July Wrap-up

Happy August, book friends! I hope you all had a wonderful July and been enjoying the summer. I spent much of my time writing, reading, taking evening walks with my corgi Walter, hanging with the family, playing Final Fantasy XVI on the PS5, and doing archery with my son. It’s been wonderful seeing how much he enjoys it, too. My husband and I went to a concert earlier this week and saw George Thorogood and The Destroyers. Any Rock & Roll Fans?! Familiar with the song Bad to the Bone?! It was a fun concert, and I had a blast rocking out to those good, ‘ole tunes. Overall, July was a great month!

Book News

The ARC of The Wraiths of Arjun, Book 2 in The Iron Kingdom Series was sent out last month! Yay!! It’s crazy to think that this same time last year, I had only just finished writing the first draft. But now it’s “ready for reading”! And readers are already devouring the book. I’ve received excellent praise so far, with a few expressing they need book 3 in The Iron Kingdom Series ASAP! Just so you all know: I am working on it. I feel so encouraged by all the positive feedback, and I am so excited for everyone to read it when it releases December 5, 2023 from Monarch Press.

If you’d love the chance to read an early copy (pdf) of The Wraiths of Arjun, then consider signing up to be an ARC Reader. Spots are still available. I’d love to have you join my ARC Team! Click the link below to sign up, or click to discover more about the book if you’re curious to know what it’s about.

With the ARC of The Wraiths of Arjun out in the world, I’ve been able to spend more time drafting other stories, which is what I love doing most–crafting magic on the page! I’ve increased my wordcount by a small margin in book 3 of The Iron Kingdom Series, and hope I can make greater leaps in the story during this month.

Last weekend, after a spurt of inspiration took hold of me, I started working on the Sequel to Heartsmith. I managed to block in the first 3 chapters and get full scenes and chapters written out. So, that got me a wonderful 5k words start to the story! I love how it starts–with gripping tension from the first page. Hopefully, more inspiration will hit me, and I can make progress with this story as well. It’s nice to know my characters are talking again, now that I am no longer in revision and edit mode on my previous project.

So, this means I once again have 2 works in progress going at the same time! They’ll likely both be fighting for my attention.

Exciting News!

I started a podcast! The Ink Mages, hosted by myself and my author friend, Angela R. Hughes (Author of the Once and Future Chronicles Series) is up live NOW on YouTube and Spotify.  

The Ink Mages Podcast has all the Nerdy Banter you could want in a podcast. We will discuss all things fantasy, world building, story craft, myths & legends, and, of course, our own imaginative stories. You can find our first episode by CLICKING HERE: The Ink Mages Podcast. Part 2 of the episode will be airing August 8th – Be ready to check it out.

Please help us by subscribing to our channel, sharing the episodes and leaving a comment. See the Video link below for the first episode, HOW THE MAGIC HAPPENS.

Did you Love THE CONJURER’S CURSE?

For those of you who have picked up my debut YA Epic Fantasy, I hope you enjoyed Rowan’s thrilling adventure. I would love to know what you thought of it. Please do me a HUGE favor and leave a review to share your love for the book to encourage other readers to give it a read. Reviews are an easy way to support me, and they have huge impact. I am blessed every time I receive one. To those of you who have already left reviews, I cannot thank you enough!

As always: Thank you to everyone who has supported me, encouraged me, and read my debut novel. You mean the world to me! I hope you all have a wonderful rest of your Summer!

-Stephanie Cotta