Category Archives: media

Dying for Reality T.V. an interview with Bryan Johnston

December 2022

In this month’s newsletter, scroll down to find:

  • Queen’s Catacombs Preorder
  • Author Spotlight with Bryan Johnston
  • Travel Log: Winter Wonderland
  • Contest of Queens Review Corner

QUEEN’S CATACOMBS Preorder

March 14th, 2023 is the date to remember not only because it is PI day, but it is ALSO the day QUEEN’S CATACOMBS officially hits the shelves. I am so excited to share this with you, so if you are the pre-ordering kind of person, you can do so now!

Pre-order your copy here

Add it to your GoodReads, add it to your Amazon wishlist, add it to your diary, add it to Santa’s list, and I know I will be hard pressed not to add it to my arm in ink… (we’ll see). Here’s a recent review:

“Featuring a multinarrative structure, compelling female characters, intriguing magic, and the politics of an unjust matriarchal society, this sequel follows Jacs’ ongoing journey toward empowerment . . .” 
—Kirkus Reviews

Author Spotlight with Bryan Johnston

Check the T.V. guide and grab the remote, today we’re chatting with Bryan Johnston about his recent release: Death Warrant, a novel set in a not-so-distant future where you can sell your life to a reality show, and if your public assassination rakes in the ratings, your next of kin are set up for life.

get your copy here

Death Warrant

Death Makes Great TV.

Frankie Percival is cashing in her chips. To save her brother from financial ruin, Frankie—a single stage performer and mentalist who never made it big—agrees to be assassinated on the most popular television show on the planet: Death Warrant. Once she signs her life away, her memory is wiped clean of the agreement, leaving her with no idea she will soon be killed spectacularly for global entertainment.

After years of working in low-rent theaters, Frankie prepares for the biggest performance of her life as her Death Warrant assassin closes in on her. Every person she encounters could be her killer. Every day could be her last.

She could be a star, if only she lives that long.

Find out more about Bryan Johnston:
Website: bryanrjohnston.com
Twitter: @BryanRJohnston

Travel Log: Winter Wonderland

Short story long,

I have taken a sabbatical from my day job as a Speech Language Pathologist to live in the UK and finish the Frean Chronicles Trilogy!

  1. Contest of Queens: completed!
  2. Queen’s Catacombs: comes out March 14th next year! (preorder here)
  3. Mysteriously Titled Finale: in progress!

If you’re interested in following along on my travel journey, I recommend following me on Instagram: @jordanhbartlett

Snow on the Beach

This December I thought I had escaped the snow by moving to the UK… that was not the case! Edinburgh has received a gorgeous heaping of the fluffy white stuff, and in honor of Taylor Swift’s recent release, I took myself on a field trip to experience Snow on the Beach for myself (it was, in fact, weird but f*cking beautiful)

Holiday Fun

I am here to confirm, the UK is a magical place to spend the festive season. Not only do holly and mistletoe grow wild here, but Christmas markets filled with mulled wine and boozy hot chocolate abound. The fairy lights are spectacular, and there’s something about walking down snow-covered cobbled streets that makes me want to sing carols.

Happy holidays and Merry Christmas to you, dear Reader. Thank you for reading my monthly musings and I hope they’ve brought you some joy, some entertainment, or at the very least a fun fact or two. Stay safe, stay well, and I’ll see you in the New Year x

Contest of Queens Review Corner

Reviews are so helpful in getting word of Contest of Queens out there. If you have time, and if you’ve read the book, I would be eternally grateful if you could leave a star rating and/or a written review on Goodreads or Amazon.

Thank you to all the wonderful people who have left a star rating or review. I honestly can’t believe that it’s got an average of 4.6/5 stars on Goodreads, and 4.8/5 stars on Amazon! Here’s a couple lovely reviews from this month:

x live magically

cover image: https://www.seenit.co.uk/7-out-of-10-brits-think-reality-tv-shows-are-fixed/

To Infinity and Beyond: an interview with Bryan Prosek

November 2022

In this month’s newsletter, scroll down to find:

  • Queen’s Catacombs Preorder
  • Author Spotlight with Bryan Prosek
  • Travel Log: Curiosity Tourist
  • Contest of Queens Review Corner

QUEEN’S CATACOMBS Preorder

March 14th, 2023 is the date to remember not only because it is PI day, but it is ALSO the day QUEEN’S CATACOMBS officially hits the shelves. I am so excited to share this with you, so if you are the pre-ordering kind of person, you can do so now!

Pre-order your copy here

Add it to your GoodReads, add it to your Amazon wishlist, add it to your diary, add it to Santa’s list, and I know I will be hard pressed not to add it to my arm in ink… (we’ll see). Here’s a recent review from an ARC reader:

Author Spotlight with Bryan Prosek

“If you want to kick the tiger in his butt, you’d better have a plan for dealing with his teeth“

I’m joined today by Bryan Prosek to chat with him about his recent sequel: The Darker the Skies where we explore the known (and unknown) Universe, discuss star-bound storytelling, and blast off into space-bound character development. So grab a cup of tea, and come explore the galaxy with us.

Check out my previous interview with Bryan about Measure of Serenity here.

get your copy here

The Darker the Skies

It only takes one to make a difference.

Just days before Jake Saunders plans on proposing to the love of his life, Jake is called upon once again to save his home, Earth. The Earthen Legion troops and its allies think they’re battling only pirates, but a new, more powerful foe from another galaxy flanks their forces and invades, in search of a weapon the planet didn’t even know it had.

When Jake learns that this new enemy was responsible for the death of his father many years ago, he realizes he can finally face his true nemesis. The odds are stacked against Jake, but with the help of his friends and allies he’s made along the way, he must rally the remaining Legion troops and retake Earth before it’s too late. The fate of Earth and the fate of his love, rest in the balance.

Find out more about Bryan Prosek:
Website: bryanprosek.com
Instagram: @bryan.prosek
TikTok: @bryanprosek

Travel Log: Adventure Bound

Short story long,

I have taken a sabbatical from my day job as a Speech Language Pathologist to live in the UK and finish the Frean Chronicles Trilogy!

  1. Contest of Queens: completed!
  2. Queen’s Catacombs: comes out March 14th next year! (preorder here)
  3. Mysteriously Titled Finale: in progress!

If you’re interested in following along on my travel journey, I recommend following me on Instagram: @jordanhbartlett

November has simply flown by! But as they say, time flies when you’re having fun and this chickadee had a lot of fun this month. I endeavored to take myself on adventure days/weekends as often as I could (in between working and writing) and ended up visiting Aberdeen, Leeds, Stonehaven, Stirling, Dundee, East Lothian, and more!

Castles are a Girl’s Best Friend

While in Stonehaven, I braved the elements and explored Dunnottar Castle, one of the most beautiful ruin’s I’ve seen so far. From the location to the approach to the exhibits inside, this castle had it all. The perfect place to let your imagination run wild!

The Curiosity Tourist

In 2018 I visited a pub in Kilkenny called The Hole in the Wall and chatted with the bartender there for a while. She asked me about my travels and after a few minutes said to me, “you’re a curiosity tourist.” I’d never heard of that term before, so she explained, “you don’t travel with a rigid plan in mind, but you follow your feet and you follow your heart and one or the other tends to lead you to where you were meant to be.”

So far, living by the curiosity tourist’s creed has yet to steer me wrong. It’s the best way to find the magic of a place, and I’m happy to share some of the wonder with you. My camera roll is honestly filled with hundreds of pictures of bridges, mushrooms, old stumps, buildings-through-canopies, beaches and everything that is good and true when it comes to Autumn. Here are a few of my favourite shots from some of my many, many nature walks.

If I can be permitted to offer any advice: whatever you do with this life you’ve been given, just make sure you’re living with your eyes open to the vibrant magic of it all. It’s too short to squander on shades of beige.

CONTEST OF QUEENS Review Corner

Reviews are so helpful in getting word of Contest of Queens out there. If you have time, and if you’ve read the book, I would be eternally grateful if you could leave a star rating and/or a written review on Goodreads or Amazon.

Thank you to all the wonderful people who have left a star rating or review. I honestly can’t believe that it’s got an average of 4.6/5 stars on Goodreads, and 4.8/5 stars on Amazon! Here’s a couple lovely reviews from this month:

x live magically

feature image link: https://64.media.tumblr.com/69b9aa72120812f197a9888d55b107eb/tumblr_pqtt0sO5Ag1vpxoof_1280.jpg

How to Dystopiate your Future: an interview with Madison Lawson

September 2022 pt. 2

In this month’s newsletter, scroll down to find:

  • Queen’s Catacombs Cover Reveal
  • Author Spotlight with Madison Lawson
  • Contest of Queens Giveaway
  • Travel Log: Ich Bin Ein Jellydonut
  • Contest of Queens Review Corner

QUEEN’S CATACOMBS Cover Reveal

A huge thank you to NERD DAILY who hosted the online reveal of QUEEN’S CATACOMBS

click here to read the whole article

Pre-order your copy here

Author Spotlight with Madison Lawson

If you had one shot, one opportunity, to legally kill one person one time in your life, would you capture it, or let it slip?

Join me for today’s talk with Madison Lawson, author of THE REGISTRATION where we find out just that. In a world where every person gets one free pass to kill anyone so long as they register them first, what would happen if you overheard your name being registered?

Find more information here:
website: madisonlawson.com
Instagram: @madisonlawson
Twitter: @madisonlawson96

The Registration

You can’t outrun the Registration

Imagine it’s legal to commit one murder in your lifetime⎯if you Register the victim and accomplish the kill within fourteen days. So when Lynell Mize stands in line to Register the man who abused her as a child, she’s shocked to hear a stranger Register her to be killed. Why would anyone who doesn’t know her squander his one legal murder on her? Desperate to survive the next two weeks, she must find out who wants to kill her⎯and why.

Easier said than done as Lynell soon discovers that multiple strangers have used their Registration on her. Along the way, she reunites with her estranged husband who is determined to dig up a past Lynell prefers to keep buried. With only days left to live, Lynell fights to uncover the truth and survive a destiny not of her choosing.

Order your copy here

CONTEST OF QUEENS Giveaway

In celebration of the upcoming cover reveal of Queen’s Catacombs, I partnered with Brandie June in this September giveaway!

click here for multiple ways to enter

QUEEN’S CATACOMBS is the epic sequel to CONTEST OF QUEENS. This new fantasy book comes out March 14, 2023. Get ready for this release by entering for a chance to win signed copy of CONTEST OF QUEENS along with a stunning hot air balloon necklace.

click here to enter

Travel Log: Ich bin ein Jellydonut

Short story long,

I have taken a sabbatical from my day job as a Speech Language Pathologist to live in the UK and finish the Frean Chronicles Trilogy!

  1. Contest of Queens: completed!
  2. Queen’s Catacombs: comes out March 14th next year! (preorder here)
  3. Mysteriously Titled Finale: in progress!

If you’re interested in following along on my travel journey, I recommend following me on Instagram: @jordanhbartlett

I went to Berlin!
And may I just say, wow, what a city. Everything about it feel massive (and I’m used to Canada where you can drive for hours between cities). The buildings have this immenseness to them that I have never experienced before. It is a gorgeous city, with an incredible weight around its shoulders. The sheer number of memorials you’ll see walking in any one direction is enough to catch your breath.

some highlights…

CONTEST OF QUEENS Review Corner

Reviews are so helpful in getting word of Contest of Queens out there. If you have time, and if you’ve read the book, I would be eternally grateful if you could leave a star rating and/or a written review on Goodreads or Amazon.

Thank you to all the wonderful people who have left a star rating or review.

x live magically

Identity Crises and Magical Ends: an interview with Brandie June

September 2022

In this month’s newsletter, scroll down to find:

  • Contest of Queens Giveaway
  • Author Spotlight with Brandie June
  • Travel Log: Highland Dames
  • Contest of Queens Review Corner

CONTEST OF QUEENS Giveaway

In celebration of the upcoming cover reveal of Queen’s Catacombs, I partnered with Brandie June in this September giveaway!

click here for multiple ways to enter

QUEEN’S CATACOMBS is the epic sequel to CONTEST OF QUEENS. This new fantasy book comes out March 14, 2023. Get ready for this release by entering for a chance to win signed copy of CONTEST OF QUEENS along with a stunning hot air balloon necklace.

When an unsettling event occurs in the Queendom of Frea, Jacs, an inventor’s apprentice from the Lower Realm, participates in the Contest of Queens to prove that a Queendom is strongest when united.

click here to enter

Author Spotlight with Brandie June

We’re going to need more than faith, trust, and pixie dust to survive the tumultuous Fae Court in Brandie June’s latest: Curse Undone.

Join me in today’s Book Nook as I chat with Brandie about the sequel to Gold Spun, characters in identity crises, love triangles, and closing a series.

Check out my interview with Brandie about GOLD SPUN here.

Pick up a copy of Gold Spun here.
Get a copy of Curse Undone here.

Pick up a copy of Gold Spun here.
Get a copy of Curse Undone here.

Curse Undone

Two crowns. Two kingdoms. One chance to rule.

Nor and King Casper are captured by the fay army and forced to face the indomitable Faerie Queen, Marasina. At her command, Casper is thrown into a mysterious prison while an even sinister fate is in store for Nor—a deadly fay poison that reveals Nor’s true nature. She’s not only half-fay. She is Queen Marasina’s heir.

Revealed to be like the very creatures she despises, Nor must not only find a way to free Casper but also navigate a court that is as deadly as it is beautiful. Her allies are few, and though Pel claims to want friendship, Nor finds she cannot forgive his betrayal. As tensions mount and war looms between the kingdoms, Nor must choose a side, before it’s too late.

In this epic conclusion to the Gold Spun duology, Nor discovers that a glamour and a curse may be two sides of the same coin.

Check our Brandie’s website: https://www.brandiejune.com
Follow her on instagram: @thebrandiejune
TikTok: @brandiebooks

Travel Log: Highland Dames

Short story long,

I have taken a sabbatical from my day job as a Speech Language Pathologist to live in the UK and finish the Frean Chronicles Trilogy!

  1. Contest of Queens: completed!
  2. Queen’s Catacombs: comes out March 14th next year! (preorder here)
  3. Mysteriously Titled Finale: in progress!

If you’re interested in following along on my travel journey, I recommend following me on Instagram: @jordanhbartlett

I was fortunate enough to spend over a week in the Scottish Highlands in a wee cottage on Little Loch Broom with my cousin (featured looking like a mythical druid in the stone circle). I got a lot of writing done, and a lot of what I am calling research (i.e., adventures with a notebook). Here are some of my favourite pictures.

Can you spot Stac Polleigh? it looks like an elephant being eaten by a boa constrictor

Contest of Queens Review Corner

Reviews are so helpful in getting word of Contest of Queens out there. If you have time, and if you’ve read the book, I would be eternally grateful if you could leave a star rating and/or a written review on Goodreads or Amazon.

Thank you to all the wonderful people who have left a star rating or review.

x live magically

Alien Lifeforms and Human Hearts: an interview with Ash Bishop

August 2022

In this month’s newsletter, scroll down to find:

  • Author Spotlight with Ash Bishop
  • Travel Log: The Austen Pilgrimage
  • Contest of Queens Review Corner

Grab your rebreathers and strap into your spaceships, today we’re blasting through space with Ash Bishop, author of his debut novel
Intergalactic Exterminators, Inc.

Welcome to my Book Nook! This month, I had the pleasure of interviewing Bishop about his upcoming novel (due to release, September 6th 2022).
Get ready to hear about all things alien, and the universal truths that tie us all together (not to mention how Big Bird can sneak into your books if you’re not careful!)

click here to get your copy now

Finding work is easy.
Staying alive is a little bit harder.

When Russ Wesley finds an unusual artifact in his grandfather’s collection of rare antiquities, the last thing he expects is for it to draw the attention of a ferocious alien from a distant planet. Equally surprising is the adventurous team of intergalactic exterminators dispatched to deal with the alien threat. They’re a little wild, and a little reckless. Worse yet, they’re so impressed with Russ’s marksmanship that they insist he join their squad . . . whether he wants to or not.

“Bishop’s feel-good sci-fi debut kicks off when drifter Russ Wesley discovers a mysterious stone among his recently deceased grandfather’s collection of oddities . . . imbuing this romp with solid worldbuilding, a broad sense of adventure, and a sensitive emotional core. With gruesome alien battles, layered conflict, and a sprinkling of humor, this is sure to find an audience.” 

—Publishers Weekly

Find out more information about Ash and his other works here:
Website: ash-bishop.com
Instagram: @ashlbishop
Twitter: @AshLBishop

Travel Log: The Austen Pilgrimage

As I mentioned last month, I have taken a sabbatical from my day job as a Speech Language Pathologist to live in the UK and finish the Frean Chronicles Trilogy!

  1. Contest of Queens: completed!
  2. Queen’s Catacombs: comes out next year!
  3. Mysteriously Titled Finale: in progress!

If you’re interested in following along on my travel journey, I recommend following me on Instagram: @jordanhbartlett

Last month, while touring England, I was able to do an Austen Pilgrimage! I visited her home in Hampshire where I saw her writing desk. I was blown away! It was so small and compact, and apparently she liked it like that- often hiding her writings from would-be interrupters.

To think that lines like:

  • If I loved you less, I might be able to talk about it more.
  • To be fond of dancing was a certain step towards falling in love.
  • I have no notion of loving people by halves, it is not my nature.

were crafted on this little wooden hexagon is incredibly humbling.

Also, I visited Bath (a popular haunt of Austen’s) and walked the gravel path she and Anne Eliot were partial to strolling down, and had tea at the Jane Austen Regency Tea Room. You wouldn’t believe who I ran into!

Review Corner

Reviews are so helpful in getting word of Contest of Queens out there. If you have time, and if you’ve read the book, I would be eternally grateful if you could leave a star rating and/or a written review on Goodreads or Amazon.

Thank you to all the wonderful people who have left a star rating or review. This month is special because I got my first official “Holy Shit!”

live magically x

Enemies to Lovers and Deadly Magic: an interview with Brielle D. Porter

July 2022

In this month’s Newsletter, scroll down to find:

  • Contest of Queens GoodReads Giveaway
  • Author Spotlight with Brielle D. Porter
  • Travel Log
  • Contest of Queens Review Spotlight

Giveaway Time

My publishing house, CamCat Books are hosting a giveaway on GoodReads for THREE hardcover copies of Contest of Queens!

Is this exciting? -I think so!

SO click here if you would like to dance with fate and hopefully you’re one of the three lucky winners.

Author Spotlight

Are you feeling lucky?
Then let’s visit Oasis, a magical Las Vegas in Brielle D. Porter’s debut novel, Jester.

Welcome to my Book Nook! This month, I had the pleasure of interviewing Porter about her upcoming novel (due to release, August 9th 2022), so listen in as we talk enemies to lovers tropes, and how to pull of death-defying magic systems.

Find out more information about Brielle and her other works here:
Website: brielledporter.com
Instagram: @briellums
Twitter: @briellums

Jester

What happens in Oasis, stays in Oasis.

Lisette’s father killed the King. His execution leaves Lisette alone, disgraced, and without the magic he intended to pass on to her. In Oasis, that’s a problem. Glutted with enchanted performers, Oasis is a sin city where courtiers pay in gold to drink, gamble, and above all, be entertained. To survive on its competitive streets, Lisette peddles paltry illusions in place of magic.

Desperate to prove herself, Lisette enters into a deadly competition to be chosen as the highest-ranked magician in the world, the Queen’s Jester. But her rival, the irritatingly handsome Luc, possesses the one thing Lisette does not—real magic. Lisette will do anything to win, but when evidence implicating the Queen in her husband’s murder surfaces, Lisette must choose between redeeming her family name, or seizing the fame she’s hungered for her entire life.

click here to get your copy

Travel Log

For the next year, I have taken a sabbatical from my day job as a Speech Language Pathologist to live in the UK and finish the Frean Chronicles Trilogy!

  1. Contest of Queens: completed!
  2. Queen’s Catacombs: comes out next year!
  3. Mysteriously Titled Finale: in progress!

If you’re interested in following along on my travel journey, I recommend following me on Instagram: @jordanhbartlett
But I will be posting highlights in my Newsletters. Watch the video below for a montage through Denmark.

Contest of Queens Review Spotlight

Reviews are so helpful in getting word of Contest of Queens out there. If you have time, and if you’ve read the book, I would be eternally grateful if you could leave a star rating and/or a written review on Goodreads or Amazon.

Free Swag! If you leave a star rating and review, let me know here, and be sure to include your mailing address in the message because I’d love to send you some goodies to show my appreciation! (limited supply)

x live magically

Who Run the Worlds? Creating the Realms Readers Live in- Author Talk

March 2021

Welcome to my first Author Talk! I’m so honored to have been able to share airspace with these phenomenal authors. Today we chatted about worldbuilding for YA fantasy, so get into some comfy pants and pour an extra large cup of tea for this one!

If the Youtube link isn’t working, click here!

Aamna Qureshi, author of The Marghazar Trials (check out my interview with her for The Lady or the Lion here) can be found at:

Website: www.aamnaqureshi.com
Instagram: @aamna_qureshi
Twitter: @aamnaqureshi_
Buy The Lady or the Lion here
Preorder The Man or the Monster here

Brandie June, author of Gold Spun and Curse Undone (check out my interview with her for Gold Spun here) can be found at:

Website: www.brandiejune.com
Instagram: @thebrandiejune
Twitter: @brandiejune
Buy Goldspun here
Preorder Curse Undone here

Dana Claire, author of The Blood-Light Trilogy, The Reclaimed Kingdom, and Hunterland can be found at:

Website: danaclairebooks.com
Instagram: @authordanaclaire
Pick up Dana’s books here
And check back with CamCat Books to preorder Hunterland

feature image courtesy of: talewhisper on DeviantArt

Upcoming Book Signing Event

Owl’s Nest Bookstore

815A 49 Avenue SW
Calgary AB
Canada, T2S 1G8

I cannot wait for this event! If you have a copy of Contest of Queens or The Rose Petal Princess, bring those along with you and I’ll happily sign them. Otherwise, there will be copies to purchase in-store! If you have no interest in my signature, come out anyway, I’d love to see your faces 🙂

Signed Book Plate

If you follow me on Instagram (@jordanhbartlett), you will have seen that I am offering to send a personalized book plate and some limited stock swag to anyone who has bought themselves a copy of Contest of Queens.

If you’re interested, please fill out this form, then pat yourself on the back for a job well done.

Review Spotlight

Reviews are so helpful in getting word of Contest of Queens out there. If you have time, and if you’ve read the book, I would be eternally grateful if you could leave a star rating and/or a written review on Goodreads or Amazon.

Free Swag! If you leave a star rating and review, let me know here, and be sure to include your mailing address in the message because I’d love to send you some goodies to show my appreciation! (limited supply)

Thank you to this wonderful Amazon reviewer!

Local Library Love

What a treat to be mentioned in the Canmore Public Library’s Local Author section! My heart definitely did a little flutter to see that both copies are out! So if you would like to borrow it, apparently there’s a line up! Keep your eyes peeled for an interview with yours truly in their April Newsletter.

click the image to jump to the site

x live magically

New Twists on Old Lore and the Art of Ensnaring the Senses: an Interview with Jason Offutt

March 2021

Welcome back for another Book Nook! I had the pleasure of dipping my toe into the Horror genre for the first time with Jason’s Offutt’s new novel The Girl in the Corn and was lucky enough to chat with him about it. So turn all the lights on and huddle under a heavy blanket for this one!

Find more information about Jason’s novels here: https://www.jasonoffutt.com/

The Girl in the Corn


Beware of what lurks in the corn.

Fairies don’t exist. At least that’s what Thomas Cavanaugh’s parents say. But the events of that one night, when he follows a fairy into the cornfield on his parents’ farm, prove them wrong. What seems like a destructive explosion was, Thomas knows, an encounter with Dauðr, a force that threatens to destroy the fairy’s world and his sanity.

Years later, after a troubled childhood and a series of dead-end jobs, he is still haunted by what he saw that night. One day he crosses paths with a beautiful young woman and a troubled young man, soon realizing that he first met them as a kid while under psychiatric care after his encounters in the cornfield. Has fate brought them together? Are they meant to join forces to save the fairy’s world and their own? Or is one of them not who they claim to be?

Order his book here
Upcoming Book Signing Event

Owl’s Nest Bookstore

815A 49 Avenue SW
Calgary AB
Canada, T2S 1G8

I cannot wait for this event! If you have a copy of Contest of Queens or The Rose Petal Princess, bring those along with you and I’ll happily sign them. Otherwise, there will be copies to purchase in-store! If you have no interest in my signature, come out anyway, I’d love to see your faces 🙂

Featured Writer on Wellness

Thank you Colleen Story, a fellow CamCat author and the mind behind the Writing and Wellness site, for featuring me this month on your website! Click on the above picture to read more. Her page is full of tips and tricks to make sure you’re looking after your mind and body while writing. Also, look out for her upcoming novel, The Beached Ones. The first paragraph alone had me in raptures!

California Creative Writing Conference

On March 6th I had the pleasure of speaking at the California Creative Writing Conference on a panel with Sara Hosey (website) who talked about her upcoming novel, Imagining Elsewhere, and Ruth Fox (website) who spoke about her upcoming novel, Under the Heavens. (I bet you can guess what book I spoke about!)

Check it out on Goodreads
Check it out on Goodreads
Contest of Queens Reading

If you’re unable to come to an in person author event, why not let me read to you in the comfort of your own home? Here’s an excerpt of Contest of Queens from my recent event with the Banff Public Library (click here for the full interview). Enjoy!

Signed Book Plate

If you follow me on Instagram (@jordanhbartlett), you will have seen that I am offering to send a personalized book plate and some limited stock swag to anyone who has bought themselves a copy of Contest of Queens.

If you’re interested, please fill out this form, then pat yourself on the back for a job well done.

Review Spotlight

Reviews are so helpful in getting word of Contest of Queens out there. If you have time, and if you’ve read the book, I would be eternally grateful if you could leave a star rating and/or a written review on Goodreads or Amazon.

Free Swag! If you leave a star rating and review, let me know here, and be sure to include your mailing address in the message because I’d love to send you some goodies to show my appreciation! (limited supply)

Thank you to this wonderful reviewer for your beautiful words!

x Live magically

First Flight: Releasing Contest of Queens into the World

February 2021

Banff Public Library Launch Party

To celebrate the release of Contest of Queens, I was fortunate enough to join Kim Mayberry and a wonderful audience for an evening of book talk! So put on your comfy pants, pour a cup of tea, and strap in! We discuss Contest of Queens, writing, future projects, and I share some insider information about the sequel to boot.

Here’s the whole talk:

And here’s a reading of a snippet from Chapter 13: First Flight:

Contest of Queens Updates

Holy Hera, it has been such a wonderful first month for Contest of Queens. The thing I’ve really loved about this whole journey is the incredible people I’ve met along the way. Here are some more of the recent interviews and events I’ve attended since its release in January.

Interview with Rob Murray at 106.5 Mountain FM Radio

Cyn’s Workshop Interview

Elizabeth Chatsworth Interview

Elizabeth Chatsworth Interview

Art and Reviews

I’ve been blown away with the reception Contest of Queens has been getting from readers already. It was part of the TBR and Beyond Book Tour as well as the Let’s Talk Books Tour, I’ve included some of my favourite posts below, but they were all honestly so fantastic. Thank you to everyone leaving reviews, taking pictures, telling their hairdressers, and doing even the smallest things to get the word of this book out there – you’re all fab 🙂

On that note, reviews are so helpful in spreading the word of my book. If you have time, and if you’ve read the book, I would be incredibly grateful if you could leave a star rating and/or a written review on Goodreads or Amazon.

Better yet, if you leave a star rating and review, let me know here, and be sure to include your mailing address in the message because I’d love to send you some goodies to show my appreciation! (limited supply)

Giveaways

I held two giveaways this month. The first was a coloring contest the Banff Public Library hosted (which, oh my goodness, the masterpieces were amazing!). We drew the winner during our author talk, so congratulations, Adrian!

The second was my final Hype Train giveaway. Congratulations to Erin Evans (who hosted me on her podcast last month) for winning a Contest of Queens swag bag!

Thank you so much to all who entered and all who helped promote and spread the word of Contest of Queens 🙂

x Live magically

Welcome to the World, Contest of Queens!

January 2021

It’s finally here!

I’m all a flutter and I don’t know what to do with my hands. Thank you to everyone who joined me on this journey. Just like Jacs, I couldn’t have done this alone.

Contest of Queens Book Trailer

Contest of Queens is now available in hardcover, large print paperback, paperback, ebook, and audiobook and can be found at these locations:

CamCat Books

Amazon

Chapters Indigo

Barnes and Noble

And if you live in the Bow Valley, please pick up a signed copy at Cafe Books

If you do not live in the Bow Valley but would like a signed bookplate to stick into your book, please jump over to my contact page and send me a message. I would love to send you a personalized autograph (and maybe a couple of other goodies).

Launch-day Podcast

I was fortunate enough to have an evening with Erin Evans, one of the most inspiring women you will ever meet, where we talked about writing Contest of Queens and the incredible journey this novel has taken me on. Check it out below, and listen to her other episodes- I promise she’ll shift your life view for the better.

Leave a Review, Get some Goodies

Reviews are so helpful in getting word of my book out there. If you have time, and if you’ve read the book, I would be eternally grateful if you could leave a star rating and/or a written review on Goodreads or Amazon.

Better yet, if you leave a star rating and review, let me know here, and be sure to include your mailing address in the message because I’d love to send you some goodies to show my appreciation! (limited supply)

Giveaways!

I’ve teamed up with Brandie June, author of Gold Spun (check out my interview with her here) to give away TWO signed copies of Contest of Queens and depending on where you live, you’ll get some great book merch too! You have until February 1st to enter- so get cracking!

North American Giveaway
International Giveaway

You still have time to enter (if you haven’t already), so click the giveaway picture or a link below!

North American Giveaway for North Americans

International Giveaway for Planet Earth Dwellers

Contest of Queens Coloring Page

I still pinch myself with how incredible the Contest of Queens cover is. Maryann Appel at CamCat Books is an absolute genius.

Do you like coloring?

I’d love to see the color combinations you come up with for this cover!

Use the #ContestofQueens hashtag and tag me @jordanhbartlett on Instagram.

Click on the link below to download your copy.

Contest of Queens Coloring PageDownload

Contest of Queens Playlist

I’ve created a playlist with some songs that relate to the characters, events, the themes, and the general feel of the novel (hopefully you agree!). There’s a method to my madness, so it sound best in order, but I’m not the boss of you so shuffle away if that’s your style. Sit back and enjoy some Contest of Queens related melodies:

Tunes, Vibes, and Thematic Jives to get you in the Contest of Queens mood

x Live magically