Wow. I can’t believe I finally get to say this, but the Realm of Camellia Series is now complete!
As I did an interview Live on IG last night, I realized I have been writing in this world for about SIX YEARS. It’s crazy to think that this time has come to an end. I have been through A LOT in those six years, and I think Kira’s journey in Camellia reflects on that.
Her story was always about finding balance, and about finding light in the darkness. And I hope her story and messages resonate with people out there, because I know sometimes it can be hard to find that light in dark times. I am so proud of Kira’s growth as a character, and I will miss writing Thistle’s snarkiness, Zowan’s strength and wisdom, Anzu’s steady stoicism, and Jun’s confident banter.
I want to thank everyone who has joined me in this writing journey. Big thanks to Benjamin Thomas, my longtime beta reader, as well as Ben Daniels, Dan Foley, and Tori-Lynn Bell, the best writer’s group full of support, skill, and imagination. Another big thanks to Kimberly Grymes for joining me first as a reviewer, then beta reader, and writing buddy! Thank you to all the readers who have joined me throughout this epic journey, I hope you enjoy the final installment of Kira’s story.
It was more difficult than I predicted to finalize this series. I had invested so much in these characters and wanted to see their stories come to a proper close. There are some sad parts. There are some amazingly powerful moments. There are small but intense moments of love and family and friendship.
Enjoy, and thank you! I hope to see you all join in my next series journey, which I can’t quite tell you about yet! But now that The Starlight Dragon is out in the wild, I should be able to start working on the new series quite soon.
I’m hosting a group read of the Realm of Camellia Series in my reader group, Liz’s Literati, where we’ll read all three books in the series leading up to the release of the fourth (The Starlight Dragon, February 28).
And because of that, all three books are 99c for a limited time, so you can grab your copy and join us!
Starting January 9th I’ll be hosting a read-along of the entire Realm of Camellia Series, leading up to the release of The Starlight Dragon on February 28th. Join in if you’d like to do a group read of the books, whether you’ve read them before, or if this is the first time. We can discuss the chapters, discussion questions, your favorite characters, Q&A’s with me about Kira’s story, artwork, and, the best part–prizes!
All you need to do is join my Facebook group, Liz’s Litarati. I’ll use the hashtag #ROCReadalong on all the posts in case you miss any and want to go back.
Here’s the reading order:
The Starless Girl: January 9-January 23 The Storm King: January 24- February 7 The Gray Mage: February 8- February 25
If you haven’t read the other books in the Realm of Camellia series, and don’t want them spoiled, stop reading now!
After a year of hard training, Kira’s time at Gekko-ji is coming to an end. Her ceremony is cut short when Tigran and his army arrive with a powerful weapon and new laws prohibiting magic.
Now everyone in the Realm of Camellia is in danger.
When strange magic starts appearing across the realm, Kira must decide whether or not to continue playing the political game.
Or become a rebel.
As more anomalies appear, Kira and her friends set out to undo the evil wrought by the same man responsible for separating Kira’s family. In order to defeat Tigran, Kira must delve into a centuries-old mystery and seek out allies both old and new.
Can she unravel the secrets of the past and save the realm from total darkness?
The epic conclusion to the Realm of Camellia Series.
It’s here! And the paperback JUST went live just in time despite a mysterious error I kept getting with Amazon’s system over the weekend.
The advance reviews of The Gray Mage have been too sweet, and several people have already said that this book is their favorite in the series so far!
With that said, no pressure when I write book #4 then, I guess, right?
I’m hosting a giveaway (US only, sorry) for signed paperbacks of The Starless Girl and The Storm King, and there’s only a few hours left. Two lucky people will win. Enter here:
With The Gray Mage releasing on August 31, I wanted to do something new to help celebrate the release!
I’m giving away a set of The Starless Girl and The Storm King, along with a green tea candle, to two winners! All you have to do is enter below, and sign up for my emails. Bonus entry points for following on Facebook and Instagram.
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. 🤍🖤🤍🖤🤍🖤
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.
Coming August 31, 2021, The Gray Mage is the third book (out of 4) in the Realm of Camellia series. I’m not going to include the description here since it’s a little spoilery if you haven’t read the first two books, but you can read the blurb here on the product page.
There’s only one week left until release, so I wanted to share a little teaser from book 2 in the Realm of Camellia series! Read on for the first chapter, and get the rest on June 9th.
December is one of my favorite months despite the inevitable descent into winter, the long nights, and the dreary leafless trees here in New England. It’s my favorite because 1- my birthday is this month, 2- I love Christmas (despite said birthday’s very close proximity), and 3- the end of the year brings a kind of refresh to everything.
Realm of Camellia Series
My biggest writing achievement of 2019 was getting The Starless Girl picked up by Limitless Publishing, and having it published in May. I decided to take the plunge and attempt traditional publishing with this series, and so far it has been a success. Yes, writing and being an author is still a lot of work, but I love it. Just the other week I submitted the sequel to The Starless Girl to my publisher, and I have high hopes that it will be accepted and published in 2020. Fingers crossed! The working title is The Storm King. I’m now working on fully plotting book #3, which I’ll begin writing in January.
Arcera Series
It was a long time coming, but I finally got the Arcera prequel, Sylvia in the Wilds, into paperback. At the same time, it got a lovely cover refresh. This book made me want to write more short stories–even standalones–because it was wildly popular at events. Probably because of its short length!
Events in 2020
I already have 5 events lined up for 2020, and they are going to be amazing! I was honored to be invited to Boskone in February, alongside some incredible authors. I’m currently in the works with them on my schedule, and I’m looking forward to being on some awesome panels and programs. I’ll also be attending ConnectiCon again in July, as well as a brand new convention close by– the Springfield Comic Con. I’ll have to come up with some cosplays! Check out my whole schedule here.
Me and Thistle at Book Fiend Reader’s Fest in Norwich Nov 2019
New Project
I have a brand new project that I’m itching to share with the world. You might have heard about it if you follow me on Facebook or Instagram–it’s a writer’s notebook. Part guided journal, part blank notebook, it’s meant to help writer’s plan their stories by organizing their notes and guiding them with several plot structures. After years of bullet-journaling, and planning 7 novels (5/7 have been written, and 4 published), I’ve had a lot of time to get myself organized to tell a story. The writer’s notebook is currently being beta-tested by some writer friends of mine, and I can’t wait to get it finished.
A draft version I got printed for my Beta testers. Not the final cover!
I’m also working on a website to go with it. I’m planning on providing some resources for writers to coincide with the notebooks. Yep, I said notebooks, I’m planning on several other notebooks with slightly different content: for teens, for brand new writers, and one for fantasy writers.
Some of you may also know that I have an Etsy shop where I sell bookmarks. Well, this year I made hundreds of bookmarks. They went to 36 different States (California and Texas having the most), and 7 other countries (including Australia, France, Italy, UK, and Greece). A few of my bookmarks have gotten a little “Bestseller” flag on Etsy, which makes my little author heart smile. I’ve also had awesome custom and wholesale orders from local bookstores. I’m looking forward to a new year with the shop, and adding new designs!
But mostly
We even managed a flight to Florida to see family! He loved the beach.
I’m super happy with my new work/life balance. I wasn’t sure how juggling full-time-parenthood was going to go with my writing career. No, it hasn’t been easy, but I love it.
Having a creative outlet is the best thing I can do for my brain! A lot of people (even before I had my son) ask me, how do you find the time to do all of this? And I shrug and laugh, but really, I can’t not do all these things. I have to.
I love having projects and creating things, either with my hands, my brain, or my computer. I don’t find the time. I make it.
Cheers to a great year behind us, and to a great year before us. Happy New Year’s to you all!
I’m so excited to finally share the cover for The Starless Girl! Release day is May 14th.
Pre-order opens May 4th. I’ll be giving away some very cool swag packs for pre-ordering, and everyone who pre-orders can enter to win a $25 Amazon gift card! More info soon.
