I'm back...with SO MUCH NEWS!!!

It's been way too long since I've posted an update! I've only taken a few months away, but SO MUCH has happened during that time! Hopefully I can remember it all for this post, otherwise I guess I'll be posting again very soon :)

First, I had a baby! Yay!!!! My husband and I welcomed a beautiful baby girl into the world at the end of May, and we are thrilled to report that both Baby and I have recovered very well. We are so in love with our newest family member and are adjusting well to being a family of five. God is so good!

Second, remember when I announced that Common was named a finalist in the 2019 Excellence in Editing Awards? Well...WE WON!!!! EEEEEEEEEEK! So many people were involved in the production of the beautiful book I get to put my name on, and I'm so very grateful to each and every one - including all the readers who hold Leah and Rafe dear to their hearts :) A huge thanks and congratulations to Michele Israel Harper, my fabulous editor! She gets at least as much credit as I do for polishing Common into its shiny published form. It's thrilling and a little daunting to now officially call myself an award-winning author!

Third - speaking of awards, Common is also a finalist in the ACFW Carol Awards!!!! EEEEEEEEEK again! I most definitely cried in the grocery store when I got the call, then again when I saw the video announcing the finalists. My book is being listed among the very best in the industry, and I am in absolute awe. This is an award I've been hearing about ever since I joined ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers), and it is an absolute dream come true to have my book in the running for such an honor. So much squealing and happy dancing over here!!

Most recently, despite the added challenges of having a new baby at home, I'm registered for the ACFW conference this September!! I've always hoped to attend the ACFW national conference at least once, and ever since I received the news about the Carol Awards, I've been trying to figure out a way to make it happen. Now that I'm officially going, I'm a bundle of nerves and excitement and so many other emotions. San Antonio, here I come! You know, in a few months... :)

Thanks for bearing with me through all the updates, friends! Stay tuned for more updates coming soon! (I'll try to stay more on top of things so future updates aren't quite so long!)

More awards news, and an upcoming hiatus...

Eeeeeek!! You guys, the Christian Editor Connection announced last week that Common is one of four finalists for their 2019 Excellence in Editing Award! YAY!!!! I'm thrilled beyond words to have my book recognized for such an honor, though most of the credit goes to my amazing editor at Love2ReadLove2Write Publishing, Michele Israel Harper, who works SO hard for her authors, plus is an incredible source of support and encouragement. The winner will be announced next month!

Also, did you hear Common made the Top 20 for the Alliance Award?? The Alliance Award is a readers' choice award sponsored by Realm Makers, my all-time favorite writers' conference :) I still squeal every time I see my name listed among so many of my favorite fantasy authors! *insert happy dance here* The voting period is already past (it seems I missed posting about it in the midst of all the Encircled release excitement), but I'm so grateful to everyone who nominated Common to make it a semi-finalist and to everyone who took the time to vote! Your enthusiasm for my story truly means the world to me!

And in other, non-writing-related news, I'm about to have a baby! My due date is less than two weeks away (eep!), so we've made it to the final waiting stage. Which feels so fast and so slow all at the same time! So unless I have really big news to share, I don't expect to be posting any updates over the summer as we settle into a new norm and endure the sleep deprivation that comes with having a newborn. Everything seems to be going well up to this point, but prayers are definitely appreciated as baby's arrival approaches!

(For the record, this picture was taken a month ago - I'm quite a bit larger now!) Have a wonderful summer, everyone! I look forward to being back in the fall, hopefully with news of huge progress on Traitor (Tales of the Mystics, Book Two)!

ENCIRCLED IS HERE!!!

It's here!! Encircled is finally here!!!!! The third published book with my words in it, and the first in which I played a significant role in the publishing process (beyond just the writing, of course!). What began with my critique group getting excited about a contest for fairy tale retellings and my vision of a modern-day Snow White character encountering a dryad prince on her strolls in the forest has turned into a gorgeous, real-life book! (For more behind-the-scenes details on how my Snow White retelling, "Edged in Silver," came about, make sure to check out my guest post on Kandi J. Wyatt's blog!)

Despite having an amazing critique group and loving the idea of putting together our own anthology of fairy tale retellings, I'll admit there were many points along this journey when I thought it was never going to happen. When several members of our group who initially started on stories had to back out. When we tried to wrap our minds around the amount of investment and work it would take to publish a high-quality product ourselves. When we faced list after list of difficult questions we had to agree on in order to move forward.

But we did it! I can honestly say that despite all the challenges and hard work, it's been a wonderful experience. Our group has really bonded through the process and worked through every disagreement with respect and good humor. Each member has given generously of her own talents and specialties to make this a true team effort, from editing to formatting to marketing. And I think all our efforts have made the reward of seeing our dream become a reality that much greater. (And seriously, isn't it gorgeous??) In fact, there may even be talk of another Ever Afters anthology in the future... :)

I hope you've enjoyed following the posts in the Encircled Blog Tour so far, I know I have! The tour wraps up on April 18th, so we still have a few days to go! (See this post to get the full schedule - I've been trying to update the links as each post goes live.) And did you hear about the giveaway?? The Ever Afters have teamed up with the Just-Us League to host an epic giveaway celebrating their fairy tale anthologies releasing in April! Enter below for a chance to win one of FOUR sets of prizes!

Grand Prize (U.S. residents only)

• Two paperbacks (Fractured Ever After and Encircled)
• Book cozy
• Slipper ornament
• 3D-printed bookmark (pick one design)
• Set of four signed illustration prints

First Prize (U.S. residents only)

• Two paperbacks (Fractured Ever After and Encircled)
• “Fairy tales do come true” charm bracelet
• 3D-printed bookmark (pick one design)
• Set of four signed illustration prints

Second Prize (international)

• Two ebooks (Fractured Ever After and Encircled)
• 3D-printed bookmark (pick one design)
• Set of four signed illustration prints

Third Prize (international)

• Two ebooks (Fractured Ever After and Encircled)
• Choice of 3D-printed bookmark (pick one design) *or* set of four signed illustration prints

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Here's a little more about the Just-Us League's newest anthology, Fractured Ever After:

Old classics are fractured into exciting new tales in this international collection of magic, mystery, and adventure.

Some heroes go searching for their happily ever after: a dragon cocoon hunter explores the dangerous woods for his sleeping beauty; a prince forces a perfect romance on an unsuspecting maiden; and when a girl leaves town, she must quickly decide to trust—or be wary of—a new stranger.

Destiny is thrust upon others: a disconnected emperor struggles to retain his title; a frog prince leaves his pond in search of answers; and after Rapunzel is rescued, a new quest is awarded to her savior.

Whether it is destiny or choice, all actions have consequences: sibling rivalry pushes one little piggy to extremes and a princess must choose to follow her heart or step up as future queen.

Prepare for an adventure as these eight fantastic fairy tales transport you to places beyond your imagination.

Fractured Ever After is the Just-Us League’s seventh anthology, an illustrated collection of fractured fairy tales. It can be preordered here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Q5H39GH.

Thanks so much to everyone who has helped spread the word about Encircled through the cover reveal, blog tour, Instagram photo challenge, and in so many other ways! We're so very grateful, and we hope you love our stories!!

Encircled Pre-Order Goodies, Instagram Photo Challenge, and Blog Tour!

Encircled comes out in less than two weeks!!! Eeeeek! We have been so busy getting ready for this release and have all kinds of fun stuff going on to celebrate, so I wanted to make sure to keep you guys in the loop!

First of all, have you heard about the pre-order goodies? If you pre-order a copy of Encircled, make sure to fill out THIS FORM! Everyone will receive printable downloads of this gorgeous postcard and bookmark, plus you'll be entered in a giveaway for a pair of homemade socks, an e-copy of To Catch a Magic Thief by E.J. Kitchens, and a bar of New Zealand chocolate! Also, remember that Encircled is currently set at a special pre-order price of $1.99, the price will go up to $2.99 later in April.













Next, we're only a few days into our #encircled Instagram photo challenge, so there's still plenty of time to join in the fun! We have lots of fairy tale-related prompts for you to get creative with, and it comes with a chance to win an e-copy of Encircled and a bar of New Zealand chocolate! (Can you tell we love chocolate??) Make sure to stop by Jebraun Clifford or J.M. Hackman's Instagram profiles to get all the details about how to enter. And check out my Instagram profile to see the photos I've posted for the challenge so far :)

And last (at least for now, there will be more coming soon!), we have our Encircled Blog Tour schedule all put together and ready to start next Monday! I can't wait to see all these reviews, book spotlights, and features for each author! Here's the full schedule, I'll try to update it with specific post links once they're available:

Monday, April 8th

• Author Interview with Tori V. Rainn – Heather Hayden

Tuesday, April 9th

• Review of Encircled – Allie May

Wednesday, April 10th

• Guest Behind-the-Scenes Post with J.M. Hackman – Pam Halter
• Book Spotlight – Iola Goulton

Thursday, April 11th 

• Book Spotlight – Jackie Castle
• Author Interview with Jebraun Clifford – Beyond the Borders

Friday, April 12th

• Review of Encircled – Katie Brown

Saturday, April 13th

• Review of Encircled – Teisha Priest
• Guest Behind-the-Scenes Post with Laurie Lucking – Kandi J. Wyatt

Sunday, April 14th

• Author Interview with E.J. Kitchens – Elisabeth Wheatley

Monday, April 15th

• Book Spotlight – Tammera Ayers

Tuesday, April 16th

• Author Release Day Spotlights – Laurie Lucking, Tori V. Rainn, J.M. Hackman

Wednesday, April 17th 

• Review of Encircled – Ginger Solomon

Thursday, April 18th

• Author Interview with S.E. Clancy – Michele Israel Harper

Stay tuned, because the blog tour also involves an epic giveaway! It's going to be a fabulous few weeks, I hope you enjoy all the various festivities! Thanks in advance for helping us celebrate :)

Encircled Cover Reveal!

You guys!!! Encircled is almost here! This book has been years in the making, so it's a dream come true (but also a little unreal!) to see all the pieces finally falling into place. And part of that is revealing its gorgeous cover! In order to make sure we found a cover everyone in the group was happy with, we went through quite a process of compiling pre-made covers, narrowing them down to three with an initial vote, and then voting again to make the final decision. I love that the cover we chose has a fabulous fairy tale feel to it, but also encapsulates the variety of time periods, settings, and genres represented by our set of stories. And it's just so pretty!!! Okay, are you ready for me to be done talking so you can see the cover? Here goes...















Scroll just a little farther...



















You're almost there!

TA-DA!! See, at least all that build-up wasn't for nothing :) Many thanks to Maria Spada for this lovely design! Here's the blurb that goes along with it:

Experience six of the world's most beloved stories in a whole new light! From historical to futuristic, these retellings will take you to an enchanted forest, a cursed castle, and far beyond. Uncover secrets of a forbidden basement, a hypnotic gift, and a mysterious doll. Fall in love with a lifelong friend or brand-new crush. Venture to unknown lands on a quest to save a prince, a kingdom, or maybe even a planet. With moments of humor, suspense, romance, and adventure, Encircled has something to offer every fan of fairy tales, both classic and reimagined.

This anthology features stories from S.E. Clancy, Jebraun Clifford, J.M. Hackman, E.J. Kitchens, Laurie Lucking, and Tori V. Rainn.

Encircled will release on April 16th - less than a month away! Make sure to stop by Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, or Kobo to take advantage of the pre-order price of $1.99 (it will go up to $2.99 later in April). And you can add it to your to-read list on Goodreads! Here are some ways to connect with the other amazing authors I worked with on this project:

• S.E. Clancy: Website │ Facebook │ Twitter │ Instagram
• Jebraun Clifford: Website │ Facebook │ Twitter │ Instagram
• J.M. Hackman: Website │ Newsletter │ Facebook │ Instagram
• E.J. Kitchens: Website │ Facebook │ Twitter │ Pinterest
• Tori V. Rainn: Website │ Facebook │ Twitter │ Pinterest

If you haven't signed up for the Encircled Blog Tour yet, you can find the signup form HERE. Thanks for stopping by, we can't wait to share our fairy tale retellings with you!

A Winner, A Release Date, and Blog Tour Signups!

Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who helped me celebrate Common's first birthday last month! I so appreciated all your love and creativity! And I'm excited to announce we have a giveaway winner! Congratulations to...Jebraun Clifford! I'll be in touch about mailing your prize :)

Here's a picture of me and Leah baking cookies to mark the end of the Common birthday celebration!

In other news, I have tons of updates about Encircled, my critique group's collection of fairy tale retellings! We've set a release date of April 16th, which is only a month away! Eeeeeeek! We'll be revealing the gorgeous cover on March 20th - if you'd like to get a sneak peek at the cover and help us share it with the world, you can sign up to be a part of our cover reveal HERE. And, we're in the midst of planning the Encircled Blog Tour, which will run from April 8th through April 17th! If you're interested in participating, you can find the signup form HERE. *Both forms include an opportunity to be an advance reviewer of Encircled!*

I hope everyone is having a fabulous March, I'll be back next week with the Encircled cover reveal!!


P.S. Please consider voting for Common in the Christian Indie Awards if you haven't yet (it's in the Young Adult category), you can find the ballot HERE. Common is also eligible for the Alliance Award this year, a readers' choice award run through my favorite writing conference, Realm Makers :) Stop by HERE and nominate your three favorite fantasy / science fiction books that released in 2018! If Common happens to be one of them (YAY!!), it's ISBN-13 you'll need for the nomination is 978-1943788279. Thank you!!!

Happy Birthday, Common!!! (Plus TWO giveaways!)

Today is Common's first birthday!!! It's hard to believe my little story has been out in the world for a whole year already - and what a year it's been! As incredible as it was to see my words turned into a gorgeous book, the prospect of releasing it into the public was more than a little daunting. But I've been amazed over and over again by how readers are connecting with Leah and Rafe, showing incredible enthusiasm for Common and future books to come. THANK YOU!!!

So, what better way to celebrate Common's birthday than with a giveaway?? Since Common was inspired by Cinderella, I just had to snatch up this beautiful wooden "Have courage & be kind" sign when I saw it on Etsy! And I can't wait to share it with one of you!! Here's how you enter: show how YOU are celebrating Common's birthday! That's it! It can take whatever form you want - a fun picture of your book, having a special birthday treat, sharing about the giveaway, posting your review of Common, etc. I'm excited to see what you come up with! Just make sure to tag me and use the hashtag #HappyBirthdayCommon so I can count your entry! (Posting on multiple social media platforms counts as multiple entries. 🙂) The giveaway will close at 11:59 pm CST on February 28th, 2019. Depending on shipping costs, if the winner lives outside the U.S., she may instead receive an equivalent Etsy giftcard. Good luck!

But I mentioned TWO giveaways, didn't I? Just in time for Common's birthday, my writer friend Deborah O'Carroll is having a giveaway for a signed paperback of Common! You can find out the details of the giveaway (plus the sweetest review 💙) HERE or by clicking on the picture below.

Thanks in advance for celebrating with me and all your Tales of the Mystics friends!!