Lyla Oweds's Blog

We’re done with January already! Doesn’t it just seem like the whole month has flown on by? And so much as happened!

First update of the month: Balance has been released. It’s been a long time in coming, and I put a ton of work and effort into it–so I hope y’all like! The Origins audiobook update is still in-progress, on hold from the audiobook company side of things. I will let everyone know when that’s been made live.I’m over halfway finished with Change, and it’s super exciting! There’s a ton of romance, action, drama, and adventure! Change is a Titus-centric novel (like Balance was for Miles), and we’ll discover a lot more about Jin/Mu in their past lives, the dragon-mate-bond, Bianca’s recovery, onmyoujis, Declan Dubois, Gloria, and more of Bianca’s recovery. It’s been such a fun book to write.Deciding on if I should work on the Finn novella, Friend, after Change, or if I should jump right into Bond (which is Damen’s book). I’m torn, because Damen really, really needs his ass kicked, and that’s the book where he’s going to have to finally face reality. I’m really looking forward to that. There’s a lot going on in my personal life too–school prep, work deadlines, and wedding planning. So make sure to stay tuned on the Facebook page for minor updates.

It’s been a long, hard road, but Balance is officially (finally) out!! Before starting on the next book (Change), Balance was officially my favorite of the series–even unseating Blood, which always will hold a special place in my heart. As for Balance, thanks to all of you we made it as #20 in Young Adult Magical Realism, and under the top 50 and 100 of multiple (competitive) categories on release day! My readers are the absolute best! I even bought myself a celebratory corset. (Yes, I have an addiction.)

Buy Now Blurb

Miles is kind, caring, and sensitive; at least, that’s what I thought. However, as the days pass by, I’ve come to realize I don’t know my witch very well at all.

Mysteries are unravelling and new alliances are being formed, but Miles’s absence leaves an ache in my chest that even Damen, Titus, and Julian can’t soothe, nor explain. All this does is highlight how little I understand about my newfound world.

Although everyone says not to worry, I can’t shake this feeling of foreboding. Something is wrong, and if we don’t find him soon and get to the bottom of why he left in the first place, he’ll be lost forever. I’m determined to save him, even from himself.

In other news, we’re running a blog tour right now, with a giveaway of paperbacks of the entire series thus far! Make sure you check out Lola’s Blog Tour for more information on how to enter! There’s also an open review opportunity for Mu, so sign up today!

New year, and continuing with the writing schedule.

13 days to release!

Balance is now officially finished with proofing, and ARC copies are going out this coming Saturday! So if you’re on the team, make sure you provide me with your kindle address on the ARC thread so you don’t miss out.

We’re doing a reread over in Lyla’s Grimmlins. A few times over the next two weeks I’m going on Facebook live to answer some frequently asked questions about the books, so make sure you get your questions in on the Facebook posts.

Events and Signings for 2021

There were two book signings planned for 2021 (one a reschedule from 2020), but I’ve had to cancel my September event because it was too close to my wedding date. I have another signing that should be in the summer in NYC, and as far as I know it is still ongoing. I’ll provide more details when I find out.

Happy Yule! I usually do end-of-month updates in Lyla’s Grimmlins, but I’m moving them to my blog from now on.

December… Where to begin!

Well, first we have a brand new website (obviously)! Go me. We’re running on the latest version of WordPress using a custom theme created by Yours Truly. Of course, there’s a ton more I plan on adding throughout 2021, but I rushed to get this up before the next release.Balance (book five) will be sent to your kindles on January 19th! I’m crying from excitement. Also, I might be crying because I’m nervous. Maybe. Balance is the longest book of the Grimm series to date, coming in at over 126,000 words. Hence why it’s also the most expensive of the books. The story has been broken into two parts, but both are included in this one release.Change (book six) is already at 50k, and I’m going strong on it. This will be a 2021 release and I will post the pre-order within the next few months. This story has been a lot easier to write than Balance, since Miles’s story had evaded me for so long (especially since Miles’s personality is a lot like mine). Change, on the other hand, is Bianca and Titus’s relationship book. Theirs is a story that I’ve had plotted out for quite a while. You might be a bit of traffic in January and February because we’re taking part in two separate blog tours. So exciting! On a personal note, we’ve gotten two puppies! The husky (Zeus) is with us now, and the mini shepherd (Jasmine) will be coming home in February when she’s old enough to leave her mother. I am in love.

Earlier this year I partnered up with my audiobook producer, Jennifer Groberg, in order to re-release Origins as the current audiobook was based on the first edition of the book. She did a wonderful job with redoing everything, and the new track will be released as soon as ACX approves the changes.

So, in this regard, if you wanted to snag a copy of the old edition of Origins, now’s your chance. Because I have no idea when said approval is going to take place. But as far as I know, ACX is a few weeks behind schedule.

Now on to some FAQ regarding the audiobooks questions that have been hitting my email.

When will Blood (book three) come out on audio?I’m planning for sometime in 2021. That being said, I do not really promote the audiobooks and I have not yet received a return for my investment in them. In fact, the only reason I continue with these releases is because I, personally, enjoy hearing the story verses reading it (especially when driving). Keep in mind, I started Origins after escaping a terrible situation with nothing but a few possessions and my toddler. But my writing did not begin as an act of desperation. I was always the breadwinner, and I was lucky to already have an income stream with programming and design. I did not plan to make a ton of money in this endeavor. The entire series—and writing in general—has always been my passion project and a psychological release for my depression, anxiety, and PTSD. That’s one reason why you won’t find me running after tropes, following trends, or spreading bullshit. I refuse to do it and I have many feelings about an industry that bullies authors to do so under the guise of making a quick buck—especially to desperate women who write their fingers to the bone while being told it’s their fault they don’t make a return on their physical and mental investment.However, all that is a different story and a longer rant. My views do not make me popular, and I’m fine with that even though I love and respect my other authors. I’ll still tell the story my way, in a manner in which I feel needs to be heard, and that’s the end of it. Therefore, while I do plan on releasing all the books in audio for my own self-gratification, unless there is more of an interest in them in general, releases will be slower than the other book formats. If you want quicker audio releases, you can help out by 1.) encouraging others to purchase the audiobooks, 2.) submitting a review review review for all platforms, 3.) actually letting me know that y’all are interested. Until then, I’m going to assume the status quo.Will you release the series on audiobook?Yes. See above.Will the novellas be on audiobook?Actually, I do not know.Purchase Links[image error] Buy Now [image error] Buy Now

It’s been a year since Hidden was released, and it’s now exactly one month before Balance comes out. Obviously 2020 threw a lot of curve-balls at everyone, which impacted my writing schedule. But with that being said and done, it’s finally almost time!

I’m super stoked about Balance. It’s 129k (two full-length novels) of goodness—the book itself has actually been broken into two but will be released as one. At first, I wasn’t super pleased with the story, but I’m really glad that I took the time to redo many, many parts because Balance is now up there as one of my top favorite Grimm novels.

What do you, the reader, need to do to prepare for Balance?

First and foremost, I’d suggest you re-read the series. There is a lot of information that carries from book to book, and a reread will help you enjoy Balance so much more. Remember, you can also read my series for free on Kindle Unlimited. We’ll be hosting a rereading party over in Lyla’s Grimmlins where you can enter to win giveaways and learn some insider information.

Secondly, if you haven’t already, I suggest you read Rising Sun. Gloria and the 1950’s crew will play much larger parts in both Balance and Change (book six). You don’t have to read Red to read Grimm, of course, but I guarantee you’ll get a lot more out of the series if you do. I also suggest that you read Home, the first Grimm novella. There will be references to the novella in Balance.

And now, for the pre-order:

[image error] Pre-order Now

2020 has really been a weird year, hasn’t it? Outside of being active on my Facebook Group I haven’t really made any public updates. Sorry about that.

Writing slowly progressed throughout the year, but on top of the COVID stuff, I’ve also bought a house and moved, had to establish a new family unit, left my job, finally finished my degree, started another position, and struggled with crippling mental health issues. None of that is an excuse, of course, because writing is an escape for me. But it was extremely hard to get into a good mental space this last year.

I get a lot of questions about my characters, series, and their motives. I write because I enjoy it, and because I believe in my characters and their stories. As my readers know, The Grimm Cases covers a variety of serious topics, and I knew I’d lose a certain readership over this. But I do want to make something perfectly clear: Bianca’s past is not something that has been thrown in to dramatize the plot or follow trends.

There are eighteen books in this series, not including spin-off worlds and novellas, and I’ve plotted things far, far in advanced. Nothing is random. Everything in the series has been leading up to the reveal of Bianca’s past in Hidden. In Origins, it’s even stated:

Terrifying shadows swam along my peripheral vision. The suffocating sensations. Feeling as though I perpetually hovered on the edge of a cliff. The sense of being hunted, never safe. I had to work through all of this myself. I had to get better. Despite what Finn believed, I had to learn to survive on my own.

Origins (Book one, Chapter one)

Bianca, while overly dramatic even at the best of times (not to mention prophetic), isn’t just referring to her ability to see ghosts in this statement. I am deliberately and consciously covering such topics as human trafficking, childhood sexual abuse, and the long-term impact on its victims in my writing, and I refuse to apologize for that. Childhood sexual abuse impacts many people, and every victim has a different way of coping. If you’re looking for a series where it’s brushed off as a plot device and nothing else, then Grimm is also not the series for you.

Onward to Balance. In the upcoming book (which is to be released on January 19th), we continue to explore the impact of Bianca’s past and how it affects her current and future relationships. Specifically as, as a character, Bianca’s best defense is avoidance.

At long last, LylaOweds.com has been redesigned and recoded. As a designer and developer, I plead forgiveness for making y’all suffer under the visual torture that was the last layout for two years. But anyway, we’re here, and finally with something we can access on the tablet and phone! So, progress.

There’s tons more I plan to do on here on a programming level, but that’s another discussion. Stay tuned for more updates regarding 2020 as a whole and my books.