Book Launch: Major Pieces, a Princes’ Game Collection (Peltedverse)

by The Jaguar Comment Closed

 

Everybody’s got a story… even the bystanders.

The staff of the Alliance’s foremost restaurant… the forgotten children of the imperial Chatcaavan harem… the story of how an empress hired a D-per, and an entire ship full of Glaseah came to settle on an alien world… here, woven amid the larger stories of the participants in the Chatcaavan war, are the smaller scenes observed by its minor characters, or shifted by its major ones in moments of contemplation. Major Pieces collects 21 stories starting from before the events of Even the Wingless and ending just prior to the first book of the Jubilee Summer duology. Some are as short as a talk with a therapist and his dog over cookies–others are nearly novel-length examinations of important events previously left off-camera, like the wedding of a wingless freak to an Emperor and his consort. All of them were reader-selected, and many, reader-suggested.

You’ve survived the war. Now come back to the unexplored corners of the story and linger.

Now Available! Click to Buy!

***

What could I say about this collection to explain the many reasons it breaks my brain? Can we start with a ridiculously awesome Kickstarter that overfunded by over 8000%, charging over the five-figure line? How about the fact that I started out with a handful of ideas for these vignettes and got the chance to brainstorm the remainder with my readers, who requested and then voted on which ones should go into the collection? Let’s top that off with the fact that each of these ‘vignettes,’ which were intended to be short scenes, ended up running long… some to the tune of 40,000-ish words? This is the largest volume in the Princes’ Game series, at 620-ish pages!

I can confidently state that I had no idea what I was getting into when I said, ‘hey, would you all like to see some ancillary material from this series.’ But what I ended up getting into was a really exciting volume of stories that significantly add to the canon of the Peltedverse. Some of it fills in scenes from the series from other viewpoints (like Jahir and Vasiht’h communicating incognito with Lisinthir during Wingless) or that we didn’t get time to see (like Hirianthial meeting Jahir and Lisinthir and Vasiht’h for the first time over Sediryl’s sickbed). Others explore minor characters, like Laniis, the Attendant, or Oviin’s friend Everdawn. And some delve into important events that happened off camera between the conclusion of this series and the beginning of the Summer Jubilee duology, like Vasiht’h’s family moving to Escutcheon, and Lisinthir getting married. And that’s not even half the total. There are 21 “shorts” in this volume, and you’ll have a chance to revisit many of your favorite characters (yes, Uuvek fans, I see you!) and meet new ones.

Writing this book was an adventure, and I loved every moment of it. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it! (And when you’re done, you should absolutely go take my three-question survey and tell me which of the characters you want to see more of. Because if this worked once… well… Reese hasn’t had her collection of interstitial moments written yet…

 

Book Launch: Faith in the Service (Alysha 5, Peltedverse)

by The Jaguar Comment Closed

An internal threat aimed at derailing the debate about Fleet’s future; an external one opening the way for the worst kind of outlaws in a new part of space. Alysha and Taylitha are on separate sides of the sector, holding down their ends of what’s supposed to be a routine refit and officers’ retreat… so naturally they’re confronted with problems that play to their flaws, and without each other as back-up.

But Fleet is a family—one that bickers, but forms a united front in the face of adversity—and help can come from unexpected places. Will they face their challenges alone? And should they, when faith in their comrades is the glue that holds their organization together?

Click To Buy Now!

***

I have liked every Alysha book I’ve written (obviously, or I wouldn’t have written them), but rarely have I felt that all the themes in a series came together so completely as they have in Faith. We see characters from every single one of the previous books, including Alysha’s Fall. We get to deal with redemption, and personal change, and working relationships. We grapple with Fleet’s identity crisis… we even take on Alysha’s past, and make some peace with it. Along the way there’s laughter and horror, action and contemplation, stirring battles in space and daring confrontations in living rooms. Alysha gets to be Alysha, magnificently… and Taylitha gets to be so very Taylitha. (While, naturally, Alastar is quietly competent and Laelkii kibitzes.)

Think of this one as a great new episode of Star Trek, with a serious-to-romancey A plot and a funny-to-serious B plot, and you’ve got the gist of it. I loved writing it… I hope you’ll love reading it. Enjoy!

Book Launch: Farmer’s Crown, Jubilee Summer 2 (Peltedverse)

by The Jaguar Comment Closed

Sediryl has always yearned for responsibility–and power–and she was convinced she was ready for them… until the events of the Chatcaavan war demonstrated just how immense those responsibilities were, and just how parlous the power necessary to fulfill them. Even so, she’s determined to prove herself worthy to her empress and all the Eldritch: the rich, the poor, the disenfranchised and the entrenched. Showing that she can be all things to all people is hard enough without Liolesa’s former heir stirring the pot. And that’s without Eldritch history casting its long shadow over the proceedings….

She has less than a month to convince the Eldritch that she deserves the heir’s coronet, and none of them can afford for her to fail. The road to the future leads through her cropfields, and only Sediryl can take them to it… if they’ll follow.

Farmer’s Crown completes the Jubilee Summer duology and sets the stage for the next generation of Peltedverse novels. There’s a storm on the horizon….

CLICK TO BUY

***

Here it is, Book 2 of the “wedding novella”! No, seriously. It’s even longer than Book 1. But it answers a lot of questions raised in Healer’s Wedding (and other books from other series, even–Reese fans, you’re finally getting a reveal you’ve been waiting for!), and raises some new ones, and sets the stage adequately for the next generation of novels. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it. <3

 

Book Launch: Healer’s Wedding (Jubilee Summer 1), a Book of the Peltedverse

by The Jaguar Comment Closed

 

Nearly a year has passed since the conclusion of the Chatcaavan War… which means it’s time for Jahir and Sediryl to marry, and Sediryl to kneel for the coronet of the imperial heir! All their allies are gathering to celebrate, from the expected, like the Queen Ransomed and Lisinthir, to mentors and friends from years past. But life doesn’t pause for momentous events, no matter how joyous or anticipated. There are issues Jahir and Sediryl have yet to resolve, issues that reflect the greater challenges besetting their world and the Alliance. Before they can join hands for the wedding cloth, they’ll have to face at least one of those challenges… and it won’t be the first.

Healer’s Wedding, Book 1 in the Jubilee Summer duology, brings together the characters from Her Instruments, Dreamhealers, and Princes’ Game for a capstone season of politics and pleasure. Return to the homeworld of the Eldritch and the company of friends!

Click to Buy

***

I knew I wanted to write the story of Jahir and Sediryl’s wedding after the events of Princes’ Game 6: From Ruins. After building toward it in three separate series with mentions dropped across multiple books, you certainly deserved to see their happy ending! My plan had been something like A Rose Point Holiday, a gentle, self-encapsulated, short installment to fill in the gap between all the books that have come before in the Eldritch series, and all the ones I have planned next.

Naturally I wound up with two books. It was the only way to do all the separate threads justice that I’ve left so enticingly dangled in all those separate series, starting with Girl on Fire. The Jubilee Summer series is the result, and it is full of political intrigue, plot set-ups, even more of those enticingly dangled questions… and all of those sweet and funny and satisfying moments I know you’ve been craving. We get to see the Queen Ransomed as a mother and a political power. Not only does Vasiht’h cook and bake, but his mother does too–and so does Kis’eh’t! And Jahir gets to relax, not just with Lisinthir, but with the girl he’s been waiting for all his life. We even see a lot more of Liolesa, and I promise you some of her scenes will have you laughing.

I might have left a lot of those new enticingly dangled questions as set-ups for future books or novellas or shorts… but I hope by now you know when I make promises, I keep them. We’re in this together.

So, Book 1! Which is also the first of my books to have a simultaneous print release with the e-book, so if you’re into paper, it’s there for you! Enjoy! And if you’ve already eaten it whole, the Book 2 pre-order is already up–get that here. That’s in two months… not too long to wait, I hope. Book 2 is even longer than Book 1, and as full of delight.

Thanks for reading, y’all. More, and more, to come. <3

Book Launch: Girl on Fire, a Peltedverse Novel

by The Jaguar Comment Closed

Girl on Fire

A coming-of-age story in the style of Mercedes Lackey, set in a galaxy full of aliens and adventures….

The Eldritch live hundreds of years, which means Sediryl Nuera Galare isn’t going to inherit the management of her family’s noble house–and all its rich farmland–anytime soon. So when she discovers that her world is only one among many, she doesn’t hesitate to kick off the dust of her provincial estate. That it gets her away from her oppressive mother and a smothering society is only a bonus.

But wonder isn’t the only thing waiting for a young woman trying her wings for the first time. When Sediryl finds love among the aliens, she’s faced with a difficult choice between duty and her heart’s desire.

Girl on Fire introduces Sediryl, the woman who will go on to figure so powerfully in the future of the Peltedverse. But before she was a firebrand, she had to be set on fire….

CLICK TO BUY

***

Sediryl’s adventures in the Alliance have been alluded to in at least two other series; she appears in Dreamhealers in Book 5, Family, and again in the Princes’ Game series, and throughout those books we’ve heard hints of how she came to be in exile on Starbase Ana… but never known the full story.

This then, is the full story. All the good parts, and the hard ones. Sediryl’s the equivalent of a late teen/early 20-something in Girl on Fire, headstrong and full of wonder and passion, and she has all the adventures a young maiden might want, and makes some of the expected mistakes, too. Think of this as her origin story… and then re-read (or go on to read) her appearances in the other series with new understanding of where she’s come from. And take that understanding with you into future books, starting with the forthcoming story of her wedding after the conclusion of From Ruins.

I’d say she’s learned a lot from her experiences. I hope you think so too. Y’all asked me for this one, and here it is. Enjoy.

Book Launch: Sword of the Alliance (Alysha Forrest 3)

by The Jaguar Comment Closed

War is a serious violation of the Alliance’s colony charters, so when the Stardancer is sent to investigate rumors of a conflict on the distant colony of Gledig, they’re not expecting to be mired in a web of deceit, treachery, and tragedy… one involving not just the colony, but pirates and a missing Fleet officer. Even worse, the evidence suggests Fleet itself might have had a hand in creating the situation about to erupt on the ground.

But while the conflict might have been decades in the making, time is running out for Gledig, and only Fleet can save the colony from the culmination of the forces working against it now.

The fate of thousands hangs in the balance. Can the crew of the Stardancer redeem the honor of the Fleet… before it’s too late?

Click here to buy at your favorite retailer! books2read.com/swordofthealliance

***

Sword of the Alliance is the newest full-length novel set in the Peltedverse, and the first full-length novel in the Alysha Forrest series. Like the others in the series, it stands alone–in fact, I intended people to read this one first when I first wrote it! This is an action/adventure milsf book, fast-paced but with my trademark interest in relationships. I think it’s a great introduction to the series… and it’s out right now!

Sword’s release also launches my rebranding of the Alysha Forrest series! Previously, the Stardancer books suffered from confusing ordering/meta-data, lackluster or inconsistent covers, and a fatal disconnect between prequel and the subsequent books. All this has been fixed!

Look how harmonious they are together now! But I’m sure you have questions, so here are answers:

This series is in the Peltedverse, isn’t it? Absolutely. Not only that, but Alysha is my oldest character in the setting. I conceived her almost 25 years ago! These books  are more or less contemporary with the early Dreamhealers books, and happen before Her Instruments and Princes’ Game. In fact, readers of the Princes’ Game series are going to see a very interesting origin story for one of the characters in that series in Sword of the Alliance….

You look like you’re bursting to add something else, here. You’re absolutely right! I love Jahir and Vasiht’h, and of course Princes’ Game is full of exciting characters, but also headlined by a guy (*waves to Lisinthir*). And while Her Instruments has Reese, she shares screen time equally with Hirianthial. The Alysha books are where I get to spend lots of time with female characters; the entire crew of the Stardancer is female! Y’all, it’s fun. I know it’s milsf, but sometimes I feel like I’m writing a slumber party, given the banter.

What order should I be reading them in? The correct reading order for the series is 1. Second, 2. Who is Willing, 3. Sword of the Alliance, and 4. Either Side of the Strand. They were incorrectly ordered because I published Book 3 (Sword) after Book 4 (Strand)! In fact, they’re still not right on Audible because I can’t fix them until I show up with the audiobook edition of Sword. (Audio readers, expect that in September!)

What happened to Alysha’s Fall? Alysha’s Fall is still available for sale! But it’s so different in tone that I ‘unhooked’ it from the series on retailers (it is now considered ‘Book 0’). The Stardancer books are supposed to feel like a cross between a Peltedverse book and Star Trek: the Original Series: PG-rated adventure romps with a milSF flavor and a focus on relationships. Alysha’s Fall, as those of you who’ve read it will attest, is an R-rated ‘dark night of the soul’ story, and most people say it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever written. Since you don’t need to read it in order to understand the rest of the series–it’s basically Alysha’s origin story–I don’t want people trying to come into the series through it. People who feel up to dark, difficult stories can find it; people who prefer Saturday afternoon popcorn reading can stick with the official line-up.

What about all the short stories that were floating around for a while? I hate selling a la carte short stories… it feels like a cheat for both reader and author. So I’ve taken down all the short fiction, and will collect it at a later date into a ‘companion volume’ for the official series. In the meantime, my Patreon patrons can still download the separate shorts, and new Alysha shorts, when I write them, will go up there until I have enough to release the collection. That should keep the cost down for you all, and dispel confusion. (Audio listeners, I can’t take down the audio shorts yet, but I will when the contract allows! If you want them, get them while you can!)

So that’s the story on the Alysha series! I hope you’ll give it a try. I’d love to continue writing Stardancer books, but all that will depend on whether the rebranding props their sales up. I have faith, though. These are classic Pelted books with all the themes I’ve become known for. They were just waiting for me to give them a good sprucing up so they could find their readers.

Book Launch: Dreamstorm (Dreamhealers 4)

by The Jaguar Comment Closed

Our final return to Jahir and Vasiht’h’s early life debuts today, with the final book in the Dreamhealers saga: Dreamstorm!

Jahir and Vasiht’h have spent five years together in practice on Starbase Veta, and their life is everything they’d hoped: their practice is fantastic, their social standing great, and their domestic life a blissful routine. So when Vasiht’h discovers his partner has “accidentally” accrued enough continuing education credits to become a licensed healer-assist after deciding against that path in college, he can’t help but wonder… are they on the wrong path?

Since Jahir himself isn’t talking, Vasiht’h decides someone needs to make some decisions. If those decisions lead them to the Alliance’s foremost resort planet, where the licensing exams are being held, well… surely they could use a beach vacation. Jahir sits his test, Vasiht’h has some purple drinks with umbrellas on the beach, and they both go home with a renewed sense of purpose.

What could possibly go wrong?

Click here to buy at your favorite retailer! books2read.com/dreamstorm

***

And as they say… that’s a wrap! With the publication of Dreamstorm, this series is now complete. Proper reading order is: Mindtouch, Mindline, Dreamhearth, Dreamstorm, and then Family.

After that, Jahir and Vasiht’h return in Some Things Transcend, Book 2 of the tense multi-novel epic war saga, the Princes’ Game. That series gets intense, so be forewarned! But I’m told–and I’m glad–that the payoff is totally worth it.

If you’re not up for the Chatcaavan war, your next chance to see the dreamhealers comes early next year, when I resume the post-war timeline with the story of Sediryl’s investiture and wedding.

But until then… enjoy this cozy pastoral! <3

Book Launch: From Ruins (Princes’ Game 6 and Final)

by The Jaguar Comment Closed

A spy dying on the wall of a palace.

An Emperor turned rebel through the power of a psalm.

A shapechanger on the cusp of an enormous discovery.

A woman riding to battle in the vanguard of her enemies.

The known worlds are about to convulse in a cataclysmic war; time is running out. Can the Eldritch, the Chatcaava, and their Pelted allies turn the tide? Or will it all go up in fire?

And is there hope in ashes?

The sixth and final installment of the Princes’ Game series brings the threads from five epic novels to a stunning conclusion that will change the shape of the Peltedverse forever. Come and get it, at your favorite retailer:

http://books2read.com/u/mYgzvM

Please note: if you bought a copy before the announcement at any retailer other than Amazon and your copy is corrupted, try re-downloading now, or contact the vendor to push you the new copy! I have fixed it.

If you didn’t hop on board because you don’t read series until they’re done, you’re good to go! Book 1 is even on sale for 99 cents. If you haven’t read it because you need preparation before reading intense or triggery fiction, I’ve got you covered with these blow-by-blow summaries. If you’re waiting for something different, you’ve got good news: I can move on! And let me tell you, it feels really strange to be done with this series. At about 750,000 words, it’s the longest single story I’ve ever told, and I feel… very strange… having completed it. Like a great wind has scoured out the inside of my head. Phew.

Next year, I turn my attention to finishing up the Dreamhealers saga with Book 4, Dreamstorm. Then…? A MYSTERY. *grin* You might even have a chance to influence my next project, if you’re on my mailing list or Discord chat when I start discussing it! We shall see…

Book Launch: Dreamhearth (Dreamhealers 3)

by The Jaguar Comment Closed

Yes, finally I got everything straightened out and a good, clean copy of the book is available at all retailers! Buy at your favorite retailer with this link: https://www.books2read.com/u/31gEAa

This is Book 3 of Jahir and Vasiht’h’s first series, which introduces them and tells the story of how they met and started a xenotherapy practice together. These are gentle stories, slice of life, friendship forever, quiet sorts of books, and Dreamhearth is definitely in that mold. Don’t expect lots of conflict or adventure… this novel is very much “how do you get along with other people and figure out how to adult.” If that’s what you need right now… well, this is your book!

If you haven’t read this series and think ‘hey, that sounds like my speed’, Book 1 is on sale for 99 cents at all vendors, so go grab that now: http://books2read.com/u/4jW9ob

I should also note that the backmatter of Dreamhearth contains some extra material: the case study vignettes and a Jahir & Vasiht’h short story. And of course, thank you to all of you who reviewed. You made the book look loved. 🙂

This is the third book I’ve released this year (and all three have been Pelted books). After my break I will probably resume work on Princes’ Game, but we shall see!

Book Launch: Who is Willing (Alysha 3)

by The Jaguar Comment Closed

And y’all get the news first! More or less! Here’s the link, which will take you to all the retailers so you can pick the one you like best.

This story’s about friendship, and leadership, and second chances, and figuring out how to work with obnoxious personalities without saving them. It’s also an action story, and a (quasi) military SF story, and (of course) set in the Peltedverse. You can read it as a standalone, or read Second first, which is the story that goes before it. (Alysha’s Fall is more of a prequel to this series.)

It’s got Naysha in it, and Platies, and if you have been longing to learn more of the aquatic species of the Alliance, you must have this one.

I really liked writing this one. And folks, I got to put in some amazingly fun banter. I hope you enjoy it as much as my first readers did. 🙂