Writing

Happy Cover Reveal to The Howl of Kanta

Posted by

0

I’m so pleased to share the cover for the final book in The Wolves of Kanta series!

Writing and releasing this series over the past year in a rapid-release format has been an incredible experience. At times it was so inspiring to have such a regular release schedule, and at other times it was terrifying. When I first started this journey, the only full-length book I had indie published was The Impostor and Other Dark Tales. It was definitely a bumpy road to start, but I slowly got into a pattern and a routine. I started with republishing The She-Wolf of Kanta with additional scenes and, over the past year, added an additional four books under my belt.

Next week, The Howl of Kanta will release, making the full number of full-length books I’ve written ten.

I won’t lie, since I finished reviewing the edits and uploaded all the files for Howl of Kanta, I’ve been antsy. It’s weird to not have an already planned book to be working on, a plot laid out before me to write, or an already decided character journey to explore. It’s strange to think about creating a new world with new characters, but it’s something I’ve also wanted to do for a few months now. For now, I’m giving myself the time and space to think and reflect before I dive into my next project. I’ve already got an idea of what that will be, but I want to make sure my palette is fully cleansed before I tackle a very different world.

Moving forward, I’ll probably slow down to a two books a year release schedule. It was very difficult balancing this while also working full-time and trying to maintain any kind of a social life. I have a huge amount of respect for people who can manage this at this pace for years at a time, or who even manage to publish a book a month. I’m in absolute awe. But I’ve tried it now and learned it’s a little too fast-paced for me. I like having a little more downtime, at least at this stage of my life.

Overall I’m extremely proud of this series and this world. I can’t wait to find out what people think of the final book and I look forward to the surprise at the end and where that might lead next.

If you haven’t already, pre-order your copy of The Howl of Kanta below, or begin with the book that started it all: The She-Wolf of Kanta. Enter a world filled with mad scientists, vicious hunters, and werewolves.

Pre-Order The Howl of Kanta
Get Book 1: The She-Wolf of Kanta

Announcing The Librarian Reshelved

Posted by

0

I’m so excited to share that my story, “The Great Burning”, has been published for the brand new anthology The Librarian Reshelved released by The Air and Nothingness Press! This anthology comes as a sequel to the wildly successful Kickstarter backed anthology The Librarian.

This anthology is only available in print and with a limited number of copies, printed in perfect bound paperback with French flaps. It will be limited to a 250 copy run. You can grab your copy here while it’s available.

The Librarian Reshelved

A collection of speculative fiction stories about the Librarian’s adventures roving through the multiverse getting in and out of trouble and paying people’s library fines.

The Librarian Reshelved is a continuing collection of speculative fiction stories about one Librarian’s adventures roving through the multiverse.

Grab your copy here:

Buy The Librarian Reshelved

Collaboration is Key

Posted by

1

Every book I write is a collaborative effort. I always try to emphasize that because there’s a perception that books are only crafted by the author. While that may be the case for some books, it is not the case for mine.

I ran into trouble trying to find an editor for The Blood of Kanta and the rest of The Wolves of Kanta series. I thought I had someone lined up, but it turned out that was for a sample edit and it would take six months after I approved the sample for a full edit. That was my bad, I misunderstood what I was signing up for. But I simply couldn’t wait that long.

I found Lara Zielinsky’s information on the Wide for the Win Facebook group. She was listed with high praise, so I reached out and explained my situation. Lara gave me a sample edit and worked out a schedule for me. She made this stressful situation so much easier to deal with. She not only put together a series style guide for me but also gave me wonderful feedback for The Blood of Kanta. She encouraged me to lean into the science more and not be afraid to go into more detail. I’m endlessly grateful to her for helping me out when I was in a dire situation, and for her incredible notes and feedback. I’m thrilled to have her for the rest of The Wolves of Kanta series!

Each cover was also carefully crafted. I worked with Harvest Moon Premade Cover Design for the entire Wolves of Kanta series. Blood of Kanta’s cover was especially fun to make because of the vials in her hands. I especially like the one that looks like poison–that was her suggestion! She was wonderful to work with each time I needed some graphic or had a question. I honestly can’t recommend her enough!

Finally, there’s the map of Kanta, which I intend to include for every book in the series. My sister, Kelley M. Frank, put it together after working closely with me on the look and style. She kept it simple but also added a lot of important places to keep the map relevant for the entire series, which I love. One of the best parts of having a map of the world while I’m actively writing the series is that I can reference it as I go.

Each book is a collaboration project put together by me and several creative professionals who are all far more experienced in their field than me. As much love as my books get, remember I could never do it alone.

Thank you to Lara Zielinsky, Harvest Moon Premade Cover Design, and Kelley M. Frank for all your help. I look forward to working with each of you again!

If you love their work as much as I do, go visit their sites below and give them some love!

Edits by Lara Zielinksy
Cover by Harvest Moon
Map by Kelley M. Frank

Chat With Me At Multiverse

Posted by

0

Come see me at Multiverse this weekend!

This weekend you can attend a FREE virtual convention that covers everything from writing to fandom love. It’s a three-day con and there are going to be some amazing panels to watch. No need to sign up, just show up. They’ll have information going up soon on how to get on their Discord server so you can chat with folks in real time throughout the convention.

I’m going to be in a panel on Sunday at 1:00PM on Characterization: Crafting a Villain with some absolutely fantastic fellow authors. Panelists will be watching and commenting live on Discord in the #write channel. Come join our discussion on crafting villains!

In addition to the panel, I’ll have one-on-one mentoring opportunities available Sunday afternoon. Have you ever wanted to pick my brain on publishing? Or on writing? Or on whatever writerly problem you want? This is your chance! I’ll have 8 fifteen minute sessions available, Sunday afternoon after the panel. Pick a slot and you can chat with me on Zoom.

Here are all the main links you’ll need:

I’m super excited to get to chat with y’all one on one! There are also a lot of other folks doing mentoring too, including authors and editors. Some people will even be accepting pitches. This is honestly a fantastic free opportunity so make sure you take advantage of it!

The Terror of Glaciers

Posted by

2

Photo by Jonatan Pie on Unsplash

So I realized that this is slowly becoming a series on my blog because I really like finding horror in everyday places, and sometimes not-so-everyday ones. I’ve tackled creepy corridors and the dread of the ocean, and I think now that this makes three entries I figured it needed a name. So this is now called the Everyday Fear series, where I tackle this topic and take requests for more areas to explore. Whether it’s something simple like an architecture design or a part of the natural world, I enjoy getting to research and explore the creepy factor!

For this next entry in the Everyday Fear series, I had a fantastic recommendation last week from Priscilla Bettis. (She recently had a horror short story picked up! You should totally go give her blog some love!) She recommended I tackle a location that she herself found frightening, the inside of a glacier.

Now if you’re new to my blog, you may not be familiar with this, but I am a huge wildlife and nature buff. I love watching nature documentaries so my brain is jam packed full of weird little tidbits about nature and unique places around the world.

First, a little bit first about glaciers. They are huge slabs of ice that are partially visible but are mostly submerged underwater. They are also constantly shifting and moving, so you can often hear the movements of the glacier while inside of it. When a glacier calves it can be enormous and incredibly destructive. Here is a short video called “Chasing Ice”, the largest glacier calving ever caught on film.

Chasing Ice: The largest glacier calving ever recorded.

I’ve never been inside of a glacier, but I have been inside of a cave before in a visit to Tennessee’s The Lost Sea. There’s always that fear in the back of your mind that the cavern will cave in. There’s always that fear of how much weight is hanging over your head, and what could cause it to collapse. Being in a glacier where you’re hearing the ice moving and buckling the entire time you’re inside of it, knowing that something as simple as a temperature change could cause it crashing down on you, can be absolutely terrifying.

Now, after everything I’ve said, would you believe that there are glacier climbers as well? They have to be very careful about which glaciers they climb since choosing one that is close to melting or one that is calving would be super dangerous. It’s risky because science can’t completely guarantee that the glacier won’t collapse.

Dani Arnold climbs out of a glacier

What places would you like me to tackle next in this series? Have you been somewhere and felt a little voice in the back of your mind whisper those little words: “What if…”? Share them below and I might include it next!