Happy December, Book Friends!

I am so thrilled the Christmas season is here! My kids and I wasted little time putting the Fall decorations away the day after Thanksgiving and pulling out the Christmas decor. We put up their small artificial trees up in their rooms first, then got the big tree up two days later. ( I had a book signing last Saturday, and afterwards I didn’t have the energy to do any decorating.) But it’s up now and all decorated!

Winter weather is already here in Southern Oregon too. Every morning this week, I’ve woken up to fog and frost, but it usually burns off by early afternoon. My walking and hiking has slumped a bit, but not my reading. I finished reading 5 books last month! I’m hoping to match the same amount during December. Is there any book you’re excited to read this month?

November Wrap-Up

I had 2 book signings that were both a huge success: one at the Local Author Fair at the Jacksonville Public Library and one at Oregon Books & Games. The author fair was a blast, and it was even more fun since I got to share a table with my good author friend, Leah Ann Brown. We claimed the title as “The Fantasy Table.” And at Oregon Books & Games, it was so funny someone came by dressed in a Grinch costume. So glad I snagged a pic with him. Thank you to everyone who came to my book signings and bought my books! Here’s pictures from the events below:

Writing Update

I’ve reached 61k words in the sequel to Heartsmith! I’ll admit that the last 15k words have been a slog to write, and it has nothing to do with the story itself, but due to being overly exhausted and burnt out from promoting Heatsmith, bookish events, and editing jobs. I’ve lacked the energy and focus to find my writing rhythm, but even with that said, I’ve slowly been plugging away where I can. Scenes and dialogue pop in my head at random intervals, and I do my best to jot them in my notes app on my phone so I can add them to my manuscript at a later time. I hoped to finish the first draft by the end of the year, and I’d still like to try. I don’t have any events planned this month, so I’m hoping to free up time and energy to getting this story finished. There’s some exciting moments still to write–like an airship race! Plus, what’s most exciting is that I’ve finally reached a pivotal scene (end of Act 2) that I first wrote years ago, having no clue how the events would lead to this moment. I’m looking forward to writing the Final Act. Wish me luck!

Exciting News

My picture book, The Mountain of Gold, received a wonderful 5 Star review from Readers’ Favorite! It’s so nice seeing this book I illustrated for Fred Fisher, a dear family friend, has received Readers’ Favorite 5 Star Seal! I know Fred, if he were still here, would be so thrilled.

Read Full Review

If you have littles in your life that enjoy fables and adventure stories, consider adding The Mountain of Gold to your picture book library. It’s sure to be a favorite for years to come.

The Ink Mages Podcast

We had an amazing time interviewing Justin O. Rose, author of The Fall of Ingway. His new story is an audio drama script that was funded on Kickstarter and will be releasing January 2025, so go check it out! The trailer sample of the audio is FANTASTIC!

The Fall of Ingway Audio DramaWatch Interview

The Ink Mages have more great interviews headed your way, including Bethanie Finger and Havelah McLat. We have also started our new Buddy Read Episodes, where we read and review indie author books. If you have a “clean” Fantasy or Sci-fi novel be sure to reach out to us to get on our Buddy Read List.

The Ink Mages is hosted by myself and my author friend, Angela R. Hughes (Author of the Once & Future Chronicles).  Our podcast features Nerdy Banter about all things fantasy, world building, story craft, myths & legends, and of course, our own imaginative stories. 

You can find our first episode by CLICKING HERE: The Ink Mages Podcast

Please help us by subscribing to our channel, sharing the episodes, and leaving comments. 

Choose Your Adventure This ChristmasBuy The Conjurer’s CurseBuy The Wraiths of ArjunBuy Signed CopiesBuy HeartsmithBuy Signed CopyBuy The Mountain of GoldBuy Signed Copy

Give the gift of reading to the book lover in your family. Books also make great stocking stuffers! All of my books are “clean reads” and suitable for middle schoolers and up. (The Mountain of Gold is great for 8 years and under.)

Thank you all for joining me on my author journey. Knowing you love my stories and characters keeps me in the writing trenches so I can bring you new adventures to get lost in. Please share my books with friends, your kids, and anyone who loves adventure stories. And if you love them, please leave a review on Amazon. It’s the biggest thank you I can receive.

Have a joyous December and a Merry Christmas!

Let’s Dare to Make-Believe.~Stephanie CottaBook Recommendation:

Flight is a beautiful, heartfelt story of a 15-year-old girl’s walk through grief told in a “verse” narrative style. I’m new to reading novels-in-verse and found this one quite easy to follow. I especially enjoyed the haikus woven throughout the story. Whiting’s deep, lovely, and thought-provoking prose kept me immersed in the story, and I found myself rather amazed how she could say/convey so much in very few words. The chapters flew by as I was reading, and I ended up finishing this book in 2 sittings. This story tackles difficult topics: grief, loss, substance abuse, but handles them with care and and presents them in a way all readers can find some positive takeaway.

Check out book here