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Hello everyone, and welcome back to my newsletter! Previous newsletters and other bonuses can be found here at my website's exclusive email archive. Stick around until the end for some kitty pictures! |
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Upcoming Birthday Goodies!
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June is here, and with it, When Shadows Fall's first birthday! I had planned to save this newsletter for June 5th so as to celebrate WSF at the same time, but while putting the email together, I realized it was simply going to be too long. So instead, we will have our normal newsletter today, and a birthday celebration on the 5th.
Things you can expect to see in the upcoming birthday email:
😃 A subscriber Q&A
😍 Statistics for WSF's first year of publication
😎 An exclusive peek at the first partial draft of WSF
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A birthday sale
😁 And more!
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Note: this is your last chance to send in a question for the Q&A! If you would like to ask a question, just hit reply to this email.
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While we're on the subject, I've been working on a silly promo image for WSF's birthday, and I thought you might enjoy a peek at the design process! 😉
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Draft two of book three is finally done! Well, kind of. I got to "the end", but there are still some scenes I skipped over, and the whole thing is in desperate need of a read through and light edit. That being said, I was in desperate need of a break, so I spent the last week of May tackling my beta feedback for book two instead.
So far, feedback has been pretty positive, with a few bigger issues that need to be addressed. Namely, there is a problem with the first half being too slow and some issues with the character logic in the ending sequence. And, of course, there are numerous minor problems throughout the draft!
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I'll start the month by going through the rest of my beta notes. From there, I'll try to identify the major and minor issues in the draft, brainstorm solutions to these problems, and begin implementing said solutions.
I may switch gears at some point to polish up book three so that I can give it to readers, or I may stick with book two revisions if things are flowing well. We will see how it goes!
Additionally, I'd like to amp up my marketing this month. When Shadows Fall has been out for a whole year now, and I want to take advantage of its birthday month to try and reach new readers!
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Last month, I was honoured to be included in the May subscription box of Your Paper Quest. I completed an author questionnaire for their website, and will be doing a video interview tomorrow. I'll be sure to share the video link when it is available, but in the meantime, you can check out the questionnaire below!
I also found another unboxing video of the May book box on YouTube, so I've included a link for that for anyone who is interested!
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In other news, I recently entered the highly anticipated SPFBO competition (Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off). Ten fantasy blogs will receive a set of 30 entrants each, out of which they will choose a finalist. The finalists will be read and scored by all ten blogs, and one winner will be picked based on the scores.
For more information on SPFBO as well as a list of past winners and finalists, you can check Mark Lawrence's blog post below. I've also included Zack Argyle's page, which includes covers and links for all 300 of this year's entrants and the ten blogs that will be judging them!
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This competition generates a lot of hype each year, as authors, readers, and book reviewers follow the blog-off closely, and many select books for their TBR out of the entrants, finalists, and winners. There are only 300 spots, which were randomly selected out of nearly 600 entrants, so I am delighted to be a part of it! (I actually wasn't even selected originally, but was lucky enough to be picked on a redraw!)
My book will be judged by Philip Chase, a YouTube book reviewer who is serving as one of the ten judges for the competition. The reading starts in June, with five months dedicated to selecting finalists and another six months for choosing the winner!
I'll keep you posted as we move through this first phase, but in the meantime, you can check out Philip Chase's YouTube channel here. 👇
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Reading: I finally started This Deceit of Ours, which has been on my TBR for some time now. It isn't my usual genre, but I'm enjoying it so far!
I'm also listening to The Martian on Audible. I absolutely loved Project: Hail Mary by the same author, so it's been a real treat to jump into another story by him!
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When Shadows Fall is a YA fantasy novel about an anxious teenager who must go on a perilous quest to save her sister. It was a finalist in two provincial awards, and is available on Amazon in eBook and print and in the Kindle Unlimited library.
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Afflicted with debilitating panic attacks and constant anxiety, Ara Holstenner is the last person who would ever oppose the tyrant lord who subjugates her people. But when her sister is taken by shadow creatures, Ara must defy The Lord's edicts and brave the forbidden night world to save her.
Can Ara overcome the fears that have defined her since childhood, or will she doom her sister—and herself—to a lifetime of torment?
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If you've already read When Shadows Fall, don't forget to leave a review on Amazon and Goodreads. These reviews and ratings make a huge difference, and I truly appreciate every single one I get!
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Thank you for sticking around to the end of this newsletter! Here are your well-earned kitty pictures. 😊
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Kaylee being as cute as ever! |
I had help picking my next read. |
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#11 1305 23rd Avenue, Regina, Saskatchewan, S4S 3S4, Canada |
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