So today marks 10 years since my first book went out into the world for sale. What.

In celebration, the audiobook for Confessions of Innocence has just been released (as mentioned in previous posts, these are AI-read audiobooks. If that's not your thing, try the ebook instead. If you're not sure, you can listen to a sample.) You can get it on Amazon or Audible (and in Audible plus if you have a subscription!)

If you're not in the loop, here's the blurb:

Innocence Cooper was born to rule. She will inherit leadership of the Council of good magic when her father dies or retires. Every witch in the world knows her name. None can ever know her secret.

Her active power - controlling fire - is granted by the evil spirits, not the good ones. A prophecy made decades before her birth declares she will rule over all evil magic.

For seventeen years, Innocence has done the best she can to ignore it. But then the new kid reveals he knows her secret, he shares her power and he came to recruit her.

Her secret is getting out.

This book was the first in a five book series, which also had a spin off series (The Witch's Heir series) so over the years there has been a lot going on in this space. That's eight books, plus that bonus story in the back of book 5 of the Innocence Cooper series. And that other bonus story on the blog. (Not to mention various alternate openings and deleted scenes on the blog.)

And, if you look to your just down below, you'll see another alternate... this time an ending, of sorts. So if you're familiar with the story... (and if you're not, mild spoilers on their way, so go read the whole series first. Heh.) ...there are two boys and Innocence ends up with one of them. I did have someone remark to me that they thought she should have ended up with the other. Which on one hand I get, and on the other I totally don't. See, Innocence and the boy she didn't end up with have a pretty deep connection and understanding of each other. They're very supportive of one another, but also permissive and accepting of each other when they probably shouldn't be. The boy she did end up with challenges her and clashes with her and just... has more spark in their interactions.

They do say the best love triangles are not about the character choosing which romantic partner to be with, but choosing which version of themselves to be, and I think that rings true for me in this case - that Innocence chose her light side over the darkness within her.

But I - I love them both. So I tried it. And look, it's not the whole ending. It's a scene in the last chapter. And it was tough to write, because I genuinely felt it was going against some fundamental parts of the character and story, but... maybe it's fun for those of you that wanted it to go that way? [image error] age_of_innocencealtend.pdfFile Size: 70 kbFile Type: pdfDownload File The spoilers only get worse down here, ye hath been warned.

Wow, so eight books following vaguely the same characters in vaguely the same world, surely I've written everything I wanted to write... but I have been hinting Jamie X Cinder for a while - in the bonus story in the back of book 5, in the bonus story on the blog and even in the final book in The Witch's Heir trilogy. It's a little dangling plot thread that's bothered me now and again, because we don't get to see a lot of them, and while it's implied Jamie maybe will try to date her at some point, it just never fit anywhere... until now. So here's a short and hopefully sweet scene of Jamie finally making a characteristically awkward move.

[image error] withoutinnocence.pdfFile Size: 67 kbFile Type: pdfDownload File Aside from little bonus stories, I haven't written anything in the Innocence Cooper universe for a while... but if you are looking for something to scratch that itch, I have to say I do feel my latest series, Love No Evil, has a bit of the 'spiritual successor' vibes. A bit of moral grey stuff, a bit of teenagers with too much power, a bit of betrayal and love across enemy lines kind of thing. It's in a dystopian setting rather than a fantasy one, but I think it hits a lot of the same notes anyway... Check it out.