Lessons From My Launch

Hey everybody! I hope you all are having a great week so far. Things are getting a little hectic at my house as both my sister and I are gearing up for the start of school on Wednesday. I’m looking forward to my junior year even though I’m spending it at home. I have a great lineup of classes in the history, Latin, and anthropology departments, and I’m writing my capstone this semester. I’m hoping that I’ll be able to keep it all straight!

My debut book launch was last Monday, and it has been an amazing time so far! I had a great week of promotion and sales and all-around fun with my family and friends to celebrate. I am still so surprised that I am now a published author. I can’t believe that Chasing Fae is out in the world and getting so much great reception from readers! Today, I want to share a little bit about what worked for me during this launch and what the results have been so far as we come around to around the two week mark of my launch.

Results From the First Two Weeks

Let’s start off with some stats. In the last two weeks, I have sold 86 Kindle ebooks and 16 paperbacks so far, excluding the number that I sold as part of my presale campaign to fund the publishing process. I am super satisfied with this progress because with the limited marketing that I have done so far, I feel like this was amazing progress. I also made my way to the top 100 list for YA epic fantasy on August 6th at #100. The listing was only up for a day, but it was such an amazing feeling to see my book alongside all of my favorite authors. I took screenshots of the entire list so I could remember that moment forever.

Here’s What Worked For Me

There are a few specific things that worked well for me during launch week that I want to pass on to you.

  • Bargain Booksy and ReadFreely: I saw a sizeable jump in sales mid-week during the days that I picked my newsletter promotions to be. I had both of these on the same day, so I cannot be 100% sure which one I can attribute to it. But ReadFreely also did an amazing job in tweeting out my promotions constantly for about a week or so. I loved seeing them pop up throughout the day.
  • Having lots of great friends on Twitter and Facebook: Getting involved in the Writing Community on Twitter and Facebook and keeping your family and friends informed about your writing process can really help boost your launch when it’s time. I had tons of people retweeting and sharing my links all day, and it led to a great buzz. Lots of my friends went ahead and ordered on launch day, and throughout the week, I got pictures of people receiving their paperbacks or confirmations of Kindle orders. They really made me smile. Writing can be such a lonely process, so it’s important to make connections with other writers to lift each other up.
  • Virtual Blog Tour: I spent several weeks leading up to my launch securing key guest post, interviews, and excerpt feature slots to promote my book. I got a lot of cross traffic to my website and definitely a few sales. As a new author, this was a way to get my name out to a lot of readers at once and offer insights into myself and my book. I honestly loved it. I hope to do more guest posts and interviews going forward.

What I Wish I Would Have Done

There are also a couple things I would have done differently in my launch that I hope to incorporate in my second book launch.

  • Have a Dedicated Launch Team: I needed to send out more advanced review copies and have a few dedicated people who would talk about my book over the first few days. I was so lucky to have people who shared and posted out of the kindness in their hearts and their friendships with me, but I could definitely use a little more organization next time for my own peace of mind.
  • Promoting My Launch Party Earlier: My Facebook launch party on Wednesday, August 5th was a pretty solid success, despite the technical issues. I would have loved to have promoted that across my other social medias more so that I would have had a bit more engagement on my giveaways in particular.

In Conclusion…

All in all, my book launch has been very successful so far. I hope that as I enter the fall semester of my junior year, I will be able to work out a good balance between marketing, writing book 2, and keeping this website flowing with more posts about the craft of fantasy writing. Wish me luck on that, folks.

CHASING FAE IS OUT NOW!

Today is the day, my friends. Chasing Fae is finally live!

In January of 2018, this book was nothing more than an idea and a handful of strange notes on a Notability page. Now, two and a half years later, it is a beautiful, genuine book that can be read by all. And already has its first five star review! There is so much that I want to say, but the words well up in my throat every time I try to type them.

Thank you so much for your time and support throughout this writing journey. When I introduced myself to you in January 2019, I was a girl with a dream and a first draft. You stuck with me through the entire revision process and the start of my querying process to literary agents. You celebrated with me when New Degree Press greenlit my manuscript for publication. Between social media, guest posts, and podcast appearances, you have given me so much encouragement and helped me discover my public voice as an author.

I finally reached my dream. I published my first book as a young college student.

And I am nowhere near done. From here on out, it’s all bright beautiful skies.

I hope you all pick up a copy of Chasing Fae today!

Amazon Paperback

Amazon Kindle *** special offer: $0.99 from now until August 31st ***

Kobo

Chasing Fae Releasing On August 3rd!

SURPRISE!

I am super pleased to announce that I finally have a release date! Chasing Fae will be available on Amazon, IngramSpark, and Kobo on August 3rd! I am so excited to finally have a launch plan for this book.

Here are some highlights of that plan that you can expect hearing more about as I go forward:

  • August 3rd: Release day!
  • August 3rd: Launch of an in-depth article series about Chasing Fae and all of its lore on Medium. Articles will also be posted on Fluff About Fantasy a few days later.
  • August 3rd: Launch of my virtual blog tour! I have some fantastic guest posts lined up, and I’m hoping to get a few more by the time my book comes out.
  • August 5th: Facebook Launch Event! I am throwing a fantastic online launch party to celebrate Chasing Fae. All throughout the day, there will be opportunities to interact with me live, learn about my process, hear excerpts from my work, play games, and win signed paperback copies of the book! Click here to see the event and mark your interest to get updates!

If you would be interested in getting early access to my book, please subscribe to my email newsletter. I will be sending some super secret updates via email to my subscribers!

We’re so close to publication! Get excited!!!!

The Writing Community Podcast

Hey everybody! Just wanted to take a moment to share that my episode with the Writing Community Podcast is now live! I had a great time chatting with Brian about my book, about writing, and about my potential plans for the fall. Click here to listen to it on the website. You can also find it on multiple platforms: iTunes, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher Radio. I hope you enjoy!

Chasing Fae: A Call To Action!

It Is Officially One Month Away From My Debut Book Release!!!!

Hello fellow writers and readers! I am so excited today to say that it is officially one month until release week for my debut YA fantasy novel, Chasing Fae. I cannot believe I have reached this point. Nearly two and a half years ago, I first came up with the idea for the book. Now it’s about to be published and really be out there in the world. This is just a dream come true.

I have been in the process of putting so much together in terms of marketing and outreach over the last few weeks, and today, I want to bring you along for the ride. I am going to give you an intimate look at the marketing strategies that I have employed so far and the plans I still have yet to make.

First, Please Subscribe!

Everyone who signs up for my email list today will receive a free three-chapter excerpt (plus my author’s note) from Chasing Fae! I want every one of my readers to be the first to know when Chasing Fae hits the book market officially. Especially with my publication date not being firmly set yet (damn those pesky logistics!). So please subscribe at this link!

While you’re at it, feel free to keep up with me on the following social medias as well:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CadyHammer

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/fluffaboutfantasy/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fluffaboutfantasy/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/cadyahammer

Book Bloggers/Reviewers Contacted: 52 and counting….

I’m a bit of an email ninja.

As I talked about in one of my recent blog posts, book reviewers and bloggers are an essential piece of the indie author’s marketing strategy. The more buzz an author can generate by having a series of reviews for her debut, even a small series, the better. I did a ton of research, and everyone I have contacted so far makes up only half of my very, very long spreadsheet. I am reaching out to as many people as I can who read YA fantasy and have fantastic review content.

There are so many awesome readers out there who take the time to review the books of their favorite authors, and to all of them, I say thank you! If anyone has any interest in reviewing Chasing Fae, I would be happy to send over an Advanced Reader Copy. Take a look at this summary here, and then send me a message on any of my social medias or at cadyahammer@gmail.com.

Planning Out A Virtual Blog Tour

Given the state of the world right now, I needed to find a unique way to celebrate my launch. I wanted to share this major success with the world while also exposing people to my style of writing. I’m working on pitching to various book blogs, writing websites, and podcasts to find places that may be interested in a guest post or an interview. That is still very much a work in progress, but by the time the end of July rolls around, I hope to have several place to share my work.

If anyone knows any sites or podcasts that may be looking for guest spots or posts, feel free to comment below. I’m still working on amassing my list and reaching out.

Article Series

My publisher is guiding me through the process of launching an article series on Medium. I am actually super excited for it. My editor came up with a bunch of fantastic ideas for deep dives into various aspects of Chasing Fae. Everything from character profiles, to an intricate look at grief in fiction, and several personal stories about my connection to various scenes and icons. I plan on launching the series at the beginning of August and posting once or twice a week on Medium to keep up the excitement and the interest. Don’t worry: I also plan on cross-posting to here so that everyone can keep up with it. Stay tuned for more information on that in the coming weeks!

Goodreads

I am a Goodreads novice.

I have zero idea of how to operate Goodreads as an author. I am hoping that once my book has an ISBN number, I can add it to the library and claim my Goodreads Author Page. Between now and then, I need to do some more research into how to make that platform work for me.

Other Ideas

This is a short list of ideas I am toying with for the future:

  • Instagram Live Stream
  • Facebook Live Stream
  • Video series centered around the characters
  • Video series centered around the Twelve Houses
  • Book Giveaways
  • In person book tour (once Covid-19 is remedied sufficiently)
  • Virtual book talks at schools

I hope to play around with these ideas more as I approach publishing day.

Thanks for hopping along on my little excited book rant today! Remember to please subscribe and get excited for the release of Chasing Fae! Love you all. Happy writing!

WE MADE IT!!!

HOORAY!

HOORAY!

HOORAY!

CHASING FAE WILL BE PUBLISHED!

To my followers, thank you so incredibly much! My 60-day presale campaign was a success! Chasing Fae passed its $4000 publishing threshold on the very last day for a final total of $4140! Paperback and digital copies will be officially be published by New Degree Press in July 2020!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I cannot believe it, y’all. That childhood dream I have had for so long about publishing a book young is finally coming true. And it is all thanks to you. Thank you so much for buying, liking, sharing, posting, commenting, and every other method used to get me from $0 all the way to the end.

The publishing journey has been going great so far, and I am looking forward to having some new content for you all soon. I am actually wrapping up my final revisions in the next two weeks. I can’t wait to show you guys some of the cover ideas that are being created by the design team right now! Keep up with Fluff About Fantasy for the latest updates. I love you all. Thank you again.

Happy writing! (And to my beta reader community, happy reading!)

Presenting… The Three Realms Maps

Hello fantasy lovers! I am so excited to share something special with you. Recently, I decided to add three maps of the Upper, Middle, and Lower Realm to the front of my paperback book. I had originally wanted to work this idea into my hardcover as a special insert, but when I heard I could do it for the paperback, I just had to jump in. I have been absolutely swamped with exams and exam studying for the past week or so (which is part of why I missed last Saturday’s post). My amazing boyfriend offered to take over the mapmaking process for me to relieve some of my stress. And boy, am I glad he did! He took my ideas and my mockup map from over two years ago and created something truly spectacular with them. He spent hours working with Inkarnate’s map-making software. I hope you all love them as much as I do!

The Importance of Balance

It is absolutely crazy to be going through revisions again!

The entire process has been a whirlwind so far, even though I’m only five chapters in to my revisions as of the time of writing this post. Every time I work through a chapter on my own, it comes back with lots of wonderful comments and markings from my editor, Kristy. She asks lots of questions that makes me think about which sections to elongate and which to elaborate on. Every chapter has new notes to work through, and I’m actually really excited that some are starting to make me sit down and take the time to puzzle them out. Revising takes time. A lot of time. Mixing schoolwork and revising and promoting the presale campaign can be challenging at times, but I really couldn’t be more thrilled doing it.

The most interesting thing about the revisions so far has been the discovery that I held myself back! As a first time author, I was determined to not make any of the pitfalls in my drafts. I wanted to keep my backstories concise and not excessive and make sure I wasn’t describing every new character’s appearance in too much detail. I wanted to make the setting immersive, but not so descriptive that the book feels like more description than plot.

But suddenly, both my editors told me that I could be adding more! I could be doing more! All of that information that I had held back in my notes and kept from my draft can start to be integrated into the book!

Do you have any idea how exciting that is?!

So, as I am learning all of these exciting things myself, let me give you a few tips about what areas are okay to elaborate on, as long as you keep a good balance.

Area One: Character Descriptions

When I was working on Chasing Fae, I was very concerned about mentioning my characters’ appearances. I knew that while it was important to ground your reader through physical description, it had to be done in such a way that it didn’t feel formulaic. You know: hair, eye color, height, etc. all in a few sentences stashed near the introduction of the character. So I actually spread out my physical descriptions over a couple of chapters.

It turns out I did need to rework some of that, particularly for my main characters in order to give more of a physical sense much earlier. Also, it is actually really important to ground your small secondary and tertiary characters with some sort of visual element so your readers can visualize. The more I see the note, the more I begin to recognize the importance of it.

Area Two: Setting

Each moment in space and time can be talked about, even if it is only a couple of sentences. Every time there is a distinct transition in location, I find myself seeing more notes about taking a breath and letting my readers know where we are and what it looks like, what it smells like, what it feels like. I find that I need to work on expanding my writing on the different senses. I am good at talking about what my characters are seeing and what they are feeling in particular, like a light breeze or the sun bearing down on them. But I could use some work on what my characters are hearing and smelling. It doesn’t need to be in every description of a setting, but I think it does add another layer to the reader’s sense of place in your book.

Area Three: Pacing and Layering

One of the most significant compliments that I received on my manuscript from my Acquisitions editor was that my level of tension throughout the book was spot on. However, I am starting to realize that just because your tension is right doesn’t mean there isn’t more to work on in terms of pacing. My editor has pointed out to me several times over the first few chapters that there are moments where I can slow it down a little bit. I can add a few more paragraphs to clarify setting or character backstory and motivation or just take a moment to let everybody take a breath. My book is on the low end of the young adult fantasy genre’s typical word count (80k), so I have a decent amount of room to work with. The story has space for more layers, and I am finding new ways to add fresh life to Chasing Fae.

I hope that this inspires you to loosen yourself up a little bit with your descriptions in your writing. There is space! And if there isn’t, trust me, someone will tell you. Happy writing, everyone!

A Sneak Peek of Chasing Fae

Hello everybody! There are only a few days left to preorder your copy of Chasing Fae! I wanted to share a sneak peek of the book today to give you an idea if you’d like to purchase now and get to read the entire book early. I hope you enjoy Chapter One!

Disclaimer: This chapter is shown in its raw form. That is, this is draft six and not draft seven that I am working on with my editor. Minor changes may be made between now and when the book releases.

Chapter One

Everyone’s time runs out eventually. Sometimes it comes quietly in the middle of the night at the end of a long life. Other times, death cuts across your timeline without warning.

Today just happens to be my time.

No, I’m not dead. But this is the end for me.

It was a week before the Winter Solstice. It’s always been one of my favorite times of the year. A full feast on the table, as large as money can buy, music pouring out of the windows of every building in Lisden, and family to spend the day with. Mom’s been accumulating canned vegetables for weeks and recently ventured into the market to bring home the best of the fresh fruits in a small bag. My mouth waters just thinking about the blackberries. We never get blackberries in this part of the Middle Realm outside of solstice-time. It’s one of my favorite treats. My older brother Leo was due to be home any day now. He had been gone for six months off on another one of his mercenary expeditions.

When Leo decided to become a soldier, my mother and I were both terrified. She tried to respectfully talk him out of it whereas I threw a fit and stormed out. I was just scared. Anything could happen out on the roads in this realm. He could have been sent to a peaceful town, or he could be sent south to the farm country where they’re fighting for whatever scraps they can get and they don’t care who gets killed. But he held out against both of us. Started training the day he turned eighteen and never looked back.

I was sixteen and he, nineteen when he was first hired to run security out in the trading ports of Bay Point. We cried when he left home, promising to be home in the spring. But we rejoiced when he sent home his first paycheck, and we could afford new clothes and fresh fruit from the market. Leo sent home every copper, outside of his own expenses home to us. He had always said he wanted to take care of us someday like Mom had for all these years on her own, and finally, he had the chance.

Leo bounced around from job to job until six months ago, when he was summoned to city hall with the other mercenaries in his company. I thought maybe the government wanted to offer him a job, but no. It was the higher higher-ups. The Fae.

The Fae have always had a hand in the politics of the Middle Realm; they control the alliances, the trade, the resource distribution. And they all just sit up there in the Upper Realm in their fancy castles and their bountiful homes with their magic and just watch us all run around down here like ants. The Fae needed their worker ants, a group of mortal soldiers, to come run security for a top-secret operation in the House of the Sun. They offered more money than anyone in this realm had ever even heard of, and of course, Leo jumped at the chance.

One more assignment, he said, and then he would be home for the Winter Solstice. Just one more assignment, and he’d bring me back something nice for the celebration. Just one more assignment.

I was lying in bed when it happened. It was late morning: not late enough to be noon, but not early enough for there to be time to get things done. I had been awake for hours, but I liked to lay in bed and just think. Sometimes, I’d read, but today, I couldn’t get myself to focus. Leo was due home in a week, and I was expecting a letter from him soon. He hadn’t written in a few days. I figured the letters must be backed up; communication in between realms is rare and therefore not always speedy. But it gave me an awful sense of foreboding.

A knock from the front door sneaks faintly under my bedroom door. I pull the covers over my head in hopes I can stay in bed. “Can you see who that is, Grace?” My mom’s faint voice calls from the kitchen.

Ugh. She knows I’m awake. I grab a robe and begrudgingly drag myself out of bed, stumbling to the door. I peer out of the hole in the top of the door, and I’m faced with the back of a strange man’s head. He stands rigidly at attention, mumbling quietly. His stance along with the navy-blue uniform marks him as a military man. Then I see the slightly pointed ears sticking out from under his rigid hat. My heart stops.

Fae.

No.

He turns slowly, and I see his face. His mouth is drawn tight into a slight grimace, and his purple eyes bore into mine. The color is too sharp for this realm.

“Mom!” I can’t hide the panic in my tone. I hear a dish clank into the sink as my mom rounds the corner in a rush. I feel guilty for making her worry before she even sees what the trouble is, but my face says it all. She peeks through the hole herself before opening the door. She opened it so slowly. Delaying the inevitable.

The man is a Fae commander. My eyes go to the medals lining his breast and the insignia marking him as such. There’s two others with him, his guards. One of them holds a tightly wrapped scroll; the other holds the universal Upper Realm flag neatly folded in his hands. I stand behind my mother, starting blankly at the lot. I can’t bring myself to move.

“I’m sorry,” the commander says quietly.

My mother collapses to the ground, and I just let her fall. She sobs wildly into her hands. The panic is rising up in my chest. I reach out and take the scroll and the flag, shaking my head over and over again. This can’t be real. I tear open the scroll, ripping it violently in my attempts. Leo Richardson – notice of death.

I drop the flag. The soldiers start when it hits the ground, but the commander stops them from moving into our home. Thank the Lady for that at least. I would have charged them both if they had tried.

Damn them. Damn all the Fae.

I kneel at my mother’s side and pull her to my chest as she begins wailing. I haven’t even begun to cry yet. I’m clinging to her as tightly as I can, trying to shush her before the neighbors come to see what’s going on. Our pain should be ours, not a spectacle for others to gawk at. I stare up at the Fae commander with some sort of dismissive glance, I hoped. His even gaze looks down on me, and when we lock eyes, I’m filled with a blinding hatred.

“Get out,” I hiss. To my surprise, he only nods, and he and his men turn and leave immediately. I wonder how many death announcements he’s had to carry out in his life. It might explain the flash of pity I thought I saw behind his glassy demeanor. I despise his pity.

I see a flash of a red coat before my uncle Nick is kneeling by our sides. His door down the hall makes an audible click as it swings close. “Grace, what happened?” He hugs my mother protectively before addressing her, “Anna, what happened?”

My mother is too incoherent to answer, and I can’t find the words to. I slide the scroll over to him slowly. Nick takes one look at it and his breath rushes out in one go. “Ohhh, Grace.” He hugs my mother tighter and holds out an arm to me. I lean my head into his hand for one small moment until it’s too much.

“Take care of her,” I say quickly as I flee to my room. I’m being selfish, I know, but I can’t take the pounding in my head. I slam the door and pace the room. The sunlight streaming in through the window is too bright, too perky for the moment. I yank the curtains closed, but the heavy fabric tumbles off the walls. More light breaks in. I have no patience for this. My hands tighten in my hair as I look for somewhere to hide. I catch a glimpse of the clothing shoved under my bed, and the rush hits me all at once.

I dive to the floor and reach far under the bed. I’m rummaging through my things, searching for that one box that has… There! I rip the lid off of the jewelry box and throw it across the room. It hits the bookshelf and ricochets off the wall. I cringe and reach to get it, but I stop short when I see the tiny seashell bracelet lying in the case, curled up in the corner.

My hands shake as I pull it out of the box. I toy softly with the pure white shell on the end as I finger the smaller shells lining the string. It was the very last gift I received from Leo. He brought it home to me from the beach on his last mortal assignment in Bay Point.

I can’t even bring myself to put it on. I try to slide it onto my wrist, but it falls to the floor. I pick it up and try again, but my shaking fingers can’t hang on to it.

Finally, my tears come. I scream in my grief, crying out Leo’s name to the heavens, praying that the Lady will see him safely to the afterlife. I cradle the bracelet to my chest and rock back and forth as I sob and heave for breath. Come home, Leo, please come home, you can’t be dead, you’re coming home, Leo; I need you to come home, big brother, please…. Please…

I cry for a very long time. I don’t remember much else of that day or that week, for that matter.

I can’t stand the wintertime now. Too cold. Too dark. Too empty.

Did you enjoy this excerpt? Make sure you order your copy of Chasing Fae today before it’s too late! Click here to head to my presale campaign. Thank you for your support!

A Childhood Dream Come True: My Journey

There are about two and a half weeks left in my presale campaign, and I’m 25% of the way to my goal! That is a really great start, but it’s going to be a hard push to get to the end. So for my website followers and frequent readers, I thought I would share a really personal story about how writing has transformed my life and about how my dream of publishing a novel is a very, very old one. I hope you enjoy!

The School Story

When I was ten years old, I read Andrew Clements’ novel, School Story, for the first time. For anyone not familiar with his work, School Story is about two twelve-year-old girls who work together to get a book published. Natalie has written a full novel, and when her friend, Zoe, reads it, she is convinced that it’s good enough to be published. Natalie eventually agrees, but she wants the book sent to the publishing company where her mother works. She wants her mom to be the editor, but in order to get the book through to the top of the pile, Natalie and Zoe have to undertake the process through a series of pen names, false names, and a agency started with Zoe’s savings account. It is a fantastic book.

The story struck me very deeply in a couple ways. First, I was fascinated by the process of getting a book from written stage to published stage. Clements did a fairly good job of running through the various steps and how a book moves through a publishing company. It showed the toughness of editing over and over again without sugarcoating it, but the main character could see the transformation with every comment and every new draft. Second, I loved the fact that the girls were young. They were my age. What if I could do that? Get a book written and published at a young age? Could I? Did I have the potential to do that?

I decided that I did.

The Marked Girl

I wrote my first book when I was in fifth grade. I spent every lunch period and admittedly, a decent part of the school day writing. Some of my classmates since I have released this book have commented on how they remember me constantly writing stories when we were kids. The book, titled the Marked Girl, ended up being about 22,000 words, which was fantastic for a ten-year-old’s first attempt. It was a cute little middle grade story set in a fantastical world with a protagonist that was very much like me. I actually ran through two or three revisions with it, and I got beta readers from within my class. I really had strong ambitions as a fifth grader!

Now, that book will never see the light of day, and I have come so far from that time. But I still have the book on my computer, and I read it every once in a while to remind myself what I am capable of.

The Unfinished Stories

Between sixth grade and senior year of high school, I attempted to write more mature young adult books. It was the kind of book that I was reading, and I wanted to emulate that as best I could. I dabbled in a few different genres: contemporary romance, fantasy, fantasy crossed with science fiction. Building new characters and new plots excited me, but I couldn’t finish the stories. There are notebooks and stacks of papers stuffed into all sorts of drawers in my room filled with unfinished manuscripts. I would get six to eight chapters in before a new idea would come up and I would switch books. Nothing gelled for me before Chasing Fae.

Chasing Fae was the one bright, strong idea that I never lost faith in. I knew I could take it all the way.

What Writing Did For Me

Writing saved me in a lot of ways.

Writing was an escape for me. I didn’t have many friends growing up, especially as I entered into middle school. I was a very lonely kid. When I was writing, I could create any kind of world I wanted to. My characters could fall in love with the people they were meant to, and life could have a happy ending. The bad boy could fall in love with the good girl. The introvert could find her voice. Even when life was rough, the world would eventually turn itself around.

Writing gave me confidence. It gave me the strength to speak out for myself and the work that I was creating. It taught me how to be concise and descriptive. Writing taught me how to dream and how to keep dreaming as I got older, despite the odds.

I think books are so powerful because they allow us to slip into a new world and connect with people that we desperately want to see achieve their goals. We relish every success and every twist and turn that the author puts their characters through. And as an author, I want to captivate with my writing. I want to thrill. I want to surprise and safeguard all of those hopes and dreams of readers out there.

I hope Chasing Fae will do that for a lot of people who are just like me.

I hope you will be a part of the journey. Thank you for reading. Happy writing.