Here is a fun challenge for fans of the Whitney & Davies series!
If you’ve read any of the books in this series, what other reasonably current books/series would you say have a similar feel? So that one could say, “If you enjoyed ___ book [or author, or series], you’ll enjoy Whitney & Davies!
One of my biggest marketing struggles has been trying to figure out current authors whose writing has a similar feel to mine (or at least, current authors with enough name recognition to make a difference) to whom I can point in that way. “Agatha Christie with magic” is a cool tagline, but unfortunately, the major audience for Agatha Christie books is going to be confused by suddenly having a fantasy book promoted to them–likewise fans of Diana Wynne Jones (who some have been kind enough to say my writing reminds them of) would have legitimate cause to be grumpy if they feel they’ve been tricked into buying a murder mystery set in a fantasy world rather than a delightfully twisty, tricky middle grade or YA fantasy.
So, for readers of my books–what current, at least mildly popular authors, books, and/or series would you say share a similar feel and flavor to Whitney & Davies? As I continue to work on rewriting MMD to make it the best possible start to this series, I would love to start getting these books out there to a wider audience. Finding books with a similar vibe to these is a good step in that direction. I would be so grateful for my readers’ insight into this!
Ten years ago this September, I published my first novel. It was a pretty good debut novel! But … it suffered from quite a lot of the issues that can plague first-time novelists. Such as trying to cram way too much story into one book. And not really being sure what genre it was and so veering wildly between a novel of manners, a cozy mystery, a thriller, a fantasy, and a coming-of-age novel. And trying to force the characters to conform to what the author thought should happen rather than letting them be themselves. And being about 30,000 words too long.
I’m still proud of that novel, my Magic Most Deadly. Even all of the above problems came from aiming too high rather than too low. I’m proud of the world I created, the characters and the way they came to life (despite the occasional attempt to force them into boxes they refused to fit inside), and the way that novel set the stage for the rest of the series.
But because I learned so much from that first novel and then applied it to the next one, and then learned from that and applied it to the next one, not to mention the short stories, novella, and the other books I wrote over the last ten years that also developed my abilities, I am faced with the reality that Book 1 of the Whitney and Davies series is not really a good match for Books 2 & 3 (and eventually 4), or even the supplemental stories.
So this summer I started tackling the job of rewriting Magic Most Deadly in order to tighten the story and bring it more in line with the rest of the series. The overall story will be the same, but the way in which it is written will be vastly different. It will also be getting a new cover, which will also fit better with the rest of the series (I’ll be honest, it was getting a new cover that pushed me from only thinking that one of these days I ought to rewrite MMD, to actually doing it). I’ll be sorry to say goodbye to the original cover, because I do love it, but I am also excited to see MMD look like it belongs with Glamours & Gunshots and Death by Disguise rather than being their awkward stepsister.
I am a couple thousand words into the rewrite and already pretty excited over the way subtle shadings in Maia and Len’s characters are starting to show through, and the way the story is being set up. There are a lot of challenges involved in being a self-published author, but having the ability to say, “that book I published ten years ago? Yeah, I can make that better,” and then DOING it without having to regain rights or persuade anyone that it’s worth doing is AMAZING.
I am so excited for when I can share the new-and-improved Magic Most Deadly with you all!
I wanted to share some quotes from the jurors who read Death by Disguise for the Maine Literary Awards.
“Bates delivers an absolutely worthy read that blends its dual genres of fantasy and cozy mystery well while taking readers on an adventure that is simply good fun from start to finish.”
“I really enjoyed the setting of this cozy mystery with a dash of magic – a secret college of magic operating inside Cambridge University. The detective team was delightful, as they scoured the college to solve one mystery, uncovering others along the way. As a cozy mystery, it seemed especially subtle, yet this book clearly merits the win, based on its well-executed elements of story and craft.”
Now, doesn’t that make you want to go read it? Get your copy here so that you can join in the fun of Whitney & Davies’ world!
I am honored and delighted to be able to share that Death by Disguise won the 2023 Maine Literary Award for Speculative Fiction. I was not expecting that at all! I was honored enough to be named as a finalist; actually winning the award was not on my radar at all.
The ceremony was held at Bates College (a very nice touch–I think I managed to work a joke about that into my acceptance speech, though I was so dazed I can’t really remember much that I said), and was absolutely lovely. I was pleased to be able to meet and cheer for so many wonderful Maine writers in every category. Our family settled in Maine just as the pandemic was starting to shut everything down in the state–not a good time to try to build or join a preexisting writing community! I joined the Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance anyway, and spent a lot of time hoping that eventually they’d move back to doing in-person events rather than Zoom (which gives me a migraine if I use it for long). Now that they have, I am looking forward to participating in more events and workshops, and hope to get better acquainted with my fellow Maine writers. This award has certainly helped me feel more like I belong here!
This award has also helped push me into a project I’d been contemplating for some time but hadn’t gotten around to yet: rebranding Magic Most Deadly so that its cover matches the style and feel of the others in the series. When I wrote and published MMD (ten years ago this September!) I didn’t really know much about branding or how to choose a cover design. While I loved, and still love, the cover that my designer and I eventually came up with, it doesn’t really give off quite the right vibe for the “cozy fantasy-mystery” genre this series has, nor does it carry the Whitney & Davies logo that we developed by the time Glamours and Gunshots was published, and which has been on every subsequent book in the series.
My goal is to have the new edition available by the end of September, to celebrate the ten-year anniversary of MMD’s publication. We’ll see if I make it! I am also making some substantial edits to the story, as that was my first published book and honestly, it shows. I won’t be changing anything about the heart of the story or the characters, but I will be tightening it up, eliminating some unnecessary bits, bringing the characters into better focus, all that sort of thing. Using the skills I’ve learned through writing 3 more novels, many short stories, and four novellas in the ten years since publishing MMD to make it the story it was always meant to be!
I’m also going to be switching over print distribution for the Whitney & Davies novels from Amazon to IngramSpark over the course of the summer, so if you are a bookseller and have been wanting to carry these books but have been unable to due to the difficulties of buying wholesale through Amazon–good news! It will soon be much easier for you.
And hey, if you haven’t read the award-winning Death by Disguise yet, you can click here to buy. (You can buy the other books, too, but I might recommend waiting for Magic Most Deadly until the new edition comes out–unless you’d like to own both and compare them, in which case, have at it!)
The Maine Literary Awards are sponsored by the Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance. They are open to all writers who call Maine home and who have published a book in the most recent calendar year. For Death by Disguise to have made it to the final three in the Speculative Fiction category is a tremendous honor! The winners in each category will be announced May 18 at an awards ceremony. I am looking forward to attending that and getting a chance to meet some of my fellow Maine authors! (And yes, one of my first thoughts after sending in my RSVP was, “Ooh, what am I going to wear?”)
For newcomers to this blog, or in case you have forgotten about Whitney and Davies in the excitement of the recent Pauline Gray omnibus, a brief synopsis:
Whitney and Davies: the series
Death by Disguise is the third novel in the WHITNEY AND DAVIES fantasy-detective series set in 1920s England, a world where magic lies beneath the surface of everyday life and mysteries and intrigue lurk around every corner. In an England still recovering from the trauma of WWI, hidden magicians work to rebuild their world and make it a better place. Enter Maia Whitney and Len Davies, two magicians who team up to use their magic and their wits to bring justice to those who cannot find it for themselves. If you have a mystery that no one else can or will solve, you can call on Whitney & Davies to come to your aid, and they will bring all their formidable abilities to bring you justice, peace, and hope.
Death by Disguise: the book
In DEATH BY DISGUISE, Maia and Len travel to Cambridge to search for a missing secretary at the magical college of Saint Dorothea’s hidden inside Cambridge University. What begins as a simple missing person investigation soon turns grimmer when murder strikes at the college. Maia and Len are in a race against time to catch the murderer and find the missing secretary before she too is killed. In the midst of all this, their friendship faces new challenges as differences in values and perspectives come to light and cause strain between them. Will they be able to solve the mystery and maintain their partnership, or will this mark the end of Whitney & Davies … for good?
Pick up your copy of DEATH BY DISGUISE today and find out the answer for yourself!
(We here at StarDance Press highly recommend drinking a fine cup of tea along with reading the book. Daffodils are optional.)
I suspect many people by now have heard of “Jolabokaflod,” or “Christmas Book Flood.” It’s the Icelandic tradition of giving books on Christmas Eve and spending the evening reading. Whether you have an Icelandic heritage or not, this is a lovely tradition, and one I suspect many families would enjoy implementing as part of their own holiday practices! In our family, we’ve always given books as part of the main Christmas event (we do Christmas Eve gifts, but those are always either special Christmassy pajamas or a new ornament for the tree), and I’m not sure my crew would welcome a change now, but there is something so cozy about the idea of spending the night before Christmas curled up with a good book.
And luckily for fans of StarDance Press, we have two separate series to choose from for books to give–or keep!–for reading on Christmas Eve, or any time during the holidays.
In Whitney and Davies, we have magic, mystery, the Roaring Twenties, Britain, friendship and witty banter, and a slow-burn romance that has been building through three books and one novella (and a couple of short stories!). Maia Whitney and Len Davies use their wits and their magical abilities to solve mysteries as they gradually learn to rely on each other and build a relationship on a foundation of trust and friendship. Fans have likened this series to “Agatha Christie with magic,” “Downton Abbey, The Dresden Files, and Right Ho, Jeeves,” and a blend of Dorothy L Sayers and Patricia C Wrede.
Not a fan of magic? Prefer a shorter read or a completed series? Try Pauline Gray, a collection of three mystery novellas set in the 1930s in the small town of Canton, NY, in the foothills of the Adirondacks. Pauline is a young career woman whose sense of justice keeps drawing her reluctantly into solving mysteries and becoming more tightly interwoven into the small town community as she does so. Fans say, “Recommended for fans of Patricia Wentworth novels, Jimmy Stewart movies, and fans of 1930s Americana.”
Rather not commit to any series at all, preferring a stand-alone work? A fan of Star Wars, Star Trek, or other sci-fi that focuses on the human condition? From the Shadows is perfect for you! This gentle sci-fi story follows Riss Waldron on a journey through space and time, yes, but also through the struggles of her own heart and sense of self-worth. Fans have related it to Jane Austen, LM Montgomery, or the Mitford series (in space!).
So whatever your taste in books, StarDance Press has something to offer. All our books are available in ebook and paperback format, and you can access them through any of the links in this post.
So what are you waiting for? The only trouble now might be waiting to give them (and read them!) until Christmas Eve!
Part of the Whitney and Davies series, but able to be read and enjoyed all on its own without any knowledge of the rest of the books, While Shepherds Watch is a delightfully lighthearted Christmas mystery. A crumbling Yorkshire manor, rumors of a ghost wandering the halls, a young girl with a deep secret, and a cad who needs to be taught a lesson. Only Maia and Len can smooth out these tangles to make a Happy Christmas for all! If you like your Christmas books to be, well, Christmassy, than this is definitely the book for you!
After publishing Magic Most Deadly, I struggled considerably with writing the sequel. I struggled so much, in fact, that I ended up writing an entirely different book, my sci-fi novel From the Shadows! But I knew I wanted to get back to Maia and Len eventually, and so finally I hit on the idea of a collection of short stories to ease me back into that world. I ended up with four stories, one of which featured Maia, one Len, and two with unrelated characters (although fan favorite Aunt Amelia did make a cameo appearance in one!). It was a fun exercise that allowed to me to explore the world I had created a little bit more, and did give me the impetus I needed to finally break through my block and write Glamours and Gunshots … but that’s tomorrow’s post.
I especially enjoyed playing around with different styles in these short stories. The Third Thief has a bit of a Margery Allingham flavor to it; Passion and Practicality is very much a homage to Jane Austen; Masks and the Magician was meant to evoke a Dorothy L Sayers feel. Many Magical Returns, well, that one was all me. I enjoyed writing all of them, though I think I snickered to myself the most through Passion and Practicality. I tend to struggle a bit with short stories in general, as I always initially attempt to shove more plot in than can nicely fit in under 10,000 words, so this was a good growing experience for me as a writer as well as helping me to re-orient myself in the Whitney and Davies world. It also gave me a chance to tease out a bit more of the way magic works in this world, and to figure out some of the implications of principles and facts I had stated in the first book.
It was also helpful for me to realize that as much as I enjoyed writing individual stories for Maia and Len, I love writing them the most when they’re working together, which was, as stated above, tremendously helpful for when I was finally able to work through my creative block and make something good of Book 2 … of which you shall hear more tomorrow!
With Death by Disguise releasing in less than a week (November 8! Pre-order your copy here!), I thought it would be fun to do a bit of a retrospect on the previous books in the series. I’m starting today with Magic Most Deadly, my debut novel and the story that kicked off the Whitney and Davies series.
This book came about after a period of intense research and drafting of a high-concept fantasy story that never ended up being written because I had burned myself out on all the prep. I wanted to write something fun after all that, but couldn’t decide what. I had recently read Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer’s “Sorcery and Cecilia,” and loved the idea of picking a genre and adding magic to it. Not Jane Austen/Georgette Heyer for me, though … I looked at my bookshelves, saw Agatha Christie’s Tommy and Tuppence books, and thought, “Hm, Agatha Christie with magic?” Then I thought, “Maybe if I swapped the personalities, so the guy was the one who was intuitive and impulsive, and the girl was steady and logical.”
I decided early on in the writing process that I wanted to self-publish it. Aside from “Sorcery & Cecilia,” there weren’t a lot of stories being published at that time that blended an existing genre with magic, and the popular trend in mysteries was toward dark and bleak, so I didn’t think there would be much of a market for this type of story in traditional publishing. Plus, I was intrigued by the possibilities with self-publishing and thought it would be fun to try. Whether or not that was a wise choice is a post for another day!
Next September will mark ten years since I published Magic Most Deadly. Since then, I’ve published two more novels (Death by Disguise will make three), four novellas, and a collection of four short stories. It’s safe to say I’ve learned a lot, both about writing and about publishing, since then! Despite how much my writing has developed from that time, though, I am still very proud of my first novel. It was a labor of love, born from a desire to find joy and fun in writing again, an homage to one of the greatest authors in the English language while still being very much my own story, and an act of bravery, to say, “here is the story of my heart: I hope you read it and love it.”
Nearly ten years later, I still say that with every story I write and publish.
Once again, Glamours and Gunshots is featuring in the Epic Sale of Beloved SFF. (SFF, here, stands for Science Fiction and Fantasy). Running from September 10-14, all the sale books are being offered for $0.99 or free. You can’t beat that!
Click here to go to the sale page and check out all 42 of the books on there.
So if you’ve been wanting to collect the entire Whitney & Davies collection, now’s your chance, plus you have the opportunity to snag a heartfelt, cozy sci-fi book at the same time.
While you’re still here, don’t forget to sign up for my monthly newsletter! It’s a great way to keep up with sales, publishing news, and other fun stuff that doesn’t always make it to the blog. Plus you get a free short story when you sign up!
First things first: Look at that stunning cover. Isn’t it gorgeous? It was created by artist Cassandra Stevens, and I just adore it.
What’s up with this new short story? This is an exclusive gift I have put together for subscribers to my newsletter. Because yes–that’s my other news! I am starting a monthly newsletter, with the first issue being released in September.
Why a newsletter? Social media can be a chancy way to try to keep readers updated on new releases, sales, or other important or exciting happenings in the StarDance Press world. Even blogs can get lost in the midst of all the other online noise that’s out there. As for trying to keep up with folks through Twitter, Tumblr, FB, Instagram, or all the other social media platforms out there … there’s just way too much other stuff competing for one’s interest.
So a newsletter seems a better way to keep all of you up-to-date on new books and short stories. It’s also a great way to let you know about sales ahead of time (which reminds me, there’s going to be an upcoming September sale I’ll need to put in the newsletter …), and let you know about progress (or lack thereof, ha) on current projects. I might even include some other exclusive stories from time to time …
If this sounds like something you’d be interested in, you can either type in your email address and click the button in the sidebar or on the contact page to subscribe, or you can do the same right here:
Monthly news and an exclusive free short story? It doesn’t get much better than that! Join today to receive your welcome email with a link to the short story, and then enjoy the first official letter in September. Can’t wait to share this new venture with you all!
