The Plague's Hope Cover Design

Hi all,

This week I’m revealing the cover design for the first book in the Curse of Anubis series, The Plague’s Hope. Of all the covers I’ve had designed so far, this is by far my favourite! As with all my covers, this one has been designed by Deranged Doctor Design.

• The MC on this cover is Tahira, one of the two main characters of the series.

• The cat, Bastet, is the other main character.

• DDD came up with the series branding for Curse of Anubis and I absolutely love it!

• I really love the typography on this one, I think it gives off the perfect dystopian vibe.

• The two of them are standing in the remains of a town that features heavily in this book.

• I’m so grateful that DDD was able to incorporate sand on the cover without making it stand out too much.

• I’m hoping that DDD will be able to keep Bastet on every cover, as they found the perfect cat! I didn’t expect them to find one that resembles an Egyptian Mau so closely.

The Plague’s Hope will be available in October 2024 in ebook, hardcover and paperback. I’m slo excited to share this series with everyone, especially as it’s my first published one to heavily featured mythology!

That’s it for this week, see you next Sunday!

PS; don’t forget to check out these book bundles:

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My Favourite Film of All Time

Hi all,

I know I've discussed a few of my favourite films and also dedicated a few blog posts to my favourite TV series. But I haven't made one on my favourite film of all time! It does have a cat in it, very briefly, as I'm sure you won't be surprised to hear. No dragons though. 

Aliens

It's a classic and I absolutely love it. I can watch it over and over and never get bored of it. The xenomorph has a brilliant design and I absolutely love seeing it every time. The introduction of a queen alien is great too! It was cool seeing how they reproduce and how quickly they can take over a small colony.

I didn't actually watch it until I was twenty, as I wasn't too keen on horror until then. I got into reading Stephen King books and that was my gateway into horror. Soon enough I was watching horror films and series and absolutely loving them. I bought all the Alien films at the time, along with Predator, because I really fell in love with the sci-fi horror genre. I started by watching all the Predator films, and then moved onto Alien.

I absolutely loved the first film and when I heard the second one was even better, I knew I would love it. Now I've watched it so many times that I've lost count! Of course I really liked seeing Jonesy in the beginning and I hope that he was looked after during the events of the film. At least this time he didn't have to face the Alien himself.

The Xenomorphs look amazing and I love seeing them on screen. I've now seen all the Alien films, and the crossover ones with Predator too. Each film is great in its own way but it can't beat Aliens in my opinion. I can watch it again and again and not get bored.

That's it for this week, I hope you enjoyed reading! See you next week. 

PS; don’t forget to check out these book bundles:

Fantastic Fantasy and Sci-Fi in Kindle Unlimited!

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Dragons and Cats

Hi all,

It's been a while since I've written a post about cats so I thought I'd fix that!

In the Elemental Dragons universe, dragons can communicate with cats as they speak the same language. I've mentioned in the past that the two have different dialects but for the most part they can understand each other.

A lot of dragons prefer cats to dogs if they have more of a calmer temperament. This is because they tend to prefer relaxing and snoozing in the sunshine. But they sometimes play, though this gets harder as the dragons get bigger!

The dragons would consider the cat a part of their family, though they don't see each other as siblings. But they tend to have strong bonds that struggle to be broken. Cats can be more aloof, but a lot of times they make it clear that they do love any dragons they're close to.

The one thing that cats hate doing is flying on the back of a dragon. Travelling along the ground is fine and usually preferred for lazy felines. But they don't like being taken up into the air. The wind and cold is too much for them so they will react violently if they are made to fly without wanting to. 

In some rare cases dragons and cats don't get on at all. This may be because of a clash of personality or extreme jealousy. But as long as someone gives both equal attention and is patient, these obstacles can be overcome.

If I had a dragon, I'd like to think that it would get along with my cat, Mishka. She likes being the centre of attention but maybe a scaly friend would make her reconsider!

That's it for this week, I hope you enjoyed reading. See you next week! 

PS; don’t forget to check out these book bundles:

Fantastic Fantasy and Sci-Fi in Kindle Unlimited!

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Celestial Plague Complete Collection Pre-Order Live

Hi all,

Now that all of the books in the Celestial Plague series have been published, I’ve gathered them up into one neat little ebook boxset! This will be published on 9th July 2024.

The Complete Collection contains all of the books in the Celestial Plague series in one neat little bundle!

You will receive:

Nirvana

Heaven

Purgatory

Hell

While waiting for the Complete Collection to come out why not join my mailing list? You’ll get exclusive short stories, cover reveals, book deals and merch surveys!

In return you’ll get four FREE enovellas that can’t be downloaded anywhere else. I also plan on adding more free books in the future, so it’ll definitely be worth your while signing up!

You can currently download:

Elemental Dragons Short Story Collection - a collection of short stories involving dragons

Famished - a prequel to Mute

Years - a prequel to Years

Seashine - a look at the origins of a character in Celestial Plague

In the next few years the following enovellas will also be available (may be subject to change):

Curse of Anubis Short Story Collection - a collection of short stories involving Egyptian gods

Tartarus - a prequel to Empty Skies

That’s it for this week! I hope you’re looking forward to reading the Complete Collection. See you next week!

PS; don’t forget to check out this giveaway before it disappears:

Exciting Woo-niverse Giveaways: Fantasy, Paranormal, Magical Realism, Supernatural, and Sci-Fi

Celestial Plague Posters

Hi all,

Now that all the books in the Celestial Plague series are published, I can finally tell you about the posters.

As I'm sure you know each poster is of a different type of Sarj. Black, blue, purple and grey. If you haven't guessed already, each Sarj is one of the main characters.

Nirvana's is Shannon.

Heaven's is Ashleigh.

Purgatory's is Raya.

Hell's is Jenna.

This was the plan from the beginning, to show how each character would end up. It was also another reason why I added a fourth book to the series. Jenna would have been the only main character to not have a poster otherwise. Plus I wanted to give her a fate that she hates after everything she's done. She was a great character to write about, I love how morally grey she is. I wanted her to get her comeuppance somehow.

I wasn't sure what to put on the posters at first and then I came up with the idea of Sarjs. But then I thought about how the main characters end up and decided that it would be a good idea to use them.

They were all designed by: https://www.fiverr.com/lorenzouccheddu

I love the designs of the posters and how each character comes across in each. Having Shannon and Raya in defensive positions is my favourite part. These two are the characters that are most likely to fight to protect themselves and their friends. Jenna is scared because she never wanted to be a Sarj in the first place and her memories are gone. While Ashleigh is taking a more calm approach. Hers was the best character arc in my opinion as I loved watching her go from this timid little thing to a leader.

I'd love to do more posters like these in the future but I'm not sure what book it would be!

That's it for this week, I hope you enjoyed reading! Which poster is your favourite? Let me know in the comments. See you next week. 

PS; don’t forget to check out this giveaway:

Exciting Woo-niverse Giveaways: Fantasy, Paranormal, Magical Realism, Supernatural, and Sci-Fi

July 2024 Camp NaNoWriMo Project Announcement

Hi all,

Although it feels like no time at all has passed, July is almost here! That means I'll be participating in Camp NaNoWriMo again. This time, my project will be...

Empty Skies #3: Burning Constellations.

The final book in the Empty Skies series is set immediately after book two. In this one, the origins of The Remnants are discovered and the need to bring the gods back is heightened.

Ataraxia and Laelaps have recovered for the most part from their spats in the second book. But both have become a lot more confident as time has gone on. They are more likely to stand up for themselves and push their ideas more. Ataraxia in particular was already pretty headstrong, but she has matured a lot as the series has gone on. Laelaps was the quieter one but even he has had to open up more.

The antagonist for this book is Medusa, who is working with The Burning to get revenge of Poseidon. I always thought that in the myths that Athena turned her into a gorgon to protect her rather than punish her. So, she will not blame Athena for what happened to her. I'm also thinking of introducing the other gorgons too, but I'm not sure how that will go yet. I might change my mind as I'm writing the book.

I've had the ending for this book in my head for a while so I'm actually quite excited to get it onto the page. I'll be sad that the story is over, but the characters will still make cameos in other books! The Damaged Goods series will be a prequel to Empty Skies featuring the Remnants. It will explain how they got to where they are now and what happened along the way to make them so bitter. In fact, the origin story of The Freezing has been in my head since I was fifteen! I'll be so happy to finally write that one out.

That's it for this week, I hope you enjoyed reading! See you next week. 

PS; don’t forget to check out this giveaway:

Exciting Woo-niverse Giveaways: Fantasy, Paranormal, Magical Realism, Supernatural, and Sci-Fi

Being Nothing in Elemental Dragons

Hi all,

It's been a while since I've written a post about the lore of Elemental Dragons and I don't think I've covered this topic too much before.

First of all, what is a Nothing?

In the Elemental Dragons universe, a person or dragon whose partner dies is considered a Nothing. This is because it is really hard to exist without the other.

There are a few examples of Nothings in the books, but the main one that's shown is Bluey (aka Muddy). When he's introduced in Venom and Earth, he is shown without a human companion. The group takes him in with them and he travels with them. But he can't get too close to the city without a human as otherwise they would target him as a Nothing.

What happens to Nothings?

For humans, they're immediately thrown out of any camp that they're in if they're under nineteen. All of their work towards their education is discarded and they are forced to enter the adult world with nothing but the clothes on their back. They don't get the same job opportunities as everyone else and they are looked down upon for having a dead dragon.

For dragons, they are immediately taken to zoos or farms to perform as entertainment. They can be ridden on and fed but they are not treated well. They are not allowed to exist on their own in the wild as they are considered a drain on the ecosystem. This is best seen with Russet and Moon in the Elemental Dragons Short Story Collection.

Can two Nothings pass as companions?

At the end of Cinder and Fire, it's shown that Marco and Cerberus have joined up and are passing off as each other's companions. This can be common for Nothings but very few get away with this in the longterm. The ones that do get away with it tend to have the same elements. If their elements differ, it's a lot harder to get away with.

One day I'd love to write a book about Nothings in the Elemental Dragons universe. But before I start on that I'm going to finish the Original Elementals series. Maybe after that I can focus on what the next series of the universe will be.

That's it for this week, I hope you enjoyed reading! See you next week. 

PS; don’t forget to check out this book bundle!

Exciting Woo-niverse Giveaways: Fantasy, Paranormal, Magical Realism, Supernatural, and Sci-Fi

Ten Books Published

Hi all,

With the last book of Celestial Plague published, I have now published ten books!

When I first started publishing I never thought I would ever hit this number. I absolutely love writing and this has been an absolute dream. Every single book that I've written has meant a lot to me in some way and I'm so glad that I can get them out into the world. It's the best feeling to see my books available for people to read!

If you had asked me ten years ago if I would have published ten books, I don't think I would have. My mental health had improved so much and writing has been a real outlet for me.

I don't want to stop writing or publishing and I can't wait to get my next one out. I'm so glad that people are enjoying my work and want to read more of it.

Thank you to everyone who has supported me along this journey and I'm going to keep going!

To recap, the ten books that I've currently published are:

Elemental Dragons #1: Blood and Water

Elemental Dragons #2: Venom and Earth

Elemental Dragons #3: Glass and Ice

Elemental Dragons #4: Cinder and Fire

Years

Mute

Celestial Plague #1: Nirvana

Celestial Plague #2: Heaven

Celestial Plague #3: Purgatory

Celestial Plague #4: Hell

The next series that I'll be publishing is Curse of Anubis, which will be four books. After that, I think that I'll be publishing the Empty Skies series and hopefully some of the Original Elementals series too. I still have loads of great ideas for books that I want to write so I don't think I'll run out of publishing material any time soon.

That's it for this week, I hope you enjoyed reading. Another thank you to everyone who has supported me so far and I hope you'll stay with me as I continue to publish books. See you next week. 

PS; don’t forget to check out these book bundles:

Kindle Unlimited Horror Bookfest

Exciting Woo-niverse Giveaways: Fantasy, Paranormal, Magical Realism, Supernatural, and Sci-Fi

April 2024 Camp NaNoWriMo Wrap-Up

Hi all!

We're now into May which means that Camp NaNoWriMo is done for the month! Empty Skies #2: Freezing Constellations was my project for the month. My final total is...

73,337 words!

I managed to finish the first draft on the second of May so the story is now complete at over 77K words.

In this book, the relationship between Laelaps and Ataraxia is put to the test. They start arguing a lot and going off on their own. The events of this book takes more of a toll on their mental health and the outlook is a lot bleaker at first.

A lot more constellations get introduced this book too! We get Scorpinus, Calliope and Pegasus makes an appearance too. This book is the one that will have the most Constellations in it. The next one will just have the ones that have already been introduced.

The dog pack is more prevalent in this book and Ataraxia is put to the test when leading them. This is one part of what puts a strain on her relationship with Laelaps. But I think the dogs are really cute and I love writing them! I found myself looking forward to writing parts they were in and wanting to add them in more. I'm hoping that in the next book they can really shine.

Yellow, the goddess who won't reveal her identity, is an even bigger presence in this book. But maybe not for the best. She is not keen on helping any of the characters in this book.

That's it for this week! I hope you enjoyed reading. Next Camp NaNoWriMo I'll be writing the last book in the Empty Skies series. 

PS; don’t forget to check out this horror book bundle:

Kindle Unlimited Horror Bookfest!

The Protagonists of Curse of Anubis

Hi all,

Over a year ago I wrote a blog post about the antagonists in the Curse of Anubis series. It's been a long time but with book one coming out in October I thought now would be a good time as any to post about the protagonists! They are my favourite characters (mostly because three of them are big cats).

Tahira

Tahira is Ra's chosen one who is being watched over by Bastet. She was a mummy (zombie) for the first year of the apocalypse before being 'cured'. At first she's desperate for human interaction and is used by survivors to get past mummies. She is sort of adopted by Bastet and the two have a mother-daughter relationship which grows as the series goes on.

Bastet

Ra's protector who is tasked with looking after Tahira. She is also the goddess that is represented by cats. She is the reason that Tahira is cured and is very proud of her role to Ra. Being his protector gives her a tiny portion of his power that she can use in battle. As his daughter, she's always considered it her birthright to become his protector. She has a rocky relationship with Sekhmet as she defeated her to become the new protector. But as they get closer they find that they develop feelings for each other, though neither of them wants to admit it to the other. She slowly warms to Mafdet, who at first she considers a buffoon.

Sekhmet

Ra's former protector and the goddess represented by lions. Looking strong is her major worry, which is one of the reasons why she has a mane. She considers it a show of power and command, which is why she had another God kill her over and over until she got her desired form. At first she's resentful of Bastet as she is Ra's new protector, but a few decades of having time to think it over has given her a new outlook. However, she still has her famous fiery temper and is prone to running into battle headfirst. Her and Mafdet start off on the wrong paw as Sekhmet doesn't like the fact that the cheetah goddess was always treated kindly by Ra. She is the one who spread the rumour about her being 'Ra's whore'.

Mafdet

The cheetah goddess who is an expert on poisons. Ra considered her a favourite of his and spent centuries trying to court her with no success. Despite this, Sekhmet's jealousy lead to her spreading a rumour about Mafdet whispering in Ra's ear and influencing his decisions. Mafdet is kind and caring but has no interest in interacting with the other gods because of their treatment of her. Instead she's happy enough living in solitude and finding new cures for poisons. This changes when she stumbles across Tahira and helps guide her as well. She acts like an aunt to Tahira and is loyal to her. Eventually she comes round to Bastet and Sekhmet and they are able to strike up a friendship of sorts.

That's it for this week! I hope you're looking forward to seeing these characters more in the Curse of Anubis series. See you next week. 

PS; don’t forget to check out these book bundles:

Spring Science Fiction and Fantasy Books in Kindle Unlimited!

Kindle Unlimited Horror Bookfest!