I love the final stretch of the year. Halloween, Thanksgiving, the Winter Holidays… they’re all my favorite. I love giving gifts for no reason other than I can. I love when the weather cools and the leaves change. I want to say I love winter, but while I love snow, I have SAD, so winter doesn’t love me back.
So, to open this show, I’m going to drop links and commentary about everything guaranteed to be on the docket in the next 1-2 years. We’ll start with the preorders, which are the super definitely guaranteed stuff.
Yes, the “Upcoming Releases” page has been updated.
A Light in the Dark releases on November 19, 2024.
The yearly floods in Stonecreek inevitably claim lives, but when Valerie pulls a refugee from the turbulent waters, she uncovers a dark secret about her home.
For most, there is sanctuary to be had in their high-walled houses.
For outsiders shunned by those in power, there is only exile or death.
To create a better future for Stonecreek, Valerie must become a light in the dark—even if it means she joins the ranks of those doomed to be purged from the city-state’s stony streets.
You can preorder from Amazon | Apple Books | Kobo | Barnes & Noble
Partner in Crime releases on November 19, 2024.
What should have been a break in a long chain of unsolved robberies leads Detective Valor Lovell into the dark world of murder, organ theft, and the black market. His informant, Miranda, shines light on the thefts tearing through Cauldron City and how they connect to the dead weight case continuing to thwart the detectives of Precinct #153.
To complicate matters, her security is his problem.
One underground group wants her dead. Another wants her alive but out of the hands of law enforcement. But the third, as mysterious as the woman determined to change her colors, could lead to the downfall of everything he holds dear.
You can preorder the Partner in Crime at Amazon | Apple Books | Kobo | Barnes & Noble
Experimental Voyage releases on December 25, 2024.
When a spaceship accident costs Camellia her chance to explore the universe as a botanist, she jumps at the chance to be a test subject on an experimental voyage. If the gamble restores her hearing, her dreams for the future will no longer be out of reach.
Venturing into the depths of space is dangerous enough, but when a shiftgem gate develops a mind of its own and yanks them into uncharted space, Camellia’s skills and tolerance are tested. Her chance to explore a new world proves to be a bitter pill to swallow upon learning the truth: some discoveries are best left lost.
How can Camellia, with the help of a grumpy pilot, his cat, and his crew of space-faring predators, safeguard an entire planet incapable of protecting itself?
The answer may cost her everything, including her heart.
Experimental Voyage first appeared in Pets in Space 8. This edition of the book includes new content.
You can preorder Experimental Voyage at Amazon | Apple Books | Kobo | Barnes & Noble
Booked for Theft releases on March 18, 2025.
A year after the assassination of Senator Maybelle, President Castillo makes a declaration that shakes the United States of America to its core: the presidential election is to be postponed for a period of three years to investigate the deaths of prominent senators and representatives across the nation.
In the wake of the speech, Janette is invited to meet with Senator Thaddens regarding a donation for the New York Public Library. Aware the senator may be one of the last men fighting for freedom in a corrupt system, she agrees to meet with him in his Michigan home.
What she learns could breathe life back into American democracy. But can Janette and her ragtag group of friends outsmart a government determined to herald in an age of warfare and stratocracy?
You can preorder Booked for Theft at Amazon | Apple Books | Kobo | Barnes & Noble
Prince of New York releases on May 16, 2025.
His Royal Highness Prince Ian Ambrose of New York longed to fade into the background and vanish following the supposed deaths of his parents and the rise of his sister to Queen of New York. While serving as his sister’s advisor creates trouble, it also allows him to turn trash into treasures in his junkyard.
Upon his sister’s primary RPS agent discovering his task force had dropped the ball, Ian is thrust back into the center of politics. To complicate matters, the one woman his heart desires is assigned to keep him organized and on the straight and narrow. Between Madeline’s determination and drive to serve his sister and a trip to California, he’ll be tested like never before.
But when whispered rumors of his parents’ return from the grave reach him, Ian will have to push himself to the limits of his wits, his sanity, and his talent.
Should he fail, he’ll lose his sister and the love of his life along with his kingdom.
Warning: this novel contains difficult subject matter. Read at your own discretion.
You can preorder Prince of New York at Amazon | Apple Books | Kobo | Barnes & Noble
Grave Intentions releases on October 14, 2025.
In the aftermath of being kidnapped by crazed mercury dragons, Kirani Kinsley Ramons dusts off her rusty skills and takes up the mantle of private investigator. With the dead growing more restless by the day and the fear of missing women in need of rescue looming before her, Kinsley dives into the case.
With her fiancé, her trusty carbunclo, and her hummingbird familiar at her side, Kinsley is ready for anything the world might toss at her.
As Kinsley unveils the identities of the missing and begins unraveling the mystery of their disappearances, she discovers there might be something far worse than a necromancer lurking within Dragon Heights. Uncertain of who to trust or where to turn, she seeks out the unlikeliest of allies: the restless dead.
To save those lost in the darkness, Kinsley will have to put everything on the line, embracing the full power of her line, no matter the cost.
You can preorder Grave Intentions at Amazon | Apple Books | Kobo | Barnes & Noble
Everyone except Bernadette Franklin is getting love starting in November, hooray!
Now that we’ve gone over what’s guaranteed to be coming, let’s talk about what I’m working on in the background. These books have a high probability of being done sooner than later, have been getting attention in some fashion or another, but are not ready for or may not be getting a preorder.
I’ll start with the books that may not be getting a preorder. I’m making this decision because I get words done on them as fate allows. Fate can be cruel. As I posted about last week, Bernadette Franklin is a pen name left to fate and mental health. Obviously, Murder Floof is on this list.
Two new pen names are on the list as well: Leanne Hearst and E.M. Gentry.
Let me introduce you to Leanne and E.M. before I get into the projects that likely won’t have preorders unless I change my mind. Leanne is far more likely to get a preorder than E.M.; E.M. is very much science fiction, and while I have some readers that quite like science fiction, most of my readers are not fans.
Leanne is generally cozy fantasy romance, so I expect there will be a decent crossover in terms of readership.
This is variant one of the Purple Stained Sky cover art, and this will be the primary ebook cover for it.
It is about a woman from a remote village who dyes fabrics in a rare purple only produced where she lives, and how she falls into a world filled with dragons, romance, intrigue, and maybe even a little bit of war here and there.
This is the secondary cover for Purple Stained Sky, and it will be used for a special edition hardback. An e-book edition with this cover will also be available at the Patreon store (but nowhere else.)
E.M. Gentry is science fiction, and it’s portal science fiction. It has some tiny elements of fantasy thrown in, but minimal. Almost everything is driven by the science, but some magic does apply in the form of shapeshifters.
The tone is a bit angsty and bleak as well, as the premise of this series involves a gentleman from Earth trying to save a planet that is on death row; if he can’t restore the rainbow angels to functionality, the planet’s Doomsday mechanism will activate, and the world will be reduced to rubble.
Of course he falls in love with one of the planet’s indomitable women. And of course he knows will have to leave her behind, because he is from Earth and she is not. Tropes are fun because we like them!
My Cindercorns and Spicy Ponies with Bite over at Patreon have already been introduced, at least a little, to Leanne and E.M., in the form of preview sneak peeks.
Next up is “She’s Dynamite”, which will be a Royal States story featuring Pat and Jessica, spun off from Trickster King. As it has zero purpose other than to be fun, it will not be in the main series listing, I probably won’t do a preorder for it, and it’ll show up when it shows up. It’s worked on very erratically, because it’s not a priority. It’s a passion project meant for pure fun, and as such, it’s prioritized appropriately.
Outside of that, here are the things I’m actively working on:
- The Edge of Midnight (Wolf Hunt 3)
- Pirate Magic (Pirates/Unicorns/Cats)
- Stone Bound (Jesse Alexander 3)
- Death Dance (Lowrance Vampires 3)
- Death’s Door (Fox Witch 3)
Yes, that is a whole bucket of continuations, continuing the theme of wrapping up old series.
Please note that while this is definitely going to come across as a bit harsh, boundaries need to be set, and I’m setting them. If I don’t set them, people will absolutely try to walk all over me. If my mental health goes to crap because I allowed a bunch of people to tread on me, well… nobody gets books. This is not something any of us wants to see, myself included.
No, there are no Magical Romantic Comedies of any sort on the docket at current.
Due to the series poor performance / people being rude and entitled / just not in the mood, I haven’t been working on Dragon Her Heels or Guilty As Hell. Will I? Eventually, yes. I have Dragon Her Heels eyeballed for a May 2026 release. Guilty as Hell will come precisely when I feel like it (and assuming people learn to stay in their lane and check their entitlement at the door.) I know some very vocal people want it, but see all those continuations above it? They’re getting the priority. Finished series tend to perform better. (The whole ‘we won’t buy anything until it’s done’ issue that does an excellent job of running authors out of business.)
This is as much a business decision as it is a mental health decision. No, I am not rewarding bullying. The patient people are the ones getting the continuation rewards. And yes, the more often people get snooty about a series I have written, on average, 3 books a year, really need to sit down and close their mouths.
3 books a year is fucking insane, especially when there are those who complain the pace is too slow. Starting in 2026, you will get one a year. If I’m feeling particularly generous, you may get two, but generally expect one. (Years I work on Sandra’s books are the years you will receive two. After Sandra’s books are done, years I work on an Otter book, SHOULD I choose to work on the otter books, you will receive two.)
If for some reason, I get ants in my pants and want to write an extra, I will… but I will only do it for ME. If the book makes my heart sing, then I might write a second.
But get used to the idea of one a year at most. That’s the reality of the series at this point. Financially, the series cannot be done at any faster of a pace.
I am repeating this because it still needs to be heard: I am a human being. I am not a machine. I do not exist solely to entertain you. I do not live to work. I work so I can pay my bills, fund my hobbies, and enjoy life. I do love my work, but I am establishing and maintaining boundaries… and having people bully me because they won’t books faster is an excellent way to have me prioritize other stuff.
I’ve been bullied all my life, and I have zero interest in dealing with (or rewarding) behavior that should have stopped in first grade. So, please stop. In future, bullying comments will be deleted, blocking may be done on FB and the server, and your voice absolutely will be silenced, because free speech only applies to public places… and the server I pay for and the page I manage are not public spaces.
I am typically tolerant about people posting and saying what they want, but the time has come to establish boundaries.
If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.
Now, back to the discussion of upcoming projects.
If it isn’t on the list of things I’m actively working on or I have up for preorder, I haven’t forgotten about it. It just isn’t in the immediate list of things I’m doing. Asking “what about this book?” is going to render this answer: “it’ll get done when it gets done.”
My life schedule looks like this right now:
- get up, do dishes, make coffee.
- do basic admin work (blog posts, etc)
- write until 3-4 pm.
- post to patreon as needed.
- if an editing day, edit instead of write
- at 5 PM, stop working, start playing
- cook food, eat food, exercise
Sometimes, playing is writing more because I’m having FUN. But for the most part? The work goes away and World of Warcraft, crochet, cross-stitching, and a bunch of other stuff comes out.
I don’t live to work. Nobody should live to work.
Please don’t ask or expect that of me.
For those of you who have made it this far, thank you for reading. I hope you are looking forward to the new books on the docket! I’m going to leave you with the cover of a book that is in the “play project” status, and it probably will have a preorder whenever I get to the point I can guarantee it’ll be ready within its preorder window.
All covers were designed by Rebecca Frank of Bewitching Book Covers.
While I really enjoyed all the romantic comedies I also REALLY enjoyed all the other less light and fluffy books and series and have reread all of them. Looking forward to preordering books under the new pen names.
I’m so glad I discovered your writings in all the different disguises 😁.
Keep up the good work. ❤️
Super excited for Experimental Voyage and Partner in Crime! While I’m sad the Magical Romantic Comedy with a Body count series/spinoff aren’t coming out soon, I’m loving the Precinct 153 and shiftgem gate books. Thanks so much for your writing.
Also, not sure if it is possible, but I have heard some authors really benefited from having someone else handle the comments/direct interaction with the public so that any bullies or hate didn’t come directly to them but was filtered. Some authors have said that it was really good for their mental health and writing.
Love your work!
I refuse to do that, because my readers want to hear from *me*. I do have my contact list filtered, and only things my PA feels is important or positive actually reach me. But for the actual posting/interactions, it’s me or not at all. That’s just my personal choice.
I don’t understand why folks think it’s ok to snark at their favourite writers (or anyone, honestly). It’s ok to gently beg, LOL, but snarking? WTAF? Courtesy. Manners. They ARE important, most especially in this internet world where we are not vis-a-vis, do not have tonal inflections to help translate & can only read. I’m guilty of thinking people are following my thought-train (SQUIRRELS!!) & should be better than I am in transcribing my thoughts more gently than I do. My mind tends to warp along & I forget that people aren’t sharing my thought processes! So, with that said, if I have EVER come across in a snarky manner, my sincere and fervent apologies.
It’s madness how people expect from you anything théy want and/or how. But, there always be humans who find they are privileged to demand whatever. So, out of the door (blocked) and you do your thing.
Oooo new books!!! Ugh I hate the entitled. Thank you for not giving up or in. I am sooo looking forward to November. Lol
Thanks for the update! Just FYI, the preorder link listed under Prince of New York actually goes to the page for Booked for Theft. All the others seem to be correct, though.
Hmmmm. I’ll get that fixed, thanks. It must not have copied correctly XD
Fixed!
You are the best!! Love all your books no matter what they are and that last cover looks intriguing!
Wow..that’s a lot of books…thank you…take care💜💚
RJ, I haven’t read a book of yours yet that I haven’t liked. While I am thrilled about getting a bunch of books this year and next, I completely understand why you don’t want to keep up the pace. I will just continue rereading your old books. I have all of them, and sometimes they are the joy books that will do. I just finished rereading Playing With Fire for the seventh or eighth time. I’m going to read Audrey Greene again next.
Love all the words you put down in the various book forms. So yes, one of those people.
People who want things faster really need to grow up. I’ve waited several years for “next” books in a series from several prominent authors. One had the temerity to die before the series was complete! Luckily they had it mapped out and the spouse was able to pick another author to help complete the series.
As I have no death wishes for you, you take as long as you need to write what you want to share with the world. Taking care of you gets us more books.
Work life balance is a thing. People who don’t have a clue probably aren’t getting paid for their work.
Enjoy your life the best way you can. We’ll enjoy the fruits of your labor as you can.
You go girl, you do you, nobody but your loved ones matter. i enjoy ALL your books whenever they are available. xxx
Love the covers!
I always enjoy your books, regardless of genre. Delighted when there are new ones to enjoy but fully understand that you have a life and everyone needs to respect that. Do keep on writing but only at a pace that suits you. Take care.
I just did the happy dance in my livingroom, thankfully I was alone, it wasn’t pretty. I love all of your books!
Thanks for the update, this is awesome!!
I’m happy for anything you write, whenever it comes out. You do what you need to and I’ll stay excited for new releases whenever they come out!
Yes to all!
Pre-ordered them all. Thanks for making it so easy to do!!!!
Thank you very much for the update. Coincidentally I just was rereading the two Fox Witch books and wondering if/when the 3rd book was being released. Glad to see it is on the list. There are plenty of books coming up so I will have a lot of rereading to do as I haven’t found any of your work that I don’t like. Please take care of yourself. That’s most important thing for you to do. 💕🌷
As much as I enjoy all the books with eager anticipation I also want to read the best of your inspired stories! (The muse shows up then you can create the written word magic! ) Please continue to live your best life and let us know when your creations are ready for the audience of readers. One author I enjoy has had the dreaded ” brain fog ” post Unpleasant Illness and its messing with her enjoyment and ability to create her stories. Your health is important! Thanks for being!
Question – is Amazon still getting the limited books (with extra stuff elsewhere)? I’d like to preorder, but I also don’t want to miss any of your writing. I’d actually prefer to buy on Patreon – I believe that means you get the largest portion of what I pay – but I know pre-orders support you too. Are you releasing anywhere else (Smashwords?), and if so will those be preorderable too? Or are the four majors what work for you?
I will read anything you write, wherever/whenever I can get it, and request that you take care of yourself so that (greedily) I get the most books possible. I just want to be clear on the best way for me to help that happen.
Amazon is still attacking authors for typo reports, so yes, they are not getting the stories there. Any vendor other than Amazon is fine. You don’t have to preorder if you don’t want to; patreon is a MUCH larger cut for me in general, so that’s my general preference for the purchases, and in terms of retail performance, I count any retail sale in the first week. But I use retail for *commercial judgment*, because yeah… retail (commercial) and patreon are two very different fish <3
I am so happy there are new books that I can preview buy. Most of the list had already been pre purchased. I am eagerly awaiting the next book out. You will get no whining from me about what book is next, or how fast you are writing. If I can wait for 2 years per book for Robert Jordan’s books, I can wait six months to a year for yours.
Just wanted to say that I appreciate everything you write and I am so sorry that there are people who think it is appropriate to be jerks. I am so amazed at how wonderful the world’s and characters you create turn out. Please take care of yourself first so you can continue to put such amazingness out into the world.
The cover is absolutely gorgeous !!
Brava! You are setting boundaries excellently well. Keep that s#!t up! Write what/how/when YOU want. I will wait patiently and buy them ALL.
Prince of New York keeps showing up in my Facebook feed as does Grave Intentions and I get all yes! And then I remember I have months to go and I get all sad! But they are currently on my lists and pre-orders. Lists because strangely enough, my preorders have occasionally disappeared ( Amazon) but my lists tend to stay accurate.
I will happily reread all the MRCwaBC again as well as anything else you put out for as long as you choose to put them out dear. And when a new MRC comes out I’ll pick that one up too I will wait…. Patiently I swear. I swear it will be patiently because you have all these other lovely things coming out I can read so I can’t argue with the wait now can I and if anybody else does tell them to piss on a rope. Seriously though. Your mental health comes before anything else and people are jacked. And if it comes down to you just don’t enjoy writing MRC anymore don’t force yourself to those of us who love it will be sad no lie but you come first don’t let it kill your love of writing.
Thank you
I love the ROMANTIC COMADYS and i will wait patiently for DRAGON HER HEELS. Your books, all of them, are the only books i preorder up to a year in advance and pay 6.99 and more for them. my budget is usually free up to 2.99. you are a amazing writer worth waiting for
Excellent. I’m caught up on pre-orders. My Not Yet Shipped page is all about you. LOL
Thank you, you and your work is very much appreciated.
😍I’m so excited that I share a name with one of your characters!! And a mystery/crime bent has got me all bubbles and fizz in anticipation! Thanks for sharing your writing gift with the world!
lol, replying to myself to say, after reading light in the dark first because I had the honour of receiving my preorder and preordered books come first (fantastic read by the way! 😍, I love how it’s a new city state but we get to meet previous friends after we have a solid relationship with our new characters) a certain phone assistant is reading it to me in his dulcid tones – luckily the writing is good because his inflections are not- and I have just met Miranda. Fantastic. I like these 2 main characters already. (I may be slightly biased towards Miranda…. Such a nice name 😁) thank you for a great listen while I get through working on the chores and getting some headspace.
I love you! keep up the good attitude. Bullying is a NOT! Do you. I love crochet too.