Charles Bewitched is here!



It's here!

For all those readers of Bewitching Season who've asked me when Charles "Chuckles" Leland would get his own story, I am delighted to announce that Charles Bewitched is here!

First, the blurb:

They'll never believe him back at school when he tells them how he spent his summer vacation...

In this novella follow-up to Bewitching Season and Betraying Season, 16-year-old Charles Leland is not looking forward to his summer holidays from Eton--not when he has to spend them cramming history to make up for a less-than-stellar grade last term. Even the thought of staying with his sister Persy and her husband Lochinvar while his parents are in Ireland can't cheer him up.

But studying quickly takes a back seat to finding out what has happened to Persy, who disappears from home the day he arrives. All signs indicate that she's been kidnapped by gypsies. But a gypsy boy named Nando convinces Charles that her disappearance has a much more otherworldly explanation.

Now Charles must brave the perils and sheer strangeness of the fairy lands to save Persy from being forcibly married to a powerful fairy lord. With the help of the fairy lord's own younger (and alarmingly pretty) sister, a copy of History and Policy of the Norman and Angevin Kings that he's supposed to read before September, and Her Majesty Queen Victoria, he might just do it...but will he also be able to save himself?

This novella was fun to write...I mean, Charles! It was also a fun way to wrap up, at least for now, the Leland Sisters series. I'm not saying I'll never come back to it...but for now, my writing for young adults is moving in other directions (and centuries!)

Also interesting was the process of publishing this story--finding professional editors and cover designers, learning how to format files and eventually upload them--it's been an education! I'm particularly pleased with the cover designed by YA author and designer Lisa Amowitz; she was able to take the image of a modern young man (who is totally Charles as far as I'm concerned) and turn him into a lad from 1842, thanks to a clothing image graciously lent to me by Christina, proprietor of Elegant Ascots (www.elegantascots.com), whose shop I serendipitously found on Etsy!

So...where can you find Charles Bewitched? As a novella, it is only available in e-book form...but that means you can purchase it from the Amazon Kindle Store, Barnes and Noble's Nook Store, and Kobo, with the Apple iBookstore coming soon.  Any other places that you like to buy ebooks from? Let me know and I'll see if I can place it there.

I sincerely hope you'll have as much fun reading it as I did writing it! And now...I'm off to Atlanta!

Good News, of Various Sorts

Bit of Good News #1: A few weeks ago I dropped a cryptic hint or two about a mystery that I was keeping secret...and now, to my delight, I can stop being all cryptic and mysterious and let you all know that I’ve signed a contract with Entangled Publishing for three new books for their Entangled Select line. The first book will be an adult contemporary fantasy...yes, I know, that’s a bit of a change from my usual fare. But it’s fun as an author to stretch out in different directions, and while I know that my adult books might not be of interest to all NineteenTeen readers, rest assured that I haven’t given up on Young Adult or historical fiction...not by a long shot! No details yet on release dates, but once more is settled, I’ll let you know. I’m very excited, and thrilled to be working with Entangled and Liz Pelletier!

Bit of Good News #2: Courtship and Curses has been getting some love from the Romance Writers of America, finaling in two RWA chapter contests this spring. A happy lead-up to its trade paperback release, which will be happening this summer (on July 30 to be exact, from Square Fish/Macmillan)

Bit of Good News #3: After a lot of thought, brainstorming, and private hand-wringing, I'm happy to announce I've got a title for the novella I asked for your help with a few weeks ago.  Look for Charles Bewitched sometime this summer...and I can't wait to show you the wonderful cover designer and YA author Lisa Amowitz is creating for it!


Bit of Good News #4: We’re tickled to be welcoming a guest blogger next week in the form of author Patrice Kindl and her enormously fun YA historical romance, Keeping the Castle. Please stop by next week and say hello!

Bit of Good News #5: The Young Bluestockings Book Club will read again! In honor of the 200th anniversary of the publication of Pride and Prejudice, Regina and I thought it only proper that the Young Bluestockings Book Club should do a group reading of the oft-imitated-but-never-equaled Jane Austen masterpiece. The discussion week will begin May 28, so you can spend some time in a hammock over Memorial Day weekend re-reading it.

And speaking of re-reading...there are numerous editions of Pride and Prejudice out there, of course, but there are a couple that I’d like to call special attention to; both are annotated, which will enhance the experience of readers not thoroughly steeped in the minutiae of early 19th century life. The first is The Annotated Pride and Prejudice, annotated and edited by David M. Shapard. This goes into great detail on a page by page basis, with notes covering everything from vocabulary and changes in word usage and grammar to bigger historical and cultural context...and includes lots of black and white illustrations. And then there’s Pride and Prejudice: An Annotated Edition, edited by Patricia Meyer Spacks. I haven’t seen this one in person, but it’s a large and lavishly color-illustrated edition, and looks to be worth a bit of a splurge if you’ve got a gift card burning a hole in your pocket. So get reading...and we’ll look forward to a lively discussion at the end of the month.

There, I think that’s enough good news for now, or I shall have to resort to my vinaigrette.