Dear Reader,
I am very excited about this month’s newsletter because of several important announcements:
Lavanna’s Journey, the fourth book in the Daughters of Tamnarae series, is currently in the third stage of editing! This means that I am looking for at least two more beta readers for the draft, which I hope to have done by the beginning of August. Please reply to this email or comment below if you are interested in catching pesky errors and giving me feedback on story elements. This is on a first come, first serve basis. My goal is to have the final draft ready for publication in October. I am currently working with my cover designer as well. Everything is coming together for another awesome publication!
I had the opportunity to visit a Maritime Museum where they had a display with a junk ship. This particular ship plays a significant role in Lavanna’s Journey, so of course, I had to take a picture! I am going LIVE tomorrow at 1PM PST to answer your questions about the series. This will include a very special and exciting announcement about a prize that I think you will enjoy….you just have to attend.
Speaking of Substack LIVE, I discovered that the Substack group works if you have the app and an account. If you would like to do this, please make a Substack account and join my group for snippets, world building facts, and more. It is similar to a private Facebook or Instagram group.
“The Journeyman,” my exclusive short story for those who have read the Daughters of Tamanarae series, is close to completion and will be delivered to those who have read the books and filled out the Reader Appreciation Form.
“Beginnings,” which used to be free for Elrich E-Readers, is now on Amazon. Toothbreaker, another novella I once offered for free, is also available on Amazon. These are all side stories/additional short stories for my universe, and relatively cheap. So if you or someone you know wants to try my work, these might be good places for them to start.
I posted the sixth part of Tala, a serialized novel about Etania’s mother who was an abused slave. In this novel, I also introduce how Jakin and Tala fell in love, met Melchizedek, and of course, how Lehrlings came to be. I am writing this for paid subscribers (Want to Join? Get 50% off a year’s subscription). I have really enjoyed writing this, and I am working on adding an audio component.
The Read-Along continues, with people finishing Etania’s Calling this month and coming back for another live on August 15th.
Thank you everyone who bought my Boxset from my Payhip store! It helped immensely. I am thirty books away from 1,000 books sold. Would you help me get there? You can purchase them from my Payhip Store or Amazon.
Book of the Month
My Review:
A compelling story from beginning to end…
I think this book could be summed up in a simple phrase, “I knew it was wrong, but...” Because of this, he often ends up in impossible to survive situations that keep you reading to know what happens. As a result, the plot is fast moving, and even though those who read technically know how it ends because of the beginning, there are many moments where I wasn’t sure what would happen next.
The world itself is interesting. This is definitely a medieval fantasy, with conflict between church and state, but also a foreign country that was reminiscent of Japan/China/Korea. There is magic that’s very easy to understand and how it works is fascinating. I especially like the magical daggers aspect.
The main character is Thom. Even though Thom makes many mistakes (murder, adultery, alcoholism), he is still a sympathetic character who seeks to do good for those he loves. In fact, his entire story is motivated by his love for a woman-whether that is love for his sister or love for Secilya. So, I liked him despite the fact I found myself shaking my head many times for his foolishness. As for Secilya, I definitely got to know her better towards the end of the book, when she showed her true strength. The side characters were also intriguing because they all had unique traits that set them apart, even if they didn’t appear long on page.
Stylistically, Reese narrates from first person, but the reader is not given that much description. Most of the story is sparse in that area, preferring to focus on the action and summarizing periods of time. This makes for a much quicker read.
Overall, this was a fascinating fantasy book that would appeal to adult men. Because of sexual and violent content (see my full review here for content warnings), I would not recommend it for anyone under the age of 18. It is available in all three formats (Ebook, Audiobook, and Paperback)
Thank you for reading this email to the very end. To let me know you got here, do you mind telling me where you would love to travel one day?
Until Next Time,
M.H. Elrich
Personally, I'd love to go to Japan or Australia. Possibly some parts of Europe too. I've been to Spain once, but that's really my only travel outside the U.S.