Loads of News for Everyone's Favorite Month, March!

 I'm going to jump right in with all the bookish gossip.

The fine folks at Encircle Publications surprised me by releasing Seven Noble Knights in hardcover! This initiative to encourage library purchases makes me very proud. I honestly never dreamed that in this day and age, I would be the author of a book in hardcover.

If hardcover is your preferred format, Seven Noble Knights is discounted at Amazon. If you prefer to support your local bookstore, try Indiebound or Bookshop.org for the human touch (taking all pandemic precautions, of course). 

I'm working overtime on my next medieval project. It's a short story collection with no unhappy endings, and it's guaranteed to be released in time for November 23, 2021. (Hint, hint.) More on this passion project very soon. Sign up for the newsletter to get the dirt before anyone else! 

You read this blog because you know here will you find unpredictable stories that will entertain you anytime you have a moment. Great news in that regard! I'm now on the writers' platform Vocal, and I already have my first story up! 

"The Bloody Landing: Or, Reginald and Me" starts out as a thriller and quickly moves into an impossible love story. I let myself fantasize about a lot of cash and a Moleskine notebook, and this is the result. Reader response has been very positive, always asking for more, but there was a word limit! 

It's free to read, and if you scroll all the way down, I will get paid eventually, so feel free to share with your friends. If you're feeling very generous, Vocal has even made it easy to leave a direct tip, but don't feel obliged. Just your visit makes me incredibly happy. 

In other news, Awash in Talent is on sale in Kindle for only 99 cents this week only, March 4 through 10. This quirky, engaging fantasy is "better than X-Men" and will have you questioning everything at the end.

To celebrate the sale, I've released a slightly out-of-season short companion story for free!

"Awash in Christmas Spirit" is the first chance to see into the point of view of multi-Talented Beth, who's pivotal in every story in Awash in Talent. No one has more Christmas spirit than Beth! The magic of Christmas in Rhode Island seems undeniable to everyone but her surly sister, Emily. 

Get it in .mobi, .epub, or .pdf for free at ProlificWorks, or in .epub (still free) at these exclusive retailers. And check my Vocal profile. It will likely make an appearance there. 

I hope you enjoy these writings from the bottom of my heart. More great stuff coming soon! 

Happy Holidays

The Feliz Navidad sign always makes the
Plaza Mayor look like a postcard. 

This year, there doesn't seem to be much holiday cheer. So here are some photos of the cheeriest things in my city and a video of one very enthusiastic author talking about the thing she loves most (my book launch party). 

It's not the holidays without certain treats. My favorite variety tray of
the "most expensive turrón in the world." It's not that pricey.  

I found a Yule Log! I used to find these at Italian bakeries
in the United States, though the word "yule" suggests
 a Celtic origin... This Spanish version is so good. 

The fine folks at Kindle Press are gifting you a trip to magical
Providence, RI, for only 99 cents this December! 

The street lighting this year is even more subtle than usual.

But with the native beauty of Modernist and
Romanesque architecture, you don't need to add much. 

Afternoon strolls down the shopping street.

The old town hall. 

Down Balborraz Street, one of the oldest
and most beautiful streets in Zamora. 

The "umbrella" in the Plaza Mayor with the sign
so you don't forget where you are! 

My city has "love" in it! 

I wrote this book to curl up with and get lost in. 

Heading toward the oldest part of the city. 

The theatre, for plays and events.
(People from elsewhere often ask me if it's a movie theatre,
which seems to be the fate of many old theatres.)

On the side of the Parador. 

The store with the weird costumes for parades has a tree! 

The Renaissance convent and a Modernist balcony. 

The palace from the time of Ferdinand and Isabella 

How can you not follow the advice of Holiday Rhino? 
Holiday Rhino is from a complete zoo in Winterhaven,
Tucson, Arizona, 2011.

As this year comes to a close, let's be grateful it's over! And certain that 2021 will be much, much better. Stay safe, everyone. 

Giant Summer Reading Sale

Kindle Press has decided to be generous to summer readers and has put all their titles on sale for 99 cents (Kindle edition only) July 5 through 11. Awash in Talent is on page 8!

Awash in Talent is the only quirky, intelligent, Kindle Scout–winning, paranormal urban fantasy in three interrelated novellas set in Providence, Rhode Island. It features the wonders of New England fall and winter and its short springtime, as well as a summer sojourn to Ethiopia. What's a young telekinetic healer from California doing in Ethiopia in the first novella? She's trying to get into the good graces of her big sister, Emily. Emily, on the other hand, is in Ethiopia as a result of trying to escape from her boring family, and most importantly, to be with her true love. Only in Awash in Talent can you find out if he loves her back!

Awash in Talent will never be cheaper than this. Kindle Press does not do free! 99 cents is as low as it can go.

For just 99 cents, you not only get a complex story of sisterly rivalry and star-crossed attraction, but also in the second novella, the tale of an earnest young firestarter, reviled in society because of the violence of her Talent, rejected by her peers because she has to carry smelly sulfur around with her everywhere, and wracked with guilt. Kelly will have to move heaven and earth, and convince Emily's sister to help her, to save her mother and herself.

For 99 cents, Awash in Talent delivers not just two unique, compelling stories, but rounds it out with a third. Emily's obsession has resulted in court-ordered psychotherapy, and her therapist is a closeted psychic. No matter what the therapist does, however, she can't get a read on Emily's mind. When she finally finds what's in there, it turns both Emily's and the therapist's world upside down. Awash in Talent is for the reader who yearns for the unexpected, the apparently normal but truly chaotic.

I hope beyond hope that this sale will raise Awash in Talent's profile because I would like nothing more than to have my art acknowledged in the wider world. I dedicated this book to my beloved husband, who I miss all the time and whose support I could really use as I persevere in the impossible job of being an author.

99 cents—it's so little to you. It means the world to me. Thanks!

In honor of the sale, AwesomeGang is featuring Awash in Talent. It also had a shout-out at DigitalBookSpot.com and BookAngel. Many other Awash sightings to come!

Busy July: Book Sales, Tin House, and Zamora

The gates to Zamora are still closed to me, but I can see it, practically touch it...
Photo 2005 Jessica Knauss 

I don't have good feelings about July. I never had a special attraction to this month, which in my childhood was usually dreary and lonely, but I developed true antipathy toward it last year, when it became the month when the love of my life died.

Anticipating the heaviness of this emotional milestone, a few months back I scheduled and applied for big, attention-grabbing events to take place around this time. As it turned out, June was so busy I hardly noticed it go by. I had a lot of paid work—three different projects—and the complex visa application process for living in Spain became even more complicated. I have a low tolerance for processes that keep me out of Spain, so I probably won't get into visa details here, but if you're going through the same process, feel free to contact me for tips and tricks. The best event in June was, of course, the Historical Novel Society Conference. Not only did I meet fantastic people and learn a ton, but I also got out of my tiny house with the uncomfortable bed in my little town for three entire days. A little break, a furlough, if you will, filled with life, possibility, and positivity, made all the difference to my weary spirit.

June was also packed with preparations for the attention-grabbing events in July.

After July 4, Awash in Talent is going to participate in a sale I'll be able to tell you about when it's live. I haven't yet earned out my advance for my zany paranormal urban fantasy, and I hope during the sale I can get visibility and support. More about this later.

Beginning July 10, Seven Noble Knights will be featured on Bookmovement.com with a book club giveaway. It's a unique opportunity to furnish your book club with copies of the book and a chance to talk with the author. My darling medieval epic has only two reviews on Amazon, and because book clubs really seem to dig it, I hope this will help raise its profile closer to where it should be. Much more about this later.

Next week, I will be participating in the biggest event of my summer: The Tin House Summer Workshop. It's an entire week of workshops with some of the most awe-inspiring authors writing in English, lectures, readings, meetings with editors and agents, meditation, and karaoke. If I thought I was tired and inspired after the Historical Novel Society Conference, I don't know what I'll be after this. I'll be workshopping a fantasy story set in Providence—and another universe entirely!—that I have high hopes for.

I'll also be doing some private grief work in July.

As soon as I can get some materials together, I will share exciting tidbits about Zamora at this blog. This picture should tantalize you plenty in the meantime!

Reading Up a Spring Storm in Oregon

On Saturday, I went with my supportive mother to the Saint Helens Spring into Art phenomenon at the community center. There were culinary arts, rug weaving, paintings and sculptures on display, a dog adoption area, and ukulele band performances, to name just a few.

The community center building houses the town library, and I found my baby, Seven Noble Knights, in really good company on the new shelf.

I wore my shirt with the awesome medieval sleeves in order to read the first chapter of Seven Noble Knights for a diverse and enthusiastic audience in the auditorium.

Audience members told me I brought the story and the time period to life with my reading, so I felt pretty good. This was great community-centered practice for my reading at the Harvard Book Store later this week!

Afterward, I set up Seven Noble Knights (with a printout of its Historical Novel Society review), Tree/House, Unpredictable Worlds, and Awash in Talent in the children's area of the library with several other local authors. Even though we were tucked in the back of the community center where people had to come looking for us, I sold and signed several copies of Awash in Talent and one of Unpredictable Worlds, and chatting with readers and the librarians was a lot of fun.

One male reader asked me what Tree/House was about, and I amazed myself saying, "It uses Jungian archetypal imagery to retell the Bluebeard legend." Tree/House is kind of a hard sell to a male reader, anyway, but I'm not sure what made me venture into the alienating scholarly definition of a book many people have enjoyed without knowing about Carl Jung or the Bluebeard story. Note to self: Tree/House is the story of a woman's empowerment through sleeping in trees.

Another note to self: If I had mentioned the book signing at the reading, I might have attracted more historical fiction readers to the second event. It's not easy to remember to be your own publicist when you're having fun.

Thanks to everyone who listened to the first chapter of Seven Noble Knights and who stopped by my booth! And to my mom, who was my biggest fan on Saturday!

If you just weren't in Oregon on Saturday, I did a special YouTube reading of the first chapter, which you can watch any time here.

Enjoy! And I'll see you at Harvard!

Springing Along with a New Publication and Events

I know many of you are finishing up your taxes, that springtime blight. I've done mine for the first time as a widow, and it was about as fun as I expected.

Lest you think the piles of W2s and 1099s swallowed me up, it's time to let you know about the other amazing projects I've been working on.

The first is ready for you now! My historical short story, "The Lake," has come out in the award-winning Dark Gothic Resurrected Magazine. The April issue is chock full of spine-tingling delights. My contribution makes use of Jungian imagery to pay tribute to one of my favorite poems ("The Lake"). The poet, Edgar Allan Poe himself, shows up as a young man in this story to have a transformative effect on an impressionable girl. It doesn't get much more gothic.

I never thought of my self as a horror writer, but more and more, I'm attracted to the psychological aspects of scary stories. If it has something creepy or uncanny, I'm there! There's something for all your horrifying needs in this issue of Dark Gothic Resurrected. It's also available from Amazon.

I'm proud to say the folks at Kindle Press have included Awash in Talent in a big sale: 150 Kindle Books for $1.50. Time to make my zany Rhode Island book the bestseller it should be! This unique piece of art and labor of love won't cost you more than a cup of coffee until April 30.

I'm also busy assembling superauthor outfits for not one, but two events this spring:

April 29: Spring into Art at the Saint Helens Public Library will see me reading briefly from Seven Noble Knights with many other talented authors. I'll also be at a table where you can purchase Seven Noble Knights, Awash in Talent, Unpredictable Worlds, or Tree/House and get them signed right before your eyes! I look forward to talking with you on April 29.

May 3: I return to the place where I first lived with my true love and fulfill a life dream: A reading at the Harvard Book Store with Q&A about Seven Noble Knights! If you're near Cambridge, I encourage you to show up for this free event, which will also feature wonderful memoirist Nadine Kenney. It's sure to be standing room only, so come early! The bookstore has signed copies available for preorder, too!

Photos and videos to follow.

Interview with Jasmine Silvera, Author of the Kindle Press Fantasy Death's Dancer

In honor of the Kindle Scout Second Anniversary Sale, I'm sitting down with Jasmine Silvera, author of the fantasy Death's Dancer. We found each other when I commented that Awash in Talent is a fantasy, but doesn't follow rules, and our conversation didn't follow many rules, either.

View the action as it unfolded here. We talked about the ways her novel surprised her, the Easter eggs she's hidden inside Death's Dancer, and whether there's any fun to be had outside of writing. See below for some good chatting between authors. Jasmine returned the favor and interviewed me, and posted a transcript at her blog, too!

About Death's Dancer:

Isela Vogel is dancing on borrowed time: a degenerative hip threatens her successful career bringing the favor of the gods to her patrons. Now, one big job could set her up for life; if it doesn't get her killed. The Necromancer Azrael must harness the power of a god to stop a killer, and that requires a dancer. 

Capricious gods and scheming necromancers are the least of Isela's worries. If she and Azrael fail, it will cost more than her life. If they succeed, she will lose everything she loves. 

And then there's the danger of falling for a Lord of Death.

Jessica Knauss Your novel is so imaginative. Did it surprise you? How?

Jasmine Silvera It was quite a surprise, though I'm a diehard plotter—when I started Death’s Dancer, I thought I was writing a straightforward alternate world fantasy, or even old school Urban Fantasy (à la Charles de Lint and Emma Bull—before it was mostly badass chicks with swords and/or guns and/or magical powers). Prague just has this otherworldly feel that leant itself to that. It was going to be much more of an ensemble book. But Azrael and Isela had such strong voices, and their attraction kept "getting in the way." So at some point, I stopped fighting it and let them do their thing.

Though, to be clear, I love a good badass chick Urban Fantasy! Marjorie Liu's Hunter's Kiss is one of my all time favorites!

Jessica Knauss I love reading about your version of Prague. What's your link with that city?

Jasmine Silvera We lived in Prague for almost two years. Shortly after we got married, Mr. Silvera's job presented the opportunity to relocate. We jumped on it! We have the best souvenir ever: my daughter was born there.

Jessica Knauss When your characters took over, did it generate any material that you had to edit out?

Jasmine Silvera Strangely, no. They really helped me focus! I did have to edit a lot of the details of the scenery and city though. I could go on and on about the cobblestone patterns throughout the city and how they change in different neighborhoods. Prague as so many incredible place details, and buildings and particular bits of history. When the book began to creep toward 100,000 words, I took a hard look at how much of that I absolutely needed to give a sense of place. Anything that didn’t help move the story forward, or define the characters in some way had to go. Sadly.

Jessica Knauss Maybe you can use the material in a travel guide later.

Jasmine Silvera Yes! I have a "streets of the necromancer" tour in the back of my mind. Someday, maybe!

Jessica Knauss Jasmine, I'll sign up for that tour.

Jasmine Silvera If anyone is looking for a book that does an AMAZING job of incorporating the history and sights of Prague in a modern mystery setting, check out City of Dark Magic by Magnus Flyte. It's a real work of art!

Jessica Knauss What was your favorite scene to write?

Jasmine Silvera That is such a tough question! I love writing ensemble scenes which is kind of a cheat answer because there are two in this book: the dinner scene with Isela and her friends at the Academy, and her Sunday dinner with her family (hmm, funny how they both revolve around food!)

It was a fun challenge to give everyone enough screen time to make them worth being in the scene, and make all of their personalities distinct enough that it doesn’t get too confusing and move the plot forward. I (hopefully) succeeded.

Jessica Knauss I haven't gotten there yet, but I'll bet you succeeded. I also sense that you enjoyed writing about choreography. I practically felt like I had been dancing after reading some of the scenes.

Jasmine Silvera I do, although I'm more drawn to Latin dances—flamenco, salsa, tango—than ballet or modern dance. I actually stumbled into salsa. I wanted to be a tango dancer, but I was told I had too much "hip action" and I should try salsa. I fell in love... And it turns out everybody on my mom's side of the family could Salsa but me. Who knew?!

Jessica Knauss Do you hide any secrets that only a few people will find in your books?

Jasmine Silvera I’m a huge Marvel Cinematic Universe fan, so of course I had to slip in a few easter eggs. My goal was to try to make them unnoticeable if you aren’t aware of them. I don’t want my attempt to to be "clever" to pull the reader out of the story in any way. A lot of them are around character interaction or specific character traits. People who know me will have lightbulb moments. I’ve also tried to seed a few things for future books: one bit between Gregor and Isela is a setup for something that happens later in the series.

Jessica Knauss How do you select the names of your characters? I ask because they're beautiful, unusual, and also seem to point to ancient traditions.

Jasmine Silvera Thank you! I wanted them to be unique but pronounceable. Sometimes characters come fully formed, names and all. Isela was always going to be Isela. She was pretty stubborn about that. And I have no idea where it came from. I just woke up one morning with "Isela. Issy." Azrael on the other hand was a mystery until the middle of the second draft. I wanted something that sounded old but familiar. I was flipping through a book of Angels for an entirely different project and came on the Angel of Death. Azrael is one of the few angels that appears in the theology of Judaism, Christianity and Islam under a similar name. That got my ‘what if’ machine going. Divinity is a fickle thing: it’s a matter of faith and interpretation. What if Azrael wasn’t an angel, but a powerful sorcerer with the ability to control death?

For side characters I tend to look up popular names in the years that character would have been born. I also try to be conscious of a character’s background when naming.

One of my favorite antidotes (also a great argument for why you need beta readers) revolves around naming a character. One of Isela’s friends originally had a very Czech name. At one point pretty late in Dancer’s production, a friend (who is Czech) pointed out that as the character came from a Russian background it was unlikely she would have been given a Czech name. It was a tiny detail that most people wouldn’t have noticed, but I think those details add up to credibility to a story, especially one that veers so heavily into the fantastic.

I probably obsess over it way more than I should.

Jessica Knauss Did you read a lot as a child? Was there one book that you couldn't live without?

Jasmine Silvera My ability to come home from the library with stacks of books (and read them all) was legendary in my family. I still get a little overwhelmed with gratitude when I step into a library (and did you know Prague has some of the most beautiful libraries in the world?!)

But to answer the question: I read Watership Down probably a dozen times. It was terrifying and thrilling and mundane all at once. I’ve never looked at rabbits the same way. Yes I get something new out of it every time. It's also the book I've bought and given away more than any other.

Jessica Knauss That's a complex book that stands up well to multiple readings, even by a brilliant reader. And I hope there will be libraries on your Prague tour.

Jasmine Silvera Here's my personal favorite. 

Jessica Knauss All this creative writing can really take it out of you. How do you relax?

Jasmine Silvera Yeah, blocking dance and fight scenes really takes it out of me. I’ve practiced yoga for over ten years, so I tend to unroll my mat when I’m feeling stressed. I used to be a runner, but I was always getting injured. Walking the Camino de Santiago taught me to enjoy the joy of just taking a steady pace and looking around at the things I pass grounds me. It’s deeply restorative. Now I'm a walker.

Jessica Knauss I commend you for using physical activity to unwind from the brain drain of writing. I hope to walk at least some of the Camino someday. It seems like a great idea, and it's my duty as a medieval Hispanist.

Jasmine Silvera Jessica, with your extensive background in Spanish history you would probably get way more out of it than I did. If you ever do decide to do it, let me know. I'd come along just to learn a few things!

Jessica Knauss Sure thing! Last question: Besides writing and walking, what other things do you enjoy?

Jasmine Silvera I love making photos. In another life I would have definitely been a photographer. I’m pretty devoted to my Instagram account, because it lets my inner shutterbug have an outlet. I started playing the cello in my late twenties, and though I’m not very good (and have very little time to practice these days) it’s one of my favorite nonwriting challenges.

Jessica Knauss Find Jasmine’s lovely photos on Instagram. Thanks for a lively conversation, Jasmine.

Jasmine Silvera Thanks so much for taking the time to talk to me, Jessica! It's been a wonderful exchange.

All Kindle Scout–winning titles are on sale for 99 cents now through April 3. Fantasy, YA, romance, mystery, thriller, suspense—Kindle Scout loves them all!

Springtime Renewal with a Free Book and Big Sale

It' been a long winter. Luckily, the Vernal Equinox anthology is here, just in time to celebrate spring. This free anthology takes renewal as its theme. If you've ever wondered whether Emily from Awash in Talent is trapped forever in her bizarre forced-therapy prison, the story I contribute will show you the way she finds renewal. It's the first chapter of Awash in Talent's anticipated sequel, Call It What You Will (which is still being written). This entertaining story and nine others in the fantasy, horror, romance, and literary fiction genres are yours for free!

Author and anthology-maker Lincoln Cole's page gives you a link to Vernal Equinox and showcases all the featured novels in one convenient place.

The release of Vernal Equinox coincides with the Kindle Scout Anniversary Sale. In honor of two years of reader-powered publishing, all Kindle Press titles are only 99 cents each, today through April 3. A panoply of wonderful writing awaits, including Awash in Talent and all the books from Vernal Equinox! Check them all out at Amazon or get the deal conveniently on Awash in Talent's page.

Be sure to check out A Book A Month's appealing and well organized page for the event. Don't mess around with genres you don't care about—find your favorites with an easy click!

Also in celebration of renewal, in April my deep psychology story "The Lake," based on an Edgar Allan Poe poem, will appear in award-winning Dark Gothic Resurrected Magazine.

Lest you think I haven't been busy, I'll let you in on a secret: I've been writing a fantasy story, set in Providence, Rhode Island, and another special place, with all new characters. I'm letting my imagination run wild. My writers group has called it magical, unique, vividly rendered, entertaining, and just great. It's good to have my honest efforts rewarded, and I have high hopes I'll be able to share a complete version of this story with you soon.

And last but not least, check out the popularity ranking of the Seven Noble Knights All Classical interview, also available here.