We have a lot of new subscribers this month, so I want to give everyone a big welcome, whether you’re just joining the reader’s group or you’ve been around for a while.
I write urban, epic and cozy fantasy. My most recent release is Black Annis Year, a cozy fae fantasy set in the fictional town of Mullarkey Mills which is based on my own community in rural Quebec.
In the book, Elenna comes out of her shell with the help of her small town and its quirky inhabitants. She visits artisan markets and takes care of her farm. This weekend, I felt like I was living a page from Elenna’s story.

On Saturday, my daughter, mother and I went to a small town street fair. There were about 30 vendors selling everything from antiques to jams. Just like Elenna, I would usually have a booth for my books and fiber art crafts, but because of my ankle injury last November, I decided not to sell at any fairs this summer. Instead, my daughter, Genevieve, had a booth set up. She’s starting a dog training enterprise. To promote it, she had her dog, Maggie, painting on canvases. Genevieve and Maggie also performed a few impromptu trick shows. It was a hoot and we got quite a crowd to watch.
Maggie is an amazing dog. She’s an Australian cattle dog/black lab mix. She’s also the smartest dog I’ve ever known. She also loves to learn new things and to train. You can see her get visibly excited when it’s time to perform. Check out at the above image which shows her creating one of her masterpieces.
The other exciting event of the week was the hugel kultur mound we built on Monday. It’s basically raised garden bed made by layering of rotting logs, compost and straw, like a dirt lasagna. You can see it above with Maggie posing. In that photo it’s still missing the top layer of soil which will get added next weekend. Then we will plant it with squash and pumpkins on top, beans and lettuces on the sides. As the organic material inside it rots, it will provide nutrients to the garden.
I could imagine Elenna have a dirt lasagna garden on her farm and I can’t wait to see how it progresses this summer.
The last piece of good news is that my little gazebo in the forest is finally set up! It’s been a cool spring but the weather is finally turning warm enough for me to sit in the woods. Let the summer write-a-thon begin!
I am currently working on Book 2 of The Knack Series. If you haven’t checked out Book 1, A Knack for Metal and Bone, I invite you to go to the Knack Page for an excerpt and some extras.

Book Fairs & Events
May should officially be Book Fair Month. There's so much going on all month long. Along with the Urban Fantasy Free For All, there are more free books in the fairs below, plus great deals on all sorts of fantasy. Click any banner to learn more.




Spotlight Books
There's also a lot going on in Spotlight Books this week. I'm repeating Yin Leong's amazing book The Geomancer's Apprentice because the link didn't work last time. I really enjoyed this book and Yin's magic system and world building. It's worth checking out (and repeating!).Plus get your FREE introduction to Krista Walsh's Immortal Sorceress Series. And finally, check out the Kickstarter for Heather G. Harris's “The Other Realm” deluxe edition.

The Geomancer's Apprentice
by Yin Leong
Junie Soong reaches a new low in her life when she’s fired from Starbucks. Her brother is brilliant, her parents are stars in their professions while she … trails behind in everything. Things start looking up when Joe Tham, a struggling geomancer and feng shui master based in Washington, D.C.,’s Chinatown, takes her on as his apprentice.
Junie finds out monsters are real while she and Joe investigate an eerie sinkhole in their client’s cellar. She also discovers she may be the last of a line of warriors who can channel qi, the essential life force underpinning the universe.
She now must race against time to learn how to wield her powers while fending off shape-shifting, malevolent creatures from the depths of Diyu, the Chinese version of Hell. Not only that, she and Joe must deal with the ghosts that are suddenly manifesting in the cellar.
The Geomancer's Apprentice is the first book in an urban fantasy series featuring Asian mysticism and magic, and terrifying monsters from Asian folklore.
SHOP FOR “THE GEOMANCER'S APPRENTICE”

Fury of the Sorcercess
By Krista Walsh
Immortal Sorceress Series
Immortality has its perks. Dealing with vampires is not one of them.
After nine hundred years protecting the balance between magical and mundane, I do my best to avoid squabbles among the fanged variety.
They’re overdramatic, dress better than I do, and never have simple problems.
My oldest friend included.
But when Adrian asks me, his favourite sorceress, to do him a favour and help find a missing vampire queen, what can I do but say yes? Especially when my sort-of protégé has a vision about all the ways the city will go sideways if we don’t get her back on her throne.
The missing person’s case quickly devolves into a free-for-all as a horde of rogue human thralls decides I would better serve the vampires dead. Who’s giving them orders? Because it certainly isn’t the queen. Not helping matters is my ex, a servant of Death, who refuses to stay where he’s supposed to: in my past.
With the city on the brink of war, the vampire nest on the edge of collapse, and my suitcase at serious risk of running empty before this problem is resolved, I have to put the pieces together before it’s too late.
Oh yeah. Adrian owes me big time.
Step into the captivating Immortal Sorceress series, urban fantasy packed with action, complicated relationships, and a growing found family. Fury of the Sorceress takes place between books 1 and 2, but can be read at any point and is a great intro into the series.
GET “FURY OF THE SORCERESS” FREE

The Other Realm
Deluxe Kickstarter Edition
Heather G. Harris
MAGIC IS REAL... and so is this epic Kickstarter!
Still secretly waiting for your Hogwarts letter (even if you're... "mature")?
Then this is your moment, fantasy lover.
Heather G Harris is bringing you a special deluxe omnibus edition of the international bestselling fantasy series The Other Realm (Books 1–4) — where magic isn’t just real... it’s about to flip Jinx’s world upside down.
Now, it’s time to own the ultimate collector’s edition that’s as magical as the story itself.
This gorgeous volume is made for fans of:
- Strong, witty, lovable heroines
- Clever animal sidekicks*
- Slow-burn, fade-to-black romance
- Laugh-out-loud moments & jaw-dropping twists
BACK “THE OTHER REALM” KICKSTARTER