The Story of How Shadow in the Sea Came to Be

Shadow in the Sea is probably going to come out within the next month, so I can finally share some things about it.

I never planned to write a sequel to Forbidden Sea. I originally wrote it to be a stand alone book which I felt ended perfectly. But as my writer's group finished reading the last chapter of Forbidden Sea they asked me a question.

"Who does the Sea Prince marry?"

At first, I just laughed the question off. What difference did it make, who the Sea Prince married? Denn was the only real choice for Adrianne. But that night, I found that couldn't stop thinking about that simple question. I kept rolling it over and over in my mind. Who DID the Sea Prince marry after Adrianne refused him?  After all, without Adrianne, Jendayi was now going to have to start all over again and find him someone completely new. But who would that be? Would it be someone like Adrianne? Or some other kind of personality all together? If you will remember from the first book, the Sea Prince was just a teensy bit of a rebel. He wouldn't allow himself to be forced into a marriage with just anyone--no matter what Jendayi and his mother might have to say about the matter. What kind of girl would the Sea Prince like? The more I thought about it--the more I could see Sadelynn Hanson in my mind. I could hear her voice speaking to me--telling me her story. And before I even knew what had happened, a whole new novel had begun to write itself inside my head . The story of Shadow in the Sea.

The thing I love most about Shadow in the Sea is that it also gave me a chance to finish up Adrianne's story the way I really wanted to.  Originally, I had included a final prologue chapter in Forbidden Sea that told exactly what had happened to Adrianne afterward. But eventually, over time, that chapter was edited out and didn't end up in the final version of the story.

Now readers will get to see what happened after Adrianne returned home from her adventures. Did things work out between her and Denn? Did they ever get to share a first kiss? Did Adrianne get to use her skills with horses? Did she get out from underneath the thumb of Auntie Minnah? Read Shadow in the Sea to find out all this and more!

Cover Reveal!

 So here is it, the sparkly new cover for Shadow in the Sea!

I'm including a short summary of the story below. If you want a more in-depth version--then head over to Goodreads and add it to your to-be-read list. WARNING: The Goodreads version has lots of spoilers. You can get to the spoilery version by clicking here. 

For those who don't want too many spoilers, read the summary below:

When sixteen-year-old Sadelyn Hanson washes up on the shores of Windwaithe Island, her beauty and the strange marks on her wrist make superstitious locals suspect she is a mermaid. Feigning amnesia, Sade hides a far worse secret: she was sailing to her own murder trial when she was thrown overboard by the real killer.

Sade's quiet effort to rebuild her life on Windwaithe is threatened when she meets an mysterious young merman. 

 For those of you wondering where Adrianne is in all of this--don't worry--she is in the book. And where Adrianne is, Denn soon follows. They are not the main characters this time around, but they play a very important part in the story. Jendayi will also make an appearance of course--as will the Sea Prince--and his mother the Sea Queen herself. You are not going to want to miss this!
  
So get the word out. Feel free to use the picture above on  Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr--and make sure you let everyone know that Shadow in the Sea is coming.




  

Contests are Coming

The release of Shadow in the Sea finally approaching and I am so excited. I wrote the sequel way back before Forbidden Sea was even published. So I've been waiting a very long time to share this book with you all. Make sure to follow this blog as there will be giveaways and a cover reveal starting next week. Make sure to share the word and tell all your bookish friends!

Virtual Book Club for Fans of Forbidden Sea Continues

We are all reading Chapter Two of Forbidden Sea this week. The discussion for this chapter will begin on Monday, March 16th. It will be taking place on my Facebook fan page, so click the link below and make sure you don't miss out. Readers are welcome to join in reading along with us at any point in the novel. So if you missed the first discussion, it doesn't matter. Make sure to check out what other fans are saying in the post comments. (Giveaways and cover and title reveal of the sequel to Forbidden Sea will eventually be announced at the link below so check it out.)

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Forbidden-Sea/300689349440?ref=hl

The Forbidden Sea Book Discussion Has Begun!

 

Have you read the first chapter of Forbidden Sea yet? Let the book discussion begin! Anyone who wants may participate. We will be reading all together, one chapter a week. Each Monday, a new discussion will take place on my Forbidden Sea fan page, so make sure to click the link below and check out what everyone has to say!

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Forbidden-Sea/300689349440

Join Me for a Mass Forbidden Sea Book Reading

This is an open call for any and all fans of Forbidden Sea who would like to participate in a mass reading of the book. Starting now you have one week to get a hold of a copy of Forbidden Sea and read the prologue and first chapter. I will read the first chapter as well. Next Monday I will post my thoughts and all of you can chime in and share your feelings. This should be a lot of fun! If you are having trouble finding a copy, know that you can always go to your local library and request that they buy one. Most libraries will at least try to do so. An inter-library loan is always a possibility as well. Know also that you are welcome to join in the discussion at any time. If it takes a little longer to get a copy, just catch up and start in on the discussion when you are ready. The discussion will be taking place on my Facebook Forbidden Sea fan page rather than here on my blog. I'm including a link so make sure to bookmark it so you don't miss out.This fan page is where I will eventually announce the release date for the sequel so make sure you visit there soon.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Forbidden-Sea/300689349440

Hope to hear from you all real soon!

How Would You Like to go Back and Visit the Magical Mermaids of Forbidden Sea?

 

The final edits on the sequel to Forbidden Sea are nearly done! I can not tell you how excited I am to begin the final preparations for publication. Hopefully, I will soon have a release date for you all. In the mean time, I want to throw an idea out there to all of you fans. What do you guys think about my sponsoring a mass rereading of the original book, Forbidden Sea, in order to celebrate that we are now heading down the final stretch for the sequel's release? We could read a chapter together every week and then discuss our thoughts on my Forbidden Sea Facebook page. Imagine talking to fans from all around the world and finding out how they felt the very first time they read the book? As we do this, I will write about how I created each chapter as a writer--and even reveal a few secrets about Forbidden Sea that didn't make it into the final book. I might even sponsor a few giveaways as we go. But first, I need to find out how many people would be interested in joining in the fun. If this sounds like something you would be interested in participating in, cast your vote by leaving a comment below. I only want to do this if there are enough people who are truly interested. I'll wait a week to see how many votes I get. If there aren't enough people interested to get this going--then I will have to think of something else to celebrate and get you all excited. So pass the word and tell all your friends to vote as well. The more the merrier. This is your chance to be heard.

If you haven't read Forbidden Sea before--feel free to follow along and read it for the first time with the rest of us. Here is the address to my Facebook fan page where the discussion would take place. Check it out!

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Forbidden-Sea/300689349440?ref=hl