Does my cover look different? As I ordered covers for book 2 and 3, I decided to add a bit of purple to the cover. it was a whole thing. Anyway, new cover done. Book ready to go live. And I have a review!! I know, I’m super excited. Check it out!
This reviewer has given me many 4-star reviews, so I was thrilled to see that she gave me a 5-star review on this series!
The best editor in the world is currently editing book 2. I don’t know about book 3 since it hasn’t been critiqued. Once this trilogy is done, I haven’t decided what I’ll work on next. But whatever it is, I’m sure it will be fun. I am certainly open to suggestion. (No, I’m not going back to the Jade universe)
As for events, I’ll be attending the 608 market on March 21st at 800 Wilburn Road in Sun Prairie, WI. If anyone is available, I’d love to see you!
Hi my friends! I had a goal to send a newsletter out every week. I know, I didn’t succeed. It is the start of the semester, week 5? 6? I guess we’re nearing the middle! Oy Vey! time! I was hoping to get more feedback on the short stories. So, I will start off with a few questions:
Do you enjoy the short stories? Should I continue them? And if so, should I focus on book series? Or just pick shorts that are unrelated to Jade, Ember, and in a month, Ivy and Petra.
I have gotten Aura of the Chameleon back from the editor. I’ll, hopefully, be formatting this weekend and sending the ARCs out by Sunday. I’m really excited about this new series coming out in March. Everyone who’s read it seems to enjoy it … even the AI emails who’ve been touched by Ivy and Petra’s story pre-publication! You’ve gotta love a good spam-artist, no?
Aura of the Chameleon.
I’ve finally ordered covers for book 2 and 3 in the series. I’m excited to see what the designers come up with. Once this series is fully out, we’ll see what happens next!
I hope you’re doing well! Please let me know what you think of the new short stories. I was hoping to hear last week, but no one said anything. Either you were shocked with the brilliance, or disappointed. I’m going to pretend it was the former!
Tonight is the last dinner out for the end of the month of birthday celebrations. I am excited for the celebrations. I do love January for the happy times, but oof, it has been cold.
School started and walking around campus has chilled me to the bone. In book 2 of Jade, she and Piper walk around UW-Whitewater campus. As they slog over a hill, Piper wondered what the hill would be like in winter. When I first started working at UW-Whitewater, I would trudge over that hill in winter, slipping and sliding. Summer, I attack it to get a bit more exercise. Well, not the hill is closed all winter to save on a bit of money and for safety.
In my last email, I mentioned the ARC, advanced reader copy, for the dystopian fantasy book coming out in just over a month. I’m not sure if anyone signed up, which is fine. I can’t track where people sign up from, but I do have a total of three people who signed up from the link, and two who have told me they want to continue from previous ARCs. If you were one of the three, thank you.
If you still are interested in getting an early copy of Aura of the Chameleon in trade for an honest review, please fill out this form. https://forms.gle/qvKxuCH1d4JC9RLE9
Don’t worry, the link to the sign up is at the end of the chapter!
Aura of the Chameleon.
If there is a short story you’re looking for, let me know that as well!
Happy almost February? 🤣🤣🤣
Huckle
Short story #2
Totally Unprepared
Binium
“Dre, I’m scared.”
My sisters and I have two moms and two dads. We call our moms Mom and Mama, our dads, Dad and Dre, short for Padre, the Spanish word for dad. I don’t know how these names were decided, but it’s how it’s always been.
“Bini, you’re going to be great. Just like your sister and cousin. I’m just so proud of you for keeping your epsilon secret for so long.” He slid his arm around my shoulder and squeezed.
Tonight would be the first night my sister Esperanza, my cousin Soren, and I would shift to wolves and run with the pack. Before I gave the secret of the animals away a few months ago, only Mom and I knew. “I still feel bad for blurting that out in front of everyone.” I slumped. “Annie just wouldn’t stop complaining.”
Dre’s arm tightened. “No one is mad at you, Bini. You calmed your sister down, and that was really well done. And now, I have a big job for you to do.”
My stomach clenched. I wasn’t sure I was up to doing anything more. “Are you sure it’s something I can do?”
His smile warmed me to my core. Dre could always make me feel strong and important. “Of course. I would like for you to speak with Annie and Soren’s wolves, find out if they’re ready to come out and play. I’d like to get the three of you out running early.”
The idea excited and terrified me. “Okay, yeah, I can do that.”
We got up from the couch, and I ran off to find the other two. It didn’t take long to find them in the basement playing on a gaming console. I wanted to take both their hands, but they were focused on their game and said ‘no’. Annie let me take her hand first.
Her grey wolf bounced up to me, as hyper as my sister. I loved the black star on her forehead. “Sis, are you ready to run in the sun with me?” I already knew my wolf was ready; it was just about finding out about the other two.
“Oh yes, yes, yes. Can we?” Her excitement made my black wolf run in circles, leaping in joy.
“Yes, let’s just find out if our cousin is ready, too.”
Once Annie was gone, I took Soren’s hand. I noted that the game was off. Apparently, heading out to our first run was more exciting than their game. Soren’s gray wolf soon joined my mindscape and just as quickly told me he was ready to run. The three of us scampered to the backyard, yelling to Dre on the way out that we were ready to go.
It wasn’t just Dre who met us in the backyard; Uncle Owen was there as well. His joyous personality made me smile, though the extra person was worrisome. “Dre, why is Uncle Owen here?”
Uncle Owen came over and ruffled my hair. “Someone has to run with you lot. José here has to be available for everyone else, which means I get to play with all of you.”
“Who wants to shift first?” Dre smiled at us, searching each of our faces. As bold as Annie was, her eyes looked wild. Soren stepped behind his dad.
With a shrug, I stepped forward. “Me. I’ll do it.”
We headed to the center of the yard, away from the others. “Okay, son, you’re going to need to strip down. I know you know this, and it’s uncomfortable, but you’ll get used to it.”
“It helps that everyone here is close family.” Despite my words, I turned from the others, stripped, and got to my hands and knees. I wasn’t really sure about anything beyond that. Werewolf training didn’t start until we got older. The pack tried to start with us once I announced our wolves were ready, but three months really wasn’t enough time, and we had school during the days.
Dre knelt down next to me. “Okay, Bini, things are going to be uncomfortable. This first time will be the hardest, but don’t worry, once your wolf comes out, you’ll understand.” He leaned down, placed his hand on my forehead, and his voice became somehow more. “Binium Cortez-Green, welcome to the pack,” his eyes bore into me, “come out … now.”
My body cramped. Bile filled my mouth as my stomach tried to crawl up, and my shoulders shimmied down. Then pain took over, and I nearly blacked out. Things retreated, then I heard cracking, and I wished I could pass out. After what seemed like hours, anger overtook me, and I wanted to attack.
In front of me stood a man, tall with dark hair and eyes. Snarling, I leapt.
He laughed at me, wrapping his hands around my snout, denying my bite. Loud, sharp sounds came from my left, and I wanted to snap. Lower sounds pressed into my ears, and I trembled.
Then I heard words. “It’s okay, Binium, you’re doing great.”
Everything came back to me, and I dropped to my belly. I was a wolf. Gazing around, I realized not only were my sister and cousin there, clapping, but my mom, mama, and dad were there as well.
And I was a wolf.
Slinking back from Dre’s hold, I shot to my feet and howled to the sky in my elation.
I am so excited about this week. Well, no, I’m not, but I am! I just survived a week of spring break. Survived because lifting a box of early release copies of Xenagogue, I lost my balance and then my back hurt. Though, my back hurting isn’t really out of the ordinary.
So, if spring break was last week, why am I excited about next week? Well, there’s a birthday in the house, so I have an excuse to bake. Please don’t ask about my diet, it isn’t great. While out getting groceries today, I ran into someone with rainbow hair!!! I know, it was trippy. Now, I dyed my hair black back in January to get me to summer, so that will be a shock to some of you, but as Laura, the lovely lady with rainbow hair mentioned, I’m still full of rainbows in the inside!
me and Laura of the rainbow hair! She took a bookmark. She had the cutest family with her!!
What I’ve baked! The first is African Malva Pudding Cake. A family favorite. That second one is a s’mores blondie. It looks weird but it was tasty. The last picture is the mid-step in making fudge… it’s a dangerous process!
Next weekend I’ll make a sandwich cookie chocolate layered cake. Who knows what else will pop up… macaron cookies, pound cake (because we all need to put on more pounds!), and probably hot chocolate… he likes to drink it early and often!
Now, as you saw above, I have physical copies of Xenagogue. You are welcome to go ahead and order signed copies of any of my books from the website, INCLUDING Xenagogue! I know, super duper exciting. If you’d rather use paypal or venmo, just send a message and we can figure something out.
So, what’s new in the world of writing?
Obviously, Xenagogue is ready to be out in the world! It even has a few reviews on goodreads!
Veiled Phoenix will be at a sale price because of C.L. Cannon’s Fantasy & Sci-Fi Book Fair. Not only are there Free & Discounted books, there are prizes! Check it out!!
On April 11th, when Xenagogue releases, there will be an online release party on The Reading Lounge a facebook reader and author page. There will be a slew of authors playing games and giving away prizes. Come join in on the fun and see what you can win!
I’ve been going through the Yugen critiques and soon I’ll be calling for an ARC team. Pebble’s story is so fun! All of this brings me joy!
Hi my friends! We are in the middle of August and things are happening!
For any of you of facebook, there is a new page for readers and indie authors that is very supportive of us authors, The Reading Lounge. Tomorrow, August 20th, they will be opening it’s virtual doors for the first time and during the day there will be a slew of games and book give aways! You should come check it out!
Please note, all those times are Eastern Standard Time. I’ll be closing out the night with a give away of Veiled Phoenix, though, if you have that book and are interested in Moonstone Phoenix, and are the winner, just let me know!
On Sunday, I’m back in Kenosha for the Kenosha Book Festival. I am so excited to be there. I always meet amazing people when I visit Kenosha, including the narrator to Veiled Phoenix!
On August 26th, I’ll be part of Year of Queer Lit – Stuff Your Kindle, which will offer a ton of free and $0.99 queer lit! I hope you’re as excited as I am!
I hope in all of this you found something you thought was fun and interesting!
Hi friends! I have so many exciting things to share with you.
First of all, Ember Savita Chronicles. Veiled Phoenix is available on audio. The narrator did SUCH an amazing job, I’m thrilled. Meeting her at the Kenosha Book Festival in June was just one of the best things ever.
Speaking of, I’ll be heading down to the Kenosha Book Festival again on August 25th with author A.R. Grimes! If you can make it, it’s a great place to meet indie authors, get books, and have a good time. There are also deals on used books, so there’s something there for everyone.
As for something happening SOONER, I’ll be visiting WordHaven BookHouse in Sheboygan THIS weekend, on August 10th. Again, I’ll be traveling with A.R. Grimes. We’ll be holding a class on How to Publish a Book. We’ll also have our books there.
Every time we’ve gone to WordHaven, we’ve had a ton of fun. It’s an amazing bookstore. Even if you just want to stop in to say ‘Hi!’, we’d love to see you.
Back to Ember. I’ve been getting some good feedback on Veiled Phoenix. I hope all of you are enjoying the story. I just sent Moonstone Phoenix to the narrator. My hope is to have the audiobook publish close to when the book itself releases. I MAY even release earlier than November. What are your thoughts on a good release date?
Now, this series is planned to be a completed trilogy. Once I’m done with it, I’ll be working on getting Pebble’s trilogy out.
I have physical copies of Meowgical Tales, the anthology with the Jade short story. If you want to get a signed copy from me, send me a message. I don’t have this book on my website because I can’t order them easily.
If you have any thoughts or opinions on what direction I go on my writing after Ember and Pebble’s stories, I’m open. I do have a shift-octopus series I wrote that I can finish up, but beyond that, let me know what you’re interested in!
Hi my friends. As many of you know, Veiled Phoenix is out in the world! My mom, who had read the first three Jade books, read it. She said she wanted to wait for Moonstone Phoenix before reading the remainder of the Jade series. So … I guess she liked it! 🤣 That said, I’m hoping to get her to finish Jade’s college years.
When I was in Paris last summer, Andrea Kummer contacted me, saying she was interested in narrating the Jade Stone Chronicles. Getting books narrated is scary, but exciting … and very expensive.
Just over a month ago, I was in Kenosha, at a book fair, and I met Kassandr Novell. She is an up and coming narrator from Wisconsin. She sent me a book she’s worked on. Then, as things go, we got to talking and it turned out, she loved Veiled Phoenix. As of now, she has six chapters left to narrate. I can’t see it taking her more then a few days to get them done. Then ACX has to double check everything.
Yes, it’s true. The audiobook for the Ember Savita Chronicles will not wait for the full trilogy to be out!
Tomorrow I will be part of a facebook book party. A group of authors are congratulating an author whose book is coming out soon. If you’ve never been to one of these parties, I can’t suggest them highly enough.
For several hours, every thirty minutes a new author tells you about themselves, what they write, and offers something for free. All you have to do is interact with the posts and you can win signed books, or eBooks, or all sorts of things. I’ve won a ton of things in the past. They are fun, and always worth it.
When: Tomorrow, July 15, noon to 9pm Easter Standard Time, US. twelve hundred to twenty-one hundred…
Other fun news. I am part of an anthology. Paw and Pen International have put together their second anthology of cat short stories. The book comes out tomorrow. Both the first and second book are on sale right now for $2.99, but will increase to $4.99 very soon. You should go and check these books out. A lot of great authors have contributed.
If you read book 7 of Jade: Pack Presents, and wondered where those cats came from, the short story is in the second of these two books: Meowgical Tails
You should get out and check them BOTH out right away. All the profits go to cat rescue, not the authors or anyone else. It is such a great organization!
Hi everyone! I want to keep this short and sweet. Updates:
I have written and updated the Pebble Stone Chronicle trilogy. I will now pass them off to my team to do their magic. This won’t be a quick process, but it’s worth the wait.
Veiled Phoenix is out in the world! The second book, Moonstone Phoenix, is past the first editor and soon, I hope, will be off to the second.
I believe I started in the subject that there were free books!
I know I’ve mentioned this, but ALL DAY TODAY!!! Free fantasy books!!
I know I’ve been sending out a lot of newsletters. This one will be very short. Three items!
Veiled Phoenix comes out on the 14th! Pre-order today. I have the physical books, and they are beautiful!
I’ll be at the Kenosha Book Festival on Sunday in Kenosha, Wisconsin, across the street from Studio Moonfall bookstore. Come out and see me!
Jae, a big name in sapphic books, has put together a month long Pride Reads Celebration. There are books, and giveaways. Go check it out! There is something every day! https://jae-fiction.com/pride-reads-celebration/
If you live anywhere in or around Wisconsin, you know the weather is … exciting. It’s Saturday right now, and ironically, the weather is nice.
But, yesterday and tomorrow are thunderstorms. Earlier this week we had a day with four (five?) tornado sirens!! Below is an image of the storm Tuesday night. Friends lost power for days. We lucked out.
Long story short … I got a lot of reading done, and the BOOK FAIR is postponed until June 2nd. Good news, I will definitely have copies of Veiled Phoenix, officially out June 14th, pre-order the eBook today!, to sell!!! Bad news, you have to wait a week to buy them.
Huckleberry Rahr - Author 