Welcome! I’m so glad you’re curious about the history behind my fun fantasy books. This time, we’re off to Rome – with a few side jaunts into the Achaemenid, Byzantine, and Macedonian Empires.
Here’s a brief bit about Nusku to get you started! For more extensive information on Mesopotamian deities, here’s a cool site with photos.
For information on jinn – I found so many sites, but my interpretations are totally from my imagination. Just in case you want some jinn info, here’s a cool link.
I was in the middle of final edits when my computer died. Since I’m also a graphic designer, I had to have my new computer built – which took about three weeks – but now that it’s here, I’m back to editing and will have a pre-release blitz coming up in the next few weeks.
The book is available to pre-order – and I have the price set at .99 cents – but that’s changing TODAY so if you want to grab your copy, today is the perfect day to do that.
I’m busy on getting the 5th book finished, so now is the time to recruit new beta readers and an Advanced Review Team. There’s only one way to get in, though – you have to sign up for my V.I.P. List. I’ll give you two free stories as a bonus and then you can decide which team to be on.
Beta Readers – get the almost-final draft of the new release and agree to give me feedback on the story. It is after I go through this process with the team that I do final edits and get the book ready for release. There’s a private Facebook group for Beta Readers where we can talk plot/character/story development. I like HONEST feedback – if something isn’t working, then let me know that. I rely on these readers to make my books the best they can be.
Advanced Review Team Members get the new release FIRST – before it “goes live” – the book is in the final form, all edits are made, and ART members get the full version. There is also a private Facebook group for these members. I ask the favor of an HONEST review from this team when the book finally goes live. The more reviews a book gets, the higher the “social capital” of the work. This drives sales and enables me to keep writing.
Some readers want to be part of both teams, some only one. That decision is entirely yours to make. I love writing and I adore my readers – nothing is better than reading a review – even a lukewarm one – and I can actually quote you the reviews and the names of the reviewers who brought tears to my eyes (happy ones!).
So here’s my recommendation if you’ve never read my books – go ahead and sign up and read the two bonus stories. Nudging Magic takes place after the second book in the series, but I’ve kept spoilers to a minimum. Coyote’s Cache takes place after the fourth book. Again, the fact that you’re jumping in that late means there are bound to be some spoilers, but I’ve kept them to a minimum. If you like what you read, then stay on the list and become one of my valuable Beta Readers or ART members.
Jealous Magic is coming out on Friday, and I’m doing nothing but stressing over it. I’ve planned my NaNoWriMo project (Fortunes Lost & Found) and I should be doing some more work on that, but instead I’ve looked at the covers for the Relic Hunter series and gone off the rails.
It’s been so bad that I’ve actually switched over from writing and into designing the next cover for Arienne’s next book. It’s not done, but I have a good start on her! I’m marketed out, webinared out, and facebooked out – so I’m taking the day off.
Have you had a chance to check out my Instagram feed yet? I’ve been busy creating content and putting together puzzles so my feed is visually awesome. I just started my author Instagram last week because at first I was like “How can I talk about my books using just pictures?” – then I realized “You’re also an artist.” so…yeah, I forgot about that part of my life.
The truth is, I spend Sunday mornings – and by morning, I mean the wee-small hours of the morning – creating content and scheduling posts. In all honesty, it’s been incredibly fun and enlightening. It’s easy to talk about my books using pictures – and I have a great time creating the puzzles. It also really puts me in the zone to write (or edit, like I plan to do today).
Right now I have a few projects going on. I’m in the final edit of Jealous Magic, I’m prepping for NaNoWriMo (yes, I still try to do that every year), and I’m posting content all over the place. I think the posting spree is about wanting to keep my art skills sharp while I’m off being creative in a whole new way.
I’ve noticed something interesting, though. Not only is my author account getting more traffic, but my art sites are doing great (despite the neglect). That could be because they’re somehow linked, but it could also be because the more things you put out into the universe, the more things start to gel.
So here’s what’s coming up in October…
More Instagram puzzles about my books (They’re cool, so you should follow me!).
An announcement about how to grab an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) of Jealous Magic (I’ll post here, but you can also connect with me on Goodreads and AllAuthor.com).
More Pins for Jealous Magic because I want you to see what I pictured as I wrote the book.
And finally…the release of Jealous Magic on October 30th (Hint: It’s at the pre-release price of .99 cents right now). There’s a lot to do next month, but I’m so excited about all of this. While you’re here, why not sign up for my newsletter so you’ll know about all of the exciting developments and get notified of sales and upcoming projects?
So, I’m off to edit now, but thank you so much for reading my posts every week. I love what I do, and your constant attention to my posts, books, and other ventures really means the world to me.
I’ve really been busy during the pandemic. Honest. But I took a week off to go to a vacation spot I’ve been thinking about for a few years now. It’s a tiny coastal village in Massachusetts called Mulligan’s Cove. The people are so friendly and it’s the perfect place for me to put myself in a great mood – even when the whole world is going crazy.
Mulligan’s Cove is really a romantic spot, filled with rocky beaches, stretches of sand dunes, and a harbor. I even have a map that shows all of the places I love to visit. I go there to see friends, catch up on their lives, and lose my own problems and worries for a few days.
And all without leaving my office.
So I know most of you read my Urban Fantasy books, but I’m changing it up right now because I’ve been in Mulligan’s Cove for a while and I decided to just stay there and see what’s going on. This is the perfect time to escape and have a little summer romance out by the ocean.
For your first adventure, I’d like to introduce you to Collin Landry, a local celebrity chef who grew up in Mulligan’s Cove. Everything is going really well for him. His friends are fun and he taking a break from the whole globe-trotting chef scene to guest-chef in the fabulous Harborside restaurant in Mulligan’s Cove.
I think you’ll really love Collin (I do), and when Hollywood Defector Angeline Kent shows up in Mulligan’s Cove, things in the kitchen at Harborside come to a slow simmer that’s going to really be a perfect escape from all of the craziness we’re living in.
So I’d like you to buy your ticket for Wednesday, and spend a while in this beautiful seaside town with me. You know you want to come to the beach and hang out. So let’s make this a memorable summer!
I’ve been back at my writing desk for a few weeks now, working on some new projects and finishing up some old ones. The new blog is all about where I’ve been for four years – caring for my husband and my mother – and I said I’d share it as soon as I went live. Not all of the posts are up yet, but more will be coming in the next few weeks. They’re written and formatted, but I want to double check them one more time (part of being a control-freak writer, I guess). In the meantime, you can check it out here.
Here’s what else I’m working on:
The 4th book in the Arienne Cerasola Series
A brand new series that has a lot to do with feathers (more on that later…)
A new romance series I started last year as my NaNoWriMo project.
I’ll be publishing snippets and teasers over the next few months so stay tuned and thanks for all of your support over the years.
R. Leonia Shea 