Answering Your Questions

This week's newsletter contains the following features:
(Feel free to skip ahead to what you want to read)

• What's new with Ashleigh?
• Free Books
• Other Books on Sale
• Join My Newsletters

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What's new with Ashleigh?

This past weekend, I participated in an event on one of my writing servers where members asked questions about my (no so much anymore) recent release. I have decided to share those answers with you over the next few weeks.

What has been the hardest thing about writing this draft for you? Where were your greatest struggles, and how did you overcome them?

Fantasy is a new genre for me, so that was really hard. But beyond that, I had a few other challenges.

Unlike my other stories, I started this with an outline. It wasn’t very detailed, but I had an idea of what I wanted to happen and when. I wanted each chapter to end in a cliffhanger, something that would have the readers wanting to read just "one more chapter". While I didn't necessarily stick to my chapter divisions, I was proud to at least get all the key story beats in. But that does't mean I didn’t have problems.

The first was the darkness. When I wrote my outline, I knew that something bad would happen that would set everything in motion. I literally wrote “the bad thing happens”. When I got to that point in my draft, I was like, uh, now what? I kept playing with the idea of a plague but I had done something similar in some other work and wanted something with a more fantasy feel. So I somehow came up with the darkness.

Then I had to figure out what caused it. That, of course, was a future me problem. Until the chapter where Eamon learns what caused the darkness and how to stop it. This related to my second hard part: my magic system.

That was another future me problem. Somewhere during the early chapters, I got the idea that everyone has magic to some degree, but there are some who can work it stronger. It wasn’t until I was trying to explain the darkness that I really developed my magic system and identified what made Eamon different from everyone else.

I still remember the day I figured it all out. (I was drafting while sitting at the Y, which is where I am right now!) I remember being so ecstatic that I had solved that problem.

Do you have a question you would like me to answer?
Reply to this email and I will answer it in a future email.

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Free Books

Frigg's Journey to Anasgar An adventurous journey for 8-12 year olds! Invading trolls. A colony captured. And an unlikely group of friends who must save their world. Is there such a thing as too much adventure? When dreams come true . . . They may not be all you imagined! Captured by ogres! Exhibited in a freak show! When Frigg dreamed of adventure, this is NOT what she expected. After trolls attack Frigg’s colony, the young dwarf and her friends escape and embark on a perilous journey to locate the legendary dwarf colony of Anasgar for help. Blundering Bloodstones! Can a dwarf, a faery, an elf, and a unicorn convince the defiant dwarves of Anasgar to help fight the trolls? Or will her friends and family be enslaved forever? Frigg’s Journey to Anasgar is the first book of an exciting new middle-grade fantasy series, Chronicles of Nadavir, that will follow a group of magical friends on journeys of adventure and discovery.

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Would you like some free books in exchange for an honest review?

Want more free books? Check out these giveaways!

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Do you have Kindle Unlimited? These books are free for you!

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Other Books on Sale

Dragon for Dinner Dragon for Dinner Series Experience the magic of reading a book for the first time. James dreams of being a reporter, so when his sixth grade English Teacher assigns everyone to enter the Mayor’s writing competition he is confident he can win. Then he sits down to write. Nothing. Not a single idea. James’ elderly neighbor, Stan, comes to the door with a box of old books, claiming they will cure him of his writer's block. James skeptically opens the first book and a small blue dragon appears in his room! “Blue” has the energy of a 6-week-old puppy and a mission to complete, claiming he will be around until he solves a problem for James. However, when Blue smells James’ sister’s delicious meal cooking, things get interesting. Will Blue help James unravel the mysterious magic of the books from Stan, or will he just ruin dinner for everyone?

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You may also be interested in these books

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Join My Newsletters

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Check Out My Books

Answering Your Questions

This week's newsletter contains the following features:
(Feel free to skip ahead to what you want to read)

.
• What's new with Ashleigh?
• Hartfield Chronicles
• Free Books
• Other Books on Sale
• Join My Newsletters

---

What's new with Ashleigh?

This past weekend, I participated in an event on one of my writing servers where members asked questions about my (no so much anymore) recent release. I have decided to share those answers with you over the next few weeks. Since this book is suitable for both middle grade and young adults, I am answering the same questions in both newsletters. If you have already read this interview, feel free to skip down to your YA freebies and deals.

What has been the hardest thing about writing this draft for you? Where were your greatest struggles, and how did you overcome them?

Fantasy is a new genre for me, so that was really hard. But beyond that, I had a few other challenges.

Unlike my other stories, I started this with an outline. It wasn’t very detailed, but I had an idea of what I wanted to happen and when. I wanted each chapter to end in a cliffhanger, something that would have the readers wanting to read just "one more chapter". While I didn't necessarily stick to my chapter divisions, I was proud to at least get all the key story beats in. But that does't mean I didn’t have problems.

The first was the darkness. When I wrote my outline, I knew that something bad would happen that would set everything in motion. I literally wrote “the bad thing happens”. When I got to that point in my draft, I was like, uh, now what? I kept playing with the idea of a plague but I had done something similar in some other work and wanted something with a more fantasy feel. So I somehow came up with the darkness.

Then I had to figure out what caused it. That, of course, was a future me problem. Until the chapter where Eamon learns what caused the darkness and how to stop it. This related to my second hard part: my magic system.

That was another future me problem. Somewhere during the early chapters, I got the idea that everyone has magic to some degree, but there are some who can work it stronger. It wasn’t until I was trying to explain the darkness that I really developed my magic system and identified what made Eamon different from everyone else.

I still remember the day I figured it all out. (I was drafting while sitting at the Y, which is where I am right now!) I remember being so ecstatic that I had solved that problem.

Do you have a question you would like me to answer?
Reply to this email and I will answer it in a future email.

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Hartfield Chronicles

Hartfield Chronicles follows the lives of Melinda, Pat, and their friends as they navigate their way through boarding school life. Each episode features two stories, one from Melinda's point of view and one from Pat's, along with an excerpt from Melinda's writing journal. New episodes are published every Wednesday.

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Free Books

Cave Of Time A short fantasy adventure A plague has swept through the village of Dasen, taking all the magic from the place and the druids. Master Rody longs for the day that it returns. Back when conversing with nature is normal and casting spells is natural to them. The desire grows urgent as deadly forces arise from years of captivity. Years of magical absence has left the village defenseless. But just when everything seems bleak, an ordinary boy rises up to the challenge. Will he be able to prove himself among his cruel peers? Will he even reach the Cave of Time before it’s too late?

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Would you like some free books in exchange for an honest review?

Want more free books? Check out these giveaways!

---

Do you have Kindle Unlimited? These books are free for you!

---

Other Books on Sale

A Forgotten Past The Sapeiro Chronicles Book 1 In the land of Sapeiro, everyone has a touch of magic. Lily lives a quiet life with her adoptive parents in the small village of Basolt. But everything changes when she discovers she has a power that hasn’t been seen in centuries. Suddenly, her very identity comes under scrutiny. Problem is, she has no memory of her life before Basolt. As Lily desperately tries to uncover her forgotten past, she suddenly finds herself at the center of a power struggle she never knew existed. But forgetting your past doesn’t mean you can’t choose your future. And Lily will need to decide if her secrets are worth dying for.

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You may also be interested in these books

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Join My Newsletters

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Check Out My Books

A Snow Day Delay

This week's newsletter contains the following features:
(Feel free to skip ahead to what you want to read)

.
• What's new with Ashleigh?
• Free Books
• Other Books on Sale
• Join My Newsletters

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What's new with Ashleigh?

Have I told you about my Friday routines? Probably not. Fridays are the one day a week we go to school. We get home a little after lunch and have a couple of hours before we need to go back out for after-school activities.

That couple of hours is when I usually send out my Friday email to all you romance readers. Unfortunately, I was unable to send it this week.

As we went to leave our co-op (school for homeschoolers), we discovered that the dusting we were expecting was actually a couple of inches of snow! Having grown up here in New England, it's not really a problem driving in it, but I do take my time and use caution. And I'm really glad we got new tires last month.

The closer we got to home, however, the lighter the snow and the better the roads. It was clear enough to attend our after-school activities, but I still got home late from the co-op. That left me not enough time to send out your reads and deals. Since my Saturday was too crazy to even sit behind my computer for a minute, this is the first chance I have had to send you this email. I will definitely try to write it on Thursday next week.

Do you want to know the worst part about this snowstorm? While the snow was light, fluffy, and copious near our co-op, the snow at home was wet, dense, and minimal. Not enough for the kids to play. Thankfully, they had some snow earlier this week to make their snowmen and go sledding.

What about you?

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Free Books

Dreamer's Destiny A sweet romance that is sure to delight fantasy fans. Marco and Alyssa have a once in a lifetime kind of love. The problem - he is literally the man of her dreams. Alyssa has been in love with Marco since the first time he guided her into her dreams at the age of fourteen. Now, six years later she must face the reality that he may not be real. Marco is part of a mythical race known as Dreamers. His job as a Dream Walker is to guide mortals to their dreams and Alyssa is one of his charges. He is torn between his love for her and his duty as a Walker. Their love is threatened when a Dream Runner - those who push mortals into nightmares - finds them together in the Dream Realm. When Marco returns to Mount Tempos he must face the Walker's Council. What will be his punishment? Will love conquer all? Find out in this first installment of the Dreamers Saga. Join Marco in the dream realm and Alyssa in the mortal world as they navigate dreams, nightmares, and the love that brought them together.

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Would you like some free books in exchange for an honest review?

Want more free books? Check out these giveaways!

---

Do you have Kindle Unlimited? These books are free for you!

---

Other Books on Sale

Escape to Sandy Bay A coastal romance Alyssa needs to escape… from her job, her dreams, and her man. She flees to coastal Sandy Bay to lick her wounds. The town of her childhood holidays provides a job and a place to stay. Her new-found sanctuary is shattered when she learns of a controversial proposal that will change the face of the sea front forever. With the sight of a man meticulously documenting soil samples and capturing images of the proposed site, Alyssa springs into action, determined to thwart the development. Max’s focus is on caring for his young son and building the reputation of his business. He’s not looking for trouble, but in the guise of a lawyer who is quick to react, trouble comes looking for him. She stirs the emotions in ways he didn’t expect, but when she neglects his son, he is quick to lash out. Leaving the past behind is not so easy, especially with unfinished business back in the city. Should she forgive and forget, or forge a new life so different to the one she’d always imagined? The responses of the men in her life influence the decision she needs to make, but which choice is the right one?

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You may also be interested in these books

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Join My Newsletters

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Check Out My Books