2024 Sayonara Newsletter ♥︎
✨MANGA sneak peek and Merry Christmas!✨
“Most people narrow their focus in a crisis,” the general told the little boy in the anime I’m currently watching, “but you . . . you expand your view in times of trouble and look out for others.” That line (roughly translated) from Kantei Skill really jumped out at me. I’ve found that fiction stories are goldmines of themes and truth, even unexpected ones! How many times do we turn inward instead of looking out and up. Not just in times of trouble, but during the holidays, the busy day-to-day, the year end. I want to be like the main character of that anime and look up and out!
Newsletter Highlights
🎨 Manga sneak peek
🎧 New Audiobook!
🐱 Cat Challenge with Author Moriah Chavis
📚December Book & Anime Recs
This year has been FULL. We’re almost done with the manga short story and getting ready to submit it to contests. I’ve learned so much about the manga process! It’s hard and time consuming! Here is the promised sneak peek for SOUL THREADER ⬇️
NEW AUDIOBOOK
Saints and Monsters is now available on audiobook! Australian narrator, Jane Maree, did a fabulous job transforming this book into audio! Trust me, it’s worth listening to just to hear that epic voice. I’m so glad this story will be available to more people this way. You can find it on Audible now! 🖤
Saints and Monsters was a finalist in 2 AWARDS this year! The PenCraft Awards and The Readers Choice Book Award! See what readers are saying:
“Great Romantasy! I thoroughly enjoyed ‘Saints and Monsters’. It usually takes me a bit to get into a new fantasy world, but that wasn’t the case with this book. I was hooked from the very beginning! The world building is beautifully woven throughout the story and it wasn’t hard to understand at all. I loved going alongside Meera on her adventure as her confidence in herself grew and she realized her own worth.” — Kyliegh
THE CAT REVIEW CHALLENGE!
Authors Ellen McGinty and Moriah Chavis and in a friendly competition (ahem . . .. battle) to see whose cat can recruit the most book reviews! Game on!
THE GOAL: Reach 100 Reviews on Amazon.
Hello, I’m Hana-chan, the friendly fluffy cat in Tokyo. Max recently posted requesting book reviews for his human. Naturally, I took up the challenge for my human too! If you’ve read Saints and Monsters, would you leave a review? I’ll keep posting cat pics with until we hit 100 reviews 😂💯 Reviews mean a lot to indie authors as it helps new readers find their stories!
December Book Recs!
I’m excited to share two books with you from authors who pen epic tales and sweet romance. See the links below ⬇️
MASK OF DECEPTION AND SACRIFICE by Callie Thomas is part of a clean romance series of books for teens and adults alike by different authors. I’m getting major Phantom of the Opera vibes from this one!
OF TIDES AND TREASON by Constance Lopez: I had the honor of beta reading this one and loved the fantasy culture loosely based on Japan. But that’s not all! The characters, themes, and writing are truly wonderful! Constance is one of my go-to authors :)
FAVORITE ANIME I WATCHED in 2024
My ratings by age group below. (I watch these in Japanese so I don’t know if they add language in English. This rating is based on the Japanese version):
PG - Kotaro Lives Alone: adorable and deep anime about a kid who lives alone
PG-13 (younger teens) Spy x Family (some violence, esp later episodes), Frieren (some violence, think LOTR), My Appraisal Skill (one character design with too much cleavage)
PG-13 (older teens) Apothecary Diaries (heavy themes and content)