Conduit Series: mythical creature shifters, part 1

*SPOILER ALERT FOR AWRY (CONDUIT 1)*

Because these absolutely gorgeous mythical creature illustrations by Jade Merien are spoilers for Awry (Conduit 1) I’m posting them here without any extra info. If you are interested, and haven’t already, please read Awry (Conduit 1) for more info (and, presumably, please avoid reading the comments on this post). 😁

*Celestial Dragon. Illustration by Jade Merien (*@jademerien)

*Gryphon. Illustration by Jade Merien (*@jademerien)

*Cu-sith. Illustration by Jade Merien (*@jademerien)

Conduit Series: Reck

RECK GUERRA

Aka Carlos Guerra. Cu-sith shifter (pronunciation: coo-shee from the old Gaelic). Agent of the Authority, Major Crimes Unit, sergeant. Dark eyes and hair. Olive skin. 6’2” tall. Runner’s/swimmer’s build. Right hand crushed thirteen years before the events of Conduit 1. Bright green rims his eyes when his beast is present. DOB: April 1 (33 in book 1). Even in human form, Reck has a latent lie-detecting ability that doesn’t work on the awry. Oldest brother of Rath, Rought, and Precious. Father is the Cataclysm. Mother (currently) unknown.

Other abilities: wields ‘terror’ when in cu-sith form (also known as a grim reaper). According to legend, if the cu-sith barks three times, anyone who hears him dies from sheer terror.

Birthname and nicknames: Carlos and TBR

First appearance: Awry (Conduit 1).

Launching MCD’s Adepts discord with a Dowser Series Buddy Read!

As some of you may or may not have seen, my lovely new PA Brittany is swooping in to help take over some of the more online social aspects of my job. And now I will have no excuse but to adhere to my self-imposed social media blackouts in the morning because Brittany WILL KNOW IF I CHEAT. 😂

As a part of building (and maintaining) a core online community, Brittany has decided to launch a dedicated Discord (MCD’s Adepts)* alongside a Dowser Series Buddy read. I’m sharing the invitation here (below) on my blog so you don’t miss out (if you are so inclined to join us) but it will not be hosted here or by me specifically.

If you haven’t met Brittany yet, here is her intro post on Instagram.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Britt Brat (@brattyandbooked)

Why a Discord? As I’m sure you’ve noticed, social media reach has only worsened over the last few years. Even just recently my Instagram engagement levels have seriously tanked. This is not only frustrating to me but also to readers who are actually interested in seeing posts from me! Hence the Discord. With Discord, you’re the one to log in whenever you like and poke around to read or participate in the topics that interest you. Nothing gets hidden by the social media platform and nothing gets dropped into spam/promo/junk folders.

The MCD’s Adepts discord will be run by Brittany (in conversation with me, of course). I will pop in to chat daily (in the afternoons 😉). If you’d like to be a moderator, please message Brittany (she is @Britt|MCD’sPA) via the discord. I’m not sure she is looking for anyone but she’d be happy to know you are available if she needs you.

Right now Brittany and I are the only ones over there chatting. So please join us! Brittany has set up some specific channels already, and I’m sure she would be happy to set up more if you have requests.

What is Discord? Via Wikipedia: Discord is an instant messaging and social platform, which allows communication through voice calls, video calls, text messaging, and media and files. Communication can be private or take place in virtual communities called “servers”.

Website: https://discord.com (to download the app)

Beginners Guide to Discord: https://support.discord.com/hc/en-us/articles/360045138571-Beginner-s-Guide-to-Discord

Dowser Series Buddy Read!

Brittany hasn’t read the Dowser Series yet! So she thought it would be fun to invite other readers to read along with her. She is spearheading this and there will be ‘share graphics’ and other fun things going on on my socials. But if you would like to really dig in with her and discuss then you can also join MCD’s Adepts* (discord).

JOIN MCD’s ADEPTS DISCORD

I have an idea for an MCD’s Fav Things: Book Club that will also implemented through the discord server (but only once I feel like I have the time to devote to it).

Note: the Discord links expire in seven days, but just let me know if you need a new invitation.

FUN! FUN!

Last chance to grab the tenth-anniversary copies of Dowser 1.

Just a quick note for anyone who missed the Kickstarter (Jan 2023), I’ve made the last remaining* tenth-anniversary editions of Cupcakes, Trinkets, and Other Deadly Magic (Dowser 1) available for purchase.

Only 12 paperbacks (some slight foil damage on all) and 13 hardcovers (8 have some minor damage to the cover) are available. Please see the listings for more info and pictures.

Click here for the Tenth Anniversary Dowser 1 Hardcover – $75+ $25 CDN/USA tracked shipping = $100.

Click here for the Tenth Anniversary Dowser 1 Paperback – $45 + $25 CDN/USA tracked shipping = $70.

Prices in Canadian funds (as always). I hope to ship the second week in March along with the annotated copies (my highlighters ran out, so I only have four of the ten of those done right now).

*I still haven’t heard from all backers so I’m holding back a few copies in case they finally contact me.

Ongoing kerfuffle in the audiobook world …

You might be seeing posts all over social media from your fav authors and audiobook narrators about the new Terms of Use that Findaway (aka Spotify) attempted to implement (with thirty days notice) yesterday. I, among many other authors, immediately sent emails indicating that we’d be pulling our audiobooks off Findaway/Spotify if they insisted on pushing through the new terms as written (the issues are numerous so I won’t bother getting into the details here). About eleven hours later, they issued a statement that they were looking into clarifying the wording.

I’m not immediately pulling my audiobooks off Findaway/Spotify but I will remove them if they force me to do so. That will mean that my audiobooks will be pulled from all the retailers that Findaway distributes to, including Nook, Google Play, Hoopla, Spotify, etc.

And, yes, this will impact my sales. Producing audiobooks is expensive. A long-term investment. So obviously making them available to the widest range of readers is ideal. My audiobooks have brought in a significant amount of money in 2023 (though not more than I spent in 2023 😂) – from multiple channels, yes, but losing the ability to reach smaller retailers and libraries via Findaway will be unfortunate.

I will keep you all updated.

With that all said, buying audiobooks directly from me (or other authors) is the least expensive option for you that also pays me the most. Yes! It’s nice that it works out like that! Also, you own the audiobooks (and ebooks for that matter) you buy from me. If you cancel your Audible (etc) account, you can lose your audiobooks (there are ways around this, but you are technically ‘renting’ audiobooks through subscription services).

I’ve pinned a post with links to all my available audiobooks to the top of my blog (because I’m way behind in keeping my links updated on my book pages, sigh) so they are easier to find. Click here to see the list of audiobooks.

Also, in case I don’t say it enough, you all freaking rock, every book you buy from me directly or from any retailer or get at a library directly equates to me being able to make a living doing what I love to do – storytelling!! 😘 Thank you!

A shot stolen from my social media, taken Monday when I dropped off the L.E.’s of Awry at the shipping depot. Posted here because I really, really wouldn’t mind having that hot fudge milkshake to suck on right now. 😜

Quick writing update, thank yous, and other things of minor interest.

I usually write a ‘day after a new release’ post and then a ‘week after a release’ post, but alas I have done neither after the release of Awry (Conduit 1). And not because the release wasn’t a success – it really was! Thank you all so, so much. At one point, likely for a very brief moment, Awry was nestled lovingly between Yarros (Fourth Wing) and Mass (Crescent City, A Court of Thorns and Roses, etc) on the sci-fi/fantasy bestseller list on Apple Books.

Let me find the screenshot I shared on my socials.

So thank you, thank you for following me into a new universe and a slightly new format (present tense) and a slightly different tenor (the present tense comes with a certain natural intensity) and slightly new structure (an ongoing story where the overall plot is continued through several books).

[side note] And yes, the Conduit Series is a slooooow burn why choose urban fantasy romance. This means that Zaya will eventually have multiple partners/fated mates. There are REASONS (plot and story) for this choice. Yes, actual overall universe reasons. Some of you might have already figured it out. 😊

Since the release, I’m getting the sense that it is slightly disconcerting to some of my lovely readers that I appear to not be actively writing Conduit 2 (or Archivist 3, for that matter).

Yes, I’m currently deep into writing a why choose duology set in the same universe as the Conduit (not a slow burn! 😜), which I’m referring to as Mirth or Mirth 1 in my updates on Facebook and Instagram.

If you’ve been reading me since Cupcakes, Trinkets, and Other Deadly Magic (Dowser 1) (or even before) then you’ve been on this journey with me before – aka the expansion of a universe.

Opening up a new universe takes time. I’m sorry, it just does. Plus, the books that make up that universe aren’t wholly independent of each other.

For example, (as some of you have already picked up) Reconstructionist 1 was supposed to fall after Dowser 4. Yes, I already knew the entire story arc (at least in brief) of the Reconstructionist trilogy BEFORE writing Dowser 4 (in which, spoiler alert, Kett is already stalking Wisteria). And AT THE SAME TIME, I already knew the entire arc of the second Dower trilogy (Dowser 4, 5, and 6).

That’s a minimum of six books in my head at once. At least six. With each of them informing the other in some way, then – in that particular case – calling back (and forward) to the Oracle.

So … the universe of the Conduit and Mirth (so far) is the same. A slow build of slightly (in this case) entwined stories.

I’m almost finished writing the first Mirth book. And I know exactly what occurs in the second book (it’s two parts of an overarching story).

I also know all the major plot points of the next three (or four?) Conduit books. And this morning, I sharpened the structure of each of those books in a major way. A breakthrough, if you will.

[side note: I also know the plot of Archivist 3, including two major reveals that bookend that story. I also know the plot of the next three ebooks in the Misfit series and the plot of Jasmine’s first book].

BUT IT TAKES TIME TO WRITE A BOOK. Before my drug-resistant chronic daily migraine (of almost four and half years now), I might have been able to write four (average length) books a year. Now I just do my best.

[FYI I deleted a large section of this post because it went places I didn’t want to go].

I just really want to thank you for embarking on this new journey with me and to assure my lovely readers I’m working, slowly and steadily on all the books. And I promise to release them as quickly as I am able (though I might hold back Mirth 1 until I can make sure Mirth 2 is available very quickly after).

I’m dedicated to writing all through 2024 and taking better care of myself, which means there won’t be as many extras and freebies, and I will be less personally present on social media, etc, but hopefully, there will be more books!

As always, ‘shares’ and reviews are welcomed and appreciated.

[Final side note 😂] if you’ve been waiting to use a credit or your subscription to grab Awry in audio, it’s slowly appearing on all the retailers (not just direct from me) including Audible and Spotify, etc. I’ll update the links on the main page when I get a chance.

😘

Conduit 1 L.E. preorder closing

Hello, my lovely readers! Just a quick note that I will be closing the preorders for the limited edition eBook and the ‘preorder priced’ audiobook for Awry (Conduit 1) at the end of day tomorrow (Saturday, Jan 20 PST) because I’ll be delivering (via BookFunnel) the eBook and audiobook to everyone who has ordered by end of day on Sunday, Jan 21. I will also email you with instructions, etc.

The limited edition ebook contains art and extras. The audiobook is $2 less to preorder (and even more $$ if purchased through another retailer).

The preorder for the regular ebook will, of course, still be available through all retailers. And audiobook will be available directly from me (at $12CDN) and through all retailers after release day as well.

Oh, and please, please double-check your email receipts before preordering if you have any inkling that you might have already preordered. I keep coming on doubles, etc, and each refund actually costs me $$.

Thank you for all your support with this new series/new universe!! I can’t wait for you to read it!!

PREORDER LINKS

eBOOK

– PREORDER LIMITED-EDITION DIRECT FROM MCD –

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

AUDIOBOOK

– PREORDER DIRECT FROM MCD –

PAPERBACK

Available on release day from Amazon (etc).

Conduit Series: Illustration and an excerpt: Rath

*‘Rath’ Guerra. Shifter. Illustration by* Nicole Deal.

I unlock the door as the engines of the vehicles shut off behind me. I don’t have to look back to know that Cayley is climbing out of the car, or that Grinder has returned with Doc Z and Presh’s brother, Rath. Their life force is so robust, I don’t need eyes with which to see them.

But I feel drawn, even momentarily compelled, to look back. Just once.

At Rath.

He’s so huge, easily six and a half feet, that his large bike looks regular-sized as he swings his leg off it. His hair is brown, chopped short. As he removes his helmet, he favors his left shoulder, almost imperceptibly. I can’t see the color of his eyes from this distance, but his features are broad, arresting.

– Awry (Conduit 1), Chapter 6

RELEASE DATE: JANUARY 25, 2024

PREORDER NOW

eBOOK

– PREORDER LIMITED-EDITION DIRECT FROM MCD –

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

AUDIOBOOK

– PREORDER DIRECT FROM MCD –

PAPERBACK

Available on release day from Amazon (etc).

Conduit Series: Illustration and an excerpt: Rought

*‘Rought’ Guerra. Shifter. Illustration by* Nicole Deal.

The engine hasn’t even died before the driver’s-side door is opening, and a male steps out — dark-blond hair, naturally tanned skin, and shoulders so broad I’m surprised that he slips out of the car so agilely. Though he is clearly a shifter.

The moment his booted feet hit the ground and the energy underpinning the property rises to ghost his footsteps, I know that he is a … presence, a power. He’s in black jeans and a light-gray henley. He lays his hand on top of the Camaro, pivoting toward me — not bothering to look at the barn or the property or anything else as he reaches to shut the car door with his other hand.

He meets my gaze. His eyes are light colored, either blue or green, but I can’t tell which at this distance.

He’s still moving, hand running across the top of the car, then down the back window, then fingers only along the trunk.

He fucking caresses the fucking car as he crosses alongside it, then continues steadily toward me. And for a moment of utter insanity, I want it to be my curves under those fingertips.

The passenger-side door thunks closed. I feel Presh’s presence as well. But I can’t tear my gaze away from the golden god in worn black jeans taking long, steady strides toward me. I’m locked in his gaze.

The nearer he gets, the more I see … in his expression, in his body language, in the way his essence entwines with that of the property.

I’m not lightheaded.

I’m not beguiled or enchanted.

The nearer he gets, the more anchored I feel.

Not frozen. Not overwhelmed.

I’m in this moment. Breathing it. Savoring it. As if … as if … my very soul has been starved? And he is … he is …

– Awry (Conduit 1), Chapter 10 (slightly edited for spoilers)