Borrowed Ember (Fire Spirits #3)

As you can see from the poll on my sidebar, Borrowed Ember (Fire Spirits #3) won by 73%. So, I will be releasing Borrowed Ember next! Woohoo!

OK, OK, all you really want to know is when though right? :-p

Well, I don’t know if you’ve had a chance to check out my new page ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ but on there I talk a little about release dates. In the past I’ve announced release dates and then struggled more and more to hit those deadlines. Lots of stress and trying not to stress other people out. Although I don’t want to be an author who only publishes one book a year, I can see why this is the protocol for most traditionally published books. There are other people involved in the process of publishing a novel and because I publish so frequently it’s becoming impossible to pinpoint exact dates and still give those people the time they need to do their part thoroughly. Don’t worry, I’ll be publishing more than once a year, and more than even twice a year, but I will also no longer be providing exact release dates. I’ll obviously give you guys a rough idea of my own target for release -say the month I’m gunning for. But I have a photographer and cover artist, beta readers, editor and copyeditor now involved in my publishing process and each of their steps takes time :-)

That being said, my target is to release Borrowed Ember by the end of May/beginning of June. I also would like to release Sneak Thievery (The Fade #2) by the end of July.

From there, things might slow down just a little because I have a very busy summer planned. I’m going on vacation in July for the first time in six years (yay!) and then I have one of my best friend’s wedding in August and I’m the Maid of Honor so there’s lots of planning to do (did someone say Bachelorette Party? :-p).

Target then for Darkness, Kindled (Fire Spirits #4) is early October and book five and six for 2013.

Now I’ve got the news on release dates out of the way, I want to talk about Borrowed Ember. I’m so excited about this book for many reasons but the biggest at the moment is because of the cover! I know I surprised a few of you by mentioning in my acknowledgments that it was Charlie on the cover of Scorched Skies (I really thought I’d mentioned it before, sorry :-\) so you’ll be happy to know that Jai is gracing the cover of Borrowed Ember.

Most of you know my cover artist is Claudia - Phatpuppy Art - because I rave about her. Well, Claudia is striving to create exclusive artwork for authors so that they don’t stumble across another book with the same stock image as their own. So, collaborating with some amazing photographers, Claudia can arrange custom photoshoots for your cover art! I knew it was going to be difficult to find me a ‘Jai’ so I decided to bite the bullet and go for it. I’m like a little kid - the whole process is so exciting. Working with the incredible photographer, Teresa Yeh, I’ve picked the model for the shoot (*fans self*… he’s hot, ladies :-p) and things are moving along nicely. I’m hoping to have a cover reveal by the end of May (maybe sooner, we’ll see!).  If you’re an author, and this sounds just what you’d like, you can contact Claudia via her website - Phatpuppy Art - to discuss quotes etc. It’s something I think for me at this point in my career is worth it. I’m big on my cover art and feel like it’s an extension of the story. Ultimately, I think it’s one of the biggest factors in drawing a reader in, and so I don’t want to have a cover image that someone else also has… you know. Especially on Fire Spirits - the premise itself is different and I want the covers to stand out as one of a kind.

Anyhoo, I’m hard at work on Borrowed Ember and can’t wait to start teasing you guys in the weeks to come :-)

Sam x