Promises motivate

Every time someone asked me when my next book was coming out my response felt like a promise. For the last year and a half I've been breaking promises. I didn't like doing that. No matter my good intentions I couldn't get the work done. I'm a writer. I'm supposed to write. It just wasn't working.

I could spew a long list of reasons. Like, that I felt intimidated by all the great work I'd been reading from others. Like, that I didn't think anything I wrote was up to the task. Or that my story, an urban fantasy based on fantastical situations, was a bit trivial for all the heavy and world changing shocks we've been hit with in our political sphere. It has been a heavy weight as he-who-will-not-be-named has hung over our heads like Sauron's Eye, emanating an hypnotic and paralyzing force. {{{{{Shudder}}}}} How could anyone effectively engage creative forces under that blanket of evil?

Maybe it was that I'd allowed the idea of retirement to settle into my brain to such an extent that writing while working full-time became harder and harder. I'd traveled a lot too, to writer's conferences, workshops and just plain old running away from it all and it was hard to get reengaged with the work after long separations.

Those are all just excuses. I was failing. I was losing the fight. Then, when I was beginning to think I'd never get it done, something clicked. It was as if I'd finally found my missing gas pedal. The acceleration was slow and steady, but this time I had enough fuel to reach the end. The real, The End.

So, finally I can keep my promise. Here's the cover for The Bonding Blade. Set for a late June or early July release. I have Advance Reader Copies available for those who would like to offer an early review (and maybe be used as a blurb for my covers). I'm considering something new for this book, so blurbs would be a great help. I'll not make a promise about when it will be ready for pre-order but I'll definitely announce that here.

Here's the blurb for the new adventure:

Can the embodiment of an ancient goddess live a balanced life in modern times?

Former Army Sergeant Hester Trueblood struggles to find the answer, seven years after fate bonded her to the ancient Sumerian Goddess, Inanna. Whether engaging in battles to the death with demons or entering fight club scraps, Hester’s life is forever subjected to Inanna’s whims and insatiable lust. It hasn’t been easy to juggle the mounting perilous challenges, or to tolerate the demands of her demi-god lover, Gilgamesh.

When her warrior Quincy is stricken with a mysterious illness, Hester thinks a supernatural blade could be the answer to save him. Or it just might destroy the world.

One thing is for sure. Nobody is immune from the painful reality of loss and suffering—not even a goddess.

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The Bonding Blade is the second book in my Desert Goddess series. The first book, The Bonding Spell, was published in 2015. It's gone through a major re-edit, thanks to the amazing Scott Bury, best selling author and the force behind The Best Selling Reads Author's Association. I have blithely offered up my babies to the world thinking they have been well edited. I was wrong. And I sincerely apologize to my readers. Seriously. I'm sorry for the wrong use of words, the commas that multiply like rabbits and the clunky sentences. I am amazed you stuck with the work while navigating that crap. Scott has put a shiny new face on The Bonding Spell. So if you haven't read it yet, now is a good time.

Here's what Scott Bury had to say about The Bonding Spell:

This book explores the feelings of being possessed by an ancient force of nature, and the reaction of a 21^st-century woman to men who literally get down on one knee and pledge eternal devotion to her every desire.

Whenever the mood gets too gloomy, the author brightens the scene with the touching devotion of Inanna’s servants. And the appearance of the antagonist is truly entertaining, while pushing the story forward at a critical point. That’s the true sign of a great writer.

Deep, moving, original and entertaining. What more can you ask for in a book?

You can read the whole review here. What more could I ask for in a review? I can't wait for readers to get their hands on The Bonding Blade. I'm truly happy with it and thankful that my promises kept me motivated to finally get it done. Sorry it took so long, but I hope you'll agree it was worth it.