Shadow and Stone Release Celebration!

It’s finally here y’all! I’m so excited for my fellow fantasy author, critique partner and bestie, Melissa Wright’s newest book release. Especially because I was a fan of her Frey books long before we officially “met.” Speaking of…

I first reached out to Melissa Wright in ’11 (or was it ’12?) as a fan of Frey. It was literally one of those gushing messages basically going on about how much I loved her books. I was (not-so-patiently) waiting for book 3 to be released and had to reach out to one of my fav Indie authors. This was still in the days before traditional presses really caught on the digital publishing bandwagon. So Indie’s like Melissa were rockstars to me. Authors who were self-made and living out my dream. I wanted to be just like them.

I had another reason for reaching out to Mel that first time, though I didn’t really get the guts to ask until later. I wanted advice. How did she make it happen and how could I do it? I had no delusions that I was a closet genius. But I did have stories to tell and Melissa was one of the first authors I reached out to who replied back. Over time we shifted from mentor/protege to friends. Now I can’t imagine writing a book without her insight. 🙂

It just goes to show you never know what can happen if you have the courage to take that first step. I don’t recommend trying this with someone like Anne Rice, of course. Can you imagine the amount of fan mail she gets? But be on the lookout for those connections and opportunities. If you’re lucky, you will find a friend for life 🙂

Back to books! Melissa surprised me a couple of years ago with a draft of what would become Frey 4. I’m so glad she decided to expand the series into a 6 book arc, and I know the rest of you will be too. Be sure to follow the link to this post and enter the giveaway! You won’t wanna miss it 🙂