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Good morning one and all!
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Yesterday, Blaze and I went to a Halloween-themed wedding reception. It was lovely to see old friends, catch up on news and gossip, as well as celebrate with the bride and groom. While costumes were not required, they were strongly encouraged. So much fun! And the food was amazing.
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Here are some pictures from the event.
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One of my friends made most of the table decorations, as well as gathered all of the various accoutrement for them:
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The mother of the groom made the cake. Yes, it really was this spectacular. Absolutely amazing.
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And I figured I’d show y’all a picture of me and Blaze. You can’t see the tinsel in my hair, but let me assure you, I was sparkling!
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As this is the last week of the month, I get to tell you about one of the books that I wrote. This month, it’s about the book that I released: “How to Wake a Sleeping Princess.”
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According to my count, I’m currently working on book number 79. (Fingers crossed, I’ll finish book 80 this year.) So while I’ve written a few books (just a few!) this is the first time I’ve tried writing a romance. It is not the first time I’ve written spicy fiction. I have a couple of closed erotica pen names, and I wrote some fan fic back in the day. It is the first time I’ve done it under my real name, though.
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I don’t know if I can fully explain the joy I had writing this book. It was SO MUCH FUN. Now, I always enjoy whatever book I’m writing. I’m loving the book that I’m currently working on. But the Princess book probably brought me 10-15% more joy than usual.
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Why? There were a number of things that contributed to that.
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One, I’d recently finished taking a workshop with Becca Syme. (https://betterfasteracademy.com) Because this was a new book, and not part of a continuing series, I was able to apply more of the things I’d learned in the workshop. The book I’d written directly after the workshop was the third of the Ice Elf Fantasy books, (“The Ice Elf and the Great Magical Mistake,” which is slotted to come out in February). Because that was the third novel in a series, I had to stick to the same format was the first two. I couldn’t make an extreme departure from the existing style.
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I still played, and applied what I could. But Princess was a brand new book. I could do all the experimenting that I wanted.
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So I played more with tropes, with reader anticipation, and with sparkle.
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Some of you have already heard me talk about this, but it’s something that I’m still practicing. (I always try to practice something new with every book.) Instead of thinking about a trope as a reader expectation, I’ve been trying to think about it as a reader anticipation.
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I don’t always hit trope (or genre) square in the center. But I do know how to build reader anticipation. This means bringing up the issue early, then gently tapping on it, getting the reader to notice, and maybe to start asking themselves, how is the writer going to solve this issue? Then, I have to make sure that I not only resolve it, but that I do so in a very emotionally satisfying manner.
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One of the things that Becca suggested in her workshop was to make sure that you are adding your unique, particular sparkle to every page of the novel. One the one hand, that took more work, because I had to be aware of the page length, and did I have sparkle there. On the other hand, sparkle!
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What do I mean by sparkle? Basically, things that delighted me as a writer, but would also, I believe, delight the reader. I don’t want to call it fan service because that’s too often used in a derogatory manner. However, it kind of was that.
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An example might be the fact that even as a young girl, Princess Daphne was curious, always asking questions. That’s established early on, then as the novel progresses, the reader gets to see her ask questions, as well as at least once, from her POV, is the sentence:
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Bringing up her “princess manners.” While her training and lessons in decorum covered many things, it didn’t cover everything. For example: “Princess manners didn’t cover having to tend to chickens while entertaining guests.” That sort of thing.
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While this book is a romance, it was also written for nerdy girls who like fantasy and magic and fairy tale retellings.
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The book that I’m currently writing—the third book in the Hellhound series—has very different sparkle, because the tone, vocabulary, and everything else, is so very different. The sparkle for these books is so very different as well. For example, complaining about having to get grass-fed, grass-finished, Panda-massaged steaks, or acquiring tea that was harvested by left-handed Lesbians under the full moon. Etc.
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So I hope that you enjoy the Princess book. I’m planning on writing another romance in a while, not sure if it will be the next book or the one after that.
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A cozy fantasy romantic retelling of Sleeping Beauty.
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When the royal nursemaids keep falling asleep while holding baby Princess Daphne, the court finds it charming.
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Until they realize she's cursed.
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By her eighteenth birthday, anyone who comes within ten paces of Daphne collapses into a deep sleep. Self-exiled to a lonely tower, she resigns herself to a life of occasional correspondence, books, and distant dreams.
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The son of the fairy who cursed her. He claims that he can break the spell. His price?
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If Daphne falls in love with him, she can never tell him.
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It sounds like an easy promise—until it isn’t. Because some curses are easier to bear than their breaking.
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And if freedom means losing him, is it worth waking up at all?
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How to Wake a Sleeping Princess is a funny, lighthearted, cozy-fantasy romance with spice/no spice and a happily-ever-after.
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Perfect for readers who love:
• Forced proximity
• Slice-of-life fantasy
• Slow-burn yearning
• Witty banter
• Gentle caregiving
• Mutual rescue and devotion
• Fairy-tale retellings
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There are some excellent books here in this bundle. But for $40 you can get 15 (FIFTEEN!) writing books. Such a bargain!
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But deals like this won't last, so you'll need to pick up your copy of the bundle soon.
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October has started, and KRP is continuing the cozy theme. So we're offering one of my other very popular cozy titles up for sale this month.
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Chocolates and Truffles and Bon Bons, O My!
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Shar Opalbender hates her life.
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Okay, maybe that’s a bit strong. Emo, even.
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Despite her Dwarven heritage, and her family’s expectations, Shar finds no joy in faceting, setting, or polishing gemstones.
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What better way to prove herself to her family (and herself) than to enter, and win, the Realms’ renowned contest, Chocolates Galore!
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And maybe, just maybe, with some magic, luck, and a little help from her friends, Shar also can discover the true meaning of life.
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If there is one beyond chocolate.
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Come enjoy this lovely cozy fantasy with low stakes, delicious chocolates, lots of breaking of the fourth wall, and utter silliness.
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