Introducing YA Fantasy

-

 You may be wondering why the genre switch...

First off, I want to make sure you know that I am not leaving behind my contemporary sweet romances or my mysteries. I will still continue to write in both genres. 


However...

My personal mission has always been to create stories than anyone can enjoy whether you're 14 or 94. I write clean/fade to black/closed door/just kisses romances. I always will. Nothing changes. Just the setting.


Why YA?

I still read Young Adult literature and I feel like the genre is shifting into darker, steamier and grayer areas. I would love to make sure that my kids, your kids, our kids still have uplifting, clean books. Also no one tends to complain if there's not spice in them.  I love the adventure, the coming-of-age, the wonder and excitement of adventure. I consume these books with relish. Stay tuned for a list of my favorites low/no spice books enumerated in another post.

Will you be using a pen name?

I've gone back and forth about this a thousand times. I had one all picked out Amy Leduc. I even practiced writing her signature. But the hardest part is running a whole new social media, website, Shopify, TikTok, X, and newsletter. Although I love the idea of pen names to keep genre separated, I decided to be like Brandon Sanderson and just write everything under one name.

What's the publishing schedule look like when I add in another genre?

I've been working on planning this year and next so you can see completed series. Yes, I'll be still complete the series I already started. Don't worry.


2024

In case you missed my social media post for my publishing schedule for the rest of the year (barring any other crazy event like a wedding), it will look like this:

Summer 2024: Beach Bargain Bungle (Seasons of Sugar Creek book 3) 

Fall of 2024: Weave of a Thousand Lies (Stitchbinding Chronicles book 1)

Winter of 2024: The Cookie Platter (Helping of Hope book 3). This will conclude this series, however I'm working on a spin-off series. 


2025

Early winter of 2025: The Wing Girl (Gauche Girl book 2)

Late Winter of 2025: Three Spring Weddings (Seasons of Sugar Creek book 4) and cookbook. This will conclude the series, however, I still have ideas for novellas that I might add.

Summer of 2025: Mark of the Beast (Baker's Dozen book 3) I am so sorry this takes so long to get out. My publisher still holds the rights for the second book, so it's kind of defeating to try to even think about self-publishing it. I am working on scenes, characters, and conflicts for this book. (sorry it has taken so long to get this out. I promise it will be worth the wait.)

Fall/winter  of 2025: Chains of Deceit (Stitchbinding Chronicles book 2).


And beyond...

I think I can only do four books a year. I might be able to ramp it up after 2025, but we'll see.

Goals for 2026 and beyond: I would like to carry Baker's Dozen into five books, start the spin-off to the Helping of Hope series, and a book 3 to the Stitchbinding Chronicles. I have more YA fantasy and portal fantasy and The Third Wheel book 3 of Gauche Girl book planned.


Last question...

Why do I love writing in so many genres? I think it's because I read in so many genres and I find stories most interesting. Everyone tells me that in order to make money in this business, I have to stick to a genre, stick to a type of story etc. etc. But I can't. I go where my heart takes me. Thank you for going along with it and for being here for it. Thank you for supporting my stories and sharing my words with your friends. 



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Top Ten Tips for Fighting Discouragement

-
I asked my most ardent fans (my daughter and my husband) what I should write about on my blog and my daughter said I should write about encouraging others to keep writing. I feel like I've learned a lot in writing for the past ten years, and I'd love to share. Writing, and almost any other creative endeavor is a long process. From the spiritual creation or idea of it until its execution and finished product can take months if not years. Keeping going during that time can become a challenge. Here are my tips to stay motivated. 1. Remember why you started in the first place. I am a storyteller. I always have been. I'm horrid at asking questions but learning. But I think of funny scenarios. I'm the dreamer. Someone tells me a detail and I create a story. I don't write for the royalty check. I don't write to be famous-- although that would be nice. I write because I believe fiction can heal. I write because I believe we all need to safely escape. I write becaus...
Read more

Spring Break Bookaplaooza book feature

-
Image
Need a book to read this spring? Are you having a book slump? Need to find a new author to enjoy? Looking for sassy heroines, alpha males, tissue romances, or a feel-good, funny read? Well, I have just the thing for you! Enter the Spring Break Bookapalooza. Be sure to click on this link to check it out. My romantic suspense book Baker's Dozen is being featured today! I talk about my dream spring break (hint: it's in France) and what I love about spring. And while you are there, check out many of the other authors featured on the site. You may find something that catches your eye. Leave a comment to interact with the authors and let them know what you think about their cover, their except or their dream spring break. Many of these authors are also published under my publisher, The Wild Rose Press. PLUS you can enter to win one of many Amazon or Barnes and Noble Gift cards with this link to the rafflecopter contest. You can earn bonus entries by following participating aut...
Read more

At what point do you call yourself a writer?

-
When I was nine years old, I took a piece of blue construction paper and stapled it around some blank computer paper. I titled the book, Young Author. I didn't know what I was going to write in there, but I knew it was going to be good! I wanted to write mysteries. I read a whole lot of Nancy Drew at the time, everything in the local library and bought a few dozen more with my own money. (My daughter has them on her bookshelf as I write this--no way was I getting rid of those.) I attended a few workshops, dreamed, scribbled in notebooks, started a dozen stories, wrote a play (in fourth grade) and a scene I took to drama competition, took some Creative Writing classes in college. But it wasn't until nine years ago that I decided I was going to do it. I had read a book that contradicted the thought that I had to be wildly talented to get published (a popular belief that I held or held me back), I only had to work hard, gain experience, and learn skills. In roughly ten years, ...
Read more