Author Archives: Stephanie Cotta

I know for me, I started writing my fantasy series THE CLASH OF KINGDOMS because I felt a strong urgency to write down the story that had been invading my dreams for years. It ended up becoming my lifeline and an escape from the crushing reality I existed in. I needed it for survival and to keep myself sane. It may not have been the healthiest approach at times, but it became cathartic. I found victory in my own writing—through my own characters’ journeys. I learned to stand up for myself, let my voice be heard, and forgive those who wronged me.

The above quote was and is a truth for me. Fantasy transformed my reality; it saved me. Every time I open my laptop to write, I am delving into a fantasy world that helped me grow stronger. It brought healing in my life; and I hope it will do the same for my readers.

My debut YA fantasy, THE CONJURER’S CURSE by Monarch Press comes out 12/06/22! Experience 17 year-old Rowan’s incredible journey to find his homeland and to break his life-draining curse.

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Hello everyone! To those of you following my writing journey, I wanted to fill you in on where I am with The Conjurer’s Curse. I received my copy line edits back from the amazing Pauline Harris several days ago, and I am already diving in. I love this stage of the editing process because I get to learn where I might’ve been too wordy in areas or where I made grammar mistakes. Believe me, they happen, and more often than you might think! It’s why having several rounds of editors is so important.

With a manuscript of 100,000 words, I’m bound to miss things! It takes a team to deliver a book to completion, and I’m blessed to have wonderful editors and beta readers who have helped me along the way. I’ll be finishing up my edits in a couple of days, and then it will be ready for the third round editor. I’m ahead of schedule, so I don’t have a date yet for when that round begins, but I’m looking forward to it.

Meanwhile, I’ll be able to use the free time to dive back into my two WIPs, one of which is The Heartsmith! As always, follow me on my socials to get the day to day scoop on my writing life!

The Conjurer’s Curse releases 12/06/22!

Happy New Year! I’m excited to say this is the year my novel THE CONJURER’S CURSE debuts!

So where am I in the publishing schedule? Ten days ago I sent my MS to my first round editor for development edits. I got my MS back just a couple of days ago and am wrapping up the edits for that as I write this. My second round editor (copy line editor) is ready when I am, so I’ll be hitting the next stage very soon!

Big announcement today! I’ve been picked up by Monarch Press! My YA Fantasy THE CONJURER’S CURSE will be published by Monarch Press December 2022! I am excited beyond words that my writing debut will finally be happening. This has been my dream for years to become a published author, and I am so happy to know my book will one day be in readers hands!

Big news this week! I’ve started writing the sequel for the Conjurer’s Curse! YAY! I know my beta readers are jumping for joy right now! As of today I am over 6,000 words in, and have been blocking in scenes for the first six chapters so far. I also added more than 4,000 words to The Heartsmith manuscript. It is currently over 38,000 words.

Now that I have two YA books going on at once, it’s going to likely be a daily competition for what story gets my attention. So far this past week, I was able to be consistent with both, and I hope to carry the same level of passion for each. Both stories are so starkly different and unique, taking place in entirely different worlds: one high fantasy, the other steampunk with technology–which has been a blast for me to explore!

Check in for more writing news as I share highlights from my process!

Welcome to my author website! I am currently in the querying process and trying to hook a literary agent for my YA fantasy, The Conjurer’s Curse. I finished my most polished draft in late July of 2021 after receiving wonderful feedback from my beta readers. Minor changes and additions were included to help deepen the story and character arcs. I am excited to see who will pick up this compelling story featuring a marginalized perspective. Stay tuned for more news!