January 2021 – Selina J. Eckert

Super Special (Mermaid) Cover Reveal!

I’m back with a cover reveal!

Hi reader friends! Sorry for my absence the last couple weeks, but I’ve been crazy busy with life and writing and all of that stuff. I promise I’ll be getting back to talking all things books and reading next month!

But today, I have a super special cover reveal for you, one I’m super excited about for a book that’s been in the works for years. A couple years ago, I entered a Snow White retelling competition, and so I wrote a story with an ice mermaid Snow White. My story wasn’t selected, but it was picked as a finalist!

After much editing and releasing six other novellas first, I finally am in the home stretch to give you this story! I don’t know about you, but I love a good mermaid book! (I’ll share some of my favorites next month)

Let’s take a quick look about the book itself.

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Sometimes the frozen heart doesn’t melt…

Mermaid princess Iclyn finally inherited her magic and hopes it will bring a closer relationship with her distant stepmother. But those hopes melt away when the king departs on a diplomatic mission, leaving her alone with Queen Hali—and under the queen’s influence. Hali takes the opportunity to enchant Iclyn with illegal dark sorcery, sending her to her death. But instead of killing her, the would-be assassin delivers her safely away from the city and out into the ocean, alone.

With only a map to a potential safe haven, thought to be nothing more than a myth, Iclyn must find her way without the comfort and protection she had always known and learn how to use her newly born magic. But the queen’s plans are bigger than Iclyn, and if Iclyn can’t stop her, not only her life will be forfeit.
The life of the king—and perhaps all of Iclyn’s people—will fall under the queen’s cold rule.

This coming-of-age retelling of Snow White was a finalist in the Rooglewood Press Five Poison Apples contest and is part of the Seasons of Magic standalone novellas series. If you love mermaids and the ocean, found family, and powerful women, you will love Selina J. Eckert’s enchanting tale.

If that interests you, please add it to Goodreads or follow me on BookBub for alerts! You can also subscribe to the newsletter to find out when the preorder link goes live or join the Facebook group to get these updates early!

Anyway, without further ado, let’s check out the gorgeous cover by Savannah Jezowski over at Dragonpen Designs!

Thanks for tuning in, and we’ll get to some more books next time!

And finally, here are those handy links again:

Thanks, reader fam! ❤

A Tale of Ashes: A Brand New Cover Reveal by Ann Dayleview

I have the BEST thing to show you today!

Hello everyone! Today I have something really special to share with you: a cover reveal for my dear friend, Ann Dayleview!

Ann writes fantasy stories with spunky heroines, intense plots, and smoking romance, and her debut is coming up this April with A Tale of Ashes, the first in her Tales of Fairy series. This book is a YA urban fantasy and features an assortment of magical creatures, including a powerful fae ex-boyfriend, a bestie dating a vampire, a werewolf, and a myriad of other creatures to make the world truly fascinating and exciting to read.

Guys, I had the distinct pleasure of helping with some proofing and beta reading of this story, and it is truly a fantastic book!

Let’s build some suspense and learn more about it.

Across the country, human teens are going missing, and all eyes are turning to the fae.

Seventeen-year-old Freddie is a human at a magically diverse boarding school who longs to report on the war-torn realms of Fairy. When humans disappear on campus, it’s the perfect opportunity to jump-start her journalism career. While the public blame the fae, Freddie wants facts. If she’s going to get published, she’ll need to find out who or what is behind these disappearances.

Aiden is a fae soldier with a murderous reputation. Raised in the dark fae court and forced to partake in the brutal Fairy Civil War, he thirsts for revenge against the realm which murdered his family. His new mission gives him the opportunity he’s longed for. But when Freddie snoops into his life, he questions if revenge is worth the price of his freedom.

Lured by her suspicions and distracted by his curiosity, Freddie and Aiden form a tenuous bond. But as their feelings for one another grow, so does the danger. Every clue points to Aiden as the kidnapper, and as his enemies close in, Freddie must make a choice: turn against him or fight for a relationship doomed to fail.

Sounds amazing, doesn’t it?

Okay, okay. I know what you want. Here’s the beautiful, amazing cover by Jessica Pierce at Parker Book Design! *drumroll*

She’s hunting the story of a lifetime. But she’s not the only one stalking in the dark.

Isn’t it AMAZING?!

Anyway, you can preorder your copy pretty much wherever books are sold, like here. You can also add it to Goodreads or visit Ann’s website for more information!

About Ann Dayleview

Ann Dayleview writes fantasy novels which aim to transport the reader to worlds unlike any other. She reads any young adult and middle grade fantasy novel she can get her hands on. Her writing is often inspired by the wild assortment of music she listens to as well as her travels into different countries and cultures.

In addition to writing, Ann loves spending time with her two dogs, baking all the sweet things, and bringing awareness about taking care of your mental health. She lives in Pennsylvania with her ever rotating collection of books she lugs from place to place.

A New Writing (and Reading) Year: 2021 Edition

Do you have any goals this year?

Usually I share this post on the first posting day of the new year, but because of last week’s special share, it got pushed to the second post. This is the time I talk about what I intend to accomplish this year, in several aspects of my life. Even with the way 2020 went, I still have plans and goals for 2021.

But let’s quickly talk about goal-setting in general, in case you have a desire to set your own goals.

It is important to make sure whatever goals you set are achievable. Sounds basic, right? Well, what I mean is that it would be risky for me to set a goal to travel more or to gain 1000 new readers. Traveling is still uncertain, and the number of readers I gain is mostly out of my control. If I set those goals, I’d be setting myself up for failure.

But I still want to set goals, despite the remaining uncertainty for 2021. I know I’ve said this time and time again, but setting goals – and expressing them in writing and/or verbally – can help you achieve them.

This year, I’m going to break it down more than usual. I’m going to set myself personal goals, reading goals, and writing goals. And I’m going to do my best to make the goals achievable and logical.

And away we go!

Personal Goals

This year, I’m really not sure where my personal life is headed. But I do know I want a few things:

Eat healthier. I’ve been trying to get back on board with this all pandemic. I can’t kid myself with saying I’m going to work out (that won’t last), but I can reduce my snacking and make healthier choices.
Take more walks. Maybe this is just getting up from my desk at work every hour or so. Maybe this is actually going on walks. Who knows? We’ll see.
Commit to drawing or some form of visual arts most days. This may sound odd to you, but I did Inktober this year and discovered 1) how much I missed drawing, and 2) it is actually huge self care for me. No one requires anything from me when I create art. It’s just for me. And just 20 minutes of drawing is enough to reset me, even if I don’t want to do it when I start. I always end up with a feeling of accomplishment and peace and renewed energy for life.

Reading Goals

I haven’t gotten to set my Goodreads challenge yet as of this writing (why do they make you wait until January??? I wrote this on New Year’s Eve!), but I know I want to increase my goal. The last two years, I read 92 books each (again, as of this writing… I have plans to read some more today, so there’s a chance I could check off one more). My goal last year was 80 books.

This year, I want to set that goal post a little tighter. 90 books.

But beyond that, I want to expand my reading again. I want to be a bit more intentional. I want to read at least one of the following books:

a classic – there are a few of these on my list I’ve never quite gotten around to reading
a nonfiction book in a subject that interests me – I have so many interests. I want to expand on some of them.
a diverse title – we need to read about the experiences of people who aren’t like us. It helps us learn and grow as people and creators.
an inspirational writing book (or a book for artists) – I have one I meant to read this year that I never quite go to.
a craft of writing book – again, I have one of these waiting for me.
re-read a favorite book or series – I tend to focus on new books and forget the ones I loved… even when I always want to re-read them because of how much I loved them. I’m thinking of the Ashfall books this year.

Writing Goals

This year, I have a lot on my plate as far as writing, and a few of my goals are intertwined with my personal life.

First, I want to readjust my writing schedule. I usually aimed for 1000 words written per day, but I’ve lost my habit, what with the new job. So this year, I want to get back on board with my writing schedule and keep drafting even when I have editing going on. I’m going to set this as 1000 new words MOST days… more often than not. I know I can’t promise myself every day.
Release 4 Seasons of Magic books
Begin releasing the Pie-Jinks series
Draft my next trad title to query
Work toward completing the This Curse series
Complete an audiobooks DIY course so I can create audiobooks
Complete an ads course I purchased in 2020
Put what I learn into practice

Final Thoughts

I have high hopes for what I can accomplish in 2021, after a difficult 2020. I can’t promise I’ll meet all these goals, but I will try. And that’s the important thing about resolutions or goals or whatever you want to call them.

If you don’t meet your goal (on your timeline), it’s important to have some compassion with yourself. You can only do your best. And it’s ok if you don’t do everything you planned. Life happens. Plans change. Priorities shift. And it’s ok to shift with them.

So now, it’s your turn. Are you setting any goals this year? Looking forward to anything new?

Tell me about it in the comments!

Princess of Beasts Blog Tour!

First book feature of the new year!

Hello everyone, and welcome to the first post of 2020! Next week I’ll get into my traditional goal-setting post, so you know what you can expect from me this year, but today I have a special treat to start the year off right: a brand new fantasy release from author Joanna White!

This is a Christian fantasy with a story that sounds absolutely amazing: a girl who can talk to animals, forbidden love, and an entire world to save!

(As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases made through the purchase links on this page.)

Let’s take a closer look:

In the entire kingdom of Ahri, Princess Sahri is the only person who can talk to animals and heal them. She’s beloved by the people, but she’s living a lie. Deep inside, she wants a man who she’s not just forbidden to be with, but he’s also a criminal, part of the Ahri Reformation—using the Rune of Obedience to force criminals who fight well to put their talents to better use. What’s worse, is the man—her bodyguard, Jekre—hates her and the entire royal family for what they’ve done.

But those are the least of Sahri’s worries.

The Anati are creatures who bring life and springtime to Ahri every time they return from their long migration across the Sea. But when someone murders them, the kingdom faces a famine that will destroy them all.

Not all hope is lost—yet.

Two of the Anati had eggs. If Sahri can use her powers to keep the eggs long enough to help them get to the nesting grounds, the Anati will live. As the young ones grow, they can heal the land and save the kingdom and Sahri’s people.

The only problem is that her parents ordered her bodyguard to keep her inside the palace. The Rune of Obedience forces Jekre to comply—which means he’ll do whatever it takes to keep Sahri inside.

Who killed the Anati? The threat to the kingdom is a mystery, unknown by everyone except Jekre. And he’s been sworn to silence.

Can Sahri escape, and if she does, will she be able to get the eggs to the nesting ground in time?

Or will a famine bring Ahri to its knees?

Wow! That certainly sounds intense!

If this has captured your interest, you can grab your copy now over on Amazon!

And be sure to come back next week to discuss what’s coming in 2021!

About the author

Joanna White is a Christian Author and fangirl. Hunter and Shifter are the first two books in her debut series, called the Valiant Series, published by Christian publisher Ambassador International and there are more to come. In December 2019, one of her short stories was featured in Once Upon A Yuletide, a Christmas fairy tale anthology by Divination Publishing. Dark Magi, Book One of the Republic Chronicles came out in November 2019. Glimpses of Time and Magic, a historical fantasy anthology, also featured one of her stories. The Crystal Heist was her most recent release, in August 2020.

She graduated from Full Sail University with a BFA in Creative Writing For Entertainment. Ever since she was ten years old, she’s been writing stories and has a deep passion for writing and creating stories, worlds, characters, and plots that readers can immerse themselves in. In 2020, she reached her personal goal of writing a million words in a year. Most of all, Joanna loves God, her family, staying at home, and being a total nerd.

To stay updated and find out more about her novels, where her inspiration comes from, games, giveaways, and more, visit her website at: authorjoannawhite.com.