News from Frances Ellen, author of the Asters Series, September 2024

Published: Thu, 09/19/24

Hi and welcome to my September newsletter.

In response to last month's competition, two lucky winners correctly claimed that the title of book three will be Electric Storm 🎉 A copy will be on its way to them as soon as it is published. Keep scrolling to see the book's description and cover, a non-dog story from my day job, and new authors of fantasy.

Thank you for being part of my publishing life ❤️

With best wishes

Frances

My writing life

As I've mentioned before, book descriptions - or blurbs - are some of the toughest pieces of writing to get right. The first challenge is a good hook, to snag the reader's interest. What's going on, who's affected, and what will it mean if the worst happens, then has to be distilled into less than 300 words, to reveal enough enticing details while still fitting onto the back of the book. I'd love to know your thoughts - there's still time to change it....

No war can be won without sacrifice.

Phantom magic is the only power strong enough to defeat the King of the South American Underworld. But only if it can be harnessed at will. And Sophie only has ten days to figure it out before they go to war.

But that’s not their only challenge. Sophie’s magic, and that of her fellow Asters, continues to weaken. And the strongest Affinite army refuses to take part.

As time starts to run out, the brutal reality of war unfolds. Will Sophie figure out the secrets to the phantom magic in time? And will it be enough? Or will one ultimate sacrifice be the difference between triumph and defeat?

Read on for an unforgettable journey into the love, lies, secrets and loss that only comes with war.

So that's the newest version of the blurb. What already has a finished version is the cover of Electric Storm. It's been ready for quite some time and I'm very excited about it. With another big shout out to my fabulous designer, Graphicsoul (graphicsoulart.com), and without further ado.....the cover of Electric Storm.

The day job, for now....?

If you've come across my Author Bio you will know that I train guide dogs for the blind. This month, though, I am not going to talk about one of my awesome guide dogs in training. Instead I would like to introduce you to two other four-legged creatures that play a vital role in our dogs’ training. Introducing Razzle and Dazzle: our two kennel cats.

These two brilliant animals live were raised in our kennels so that they are used to dogs from the get go and don’t run away from them. That makes them perfect to train with when we have dogs who get utterly distracted by cats, want to chase them while doing guide work, or just get fixated with them and have no idea what to do with them. They live in the kennels permanently where they have their own corner of cat paradise away from the dogs in case they’ve had enough for the day and where they can rest peacefully.

We have multiple people in charge of their welfare. What’s hilarious though, is that these people actually barely have to do anything. These cats are never actually stressed being around all our dogs. They are completely relaxed and just meander around the kennels or busy themselves in the fields around our organisation.

And on top of that, they somehow know how to help the dogs who find it difficult to work with cats. On multiple occasions have I seen them purposefully just sit in front of the kennels of these dogs as if to say: go ahead, learn to deal with me. They also often choose to sleep in our dogs’ beds; much to our dogs’ confusion sometimes. They are great fun, an amazing training asset and they always want a cuddle with absolutely anyone. Even me, who has very little knowledge about cats and has no idea what they're doing… The best moment is when a dog who did have trouble with cats, comes to love them and they become the best of friends. It’s cute as hell.

Fun fact: Razzle and Dazzle have the same birthday as me.

Discover new fantasy reads

To find new readers for my books I work with fellow authors to widen our readership by promoting our books to each other's email list. We offer an e-copy of a book, novella or custom short story for free on sign-up to our newsletter, to help the reader decide if they want to keep following us.
Interested? Just click on the images or links below.

The Void is the prequel to The Stone Legacy, a fast-paced YA fantasy adventure.
"Action-packed. Easy-to-read. Entertaining. Haunting. Scary. Twisted. Unpredictable. Whimsical. Wonderful characters.".

Get your free book here.

A Mermaids Fate introduces you to the New Adult romantic fantasy series, the Overlay Worlds.
"Fast-paced and full of adventure and action."
Get your free short story here.

A fabulous haul of YA short stories, novellas and full books for you to discover. Covers all genres, not just fantasy. Check them out here.

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