Phew, how long has it been since I barged into your inbox?

My stats say September which is a fair few months ago so…HI!

I have ALL the gossip to fill you in on. The details will be as follows (in case you want to skip my rambling)

1. WHEN A MOTH LOVED A BEE – When the eff is this book coming out already?
2. SPECIAL EDITION HARDBACKS – Drawn by me and with fancy pants pages
3. RELEASE SURPRISES – I have so much in store
4. GENERAL LIFENESS – Not a hell of a lot to share but I’ll give the highlights
5. DARK ROMANCE STORY – Yes I’m being haunted by another

Oh! And you might have noticed, I updated my website. I felt like a refresh and I think it’s pretty well-known these days that I’m the crazy rabbit lady so…I figured, why not make it official and have a bunny on my author logo? I actually love it so yeah….that’s the revamp 🙂

And now, let’s get to it!

WHEN A MOTH LOVED A BEE

So…what can I tell you about this bad boy?

Well, it took 5 full months to write (and that’s after the 200k I deleted from previous versions) It ballooned to 300,000 words BUT with the help of my red pen and ruthlessness, I managed to get it down to a very slim (cough, cough) 254,000 words. It’s a lot. BUT I am writing a High Fantasy and…that’s pretty much the going rate for the High Fantasies that I adored in my youth. Books like Sword of Truth (320,000), Clan of the Cave Bear (260,000), Kusheil’s Dart (250,000), Game of Thrones (307,000), Court of Mist and Fury (230,000) so yeah…I feel that 254,000 is acceptable if not annoyingly big.

What I can promise you is…I’ve always been annoyed in epic High Fantasies when the main lovers are split apart and forced to go on quests away from each other. This is NOT that kind of book. Within a few pages, they meet and after that…the amount of on-page screen time is delicious. And the slowburn…yum! The first time the heroine ‘touches’ the hero in the places that aren’t suitable for public blogs made me blush and there is all kinds of swoony, angsty, butterfly-crashing moments so rest assured, this book is not a heavy world-building tome but more of a unfurling romance full of all that pent-up lust I adore to write.

And you know what?

I

LOVE

IT

And…judging by a few beta readers comments, I think it’s past their test! Here are a few:

• All I can say is wow. This book gave me all the feels of Clan of the Cave Bear with all intrigue, spice, and angst of your darker books. Oh, and a good blend of Ren too.

• It was like watching a movie. A cross between Dancing with Wolves meets Avatar. Loved it.

• This book is in the top tier of my ALL my fantasies. It’s neck and neck with Kushiel’s Dart.

• Best Read of 2022. Hands down.

• You know I’m not a Fantasy Romance kinda gal but you have completely converted me. I was utterly addicted and need more NOW!

• I’m floored. Literally. How does your imagination work like this? When he did …. And then she did…. Dead.

• For someone who has never read Fantasy Romance before, this was a blazing jump into a world I cannot get enough of.

So yeah…I truly hope you enjoy it too!

In terms of release dates, I’m working on a date right now (so watch this space). In terms of audio, that is in production right now with Tor and his lovely wife and will be released with the ebook, paperback, and hardback.

If you haven’t seen the latest and FINAL blurb (as there were a few I released and scrapped). Here it is.

“It’s taking everything I have not to touch you. Not because I want to make you mine but because every part of me screams that you already are.”

A pack of wolves hunt a girl who takes her last breath by a river’s edge.

She is found and nursed back to health by the kind-hearted Nhil people.

She has no memory.

No past.

And is given a choice that could change her forgotten life forever.

A pack of wolves adopt a man who begs for death in the grasslands.

Blood revives him. Flesh strengthens him. All while the alpha watches him as if he knows who he is.

He has no memory.

No past.

And yet…he’s drawn toward the smoke of a faraway clan.

And in that smoke, he finds a girl with the same mark on her thigh, the same empty mind, and the same forgotten language on her lips.

He’s convinced they know each other.

She’s certain they are strangers.

But the more time they spend together, the more tangled the truth becomes.

Their forgetfulness was deliberate.

To keep them apart.

To keep them lost.

To keep them from claiming their true power.

Because in that power exists a terrible choice.

A choice that could destroy the world…

…or each other.

When a Moth Loved a Bee is the first volume in the Epic Fantasy Romance Destini Chronicles.

A heavily romantic, spice-filled fantasy set in a world where life and death, shadows and stars watch over two forbidden lovers whose powers are best left forgotten. 

Recommended for readers over R18 due to explicit scenes, content, and darker elements.

Also…I’m hand-drawing a special edition hardback cover and I rather like it. What do you think?

SPECIAL EDITION HARDBACKS

That leads me to my next point.

I’ve been teaching myself at night (when I’m wandering the paddocks walking the little fluffball known as Mo), how to use Clip Studio Paint. It was a mind twister to begin with, but thanks to some people on YouTube, I’m slowly learning. Which means…I’ve had the crazy idea to hand-draw a special hardback cover for EACH OF MY BOOKS.

That means I’ll be busy, seeing as I have 35 books or so to do. They’ll be released in order of their original publication, so Monsters in the Dark will be getting theirs first. (and because I suck at keeping secrets), I already shared the cover for Tears of Tess.

Surprise!

The ones for Quintessentially Q, Twisted Together, and Je Suis a Toi will be saved until the official announcement. Then, it will be Destroyed turn, Indebted Series, Dollar Series etc etc. So I’ll be busy! But also very excited!

Also, the numbers aren’t limited so no stress about ordering or not grabbing a copy when they first come out. They’ll be live on Amazon and Ingram so you can get them online and hopefully in bookstores too!

RELEASE SURPRISES

As we get closer to the release of WHEN A MOTH LOVED A BEE (do I hear you say OMG FINALLY?) I feel ya… I’ve been thinking the same thing lol…I’ll be doing a STACK of countdown teasers, giveaways, and other what-nots. I’m still planning this celebration of a release after OVER A YEAR so if you have any advice or things you’d like to see me do, then let me know!

GENERAL LIFENESS

What can I tell you about what I’ve been up to lately? Not a hell of a lot really. It’s been 5 months of:

Wake up, walk rabbit, do yoga, have food, open laptop and write, write, write, write. Wash repeat.

I haven’t been online. I have literally no idea what anyone is up to or if the world is still functioning but I have a book ready so yay. On the very rare days that I have an afternoon off, I’ve been playing with Fanta (our rescue pony who is now starting her journey to be a riding pony) I’ve never started a horse before so I’m definitely not qualified, however, Fanta has trusted me with every step and we’ve gone from a feral little bush horse to a pony that I can jump on, ask anything of, and am very excited about the adventures we’re about to embark on together.

I’ve still been doing yoga every day but the past month (probably with all the sitting typing I’ve been doing) my body has been craving a run…so…I’ve started running and actually LOVE it. It’s so nice to listen to some dance music and get all hot and sweaty.

And that’s about it.

Oh! And hubby started renovating another part of the house (after the yoga room that he did almost 2 years ago, jeez time goes fast) he is now doing our foyer with Bali carvings we shipped over when we were on our last overseas trip. Isn’t he doing amazing? So, so lucky to have such a handy lad.

DARK ROMANCE STORY

Now, there is a whole HEAP I could tell you about this character that literally popped into my head the other night and WILL.NOT.LEAVE.

I’m desperate to tell you more, but I can’t.

Not until I sort out other book commitments and release dates but let’s just say…If you liked Monsters in the Dark…you’re gonna LOVE this one. And that isn’t my ego talking but cold hard facts. I’m already in love and I haven’t written a single word yet. (ok that was a lie…I might have written a word….or a few). I need more hands to pen all the books!

And…that’s about it.

I suppose the next time you’ll be hearing from me will be about the Hardbacks for MONSTERS IN THE DARK! As that is coming VERY, VERY soon. And then….if all things go well with audio, the world, and whatever other forces are at play, WHEN A MOTH LOVED A BEE will be yours so very, very soon.

Thank you once again for your amazing patience and support. I couldn’t do this without you guys. I hope you have an incredible holiday season with your loved ones and stay safe.

Xxx