Category: writing

Books, fiction, heroines, mystery, writing

All the News That’s Fit to … Type

elouisebates

This blog has been pretty silent for a while, but that’s mostly been because there hasn’t been much to say. (Admittedly, it’s also been because the little there has been to say has gone in the newsletter rather than on here. Have you signed up for the newsletter yet? It goes out once a month generally, more frequently if there’s exciting book news or sales to announce.)

(Also, would you mind letting me know if the signup form is showing up properly for you? It’s either not showing up at all on one browser or telling me the link has expired on the other browser, and I’m not sure if that’s just me of if it’s misbehaving for all you readers as well. Sigh … technology is great, until it isn’t.)

Anyway, the news. It’s exciting! But I can’t tell you what it is yet. Argh. I know, I know! Suffice to say, I thought I was finished with Pauline Gray, but something new may—just may—be in the works after all.

If you are new here, Pauline Gray is my non-fantasy mystery series consisting of three novellas (I suppose that’s more of a trilogy than a series, but each book stands alone, so it feels more like a series to me … sigh. Classifying things is hard. Thus says the librarian-in-training.)

The series description on my book page goes thus:

Welcome to Canton, NY, a small farming town nestled in the northern foothills of the Adirondack mountains. It’s the 1930s, and to an outsider’s eye, this looks like an idyllic village mostly untouched by the Great Depression that is ravaging so much of the nation. But even the most idyllic towns and villages have their dark sides. When trouble comes to Canton, the folk there rely on each other to help out. And that includes one young woman in particular …

Meet Pauline Gray. A graduate of the prestigious St. Lawrence University, she fell in love with the town while in college and has never left. A journalist by day and a secret novelist by night, Pauline’s compassion and drive for justice pull her into mysteries that are too small or too peculiar for the police. She would really prefer a quieter life, but when people need her help, she can’t turn them away.

I grew to be very fond of Pauline, and the community of friends and neighbors that grew around her as her stories progressed, but by the time I came to the third novella, the strain of trying to keep up three series (Whitney & Davies, Pauline Gray, and From the Shadows—yes, that book is getting a sequel if I ever manage to finish writing the first draft), got to be too much for me. The third novella was a good stopping place, and so I bid farewell to Pauline and her friends.

Or did I?

Well, as I said, I can’t share anything specific yet, but stay tuned—news should be coming very soon!

Books, fiction, publishing

Paperback Book Options (Besides Amazon)

elouisebates

I know many of us prefer not to shop for books on Amazon, so I wanted to offer an online option that some readers might not be aware of. Bookshop.org not only distributes all the StarDance Press paperbacks (the Whitney & Davies series, From the Shadows, the Pauline Gray novellas), they also give a portion of the price to the independent bookstore of your choosing.

Nothing quite beats going into a physical bookstore and browsing through their physical books, but that can be more and more challenging these days–there are fewer local indie bookstores in general, and most of them can’t afford to give shelf space to all the authors they might wish they could. It’s especially challenging for independent authors like myself, who are not supported by a marketing team from one of the “Big Five” traditional publishers (e.g. Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins, Hatchette Livre, and Macmillan).

So I am thankful for options such as bookshop.org, who are able to support local independent bookstores, small independent authors, and the reading community, all at the same time!

1920s, Books, publishing, writing

Available Now: Death by Disguise, Whitney & Davies Book 3

elouisebates

Purchase your copy here

“The walls of Saint Dorothea’s College in Cambridge hide more secrets than simply the existence of magic …

Lennox Davies couldn’t be happier when the detective agency of Whitney and Davies receives a summons to investigate a missing secretary at the magical college of Saint Dorothea’s in Cambridge.  He envisions a charming locked room puzzle, to be followed by strolling the streets of the ancient and beautiful university city with his friend and partner in detection Maia Whitney. What could be better?

But delight soon turns to dismay when a man is murdered. Not only that, the missing secretary seems to have vanished into the morning mists off the River Cam. Will Maia and Len be able to catch the killer before the secretary’s dead body turns up as well? Or is it already too late? Before long even the bond between partners is strained as Len and Maia find themselves at odds over their values.

What began as a clever exercise in deduction turns into their most challenging mystery yet, and one that could result in the end of Whitney and Davies … forever.”

Be swept away by the world of Whitney and Davies … England in 1926, with magic lurking just beneath the surface of everyday life, and secrets hidden around every corner. Let your imagination carry you to the university city of Cambridge and unravel the puzzle of the missing secretary alongside Maia and Len. Can you spot the culprit before they do? The only way to find out is by reading!

If you prefer the tactile experience of a paperback book, click here.

If you enjoy the convenience and immediacy of an e-book, click here.

Whichever way you choose to read, you are sure to fall in love with Maia and Len and their world!

(And if you’re interested in discovering more of their world, this page has links to purchase the rest of the books in the series.)

1920s, Books, publishing, writing

Looking Back … While Shepherds Watch

elouisebates

I started writing While Shepherds Watch Thanksgiving weekend 2020. It had been a tumultuous year–for the entire world, obviously, with the pandemic, but also for our family, with moving back to the States from England earlier than originally planned, a major shift in our plans and dreams, buying a house (in the midst of a lockdown!), starting our kids in public school after years of homeschooling … it was a lot. Like with Magic Most Deadly, I found myself wanting and needing to write something fun and light-hearted–and I also found I could not work on the third novel in the Whitney and Davies series, because it made me homesick for Cambridge every time I opened the document.

I began this story in my mother-in-law’s quiet living room after the Thanksgiving festivities while everyone else was outside finding a Christmas tree to cut down and bring inside, and finished it not long after. It did so much to restore my joy and hope in writing. I published it the next year in time for Christmas, and it has quickly become a favorite in the series for fans as well as for myself.

I also found that after writing it I was able to return to the third novel with fresh eyes and enough distance that writing a story set in Cambridge became a loving tribute to my time there rather than a painful reminder of where I no longer was. While Shepherds Watch also helped remind me to keep a light touch with Maia and Len, even as their journeys became more difficult and the choices before them more challenging. I am certain that writing this story is a huge factor in my being able to say that Death by Disguise is the best story I’ve written yet.

And on that note … Death by Disguise comes out TOMORROW! But there’s even more exciting news than that:

While the ebook doesn’t release until tomorrow, you can order the paperback edition NOW. Click here to purchase it from your preferred retail site!

1920s, Books, writing

Looking Back … Glamours and Gunshots

elouisebates

Purchase Glamours and Gunshots here.

This book was such a challenge for me to write. I made several false starts, even had one entire draft written and scrapped it, and finally set it aside to work on other projects for a time. After writing the four short stories of Magic & Mayhem, I was able to sit down and figure out the story that wanted to be told in this book, and it all flowed from there.

One of the key changes between the first attempts and the final story was moving it ahead three years in time from the end of Magic Most Deadly, rather than having it be set immediately afterward. Having Maia at the end of her apprenticeship rather than the beginning was the key to getting the rest of the character developments to work.

The other key change from earlier drafts was the inclusion of the character of Helen Radcliffe. Initially I simply wanted Maia to have a female magician friend, but Helen quickly came to life with her own history, goals, and dreams. I keep telling myself that one of these days I’m going to write a short story featuring Helen so that she gets the spotlight rather than having to share it with anyone, but so far the right story hasn’t come along. I hope it does soon!

The side characters have always been as much of a delight to write as Maia and Len themselves. In Magic Most Deadly, it was Ellie and Merry, Maia’s sisters, and Julia and Dan, Maia and Len’s mutual friends, who were the highlights–although Aunt Amelia stole the limelight whenever she was on stage as well. In Glamours and Gunshots it was Helen, and Len’s valet Becket came more into his own as well. Glamours and Gunshots also introduced the character of Gwen, who becomes much more of a vital character in Death by Disguise … but you can find that out for yourself on Tuesday, Nov 8!

1920s, Books, fantasy, writing

Looking Back … Magic and Mayhem

elouisebates

Purchase Magic & Mayhem here

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!

1920s, Books, fantasy, fiction, writing

Looking Back … Magic Most Deadly

elouisebates

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.”

And thus Magic Most Deadly, and the world of Whitney and Davies, was born.

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.

1920s, Books, favorites, fiction, publishing, writing

Whitney & Davies Book 3 Cover Design

elouisebates
going to need to update this header in a month

I was nervous about this cover, friends. My cover designer has, in the last nine years since producing the gorgeous cover for Magic Most Deadly, mostly moved on from such work (in fact, she’s busy writing her own books these days–check them out here: Amanda McCrina), and I thought I might have to do this one myself. I did the covers for Magic & Mayhem and While Shepherds Watch, as well as the entire Pauline Gray series, so it isn’t as though I have no experience with cover design, but for this, the long-awaited third novel in the Whitney & Davies series, I wanted it to be extra-special. Luckily for me, Amanda agreed to do another for me, and the result is spectacular.

Are you ready to see it? Because I am more than ready to show it!

Here we go!

The walls of Saint Dorothea’s College in Cambridge hide more secrets than simply the existence of magic …

Lennox Davies couldn’t be happier when the detective agency of Whitney and Davies receives a summons to investigate a missing secretary at the magical college of Saint Dorothea’s in Cambridge. He envisions a charming locked room puzzle, to be followed by strolling the streets of the ancient and beautiful university city with his friend and partner in detection Maia Whitney. What could be better?

But delight soon turns to dismay when a man is murdered. Not only that the missing secretary seems to have vanished into the morning mists off the River Cam. Will Maia and Len be able to catch the killer before the secretary’s dead body turns up as well? Or is it already too late? Before long even the bond between partners is strained as Len and Maia find themselves at odds over their values.

What began as a clever exercise in deduction turns into their most challenging mystery yet, and one that could result in the end of Whitney and Davies … forever.

Isn’t it stunning? I’m so thrilled to be able to finally share it with you all. And you know what else I am able to share with you today?

The release date!

Death by Disguise, the third novel in the Whitney & Davies series, will be released on November 8, 2022. Yes, that is only four weeks away! Just in time for your Christmas shopping–or buying for yourself to read while you relax on Thanksgiving weekend.

I started writing this book while living in Cambridge, and finished it after moving back to the States. It is in many ways my love letter to that beautiful and ancient university city, and to the friends I made there. I am so pleased to be able to share it with the rest of you soon.

Books, fantasy, favorites, fiction, newsletter, reading list, Sci-fi

Third Annual Epic Sale of Beloved SFF

elouisebates

It’s here!

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.

But wait! It gets better!

In addition to G&G, I’ve decided to put every single one of my E.L. Bates books on sale. That means Magic Most Deadly, Magic & Mayhem, While Shepherds Watch, and From the Shadows are all on sale for $0.99 from now until Friday Sept 16 (that’s right, I’m extending my personal sale for a couple days beyond the Beloved SFF sale).

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!

Happy reading!

fantasy, goals, newsletter, stories, writing

Newsletter and New Short Story

elouisebates

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!