Welcome to March’s newsletter. If you showed up by accident but want to receive monthly content, please subscribe below:
Scroll down to find:
This Queen’s on Tour
Dungeons and Dragons Podcast
Podcast: Author Nook with Elizabeth Chatsworth
Captain’s Log: Flowers in her Hair
Biblioccult Feature
Interview by Elizabeth Chatsworth
Review Corner
This Queen’s on Tour
I went on a four-city book tour to celebrate the paperback release of Queen’s Catacombs, and I am so thankful to all who attended and all who helped pull these events off! These were the stops of my tour:
Canmore Public Library: Author Fireside Chat – books supplied by CafeBooks
Banff Public Library: Author event and exclusive pre-release of Queen’s Catacombs as well as a coloring competition. – books supplied by the Whyte Museum
A huge thank you to Slow Burn Books – the spiciest bookstore in Calgary – for hosting a series giveaway, a signing, and interviewing me for their blog! It always feels like going for a chat with dear friends when I pop in for a visit, so maybe next time I’ll bring the bubbly!
Dungeons and Dragons Podcast
As a long time DnD lover, this was an absolute dream come true. The ridiculously talented MC with CamCat Unwrapped created a Dungeons and Dragons mini series where myself and two other authors play our main characters to save their worlds with the help of the day-saving Jess! Never have I ever been more nervous or more excited.
It’s a four part series and so far the first episode is out. Check out the trailer below and then I’ve added the Youtube link and the Spotify link to episode 1: Into the Margins. I cannot believe the amount of work and heart that was put into this project, and it was such an honor to play along side such masterminds!
Welcome to my 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.
This month I am joined yet again by the incredible Elizabeth Chatsworth to discuss Grand Tour, the sequel to her gaslamp fantasy novel: The Brass Queen. If you haven’t seen or listened to our first chat yet, never fear! You can do so here:
Okay, all caught up? Excellent. Now, boil the kettle, lace up your corset (or straighten your Stetson) and join us as we talk sequels, exploding gowns, attracting opposites, and the feminine way to reclaim the globe.
The grass was always greener in another dimension.
In a fantastical steam-powered world, eccentric aristocrat and secret arms dealer, Miss Constance Haltwhistle, has been blackmailed into stealing alien artifacts from the crown heads of Europe. Only the shady but annoyingly handsome US spy, “Liberty” Trusdale, can help her execute her perfect palace heists. As Constance creates chaos and mayhem across the Continent, monstrous creatures are plotting an interdimensional invasion of Earth. Will Constance and Trusdale stop bickering long enough to end the war of the worlds before it starts?
If you enjoy stories inspired by HG Wells’s War of the Worlds, you’ll love this gaslamp romp across an alternate 1890s Europe where our bickering heroes may just be the bad guys.
The flowers were in my hair this month as I stomped the San Francisco pavements with a dear friend of mine. We ate chowder in bread bowls, drank mai thais, explored Azkaban – sorry – Alcatraz, rode cable cars, and clocked at least a half marathon in steps each day. It was so wonderful to have the sun on my face again after this Canadian winter.
booksbooksbooks
I visited these two gorgeous bookstores while in San Fran
Queens gotta stick together! Check out the delightful interview conducted by Elizabeth Chatsworth to celebrate the paperback release of Queen’s Catacombs here.
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!
Happy love month one and all! Welcome to February’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:
Bookbub feature and free ebook deal
Queens on tour
Podcast: Author Nook
Captain’s Log: Snow Way!
Review Corner
Bookbub Feature
Bookbub has chosen Contest of Queens as their feature title this month and are offering the eBook for free from February 28th to March 5th! Click here for your copy.
Queens on tour
For all of you who are unaware, Queen’s Catacombs comes out on paperback March 12, 2024! This is very exciting if you’re a person like me because paperbacks fit much better in purses, and then they all match on your shelf just so. In celebration, I’m going on a bit of a tour across four towns/cities so if you’re in the area and would like a paperback copy, some free swag, or to show your support, please come on down and say hi!
Banff – Author night at Banff Public Library March 8th at 7:30pm Also, from February 20th – March 8th we’ll be running a colouring competition thought Banff Public Library, so get your submissions in before the draw on March 8th!
Calgary – Author signing at Slowburn Books March 13th at noon
Invermere– Author signing at Four Points Books – date TBD Collaboration with Invermere public library and highschool. March 1st at noon
Podcast: Author Nook
Welcome to my 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.
I have an exciting announcement to make! I finally sat down and figured out how to get my podcast on Spotify, so all past and all future episodes will feature on both platforms. Listen in! If you have a minute to rate and follow, please do as it really helps!
Confused about the name change? Well Spotify had a thousand Book Nook named Podcasts so I figured this would make it easier to find.
Today, in the month of love, I’m joined by not one, but two incredible authors to talk all about murder! So lock the door, turn on all the lights, and huddle under the covers with me as we discuss murder most foul with Terry S. Friedman, author of Bone Pendant Girls and Marcy McCreary, author of The Murder of Madison Garcia. Click below to watch:
Beware the Fisherman.
Andi Wyndham has communicated with spirits since she was a kid. When a bone pendant carved into the likeness of a girl’s face calls to her at a gem show in Pennsylvania, she can’t resist buying it and a sister piece. When she discovers the girls are missing runaways and the pendants are made of human bone, Andi is drawn into a mystery that will force her to confront her gifts, her guilt, and the ghosts haunting her.
Pendant Girls Mariah and Bennie urge Andi to find a man they call “Fisherman,” a master of disguise. Teaming up with a handsome private eye and a South Carolina sheriff, Andi must find the girls’ bodies and put their souls to rest, before the Fisherman casts his deadly net to trap Andi.
Sometimes the truth doesn’t set you free—it gets you killed.
Detective Susan Ford notices a missed call on her phone from a number she doesn’t recognize, and when Madison Garcia, a woman with past ties to the town of Monticello, New York, is found stabbed to death the next morning, Susan realizes that Madison was the one who had called her. But why?
Susan teams up with her father, retired Detective Will Ford, to find the killer, and their investigation soon threatens to uncover Madison’s family secrets—an inheritance, accidental death, money laundering, extramarital affairs, and family rivalries, just to name a few—and they don’t appreciate the Fords digging into their business.
As the investigation twists and turns, the Fords discover that Madison was planning to confess to a long-kept secret, but someone brutally silenced her. Everyone she knew is a suspect. Anyone could be her killer.
Captain’s Log
Snow Way!
This part of the year in Canada is a time I usually dread because it’s the coldest, grimmest, darkest part. HOWEVER, thanks to El Nino and climate change it has been unseasonably warm! We had snow, then lost it, now we have it again. While usually February sees me huddling indoors, I’ve been lucky enough to take advantage of the white stuff. I bought a new set of cross country skis and tested my mettle out in Kananaskis, and skated the WhiteWay in Invermere (all 12km of it).
I hope wherever you are that you’re cozy!
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!
Happy New Year, one and all! I hope 2024 finds you safe, healthy, and happy. I’m currently writing this wrapped up in blankets in front of the fire, doing my best to ward of the -30 degrees C snap we’ve got outside. It’s just too cold… so have a cuppa tea with me and let’s stay warm together.
In this month’s newsletter, scroll down to find:
Rose Petal Princess
Queen’s progress report
Queens on tour
Book Nook- Shadow Weavers and Non-Believers: author talk with H.J.Reynolds
Captain’s Log: Four Legged Friends and … Foes?
Review Corner
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Rose Petal Princess
The response has been amazing to this little book and now I’m able to keep the price at the reduced rate!
$10.00 CAD and free shipping worldwide!
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.
I would recommend this collection for 9+ year olds as the themes and stories are a tad on the dark side… (mwahahaha)
Queen’s Progress Report
A lot has happened in the last few years and a lot is on the way so I thought I’d give you a bit of an insight into the timeline I’m working with so you know when to fasten your seatbelts!
Queendom Come
Edits: as of this week it has just finished one round of edits so I am looking forward to gets those back (each book typically gets 3 rounds of edits with each round focusing on a different aspect of the novel).
Cover: We’ve also gone through the first round of cover design selection and I’ve sent back my feedback so we should have a cover within the next few months if all goes to plan!
Release Date: early 2025 with an official date announcement coming soon.
Progress: Manuscript finished and currently editing and sharing with beta readers so that it’s good enough to send off to the publisher
Queens on tour
For all of you who are unaware, Queen’s Catacombs comes out on paperback March 12, 2024! This is very exciting if you’re a person like me because paperbacks fit much better in purses, and then they all match on your shelf just so. In celebration, I’m going on a bit of a tour across four towns/cities so if you’re in the area and would like a paperback copy, some free swag, or to show your support, please come on down and say hi!
Banff – Author night at Banff Public Library March 8th at 7:30pm Also, from February 20th – March 8th we’ll be running a colouring competition thought Banff Public Library, so get your submissions in before the draw on March 8th!
Calgary – Author signing at Slowburn Books March 13th at noon
Invermere– Author signing at Four Points Books and Collaboration with Invermere public library and highschool. dates TBD
Book Nook
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.
Grab a cup of tea and listen in as I chat with H.J.Reynolds about her debut novel Without a Shadow. Without a Shadow is a desert fantasy with shadow magic and those desperate to wield it. We chat about magic, science, and how to capture the moral greyness that is being human.
Without a Shadow officially hits the shelves April 9th 2024
Adlai Bringer remembers going to the desert market with her father: The colorful tents, the wink of gold, and her father’s shadow, black as night, as it moved of its own accord and stole whatever trinket she wanted. He called it the Shadow Game.
After her father disappears, Adlai keeps going back to the market determined to find some trace of him and stealing what she can with her shadow. Until one day she picks the wrong mark—someone who knows her little trick and tries to take her shadow for himself.
Everything Adlai thought she knew about her shadow is turned upside down, and her father’s disappearance takes on a new light as she’s forced to flee the city or risk being hunted. From the desert to the Shadow World to even more unlikely places, Adlai knows one thing for certain: her shadow is a gift worth killing for.
Dogs are the best. As the new year ticked over and I started getting stuck into 2024, I had the privilege of hanging out with my brother’s dog, Billie. I know everyone says their dog is the best, but Billie really is the best. She came out skating with us and was getting the hang of some ice hockey moves.
I spent a few days out in Invermere and the entire lake froze solid. We had a few gorgeous days where we could skate for miles and miles before the snow set it. There’s nothing quite like it.
Coyotes are great at a distance. This curious little guy followed me on my morning walk and made me realize I really need to brush up on my coyote knowledge. He seemed more playful than menacing, but I’ve seen the Road Runner cartoons and I know not to trust a coyote’s smile!
Nature: Breath’s Taker
I have a feeling 2024 is going to be a great year, and I hope it’s going well wherever you are. There is a lot to be thankful for already, and I hope you’ve found some moments of magic. If not, please borrow one of mine. My mum always said sharing was caring.
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! I got some great reviews this month, and another person with beef around Connor’s name… Maybe there’s a Connor Society I forgot to speak with before christening the character? Who knows!
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)
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?
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!
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! I got some great reviews this month, the most cryptic being: “Connor is more of a Conner.”
You may be of the mind to let the sleigh bells and Mariah Carey’s whistle notes ring out as soon as November 1st rolls over, or you may not. I pass no judgement either way, but I will say the theme of this month’s newsletter is ghosties and phantoms as we cling to the last dregs of the spooky season.
In this month’s newsletter, scroll down to find:
Mastering the Power Within booth chat
Book Nook- author talk with Meredith Lyons and Helen Power
Captain’s Log: Eating the Big Apple
Website Feature: Top 3 Reads of 2023
Review Corner
Consider this panel moderated!
I had so much fun moderating the CamCat panel: Master the Power Within at this year’s School Library Journal’s Day of Dialogue! Check out the panel below/ I chat magic systems and how to break them with H. J. Reynolds (Without a Shadow), Morgan Shamy (The Stricken), and Brielle D. Porter (Jester).
Book Nook
I see dead people: Meddling phantoms and not-always-friendly ghosts, an author talk with Meredith Lyons and Helen Power
Leave the light on and snuggle under your blankets because today’s chat is going to get a wee bit spooky.
I’m joined today by Helen Power, author of Phantom; and Meredith Lyons, author of Ghost Tamer and we’re talking all things supernatural whether it’s a phantom limb that shows its previous owner the nefarious deeds of the new owner, or a woman who suddenly discovers she can see the dead. Want a copy to take home?
They’re available where all books are sold, or check out CamCatBooks publishing http://www.camcatbooks.com and get 25% off until November 27th 2023.
Captain’s Log
Eating the Big Apple
I feel like I have unlocked an adulting achievement: driving during rush hour in New York City. What a rush. What a lawless land it is. And yet, what was most wild, was that there was a method to the madness, laws within the lawless. It was every woman for herself, yet without any of the malicious sting that I was expecting. If you hesitated, you were left behind. If you let someone in, five more would flood through your lowered defenses.
Also, it was very cool driving through neighbourhoods and thinking, “Hey, this is where Spiderman lives,” or “Oh, this is where that scene from Hitch was.”
It was wild. I feel like I have completed my hero’s journey and can now return home armed with the lessons I learned.
Also, I went apple picking in Hudson.
It turns out I did, in fact, like them apples.
Winter Came
It happens every year, but somehow this still comes as a shock. I’m determined to love the white stuff though, and there is a majesty in the way it cloaks the valley.
Shepherd.com was kind enough to ask my opinion of my favourite books I read this year – a harder task than I thought it would be but I managed to whittle it down to three.
And if you’d like to watch the podcast episode with Elijah Menchaca we did about They Split the Party, check it out here.
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!
Happy October! I know it’s not a wild opinion, but October truly is the best month of the year. A month of cozy clothes, warm blankets, and tasty drinks. Also, It means I get to watch Over the Garden Wall again.
In this month’s newsletter, scroll down to find:
Exciting News: Free Ebooks!
Who Run the Worlds author panel
Captain’s Log: Portside Out Starboardside Home
Book Nook Podcast: Spooky Edition
Review Corner
Exciting News: Free Ebooks
Who puts the eee! in 200 fr-ee e-books? The Cavalcade Club of course! I’ve joined their three day event along with hundreds of other amazing authors. Between October 13 and 15, grab as many freebees as you can here:
As you can imagine, with 200 titles to choose from, you can definitely spend some time going through them all. I’ve shared a few of my favs below to save you the scrolling. You might notice a familiar face!
In solidarity with this awesome sale, the ebook of Queen’s Catacombs will be $1.99 from the 13th to the 15th as well! How neat is that? Get yours wherever you get your ebooks, or click the image below to claim your copy, and if all else fails, click here.
Who Run the Worlds – author panel
For those with sharp eyes, you may have noticed two other familiar names in the list of free ebooks. Aamna Qureshi and Brandie June have been repeat offenders in this newsletter and we had a great chat last year with Dana Claire about world building. Here it is if you missed it:
Everything in Moderation (except books, of course)
Speaking of author panels, I was lucky enough to moderate CamCat’s Mastering the Power Within panel at the School Library Journal’s Fall Day of Dialogue on October 12th. The video will be up within the next few weeks so I’ll post the link in November’s newsletter, but I encourage you to put these authors and their books on your radar now (if you haven’t already).
Brielle D. Porter: Jester
H.J. Reynolds: Without a Shadow
Morgan Shamy: The Stricken
Captain’s Log: P.O.S.H
Larch Hikes and Mountain Vistas
There must something in the air, because lately nature has been pulling out all the stops. Here are some of my favourite pics from recent hikes (the first one’s just from my drive to work!)
Full Bore and to the Horizon
One of the activities I missed most about being in the UK was kayaking. Now, before you flood my inbox with cries of: “but they have kayaks in Scotland!” hold those horses because, I know. Yes, I could have gone kayaking abroad, but I didn’t, so I missed it. Plus, there’s something so wonderful about launching your own vessel into the water.
Meet the H.M.S Flounder. She’s a beaut alright.
It was the most star-aligning day, because I’d driven past this stretch of waterway dozen of times and always thought to myself: man, I want to sail in there. So when my dear friend Kate agreed to go on a water-borne adventure, we packed our vessels into and onto my beetle (Ray), and set out. Did I have a location? Nope. A Google of the area did not reveal any boat docks. HOWEVER, we picked a spot on the map where the road pulled alongside the water, turned off the highway and trundled down an ever-narrowing dirt road. At the very end fortune shone her golden rays upon us for there it was! The most perfect wee boat ramp for us to use! I couldn’t have planned it better! We were the only ones on the water, and didn’t have to tramp through marshland and brambles to do it. What a treat!
Happy spooky season! Tis the season for scary movies, pumpkin carving, trick-or-treating, and dry leaf crunching. Why not cozy up in a blanket cocoon with a warm mug of tea and join me as I chat with fellow authors about their spooky novels.
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!
You heard it here first, folks. I’ve now turned my author interviews into a podcast. So far they only exist on Youtube, but soon I’ll be uploading them to Spotify and beyond! In the meantime, here’s the graphic for my podcast: Book Nook – author talks with Jordan H. Bartlett.
Ebook Sale
CONTEST OF QUEENS ebook is on sale for the month of September for $1.99! Pick up your copy wherever you buy your ebooks, or click the image below.
Guest Post: Choose the Light
Aamna Qureshi is a New York based, Pakistani Muslim American author who has just released her third novel: When a Brown Girl Flees. I’ve had the pleasure of speaking with Aamna a few times over the years about her books, if you missed any of those newsletters and interviews, don’t fret! Here they are:
In honor of her new release When a Brown Girl Flees, Qureshi has written a segment for my newsletter:
Choose the Light
WHEN A BROWN GIRL FLEES is about a lot of things, but if I had to boil it down to three it would be: hope, kindness, and forgiveness. Three qualities which we know are good and vital, but which we often forget about in our daily lives. And in this forgetting, we lose a little bit of the light each and every day.
It takes immense strength to hold onto hope. We need constant reminders that as long as there is life, there is hope: for things to change for the better, for us to change for the better. In the beginning of the book, Zahra has pretty much given up; she runs away because she feels she has nothing to lose, that things can’t possibly get worse. She is hopeless; she is in the dark. She has given herself up to despair. But slowly, she learns to fight for herself, to fight for a life she can be happy in. She finds a sliver of hope and holds on, and it carries her from the deepest depths of the dark ocean up toward the light.
It takes immense strength to be kind, not only to others but to yourself. Zahra internalizes a lot of the hatred and meanness that she hears and weaponizes others’ words against herself, until they become her internal monologue. It takes her a lot of time and conscious effort to undo her unkind behavior to herself, and a lot of that is in part due to the kindness of her newfound friends. Never underestimate the impact you can have on someone else. Zahra’s friends save her life just by being kind and by teaching her to be kind to herself.
Never underestimate the impact you can have on someone else.
Aamna Qureshi
And lastly, it takes immense strength to forgive, not only others, but yourself. Zahra has done something she regrets, and the guilt eats away at her. It requires herculean effort to accept what she has done and forgive herself to allow herself to move forward rather than be stuck in the past. She also learns the power of forgiving others, of letting go of all that hurt so that it can no longer harm her.
I know all of this is hard; Zahra does, too. But everyday we make choices, and in this book, I tried to show that if we choose to have hope, if we choose to be kind, if we choose to forgive, life can become not only simply bearable, but beautiful, too. It can go from a bleak horizon of gray to a glorious technicolor. It doesn’t mean that things will be perfect, that everything will always be okay, that things won’t hurt. Life will always be hard—but if we find the strength to be brave, to hold onto hope, to be kind and forgive ourselves and others, then we will always find the light in the darkness.
-Aamna Qureshi
Find out more information about Aamna and her other works here: Website: www.aamnaqureshi.com Instagram: @aamna_qureshi Twitter: @aamnaqureshi_
When A Brown Girl Flees
In this powerful novel from new voice Aamna Qureshi, a Muslim teen goes on a breathtaking journey to find her home and–more importantly–herself.
After Zahra Paracha makes a decision at odds with her beliefs, her mother forces Zahra to make an impossible choice about her future. So Zahra runs away. A train and a plane ride later, she finds herself in New York, where she relinquishes her past in favor of a new future. There, she must learn who she is without the marionette strings of control in her mother’s hands. There, she must learn who she wishes to become.
On Long Island, Zahra stays at a bed & breakfast, unsure of her place in the world. Anxious, depressed, and grappling with guilt, she wanders aimlessly. She eventually visits the local masjid, where she is befriended by two sisters and drawn into the welcoming Muslim community there.
It is in this place of safety that Zahra’s healing truly begins–but can she create a home for herself when the foundation is built on lies she’s spun to protect her from the past? When a family friend recognizes her, will everything come crashing down? As Zahra tries to build a life for herself in this new place, the heart of the matter becomes clear: she can’t run away forever. Can she close the rift in her family and truly, fully heal?
Coming back home was bittersweet in the same way leaving Edinburgh was. It’s hard, it’s messy, it’s exciting, it’s painful and I’ve dealt with these feelings ever since the first time mum and dad moved our family across the world to try something different. Every new chapter means leaving something behind (and unfortunately for me, I have a difficult time letting go).
But home I have come and whether it was clever or not, I hit the ground running. The family took a trip to Waterton for my brother’s birthday. Waterton is a gorgeous little hamlet in southern Alberta that boasts the historic Prince of Wales hotel. We had a great view of it from the Bear’s Hump:
But the real feat of the weekend was our hike up to Crypt Lake. This hike had everything. We were transported to and from the trial head by boat, marched consistently uphill, traversed a valley, marveled at waterfalls, balanced on a cliffside goat-track, climbed a ladder, swung from chains, inched through a tunnel, and arrived in one piece to the gorgeous blue waters of Crypt lake.
Take off, Touch down
Speaking of altitude, I have also been dancing in the clouds more recently.
The Fairmont Airstrip had a Fly In event with pancakes and prizes. It was so cool to see all the different planes come in from all over Alberta to show up for pancakes! The stories these pilots shared were incredible. One of them told me how he rescued a baby grizzly bear (whose mother had been killed near the airstrip), caught it, contacted the necessary authorities and when no one else stepped forward with the funds for relocation, flew it up to a rehabilitation center in northern Alberta himself. The matter-of-fact nonchalance of his tale was what blew me away the most. When I asked, “What made you go looking for the cub?” he simply said, “Well… no one else was doing it.”
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?
I know I said I’d leave the menu to you… but then I went down a Google rabbit hole and found a few fun bevies I thought I’d share for inspiration.
Non alcoholic
Fit for a Courtier Queen. Add edible gold glitter to *any* mocktail and call it a day. Watch as the shimmering gold dust dances in your glass and imagine a flight with the gold-dusted griffins.
Rosemary for Memory Mocktail. Featured here is a rosemary and clementine sparkler from Fox and Briar that looks divine. Master Leschi would surely approve of this mind-boosting concoction. Click here for the recipe.
Tea. I associate most of my characters with a herb/tree/flower, so here are some that would make a nice brew: Lena Glowra: rose or rosehips Anya Bishop: bergamot Amber Everstar: cinnamon or cloves Dyna Flent: jasmine and orange Maria Tabart: lavender
Alcoholic
Champagne This is a very important beverage in the novels, mostly because it is a very important beverage to me.
In the same vein as the edible glitter mocktail above, here’s a link to an elderflower shimmery champagne cocktail that has Courtier Queen written all over it. Click here for the recipe.
Sons of Celos Margarita Those purple hooded brutes are good for one thing and one thing only, a tasty color-changing beverage. Here’s another recipe from Fox and Briar.
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 is an incredibly lovely review from author H. J. Reynolds (her debut novel Without a Shadow comes out next year) that almost didn’t fit in the newsletter!
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?
Exciting news! CONTEST OF QUEENS ebook is going on sale for the month of September for $1.99! Mark your calendar for September first and pick up your copy wherever you buy your ebooks, or click the image below.
Travel Log: Happily Ever After
Oh nelly.
If you’re new here, the only context you need is that I’m an author who has taken a year off her job in Canada as a Speech Language Pathologist to live in Scotland to finish writing my trilogy.
This year I’ve taken to love, to dream, to write, to explore is swiftly drawing to a close. As you can imagine, I’m feeling a little emotional and reflecting on all I’ve done.
In the book world, I have accomplished so much more than I could have imagined in one year:
Published Queen’s Catacombs
Signed the French translation rights of Contest of Queens to Lux and Nox publishing house (release date: 2024)
Signed Queendom Come with CamCat publishing and begun concluding my first trilogy (release date: 2025)
(almost) finished my mysteriously titled pirate novel
It’s incredible, and I don’t for a moment want to diminish these accomplishments because it’s a nasty habit I’m trying to break, but I do want to acknowledge the proudest achievement of mine this year: That I answered my call to adventure.
It can often be easy to escape into my own or other authors’ stories. To hide between pages, or behind a computer screen, but this year I lived my adventure, and I am so proud of that. I’ve shared a lot of my travels in this newsletter or on my Instagram, so while a part of me wants to provide a colorful recap of my year-long quest, I won’t. This year was mostly for me, and in my heart it will stay.
Instead, I want to say thank you. Thank you to my hustling nose-to-the-grindstone past self whose hard work, resilient mental health, and frugal saving made this year financially possible. Thank you to my parents for giving me wandering feet. Thank you to my dear friends and family who have opened their doors to me when I came knocking and taken the time to show me snapshots of their lives. Thank you to new friends who helped me create such wonderful memories. Thank you to my writing buddy who became so much more. Thank you to fleeting love interests for keeping this year spicy. Thank you to my job for providing me with the security and deadline to return. I am forever grateful for all the many factors and people that made this year possible.
Thank you for this year, this heart, this life.
And like a new convert or newly wed, I feel myself compelled to share advice that might lead you, dear reader, to a similar state. Answer your call to adventure, and if the air is still and silent- be your own call. We are here for such a short time.
Live magically.
13 Countries explored: England, Wales, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Denmark, Germany, France, Malta, Sicily, New Zealand, Canada (Alberta and BC), and USA (New York).
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:
Bookmarks and Playlists
I love recommendations and you may be interested in mine, so here’s the book I’m reading, the songs I’m listening to, and any thoughts I have of them.
Bookmark:
Incredible. Absolutely loved this and now I’m kicking myself for not looking into Anne Bronte’s works sooner.
Playlist:
I will listen to the same few songs on repeat until I’ve drained every last drop of serotonin out of them so these are the three song’s I’ve been wringing out this month: Lara – The Arcadian Wild. There’s something about the melody that is so soothing. Wild Uncharted Waters – Prince Eric from the live action Little Mermaid. Yes. Come at me. This song is fantastic. They decided to give this cape wearing flautist a solo worthy of kings and the way it mingles with Ariel’s siren song is just poetry. I’m a Rover – Great Big Sea. With my move looming overhead, this song has been a beacon of light and hope. It’s fun, jaunty, and a love song to boot. I’ll be using the tune in a shanty that will pop up in my pirate novel.
Follow Kristi on: Twitter: @kristimcmanus Instagram: @kristimcmanus Website
Our Vengeful Souls
It all started with a curse.
When mermaid Sereia overshadows her brother and the kingdom’s rightful heir, Triton, the position of next ruler of the sea is in question. Determined to keep his throne, Triton banishes Sereia with a warning: if you ever return, you will become a monster.
Left for dead, Sereia washes up on the shores of Atlantis, where she is rescued by a kind merchant with a tragic past. He earns her trust, but Atlanteans fear magic and Sereia must conceal her true identity as her feelings for her savior deepen.
Her skill with a blade finds her a place within the Atlantean army, and Sereia soon wavers between the pull of revenge and the possibility of love on land, but when a friend’s fate is at risk, she must make the hardest decision of all: expose who she truly is and be burned at the stake as a witch, or return to the sea a monster.
I was lucky enough to take a few minutes of Kristi McManus’ time and pick her brain about her recent debut. So pour yourself a cup of tea and read along as we talk about all things under the sea.
Tell me a little about yourself.
I’m a Registered Nurse by day, and enthusiastic book nerd 24/7. I dabbled in writing on and off most of my life, but it wasn’t until my mid thirties that I really started writing with purpose. Now, I can’t imagine not writing. Besides that, I love all forms of creativity, including photography, drawing and crafting. I have an entire room dedicated to all things creative.
Our Vengeful Souls is not so much as a retelling of the beloved fairy tale, The Little Mermaid, as it is a villain origin story for the sea witch. What was your inspiration for this novel, and what did you hope to capture?
The inspiration was actually a meme I saw online one day. It was of the sea witch and sea king, the Disney versions, insinuating that there was a backstory between them and a fallout. The concept stuck with me for weeks, until finally I decided to write it myself. The main premise, for me, was that even a villain has a story. A series of events that directed them on their path, even if that path ultimately becomes one that most would consider evil. For Sereia, she was not born evil. She didn’t seek to bring others down, but after being wronged over and over again by her brother, her obsession with revenge twisted her into the version we all know in the classic tale.
What drew you to writing about fairy tales?
I think the idea that every story could have a completely different outcome by changing one small component. When I was a child, we were tasked with rewritting a fairy tale for class. I chose Little Red Riding Hood, and rewrote it with the wolf as the misunderstood victim of mistaken identity by Red and her Grandmother. Since then, I love flipping well known tales on their heads. I’ve rewritten Cinderella as well, with the fairy godmother (and faeries in general) as the villain.
What is it about the sea witch that captured your imagination?
The idea that she maybe wasn’t always the villain. We all look at the sea witch as evil and hateful, but why? Why is she like that, and why does she want to see the Little Mermaid have her heart broken and fail? I’ve always been a person who considers the ‘why’ of every situation and action, so it felt natural to me to question her past that formed her future. In the original story, there isn’t much information on the sea witch provided. She came as a bit of a blank slate, giving me the freedom to create a more sympathetic character in my version.
Mermaids feature heavily in this novel, with their underwater cities and flashy fins, there are a lot of creative avenues to explore when building an underwater civilization. What was the most fun aspect of writing about mermaids?
Taking what the general public knows about mermaids, and then building on that. Thinking about where they would live, their societies, and how maybe they wouldn’t be that different from us, minus the whole under water thing. There is always a fascination about paranormal creatures, but also a freedom to create different layers to deepen a readers understanding of them.
What was the most challenging aspect?
Probably finding a balance between what is socially accepted as ‘mermaid’ versus what I wanted to create in my characters. I always write with a set of ‘rules’, whether it is about the character, the world, the magic systems, and once you set those in place, you can’t break them. While fantasy writing has a sense of freedom about it, since the rules are of your own making, there are still expectations to stay within those parameters and the expectations readers already hold about your subjects, which can be a challenge.
What scene was your favourite to write and why?
Probably the epilogue. Going through the majority of the story, there isn’t much connection to the classic tale. OVS is about Sereia, not the sea witch as we know her. It isn’t until the epilogue that it really ties together; her motivations, her hesitations, and her desperation to finally have her revenge against her brother. All of it is the catalyst for the Little Mermaid story we know.
What is your favourite quote or passage from your novel?
I have a few, but possibly ‘as your world crumbles and burns, I will rise like a phoenix from your ashes’. It is the first quote that ties OVS to the classic tale and gives depth to her desire for revenge.
What projects are coming up for you next?
My next novel, How to Get Over Your (Best Friend’s) Ex, is coming Summer 2024 from Camcat! It is a YA romance love triangle in which a shy girl tries to help her queen bee best friend get over her recent breakup, while also trying to get over the love interest herself. I think it is a concept that many people can relate to, of forbidden romance and the struggle of being a side kick character in your own life.
Travel Log: A Date with Darcy
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!
Mysteriously Titled Finale: Completed manuscript sent to publisher!
If you’re interested in following along on my travel journey, I recommend following me on Instagram: @jordanhbartlett
A Date with Darcy
The most controversial opinion I have in the UK is undoubtedly that I prefer the 2005 movie version of Pride and Prejudice to the BBC version. Colin Firth and his wet shirt is fine, but he is no Matthew MacFayden and his unbuttoned linen shirt and long coat billowing in the mist as he walks across the misty moor. Between that, the rain-soaked (albeit poorly worded) first proposal, and the infamous hand-flex scene, poor Mr. Firth doesn’t stand a chance in the halls of my heart.
Feel free to disagree… but know that I will think you are wrong.
I was lucky enough to visit my Darcy’s Pemberly (a.k.a Chatsworth) with a dear friend of mine, and even saw his statue! I think my favourite part was the little plaque beneath the statue that begged visitors not to kiss it.
The house and grounds of Chatsworth easily filled one of the happier days of my life. While the inside was gorgeous, the grounds were mesmerizing. There was a hedge maze, an elaborate rock garden, a collection of the largest red-woods outside California, greenhouses with lilypads and peaches, and so much more! Such a dream.
Rabbits and Daffodils
Next stop on my brief literary pilgrimage was the Lake District. I honestly have so many photographs from the three days I was there and rather than overload you, I shall pick one photograph per highlight, and restrict myself to three highlights. Oof, what a challenge. Are you ready? Here we go!
Visiting Beatrix Potter’s home: Hill Top House and Farm
Hill Top Farm in the Lake District is where Beatrix Potter lived for many years. She bought the property (rats and all) and had to finagle the system a bit to live their as she was an unmarried woman and at the time it was not the thing to do.
It was such a treasure of a place!
It was such a treasure of a place! And she used so many little locations around her house and grounds as backdrops in her books, you felt like you had jumped right into the pages!
Even if you’re not a fan of Peter Rabbit and his gang, I think you’d have been hard pressed not to smile to see the watering can he hid in, or the garden gate Jemima Puddle Duck walks through.
Oh Nelly, walking in the footsteps of such an incredible and talented woman was indescribable.
2. Getting “lost” in Wordsworth’s backyard
I visited Dove cottage and wandered as he once did – although I was not lonely as a cloud. The beauty of Wordsworth is how, centuries later, like souled people flock to his haunts and share like minds. So I wandered with a kind heart named Jennifer until the winds blew us our separate ways through the bluebell fields and rolling hills.
Rather than take the bus back to the ferry in Ambleside, I walked. It’s wonderful the things you find when you take the long way around. These stepping stones, funnily enough, were part of the pathway back to the main road.
3. The peace that water brings
I can see why people flock to the Lake District. Even with dozens of people milling about, you can’t help but find calm.
Whether it was the sound of the waves lapping against the hull of the boat taking me to Ambleside, or the pitter-patter of rain on the trees (and my head) when I accidently got caught in a downpour, the sight, the sound, the smell of it filled my heart right up.
Upcoming Event: SLJ Day of Dialog
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!
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:
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 
