Hi everyone! I’ve recently opened a Discord server for beta readers. The link to join is right here:
But the link is only active for SEVEN DAYS. That’s right: the window for beta readers CLOSES in ONE WEEK! That means you have one week to join my beta reader discord and get early access to ALL of my upcoming books, series, and also a community where you can share your own writing for feedback and beta reading! It’ll be a lot of fun, and I’m excited to share it with all of you!
Well, it’s been a long road, hasn’t it? You joined me in experiencing Ashlyn and Talia’s story just three years ago, but for me, this story has taken over a decade to come to full completion. I’m definitely not done with these characters yet. There are a few more stories down the road for them, but for now, let’s rest on our laurels and give these characters a much needed break.
To celebrate the release of Dark Moon, I’ll be holding a sales event! Each tier level of sales will come with its own rewards and special content, with book giveaways, handmade bookmarks, crocheted critters, and more!
When I was sixteen, I bought a cool-looking dragon notebook from Barnes and Noble with my Christmas money. I had no idea what I would write in it, but later that week, an idea came to me: a girl with red hair, dreaming of a werewolf every night. I didn’t know it yet, but that small idea would eventually become Waxing Moon, my debut novel, and its sequel Waning Moon. Now, I’m working on the third and final installment in the Moon Trilogy, and all of the big, complicated feelings that come with it. How do I take these characters, who I have loved with, fought with, brought through the worst parts of their lives, and give them the ending that they deserve? How do I say farewell to the characters that have carried me through the last fourteen years of my life? How do I give them a satisfying ending?
Leaving a Crack in the Door
I just spent an hour trying to think of a satisfying response to those questions, and honestly? I can’t. There is so much that has happened in my life, so much that these characters have brought me through, that to just say goodbye to them feels unthinkable. So, I’ll just say: it’s not goodbye.
At least, not yet.
These books will always be a part of me. They will always be the deepest, darkest pieces of my life, pulled out of my chest and put on a page for readers to dissect. I once thought they would be my magnum opus. I realize now that those were the thoughts of a child, dreaming. I have so many more stories in me, little Avery. We’re not done yet. These characters will live on, as people discover our books and read the stories we created. The door isn’t fully closed yet. There’s still a sliver of light there.
The Way Forward
I still don’t know how I’ll feel when I’m finally finished with the last book. Will I feel sad or elated? Will I be scared? Will I be happy? One thing is certain: I will definitely feel. After so much nothing in my life, that’s a good thought to have.
After I finish the Moon Trilogy, I’m going to take a break to focus on finishing my MFA program. There are some new stories there that I’m working on, and I’m excited to start sharing with you. My Caelum stories are going to go on the back burner for the time being, and my thesis novel will be my main project. There might be some short stories posted between now and then, so be sure to keep your eyes out!
Thank you everyone for staying with me through this whole trilogy. I’m so glad I was able to share these characters and their story with you. Let’s take our next steps forward together!
Hello everyone!
I have a very exciting announcement to make. After I finished writing The Ghost and the Real Girl, I thought I was finished with stories from Caelum, but it seems I wasn’t quite done yet.
All her life, Adi has felt at home underground. The daughter of copper miners, it was expected that she would follow her parents’ into the Red Mines as soon as she was old enough. Only now, she wakes to find gemstones in her bed every morning, and veins of copper find their way to the surface whenever she walks past. At first, she rejoices, thinking that her parents won’t have to work for days on end, but soon it becomes clear that each time she brings something to the surface, it vanishes from below, making the mountain crumble underneath them.
She does her best to hide her new abilities, but the small town she has lived in all her life turns on her, cursing her as a witch. That is, everyone except for Wren, the keeper of the mine’s glowfrogs. The two strike up a fast friendship, with Adi’s gems buying everything they need, and Wren singing them to sleep every night.
Suddenly one day, an earthquake buries her father and the other miners under ten tons of rock, trapping them deep underground. Adi must summon all of her new magic to find a way through the caves that snake their way through the mountain before they run out of air, water, and hope.
A companion to THE GHOST AND THE REAL GIRL, THE STONE SINGS TRUE is a story of endurance, family, and finding your place when the ground shifts beneath you.
It was quite lovely! We had a few people talking about it online, and it was a lot of fun!
Hello everyone!
A quick reminder that the rescheduled launch party of THE GHOST AND THE REAL GIRL will be this Saturday, 11/12, at 7:30 pm KST! That’s Saturday morning for my EST folks, and really heckin early for my West Coast folks, but never you fear! It will be streamed on my Instagram at my_graceless_heart, and saved afterwards if you’re interested in watching.
There will be an Author Q&A, tarot readings, and some fun giveaways! I hope to see you there!
I love love LOVE the recent push for diversity in the publishing industry, and I thought it would be a good time to bring back some old content I created a while ago, and give it a bit of a fresh face.
Just a note: the links on this post are Amazon Affiliate Links, and I do earn money from any qualifying purchase. With that out of the way, let’s get started!
A series of quartets, duets, and trilogies, the Tortall books cover every aspect of high fantasy that you want. They begin with The Song of the Lioness, a quartet about Alanna of Trebond, a ten year old girl who disguises herself as a boy to become a knight. With knights, magic, magical creatures, and dragons, these books are full of diverse heroines and messages that are definitely worth reading.
2. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
If you want to be a better writer, read these books. The prose is stunningly beautiful, and the worldbuilding is something to be envied. In three books, Taylor creates a world so vividly imagined that you will cry when you finish the trilogy, if only because you won’t get to read about these characters anymore. Beginning with the mystery of who Karou is and ending with the glory of peace after a war, the Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy are easily some of the best books of the decade.
3. Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris
Holy seven hells, these books need to be on your “to-read” list now. The duet introduces the concept of parallel universes that are crashing together because three boys just want to get home. The main character, Janelle, is a breath of fresh air, with a badass skill set and an actual reason for having it, as well as a maternity streak a mile long. The book starts with her dying and being brought back to life, then continues on with a clock that seems to be counting down to the end of the world, and a string of bodies dying from radiation poisoning. Fast-paced and wholly original, Unraveling will sink its hooks into you from the very first page.
4. The Ward by Jordana Frankel
It’s rare that I put down a book and say “this needs to be made into a movie immediately,” but The Ward inspired this immediate reaction. Set against a post-apocalyptic New York, Frankel’s tale of a young street-racer who accepts an impossible mission from the government to save her younger sister is gripping and ambitious. New York City has been flooded, and Ren has been given the task of finding a new freshwater source. In a city full of saltwater, what should be a simple mission turns out to be Herculean in its execution. When she starts looking, she uncovers an astonishing truth about the city and what lies beneath the water’s surface. With a woman of color as the protagonist, and Native American legends to draw on, Frankel’s debut novel is a home run of a work.
5. The Locked Tomb series by Tamsyn Muir
Do you like lesbians? Do you like space? Do you like necromancers? Well, have I got a book for you! Set in a haunting echo of our own solar system, The Locked Tomb follows Harrowhark Nonagesimus, better known as Harrow, and her cavalier Gideon as they vie to serve a mysterious deathless emperor. Full of brevity, bones, and body horror, this series is one you’ll find yourself coming back to again and again.
(This is also my wife’s favorite book series, and she wants more people to read it.)
6. Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor
For those of you who love the Dark Academia trend but want something a little different, look no further. Akata Witch follows Sunny, an albino girl living in Nigeria as she struggles to find her place in the world. Unexpectedly, she find it with a secret magical society and discovers that she herself has magical powers too. Bursting with childlike wonder and a terrifically ripping climax, this book is nothing short of fantastic.
7. Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel
Many people have heard of this book thanks to the television series of the same name, but it’s difficult for TV to properly capture the truly powerful impact of Mandel’s writing. Sliding back and forth across timelines, Mandel uses multiple character perspectives to take us through a deadly pandemic, past to present day. Though it may seem a little on-the-nose, given how we’re currently 2 years into our own pandemic, Station Eleven is a stunning reminder of the beauty and terror of humanity.
Avery Carter 