I will be with Found Books to sign books and chat all about my YA Fantasy book Contest of Queens and the entire Frean Chronicles!
Crowns and Queendom atire are highly encouraged, please feel free to arrive in your royal best!
PLEASE NOTE! There will be limited copies of Contest of Queens available for purchase on the day, so make sure to come early (but don’t worry, we can order more while you are here)!
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.
Four Points Books Signing
If you’re in the Invermere area and would like a signed copy of Contest of Queens, Queen’s Catacombs, or Queendom Come, you’re in luck! I just popped in and signed all their copies 🙂
Podcast: Summer Loving
Welcome to my Author Nook, a monthly podcast I created where I chat with authors about their literary brain children, and bibliophiles about their niche areas of obsession. Find it on Spotify here, and Youtube here.
As you know, I release episodes once a month with no set date so the best way to stay in the loop is to follow and subscribe on either Youtube or Spotify.
I don’t know where you are in the world, but up here in Canada, we’ve had bouts of torrential rain impeding our Summer plans. If you’re in the same boat, here are some episodes I’d recommend to curl up in front of while you wait for the storms to clear. Whether it’s forbidden love, supernatural love, or killer love, I have a feeling we’re entering the summer of L.O.V.E.
I’ll be taking a break from filming podcast episodes over the summer, but I would love to hear from you! What have you liked so far? What would you like to see? Any authors you’d like to hear from? Leave a comment below.
What a treat the June brought with it a weekend stay at not one, but two different Lodges! The Prince of Wales hotel in Waterton was so full of charm I didn’t know what to do with it all, and we were lucky enough to have a still, calm evening. This, if you’ve ever been to Waterton, is about as likely as a fish jumping out of the lake and onto your plate.
The second, The Lodge at Bow Lake was more modernized but still knew how to put on a damn-fine afternoon tea, and had Moose and Elk antler thrones that sent my imagination into a tizzy.
Setting Sail
It’s finally that time of year again – the time of year when I can launch the H.M.S Flounder and explore the labyrinth of waterways in Banff’s lakes and rivers. Avast!
Stepping back in time
Visiting the Royal Tyrell Museum in Drumheller is one heck-of-a way to humble yourself. After much deliberation I decided that, had I shared oxygen with the dinosaurs, I would not have lasted long at all. A misplaced step would have squished me flat…
Review Corner
Reviews are so helpful in getting word of Contest of Queens, Queen’s Catacombs , and Queendom Comeout 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!
Welcome to April’s newsletter. If you showed up by accident but want to receive monthly content, please subscribe below:
In this month’s newsletter, scroll down to find:
School Library Journal Starred Review
Author Spotlight: E.L. Li
Upcoming Podcast announcement
Review Corner
School Library Journal Starred Review
For those who don’t know, School Library Journal is an online resource and monthly magazine that provides review, recommendations, and book lists for school librarians (among other things). If you’ve heard that name before in my newsletters it’s because I’ve appeared as a panelist a few time at their events. Here is one such time:
To be reviewed by their team is huge but to be given a starred review is incredible as it basically tells librarians far and wide that your books has been given a big ol’ thumbs up. And Queendom Come received a starred review!
Check it out!
★Bartlett, Jordan H. Queendom Come. 480p. (The Frean Chronicles: Bk. 3). CamCat. Mar. 2025. Tr. $19.99. ISBN 9780744310764.
Gr 9 Up–After competing for the crown and rooting out corruption in the royal council in book one and two respectively, Queen Jacqueline, or Jacs, has to decide what kind of monarch she wants to be. Jacs and her Royal Advisor Connor must face the threat of the cult-like Sons of Celos while separated in the Upper and Lower Realms. They are also trying to navigate their romantic relationship while Jacs is facing a possible political marriage to someone else. The narrative pulls in a variety of perspectives as those within the Queendom work toward lasting change by forging alliances with the Court of Griffins, bringing men into the all-female military, and moving toward true unity between the Realms. While the flipped power dynamics in this world skew toward the gender binary, much of the supporting cast includes queer women, and characters are depicted with a variety of skin tones. VERDICT A satisfying conclusion to a trilogy that centers progress through equity alongside authentically drawn characters who will resonate with teen readers.
A HUGE thank you to SLJ ❤ this is unreal and so humbling.
This month I am lucky to have author E. L. Li at my virtual table to answer some of my questions about her novel Realm of Hope. So pour yourself a cup of tea and settle in.
Tell us a little about yourself and your novel Realm of Hope
Hi, I’m E. L. Li! I write fantasy books inspired by video games and things that I grew up loving such as anime, action and fantasy shows, and fantasy books! I also am a software engineer in the video game industry, and love playing video games, baking, travelling, trying out new restaurants, and any sort of arts and crafts! Realm of Hope is a video-game inspired fantasy epic about a found family trying to save their world from falling into darkness while also battling inner demons and “levelling up.”
Where did you get the inspiration for this novel?
The biggest inspirations for Realm of Hope are from video games, anime, and DND. I grew up loving games such as Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, Fire Emblem and a lot of elements from those games are in my books. I also loved Percy Jackson and Avatar: The Last Airbender so plenty of inspiration comes from there as well!
What is your writing process? Do you have any playlists, special snacks, writing locations that you need for a good writing session?
My writing process is an interesting one. I first wrote Realm of Hope as a screenplay for a video game when I was a teenager. I wrote five more video game screenplays and they all took place in the same universe but different time periods. As an adult, I decided to rewrite the stories all into trilogies, so Realm of Hope is the first one third of the first video game screenplay that I wrote! So I will look at the screenplays for certain plot points and character aspects and other ideas and will create a plotline somewhat based on the original screenplay with adjustments to of course fit the formatting of a book. I do standard drafts and edits and I often have video game playlists blasting in the background or ambient fantasy music. I always sit at my desk in my office with a candle lit, some baked goods, and tea!
Magical and fighting abilities in fantasy novels can often be used to further explore a character’s personality. For example, in the C.S. Lewis’ The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, three of the four children are given weapons by Santa that reflect their characters. How does magical ability/fighting style reflect aspects of your characters in your novel? What can we learn about them through their magic/weapons?
Each character has a unique set of skills and abilities that helps reflect their personalities and which bloodline they are a part of. One of my characters, Zephyr, is the leader of his team and his abilities are less about raw power and more about versatility and using strategies to win a fight. Readers will also see character abilities evolve throughout the series as they “Level Up” which is super fun and adds onto the idea that these books are inspired by video games.
What role would you say legacy and ancestral expectation/pressure have in your novel?
Bloodlines, bloodline abilities, and legacy play a huge role in this universe. Those who have such powers are expected to use them for greatness and to their full potential. Some bloodlines follow a strict moral code. The ensemble cast of Realm of Hope is descended from these bloodlines and there is a lot of societal pressure and there are loads of expectations placed on their shoulders to save the world and that definitely plays into the character arcs.
Who was your favourite character to write and why?
I would say the main female character, Skye. She was the first character I ever created for these stories and went through loads of changes throughout the years. She also is the hardest character to write because of her unique backstory, role, and issues with PTSD and trauma after being a character who was raised as a weapon who is trying to learn how to be human.
You’ve created a detailed and elaborate universe for your novels with gods, realms, planes, magical systems and more. What is your favourite element that you’ve created and why?
Realm of Hope follows an elemental magic system – Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, Lightning, Ice, Metal, Light, and Darkness. Out of them all, I’d say Darkness since it’s one of the most powerful elements and super versatile, but comes with a lot of consequences.
What advice would you share with aspiring authors wanting to write rich and detailed worlds?
Definitely keep track of everything you have related to your world – i have a google drive full of worldbuilding information and i follow basic templates for worldbuilding to get started. there are a lot of writing templates for worldbuilding out there, so it’s great to follow at first! Also do as much research as you can!
What is something that you’ve added into your novel that you really geek out about?
I’m ultimately a teenage fangirl at heart, so there are a lot of references to things I loved as a teenager in my books – Marvel, Avatar: The Last Airbender, DND, Video Games as mentioned before, etc. I would love to hear about more readers telling me they got some of the references and easter eggs!
What was a key message or theme you are hoping readers take away from your novel?
Some of the biggest themes in my books are the importance of having hope, determination, and how friendship can help overcome the odds. The characters go through a rollercoaster of highs and lows, experiencing adversity left and right and no matter what, they refuse to give up in their mission to save the world from falling into darkness.
Can you share a favourite quote or passage to tease our readers?
“There is no such thing as being completely good or evil. We all have blood on our hands in the pursuit of doing what we think is right.”
Upcoming Podcast Announcement
The wait is over! May marks the first month back to Author Nook, a monthly podcast I created where I chat with authors about their upcoming releases and we nerd out over their literary brain children. Find it on Spotify here, and Youtube here.
We’re about to have a prehistoric time with Derek Borne, Canadian Author and lovely human, as we discuss his novel Dino Rift.
Although this time I thought we’d do something a little different and give you a heads up so you can read the book before our episode airs May 16th. I’ll be posting on Instagram ahead of time to see if you have any burning questions you’d like to add to our line-up closer to the date, but if you have one already, please send it to me here and I’ll be sure to ask it.
Now, you may be thinking to yourself, “but where do I get my hands on this dino-riffic novel?” to which I reply, here of course:
Reviews are so helpful in getting word of Contest of Queens, Queen’s Catacombs , and Queendom Comeout 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 and review! Check out these new gems ❤
This year I’ve been asked to speak at the SLJ DAY of DIALOG on the Compelling Series in YA panel. I’m so excited to chat all things Frean! It is a free virtual event that you just need to register for, so if you’re interested, click the image above (or here) and register! 10:00 to 10:40 EST See you there!
Author Spotlight with Brenna Raney
Holy Velociraptors, Batman! We’re talking all things absurd with Brenna Raney, author of her debut novel: The Meister of Decimen City. So pull on your super suit and verse yourself in the do’s and don’ts of Dino wrangling as we strap in to discuss writing superheroes, villains, and how their heavily scripted genre leaves room to subvert some scripted norms.
No one cares that you cured cancer if you also cloned a horde of dinosaurs and let them rampage down the street.
Supergenius and quasi-villain Rex normally can’t go a week without accidentally endangering Decimen City with her science shenanigans. It’s been two weeks since her genetically engineered dinosaurs rampaged through town—a good streak for her—but the peace is broken when actual villain Last Dance sets his sights on Decimen. And he wants Rex’s help. Before Rex can say “I didn’t do it,” superheroes who’ve dragged her to jail on her worst days are crowding her lab to conscript her into quasi-herodom.
Rex would rather stay out of it and deal with the dinosaurs that keep calling her Mom, but she can’t ignore that she was somewhat responsible for Last Dance’s villainy. She’d kept a very disorganized lab. And he was such a nosy brother. She failed to help him back then, but maybe if she stops him now—and keeps the heroes fooled—she can finally set things right.
Queen’s Catacombs: comes out March 14th 2023! (order here)
Mysteriously Titled Finale: in progress!
If you’re interested in following along on my travel journey, I recommend following me on Instagram: @jordanhbartlett
Let the Butterbeer Flow
As many of you have likely deduced, I’m a huge Harry Potter fan. What is so beautiful about the world Rowling created is that it has taken root in our world in so many incredible ways. Working at the Harry Potter shop in Edinburgh meant that I shared “first wand” moments with children and adults (and believe me when I say I couldn’t tell you which age group were more excited). Scattered around the UK are a number of magical shops that draw heavily from Rowling’s world and add their own little sparkle and I was lucky enough to visit one such shop recently. The Lonely Broomstick. This shop is such a love letter to magic, whimsy, and the butterflies you feel while awaiting your Hogwarts letter. Also, as I have sampled my fair share of butterbeer this past year, their brew currently ranks number 1.
Flowers in my hair makes me wish that you were near…
They say April showers bring May flowers, but it’s been raining all March so I suppose the flowers have jumped ahead of schedule. In Contest and Catacombs Lena is in love with her family’s florist, Anya. One of my favourite things about these characters is they both have a connection to flowers and so I get to go wild with my flower imagery and descriptions. There’s something so indescribably pure and sweet about a love expressed through flowers. Hopefully that shines through in my novels.
Review Corner
Reviews are so helpful in getting word of Contest of Queens and Queen’s Catacombsout 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! Here are some lovely reviews from this past month:
Jordan H. Bartlett 