Though the print edition has been available for a couple years, I’ve finally compiled the ebook edition!
(I don’t know why I didn’t compile it sooner… ebooks are usually easier to format than print versions.)
In the meantime, let’s toast (I choose coffee!) to the new book! ☕
🗨️ Here’s what reviewers are saying so far:
“Although all the stories are set in the same world and are deeply shaped by it, they blend the common fantasy with a variety of different genres, from the espionage thriller of ‘Scars of Her Past’ to the dark adventure of ‘The Cursed Halls of Kalecen’. This balance of commonality and difference means readers who enjoy one story are unlikely to find the others utterly not to their taste, while those who approach the collection in a single sitting are unlikely to wish for greater variety.” ~ Dave H.
Legends of Cirena Volume One is now available at most major online retailers! 😀
~ Legends of Cirena Volume One ~
Brave a storm. Fool a gryphon. Mount a perilous rescue. Become legend.
Explore the lives of legends in this fantasy collection of six stand-alone short stories and novellas from the world of Cirena!
A wind mage hides from a storm in a city that hates mages in The Wind Mage of Maijev. A shapeshifting thief must outwit a treasure-loving gryphon in The Gryphon and the Mountain Bear. A “dragon” uses scrying magic to help a child rescue his family from slavers in The Restless Sands of Neel. A duelist confronts a deranged god of justice to protect his student in The Cursed Halls of Kalecen. A merchant with a terrible secret must aid a former enemy to save the city in The Scars of Her Past, and a priestess searches for a lost traveler in the isolated realm of dragons in The Dragons of the Mist.
The legends begin . . .
Grab the Legends of Cirena Volume One ebook for only $9.99! (Save $5 by buying the ebook box set compared to buying each story individually)
Time for the March-April Infinitas Publishing status report! 📋
I had hoped to put this out sooner, but between vacation and then a second unplanned trip a few days later, this is coming out a little later than expected.
Lots happening, though, even with the chaos months having begun.
I’ve highlighted the projects that had changes in blue.
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Changing Tides: (Book 4 of the Distant Horizon series). While no revisions were made on the draft, Isaac and I did discuss the climax of the series and possible options regarding the final battle. Additionally, some ideas were tossed around in regards to how the future of that world might look, which could affect what foreshadowing I focus on.
Otherwise, this is on hold while working on The Dark Forest of Aneth. Next step is to merge the two revised drafts and start writing the missing scenes.
Betrayed (Deceived #2): I still need to finalize the post reviewing the launch for Betrayed, but I did start the process of making notes on the sales as related to promos with the exception of the sales I was still waiting to see finalized.
Next up, revising Deceived #3 (tentatively titled Exposed).
Other future steps: Input Isaac’s notes from Deceived #5 (formerly #4) into the manuscript, revise Deceived #5, and revise #6 (formerly #5) before handing it to Isaac for his feedback.
Dossiers (Deceived Spin-off): This is a short story I started during the Betrayed launch that, per usual, took on a life of its own. I not only included character bios for the main group of Deceived, I also included a running short story involving a future antagonist, Agent Shepherd. I’ve sent an episode at a time to Distant Horizon newsletter subscribers.
Since the previous status report, I’ve sent episodes for Nia, Erin, Luuk, an an additional chapter focused on Luuk’s brother. Currently I’m debating whether to continue the story a bit further or end it there.
Once complete, I’ll likely edit it to have as a bonus for newsletter subscribers. I haven’t decided if I’ll publish it separately.
Multiverse Chronicles (Distant Horizon Universe Spin-off): I dusted off the Scrivener file and made revisions to the prologue. I may be sharing this soon with the Distant Horizon Universe newsletter.
TWB 4: (Book Four of The Wishing Blade series). On hold. Next step is to add the remaining outline to Scrivener, review that outline for missing plot points, and then write the rough draft.
The Legends of Cirena – Collaborative Adventure Facebook Group:On hiatus. There’s a possibility I might move this concept to the Wishing Blade Universe newsletter, but that’s just a vague idea at this point.
The Legends of Cirena Volume One (Collection of books 1-6): This was one of the unplanned projects that I had in my list of maybe-get-done during chaos months. I already released the print edition a while back, but I hadn’t yet compiled the ebook edition.
Good news: I finally completed the ebook version!
I’ve created the Infinitas Publishing page for it, uploaded the ebook to most of the online retailers (with the exception of Google Play, which will be coming soon, and Smashwords, which needs a small file adjustment) and started preparing to send out ARC files.
The ebook version will release on April 22nd!
Next up: Create a launch week plan and order newsletter promos? (I’ve chosen a few but haven’t yet ordered them).
The Dark Forest of Aneth (“Ro’nor (“The Restless Sands of Neel”) & Zynia (“The Dragons of the Mist”) cross-over / A Legends of Cirena short novel): I essentially completed my goal for February, which was to finish another round of revisions and write the missing chapters. Woot!
However, there were more missing chapters than I realized. So I got the amount of work done as intended (plus a couple extra chapters), but there are at least two more chapters that need added, as well as heavy-duty revisions to the new chapters and another light revision pass after all that.
Additionally, I tested ProWritingAid’s new Manuscript Analysis feature, which provided both the suggestions I already intended to implement, as well as ones I hadn’t considered previously. So I intend to look over those in the next pass, too.
Goals: Revisit the book cover concept. Create a blurb.
The Ruins of Amixthael (The Gryphon and the Mountain Bear Spin-Off): I’ve started the continuity revisions. So far the first two chapters are complete. I’ve also drafted a Daz render for the cover. It needs a bit more work before I render the final version for Photoshop editing and the title.
Untitled LoC Short Story (Standalone – Merchant in Reveratch): I’ve drafted, polished and sent three more chapters to the Wishing Blade Universe newsletter. (We’re now on chapter five). Despite having an outline, this one is turning out longer than expected, but I’ve been having a lot of fun exploring this particular area of Cirena (both Reveratch and the Immortal Realm). I anticipate at least two more chapters before completion.
Additionally, I’ve been working on a related poem/ballad that explores the lore as related to this particular story. I haven’t decided yet if it’ll make it into the story.
The Wind Mage and the Wolf (“Livena (The Wind Mage of Maijev”) & Nuaka (“The Gryphon and the Mountain Bear”) cross-over / A Legends f Cirena short novel) : Joran’s short story is on hold. Still needs a couple scenes smoothed out, and I need to cross-reference the final scene in TheWind Mage and the Wolf (from Joran’s point of view). After that, it’ll be ready for a read-aloud and proofreading.
Huntress 3:On hold. Next step is to finish re-reading Changeling to make notes on the series guide, finalize the cover (proof created), and create a detailed outline.
Other Stories: I wrote a couple of flash fiction shorts that I posted to Substack. Both are set in the same fantasy post-apocalyptic world:
“The Courier” – A homesteader in a post-apocalyptic wasteland gets an unexpected delivery.
“The Proposal” – A nervous office worker turns in an ambitious proposal.
Next up: Revise ending of YA Alien Invasion/Dystopian story.
Game Design: Isaac designed a simple dice game (tentatively called Anchor). We’ve been beta-testing the basic rules and created a rough draft of a potential playmat. I’ve also been researching customized dice prices, and we’ve been working on gathering the pieces needed to create a prototype.
Marketing: The last couple months had far less focus on marketing than the previous month, though I’ve begun planning promos for upcoming launches. Meanwhile, these are some of the recent projects:
Amazon Ads same as usual, just the ones that were already running.
I scheduled Deceived for a BookFunnel promo that ran in March. That one was promoted in my Distant Horizon newsletter later in the month, along with a blog post. I also scheduled Stone and String for a couple promos in April. The newsletter is set to go but I still need to prep the blog post.
I tested an updated design for the individual book pages on the Infinitas Publishing website (Distant Horizon). Only one done so far, but I like the result. I’m planning to eventually update all the pages for the more streamlined design, though I may do a couple more setup tests before finalizing the general setup.
I sent out an email to the Distant Horizon Universe newsletter with a book promo for an author friend who had a new release.
Finished business taxes for 2024.
Hoopla removed a massive number of ebooks (most of mine included). I sent an email to D2D (the distributor) to follow-up on the reasons why, but haven’t heard anything new about having the books reinstated since the first reply acknowledging that this happened.
I revised the backmatter for all Legends of Cirena ebooks and updated them at all retailers.
I updated the mailing list automation for the Wishing Blade Universe newsletter.
Next up: Continue adding sample chapters to the BookFunnel sales pages for each book, and then to the main Infinitas Publishing website. Add BookBub and Goodreads links to each landing page. Update my author bio across the different retailers. Continue updating Stripe and Payhip so I can offer direct sales from the main website. Revise Amazon ads, and overhaul book categories, keywords, and blurbs.
Substack – Though I missed a couple weeks of posting, I continued posting writing tips and weekly roundups on my Substack.
Events: Isaac and I joined local author, R.Aveen, at the Portage Lake District Library for a YA Author panel. We had a lot of fun talking about our processes and the audience asked great questions.
Unfortunately we didn’t have enough people sign up for my Crafting Your Fictional World workshop at the Copper Country Community Arts Center, so that one didn’t run. I’ll be talking with the art center to decide on what workshops might work better to run in the future.
At the beginning of April we had a booth at the KYCA Art and Music Festival, where we primarily focused on our art prints. We added several new prints to the mix, using secondhand frames we found at various consignment stores. Additionally, I got to test out my metallic photo paper!
SBibb’s Photographic Illustration: I’ve finished my most recent book formatting project for Cave Hollow Press! You can now pre-order Just Willaby Helen Sheehy. I may have another formatting project coming up, but the details for that is still in the works.
Future Goals: Update the SBibbPhoto website to incorporate Daz work and fix the SEO information. Finish designing cute mascot for a local store. Finish editing photos for a local Aikido group.
SIFlint Art: I’ve received the stickers from my most recent order! I’ve added a trans-themed shark hoarding dragon, as well as the Ghooste of Christmas Yet to Come and the Ghoosteling of Christmas Past.
Additionally, I finally placed my paper order with Red River Paper. I’ve already gotten to print on the metallic photo paper (which I framed for the KYCA Art and Music Festival), so my next step is to print more business cards. I do plan on printing and mounting one of the dragons as a display for future shows.
Daz PA: I took a series of snow and ice texture photos on a couple different photoshoots, which I started merging for the use of texture photos. I’m considering making another texture pack.
Other future projects include searching for a collaborator for my Genesis 9 Diverse Worlds set, and to complete some of the pose sets that Isaac started last summer before he got his new job.
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Happy writing and reading (Or 3D rendering if you’re into Daz)! 🙂
Last call to get your ebook copy of Deceived for free!
It returns to full price on Wednesday, February 19th.
Deceived by the government. Exposed by her powers.
When Galina turns herself over to the health clinic after believing she’s infected by a hallucinogenic plague, she discovers the truth might not be what it seems. Will she drown in the deceptions?
Betrayed is now available at most major online retailers! 😀
After escaping a treacherous transformation facility, Galina and her newfound friends suspect the isolated desert settlement where they’ve arrived holds dangerous secrets of its own.
“I recommend it to readers seeking a young adult speculative thriller that features dramatic action but is driven by the protagonists’ character rather than their innate exceptionalism.” ~ Dave H. (Blog)
“It’s an exciting tale that I believe you’ll enjoy as much as I did so I am happy to recommend it to all those who enjoy a good action book.” ~Chad B. (Goodreads)
🌄
Don’t miss the second book of the Deceived series… choose your favorite retailer and read Betrayed today!
We’re now less than a week to Betrayed’s official release! *Squee!*
As part of the launch,you can grab your copy of book one, Deceived, for free! 🌊
Now… for Betrayed…
Here’s what’s coming:
🤫 – Secrets… (like… let’s not tell the suspiciously enthusiastic leader about Erin’s reality bending powers)
🌄 – An isolated desert community… (post-apocalyptic vibes, anyone?)
🌊 – Superpowers! (More water manipulation, and now powers are in the open! Well, mostly. See above about Erin’s powers)
And… a cute, sort-of-but-not-actually-a-goat, goat! 🐐
All that and more…
Now with links where you can pre-order your copy of this 42,000 word novella (that’s twice the length of Deceived!) and have it as soon as it goes live next Tuesday! 😁
“Welcome to the Kariz! A new Communuity. Safe, secure, and above all, transparent!”
In the Community, every citizen has a purpose. Unfortunately for Galina, that purpose involved secret plans for turning her into a monster. Now, after a harrowing escape from a treacherous transformation facility, Galina’s only hope for safety lies in the Kariz, a nearby desert settlement surrounded by towering fences, barbed wire, and impassable mountains.
But it’s not her own safety she’s worried about. Her sister still lives in the Community, and one of her fellow escapees has a dangerous, untrained reality-bending power that the facility’s agents tried to kill her for.
So, when the settlement’s suspiciously enthusiastic leader promises Galina a chance to build a new life at the Kariz—while her reality-bending friend insists she senses something… off… about this place—Galina refuses to settle in. She needs to warn her sister about the transformation facility and protect her newfound friends.
But Galina has only just begun to understand this strange, different world. Will her friend’s untamed power reveal them before Galina can befriend the allies they need to uncover the truth about this settlement?
Investigate what secrets the Kariz hides… pre-order Betrayed today!
Time for a status report! Now that the move to Michigan is mostly complete (and I’ve finally gotten my car back after a run-in with the local wildlife), we’re slowly getting back into the groove of things. Still got a few things to take care of before we’re all settled in, but things are finally getting back to normal. 🙂
Glitch: I’ve completed the major edits, handed the manuscript to Isaac to check over, and have been working on his changes. Due to the structure of the story, we’re actually considering breaking it into three individual stories, each around 35,000 to 45,000 words long. They’ll rely heavily on being read in order, but should each have their own beginning, middle, and end. I’ve sent the first part to a beta-reader to see what she thinks. If we do split the story into three parts, we’ll most likely release each part around two-three weeks apart, so readers won’t have to wait long to read each book. With luck, we’ll be moving forward with this project sooner rather than later.
Fractured Skies: I’ve made the second round of major edits based on Isaac’s feedback from a year or two ago, and now I’ve handed it back to him to look through. It needs a bit of work in order to match it to the style and tone of Distant Horizon. But this one is certainly in progress.
The Multiverse Chronicles: On hold.
Book 3 of The Wishing Blade Series: Working on plotting. Once Fractured Skies is out to beta-readers, I plan to start editing what I already have written of this manuscript, then write the other half of the book.
SBibb’s Photographic Illustration: Finished one formatting project, now working on book covers. Not much new here.
Game Development: Trying to work out the kinks in a fantasy-based civilization building game. We have a few ideas, but we’ll need to test-play them.
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Don’t forget, if you want to stay up-to-date with our latest book releases and promotions, sign up for our Infinitas Publishing Newsletter!
Today I’m participating in a blog tour for Jordan Elizabeth’s latest book, Kissed by Literature! 🙂
Read on…
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KISSED BY LITERATURE
A Collection of Short Stories
(Cover art by Rue Volley.)
Enter worlds of steampunk and terror, where you’ll meet ghosts that will raise the hairs along your arms. Among the tales, you’ll encounter a serial killer stalking a country road and a vacation destination riddled with evil. This collection of short stories explores the different writing styles and genres of Amazon bestselling author Jordan Elizabeth.
KISSED BY LITERATURE is on Amazon from CHBB. Get it for 99 cents for a limited time.
Check out the start of the short story “Evil that Walks Tweed Road”:
I slid the manila folder into the cardboard box, careful to keep them alphabetized. My brother might tease me to death over my organization habits, but not once had I fumbled during my presentations. Each photograph, newspaper article, and information sheet had a home.
“Excuse me. Annie? I’m Patrick.”
I glanced up, the final folder in hand. A man with gray eyes stood in front of the table. I’d studied those gray eyes during my lecture while he sat in the back row of the library’s meeting room.
“Yes?” I double-checked the words on the folder before placing it into the box.
“I’ve always been fascinated with Tweed Road. I grew up near there, and as kids we always wanted to see the ghosts. Swear we saw a couple of them.”
I nodded, my ponytail sliding over my shoulder. “I’ve heard plenty of those ghost stories, but I don’t really believe in ghosts. If a serial killer gets you, do you really want to hang around for all eternity?”
He chuckled. His teeth had to have been professionally straightened and whitened to gleam like that. “What got you into giving talks on Tweed Road?”
He couldn’t be flirting with me… but maybe he was. “Well, I got my Masters in history and then I got a job as a professor here. I started looking up local history, and this area is famous for the Tweed Road killings. It was mostly all legends and kids daring each other to walk along the road at night, so I wanted to tell everyone about the truth.” I smiled. I sucked at flirting, but I could sure smile, even if my teeth didn’t look half as nice as his.
“Do you think telling everyone about this will help them finally catch the killer?”
“Life is never that simple.”
Patrick leaned toward me and lowered his voice. “I know who the serial killer was.”
I lifted my eyebrows. At every library or historical society where I gave my presentation, someone always had a theory. My favorite suggestion had been Jack the Ripper. “Who are you thinking of?”
“My grandfather.”
That was similar to “my ex-husband,” which I heard a lot from elderly women. “Why do you say that?”
“He confessed to me before he died and he showed me the spot where he did the killings.”
The bodies had all been found dumped in the swamp, but no one had ever discovered where their hearts and livers had been gouged out. I frowned. “Who have you told?”
“I, um…just you.” The young man wiped his hand across his face. “I don’t know if I should go to the cops. They might just laugh. Do they even care about the case anymore? It’s all more of a legend now.”
“A lot of families would have peace of mind.”
Patrick closed his eyes and sighed. “Can I show you the spot? I think I’d feel better going to the cops if you went with me. You know all the facts about the killings and I just know what my grandfather told me.”
I shifted my stance. “Don’t let me put words in your mouth.” I had studied the Tweed Road serial killer for three years and it had all been paper, nothing I could walk on.
“Will you go with me? I’ll drive. It’s about fifteen minutes out of town.”
It might become my stupidest decision, but… “Let me just put my box in the car so we don’t hold up the library from closing at nine.” If the spot was fifteen minutes away, they wouldn’t make it back by then.
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Jordan Elizabeth is known for her odd sense of humor and her outrageous outfits. Surrounded by bookshelves, she can often be found pounding away at her keyboard – she’s known for breaking keyboards, too. Check out her website for bonus scenes and contests.
Last call to get your ebook copy of 
Stephanie Flint - Author and Artist 