Monthly eNews, writing updates, thoughts and more.

In this issue:
Welcome ~ The Witching Pen, second edition paperbacks ~ Releasing The Wolf ~ The Focus of the Eye Of The Storm Series ~ Personal Thoughts About Writing ~ Reader's Forum ~ Non-Fiction ~ Monthly Quote

Issue 1 - January, 2013

Welcome to the first edition! Apart from my joint blog with fellow author, Elizabeth Morgan, I don't get around to blogging very much nowadays, so this monthly newsletter serves as all the blogs I would do, sort of wrapped up in one. If you want "live" info from me, join me on Facebook or Twitter - that's where it all happens in real-time ;)

As readers grow, I may start to run little contests solely for subscribers of this newsletter, so sit tight. 2013 is going to be an interesting year, with a helluva lot going on!

The Witching Pen second edition front cover small

They're here! Smaller at 5 x 8 inches with a newly formatted interior, and a new title font, these second editions are only available at Amazon stores (US, UK and Europe). The bumper Omnibus Edition has not been altered and is still available worldwide.

In case there are any first editions still floating around, please look for the label "second trade edition" in the book details, or published via "CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform" - these are the latest editions.

Paperback links:
The Witching Pen
The Sands Of Time
The Demon Bride

Releasing The Wolf has been in the US Kindle Paranormal Fantasy Bestseller List for a solid three weeks! The highest number it reached that I saw was #20 on 3rd January.

On 22nd Dec, it reached #69 on the same list in the UK store.

I never imagined it would do that well. THANK YOU EVERYONE ♥

And if you haven't read it, this is a fast-paced, action-packed, highly erotic, werewolf paranormal fantasy, set in the Surrey Hills, UK. Amazon US Amazon UK

I've stated on my website, and hinted strongly in other places that this series is a paranormal fantasy and not a romance. But yes, some readers will consider it a paranormal romance and with good reason: it's not devoid of romance at all. In fact, different aspects of romance are very heavily embedded within it. But the focus of the series will not be romantic. The focus of the series is on character relationships and the plot, therefore, I don't feel comfortable calling it a romance myself.

There have been a few comments / reviews concerning how readers are confused with the book and where it's going. If you look at it in terms of a stereotypical romance novel, you will be confused because you'll be expecting a solid and complete "connection" between A and B, or in this case A, B, C and D. Well, the connection is growing, and complicated, and the entire series will be devoted to the four of them figuring it out, along with the plot.

So, once more, it's a paranormal fantasy, not a romance.

What will the focus of book two, Cry Of The Wolf, be about? The answer is character relationships (between all of them) and the plot. Each book may highlight one or two people, but those highlighted points could not be conveyed properly without everyone / everything else contributing to the story - another reason why I can't call this a romance. Romances concentrate on a different couple each time, with a definite ending for every book, that wraps everything up nicely - usually happily. Well, you won't have a different couple each time here, but more of the same four people (plus a few others) as we discover who they are and why they've been thrown together. And you're just not going to find things wrapped up all neat at the end of each of my books, lol. Not until the very end, anyway.

I initially thought about making the covers less sexual / romancy, but that then doesn't give any indication of the strong sexual element in this series, hence the covers I've gone for...

Anyway, I'll end it there: not a romance ;)

I'm 15% into Cry Of The Wolf and loving every minute of writing it. BUT, I cannot for the life of me write two separate books at once. I've tried. And tried and tried and tried, but I can't do it. I get obsessed with the book I'm working on, so much so, that it's impossible to pull out and immerse myself in another. So when Cry Of The Wolf is done, I shall be obsessing over The Last Dragon. Then, it will be back to book three of the Eye Of The Storm series, Heart Of The Wolf. That is the plan for 2013: those three books, and hell, I'm giving myself no more work for now!

I have a new (and very quiet) discussion forum on my website for anyone who wants to pop in at any time to discuss or ask anything about my books. It's building up slowly and I don't expect loads happening on there for a while, but I will be adding stuff every now and then. This forum is more ideal for anyone who wants discussion, but not in the mad and crazy environment of Facebook and Twitter ;) I'll be archiving these newsletters there also. Link: http://www.diannahardy.com/readers-forum.html#/

Poetry
First-off, my contemporary poetry compilations are no longer available to buy. A Silver Kiss (Vampire Poetry) is, but that's the only one. I have it planned to republish Little Moments Of Truth as a bumper compilation in place of the two I had out, and it will happen at some point in the new year, but it's a bit of a mammoth task and has to be fit around deadlines.

Mind, Body, Spirit
I have two chapbooks published (thin, 48-page pamphlet-type books): Working With Crystals & Stones and Working With Fairies and Elementals. These will stay online, but I'm looking to change printers and hopefully make the books available a little more cheaply. They are workbooks, meaning that you don't just read them, you use them to record your notes and findings - they really are designed for you to "work" with these energies and tools - and they are in large paperback format to make writing in them a little easier. But I do want to try and bring the cost down, so this will be a task for early 2013 between writing my fiction.

As for new metaphysical titles, they're in the pipeline, but I haven't sat down and written them. I may, or I may not. Of course I still practice in this area, but for the moment, it's nice that it's not something I display for all to see. I used to think it would be my career, but I went into fiction-writing instead. I'm enjoying keeping my witchy side of life to myself for a bit ;)

For anyone interested in this, I have a website: Magic Realms. It has not been active for over a year with the fiction taking off as it has, and actually, it's been nice to let it rest a little. I used to be so involved with magickal events within my life that it all went a little crazy. It can be a little like being drunk if you're not careful, having to keep hold of the reins and not let those spiritual beings whisk you where they want you to go if you're not ready (or if you just plain don't want to go there!) ... that's another book ;)