Tomorrow, my urban fantasy debut novel, The Blood She Betrayed, goes live on Clan Destine Press and, not long after that, you’ll also be able to download it from Amazon, iTunes and Kobo.
I’m also delighted to reveal its updated cover, with these beautiful words from The Vampire Diaries author LJ Smith, resting above my pen-name: ‘Shahkara is engaging and strong… this girl can handle herself!’ Squee! My novel is going to be sitting on shelves in bookstores with Lisa’s name just above mine. Can my fangirl moments get any better?
I’ve been quiet on the home front this year and most of you know that’s been a combination of broken kneecap, personal concerns and preparing The Blood She Betrayed for its official release.
The past fortnight has been a rollercoaster ride as my Publisher makes last-minute changes to my novel and we prepare for a worldwide release, to be followed by the paperback launch in Bundaberg next month.
The Blood She Betrayed was originally scheduled to launch yesterday, September 4 but it was only on Sunday that I received the call (the unexpected call) to say they’d been delayed and the book wouldn’t go live until Friday.
But very soon, this dream will be a reality and I feel thrilled and humbled to share my first Young Adult-cusping-New Adult, Heart Hunters story with you.
I love magic and would love to believe in destiny, I do think it’s more important to focus on and work hard at your goals than to
think a chewing gum wrapper will unlock the secrets of your life (to misquote the original Superman film), but I couldn’t help but grin this morning when I read my Astrological projections (star signs) for the day: ‘Today’s Virgo New Moon reveals you starting a new chapter in your work life.’ How about that? Eight per cent of the world might not be starting new careers tomorrow but I am! (Well, officially. Unofficially, I’ve been doing this for years…)
The journey of a writer is not always easy but, for most of us, writing takes up a huge chunk of our personal life and, quite simply, nourishes our souls.
Just as some are passionate about ballet or basketball, I talk to characters in my head and think up nasty, tormented plot-lines. I hope you’ll enjoy reading about my feisty characters and twisted storyline as much as I enjoyed writing it.