Yesterday brought confirmation for my fourth event of the year: Ohio Renaissance Festival! It’s a fortuitous time to receive this news. I’m gonna get a little sappy here, so I’ll put the non-sappy part in bold for those of you who come just for Ambergrove.

So, there’s this old wives’ tale that may or may not be true. Basically, because of how skin grows, every seven years, you have completely new skin. As someone with physical scars from childhood, I know that isn’t true, but as someone with other scars from a bit later, I’ve always wanted it to be true. At the very least, it’s a nice thought. A transformative metaphor.

So. Seven years. Seven years ago, I was a few days away from meeting my husband for the first time. I’d spent so long slogging along, not doing anything for myself. The fire that burned in me when I was younger, when I’d walked the hills in Scotland and was so full of wonder, imagination, and a passion for the things I love had long since fizzled out, and I hadn’t written anything in years that wasn’t for school. Then the epitome of every fantasy I’d imagined as a child walked across a bridge in a park and into my life.

A month later, we went to Ohio Renaissance Festival. I’d been there nearly every year growing up, but I hadn’t been since my fire had fizzled out. We watched the Mudde Show, and we saw the Swordsmen. I shared that with him just under seven years ago. On the anniversary of that weekend a few years later, we got married there.

Seven years ago, my life changed. I can look back at so many things that changed over the years as those metaphorical layers of skin were shed. Since this is about Ambergrove, I’ll stick to that. I met Mr. Martineau, and I went to ORF. Who I am was encouraged. What I love was encouraged. I stayed up late and read the Blackthorn & Grim books in one sitting each day they came out. I read because I wanted to, and I read my favorite author. I imagined stories. I used that love during my brief time as a teacher. I was encouraged to do those things I loved that stoked the fire of fantasy and imagination. Stoked me.

And then I wrote. And Ambergrove was rekindled with me.

Now, the Dragonwolf trilogy is complete. The GW is complete. I’m working on Ember in the Forge and preparing for events. Next week is my second signing at a bookstore! October 1 is my second author fair at a library! October 15 is ORF. I’m going back to the festival that first awoke the fire, but this time, it’s not as a kid full of wonder at a new adventure or an adult full of wonder as I walked down the aisle or through the dirt paths that shaped so much of my childhood. This time it’s as an author. I’m not the kid begging my parents to let me get a cool fantasy book I saw; I’m crossing my fingers that those parents will say yes to the kid with the fairy wings, the teen with the knitted Viking beard hat, the adult whose fire is kindled by a walk through those dirt paths.

Seven years.

Seven years, and I’ll be sitting at ORF with three published books. Because seven years ago, a man walked across a bridge in a park and changed my life.

I hope some of you swing by ORF in a couple months. I’d love to see you and be the bad influence telling you to get that book. Get my book. Take a trip to Ambergrove. Find your fire.

Until then, I’ll be working on Hammer and Flame and bringing you Ember’s story.

Seven years.

Think back seven years. Maybe you’re in the middle and your seven years isn’t here yet. Whether you stoke your own fire or someone comes into your life and hands you the poker, you’re due for a transformation when you hit your seven-year moment. Wherever you are on that journey, you’re on it. Journeys have winding paths and false starts. Sometimes you have to go backward before going forward. But you’re on the adventure right now. You’re living it. Keep going. Cherish that seven-year moment and every moment that led you to it.

Until next time, adventurers.

The past month has been rather eventful!

A couple days before the book launch for Wheel of Fate, someone ran a red light and hit me in the intersection. I’ve been dealing with that for the past three weeks, so it’s been taking up a lot of my time. However, lots of exciting things have been going on despite that.

The book launch was a success! About a dozen people sat in for portions of the series talk, and there were lots of questions about my writing process and about certain details of the books, like where I got the Ambergrove logo from—my tattoo I drew up and got at eighteen in Scotland. I sold two dozen copies of my books, and people who couldn’t attend the event came in later to purchase copies from the Morgenstern’s shelves. Someone even came by during the event and said his buddy had told him about my books and would be so excited to learn that book three was out. Attendees came from as far as Indianapolis.

A couple days after the event, I was contacted by another bookstore who is interested in having my books in the store and scheduling an event. More on that after I meet with the owner later this month!

Wheel of Fate has been sent to libraries for cataloguing, and it should be available in the Indiana Evergreen system within the next month or so.

I spent the tail end of June working on a separate project before returning to Ambergrove. I am ghostwriting a science fiction book, and it is scheduled to be completed by the end of August. Rune helped as I worked on the draft on the iPad (more resilient to curious pawing by pups). I completed the first draft when I was off for Independence Day in the US, and I sent it back to the author to review by the end of July. In the meantime, I will be working on Ember’s first book.

I’ve had a modified work schedule the past few months as I have been completing physical therapy for my wrist injury. After speaking with my boss, my Wednesdays-off schedule has been approved indefinitely. Every Wednesday this month, I will be spending the whole day working on the first draft for Ember in the Forge. I’ve enrolled in the July Camp NaNo, with the goal of completing this first draft by the end of the month, before I move to the second draft of the ghostwriting project. I’m also taking a short vacation next week to work on it for three straight days.

Finally, last week, those who were nominated for the Indiana Authors Awards received preliminary feedback. Although the reviewers gave Ranger’s Odyssey four stars, it was not included in the shortlist for the awards. I am up for another award as well, though its determination will not be until February 2023.

What’s next? Well, now that the Dragonwolf trilogy is complete and I am working on further projects, there will likely be more events, and I will be working to broaden Ambergrove’s readership by searching for an agent once I have completed EitF. Keep an eye out for exciting news in the next few months!

If you’ve enjoyed Mara’s story (or even if you didn’t), please consider posting a rating or review on your purchase site or on Goodreads to let other potential readers know—without spoilers!—what they’re in for. There will be much more to come in an entirely different story with Ember.

Until next time, adventurers!

11 days left until the book launch event at Morgenstern’s!

This weekend, I went to the bookstore to drop off their copies of Wheel of Fate for cataloguing and to add to their shelves after the event. A lovely lady showed me where Ranger’s Odyssey and Realm of Chaos were on the shelves, and she even rearranged the shelves so Ranger’s Odyssey is facing out and more easily visible.

If you want to buy them from a brick and mortar store, and you want to support small businesses, the first two books are available in the young adult section at Morgenstern’s. Wheel of Fate will be available there June 24.

The event is June 23 (next Thursday!) from 6:30 to 8:30 at the back conference table near the young adult section. I’ll have the original, 11-year-old world map on the table. I’ll have the full-size art piece for Wheel of Fate set up on an easel (and the artist will be in attendance!). I’ll have my shield and my replica of Mara’s axe on display (and you can take pictures of them if you want). To take home, I will have world maps on parchment, series bookmarks, business cards, and of course, stacks of paperback copies of the full Dragonwolf trilogy.

I’ll be talking about the Tales of Ambergrove series as a whole and how it first came about, I’ll be talking about the first two books in the series (sans spoilers), and I’ll be answering questions from those in attendance. I will also be available after the talk to sign copies of the books and Morgenstern’s will be selling the copies from the table.

If you find yourself in the area next Thursday evening, come out and see us! I’ll be in the back by my table, and I’ll be wearing a nametag. For more information, and to save the event for your reference, visit the event listing on Facebook here.

I hope to see you there!
Until next time, adventurers!

What an unbelievable, indescribable milestone! Wheel of Fate is officially finished. The website has been updated to accommodate the Dragonwolf trilogy as a whole. My full first series has been written, finalized, designed, and published, and I have updated social media, Goodreads, and my website.

Rundown:

• Today, I finished editing the Wheel of Fate audiobook and uploaded it to a drive file for downloads.
• I added the Dragonwolf trilogy character list to the Wheel of Fate page. This was initially included in the back of the book, but it amounted to 13 printed pages, and including it in the book would have increased the print price by seven dollars. I pulled it and put it on the website for viewing and download.
• I added the Family Green download to the Wheel of Fate page. This is a free, downloadable game based on the game that is played in Wheel of Fate.
• I updated the Goodreads page with the cover art and ISBNs.
• I updated the website to accommodate multiple series.
• Bookmarks have been designed and ordered.
• Last week, I went to my tattoo artist, and he added Mara to my Ambergrove tattoo, which I started upon publication of Ranger’s Odyssey. The main character’s name will be added to it upon publication of the final book in each series. Adding Mara to the tattoo is a milestone I get to look at every day.
• Friday, the design of Wheel of Fate was finalized and approved for publication.
• Yesterday, I took out an ad for the first time—for the book launch.

What’s next?

• LOTS of waiting.
• An author talk and book launch is scheduled at Morgenstern’s, Indiana’s largest independent bookstore, for June 23. I have a Facebook event with all necessary information.
• I’ve ordered lots of things for the launch. At this time, the books are expected to arrive the week of, so that’s unnerving, but they are guaranteed to arrive no later than June 21. As I receive materials for the launch, I’ll be reviewing and approving them.
• I am assisting a friend with her own publishing endeavor, and I expect to be working on that weekly for the next few months.
• I am working on Ember in the Forge, and I expect to have the first draft completed in September or October. I have until June 2023 to publish Ember in the Forge with the current publisher without restricting the publication of later books due to missed deadlines. Once Ember in the Forge is complete, I plan to spend six months trying to get it published with Tor (the publisher of most of my favorite books growing up). If I am not accepted, Ember in the Forge should be published around June 2023, and Ember on the Anvil and Ember on the Flame will follow suit by the end of 2023. If all goes to plan (besides publication with Tor).
• Determination for the Indiana Authors Awards is up this September.
• I’ll be attending an author fair in central Indiana in October.

I have so many feelings right now. From age eight, I’ve wanted to be an author. The older I got, the further down on my list it was. It was impractical to say I wanted to grow up to be an author, so I focused on a “real job” instead. When I went to Scotland in my teens, this fire began to burn again—enough, at least, for me to draft the worldmap. Then, I graduated high school and went to pursue my higher education for my “real job,” and back to the back burner it went.

A few years later, my husband convinced me to take it up again, and I began to casually work on Ranger’s Odyssey. About six months later, I quit my “real job” to become an editor. A year after that, Ranger’s Odyssey was published. The following year, Realm of Chaos was published. Next month, Wheel of Fate will be published.

Eight-year-old me would be so happy if she could see me now.

I’m happy to see me now. Now that the first series is finished, I have a solo author event coming up, and I’m doing more to prioritize my writing, I now see myself as an author. My job is as an editor, and that’s what pays the bills. But my heart’s real job is as an author, and I will be publishing my second series next year. I’m doing it. Eight-year-old me thought it was impossible. Twenty-five-year-old me thought it was impossible. It’s not impossible now.

It would not have been possible without so many readers who love Ambergrove so dearly. It would not have been possible without a husband who loves and supports me unwaveringly. I will forever be grateful for the opportunities that got me to this moment, as the published author of a full book series. My heart soars to imagine what new adventures the next few years—and even the next few decades—will bring. It’s phenomenal. Unbelievable.

I don’t have the words to describe my own feelings other than to say that it’s my most far-fetched dream come true. I hope everyone has the chance to follow their dreams, even if it takes some grounding before that rainbow appears on the horizon again. Before the thirst for adventure calls too loudly to ignore.

Until next time, adventurers. Keep your gear packed.

We’re closing in on the publication of Wheel of Fate. The last few weeks have brought so much for Ambergrove, and the next few weeks will bring even more!

Foremost, Wheel of Fate is scheduled to be released June 23. It will be available then from AuthorHouse, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Indiana’s largest independent bookstore, Morgenstern’s.

I will be doing my first solo author event at Morgenstern’s that day. We will have an author talk, going over the series as a whole, all three books in the Dragonwolf trilogy will be available for purchase, and I will be answering questions and signing books. For more information, check the event posting on the Tales of Ambergrove Facebook page.

Next, last week brought an interesting opportunity to use my skills as a writer and author and help someone else with their own journey toward publication. This is the first time I will be earning a larger sum based on this profession, and I am super stoked about the ideas it presents. Such as … I am able to stock up on author copies of the full first series so I have them for events. I am adding to my Ambergrove series tattoo next week. I purchased some authorly things, like a nametag, professional outfit for my book launch, and … an iPad Pro! This allows me to add Scrivener for iOS, Word, and Dropbox to a device I can use anywhere. It’s a professional purchase to further my career, and I could not be more excited for that.

That purchase was initially brought on by the helplessness of having my laptop stop working last week. Luckily, it is still under warranty, so I was able to make the (two hour) drive to the approved shop last week and pick it up this week. Everything is in working order now, but the damage seems to have been caused by the frequency of transportation. As my career evolves, so too does my approach and my prioritization of this work.

Looking back on just a few years ago, I was in a job that drove me to tears, I never made time for myself, I hadn’t written anything in nearly a decade, and being an author was the silly dream of a little girl. Now, I’m an editor, ghostwriter, and nearly thrice-published author with my books in stores worldwide. I’m making my writing a priority, adjusting my work schedule to four days a week with one full day every week dedicated to working on the tales. I’m earning money and putting money back into it (and only feeling a little guilty about it).

Now. This week, I received my first ever fan art for the series! A reader who loves Finn as a character decided to draw him as of Ranger’s Odyssey before he really learns what fun is. Later on today, I will be restructuring the gallery portion of the website to include a fan art gallery, and their work will be the first piece of what I hope will be a growing gallery.

As my first series is drawing to a close and I’m shifting gears, I am mostly just so grateful. I am grateful for all the readers who have loved Ambergrove as I do. I am grateful for my husband for pushing me to write again, to take the time to do things for me, and for supporting me in everything I do all the time. I am grateful for the cover artist for putting up with my very specific images for each cover and continuing to prioritize my books when her plate just keeps filling up. I am grateful for the photographer who perfectly captured the beautiful art. I am grateful for the reader who loved Ambergrove so much they told Morgenstern’s about me, allowing me to partner with an independent bookstore and have a formal launch. I’m grateful for all those who believed in me when I doubted myself and allowed me to see that I am creating something that is loved.

My first series is finished, and there are many more adventures to come. Thank you for coming along for the ride.

Until next time, adventurers!

This month, Wheel of Fate will be heading to the publisher! At this stage, it’s looking like it will be next week! The cover art is finished, and the artist and I will be meeting up this Friday to go over the completed piece and make any necessary final tweaks. Then, I have an appointment with the art photographer next Monday afternoon. At that point, Wheel of Fate can be submitted as soon as the photographer sends me the final photo, which will be by the end of the week next week!

Stay tuned for updates as we go ahead with the publishing process!

The manuscript was finalized last weekend. I reviewed the final changes from my last reviewers, made revisions, completed the final round of editing, and recorded the audiobook to find final tweaks and make those. This time, the cats decided they didn’t want to help, but Rune may be audible in one chapter as she yells at the kids next door. I still have to edit the audio files, but other than that, all my submission materials are ready, and Wheel of Fate will be moving forward as soon as we have the final art file!

In addition to finalizing Wheel of Fate for submission, I also participated in Camp NaNo April 2022, after enrolling late last month. I had a small goal of 10,000, but I met the goal right at the buzzer yesterday. April Camp NaNo strikes again! The Hammer and Flame trilogy is significantly plotted, all the supplementary material organized, and the first draft of Ember in the Forge is underway!

I expect this month to be quite eventful, as an unexpected remodel in our home coincides with the publication of Wheel of Fate, work on the first few chapters of Ember in the Forge, planning an author event and possible book launch for Wheel of Fate, and some personal routine development. It’s shaping up to be quite the adventure!

Until next time, adventurers!

Wheel of Fate is fast approaching the submission deadline! This weekend, final preparations we being made for the final review. I should have the reviewed file on Wednesday, and if all goes to plan, I should be able to make my final revisions and record my audiobook by the end of the week, thus truly finalizing the manuscript for submission! The audiobook editing will be completed by the end of the following week, and I will finalize other submission materials after that. Wheel of Fate should be ready for submission to the publisher in two weeks!

The following Saturday is the cover artist’s completion deadline (above is a progress peek), so I will have the final piece in three weeks, and my appointment with the art photographer is the following Monday. The current projection for full completion and the start of the publishing process is Tuesday, May 10. There’s always chance for delays in a process of this kind, but this means Wheel of Fate is projected for publication before mid-June!

As Wheel of Fate is winding down Ember in the Forge is just beginning! I’ve spent the past couple weeks planning out the trilogy as a whole, blocking the chapters of EitF, and preparing the supplementary materials in my Scrivener file.

I’m participating in the April Camp NaNo, and it’s a bit of a tradition, really. My first Camp NaNo (April 2019) helped me to really begin the first draft of Ranger’s Odyssey. My second NaNo (April 2020) helped me to finish Ranger’s Odyssey, and my third (April 2021) helped me to finish Realm of Chaos. Now, my fourth Camp NaNo is well underway, and I’m making great strides with Ember in the Forge.

April is a good month for Ambergrove! Look for updates to the website in a couple weeks, once Wheel of Fate is ready for submission and during the next couple months as it moves through the publishing process. By the summer, I’ll restructure the website to include the new pages for the Hammer and Flame trilogy.

Until next time, adventurers!

After a lengthy hiatus, the past couple weeks have been quite eventful! Whilst taking care of not one but two post-surgery babies, overdoing it and causing some significant setbacks with my wrist healing progress, loads of things have happened in Ambergrove.

Realm of Chaos

Book two of the Dragonwolf trilogy is now available in all libraries (I’m aware of) who have Ranger’s Odyssey in their catalog. It can be borrowed from any Indiana Evergreen library, and it is also available in Michigan and North Carolina.

Wheel of Fate

The cover artist has had some personal setbacks in the past couple weeks, but she has completed nearly half of the cover art for Wheel of Fate and projects to have it completed and ready for professional photographing by May 7.

I have completed the third draft of Wheel of Fate and sent it out to be reviewed. One reviewer already finished it and got back to me, and I’ve been prompted to make some revisions, but overall they were pleased with the conclusion to Mara’s story. I hope the rest of you enjoy it as well once it becomes available! So many things in this book have been planned since before the release of Ranger’s Odyssey, and it is so exciting to finally see some things come to fruition (others won’t be until my first standalone novel is released).

In addition to completing the draft, I have also completed the maps, files for the Family Green game download and QR code for the book, and my glossary for the back of the book. I decided to review some of my favorite author’s character lists to figure out how I would like to handle mine, and I settled on a mix of a few (it looks like she does a different one every time). I compiled a list of all referenced characters in the Dragonwolf trilogy, character descriptions with the least spoilers possible, and pronunciation breakdowns for some of the names.

I am now completely finished with Wheel of Fate until it is returned from my last reviewers (expected within a couple weeks). Then, I just have to review and apply final changes, record the audiobook (with the main goal of catching typos) and apply final final changes, and then all that’s left is getting the cover art and it’s ready for publication! We’re getting close now. There’s always so many other hiccups that could happen, but it should be available for purchase by June!

I’ve also updated the Wheel of Fate page with the back cover blurb and created the Goodreads listing! I now have my first full trilogy listed on Goodreads!

What now?

Well, I don’t read while I’m writing, because I don’t want to accidentally write something in my own book that I think is cool and original only to realize later that I got it from a book I just read. So, right now I’m taking a short break to read a book. I’ve got a new one picked out I haven’t read before: Walk the Wild with Me by Rachel Atwood—which seems to be an imaginative and magical retelling of the Robin Hood story.

I am also working in inputting existing worldbuilding materials into Scrivener 3. Scrivener is an extremely handy writing program, especially if you have lots of background information to keep straight as you go. (This isn’t a promotion or anything, but if you’re interested in the program, check it out here.) I had a computer issue early in the first draft of Ranger’s Odyssey while working with an older version of Scrivener and have been waiting to use it again until I was starting a new series, so here we are!

Later on this week I will begin blocking the first book of the Hammer and Flame trilogy, with a tentative title of Ember in the Forge. Because there should be little content to add in Wheel of Fate during my last rounds of reviews, I plan to start writing the first chapter of the second trilogy before the end of this month. So there’s lots on the docket for April!

As one adventure is coming to an end, another is beginning. I am so excited to share the end of Mara’s story with you and begin the next piece of the overarching saga.

Until next time, adventurers!

… things are moving!

It’s been almost three months since I’ve checked in. There have been things going on behind the scenes, but mostly, there has been a colossal delay. I’ve been having issues with my wrist—issues which now finally have been diagnosed and are being treated—and those have exponentially slowed the process. I had planned to get to where I did today almost three months ago.

Nevertheless, Wheel of Fate is still on track. I’ve finished my second draft and sent it off for the first review before my next round of revisions. The Wheel of Fate cover is moving steadily along with completion projected in early May.

I’m currently in talks with an independent bookstore, with a tentative plan to have a book launch and event for Wheel of Fate, and the entire Dragonwolf trilogy, in a few months.

Realm of Chaos is now available in the Indiana Evergreen public library system and is still being processed for addition to libraries in Tennessee, Michigan, and North Carolina.

In the next few weeks, I will be working on side projects pertaining to the series:

• Finalizing the maps for Wheel of Fate
• Finalizing the free downloadable game that is discussed in Wheel of Fate
• Creating a comprehensive glossary of names and terms for the Dragonwolf trilogy
• Organizing the worldbuilding materials I have

I’m making steady progress with my wrist issue, and I’m hoping to continue to make steady progress with Wheel of Fate in the next month or so. As soon as the manuscript is finalized, I’ll be right into working on the Hammer and Flame trilogy, and I cannot describe how excited I am. The next few months will bring so many things for Ambergrove.

For now, here’s a mashup of the Mara art from all three covers (book 3 Mara is still in progress). I promise there will not be so lengthy a hiatus again.

Until next time, adventurers!

Popping in for one last update before the end of 2021 …

We reached a big milestone today (well, technically yesterday). This morning, after finishing it last night, I printed off the first draft of Wheel of Fate! I’ve just finished my final first draft of my first series! It’s an unbelievable feeling, truly.

So, what now? Well, the draft is printed and I have all the materials I need for my first round of revisions. I’ll be taking a day or two before I get started, but next week I’ll begin my first round of revisions. I hope to have the first round of revisions completed within the next few weeks, and then it will go out to the first reviewer. I’ll be working on the new map(s) and completing another project for WoF while I’m waiting for the first reviewer to return it. I do still expect to have the book ready for publication in May or June.

The cover is also proceeding swimmingly, and the first draft was completed last week. We did revise the design afterward, at the recommendation of another artist, so there’s a little more work that will need to be completed at the drafting stage to accommodate the change in the design before the artist begins work on the final draft. For now, a sneak peek.

At this point, we are working on gradual progression to the final drafts. Things should be relatively quiet through the end of the year. Early 2022, Realm of Chaos should be available in public libraries. At this time. I don’t have any other author events planned, but I may do something at a library or bookstore upon release of Wheel of Fate.

Today, though, I’m having a celebratory drink of Irn Bru, playing some games with my husband, and chilling with Santa (Rune) and her elves (the cats). Enjoy the holidays and begin the new year with an adventure.

Until next time, adventurers!