Version #1: for Meghan and other dark chocolate lovers
Apparently, it’s going to be a week of revelations. I baked my go-to Chocolate and Fruit Oatmeal Cookies yesterday, using cranberries, split the batch, added white chocolate (Zephyr 34% Cacao Barry) to one half for Michael and dark chocolate (Tanzanie 75% Cacao Barry) to the other half for me, then posted a photo on my Instagram. Prepared to be asked for the recipe, I popped over to my blog (i.e. here) for a link only to realize I never posted it. I only sent it out in a newsletter (May 2017!!).
So here it is, if only just so I can link back to it myself.
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).
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.
Pulou. Dragon. The Guardian of Antarctica. Treasure Keeper. Wears a multidimensional coat and can open a portal to anywhere in the world. Has a habit of collecting magical objects that don’t belong to him, using the moral high ground as justification. Hates raw fish, but will steal all the prawn tempura. Sketch by Memo.
Pulou. Dragon. The Guardian of Antarctica. Treasure Keeper. Bit of a stickler for the rules, as dictated by him. Definitely not a fan of being punched in the face with the instruments of assassination. Chews fine chocolate, even after being told nicely that he should ‘suck it’. Sketch by Memo.
Suanmi: guardian dragon. Aka one of the nine. Aka the Fire Breather. Territory: Western Europe. Rumored to have taken Jiaotu (as well as his father) as a lover, possibly centuries ago. Drake’s guardian. Dark hair, usually in a bun. Pale skin. Golden-flecked hazel eyes. French accent. Loves vintage Chanel, and red-soled Louboutins. But is terrifying in her shiny black samurai gear and known to wield an extra long katana. The Fire Breather can literally immolate a demon with a single whisper (see Dowser 3). Looks 45 but is actually 600+ years old (older than Pulou but younger than Bixi). According to Jade, her magic tastes like chocolate cream-filled eclairs and toasted hazelnuts with a finish of whiskey.
Resides in the nexus. Nexus door: embossed fleurs-de-lis cast of yellow gold.
Suanmi. Dragon. The Guardian of Western Europe. Capable of immolating demons with a mere whisper, always really with a refined sneer, and a plot … or two. Sketch by Memo.
Suanmi. Dragon. The Guardian of Western Europe. Fire breather. Sketch by Memo.“Give me spells and sorcerers and demons from hell. Those, I could handle. But cupcakes and coffee with the fire breather? Not so much.” – Dowser 6
These beauties arrived in the mail today! Scroll through for all the pretty pictures.
A box of pretties …
Paperback: front cover. Designed by Damonza.com
Paperback: Chapter Heading. Interior formatted by 52Novels
Paperback: page break designed by Elizabeth Mackey Graphic Design
Paperback: illustration of Dusk and Sisu by Nicole Deal
Paperback: back cover. Designed by Damonza.com
Shall we do a giveaway? With absolutely no guarantee as to when I will actually get the autographed paperback in the mail? For example, Debbie, who won the release day giveaway at the end of March, still hasn’t been shipped her books (even though they are all boxed and ready to go) (that is how behind I am). Just FYI.
Yes?
Okay then!
Actually lets make it THREE autographed copies … that’s still only one trip to the post office.
COMMENT BELOW (not on Facebook, etc) and let me know that you will give one of these pretty Awakening Infinity (Archivist 0) paperbacks a loving home! I’ll throw in any little extras I have on hand … probably bookplates, etc.
Likes and shares are always welcomed and appreciated.
Notes/Rules: OPEN INTERNATIONALLY. One entry per person. THREE winners will be selected by random number generator. 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.
Giveaway closes SUNDAY, MAY 02, 2021 at 8pm PDT (giving me time to mention it to my newsletter, because there won’t be a free short this month).
Me: Okay, I’ve given my brain (and foot) a rest, time to write. Time to work on Archivist 2. It’s going to be fun and the ending kicks ass. Hard.
Also me: Totally. See I have my notebooks and I’ve skimmed the paradigm/outline. I’m going to write all the words today. And be more playful. I like the idea of being a bit more playful … Oooo, what about that idea I had about the new series/universe?
Me: Well, jot down a few notes, then get back to Archivist 2.
Also me: [two hours pass]: I have a complete origin story and a basic outline for the beginning of book one.
Me: Book 1??? I’m supposed to be writing Archivist 2! And if not, then Amplifier 5, or Misfits 2, or … or …
Also me: And now I need to reread Hitchhiker’s Guide to the –
Me: WTF??!! No.
Also me: But there are these fun touchbacks to –
Me: Absolutely not.
Also me: Lunch time! I promised I’d make sandwiches for Michael. *whispers* And in the afternoons I’m allowed to work on whatever I want, rules are rules.
Me: *inarticulate screaming*
First words inked on Waypoint 42. Series name subject to change.
I See Us (Oracle 3) completes the Oracle trilogy, ending with Rochelle surrounded by her chosen family and back in Vancouver (where I needed her for the third Dowser trilogy). Though oddly, many of my readers have outright skipped this trilogy, I absolutely loved writing this coming-of-age/coming-into-self story arc for Rochelle and Beau. I’m a sucker for love at first sight (and a total believer from personal experience) and found family (which is probably pretty obvious because that ‘trope’ appears in all my series).
Audiobook narrated by Jennifer Grace. Book cover by Elizabeth Mackey Graphic Design.
This is a first-come, first-win deal. The giveaway remains open until all the download codes have been claimed.
If you listen to books via Audible USA (or a country other than the UK, such as Canada), then claim one of the codes below, click the link, and paste the code into the box that appears. You might need to sign in to your account, or create an account if you are new to Audible.
Please comment on the blog post below (not Facebook) and let everyone know which code you took (by number and country).
If you listen to books via AUDIBLE UK (or a country other than the US), then claim one of the codes below, click the link, and paste the code into the box that appears. You might need to sign in to your account, or create an account if you are new to Audible.
Please comment on the blog post below (not Facebook) and let everyone know which code you took (by number and country).
I’m dusting off a short story idea for Burgundy in the hopes of having it ready to read by the last Thursday in April aka when I send out my newsletter. No promises – Archivist 2 should be my priority – but I’ll try.
What I adore about tackling a Burgundy POV tale is that she is the ultimate sidekick. A quarter witch who is specializing in healing? What the hell is she doing hanging out with a necromancer and a vampire?
How about a snippet to help celebrate a sunny Friday afternoon?
A newly inked page from my Moments of the Adept Universe notebook
Now here I was, necromancer unaccounted for, and trapped in a sealed circle with a wounded vampire — magic that I was only powerful enough to hold because I’d used a premade spell to trigger it.
Two things were about to happen.
The ghoul would break through the shoddy circle, killing me to get to the vampire.
Or the vampire would wake, possibly tearing out my throat and slaking his thirst as injured, fledgling vampires were reportedly known to do.
So …
Dilemma.
– Burgundy POV, Moments of the Adept Universe 0.4, first draft
After almost a year, Michael and I finally forced ourselves to leave the property/immediate area and do a proper hour and a half hike at Ruckle Park on Sunday. We’d been in the habit of hiking almost every Sunday for a good portion of 2019 into 2020 but got derailed by Covid19 and the fact that we are really, really bad at taking days off. Well, full days off. We are particularly skilled at pushing ourselves too long/far and then collapsing on the couch for a half day.
That is a pro/con of loving what you do for a living, I suppose. It doesn’t seem like work, but if you do it seven days a week, and therefore get little else done on the day you (occasionally) take off, you forget to at least go for a walk!
Anyway, I have no pictorial evidence but we saw two baby goats hiking the trail yesterday. Two and half months old, hiking with two adults and a six-year-old girl. Yes, like dogs. Nigerian Dwarf goats. They were insanely cute, nibbling on everything and not even sparing us a glance despite all our cooing.
Sunday, April 11, 2021. Ruckle Park. Salt Spring Island. A fallen, weathered arbutus tree, looking toward Pender island (far left) and Washington State (center).
The writing has stalled a bit. Not surprising because the constant headache had been really bad (spiking from the Estrogel and then back to being on nothing for two weeks) and therefore I had to focus as much as possible on getting Archivist 1 into the editor. For me, especially when I’m not feeling great, writing needs to be a daily activity so I can maintain it through deadlines, stress, etc. So now I have to either force myself back into it – maybe write something fun and frivolous – or just start writing a random scene for Archivist 2 even though I don’t have the novel perfectly plotted yet – I do have the opening, the midpoint, and a KICK-ASS ending all worked out, so it really shouldn’t be a problem sinking back into it.
Except, I’ve also been crazy neglectful of the other part of my job (for like over a year now) – marketing. And marketing, which I’ve been setting up/doing for a few days now, is a completely different mindset than writing. For me, at least. So I’m sort of blocking myself.
Anyway (x2) that is the long version of saying that I’m doing a marketing push on the Dowser Series specifically and the Adept Universe in general for the next four or so weeks, and any shares/likes/etc are greatly appreciated if you see any of my posts on your social media feeds.
And, it is possible, that there won’t be a new freebie short for April. I’ll try, but no promises. I’ll at least do a giveaway of some sort.
Though it’s seriously (and oddly) cold, it’s a gorgeous day here in the PNW, and what better way to celebrate but with a new audiobook! This is the second book in the Oracle series, I See You.
Cover design by Elizabeth Mackey. Narrated by Jennifer Grace.
This is a first-come, first-win deal. The giveaway remains open until all the download codes have been claimed. I’ll give away codes for book 3, I See Us, next Saturday.
If you listen to books via Audible USA (or a country other than the UK, such as Canada), then claim one of the codes below, click the link, and paste the code into the box that appears. You might need to sign in to your account, or create an account if you are new to Audible.
Please comment on the blog post below (not Facebook) and let everyone know which code you took (by number and country).
If you listen to books via AUDIBLE UK (or a country other than the US), then claim one of the codes below, click the link, and paste the code into the box that appears. You might need to sign in to your account, or create an account if you are new to Audible.
Please comment on the blog post below (not Facebook) and let everyone know which code you took (by number and country).
