The New Year is a great time to look forward, but to do that, I feel it’s also important to look back at what I accomplished. 2024 was a big year for me, with the publication of 2 novels and 1 novella. I finished the Valkyrie Bestiary Series, something that I’d been working on for nearly 10 years. Even if I never wrote another word, I’d be satisfied to leave that work as my legacy.
But I have so many more stories to tell. I started The Knack Series, a story that has been languishing in my “to be done” folder for even longer, and managed to slip it into publication in the last few weeks of 2024.
That makes 3 books for the year—Worlds Don’t Collide, Thorn of Vioska and A Knack for Metal and Bone. I’m happy with that output, especially considering that The Knack book was over 120k words, nearly twice as long as my previous novels.
I think 2-3 books a year is my sweet spot as it seems to be my average for the last few years. Any more than that and I feel like I’m losing my mind. Any less feels like I’m slacking.
A writer’s output isn’t all about writing though. I looked back at my wishlist for January 2024 and realized that I didn’t accomplish all of the non-writing related things I’d hoped to accomplish. Projects such as a new merch store and a Valkyrie Bestiary collector’s edition didn’t get the attention they deserved. Some projects proved unfeasible for reasons beyond my control (such as difficulties shipping from Canada). Others fell to the wayside as I poured my undivided attention into editing A Knack for Metal and Bone in order to get it out before Christmas. I don’t feel that time was wasted and the reviews for Knack seem to echo that sentiment.
I will always feel that my time is best spent creating new stories, new characters and new worlds for you to devour. That being said, I will continue to work toward my non-writing goals too. A big one for 2025 is a revamping/restructuring of my social media platforms (more on that in the next newsletter).
So what’s on the schedule for 2025?
The Knack Book 2 (for far, untitled).
The reviews for A Knack for Metal and Bone have been very positive (Thank you to those who took the time to leave a rating and a few words!). Many, many of those reviews express a desire to see book 2 asap. I get that, but right now The Knack Book 2 is slated for late in 2025. Book 1 was a massive world to build. The editing alone, took me nearly five months. While most of the world-building is done now, I want to dedicate as much attention to detail in book 2 as possible.
But don’t worry, I’m not going to leave you high and dry for a whole year.
A New Series!
I’ve been hard at work on a super-secret new series and I’m ready to spill the beans. This new series will be cozy, slice-of-life fantasy, set in the imaginary town of Mullarkey Mills, which is based on the small towns around me in rural Quebec. I’m super excited about this series because the first book is my heart book. In other words, it’s a story I’ve been wanting to tell for a long, long time, but have never had the time in my writing schedule for it.
So what is this story? It’s about a woman who inherits an animal sanctuary and reluctantly tries to keep the farm running. She deals with all the joy and heartbreak that animal rescue entails. These aren’t gryphons and unicorns like in the Valkyrie bestiary. Many of the animal stories are based on my own experiences volunteering at rescues. But bonus, there is something evil lurking in the woods beyond her farm.
And I have a title….drumroll please…
The Black Annis Year
The Fair Folk of Mullarkey, Book 1
Why a whole new series, you ask? That’s a very good question, and there is a method to my madness. First, The Knack books are much longer and require a lot more world building. I don’t think I would be able to publish two of those in a year. The new cozy series is shorter (as per the genre specifics) and is set in a modern day world. I don’t have to create detailed religions, entire cities, governments, magic systems, weapons, etc. I think it’s quite doable to produce one book from each series per year.
Second, while I loved my journey with Kyra and the Valkyrie Bestiary, writing 9 novels and 5 novellas in the same world one after the other wasn’t the best idea from a creative standpoint. I did it because readers were always clamoring for the next book, but in retrospect, switching out between two series might have allowed for more side-quest stories and creative exploration.
So, consider the Fair Folk of Mullarkey books as creative palate cleansers, if you will. And I hope you will enjoy the quirky little town of Mullarkey Mills, Quebec as much as I do.
I plan to have a cover to reveal and more details (maybe even a snippet) in the next newsletter. Right now, all I can say is that book 1 is tentatively scheduled for publishing in April, and I currently have 4 books outlined in the series.
I’d love to hear what you think about the new series or any of the old series. You can reply right in the comments.
But I have so many more stories to tell. I started The Knack Series, a story that has been languishing in my “to be done” folder for even longer, and managed to slip it into publication in the last few weeks of 2024.
That makes 3 books for the year—Worlds Don’t Collide, Thorn of Vioska and A Knack for Metal and Bone. I’m happy with that output, especially considering that The Knack book was over 120k words, nearly twice as long as my previous novels.
I think 2-3 books a year is my sweet spot as it seems to be my average for the last few years. Any more than that and I feel like I’m losing my mind. Any less feels like I’m slacking.
A writer’s output isn’t all about writing though. I looked back at my wishlist for January 2024 and realized that I didn’t accomplish all of the non-writing related things I’d hoped to accomplish. Projects such as a new merch store and a Valkyrie Bestiary collector’s edition didn’t get the attention they deserved. Some projects proved unfeasible for reasons beyond my control (such as difficulties shipping from Canada). Others fell to the wayside as I poured my undivided attention into editing A Knack for Metal and Bone in order to get it out before Christmas. I don’t feel that time was wasted and the reviews for Knack seem to echo that sentiment.
I will always feel that my time is best spent creating new stories, new characters and new worlds for you to devour. That being said, I will continue to work toward my non-writing goals too. A big one for 2025 is a revamping/restructuring of my social media platforms (more on that in the next newsletter).
So what’s on the schedule for 2025?
The Knack Book 2 (for far, untitled).
The reviews for A Knack for Metal and Bone have been very positive (Thank you to those who took the time to leave a rating and a few words!). Many, many of those reviews express a desire to see book 2 asap. I get that, but right now The Knack Book 2 is slated for late in 2025. Book 1 was a massive world to build. The editing alone, took me nearly five months. While most of the world-building is done now, I want to dedicate as much attention to detail in book 2 as possible.
But don’t worry, I’m not going to leave you high and dry for a whole year.
A New Series!
I’ve been hard at work on a super-secret new series and I’m ready to spill the beans. This new series will be cozy, slice-of-life fantasy, set in the imaginary town of Mullarkey Mills, which is based on the small towns around me in rural Quebec. I’m super excited about this series because the first book is my heart book. In other words, it’s a story I’ve been wanting to tell for a long, long time, but have never had the time in my writing schedule for it.
So what is this story? It’s about a woman who inherits an animal sanctuary and reluctantly tries to keep the farm running. She deals with all the joy and heartbreak that animal rescue entails. These aren’t gryphons and unicorns like in the Valkyrie bestiary. Many of the animal stories are based on my own experiences volunteering at rescues. But bonus, there is something evil lurking in the woods beyond her farm.
And I have a title….drumroll please…
The Black Annis Year
The Fair Folk of Mullarkey, Book 1
Why a whole new series, you ask? That’s a very good question, and there is a method to my madness. First, The Knack books are much longer and require a lot more world building. I don’t think I would be able to publish two of those in a year. The new cozy series is shorter (as per the genre specifics) and is set in a modern day world. I don’t have to create detailed religions, entire cities, governments, magic systems, weapons, etc. I think it’s quite doable to produce one book from each series per year.
Second, while I loved my journey with Kyra and the Valkyrie Bestiary, writing 9 novels and 5 novellas in the same world one after the other wasn’t the best idea from a creative standpoint. I did it because readers were always clamoring for the next book, but in retrospect, switching out between two series might have allowed for more side-quest stories and creative exploration.
So, consider the Fair Folk of Mullarkey books as creative palate cleansers, if you will. And I hope you will enjoy the quirky little town of Mullarkey Mills, Quebec as much as I do.
I plan to have a cover to reveal and more details (maybe even a snippet) in the next newsletter. Right now, all I can say is that book 1 is tentatively scheduled for publishing in April, and I currently have 4 books outlined in the series.
I’d love to hear what you think about the new series or any of the old series. You can reply right in the comments.
Book Fairs & Events
Did you get a new Kindle for Christmas? Or do you have an Amazon gift card burning a hole in your pocket? Here are a few suggestions to fill your January reading needs. 
Spotlight Books
Good Bad Magic: Books 1-3
Isa Medina
It's hard being a good witch when your clients want bad magic.
I'm a witch. Not a powerful witch, mind, but as Grandma liked to say, it’s all in the kindness, not the power. Grandma is gone now, but her dream of having a witch shop lives with me. So, when the opportunity to run my own shop presents itself, I move across the country to take it, no questions asked.
But maybe I should have.
The sexy local bounty hunter shifter thinks I’m up to no good, my clients keep asking me to use forbidden dark magic, and someone’s trying to sabotage my shop. Probably the same someone who reported me to the Witch Council and left a dead body in my bathtub.
Hah! Joke’s on them. As Grandma also used to say, it’s nothing a positive attitude, excellent cleaning supplies, and the complete annihilation of whoever has in it for me can’t fix.
Paraphrasing.
Join Hope in her dream to have the best witch shop in Old Olmeda, where magical mysteries abound and positivity always wins the day! Featuring witches, shifters, one sexy bounty hunter, and all kinds of magical creatures. Full of humor, mystery, plenty of heart, and a slow-burn romance.
Get Good Bad Magic: Books 1-3 Now
