The first of the coming changes is that I joined Substack. If you’re not familiar with the platform, it is sort of like a newsletter provider mashed up with a social media platform.
There is no need for you to create an account at Substack in order to continue getting this newsletter.
I want that to be very clear. The newsletter will still come to your email in box and will be readable offline just like any newsletter. You don’t need to make any changes.
But if you would like to join Substack, you will be able to comment on newsletters and connect with me in a more informal atmosphere, as well as connect with other authors and readers.
Why I think you should join Substack
As a reader on Substack, you will have the ability to follow many authors and post book thoughts and reviews. As an author, I can interact directly with readers.
It’s free to join Substack and while there is the potential to pay for access to some content (similar to Patreon), most authors have free subscriptions. At this time, I have no plans to create a paid subscription tier.
Why am I moving to Substack?
-Visibility. I have become more and more disillusioned by regular social media. You might have noticed that your favorite social media feeds have become overtaken by AI slop and sponsored posts. It’s increasingly hard to see activity by your actually friends and people you follow. As a creator, it has become almost impossible to get any traction on Facebook and Instagram, as those platforms push for more and more ad-based content. It used to be that I could rely on my group and author page to get the word out about new releases and other news. Now, I’m lucky if a fraction of a percent of my followers see my new posts.
-Community. While Substack isn’t dedicated only to authors and readers, you will find that it has a thriving book community. I am looking forward to connecting with readers and finding new readers and authors to follow.
-Cost. I won’t lie to you. As my subscriber list grows, the cost of maintaining a newsletter has become exorbitant. Substack is free for you and me. As long as it stays that way, it’s a great option that will free up some budget money for other projects.
That’s it for now. I will be making the change between now and the end of March, so look for the new format arriving in your inbox during that time.
JOIN SUBSTACK AND FOLLOW ME!
REDISCOVER AN OLD FAVORITE
Pssst! Did you know there's a free Valkyrie Bestiary short story featuring Jacoby, the eager apprentice and fire dervish? It's called Uninvited Guests and you can't buy it in any store. It's free only to Reader Group subscribers in the Tales from the Inbetween ebook. The book Tales includes Jacoby's stories as well as deleted scenes from various Valkyrie Bestiary books.
JOIN THE READER'S GROUP TO GET YOUR FREE COPY RIGHT NOW
BOOK FAIRS
Cozy, romance and adventure abound in this month's selection of book fairs.
SPOTLIGHT BOOKS
A Little Bite: Sassy, Smart, Self-Hating and Supernatural: The Reluctant Vampire Slayer (The Eternity College Chronicles Book 1)
by Lauretta Hignett
Okay, look, being a seventeen-year-old child genius working my way through Harvard was supposed to be the hardest part of my life.
I’m Marie—smart mouth, zero impulse control, laser-focused on one goal: getting custody of my baby brother to keep him out of foster care. Oh, and building an Iron Man suit and eventually taking over the world. One thing at a time, though.
But when a gorgeous older man at a museum tempts me with a combination of mansplaining and faulty math, I find myself tied up in the basement of an abandoned dentist school. Standard serial killer, right?
Not quite. Turns out, he was a vampire. And he’s turned me into a bloodsucker on the way out.
Bye-bye, Harvard. Hello, tiny, creepy night college in Eternity, Louisiana. I've got a place in a dorm room at Noctiluna House because, get this, the previous occupant was brutally murdered in what is now my room.
Common sense would dictate I should try and find her killer, just in case they come for me and try to carve my heart out like they did to her. So, I’m on the case, and it should be easy. After all, I’m something of an expert on serial killers.
But I’m about to discover that interviewing suspects can be tricky when all you can think about is chewing on their neck.
GET A LITTLE BITE
Fortune's Curse (Witches of Long Beach Book 1)
by J.C. Yeamans
Frustrated, longing for love, and…cursed.
With the help of her arrogant Morkie familiar, Fortune Whittle is a single woman in her forties straddling two worlds—the Unremarkable world of humans and the hidden fae realm that has invaded her city. But she’s not just an ordinary woman. She’s a cursed witch, hiding her secret and struggling to control her magic without the help of a charmed copper band. Should she submit to Nana’s demands to join the local coven for help, or continue her quest in solitude?
After the tampering of a portal in a local lagoon, Fortune begins to question everything. Two gorgeous men—one a local Unremarkable detective from England and the other a Tylwyth Teg fairy—compete for her attention while she races against time to uncover the cause of a mysterious series of drownings.
