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Hello all! As promised, I’m back in the saddle and concentrating on all things Feral Princess. The recharge has done wonders and the excitement is real. The ideas have piled up during my hiatus and now I’m busy sorting through all the notes. Hope you all enjoyed a fun-filled summer. I know I did, but have to admit to being just as anxious to slow things down and enjoy some cooler weather.
That’s it for now. Stay in touch! ~Valerie~ J.K. Rowling had a great response to a tweet the other day. One of her followers asked if she was writing a book. She replied, “I’m always writing a book. It’s my thing.” So perfect! Well, it’s my thing, too, but I haven’t been able to devote as much time to it as I’d like. I hope to rectify that after a family vacation next week. With a little recharging of the batteries, it’s quite possible that I’ll have the first draft of Feral Princess finished in (dare I say?) April. Other than enjoying the unseasonably warm winter here in New York, that’s all the news here. I’ll be back in touch shortly. Take care and thanks for everything! :)  Looking for something to read this weekend? Check out this SF & Fantasy promo. Over 80 participating authors have reduced their book prices to $0.99 on Dec. 5-6. Island Shifters – An Oath of the Mage is included in the list! Hope you enjoy. 
Eden's Creatures is hanging out over at My Reading Addiction today as the first stop in a two week blog tour. I have to thank Cami Hensley for organizing the tour and for a great review. Check out her site by clicking on the banner below or click HERE to see all of the amazing blogs participating in the event. Thanks! :) 
Love that title! We do love our monsters, don't we? (Although I have a feeling that if you call Stassi a monster, she might just sink her fangs into your neck.) *Lowers voice to a whisper* Anyway, Eden's Creatures will be participating in a fun Paranormal Romance Blog Hop hosted by author Jolie Du Pre on July 14th. Go from blog to blog to check out some amazing writers and read excerpts from their latest books. The hashtag for this hop is #GiveUsYourBestExcerpt. Don't forget to come back and read Eden's. Hope to see you then!
Boo! Despite your amazing support, Eden’s Creatures did not receive the nominations needed for the Kindle Scout program. (Of course, my aversion to self-promotion didn’t help.)
There’s good news! In my world, that just means full steam ahead ;) I'm shooting for a July 4th release date on Amazon and all other retailers in the following week or two. Thank you once again to all who voted. I wish you all a wonderful and safe holiday weekend! ~Valerie~ I hope you all had a wonderful Memorial Day holiday! I worked over the long weekend, but it was worth it. I'm happy to share that Eden's Creatures has returned from the editor and it's ready to go! Check out the new cover below! But, you'll have to wait a few more weeks to get it. This go around, I've decided to try out Amazon's Kindle Scout Program. For those who don't know, Scout is a reader-powered publishing platform where readers get to decide if a book gets published. Of course, I can't do this without you! Eden's Creatures only has 30 days to earn nominations. I would appreciate it so much if you would take a look at the campaign page and if you like what you read, please nominate! If the book is chosen by Amazon Press, you will receive the book for free. As always, I thank you so very much for your amazing support. Valerie   Have any of you tried out audio books lately? I remember back in the day listening to books on tape in my car during a long commute to work in the morning, but haven’t thought about them in a long time. After getting a little tired of listening to all the same songs over and over, I decided to give it a try again and I’m loving it! They’re great for working out, cleaning the house, waiting in a doctor’s office, and all the other little chores I need a healthy share of motivation to get through.
As a result, I decided to record the Angels of the Knights series. I found a wonderful narrator by the name of Angela Grayden, at Grayden's Voice Over and Video Productions, and couldn’t be happier with the final product. I have a few “freebie” coupons for Fallon (Book One), so if interested, just send me a message. That's it for now...back to work on Eden's Creatures. :) Valerie
Wow! It's done! There were many days over the past few months when I didn't think I'd ever be able to say that. Now that I can, it's time to celebrate! What better way to show my appreciation for such amazing readers than with a bargain price. Pre-order An Oath of the Kings on Amazon today and get the ebook for .99 cents before the price officially goes up on 10/17.
Hope you enjoy!  **A quick update regarding ISB4** Regrettably, I am unable to schedule a slot with my editor until the last week in August. (Followed by edits, another round of proofreading, and more edits!) Self-publishing is not for the faint of heart, I can assure you! Yet, these steps are absolutely crucial to delivering a quality product and I will accept no less. I THANK YOU for your understanding and patience.
Keep those Kindles & Nooks clear for an epic read as the saga of our favorite island shifters, Beck, Kiernan, Rogan & Airron, continues this Fall! My very best always, ~Valerie~
 Yes, you know what it is. Typo. Like most authors, I take enormous pride in the quality of my work and a single comma out of place is enough to keep me up at night. Despite numerous rounds with proofreaders, a few minor typos in Angels of the Knights were recently brought to my attention and, as a result, I had the books re-edited. If you purchased any books in the series before 6/12, please make sure you download the digital update. Amazon claims they have an automatic updates feature but it doesn't (and never has) worked. Customers must do this manually. For those who purchased print copies or ebooks from retailers who do not provide updates, simply send me a message on my contact page and I will send a new error-free book. Thank you, dear readers, for your understanding. Truly. I know how distracting it can be to a great story to come across typos while reading, so my sincerest apologies to all. Then, again, I suppose it could always be worse.   Hi folks! After giving my last post more thought, I decided that the Knight/Princess idea for my next book will feature Airron Falewir's daughter from Island Shifters.
When we last saw Izzy in An Oath of the Children, she was having a bit of a rough time battling the enemy Ellvinians. (No spoilers in case you haven’t read it.) Three years later, she makes an appearance in An Oath of the Kings, and I’m finding her a spectacular character to write about. She’s the daughter of one of the most well-known and powerful shifters on the island. She carries the weight of trauma from her experience in Children. And, she’s a teen. A young lady coming into her own and dealing with all of the angst that journey entails. In Feral Princess, she will be a few years older yet enabling me to address a more mature plot between her and her Knight. The story will take place off the island of Massa to give a fresh take on this familiar character that you will have watched grow from a young child over the series. At least, that’s the plan right now. Still have two other books to finish first! Much more later...:) ~Valerie~ Wow! There's so much going on, I don't know where to begin. Let's start with Island Shifters - An Oath of the Kings (Book 4). The writing is going extremely well and I'm pleased with how it's shaping up. I can only be so fortunate if you do, too. ;)
After that, I’ll be working on a book called Eden’s Creatures. I’ve been collaborating with a new illustrator and will have a cover to reveal within the next few weeks. It’s contemporary fantasy, but not sure if it will be YA, New Adult or Adult yet. Depends on how the story fleshes out. Projected release date TBD. Next, I will start on a historical romance tentatively called Feral Princess. At this point, I don’t have any concrete story ideas. I just know that I want to create a rogue Knight in a medieval setting (or possibly even Massa). He's a loner. A hard-as-nails bad ass who does not tolerate the company of people very well. That is, until he meets a beautiful, but willful, runaway Princess who manages to get under his skin. Projected release date TBD. In between all of these projects, I may try to relax a bit and build some real-life memories. You know, read a little, laugh a lot, and enjoy a great summer with family and friends. I wish you all the same. In the meantime, please send me your comments. I can never get enough. My very best always, ~Valerie~  For those interested, a few tidbits about ISB4. The story takes place three years after ISB3 (An Oath of the Children). Kiernan, Beck, Rogan & Airron, now in their early forties, are enmeshed in their own lives. Soon, deadly political games bring the old friends back together again just to tear them apart in a powder keg of intrigue where no one is safe. Lifelong alliances are questioned, battle lines are drawn and tragedy strikes. Twice.
Of the children, Kenley is away on humanitarian travels. Kellan, Kane & Reilly are at Mage training for most of the story, but Jala and Izzy play prominent roles. Readers are introduced to a rogue male Draca Cat named Regus who prowls the borders of Iserlohn. Enormous and powerful, Regus is unique in his capacity to summon a primordial element of his dragon heritage—fire breathing. But, due to his inability to control the magic that rages inside, he shuns his fellow Dracas. When an innocent life hangs in the balance, will this fierce loner do what he must at the price of his freedom? Or will he walk away? Even I’m not sure yet. ;)  Nikki is now available on Amazon (both in print and ebook) a few days ahead of schedule. B&N, Kobo & Apple releases will be available within the next few weeks.
Working on Island Shifters 4 now. I'll have more information regarding another novel I plan to write after IS4 tentatively titled "God's Creatures". Thank you all for your support! Keep those comments coming! ~Valerie~ The Angels trilogy just received a facelift! I found a great new graphic artist, Deanna Dionne, who made a few tweaks to the covers in the way of an accent color and new fonts. I also made some edits to the books. With Nikki now finished, I took the opportunity to go back through Fallon and Blane to ensure consistency with the plot, and the process allowed me to make edits and add foreshadowing that didn't exist before. I'm excited about the changes because I know that they will enhance the trilogy as a whole. So, if you already have digital copies of Books 1 & 2, make sure you retrieve the updates for your e-reader. (Fallon has already been uploaded and Blane will be uploaded by Tuesday.) And, let me know what you think of the new covers! I would love to hear your thoughts. ~Valerie~
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