May 2024
Welcome to May’s newsletter. If you showed up by accident but want to receive monthly content, please subscribe below:
In this month’s newsletter, click the headings or scroll down to find:
- And the winner is…
- Author Nook: Building the Underdog with Brielle D. Porter and Madison Lawson
- Critical Hit: Campaign Complete
- Captain’s Log: From Sea to Sky and Back for Tea
- Review Corner
And the winner is…
Queen’s Catacombs won a silver IPPY award in the Best Series: Fiction category. That’s the second silver IPPY this series has won, and the first award won by Queen’s Catacombs! I am ecstatic! Over the moon! And so mumma-bear proud of this series!
Author Nook: Building the Underdog with Brielle D. Porter and Madison Lawson
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 today by not one, but two fantastic authors: Madison Lawson, author of The Registration and The Registration Rewritten; and Brielle D. Porter, author of Jester. Today we talk all about building the underdog, how to write a believable down-trodden character, how to make the rules of a new world work, and the true meaning of family. So bring your trust issues and settle in to add a few wolves to your lone wolf pack.
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.
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.
The Registration Rewritten
When your greatest enemy is your best chance of survival.
Still bearing wounds from barely surviving the Registration, Lynell struggles to fill her new role as the heir and leader of the very system that aimed to kill her. She must convince the Registration committee and the country’s oligarchs that she can fill her uncle’s shoes, while simultaneously proving to the country’s largest rebel group that she is nothing like her uncle—ruthless and greedy . When Sawyer, the leader of the Resurrection, reaches out with proof that they are both on the hitlist of powerful people who wish to destroy the rebels and take over the Registration, the two women form an uneasy alliance.
With mere days until the committee announces a policy change that will increase the Registration’s lethal power, Lynell and Sawyer must find out who wants them dead—and all signs point to someone close.
Critical Hit: Campaign Complete
It’s out! It’s over! What bittersweet news for the world. If you’re new here, allow me to explain, I was fortunate enough to be a part of a four episode Dungeons and Dragons podcast with our incredible MC Smitherman, Alexander James (The Woodkin), Elijah Menchaca (The Glintchasers Series), and Jessica Homami as we play our leading lads and ladies and fight to restore our worlds and be the heroes we wrote about!
It was honestly an absolute blast, I’m so excited that the final episode is out because it’s a goodie! Here is a sneak peek at my favourite moment:
Here are the Spotify links if you’d prefer to listen to the adventure. All episodes as well as audiobooks and exclusive author interviews can be found on CamCat Unwrapped’s channel.
Captain’s Log: From Sea to Sky and Back for Tea
Icy Paddle
I absolutely adore my kayak, the HMS Flounder, and have been chomping at the bit to get her out on the open waterways once again. I think the stars all decided to align for my first paddle as it was the most surreal/stunning/special trips of my life. I went out to Two Jack lake and discovered that the ice sheets were still floating around. The next two hours were spent in exploration bliss as I navigated the water maze between these giant sheets of ice and realized that the wind kept changing their position so where once was an exit now became a dead end and at one point I had to hack my way through the ice.
It was made extra special when I realized the ice was made up of thin spears that broke apart into these long crystals at the slightest touch. Talk about Elsa’s paradise! It was such a magical day.
Taking Flight
I’ve mentioned before than my favourite scenes to write in the Frean Chronicles are the flights with the Griffins- maybe it’s no coincidence that each book includes a weightless, gravity defying scene. There’s something about being level with the clouds, seeing how small we all are from above, and how vast and beautiful this world really is.
My dad has been flying since before I was born, so maybe it’s just in my veins, but whatever it is, any chance I get to dance among the clouds is one I’ll take. Especially with the world’s best pilot at the helm.
Readying for a Swoon
If you’re anyone with a pulse and a love of carriage rides, you were awaiting the Bridgerton season 3 release like I was. While it could never top the Queen Charlotte season, it had just the right amount of fan-fluttering moments to appease this gentle reader. I would highly recommend a high-tea viewing party for when the second half drops in June as it made the experience quite charming, filled the room with gasps and giggles, and involved much debriefing.
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!
Check out this stunning review! I am so so blown away!
x live magically
feature image: https://saxonhenry.com/cinderella-in-the-south-of-france/
Jordan H. Bartlett 