Happy New Year!

I should probably wait until the 2nd to send this out, shouldn't I? Everybody sleeping off New Year's Eve. I hope all your dogs survived the scary fireworks.

I have lots of polls this newsletter. All really important, world-changing stuff. To get started:

Grinchy

Classic

Griswald

Blingz

(For the record, my wife disqualified herself in a Godzilla-like fit of rage when her roof slid off.)

I sent an out-of-cycle newsletter about finishing the first draft of Secrets of Deara. Since then, I've gone back and written a couple of chapters that I thought tied a few specifics together a little more cleanly, and cut a few sections, but I've mostly worked on other things to take a little break from Secrets. The story is at about 70k words right now, so a bit on the short side. But there's still one character whose story isn't fleshed out, and weaving that in will probably get me at around 80k. Maybe. I'd intended to start my second pass this morning, but instead I'm working on this newsletter. 🙃

Anyway, what else have I done instead of working on Secrets?

One, I updated the covers for Guardian League. I also updated the backmatter on Mother of Trees, and somehow managed to push the update to the wrong book... I pushed the changes to Bones. So I received a rather disgruntled review. I'm glad someone told me though... it had already sat there for twelve days with the wrong content! Meh.

I also created new ads for Guardian League and Mother of Trees. I'll share here and, heck, I'll put some links if you want to go upvote ("like") the ones you like--I don't think I need you to, but feel free. I'm using something on FB called a DCT (Dynamic Creative Template). It mixes up those three images with two headlines and two descriptions, so 12 combinations of ads. Since I'm only providing three links, those are just three of the variants (one for each pic). Heh, I guess that means it might actually hurt me for you to "like" an ad... it will bias the FB algorithm toward thinking that ad is the best combo and start sending it more. How about this--I'll set up a poll. You can just vote. But I'll leave the FB links there in case you want to tell FB that you'd like more fantasy ads in your feed.

​FB Link →​

​FB Link →​

​FB Link →​

Oh, I didn't want Grundle blue. As soon as I push midjourney toward the style I want, it turns Grundle blue. I haven't figured out how to get past that yet.

Moving on to Mother of Trees:

MoT Face

Elliah on the run

I can tell you, the "Elliah on the run" pic hasn't done well at all, but the "MoT Face" is getting clicks. But I may try more variants of the "Elliah on the run" pic.

​All books by Steven J. Morris​

Indie Author Showcase

New Release today! ​Heretic Blade: DIASPORA Book One​ by C. R. Walton THE WAY BETWEEN WORLDS HAS LONG BEEN SHUT. NO MORE. Aven lives like all the other commoners - under the thumb of the Keepers, who claim to know many secrets yet never tell. It is forbidden by the Keepers to visit the incredible ‘Great Circles’ left behind by the Founders, supposedly portals between worlds, but Aven cannot resist temptation. It is only a matter of time before Aven is caught red handed. Yet it is not by the Keepers, but warriors from another world entirely. As Aven finds himself hunted across worlds by Kings, ghouls, and eyeless dragons, he must pay a steep price for learning the truth. But it is a truth everyone will soon have to contend with. After a thousand years of isolation, The Diaspora is reuniting. “An insane fusion of Sanderson, Tolkein, and Frank Herbert - the perfect hybrid of magical realism, epic fantasy, and science fiction.” - Reader review ​ "The breadth of imagination here is incredible. A fantasy epic truly packed with original ideas." - Reader review

​Cora Blake: Arcane Agent​ by D. C. Fergerson An agent is missing. Still in training, is Cora Blake ready to help save him? Called out of her arcane and combat training early, Cora is placed on assignment. Anti-meta separatists are holding a hacker hostage. Together with her mentor and a shape-shifting Italian operative, Cora steps into the game. But does she know what she’s getting into? Witness the first mission of NSA Arcane Agent Cora Blake in the prelude to The Dragon’s Dream Saga!

​ ​ ​Shadows and Relics​ L. L. Gray A dark ritual. Werewolves on my trail. A single chance to uncover the truth... Cameron Blaze is my name, living on the edge is my game. Acquiring an ancient artifact? Sure, I like old stuff. Procuring a precious? I’ve got some sticky fingers right here. I will do pretty much anything to make rent and will enjoy the hell out of the ride as I go. ​ When werewolves turn up in New Orleans for the first time in living memory, I was curious. When they start to disrupt my business, I was annoyed. But when they come at me? I’m ready to open a can of whoop-the-wolf, no matter the consequences. ​ Adding to my canine conundrum, ghosts are disappearing from the New Orleans cemeteries and rumors of dark rituals are floating around the seedy underbelly of my city. To top it off, a powerful and mysterious relic has gone missing. A relic that, by all accounts, has the power to tear the veil that separates this world from the next to shreds. ​ With time running out and lives on the line, will I be able to find this ancient relic before all hell is set loose on my city?

​Agent of Chaos​ by Janet Walden-West She’s a cool, calm, and collected killer. He hates violence. Is their chemistry about to set their lives on fire? Liv Muñez runs on logic, not emotion. Now heading her own monster-hunting unit, the former lieutenant struggles to forge her team of outcasts into the best of the best while keeping vulnerable humans safely ignorant. So she can’t forgive her error when a sting on a vampire-run hotel kitchen accidentally lands a heroic line cook in the crossfire. Marshall Tate is used to screwing up when he misreads other people’s reactions. So when the beautiful commander keeps intervening just in time to soothe his skyrocketing anxiety, he refuses to believe anyone really cares. And after he discovers he’s on a bloodsucker’s most wanted list, the dyslexic loner is sure he’s in a new version of hell. Uncertain how to deal with her growing feelings for the self-sacrificing guy, Liv feels duty-bound to defend her deadly role despite Marshall’s qualms over what he believes is murder. And though Marshall gains confidence as their attraction ignites, he questions the morality of painting the entire cryptid population with the same lethal brush. Are they brave enough to open their hearts to each other and kick some ghoulish ass?

Previous Newsletters

• ​Newsletter - Out of Cycle - Dec. 20, 2024​
• ​Newsletter - December 15, 2024​
• ​Newsletter - December 1, 2024​
• ​Newsletter - November 15, 2024​

​​May you get lost this week in another world.

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