A Halloween Book Treat

Greetings! It's my favorite time of the year! I've got my Halloween decorations out in my work area, I'm making plans to get out there and do some fun Halloween activities, and I have three in-person book signings coming up! It'll be a busy month, but in a good way. And yes, I am planning to take a few days around Halloween off. It's my favorite holiday, and I like to have a little "break" centered around it just like they do in the Monster Academy series.

Speaking of Monster Academy, some of you might know that the box set for the ten-book series is available for purchase or for Kindle Unlimited, and the individual ebooks are becoming available in public library systems, now that Amazon has loosened its requirements for being in the Kindle Unlimited program. But for our first Halloween treat, I've discounted the Monster Academy Complete Series box set down to $2.99 (3.99 in Australia) for a few days! This is as far as Amazon would allow since it's such a big series. If you've been waiting for a sale to grab the set, now is a great time!

KICKSTARTER NEWS

I'm still busy at work perfecting my offerings for my upcoming Kickstarter, which will include a special edition omnibus of Cursed Academy with beautiful sprayed edges, colored page headers, and more! This same Kickstarter will also include a brand-new, full-length bonus novel set in the Cursed Academy universe! This new novel will be exclusive to backers and will cost only a few dollars. I'll also create a paperback edition for the new story, which backers can choose to receive.

There will be several tiers for backers, ranging from $5 for the new ebook only, and going all the way up to the hardcover omnibus and bonus paperback.

However, I've found issues with the formatting in the omnibus, so I'll need to go back and redo it to ensure that backers receive the best product I can offer. I also need to address some issues in the bonus novel, but I'm making progress!

Since the holiday season is not an ideal time to launch a Kickstarter for multiple reasons, I'll likely launch a three-week fundraising period in February or March. I will, however, post a pre-launch page much sooner than that, so you can follow the project before it launches and know when it does.

Underdog Characters in YA Fiction

Do you love underdog characters? If you've read my books, you'll know that I sure do! Underdog characters are those who have a disadvantage of some sort in their family, friend group, or greater society, and these characters often star in fantasy books, as well as other genres. In fact, many of my own characters have this trait, and they must discover their own inner power and nature, fighting back against the systems that kept them underdogs in the first place. 

Alyssa from the Supernaturals Underground book series is one such character. Infected by vampirism when she was two, Alyssa was forced to grow up a supernatural creature in a world where simply being anything other than human (or possessing magic) can get you shunned, imprisoned, or worse. She's spent her life hiding her nature and pretending to be what's called a Normal, or someone with no supernatural nature. Sensitivity to sunlight and the inability to eat regular food make her condition worse, and she also deals with killer instincts, requiring her to take dangerous sword-fighting lessons to vent her aggression. 

Of course, there would be no story if Alyssa weren't forced to confront her inner hatred for her own nature, as well as society's view of paranormal creatures. When the city's authorities kidnap her father (who was infected by vampirism at the same time and also hides his nature), she must escape to Supernaturals Underground, a subterranean city. There, she learns the city's mayor is rounding up Supernaturals. Though the mayor is pretending to cater to those who hate paranormal creatures, he's got some secrets up his sleeve (just as people like him always do.) He's not rounding up paranormal creatures for the reason the city thinks, and in fact, he's not even human. It turns out that the world is literally on the line. 

If you want to check out the Supernaturals Underround universe, it starts with the first book or the first box set. And feel free to let me know if you like underdog stories! What's your favorite one?