush on my desktop. Sisu is definitely NOT pink skinned. I’m having trouble with my eyes/new prescription so I’m trying different filters.

I don’t normally reread my books after they’ve been published … almost never. But I’m (hopefully) coming out from under the oppressive headache that set in after my first Covid shot (Aka back to my regular level of constant pain. Sigh), and find – likely because of the break – that I’m still struggling to hold the entirety of Archivist 2 in my head. I have the linchpins of the entire structure and the first act (aka 28k words) written, but the writing isn’t flowing. I’m hoping a reread of the prequel and book one will envelop me in Dusk’s voice, and I’ll pick up where I left off easier.

Will report back.

🙂

A quick update and Burgundy snippet.

I keep getting asked about … well, every novel (from every series) that random readers seem to want (which is lovely, but seriously impossible). Short answer? Yes, the Dowser, Oracle, and Reconstructionist are all complete series. Archivist 2, Amplifier 5, Misfits 2, and numerous Moments of Adept shorts are in the works, to be released as soon as I’ve written each (in the above order). I do try to keep the bottom of my About Meghan and TBR page vaguely updated, as well as the Reading Order. Just FYI.

I submit the following snippet as evidence that words do continue to be written.

🙂

A page from MCD’s Moments of the Adept 1 notebook.

Chuckling, Kandy placed her hands on the ground and levered herself up into a crouch and then to standing.

The skin across her upper chest and arms was darkening, reddening, then rapidly blackening.

Crying out despite myself, I flung my hands forward. The outer circle responded instantly, reaching out for the injured werewolf and gently enfolding her upper torso in the healing I’d instinctively cast. I’d had no idea I could manipulate a barrier in that way. Though perhaps sitting in the middle of the epic flow of the ley line had something to do with it.

Kandy giggled, rolling her shoulders back and stretching as if she just gotten a great … well, I was going to say massage, but I doubted the werewolf luxuriated in anything less than mind-blowing —

“Ooo,” she purred, leering at me, and completely ignoring the interlopers. “That tickles all the right places, healer.”

Every single one of the interlopers turned to look at me. Even through my barrier I could feel their regard.

“My turn,” Kandy said, bouncing in place with anticipation. The burns had completely healed, and not only thanks to my spell, the werewolf healed quickly on her own. “But, let’s make it a party, otherwise I’ll just hear … yadda, yadda … so freaking bored … yadda, yadda … why do you get to have all all the fun … yadda, yadda … Text the dowser, Burgundy. Tell her to come play.”

She turned her attention to the heavily armored interlopers. “But … while we wait …. six … five … let’s see how many of you I can grab on my little, tiny lonesome … four …” Energy swirled around her, brightening and expanding. “Three … two …”

The leader threw an arm up to shield its face. Yes, I assumed there was a face behind the faceplate of the helmet. Anything else was far too creepy to contemplate at the moment.

“One!” A behemoth creature tore through Kandy’s clothing, then skin — all gray, patchy fur, thick muscle, and sickled claws. Standing easily seven feet, she lowered her large head between her massive shoulders, lips pulling back along an elongated snout to reveal wickedly long, sharp teeth. She had a strip of bright pink hair, like a mohawk or a mane, snaking across her head from her brow, down her neck, and along her spine, ending around the middle of her back.

The monster that was now Kandy cackled. Gleefully dark. The sound somehow amplified, brutally eager and malicious.

Fear grabbed hold of me, freezing me in place. Not that I’d been planning to move — what with being a three-hour hike from civilization and facing off with six armed, armored foes with unknown intent — but being able to breath was always nice.

The leader opened fire …

– excerpt from Momentary Incursion (Moments of the Adept, Burgundy 0.5), first draft

Archivist 2: “I’m not prey. I’m not to be hunted.”

“This … ah, is this a waltz?” I asked awkwardly.

“Your guess is as good as mine,” he said. “I’m just trying to follow the tempo.”

I laughed, oddly relieved that I wasn’t the only ignorant one.

Kellan pulled me a touch closer.

I didn’t resist. If I turned my head slightly, I’d be able to brush a kiss just under his jaw.

Oh gods, this was a bad idea.

“What do you transform into?” he murmured against my temple, moving me to the music.

“Nothing.”

“You might be witch-blooded, Dusk Godfrey,” he purred. “But that’s not all you are … you try to hide your golden glow but I see it between the cracks. It’s the same as the trail Sisu left through the city.”

“That was a spell.”

He hummed doubtfully. “Then why was the trail for Neve and Lile the same color as their magic?”

“I’m an archivist,” I said stiffly, clinging to the truth of that title.

“I never said you weren’t.” He sounded amused.

Hunting me, I realized.

I tilted my head back, deliberately catching his gaze and holding it. “I’m not prey. I’m not to be hunted.”

“Oh …” He flashed me a smile full of all sort of promises. “I’m not hunting.”

– title TBA (Archivist 2), chapter one, first draft

The day after a release, part 26

Twenty-six – 26! – twenty-six full-length books – written, rewritten (3-5x), story edited, line/content edited, proofed, and beta read …that is crazy! [Am I going to say that every time? Probably, yes.]

Invoking Infinity (Archivist 1) had an exceedingly successful release day yesterday, ranking just ever so slightly below my two most successful releases (both Dowser books, of course). The early reviews have been lovely – excited for this new branch of the Adept Universe. Thank goodness, because book two is already in the works!

To celebrate the release, I watched two of my fav comedies, Spy and Game Night, and read the first half of Jeffe Kennedy’s Promised Queen (we were Release Day Buddies, so it seemed like a perfect way to spend part of my day) in between checking messages/posting online, etc. Archivist 1 hit the Top 50 on all retailers (except Amazon), snagging the coveted green bestseller ribbon on B&N, as well as a spot among Kobo’s Trending Now and New & Hot Sci-Fi/Fantasy Releases. Whoot!

It is a privilege to write books for a living. My lovely readers make that possible. By buying, or borrowing from a library, yes, but also by recommending my books to friends and family, for sharing on social media, and for chatting with me when I need a little boost (or just some contact) (otherwise it’s just me in my writing shed all day long).

I’m so, so glad that you’re enjoying Dusk and Sisu (and Kellan and Ravine, etc).

Yarn: Bowling Alley by Gauge Dye Works. Pattern: Musselburgh Hat. Marshmallow Fudge: by MCD.

Reviews are, of course and always, welcomed and appreciated.

Oh! If you would like to discuss the book (or the series in general) there is a SPOILER group offshoot of the reader-run Facebook fan group. I’m not a member of the spoiler group, so you can all chat freely.

When I get my hands on some paperbacks, I’ll post a giveaway … and if you follow me on Instagram you might be able to guess what adorable extra I plan to add.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!

Dowser 4: Bixi, aka ‘doom crosses our footsteps.’

I came upon this scene while putting together Bixi’s biography and it made me laugh. Flashback to Shadows, Maps, and Other Ancient Magic (Dowser 4)!! Click here for the reading order of the Adept Universe. Bixi most recently appears in Awakening Infinity (Archivist 0).

“Earthly delights.”

*side eyes Warner*

LOL!!!

Book cover by Elizabeth Mackey Graphic Design

A jet-black cat sauntered through the far archway. Its casual gait was insufficient cover for the cunning betrayed by its yellow eyes. Its sleek fur shone among all the gold of the decor, not a hair out of place.

Warner, still frowning at me, followed my gaze. Then he went utterly still and pale.

“A black cat in the heart of the guardian temple,” he murmured. He reached for a weapon that he didn’t actually have, then held his hands before himself, wary. “Doom crosses our footsteps.”

I snorted out a laugh. “What century are you living in?”

Spicy dragon magic — all apricots and smoky syrup — gathered around the cat along with a haze of golden light. The creature transformed amid a wash of intense magic, as the shapeshifters did. Then Bixi — doing her best Cleopatra impersonation — stood before us. White dress, gold armbands, heavily kohled eyes and all. She obviously didn’t have to stash extra clothing everywhere like Kandy did when she changed back from her wolf form.

Logically, I knew Bixi wasn’t actually Cleopatra, since she was supposedly only around seven hundred years old. But still, I wondered if there wasn’t some deep ancestral connection going on with the guardian of North Africa. And again, when did ‘seven hundred’ become an ‘only’? It was also interesting that the guardians seemed to decide what physical age suited them best. Suanmi was technically younger than Bixi but appeared to be a youthful forty-five. Bixi looked to be about my age at the most. My father Yazi, the third-youngest of the guardians, appeared to be thirty-five.

Warner dropped into a deep bow beside me.

“Hello, warrior’s daughter,” Bixi said, completely ignoring Warner.

“Hello, guardian.”

“What earthly delight have you brought with you this time?”

Warner started coughing — no, choking — beside me.

I reached into my satchel, fished around, and pulled out a simple yet modern, yellow-papered Sirene chocolate bar. As far as I knew, this was the only bar that the newly established company produced out of Victoria, on Vancouver Island. It consisted of a tasting pair made from 72 percent Ecuador and 67 percent Madagascar cocoa. It was a new purchase I’d acquired downtown last weekend at Xoxolat — a mecca of earthly delights that carried a vast selection of single-origin chocolate bars from around the world. I hadn’t even tried a single square of the Sirene yet, and I’d really been looking forward to it. Normally, I tried to distract chocolate-questing dragons with cupcakes or cookies, but in my haste to get Warner sorted out I’d forgotten to pack a box.

Bixi came just short of snatching it out of my hand. “I enjoy your visits, alchemist,” she said. Then, pressing the bar to her nose and smelling it through its wrapper, she sauntered off in the direction she’d come. Her thin, gold-strapped sandals made no sound on the stone floor.

Dragons had a strong sense of smell and great taste in chocolate. Though regrettably, they never seemed to have any around.

– Excerpt from Shadows, Maps, and Other Ancient Magic (Dowser 4)

Archivist Series: Kellan

The second of the illustrations I’ve commissioned from Nicole Deal for the Archivist series is a bit of a spoiler, so I thought I might as well include an excerpt from the first time Dusk lays eyes on Kellan as well (see below). Working with Nicole has been amazing. I love, love her take on characters that currently only live in my head. You can find Dusk and Sisu’s illustration here.

*Kellan Conall from the Archivist Series by Meghan Ciana Doidge. Illustration by* Nicole Deal.

You will find Nicole’s ridiculously gorgeous rendering of Kellan (and the twin wolves) tucked between two scenes in chapter 2 of Invoking Infinity (Archivist 1). It will be in full colour in the eBook version (unless your eReader doesn’t do colour) and grayscale in the paperback. The book releases on May 25, 2021 (SO SOON NOW!!)

*** MILD SPOILER ALERT ***

Though he was some sort of shapeshifter, the stranger looming over a temporary workbench in the middle of what was going to be the main kitchen was definitely not Bethany. He was working with some sort of tool — sanding, maybe?

He looked up as I entered, instantly and steadily meeting my gaze. The plastic sealing the doorway fell back into place behind me.

The air was slightly dusty. Bright pockets of light from work lamps set around the large space gave the room a bright white glow. The sounds of Sisu, Neve, and Lile chattering away in the dining room filtered through more thick layers of plastic encasing a doorway on the wall to my left.

I recognized the stranger, though I’d never met him. In his late twenties, he was the spitting image of his sister, Gitta — and yet somehow looked nothing like her at all.

Kellan Conall.

Tall, broad-shouldered, and so well muscled that his T-shirt had to be cutting off his circulation at the upper biceps, he was one of the largest men I’d ever seen. And I knew plenty of warrior dragons, as well as the treasure keeper of the guardian dragons — Pulou. Though not as tall, Pulou had a body like a grizzly bear’s from the neck down — and looked the part as well, thanks to the enormous mink fur coat he always wore.

Kellan’s hair was dark brown, his skin a lighter brown. And his eyes were the same strange golden-green as the twins. Magic flared in those eyes as he took me in, staring at me as forthrightly as I was staring at him. His nostrils flared as he turned off and set down the tool he’d been wielding.

The sound in the room faded, including the chatter from the dining room. The moment seemed to physically stretch before us, as if some sort of spell had been triggered. Yet the warm but completely disconnected sensation I was feeling wasn’t magic. At least nothing remotely conventional.

“Dusk Godfrey,” I finally said. Was it possible to feel heavy, as if I was rooted to the plywood-covered floor, and yet lightheaded at the same time?

Apparently, yes.

He grinned, revealing white teeth. But the expression did nothing to soften all the hard planes of his face. He looked as though he could run through a brick wall, through multiple brick walls, without getting a scratch, let alone faltering.

That probably wasn’t a particularly attractive quality to anyone except for myself … my hormones? My magic?

And yes, I was still staring at him. And he at me.

“My employer,” he said. His accent was lilting yet still deep, as if his voice or the words themselves were pulled from the depths of his being.

There was something seriously wrong with me.

“Kellan Conall,” he said, pulling off his gloves.

– Invoking Infinity (Archivist 1), Chapter Two

***

Are you new to the Adept Universe? Click here for the reading order. Or click here for the Welcome! sequence.

Archivist 1: cover reveal and synopsis

Ahem …. it has come to my attention that I never officially revealed the cover or synopsis for Invoking Infinity (Archivist 1). So … just in case anyone missed it, here is the glorious cover designed by Damonza.

Synopsis: I’d given myself and Sisu twelve days to get settled into our new life before tackling my first official day as the head archivist of the magical archives at the National Museum of Ireland.

Our new kitchen was under construction, with the electrical and plumbing upgrades in the main rooms of the estate well on the way. I knew how and where to buy groceries, and had arranged a tutor for Sisu.

Totally under control.

Perfectly planned and executed, my to-do list had held strong through our transition into living among the Adepts of Dublin. With our secret identities firmly in place.

And then someone started releasing magical artifacts into the city, wreaking havoc on the witches and the werewolves. With me stuck in the middle, trying to sort it out with as few fatalities as possible. All while neutralizing the misused artifacts in question.

Thankfully, I was a quick learner.

And pretty damn indestructible.

Though the guardian dragons weren’t going to be pleased by a few of my more creative choices when it came to the care and keeping of magical … well, magical anything. But that was my job.

Even, as some might say, my vocation.

I was the Archivist of the Modern World, after all.

Invoking Infinity is the first novel in the Archivist series, which is set in the same universe as the Dowser, Oracle, Reconstructionist, Amplifier, and Misfits of the Adept Universe series. While it is not necessary to read all the series, in order to avoid spoilers the ideal reading order of the Adept Universe begins with Cupcakes, Trinkets, and Other Deadly Magic (Dowser 1).

Reading order of the Archivist Series:

Awakening Infinity (Archivist 0)
Invoking Infinity (Archivist 1)

RELEASING MAY 25, 2021

PREORDER NOW

– AMAZON – APPLE BOOKS – KOBO – BARNES & NOBLE – SMASHWORDS –

Adept Universe Bible: Pulou

Pulou: guardian dragon. Aka one of the nine. Territory: Antarctica. Appears to be in his mid-50s, but is actually over 500 years old. Short-cropped, thinning dark brown hair. Huge (as a bear). British accent. Continually wears what appears to be a full-length fur coat, which is actually a manifestation of his specific guardian power – aka the treasure keeper. He can retrieve any item stored within his treasure trove via the inner or outer pockets of the coat. He can also create portals, some temporary, some permanently anchored. Oversees the archivist dragons. According to Jade, his magic tastes like heavy cream with hints of black tea. [Frequently used] object of power: a golden short sword with a large emerald in its guard (destroyed by Jade in Dowser 9).

Resides in the Nexus. Blossom is his personal brownie.

Pulou first appeared in Trinkets, Treasures, and Other Bloody Magic (Dowser 2), then again in Dowser 3, 4, 5, and 6. He is mentioned in Dowser 7 (and pivotal to the plot), finally shows up in Dowser 8, and gets into a brawl with Jade in Dowser 9. He also makes a cameo appearance in Awakening Infinity (Archivist 0).

Pronunciation: Pew-Lou (though I tend to pronounce it Pew-Lau, as in Loud – MCD) or click to listen to audio.