Greetings, Roguelings!
I hope all of you paid members have received a little something from me in the mail by now.
The hubs is settling into his new job nicely, and we are just rolling out of a heatwave and into some rainy weather here in Northern California.
The tax season craziness has passed (which is always a relief), and I've been working on house projects a lot - I don't know that I've ever spring cleaned this much. I think that says more about my mental health than my organizational skills. I'm controlling the things in my life that CAN be controlled, you know?
You will probably think this is silly, but originally, I spent so much time on color-coordinating all of my books on my wall shelf, and decided I just can't live that like. Pretty, in this case, unfortunately, is not functional for my brain. So, I spent yesterday reorganizing so that it's no longer pretty but more functional. Ha! Series are now grouped together; unread books are in one area, those I've read are in another. It makes choosing a book to read or put up as book club options SO much easier. It's a small miracle I didn't know I needed in my life.
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I've been hard at work, writing Fatesworn, which is the third book in the Darkborn saga. The expanded prequel, book 0, Runemarked, comes out in May and ALL members will receive the latest goodies for that at the end of this month - a shinny new ebook and maps included! See the cover reveal here first!! (below). Book one, Bloodborn, comes out in July, and paid members will receive an early copy of that as well.
As a recap, Darkborn is a saga I am writing under my pen name, Scarlet St. James, and the series is an epic dark fantasy romance saga about four immortal Viking warriors who are betrayed, unalived, and the goddess of death makes a bargain with them. So, the four warriors rise again as something "other" to protect the North. It's like if the Black Dagger Brotherhood and The Witcher had a baby. It will be like all Lindsey stories - it's very character-driven with a gritty emotional texture, only it's Vikings in a Norse-inspired world I conjured. And they are very morally gray characters - I mean, I don't think there's much getting around that if you have to survive on human blood in order to save your people. Trust me, it's a confusing reality for them too. Ha!!!
I'll post more about Runemarked later this week because this series has continued to morph the more books I write in it. Runemarked wasn't "a thing" until about two months ago, and since it's going into Kindle Unlimited, I've had to rethinking my series strategy a bit. Again, more about that later.
For now, here's the cover I made for it. I'm kind of in love...
I'll be in touch soon! Have a fabulous week! Let me know what you think of the cover and if you're excited for the series.
This cracks me up! I definitely feel like my book "mood" changes with the seasons. I can't think of any genres I would consider a "beach read" other than a rom-com, though. Still, I have plenty of those I haven't read yet. I must be waiting for a trip to the beach. 🤣
Hello Roguelings!
I know Rockhavn is not a character per se, but as much settings do, it plays a huge role in the Darkborn world. This is where they wake after they are turned. These are the people they are sworn to protect AND where they have to learn about themselves... and their hunger.
It makes for an interesting dynamic as the Darkborn struggle to understand what they have become, and as the saga moves through three books, it's the backbone of the story - where relationships are developed and a person's character is tested. It's the warm hearth and heart of the Darkborn's world, and even when they are pull to different parts of the realm this is where they already return. The village is a patchwork of scars and war and famine and love and resilience as much as the characters who live there.
I can't wait for you to visit!
xo, Linds (and Scarlet)
Don't forget, if you aren't a member and would like to preorder an early copy of Bloodborn and all of the origin stories, you can shop Scarlet's website here: https://scarletstjames.com/
Sometime I am pleasantly surprised with rough drafts, but other times it can be cringe-worthy. For me, the hardest part is the rough draft, so I don't "take my time" with it, fearing I'll lose focus and won't get the words down. My early drafts are definitely sloppier compared to what readers get for the final story.
This is real life, only usually SOB while writing character deaths... like UGLY cry. Hahahaha.
Hello Roguelings! If you haven't listened to The Darkest Winter, book one in my Savage North Chronicles series you can snag a free copy with this hidden link just for you! Thank you for being part of my reader community!
https://lindseypoguebooks.com/products/the-darkest-winter-savage-north-1-audiobook-2
This happens a lot.
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I've been in a book club for over 10 years and we've referenced the questions in the back of a book MAYBE twice. For those of you in a book club, do you ever use the questions in the back?
