Bethany A. Jennings's Blog

Book Two of the Star-Fae Trilogy has released!! Book One, Halayda, is one of my favorite books ever…so I am very excited about this.

Severed Veil is here!!!! 

Today author Janeen Ippolito is here on the blog to share about her upcoming steampunk fantasy adventure – Faithless, Book 2 of her Ironfire Legacy series!

First, a bit about the book…

One wild night, Shance Windkeeper discovers he’s married to a death unicorn.

But that’s the least of his troubles.

As an agent for the Lawless, Shance is working with dragonshifters Kesia Ironfire and Zephryn Nightstalker, trying to end the dragon-human war and the organization that masterminded it. While on a mission in the Scepter of Knowledge, the Lawless is hit with a devastating death unicorn attack.

Out of the wreckage new allies emerge: Lirome Ukerys, and his twin sister Maira, the death unicorn queen – Shance’s long-lost wife.

Recently freed from captivity, Maira is fighting to regain control of her herd. Lurien Alistil, a rogue death unicorn, has bespelled the Scepter of Knowledge and taken Maira’s son. When Kesia unexpectedly challenges Lurien to a public debate over the fate of the city, the Lawless has a chance to break the usurper’s hold. To obtain vital information they must infiltrate her lair – and as the husband of the death unicorn queen, Shance Windkeeper is the perfect prize to go in.

But Lurien’s power is stronger and more insidious than they realize. And if the final pieces of her plan fall into place, not even Shance’s newfound Talents and knowledge will be enough to stop her.

A steampunk fantasy adventure with much intrigue, unexpected romance, sudden tragedy, and a snarky cat-dragon.

Now here are some of Janeen’s thoughts on the process of writing this intense book!

Faithless was one of the hardest books I’ve had to write. And I’ve written a lot of them, most of which have been cast aside in favor of better ideas, or are in my “to-be-revised” pile, which is huge, by the way.

The difference with Faithless was that it was supposed to be easy. Each book in The Ironfire Legacy series had to be outlined and planned in order for it to be accepted by Uncommon Universes Press. So I figured Faithless would be easy enough to write.

But this book asked something of me, that I didn’t fully understand. It asked me to subject a main character to her worst fear. And then to keep doing so, all throughout the rest of the series. This would seem standard for storytelling, but in the case of secondary protagonist Kesia Ironfire, taking away what she feared to lose most also drastically altered the tone of the story and upped the pain level for everyone involved.

I’ll tell you a secret: I hate making my characters suffer. I can chuckle about it with gallows humor, borne from necessary distance and also a side effect from having to go over the same manuscript ten times or more.

Yet every time I have to take my characters to those dark, hopeless places, I get frightened that maybe hope won’t be on the other side. Silly, I know, since I’m the writer. But my style of writing is a bit method, if you will. I leaped into each character’s POV and try my best to pour out their story on the page from their POV.

So what hurts my characters hurts me. And I really don’t enjoy hurting. It is the OPPOSITE of my favorite. I strongly prefer to be an upbeat, chill sort of person who lives and let lives. But there are painful shadows in my past and in my heart, hurts that insist on forcing their way out through my fingers whether I want them to or not. And sometimes, I really don’t.

It takes time. It takes several drafts with major revisions between as my beta readers and editor force me to go deeper and deeper into hard places. And, mean people that they are, they insist that I can’t always end an intense, difficult moment with a joke or a silly bit of action.

The editor and publisher in me agree with them. The author in me sticks out her tongue.

The overall process is exhausting and on occasion, annoying, as I go into those shadowy places inside myself. But the results are always worth it. The story is deeper, richer, and the humor a lot more potent for the hardship.

In the case of Kesia Ironfire, Faithless continues her trial by fire with a brutal twist. She weathers on. She endures.

She finds new hope in the darkness.

And in writing her story arc, I do as well.

About the Author

Janeen Ippolito believes words transform worlds. She creates writing resources and writes steampunk fantasy. She’s also an experienced teacher, editor, author coach, and the editor in chief of Uncommon Universes Press. In her spare time, she enjoys sword-fighting, reading, food, and making brownie batter. Two of her goals are eating fried tarantulas and traveling to Antarctica. This extroverted writer loves getting connected, so find her on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and at her website: janeenippolito.com

Purchase Faithless from these online retailers!

Amazon – Barnes & Noble – Kobo – iBooks – Signed Paperback

OR (this is my preferred way to get UUP books!) get autographed pre-orders straight from the publisher’s website!

Faithless – or – Priceless & Faithless Bundle – or – Ironfire Legacy Bundle

Also, add Faithless to your Goodreads!

Pssst, there’s also a Facebook party!

Celebrate the launch of Faithless: The Ironfire Legacy Book 2 with featured author Janeen Ippolito and guest authors Angelique Anderson and R.J. Metcalf! Get your fill of steampunk, dragons, adventures, and more (re: death unicorns and a cat-dragon) with this fun-filled evening that includes giveaways, games, and an exclusive reveal or two.

Hosted by Laura A. Grace of Unicorn Quester and Uncommon Universes Press!

Click on the image below to join the party!

Faithless will also be touring on these lovely blogs:

Monday, October 8th

–      Map Monday Spotlight – Becky Gaines

Tuesday, October 9th

–      Spotlight – Letters From Annie (Douglass) Lima

Wednesday, October 10th

–      Character Interview – Jenelle Leanne Schmidt

–      Guest Post & Interview – TheHufflepuffNerdette

Thursday, October 11th

–      Behind-the-Scenes –The Simmering Mind

–      Author Interview – Claire M. Banschbach

Friday, October 12th   

–      Behind-the-Scenes – Author Katherine A. Massengill

Sunday, October 14th

–      Book Review – Smada’s Book Smack

Monday, October 15th

–      Spotlight –  A Hippie’s Bookshelf

–      Character Interview with Shance – Becky Gaines

Tuesday, October 16th

–      World Building Feature on the Scepter of Knowledge – K.A. Cummins

Wednesday, October 17th

–      Spotlight – The Genre Minx Book Reviews

Thursday, October 18th

–      Behind-the-Scenes – Unicorn Quester

Friday, October 19th

–      World Building Feature on Death Unicorns – C. O. Bonham

–      Spotlight – YA/NA Book Divas

Saturday, October 20th

–      World Building Feature on Dragons – Empyrean Voyager

–      Book Review – The Book Unicorn

Monday, October 22nd

–      Book Review – Jessica Rachow: Author & Blogger

Tuesday, October 23rd

–      Behind-the-Scenes – Anna Tan

Wednesday, October 24th

–     Book Review – Anna Tan

Thursday, October 25th

–     Author Interview – Laura VanArendonk Baugh

–      Book Review – Becky Gaines

The post Blog Tour for Faithless: Guest Post by Author Janeen Ippolito appeared first on The Simmering Mind.

I am over the moon excited to share this with you today. A cover reveal and a pre-order – because next month I am releasing a new book!

Severed Veil: Tales of Death and Dreams

A dream-traveling boy haunted by a broken girl. A cursed warrior, weary of bloodshed. A princess who battles dragons in an enchanted slumber. A treacherous graveyard in the stars.

From Bethany A. Jennings—author of Threadbare and Dragon Lyric—come twelve mesmerizing short works of poetry and prose that boldly pierce the shadows. Severed Veil contains a selection of fantasy, sci-fi, and poetry, including “Dreamskip,” the winner of an honorable mention from the Writers of the Future Contest in 2018.

Illustrated with ethereal pencil sketches by artist Julia Busko, these tales dance on the delicate rift between life and death, waking and dreams.

This cover was created by Magpie Designs Ltd. Isn’t it gorgeous?? She so beautifully captured the shadowy and luminous tones of this book, which is full of dark, fierce stories and poems I’ve pulled from the very depths of my heart.

Severed Veil will also contain illustrations by my talented friend Julia Busko, who did the cover for Dragon Lyric. Her work is a perfect fit for this collection! It’s fantastic to work with both of these artists again and to have their beautiful art be a part of this release.

Here’s a tiny glimpse of Julia’s concept sketches!

And here’s a little snippet of one of the stories inside…

Glass shatters somewhere at the other end of the house. The hair on the back of my neck stands on end. I hold my breath.

Then distant wailing. Pleading. A male voice growling back.

I creep out of the bush, dial nine-one-one, and shove the phone back in my pocket on mute. Every muscle in me is clenched in fear.

I try the rusty back doorknob. Unlocked.

Buzzing with nervous energy, I ease open the door and step into a hallway. Drops of blood stain the beige carpet. Harriet’s?

My throat tightens, but I keep moving. The sound of weeping grows louder with every step—and then the tinkle of broken glass scraping on kitchen tiles.

“Shut it, you,” the male voice mutters. Vicious. Threatening.

If only I had a weapon.

To find out what happens next, find the story “Dreamskip” in the collection when it comes out!

Severed Veil releases on October 27, 2018. But you can pre-order it or add it to your Goodreads list TODAY!
Pre-order SEVERED VEIL on Amazon
Add Severed Veil on Goodreads

The post Severed Veil Cover Reveal!! appeared first on The Simmering Mind.

Publishing preparation checklist?? OH YES.

Hey, everybody!

Yesterday I sent out my June newsletter, which contained a whole host of exciting announcements, as well as a free flash fiction piece, Fall Like a Stone. The link below will take you there to read it all…

READ THE EXCITING NEWSLETTER HERE! (A new story may be coming out…) 

My friend and fellow author, RJ Conte, has a new book out! This time it’s a Christian rom-com – and guys, this book is laugh-out-loud funny.

Today I’m thrilled to welcome a friend to my blog – Mollie Reeder, debut author of The Electrical Menagerie. TEM is a “solarpunk” novel and I’m really itching to get my hands on my own copy! It looks super unique, and from what I’ve seen of her sneak peeks, it’s going to be both moving and hilarious.

I’m interviewing Mollie today (and there’s a link to a super cool giveaway at the bottom of this post!), but first, here’s a bit about her shiny book itself!

About The Electrical Menagerie

The Electrical Menagerie, one-of-a-kind robotic roadshow, is bankrupt.

Sylvester Carthage, illusionist and engineer, has the eccentric imagination the Menagerie needs to succeed creatively — but none of the people skills. Fast-talking Arbrook Huxley, meanwhile, has all the savvy the Menagerie needs to succeed commercially — but none of the scruples.

To save their show, Carthage & Huxley risk everything in a royal talent competition, vying for the chance to perform for the Future Celestial Queen. In this stardust-and-spark-powered empire of floating islands and flying trains, a shot at fame and fortune means weathering the glamorous and cutthroat world of critics, high society, and rival magicians —but with real conspiracy lurking beneath tabloid controversy, there’s more at stake in this contest than the prize.

Behind the glittery haze of flash paper and mirrors, every competitor has something to hide… and it’s the lies Carthage & Huxley tell each other that may cost them everything.

“Dazzles from start to finish. In Carthage & Huxley, Sherlock & Watson fans will find another dynamic duo whose ready wit and sizzling banter (and inevitable personality clashes) never fail to delight. You’ll be calling for an encore performance.” Gillian Bronte Adams, author of The Songkeeper Chronicles

“The stuff that fandoms are built on.” Kyle Robert Shultz, author of Beaumont & Beasley

Purchase The Electrical Menagerie on Amazon

or

add it to your Goodreads!

IT SOUNDS SO GOOD. Eeep! I can’t wait to read it!

Realm Makers is less than 50 days away, peeps.

SQUEE!!!!

(That GIF expresses both sides of my brain here. On the one hand, ALL THE EXCITE! And on the other….oh, I have so much to do before I go!!)

This will be my third year going to Realm Makers, and since it’s on my mind today, I thought I’d write up some advice and thoughts for those attending for the first time – or going to their first conference anywhere – or going any time, no matter how many conferences you’ve been to!

A lot of people have written advice posts on what to pack, or what to bring to Realm Makers specifically, how to prep if you’re going to pitch to an agent or publisher, and so forth. Those posts are immensely helpful, and I recommend you check them out!

But this isn’t going to be one of those posts.

I’m here to speak to your writer heart from mine, about how to prepare internally for going out among a huge throng of fellow Christian writers, maybe for the first time ever.

First of all…

1. It’s totally normal to be nervous.

Don’t be embarrassed by it. Or surprised. Many of us writers are shy little introverted butterflies, and the thought of going to a conference full of strangers – and, eeeek, talking about our writing! – makes us shudder. Or maybe you have something else to be nervous about, like the travel.

This is NORMAL.

Feel it. Accept it. Embrace it. Don’t be scared by your own fear! Listen to music that gives you courage, read Scripture passages about bravery, and combat each lie with the truth of who you are in Christ and why you have nothing to fear.

(I made a playlist to listen to on the plane the first year I went, to fill my heart with truth and courage…if you’d like to listen to it, I’ve put it on Spotify, here!)

2. Look outside yourself.

Think about this: you are going to go to this conference and be surrounded by other people who are just as terrified as you are. Even some people going back for the second or third time have new things to be nervous about! We can always use a smile and an encouraging word, no matter how experienced we are. All of us are only human.

Instead of allowing your nerves to swallow you whole, look outside yourself. Smile. Say hello. Sit next to someone you haven’t met before and ask them what they’re writing. Show the love of Christ to someone. ALL of us can do this. You’re never too new or too shy to bless others!

Focus on making others feel seen and welcome, and you’ll totally forget to worry about how people are perceiving you.

My friend and author coach, Janeen Ippolito, is releasing a new book for writers! Irresistible World Building for Unforgettable Stories: A Creative Writing Guide for World Building That Sells promises to be a fantastic resource for tying my world-building to my stories in meaningful ways. I’m excited to get my hands on a copy!

To celebrate her release, Janeen’s made her blog hop into an opportunity for authors to share about their fantastic worlds. So here are some interview questions and answers about the world of my Kraesinia Trilogy.