December 2023
Happy holidays! I hope you have a festive drink in hand while you read this, as nothing says cozy like a hot holiday beverage. Now, the form it takes is your adventure to choose. Are you a hot cocoa fellow, a mulled wine gal, a apple cider chap, an eggnog chickadee, or maybe you like to spice up your coffee with a drop of baileys? Whatever your delight, I hope it’s delicious.
In this month’s newsletter, scroll down to find:
- Contest of Queens won a SOVAS!
- Rose Petal Princess sale
- Book Nook- a year in review
- Captain’s Log: getting into a certain spirit
- Review Corner
SOVAS WINNER
That’s right ladies and gents, Contest of Queens recently won its SECOND award for the incredible audiobook narrated by Karissa Vacker! I am over the moon and in the stars about this! What an honor, and I can’t praise Karissa’s narration enough. She brought such vibrancy to my story, I can’t imagine it told by anyone else!
In her Instagram post about the award, Karissa commented:
I’m feeling extra grateful to have won a SOVAS (Society of Voice Arts and Sciences) Award last night.
CONTEST OF QUEENS by the brilliant @jordanhbartlett is such an incredible book that explores the beautiful power of women and friendship and I was delighted to narrate it. This book was honored in the teen category, but anyone of any age would enjoy it.
Karissa Vacker, Dec 11, 2023
The audiobook is sold across all audiobook platforms and is rentable at most public libraries (and if it’s not, request it and your library will happily get it in). Curious as to what all the hullaballoo is about? Listen to the first couple of hours for free on Spotify here:
Rose Petal Princess Sale
Self publishing is all about learning, and I recently learned there was a way to produce these books more cost effectively so I can reduce the price! What that means is, this little gem is going on sale!
$10.00 CAD and free shipping worldwide for the months of December and January!
Woohoo!
So if you would like a signed copy, please contact me here and I will get one on its way to you lickety split.
If you don’t know what I’m talking about, jump on over here, or watch the video below, and I’ll catch you up even sooner 🙂
I would recommend this collection for 9+ year olds as the themes and stories are a tad on the dark side… (mwahahaha)
Book Nook – A Year in Review
Welcome to my Book Nook, a monthly podcast I created where I chat with authors about their upcoming releases and we nerd out over their literary brain children. Take a gander at our year in review! For an experience in instant teleportation, click a thumbnail and enjoy the ride.
Now, you may be thinking: “wait a minute, if I know my months like I know my years, six podcasts does not a monthly podcast make,” and you would be right. Good eye! Some months instead became written interviews, and some months were author panels hosted on other channels, and these can be found in my monthly newsletters – so if you haven’t subscribed for monthly goodies… what are you waiting for? Join the club here:
Captain’s Log
Getting into a Certain Spirit
What can I say of Christmas that hasn’t been said before? I love it, plain and simple. Moving back to a frozen tundra is made much easier when you can reframe it as a winter wonderland. So this month has been a whirlwind of Christmas activities! Banff – the snowglobe town that it is – is full of festive things to do, be it Christmas markets, outdoor light sculptures (with the added bonus that you can save Christmas at the end of your walk), snow globe dining, ice sculptures, frozen bars, tree festivals, and an extra special visit with Santa. I didn’t mean this post to sound like a Banff tourism article, but it’s been pretty spectacular.
Met ol’ Chris Cringle himself
Anyone who’s read my books may have noticed that I’m a sucker for fairy lights. Actually, great rule of thumb while you’re reading the Frean Chronicles: are there fairy lights? Yes? Then there’s about to be some romance. I don’t make the rules, I just play the game.
It stands to reason then that I am an absolute kid in a candy shop the moment the Christmas lights go up around town.
I know the holidays can be a tricky time for some of us, and a stressful time for most, but I hope that wherever you are, wherever this newsletter finds you, that you are safe, healthy, happy, and that you find even a snowflake sized drop of joy to hold close to your heart.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Book Clubs
The Frean Chronicles made a couple appearances at book clubs this month, and I was terrified- I mean honored – to speak at two of them.
Are you hosting a Book Club for Contest of Queens? or Queen’s Catacombs?
Are you more interested in planning the snacks and feature cocktails than you are in planning the discussion questions for the books?
Fret not, I have you covered!
Oh, I see you eyeing up that Rosemary for Memory mimosa! It was so easy to make (with or without the prosecco). All you do is pour equal parts cranberry juice and orange juice in large ice cube trays and decorate the top with real cranberries and a sprig of rosemary. I also added some edible glitter for dramatic effect. Freeze overnight and place in your glass of choice, then pour over with *room temperature* prosecco (this will help the ice cube melt, and the ice cubes will chill the drink anyway – we trialed refrigerated prosecco and ended up with a mostly unmelted mixer). For a non alcoholic option, pour over with any sparkling grape juice of your choice!
https://vm.tiktok.com/ZM6kVCAt6/
Enjoy! And for Queen’s sake, keep reading!
Review Corner
Reviews are so helpful in getting word of Contest of Queens and Queen’s Catacombs 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 got some great reviews this month, the most cryptic being: “Connor is more of a Conner.”
Jordan H. Bartlett 