Elizabeth D. Marie's Blog

NOW AVAILABLE!

A storm brews on the edge of the sea, as a dragon rider falls from the heights.
Past, present, and future collide, and the three kingdoms of Aereth stand at the brink of destruction because of one dragon's ultimate betrayal.
In our world, Delaney, who knows nothing of the kingdom to which she was born, nor of the powerful ability she possesses, unintentionally time treks to the scene of her mother's fatal car crash. But she sin't the only witness that night, and her mother's death was no accident.
Meanwhile, all Sheridan thought she knew of her life begins to unravel with the resurrection of lost memories, and an encounter with a man with golden light flowing through his veins.
The hunt to find the daughters of King Tsiyyon begins.
HERE THERE BE DRAGONS, MERFOLK, AND MORE!
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Originally aired on Patreon, the complete Season 1 (including the prequel "The Princess from the Sea" - published in the "Sailing Magic" anthology in 2024) is NOW AVAILABLE in illustrated and annotated paperback exclusively through the Patreon Loyalty Library.
Become a tiered member today, and unlock access and points.
REDEEM PAPERBACK HERE!

Today is the cover reveal for the Sailing Magic anthology! My prequel story to my portal fantasy series on Patreon is part of this anthology, titled THE PRINCESS FROM THE SEA. It tells of the 'legendary romance' between a mermaid and a king of the earth, which is spoken of in the main series. For years, the three kingdoms of Aereth have been enemies - the dragon riders of the skies, the warriors of the earth, and the guardian waterway keepers of the sea. King Tremaine seeks to bring peace, but can the guardians of the sea put aside past grievances? And when an enemy from within threatens to undo everything, it will take courage and sacrifice to make things right.

This story, along with nine other fantastical tales including 'ships', releases May 10, and can be preordered at: www.TheOrderofthePenPress.com. I adore Tremaine and Brina, and I'm so happy to get to share their story in this anthology!

And a reminder, the first TWO episodes of the main series IN TIME AND MEMORY are available to read right now when you become a supporter on Patreon. Read online for just $5 a month, or support me at $10 or $20 for ebooks and paperback editions! I am a full-time writer, battling my way through chronic health issues, and I rely fully on supporters like you to continue sharing faith-based, clean, and inspiring fantasy fiction to teens and adults of all ages.

WRITER'S LIFE: I have been focusing a lot on the art of my stories lately. Last month, I celebrated the release of the illustrated hardcover edition of CHASING CINDERS, book two and the Cinderella retelling in my CROWN OF STARS fairytale series! And I've been doing special character/scene art and cover art for the ebook and paperback editions of IN TIME AND MEMORY: THE MAN WHO FELL FROM THE SKY, which also just released exclusively to my supporters.

I have had inquiries about progress on the last book in my ADVERSE DEVICES trilogy (sadly, I have had to push back the release date on that; I'm hopeful for next year!), and on the SKY EVER FALLS finale (I'm 50,000 strong words in, which puts me halfway to expected finish line - I chip away at that one a little at a time, so it could be this year, could be next year). Due to unexpected circumstances and struggles, progress has been slow, but rest assured I am working in both.

Spring is in the air, at last, and I am looking forward to spending more days before the heat of summer hits us outside. Fresh air and bird song is wonderfully stimulating for writing - and my cat, Captain Cal, is always happy to spend time outside with me.

My location for the Solar Eclipse 2024 put me in the path of 97% totality. The sky turned dim (like the sun going behind a large cloud kind of dim), but not dark. The photo I shared is NOT mine, but sent to me by a friend, who took a picture through her solar eclipse glasses.

My irons in the fire are currently:

For novels, coming in ebook and paperback through Amazon: These Contending Shadows (Adverse Devices, book 3), and All Fury Rises (Sky Ever Falls, book 2).

For episodic stories on Kindle Vella: Flawless, and Roman's War.

For Patreon stories: In Time and Memory.

I have exciting news to share!! Last newsletter, I shared how I was inspired to write a prequel to my portal fantasy series IN TIME AND MEMORY. I hinted that publishing plans were in the works, and now the wait is over and I can share those plans with you!

I've been writing stories since I was eight years old; I didn't write anything down until years later, and that's when I started seriously thinking about writing and publishing a book. I knew early on I wanted to self publish; I've never gone with traditional publishing.

But anthologies are cool - and something I really wanted to be a part of, if I could just know about them soon enough to write and submit something! And I finally got that chance with The Order of the Pen Press, who opened submissions for a 'ships' themed anthology. So I have been busy writing and finishing THE PRINCESS FROM THE SEA to submit.

Today I found out that myself, along with 9 other authors, have been accepted into that anthology -

*Happy dance!*

At this time, most of the Pilot Episode for this series has been posted to my Patreon page, with just a few more parts to go over the next few days. The prequel story will be completely standalone, but familiar characters are bound to show up in the main series, along with much more exploration of the fascinating world and kingdoms of Aereth.

WRITER'S LIFE: This series has been years in the making, and this prequel almost did not happen when technical difficulties arose. I am blessed now with a new and fully-functioning laptop (with a wider screen to work on stories side by side, and bigger hard drive to store all my art and story endeavors).

I made a trip to the library, recently renovated, and was thrilled to find my CROWN OF STARS series on the shelves in their (small) fantasy section. And later, I was blessed to celebrate a writer friend's wedding at the end of December.

I have much to be thankful for over the holidays, with a visit from my Texas-living brother, and much needed family time for Thanksgiving, and Hanukkah celebrated with friends and family. I also reached my 50 book reading goal for 2023, and am working on reading 53 books for 2024.

Looking for a unique twist on a classic tale, in a brand-new illustrated hardcover edition with art by the author?? I recently had SAVING BEAUTY re-covered and it is now available on Amazon! And bonus, now at a better price!

READING: For the first time in years I can read whatever I feel like reading - as I'm between 'book launch teams' at the moment. Where do I even start? I have been wanting to re-read old favorites I have not had time for before; I just finished a fun re-read of "The Lily Gate" by Hanna Sandvig, as well as one new read "The Two Bells of Christmas" by Joanna Barker. The 'Bells' of that story are twin sisters who get themselves into a pickle when they switch identities!

One of my last reads of 2023 was an audiobook re-read of "When Calls the Heart" by Janette Oke. A favorite novel from my childhood, I really enjoyed this narration. The voice of Elizabeth was perfect!

Whenever I'm asked the question, which fictional world would I want to live in, I always choose Narnia without hesitation. Who doesn't want to find a magical land of talking beasts and epic destinies hidden in their wardrobe...err, closet? For years, I have wanted to write my own portal-style fantasy, and now I'm ready for you to meet that world in my upcoming series IN TIME AND MEMORY. I've been building that world for some time now - with its three kingdoms of water, earth, and sky, and the people who belong to it as empathy effectors, time trekkers, and memory mappers.

And of course, there will be dragons and merfolk! Not your typical merfolk, however. The people of the water kingdom (the empathy effectors) are fully human, with the ability to manipulate water into many forms (as water weavers). Their kingdom was the first that I explored, as one of my favorite male main characters, Kelsea, belongs to this world. What makes them especially important to this series is that they are the guardians of the portals which connect this fantasy world to ours.

I was in the midst of writing the pilot episode, when I discovered I had the makings for a stand-alone prequel (going back a few generations), in which a 'princess from the sea' meets with the 'king of the earth' - and, of course, they must fall in love. It was this prequel that encouraged me to dive deeper into the beliefs of the water kingdom and how it ties into the mythology of what we call 'mermaids/mermen' - half human and half fish.

This prequel is my current project, a short story, which I hope to have finished by the end of this month. Publishing plans are in the works, and I hope that is something I can announce soon! This story will be a challenge for me, as a writer, because I'm used to writing 500 page novels, and the last time I successfully wrote a short story was at least ten years ago. Oh my; here goes.

WRITER'S LIFE: For the first time this summer, I visited the botanical gardens located near me - I didn't even know there was one so close! - for a sunny-day trek through beautiful nature. There were some lovely, peaceful spots that make me want to go there more often, take my laptop, and draw inspiration as I explore the earth kingdom in my new series. I particularly loved the small, out-of-the-way wood stump table and chairs discovered along a narrow forest walking path (photo above).

I also celebrated my cat, Captain Cal, turning 10 years old this year; he had to endure a photoshoot outside, but then got to roam and play for awhile.

Looking for your next clean dystopian?? SKY EVER FALLS was written with fans of Divergent, The Hunger Games, and The Selection series in mind, but with an inspirational and faith-foundation. Galilea Noy struggles to hold onto that faith in a world determined to destroy her. I was absolutely thrilled (to tears...yes, I cried a little) to find my book was being featured in the Fall 2023 edition of Clean Fiction Magazine.

READING: Elizabeth Goddard's upcoming October release just arrived in the mail a couple of days ago! This second book in her "Missing in Alaska" series promises to be an exciting and suspenseful read, and I am eager to dive in; I'll be celebrating its release Tuesday, October 17, as a launch team member. Goddard shows her appreciation for her team by sending little book-themed merch, which is always a thrill. For the first book, it was a scented candle, and this one is this cute 'adventure awaits' keychain! (photo above)

Another recent book mail were these beautiful art prints and chibi stickers and bookmark from Hanna Sandvig, my choice of giveaway goodies I won from a Facebook post contest. If you are in the mood for cozy-vibe and sweet and clean magical fairy tale retellings, check out "The Rose Gate" and "The Glass Gate" - next up is her Snow White retelling in "The Frost Gate"!

This year in May marked 7 years since I published the novel that started me on the journey of fairy tale retellings, and 10 years since I wrote the first scene in SAVING BEAUTY. I have dreamed of having an illustrated-cover version for my books, and to offer hardcover editions. So I took the plunge and did both to celebrate this bookversary! I spent weeks between the cover art, new map, and interior feature illustrations, and also behind-the-scenes author notes. The story received a fresh edit and a few detail corrections to really make it shine. It was truly a labor of love. I hope to continue with bookversary hardcover editions for each book in the CROWN OF STARS series, on their 7 year anniversary. That means CHASING CINDERS is up next in May 2024! I've already begun on the cover for that one, and I can't wait to show it to you - it'll be epic!

WRITER'S LIFE: This is my birthday month, and I was so blessed to celebrate with my mom and brother this year. With putt-putt golf (better known as ninja golf!), ice-cream cake, movies, and the construction of my industrial pipe standing desk... finally got to put up my chalkboard calendar for tracking my daily word counts, and finished off today with under-shelf lighting to make the space bright and welcoming!

I'm a Bucky fan, and I plan to decorate my shelves between the Bucky funko I have collected and Mandalorian. Then, of course, my books; can't forget those.

Looking for a unique twist on a classic tale?? I was pleasantly surprised when a reader compared James Garren (my beast in SAVING BEAUTY) with Bucky Barnes. Though the similarities (and the name) were unintentional, I think their personalities and stories pair very well! Click the above photo to check out my Etsy bundle - which includes a signed book, art print, and a double-sided bookmark. If you are international, you can find my book on Amazon HERE.

READING: And if you are looking for a historical-fiction based Beauty and the Beast retelling, try "My Rock and My Refuge" by Rachel Kovaciny! This western fairy tale retelling is clean and wholesome and perfect for a family read; it even has some subtle Jane Eyre vibes - one of my favorite classics! (photo above)