Wielder's Curse Unleashed and Inspirations #IWSG

The second book in my high seas epic fantasy adventure series is finally complete and unleashed onto the world! There was a while there I didn't think it was going to happen. And now it has. I'm super excited. Wielder's Curse is now available in ebook and paperback. The discount for the ebook's release will be available for two more days only, so pick up your copy today.

If you haven't read book one, Wielder's Prize, then you can pick it up here: ebook and paperback

Both of my novels are also available for FREE via Kindle Unlimited. 

Her curse isn't the only darkness waiting to break the world.

Months after the victory at Sapphire Cove, Jasmine is haunted by terrifying visions of burning seas and blackened skies. It’s the dark future she thought she’d evaded, but now it’s back to bring her nightmares of the Beast, a mad creature trapped in the void between worlds. It fights to escape its prison, and it wants one thing: to devour the world.

To make matters worse, Finn’s life is threatened by an unknown assailant. At the risk of losing everything, Jasmine must hunt down the would-be assassin, find a way of defeating the Beast, and stop the oncoming storm. And she has to do this while struggling to control her untamed magic, guard her secrets, and avoid becoming a true Abomination and a danger to everyone.

If you have time, I'd deeply appreciate a review on Amazon,  Goodreads and Bookbub. Reviews are proving to be difficult to come by and yet so important.
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Another Adventure on the High Seas

I literally JUST came back from my own high seas adventure. I took a break for a week on a cruise to Papua New Guinea. I put my feet up and relaxed and did a bunch of reading. Now I'm ready to start on the edits for book 3, the conclusion of the Wielder's Storm series.

IWSG Question of the month:
Has a single photo or work of art ever inspired a story? What was it and did you finish it?
Absolutely. Because I'm a visual person, I often hunt for images to inspire a story or evoke a feeling or help me describe a place. But once, I caught the quickest of flashes from the movie trailer of The Tempest. It was one second of footage of a character jumping from a drain or something. That glimpse inspired an entire character and an entire fantasy series. I even finished book one. But I haven't yet released it. I need to finish my Wielder's Storm series first. 

How about you? What has inspired your stories?

Review Copies Available, Cover Reveal, and My Writing Journey #IWSG

Happy New Year everyone!! May 2020 be a year full of joy, grace, success, and awesomeness. May there be no dramas except in the books you read.

Cover Reveal:

I will be releasing book 2 of my Wielder's Storm series on January 27th. Below is my grand cover reveal for Wielder's Curse.

A dark vision. A dangerous curse. A girl caught in between.

I'm currently giving out a limited number of Review Copies. If you are interested, let me know in the comments or send me an email.

If you haven't read book 1 yet, Wielder's Prize is available as an ebook or paperback on Amazon.

OR, you can read it FREE on Kindle Unlimited.

Check out my affiliate link above for Amazon's 99c limited deal for the first 3 months. Or try the 30 day free trial deal. Either way, you'll be able to read my book for free. Win, win.

If you don't own a Kindle, just download the FREE Kindle app for your phone, tablet and computer. Easy peazy.

The IWSG question: What started you on your writing journey?

When I was young, I got ridiculed for my slow, stuttered reading ability. So I avoided it. Then I came across my mum’s collection of Enid Blyton Famous Five books. Adventure stories about kids, for kids. I devoured them in the privacy of my own room. I had no easy access to books, so that’s where I stopped. It wasn’t until a teacher read The Hobbit to the class at the end of primary school (Middle Grade?) that I discovered the joys of fantasy. True escapism. At the age of twelve or thirteen, I read The Lord of the Rings. I couldn’t put it down. The boring books I had to study in school could’ve turned me off reading for life, but then I discovered my high school library. So many fantasy and science fiction books to read! I was hooked and from there, it was inevitable I would want to write my own adventure fantasies.

How did your love of books, reading, and writing develop? 
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With the New Year comes a time of renewal and refreshment. My book, Cling to God, is a daily devotional that you can use to refresh your faith every day of this new year. 

Available in paperback and ebook:

Amazon, Kindle, Nook, B&N, Kobo, ITunes, Goodreads

And please consider leaving a review.

Living the Writerly Dream and Favourite Books 2019 #IWSG

We made it to the end of the year. My goodness time is whizzing by. Not happy about that!! So much to do! So little time. I’ve been busy editing Book 2 of my Wielder’s Storm series. It’s taking longer than I had anticipated so I’ve had to delay the release until January. If you'd like to stay up to date with my releases, please join my VIP Club.

If you haven’t read it yet, Wielder’s Prize, Book 1 of the series, is available in ebook and paperback. Pick up a copy today or buy an extra copy as a gift this Christmas.

While you're at it, also pick up a copy of Cling to God: a Daily Devotional. This one will make a perfect gift for Christmas too. 

The IWSG question for the month:
How would you describe your future writer self if you were living the dream?

I’d have a bunch of bestsellers under my belt,
I’d be living in a castle with a secret passage leading to my writing nook (of course),
I’d have a movie or two made from my books,
and a popular TV series.
And I’d have the luxury and confidence to just keep writing (which I’m going to do anyway because I love writing so much)

How about you? What’s your dream?

Favourite books I’ve read this year:
Below is a list of affiliate links to my favourite books I read this year. I bought more than I read. Because time. But these are the standouts that I did get to read, and I highly recommend:

Illuminae (book 1 of the Illuminae Files) by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff – a fast-paced young adult sci-fi. This one is a little different because it has whacky formatting that doesn’t detract, but adds to the story. If you like YA stories with a smart female lead, an insane AI, planetary invasions and space battles, then this is for you.

Navigating the Stars (Sentinels of the Galaxy book 1) by Maria V. Snyder – another young adult sci-fi. This one is also a quick, light read with plenty of action and cool stuff. Like the discovery of the ancient Chinese terracotta warriors on other planets. I have a soft spot for extra-terrestrial archaeology. The Aussie cover for the book is awesome too and I love the sassy main character.

Chasing the Shadows (Sentinels of the Galaxy book 2) by Maria V. Snyder – It’s not often I continue reading a series, but I had to read more of this one. I’m super busy, so I’ve been snatching what little time I can to read. And I’m loving book 2. I’m three-quarters of the way through. I know I’m going to have a hard time waiting for book 3 to be released.

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo (book 1 of a duology) – Loved it! This one is a young adult fantasy. The characters are all distinct and interesting and the story is super engaging. Not as fast a read as the books I mentioned above, but super enjoyable.

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo (book 2 of the duology) – Also loved this. And the ending is satisfying.Yay!

Nevernight by Jay Kristoff (book 1) – This is a dark fantasy for adults even though the protagonist is a sixteen year old girl. There are some adult themes. But I loved it. Wonderfully written. It won the Aurealis award for a reason (a prestigious Aussie award for speculative fiction).

What were your favourite reads this year?


What's your Christmas going to look like?
Mine will be sweltering in the summer heat with family.

Wishing you all a joyful and safe Christmas. See you in the New Year!! 

The Joy of Researching for a Story #IWSG

Today I'm over at Denise Covey's blog while she is off gallivanting across Europe, doing research of her own. The lucky thing!! Please pop on over to Denise's blog and say, Hi.

The IWSG question of the month is a great one: What's the strangest thing you've ever googled in researching a story? 

I'm a huge fan of research and I've learned so much over the course of my writing career. For Wielder's Prize, my debut novel, I did a lot of research into eighteenth century tall ships, life aboard those ships, even the naming conventions on ships, for example there are no walls on ships; they're called bulkheads. Stairs are ladders. Windows are ports. I even learned the names of sails, what sailors eat, their superstitions. There is a scene later in the book that required me to look up the best conditions where various clams and mussels grow.

For book two, which I hope to release this year...yes, I said this year, yikes... I researched Icelandic words, Icelandic landscapes, the kind of vegetation that grows in cold environments. I've fallen in love with the country. So much so, that next year I'm hoping to travel to Iceland. We'll call it research, but by that time all three of my books for the Wielder's Storm trilogy will be out.

As for the strangest thing I've researched, I'd have to say that would be diseases. I wrote an Apocalyptic novel where the end of the world begins with a virus. No, not a zombie novel. I needed to look up germ warfare, terrorism and everything else associated with it. I felt like I had to throw up my hands and cry, "This is research for my novel. I swear!" That novel isn't out yet. I'm holding on to it until I finish my multiple fantasy series.

What have you researched recently?

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I've been busy with edits for Book 2 of my Wielder's Storm trilogy. The title is Wielder's Curse. I hope to release it early December. I won't put it up for preorder this time, but I will give it a discounted price for its first week of release, so keep an eye out!  (Or join my VIP Club for updates and you won't miss out--you'll even get a free hi-rez map of Erenna, the world where the Wielder's Storm trilogy is set in).

The photo above is one I took when I went to Sydney's Maritime Museum and checked out the replica of the Endeavor. So...much...fun!

I'm now on BookBub as Elle Cardy, so if you want, you can follow me and recommend my book there ;)

Don't forget to pop on over to Denise's blog. I'm there talking about how writers evolve.

How Movies Inspire and How Wielder's Prize Began

Today I'm over at Susan's blog speaking about my debut novel, Wielder's Prize, how it began, and some processes behind it.

I'm also over at Alex's blog, talking about how certain movies influenced my novel.

Please pop on over to them and check it out.

And don't forget about the awesome giveaway on Literary Rambles which runs until Oct 31st. The image above shows the books included in the giveaway.

(It's awesome seeing my book with the greats like Leigh Bardugo, Garth Nix, Beth Revis, Marie Lu, and all the others.)


Blog Tour Continues:

Today (21st Oct)

Guest post on Alex J Cavanaugh's blog

Guest post on Susan Kelley's blog

GIVEAWAY(until 31st Oct) 

A bunch of awesome books, including my own YA fantasy, Wielder's Prize, are up for grabs for a Spooktacular giveaway on  Literary Rambles

Next IWSG Day (6th Nov)

Guest Post on Denise Covey's blog

Thanks to Launch Day supporters (14th Oct)

Guest post at Jacqui Murray's blog 

Guest post at Patricia Josephine's blog 

Review of my book by Tyrean Martinson
Spotlight and review on Juneta Key's blog

Follower News on Literary Rambles

Have you picked up a copy of my book yet? This ad link is where you can grab a copy on Amazon or you can mark my book "to-read" on Goodreads or leave a review. Us authors love reviews. :)