If you have been waiting to subscribe to the StarDance Press newsletter, now is a good time! Coming Thursday is the EXCLUSIVE release of Part 2 of Julia’s story (and no worries if you were not able to download the first part–there’s a link to that in the email as well). Part 1 left off with Julia determined to uncover a secret, and Part 2 shows us how that’s going. Part 3, hopefully coming this fall, will wrap up the story!
These story snippets have been so much fun to write. They have a very different feel from either the novels or the short stories I’ve written in this world previously, being much more character focused, with the plot mostly existing to move along the character development. They are also giving me a chance to go a bit more in depth with some of the world-building that is only ever alluded to in my other works.
Plus, they are a fun perk for newsletter subscribers! It’s always lovely to be able to offer people a “thank-you” for subscribing to my thoughts on writing, reading, and life each month.
So again, if you haven’t already done so, now is the time to subscribe! Aside from occasional sale and new release information (and gifts, like this one), I send the newsletter out once a month, and my goal is to always make it a pleasant oasis in the midst of your busy life. And if you subscribe now and decide after a month or so that it’s not for you, you can always unsubscribe with no hard feelings.
So if Julia’s story sounds like something you’d enjoy reading, and the newsletter itself sounds like fun, subscribe today in order to get the new story on Thursday!
I took the month of January off from social media (and fiction reading, which was much, much harder), in part because I was hoping it would give me the time and space I needed to start figuring out some better ways to connect with readers and potential readers, whether it be through this blog, my newsletter, social media, or something else. Maia and Len have never had a particularly large following, and I’ve always struggled with finding ways to get their stories into the hands of more readers.
One idea that I had was that of writing little “story snippets,” or “Whitney & Davies Extras”–that is, brief scenes from the point of view of characters other than our main duo, set either during or after the books–and offering those to newsletter subscribers. The first such character I thought of, naturally, having just recently finished re-writing Magic Most Deadly, was Maia’s friend and the hostess of the house party that is the setting for the story, Julia Foy.
In the original edition of Magic Most Deadly, Julia played a much larger role than I was able to give her in the new edition, and proved to have a sneaking suspicion of magic’s existence, despite her inability to use it. I always had an idea of where I wanted to go with that idea, but was never able to fit it into any of the other books, and then some of the world-building details that developed as I wrote those books seemed to contradict the idea that a non-magic user could be aware of magic’s existence.
But Julia still had a story of her own that she wanted told, and as I started writing the story snippet for her, set at the end of Magic Most Deadly, I started to get an inkling of what that story was supposed to be. It is too much to be told in one snippet, however–especially since it develops right alongside the series. I foresee at least three parts, possibly more: the first taking place at the end of MMD, the second at the end of Glamours & Gunshots, and the third most likely happening around the time of Death by Disguise.
I’m excited to share more about Julia’s character and her story with readers! If you are interested in reading more about her, subscribe to my newsletter before the end of the month, as the first of her story snippets will be released exclusively to newsletter subscribers in the newsletter that will go out on March 1st.
I had originally planned to released a Becket snippet next, sometime this spring, but I think I’ll have to get all of Julia’s story out first, and then start exploring Becket’s character after that, later in the year.
This is a fun way for me to explore more of the world of Whitney & Davies without having to focus so exclusively on Maia and Len and the magical mysteries they are called upon to solve, and I hope it will be a fun way for readers to immerse themselves further into that world, and make it a place new readers want to come and visit and hopefully stay a while, as well.
(If you have suggestions for things you’d like to see more of in the Whitney & Davies world, or something you think would be a good draw to help attract new readers to the series, feel free to leave a comment letting me know–I’m still exploring ideas and options, and I welcome input!)
We’ll start with the biggest news–the second edition of Magic Most Deadly will be released on November 1st, 2023. Hurray!
This means that the first edition will be archived and no longer available on October 15th.
In an attempt to streamline my social media marketing, the cover reveal for the new edition has been revealed exclusively to newsletter subscribers. If you want to see the new cover before November 1st and you aren’t already subscribed to the newsletter, sign up below (or in the box in the sidebar) and I’ll be sure to send you the newsletter with the reveal in addition to the free fantasy short story that already comes with signing up.
There might be a delay in the paperback release, but the ebook should almost certainly be out on the projected release day of November 1st, and the paperback as soon after that as is possible.
So make a note–we will say goodbye to the old edition on October 15th, and hello to the new on November 1st!
Whew. I’m remembering, now that the fall semester has started, the main reason why I wanted to keep the Magic Most Deadly Rewrite simple and have it finished by the time September hit. It wasn’t just because of the fun of having the re-release happen the same month as the original release!
Nope, it’s because wow, it is so much harder to focus on writing (or even rewriting) a book while taking three classes (even online classes).
This is undoubtedly made more complicated by my job, which has been struck by lightning TWICE in the last month-and-a-half (there goes that old saying about lightning never striking in the same place twice) and has required a lot of scrambling to both replace our damaged equipment and keep things flowing relatively smoothly while we wait for said equipment to be replaced.
It’s been a wild ride.
All this to say that I am way behind deadline with the new edition of MMD, but it is coming–or will be. I haven’t given up on it!
In the meantime, if you haven’t already signed up for my newsletter, you can go to my contact page and do so there, and you will receive a copy of a short story I wrote a while back that is EXCLUSIVE to subscribers.
I will let you know when there is more to report on the progress front!
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!
