Happy June, book friends!

Can you believe it’s already June?! The year is halfway done–so crazy! But it’s also my birthday month, and my son Paul’s as well. To celebrate, we’ll be seeing Star Wars: A New Hope with a live orchestra at Britt Festival–a concert venue just down the street from our house. I’m so excited for this! I already know it’ll be the highlight of the month. I also have 2 book signings in June, so I’m looking forward to those. The details for the events are further down in the newsletter.

May Wrap-up:

May was an exciting month for me. My debut picture book, The Mountain of Gold, was released! I had several book signings for it: one at a local bookstore during a sidewalk sale, and then at Barnes & Noble during their Storytime event. Check out the pics below:

Over the last 2 weeks, I squeezed in some time for painting. Yesterday, I finished my oil painting of Jazzy the bulldog from Heartsmith. I am so pleased with how it turned out. She’s such a cutie!

Writing Update:

I spent most of May working on the line edits for Heartsmith, which are almost done! The first read-through with my editor is complete, so all that’s left is the final read, and then it gets sent to my publisher for the ARC stage. I’m really excited to format the book and add all the special touches to it, including my illustrations. If you’ve been following my socials and reading my newsletter, then you’ve seen the three character paintings I’ve done so far. I’d like to squeeze another one or two in if I can make it happen.

The cover reveal for Heartsmith is right around the corner as well. I’m so excited for you all to see it, and have the chance to read the book when the ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) is ready. Get ready to scoop up this book when spooky month hits!

I’m hoping when the line edits are done for Heartsmith, I can turn my attention back to my WIPs. I’ll be honest that I didn’t work on them much at all last month. Most of my free time was spent painting and reading. (I completed 7 books last month!) Hopefully I can get back into the creative writing groove this month.

On May 14th, my debut picture book, The Mountain of Gold, was released. Thank you all to those who’ve already purchased a copy; I appreciate it so much. I hope you and your families enjoy it for many years to come.

The Mountain of Gold is available online wherever books are sold. For those in Southern Oregon, you can find it at Treehouse Books in Ashland; Rebel Heart Books in Jacksonville; and Barnes & Noble in Medford. I also have signed copies available through Paypal. Check out the links below:

Upcoming Events:

The Iron Kingdom Series

If you haven’t read The Iron Kingdom Series and are looking to start something new and exciting this summer, check out my YA Fantasy series. It has everything you could want in a story: action & adventure, mystery, buried secrets, a hero you can’t help but love, clean swoon-worthy romance, multi-POVs, antihero POV, friends/enemies to lovers, deadly curses and monsters, found family, high stakes, and the importance of community and friendship.

And if you have read The Conjurer’s Curse and The Wraiths of Arjun, please do me a huge favor and leave a review. They help encourage other people to read the books, and increase my ranking on Amazon, which is huge!

Signed Copies:

Also, if you’re interested in getting signed copies of my books, I’ve made that available through Paypal. Just click on my linktree, and you’ll find the link at the top. I’ll include a bookmark and sticker too (while supplies last!)

Check out The Ink Mages Podcast! Our latest episode was my book launch for The Mountain of Gold. It was a blast sharing everything that led up to getting this story published. Give it a watch and leave a comment–I’d love to hear from you! And if you haven’t watched our episodes, give us a listen and subscribe to our YouTube Channel or listen on Spotify. Check out our latest episodes using the links below:

Thank you, book friends, for supporting me, encouraging me, and for reading my books. You mean the world to me. I hope you all have a wonderful June!

– Stephanie Cotta

Book Recommendation:

Butterfly Ink, by Lori Keating, explores a young woman’s transformation from insecurity to finding her self-worth and the meaning of BeYoutiful. This journey includes summer fun, warm Florida beaches, modeling photoshoots, friendships, sweet romance, and a little bit of magic.

Callie had always wondered what it would be like to be “beautiful.” During the summer of her 18th year, she gets her wish, and it comes with a splash of magic. Callie’s character arc is one many girls and young ladies will identify with. I remember having the same struggles as a teenager that Callie does, and though I don’t think I could ever have done the modeling gig she stumbles into, it was a treat to follow along with her wild summer spree. My favorite aspect of this story was the sweet romance between Callie and Jake. I just adored Jake!

I highly recommend Butterfly Ink to readers who love clean romance, summer beach reads, and magical realism.

Releasing soon on June 17, 2024 from Monarch Press.