Emma Sheppard's Blog

I can’t believe it. It has been one year since I released The Reaper’s Contract!

Your first thought might be, where is book two?! It’s coming, it’s coming. I am trying my best not to George R.R. Martin it (sorry George).

But, as it is the birthday of the day I took the leap of faith and published my debut novel, I wanted to give you a present. A reverse birthday if you will!

From June 18, 2019 – June 22, 2019 The Reaper’s Contract will be FREE on Kindle!

As always, it is available on Kindle Unlimited. But hey, who doesn’t love FREE things! So share with your friends, share with your family, share with your dog!

Click on the image below to get your FREE Kindle copy!

[image error] The Reaper’s Contract (The Beast King Chronicles Book I) by Emma Sheppard

And most importantly, thank you all for your love and support!

~Emma

P.S. Wanna give back? The best present is an honest review on Amazon.com or Goodreads.com!

The post The Reaper’s Contract – Free for a Limited Time! appeared first on Emma Sheppard.

It has almost been one year since I published The Reaper’s Contract.

And goodness, let me tell you, that learning curve was STEEP.

I have never been more delighted, scared, happy, and frustrated in my life. I was pulling my hair out, panicking at little mistakes, taking courses, and researching and researching – and that was before I was published!

After I was published I was still pulling my hair out, panicking at little mistakes…you get the drill. It took a long time until I learned that being done is better than being perfect (read more about that here!).

Sometimes we just need to plow ahead, past the frustration and worry, to get to the goal.

But let’s be real – it’s much easier to go all Alice down the rabbit hole!

Alice’s face is a mood. And legit how I felt last year trying to navigate the world of indie publishing – a little insane at a tea party!

Despite the constant trial and error, I am in a much more confident and comfortable position for launching The Diplomat’s Son. This time I hope I will be working smarter, not harder!

It’s not use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then.

Alice, Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Would I like to be able to go back over the last year and do things differently? Of course. I have learned so much in the last year that there are things I would have changed, and certainly ways I would have handled my stress and expectations of myself (especially in regards to launching my first book!). But I did it, and that, above all else, is the most rewarding thing!

Personal Updates

Personally, I can’t believe a year has passed already!

We got a puppyWe moved into a new houseWe celebrated new additions in our families’ and friends’ livesWe mourned losses

This past year has motivated me to keep following my dream of becoming a full-time author. A year can pass by in the blink of an eye!

As for the Future…



The Diplomat’s Son is in full swing, though slower than I expected. Thank you for your grace and patience!A short story – The Tamar Civil War – will give the prequel background to the events in The Reaper’s Contract. I will be offering this story for free, and will let you know when it’s released!Other than that, I really need to paint my house! We moved in, and still don’t have pictures on the wall. Time to make this house a home.

Your turn! How has the last year impacted you! What do you have planned?

~Emma~

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The post One Year in Review appeared first on Emma Sheppard.

Hi Everyone!

Sorry for the hiatus. Life gets a bit crazy sometimes. I realized I wasn’t writing as much as I wanted for The Diplomat’s Son. Taking the advice of the Create If Writing podcast (a good listen for all!), I put everything else aside so that I could focus on writing.

[image error]Yep, my writing is that messy.
#sorrynotsorry

Messy eh? Good thing I know what it all means! I admit my process would drive other writers crazy. Sometimes it drives me crazy.

What about you, fellow readers, writers, and creators? Are you a computer person or a hand-writer when it comes to the creative process? As you can see, I am a mixture of both. I’ll start on the computer, go to the pen, back to the computer, repeat. I’m picky about the pens, and they must flow nicely without being too inky! There is something about the pen gliding on paper that gets my creative ideas flowing!

Speaking of the flow of creative ideas, that brings me to the other aspect of why I had to step away from the blog – writer’s block. Writing The Diplomat’s Son I didn’t know where I wanted the story to go, and felt like I was forcing it. Taking time off to read other books and watch some movies, helped. But nothing helped more like sitting down with a pen and filling in the blanks!

How do you bust through writer’s or creative blocks? Would love some tidbits and advice!

~Emma~

The post Sorry for the hiatus…. appeared first on Emma Sheppard.

Sign up below to enter to win a signed copy of The Reaper’s Contract and be added to our newsletter for more contest details, freebies, and updates!

Rules:
1. Must sign up below!
2. Like the post that looks like the picture above on Instagram or Facebook posted on March 21, 2019.
3. Must be living in the U.S. or Canada
4. This is a romance book. Suitable for young adults and adults!
5. Deadline to enter is March 28, 2019.

Winner will be announced on April 4th, 2019!

TO ENTER CLICK HERE

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When I was a little girl, I LOVED She-Ra, Princess of Power. She was beautiful. Elegant. Her hair was the stuff of dreams. And her heels nearly kicked her butt when she ran.

I add the last part because for the longest time, as a little girl, I made myself run like her.

She-Ra, 1985



[image error]Credit: Wikipedia.org Fair Use

I honestly don’t remember much about the original 1985 She-Ra (above). The character, named Adora, is originally with the bad guys who raised her. She honestly believes her actions are for the good. Eventually, she defects to the good side, and finds out she can turn into She-Ra, a freaking legend who can lift grown men over her head.

She was flipping awesome. A heroine who was a trained soldier, but also feminine and empathetic. As Adora or She-Ra, she was a bad ass babe.

When I heard She-Ra was being remade by Netflix, I had a bit of a panic. I didn’t like how She-Ra looked in the posters. She seemed harder and meaner. She wore shorts under her skirt (why bother having a skirt? Just use pants?) I didn’t want my vague childhood memories to be ruined. I mean, I worked hard on that butt-kicking run.

She-Ra and The Princesses of Power



[image error]
Credit: Wikipedia Fair Use

Being a fan of cartoons made for all ages (I highly recommend Avatar, and Trollhunters), I decided to give She-Ra a shot. I wasn’t expecting much. And planned on shutting it off after the first episode. So, do not take this lightly when I say:

Everyone should watch the new She-Ra.

The writing, wit, and humanity of this show is superb. Each character is complexly written. All types of body shapes and relationships are shown. More importantly, they are shown as normal. The show does not have a token anything, because everyone is their own being. Characters’ sexuality, race, body types, or whatever you want to examine are not used in a self-indulgent way to make the show seem inclusive. The show is inclusive. Because it treats all these things as normal, everyday occurrences.

Not to mention, the show is lovable, laugh out loud funny, complex, and I will protect the character Bow with all my heart.

Honestly, it would be a dream job to work with the writers of the show. They have taken my childhood, and made it more enjoyable and relevant as an adult in today’s world.

I do admit I am still not a fan of She-Ra’s look (again, the skirt shorts!), but that is childhood bias. However, when the character is herself as Adora, she is a bad ass babe whose look brings me back to my childhood.

[image error]Credit: Netflix Fair Use

If you are looking for strong complex female characters (there are so many!) and inspiration, I highly recommend giving the new She-Ra a go. I know that I will strive to make my characters as boss as all the princesses of power. As a fantasy romance author, this show is the stuff of dreams.

Have you watched the new She-Ra and the Princesses of Power? What childhood show do you wish they would remake?

I would love to hear from you!

~Emma~

The post Childhood Meets Adulthood – She-Ra, Princess of Power appeared first on Emma Sheppard.

It took me nearly 3 years to release my first book.

That is a long time, for a novel of this size. Part of it was fear (read about Why I Gave Up On My Passion here). A major aspect was the paralyzing obsession of perfection.

Perfection is in the eye of the beholder. It is art.



[image error] Love it? Hate it? Like perfection, it’s all about perspective!
Photo by Steve Johnson from Pexels

I was petrified when I released the first version of my book. Did my
editor and I catch all the grammar/spelling mistakes (spoiler alert: we didn’t).
Was my book cover good enough (spoiler alert: it wasn’t). I would spend hours poring
over formatting and word choice. There was always another mistake or another
way to do things. I was completely miserable.

We hear about different personality types all the time. Back when I was kid, it was divided into Type A or Type B (now there are many different personality type tests, which are less rigid). I was classic “Type A”. Perfectionist. Stubborn. And WORRIED. Oh man, how I worried. This unfortunate trait continued to adult hood. I worried way too much about what others would think about me if there was the slightest mistake in my book. So instead of releasing it, I spent my time finding other things to check, other things to revamp. I fixated on the imperfections, and time flew away.

There is no such thing as true perfection. It is an abstract idea, completely unattainable.

I wish I could say I had an “ah-ha!” moment and realized that perfection wasn’t attainable. In fact, it took a lot of podcasts, breakdowns, and discussions to bite the bullet and just send my story out into the world. Now, 8 months later, I look bad and reflect that all my fears were not real. Things can be changed. The spelling mistakes were fixed. The cover is now updated (check below, gorgeous right?!).

[image error]The Reaper’s Contract (The Beast King Chronicles Book I) by Emma Sheppard

What is real is the feeling of accomplishment and pride about my book.

What is real is the book I can hold in my hands.

The pit in my stomach is gone. And now on releasing my next book, I have a better understanding of the process, an amazing person with hawk eyes to help me edit, and a cover designer to match my more realistic idea of “perfection”.

Just let it be easy. Life is too short to let perfection stop you.

~Emma~

The post Perfection as a Flaw appeared first on Emma Sheppard.

Hello fellow readers, lovers of books! Welcome to my February edition of From My Bookshelf, where I take one book I love and share it with you. This month has been a month of reflection, cozy blankets, and lots of coffee (what else is there to do in -40 degree Celsius weather?!) I thought this month I would pick a classic from my bookshelf. In university I had to read this novel as part of a required English course. It was an accelerated summer course, and I remember about 90% of my classmates were bored to tears. For some reason, I absolutely loved it. Enough to keep it on my bookshelf. Love it or hate it, it is a classic.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

FYI – This post includes affiliate links. I may earn a commission from your purchases ~ at no additional cost to you!

[image error]



Who is this book for?

Lovers of classics (like Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein), romance, strong heroines, and brooding men. Normally I dislike wordy novels (such was the writing style then), but I found reading Jane Eyre, was an experience that I throughly enjoyed. You are pulled into her world, her thoughts, her experiences. The character’s passion leaps from the pages. If you can handle the density of text, it is a delight.

What is it about?

Oh, Jane Eyre, the poor thing. She has been through so much. Abuse, contempt, being lied to, and constantly being called “plain” (though I always got the feeling that she wasn’t as bad as they say, and she certainly isn’t in any of the movies made!). Eventually, plain Jane finds herself in the home of the rich and emotionally distant Mr. Rochester as a governess to his young charge. Jane falls in love with her employer, and her love is reciprocated, but she must hold true to her morals when a shocking revelation happens at her wedding.

Classic Quote

“There is no happiness like that of being loved by your fellow-creatures, and feeling that your presence is an addition to their comfort.”

~ Jane Eyre (Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë)

Have you read Jane Eyre? Did you love it or hate it? Let me know in comments!

~Emma~

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Hello fellow fantasy romance lovers! I am excited to say that I am working diligently on the next instalment of The Beast King Chronicles featuring our beloved rogue, Deryk Samyth.

For those who haven’t read the first book, The Reaper’s Contract, head on over to Kindle and pick it up for less than a cup of coffee, or read it for free as a Kindle Unlimited subscriber! If you haven’t read the first book, WARNING: THE REAPER’S CONTRACT SPOILERS AHEAD!

Where we left off with Samyth…

Last we saw Deryk Samyth was the surprise finale co-hero with his best friend since childhood, Luke Elgin. Samyth is spontaneous, deadly, roguish, and extremely charming. The perfect mix to get into a spot of trouble, don’t you think?

Not going to lie, Samyth was my absolutely favourite character to write in The Reaper’s Contract, which is why I was so excited to continue his story. He always seemed bored with his kingdom and the monotony of it. So, where does a roguish, bored, and charming individual belong?

The high seas of course.



[image error]

I am sending Samyth off on an adventure to a distant land. But don’t worry, some old favourites will be coming in to make appearances. It was time to get Samyth off on his own, without the shadow of his brooding friend Elgin. There is sword-fights, kidnapping, and of course, a mysterious woman who piques our heroes interest. Samyth is in for the shock of a lifetime.

Want a teaser?

You can read the first chapter for free by clicking here!

Want more updates?

Keep up to date by signing up for my mailing list. And maybe, just maybe, a few more sneak peeks and free chapters in the coming months.

I never really thought about my writing process until someone asked me. I just assumed all writers were like me, and we just…wrote. It wasn’t until I was speaking with my talented uncle and fellow writer Alex F. Fayle that I realized we have very different methods to our madness. My uncle is a plotter – before he is fully writing scenes he has the book plot laid out, and all the questions answered that he wanted answered (plus creating a few that he perhaps will answer later). He is flexible as the story unfolds, but before that happens he can have up to ten pages already written outlining the plot.

I hate outlining the book first. In school, we would get plot outline templates to fill out. The ones that looked like this:

[image error]

I couldn’t do them. I would write the story first, and then go back and fill them out the information.

There is nothing wrong with this style of writing. It is organized (which I love), simple (also great), and motivating (you know where it is going). And it makes me cringe.

That got me thinking…what is my style?

My writing style is different. I see pieces of scenes in my head, and write them down. They are never in order, and do not link together. I write and write and write all these scenes until no more pop into my head. What I am left with is a disjointed mess. And that is when the magic begins.

I am an archaeologist.

Not literally of course (though that would be super cool). I dig up an area. There are broken pieces, pots, ceramics, bones, chairs, whatever you can find. I might start in this section, or move onto the next. In the end you have pieces, and fragments of a story. You rearrange the fragments to create a whole piece. With your whole pieces, you find common threads, and make links. This becomes the story.

[image error]

The same with paleontology. Personally, I think dinosaurs are rad (and don’t get me started on the deep sea). Paleontologists uncover pieces of dinosaur bones. Some skeletons are whole, and that’s great. Others are missing fragments, or have multiple type of dinosaur bones all jumbled together. Taking the pieces, they find what fits, what doesn’t, and make the links as necessary. And in the end, you get a Tyrannosaurus Rex, hopefully with a side of Jeff Goldblum.

And that’s what I do when I write. I find the dinosaur. I find the story.

Do you like to write or create? What is the method to your madness? Are you more plotter or archaeologist? Let me know in the comments!

~Emma~

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And more importantly how I found my way back

I’ve always loved writing. As a kid, I was either a. reading or b. furious writing away at a new story. I wanted to be a writer. I wanted to see my book in bookstores. Originally I wanted to be the next Stephen King – I wrote many horror stories. Then, I read Lord of the Rings, and wanted to be a fantasy novelist. I kept a little notebook (I still have it) full of ideas and snippets.

Next thing I knew, I was already an adult, and my dreams were just that – dreams.

Why did I give up on writing?

It is hard to believe I gave up my passion. Though I loved to live the world of fantasy, in the real world I became a cynical realist. I allowed the doubts of others to trickle in. Writing won’t make you money. Go to school. Continue your education. Be a teacher. Writing is just a hobby. Those doubts then manifested as fears. You will never be good enough. Why bother trying?

Passion is a fickle creature. It can fill you with joy, self-purpose, and just an overall feeling of wellness and completeness in your soul. The dark side of passion is fear. Fear of rejection, and fear of failure. It is easier to allow your dream to remain a dream. If you don’t try, you don’t fail.

Years went by, and my half completed manuscripts sat in a dusty drawer. I never threw them out, despite moving what felt like a zillion times and halfway across the country. I always told myself I would get back to it, and yet there they sat, gathering more and more dust.

Then It Happened…

Eventually, I was cleaning out that dusty drawer when I came across my stories. Out of curiosity, I started flipping through the pages. And that’s when I saw it. One of my horror stories back from a week-long writing course in grade 9. A select few were chosen to go to a university during March break, and learn creative writing at the university level. There it was, a little notation at the end from the professor.

Summation #1: Are you really only in grade 9?

Summation #2: Don’t stop writing.

I read this small little comment, and did the only logical thing.

I bawled.

And I mean, I BAWLED. Sitting crossed legged on the floor, tears flowing, complete with dramatic wailing. I am sure my cats thought the world was ending. It was a complete release of pent up anguish and disappointment in myself. My soul was hurting.

We often get told to be grateful. You have a good paying job. A roof over your head. Food on your table. You are better off than most people. And yes, all this is true, and for all this I am certainly thankful. But when it comes to passions, people tend to scoff and think they are unimportant. You can all the things in the world, but when your inner self is unfulfilled, it can be devastating. And then you feel guilty. Guilty that you are crying like a loser on the floor of your office because you stopped writing. That you should just be happier.

It’s okay to feel this way

Despite what some people say, it is okay to feel this way. What is more important is what you do after. Once the tears dried and the self-pity party was over, I sat there and re-read my half completed stories. I allowed myself to be inspired. That night I did something I hadn’t done in years – pick up my pen and write.

Now here I am. Published author. Blog writer. And soul happy.

Lessons Learned



Passions are wondrous and scary. Don’t give up on them.It’s okay to feel sad and guilty. It’s okay if other people don’t understand those emotions.Your passion is important. That doesn’t detract from other amazing things in your life.Don’t ever stop writing. Or, in other words, don’t ever give up on what makes you happy.

I wish I remembered this professor’s name, so I could thank him. He may not know it, but his words written nearly 20 years ago impacted me more than I could ever say.

What is your passion? How do you get through the fear and doubts? Comment below!

~Emma~

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