Category: Writing

Are you team Light or team Shadow?

Are you team Light or team Shadow?

With The Gray Mage dropping August 31, I’m wondering…

Are you team Light, or team Shadow?

Comment on this blog post and let me know. πŸ€πŸ–€πŸ€πŸ–€πŸ€πŸ–€

I’m all about opposites and contrast. So the magic in the Realm of Camellia is too. Light magic is visible, Shadow magic is invisible. Light magic is solid, and you can touch it. Shadow magic is intangible.

If you could choose, which would you rather have?

Light magic allows you to create anything you can think of, summoning a solid object made of Light, that can be used for anything (tools, weapons, clothing, anything depending on your skill to imagine it).

Shadow magic can be almost anything that’s not visible/tangible. Moving things with wind, controlling the weather, plants, etc. This one has a lot of possibilities too.

J.D.L. Rosell spills the tea on The Throne of Ice and Ash

J.D.L. Rosell spills the tea on The Throne of Ice and Ash

Today I’ve got some fun book news to share with you, as J.D.L. Rosell stops by to spill the tea on his new fantasy release, The Throne of Ice and Ash, book one in The Runewar Saga.

Ok, J.D.L, spill it!

Hey folks! I have a new first book in a series out today β€” which is actually a heavily revised version of the first novel I ever wrote! The Throne of Ice and Ash is an epic fantasy with a lot my favorite things from the genre: big military conflicts, tons of political intrigue, and huge character trauma and growth. It’s inspired by Norse mythology and may, with some accuracy, be considered “Game of Thrones between Vikings and Egyptians.” This book begins my grandest epic to date, and I hope you’ll join me in beginning the journey!

How about some tea?

“Tea? What’s tea? Pass the ale or mead!” – probably one of the characters in Throne

Check out the book, and follow J.D.L. on:

Website * Instagram * Facebook

Tourmaline & Quartz Publishing

Tourmaline & Quartz Publishing

I have been sitting on this news for a little while because I was waiting for all the paperwork to go through!

Here goes.

I have established an LLC for my publishing business, Tourmaline & Quartz Publishing! I picked the name for two of my favorite gemstones which are black and clear (white) representing contrasts but also words on the page. Tourmaline is said to repel negative energy, and quartz embodies power.

What does this mean for me?

Not much will change for me immediately, as I’m still learning how to parent two entire human beings while balancing my various publishing projects, but this is the start of a big upgrade.

I’ll be publishing my books going forward under my new publishing house, but I’m also looking to expand in the future to publish works by other authors, which is huge, exciting, and a little scary! My focus will be fantasy and sci-fi, and I’m looking forward to considering calls for anthologies as well.

Additionally, all of my editing and formatting clients will now be served under the umbrella of the company.

This is a really exciting step in my publishing career, and I appreciate everyone who has been there for me during this journey. I’ve learned a lot and can’t wait to grow some more. If you want to follow the publishing journey, subscribe over on my new website! www.TourmalineandQuartzPublishing.com

Clean Fiction Blog Tour: The Alchemyst’s Mirror

Clean Fiction Blog Tour: The Alchemyst’s Mirror

Hello and welcome to today’s stop on the Clean Fiction Blog Tour!

Sit down and enjoy a cup of tea with me as I tell you about my book, The Alchemyst’s Mirror!

First of all, why do I write “clean fiction”?

Because I want my stories to be available for anyone to read them. I want to share my fantastic worlds, and my fierce heroines with as many people who want to read them!

Today I’m going to share the story of Petra and Maisie Everturn, whose brother has gone missing while looking for an alchemycal artifact. Petra and Maisie run Everturn’s Finest Tea Shoppe, which was left to them by their parents, who both disappeared on an expedition to a far off land years ago.

When their brother Jiordan goes missing too, the sisters are determined to find him. But they soon discover he was searching for a highly dangerous artifact called the Alchemyst’s Mirror, and has entangled himself in a world of danger, mystery, and secret societies.

The sisters must work to find Jiordan or the mirror, before the mysterious alchemyst’s society finds them first.

It’s a story set in a steampunk setting, of family, mystery, adventure, and–my favorite–tea.

Follow the rest of the blog tour stops below!

March 1st Story Quest Academy

March 2nd Ellie Naomi

March 3rd Julie Gilbert

March 4th Jasmine Natasha

March 5th Liz Delton

March 6th Mark Hansen

March 7th Ian Vroon

March 8th Story Quest Academy

March 9th Nicholas Kotar

March 10th J.M. Hackman

March 11th Mark Hansen

March 12th Courtenay Kasper

March 13th Debbie Schreffler

March 14th Story Quest Academy

March 15th Steven Guglich

March 16th Laurie Lucking

March 17th Julie Gilbert

March 18th Meg Dendler

March 19th Nicholas Kotar

March 20th Courtenay Kasper

March 21st Story Quest Academy

March 22nd Molly Casperson

March 23rd D.J. Edwardson

March 24th Marty C Lee

March 25th Molly Casperson

March 26th Mark Hansen

March 28th Story Quest Academy

March 29th Debbie Schreffler

March 30th Nicholas Kotar

March 31st Molly Casperson

The Arcera Trilogy Cover Redesign Reveal

The Arcera Trilogy Cover Redesign Reveal

Lately, I’ll say to my husband, “guess what I’m working on?”
And he’ll reply…
“New book covers again?”

Yep. You got me.

My Arcera Trilogy covers were still not right, so I decided to take another look at them. So today I’m sharing with you a new cover reveal!

I’m really in love with these covers, all featuring a silhouette of Sylvia! Most of them feature scenes from the wilds, except for book #2–the location of which I won’t mention, because, spoilers!

Keep scrolling to see the first paperback of Meadowcity with the new cover. And you can get the trilogy in ebook, paperback, or audiobook with these lovely new covers.

* * *
He wants to forge a new empire, at any cost.
And she’s the only one standing in his way.

Professional adventurer Sylvia Thorne just wants to travel through the wilds between cities for a living, but when the governor of Skycity declares war on her home, she must embark on a quest that will determine the fate of the Four Cities forever.

And if she’s not careful, it won’t be just her life she’s riskingβ€”but everyone in Meadowcity.

Governor Sorin Greyling of Skycity is obsessed with knowledge. When he discovers the Four Cities’ darkest secret, he’ll stop at nothing to obtain the knowledge and power that has remained hidden for centuries.

Will Sorin’s discovery make him a legendary leader? Or will it drive him down a dark path of destruction?

2020 Recap

2020 Recap

Wow. 2020 was insane.

But it was insane for me in LOTS of GOOD ways! I’ve grown so much as an author this year, this whole blog post is about all the exciting things I’ve accomplished, because why not celebrate the good things? Post contains affiliate links.

I always like to do a “looking back” post this time of year around my birthday.

I’m an optimist. But I struggled a lot this year, too, like everyone else in the world. Being pregnant during covid was an interesting journey, and I don’t think any of us will ever forget this year. But I don’t like to focus on the bad stuff.

I am an optimist. It does not seem too much use being anything else.

Winston Churchill

So first, here are some of my non-publication achievements:

– I learned how to cut my toddler’s hair! And nobody got hurt. Now if I only wanted to brave my own hair without messing it up…

My Etsy shop did almost 400% better than 2019 (yep, 400%). If you didn’t know, I sell handmade papercut bookmarks. And I came very close to making 1,000 sales before I put it on vacation mode for maternity leave. Next year!!

– I had a baby!

– I gained several more wonderful editing clients and grew my freelance editing portfolio.

– I created tea blends to go with the Arcera Trilogy, and The Alchemyst’s Mirror

Now for the publications. I’m pretty wowed by this list, I’m not going to lie.

I published the Arcera Trilogy ebook boxset February 26

Published Writer’s Notebook March 29

This notebook has been very popular, and I can officially say I sold hundreds of copies this year. I’m excited to see where it goes, and am currently trying to pursue some new sales venues.

Published The Storm King June 9. Still have book # three in the works, but not sure when exactly I’ll have time for it.

Meadowcity Audiobook Released June 17

The Fifth City Audiobook Released July 31

Published Teen Writer’s Notebook August 17

Published Guided Writer’s Notebook September 19

Published The Alchemyst’s Mirror October 27. This has been my most successful fiction release to date. I’m already working on a sequel.

Published The Clockwork Ice Dragon November 10

A Rift Between Cities Audiobook Released December 5

Looking ahead

I’ve got a few things planned for 2021. I’m hoping to release 2 new books in the Everturn Chronicles. After that, well, who knows!

I hadn’t actually planned on releasing all of the books I did in 2020, and you can see how that turned out. I think originally it was just going to be the Writer’s Notebook, and The Storm King. But I had a golden moment in time with my toddler’s sleep schedule where I could write and do work during his nap and while he was in bed mornings and evenings.

Fortunately, as I was already a stay/work at home mom, my schedule didn’t actually change much this year. I just had less places to go/things to do with the toddler during his waking hours. I can’t wait until we can get out and about again, now with his little brother, too!

Let’s all try to remember the good things about 2020, and not the bad.

<3 -Liz
Happy One Month, Alchemyst’s Mirror!

Happy One Month, Alchemyst’s Mirror!

Celebrating 1 month of The Alchemyst’s Mirror, and a full recipe for the Raspberry Crumble Bars.

Can you believe The Alchemyst’s Mirror has been out for a month already!

“Liz Delton is a wonderful steampunk author who infuses her novels with action, humor, whimsy, and charming characters set in a unique fantastical world.”

Elizabeth Chatsworth, Author of The Brass Queen

This was one of my absolute favorite books to write, and it’s definitely got one of my favorite cover designs! I’m already working on writing book #2, The Thief’s Amulet, and just started messing around with the new cover–because if I’m going to procrastinate writing, I might as well do it with another writing-related project, right?

I’ve had some awesome reviews coming in for The Alchemyst’s Mirror, had the local newspaper do a feature on me, and even got to talk about the book on a UK radio show.

“A fast paced tale of mystery, sisterhood, and tea.”

H.L. Burke, Fantasy Author

“If you enjoy steampunk or mystery adventure stories, then I recommend reading The Alchemyst’s Mirror. It was a mix of Indiana Jones and Sherlock Holmes, but with two sisters leading the story.”

The Plum Report

To keep on celebrating this book, I’m going to start releasing some of the recipes featured in the blog tour, but with more pictures! When I decided to include “tea shop recipes” in the blog tour, I test baked all of them. Today I’m going to share a really yummy one, Elliot Everturn’s Raspberry Crumble Bars.

The Recipe: Raspberry Crumble Bars

Ingredients

Flour- 1 Cup
Oats- 1 Cup
Baking Powder- 1 tsp
Brown Sugar- 3/4 Cup
Butter- 1/2 Cup (1 stick)
Raspberries- 2 Cups (fresh or frozen)
Lemon Juice- 2 tbsp
White Sugar- 1/2 Cup
Flour- 2 tbsp

Instructions

  • Mix the flour, oats, baking powder, and brown sugar in a bowl.
  • Melt the butter, and stir it into the mixture until crumbly.
  • Pour two thirds of the mixture into an 8×8 pan (or pie dish)
  • In a small bowl, mix the raspberries with the lemon juice, white sugar, and flour.
  • Spread the raspberries evenly across the crumble in the pan.
  • Sprinkle the remaining crumble on top.
  • Bake at 350F for 35 minutes
  • Cool and cut into squares
  • Top with lemon glaze: Powdered sugar with a dash of lemon juice added until it reaches desired icing consistency.

When I made mine, I used frozen raspberries, and they worked perfectly!
Just look at that crumble
The Clockwork Ice Dragon is Available Now

The Clockwork Ice Dragon is Available Now

Happy book birthday to The Clockwork Ice Dragon!

Yes, this is my second book release in two weeks. Yes, I have a problem taking on lots of projects.

But I’m really excited to share this story with you! It has a wonderful Christmas vibe coming into the holiday season, but it’s also a fun, feel-good story of an ambitious inventor Aurelia, who is just trying to work her way into the elite inventor’s guild. She has the perfect invention, and only a few days left until the Christmas deadline, when her old love Frederick shows up and throws a wrench in the works. His own invention has gone haywire, and Aurelia has to decide if she can team up with her rival in order to help him–before his invention ruins her own chances at a better life.

The Clockwork Ice Dragon Cover Reveal

The Clockwork Ice Dragon Cover Reveal

Today I’ve got some big news on a holiday story I’ve been working on! Coming November 10th, The Clockwork Ice Dragon is a steampunk Christmas novella, a standalone story that will transport you to the city of Soldark, where the sun always shines…

An invention gone wrong. A city buried in snow. And she only has β€˜til Christmas to make it right.

Aurelia Sundon has an idea for a brilliant invention that will ensure her family’s financial future. But the elite inventor’s guild has imposed a ridiculous deadline for invention applications: Christmas Day. With only four days until the deadline, Aurelia thinks she can finish it in time.

Until her old love Frederick Grandville steps back into her life when he enters the competition with his own invention. Frederick could be the downfall of Aurelia’s career. Again. But when his invention goes out of control, the wondrous snow it brings down on the ever-sunny city of Soldark turns into an outright blizzard.

With a broken promise between them, she’s not so sure she wants to help him. But the clock is ticking, the snow is getting deeper, and Aurelia must find a way to team up with her rival or risk losing her one chance at a better life.