I'm happy to have volunteered for this year's BIPOC mentorship program through Codex Writer's Group (previously -- and perhaps again this year -- via Ancestral Futures). The mentorship program for emerging, speculative BIPOC writers will run from September 15 to December 15. If you know someone who might be interested, please share this information. And if you’re interested in having a writing mentor, drop an email as soon as possible to:
​codexmentoring@gmail.com

I attended my first Superstars in 2017 as a scholarship recipient. The full ride to the craft day plus three full days of workshops on the business of writing was amazing, but more than that, I became a permanent member of a large and supportive tribe of writers and mentors.
This year, not only is the Don Hodge Memorial Scholarship being offered again, but also two new scholarships: one for marginalized communities, and one for unpublished writers which includes hotel and air fare. Please share this information with others! More information about all three scholarships can be found at https://superstarswriting.com/

Woo Hoo! The Epic Fantasy Storybundle is live!
For $5 (or more, if you're feeling generous), you'll get the basic bundle of four books (including my standalone, The Halfblood War) in any ebook format—WORLDWIDE. If you pay at least the bonus price of just $20, you get all four of the regular books, plus NINE more books, for a total of 13!
https://storybundle.com/blog/2022trulyepicfantasybundle/

Click the link or picture above to read more about how this bundle works and learn more about the authors and books. Or click my newsletter link below to read more details there plus see our super cute new puppy, Tycho ;-)
https://mailchi.mp/449b87b8b480/a-bundle-of-goodies-heading-your-way

I know it's been ages since I posted, but you know, pandemic and all...
​Pretty much I've just been staying quietly at home, writing as well as doing more copyediting work. It was fun, though, when I popped in to my books on Amazon and saw that WordFire Press has The Halfblood War on a great sale -- not just the Kindle (at 99 cents) but the paperback at the lowest I've ever seen it ($4.99 down from $17.99). People must be liking the prices too!

• Best Sellers Rank: #33,842 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
  • #84 in Arthurian Fantasy (Kindle Store)
  • #327 in Metaphysical Fantasy eBooks
  • #330 in Historical Fantasy (Kindle Store)

If you want a copy, now is a good time!
https://www.amazon.com/Halfblood-War-L.../dp/B07FZ7496L/
https://wordfirepress.com/books/the-halfblood-war/​

A new site for finding the books you want to read is coming soon. Shepherd.com is currently in beta but will be launching fully sometime around the end of the year. It's a great concept for a book-finding resource that benefits both authors and readers and already has hundreds of author pages.
One of my recommendation lists can be found here. (Preview below.) Watch for more from these folks!

The application period for Superstars closes soon!
I attended my first Superstars in 2017 as a scholarship recipient. In addition to a full ride to the craft day and three full days of workshops on the business of writing, I also became a permanent member of a large and supportive tribe of writers and mentors. If financial challenge has kept you from attending, don't miss out on this opportunity!

The Halfblood War - One Day Sale
Hi - Happy Wednesday!

My stand-alone epic fantasy The Halfblood War is having a special sale!!  My publisher at WordFire Press let me know the novel is part of their monthly deal for June. It will be offered TODAY ONLY on Amazon for the 1st time ever price of 99 cents. (Amazon US  - I'm unsure if the deal will work outside the US.) It will also be featured on the publisher's website for the month of June. (If you live outside the US, you might try their site first.)

By the way - if you're a newsletter subscriber, I'm also offering link to a mobi or epub version of my award-nominated short story, The Weight of Mountains in today's newsletter. You can sign up anytime here:
Speculations - sign up

So, if you'd like to make my life 100% more awesome and get an epic fantasy novel for a bargain price, here are the links:

Amazon​
WordFire Press Store

Capclave: Where reading is not extinct

​Capclave begins tomorrow! Washington (DC) Science Fiction Association's con with GOH Troy L. Wiggins plus many returning folks like Ken Liu, Alan Smale, Fran Wilde, Carrie Vaughn, Seanan McGuire, Fonda Lee and so many more for the 20th anniversary of the con.

It's virtual this year, and only $10  www.capclave.org/capclave/capclave20/registration.php

I'll be there as a finalist for the Small Press Award for my short story "The Weight of Mountains" and a couple of programming presentations. Here's my schedule:
​
Author reading - Sat 1:30pm EST with fellow finalists Beth Cato and A.T. Greenblatt

Kaffeeklatsch - Sat 4:30pm EST - also with Beth Cato and A. T. Greenblatt

Panel - "Don't Self-Reject" - Sun 1:30pm with Scott H. Andrews, Troy Wiggins, Yosef Lindell, and Juliet Kemp

The Washington Science Fiction Association recently announced the finalists for their WSFA Small Press Award. I am honored to say that my short story, The Weight of Mountains, published last year in DreamForge, issue #2, has been named as one of the finalists. I'm pleased to be sharing a spot in such a strong field of  stories. The winner will be announced at Capclave--the WSFA (Washington, DC) convention--held virtually this year, on Oct 17th &18th.

My publisher made the graphic below from the amazing artwork the story received, and has made the story free to read as the featured story at the DreamForge website. https://bit.ly/weight-of-mountains