A Newsletter Revamp... and a Cover Reveal

Ch-ch-changes

Hello, subscribers!

I have migrated my newsletter from Mailchimp to Substack, both because Mailchimp’s UI was becoming untenably frustrating and because Twitter hastening towards its fiery demise has me on the lookout for platforms I might like better. With this being much easier to use than either Mailchimp or Wordpress, it may take on more of a blog feel, or, if I end up enjoying this platform a lot, I may start a second newsletter for frequent updates and chatter, and keep this one that you’re currently subscribed to for the major updates and big news.

Whatever happens, I’ll let you know! Thanks for being here, whoever you are and however you came.

The Big News

The Bloodstained Shade, Book 3 of the Aven Cycle, will release on January 31, 2023!

And it has a magnificent cover, designed by ebook launch.

Isn’t that glorious? I’m madly in love with it.

You can pre-order The Bloodstained Shade now! On most platforms, at least. Kindle-only readers will, unfortunately, have to wait for release day, because Amazon does not play nice with other distributors.

The Bloodstained Shade

Latona of the Vitelliae, mage of Spirit and Fire, lies still as death. Her fate rests in the hands of her allies, who must redeem her soul from the churning void where Corinna, leader of a banished Discordian cult, has trapped it.

Protected by a cabal of corrupt priests and politicians, Corinna plans her most daring assault yet: a ritual striking at the ancient heart of Aven, with the power to swallow the city in a maw of chaos and strife. Her success would be Aven's doom, and the greatest violence would fall upon the most vulnerable.

Before Sempronius Tarren can join Aven's defense—and his beloved Latona—at home, he must end the war abroad, outwitting the blood-soaked machinations of his Iberian opponents. His own magical talents remain hidden, but dire circumstances tempt him to succumb to ambition and use forbidden tactics to hasten the way to victory.

To defeat Corinna, Aven's devoted protectors will need to perform extraordinary magic, rally support from unexpected quarters, and face the shadows on their own souls.

What I’m Reading

• The Quarrygate Gambit, by Marshall Ryan Maresca

• The Spare Man, by Mary Robinette Kowal

• Notorious Sorcerer, by Davinia Evans

• A Strange and Stubborn Endurance, Foz Meadows

• The Last Kingdom, Bernard Cornwell

• The Surviving Sky, Kritika Rao

• Holiday Heroine, Sarah Kuhn

Wrapping It Up!

That’s about it for now — I expect I’ll spend some time playing around on this platform in the coming weeks, perhaps coming up with a nice template for future posts. If there’s a feature you’d really like to see in future newsletters, let me know!

In the meantime, you can still find me other places on the internet.

Audaces Fortuna Iuvat