Happy New Year 2021 And More...

 Happy New Year Everybody!

I hope you're having a wonderful 2021 thus far and that it's full of blessings, health, and happy moments to make it a special year.

On New Year's Eve at 2:26 a.m. Central Time, I finished the WIP (Work In Progress) I'd been working on most of the year. I had wanted to finish it a month or so BEFORE December 31st, but life happens. So now it's written! The next step is to edit and then I'll query it out to agents.

The Author Encounter has many events planned for 2021 and starting off great with D.C. Gomez's "New Year, New Mindset". While this workshop is mostly professional development for authors, you do not have to be an author to attend it. We're going to get into the harder parts of being an author: Imposter Syndrome, Rejection, Professional Jealousy, and More. It'll be about working through these feelings to a positive end. I've been impressed with what I've learned about D.C. in the time I've gotten to know her and I think she'll make this a great event. Registration is now available to the public if you click here you'll be taken straight to the workshop part of the site. You don't have to be a member to attend, but we do recommend becoming one because members automatically get the quarterly newsletter (which talks about the events for the next 3 months), advanced registration to events (including very popular ones), discounts on paid events, and more. We have 3 types of membership which are: Author (you have to be published with valid ISBN numbers to gain this membership), Reader/Fan (readers, reviewers, fans of books/publishing that are NOT agents, editors, booksellers, etc.), and Supporters/Vendors (booksellers, librarians, agents, editors, publishers, screenwriters, songwriters, voice actors, etc.). The Membership fee is good for an entire YEAR. You can find out more at The Author Encounter website.

So, what's on my list for 2021 at this point?

1. To edit my WIP
2. Edit Divine Love (2nd edition) to get it ready to be reissued
3. Finish 2 WIPs that I have in my unfinished work
4. Who knows what else...we'll see what happens!

May you have a wonderful 2021. And because I'm Catholic, I'll say God bless you (you're free to take that as a compliment/gift or ignore it).

Have A Fabulously Fantastic Friday!

So much Excitement! Cover Reveal...

 Happy Monday Everybody!

We're down to eleven (11) days until Christmas, if you can believe it! I can hardly believe how fast this Advent has gone--at least, it's been fast for me. I'm not finished Christmas shopping, which is strange because I'm normally done near this time, but, we're all blaming 2020 on things being not the norm (whatever the norm is for each person) so, that's what I think I'll do.

I did plan, however, to do the cover reveal for Divine Love, 2nd Edition, so that's what I'm doing today on here!

My contract expired with the publisher (and it was decided that it wouldn't be renewed), and so I've chosen to do a quick run-through of some editing and reissue it myself. (It's hard to get an agent or publisher interested in something that's already been previously published). It's the same story, just did some little editing here and there, and decided that a newly edited novel needed a new cover. I've been fortunate to be able to work with the cover artist who did the original covers and am thrilled (as usual) with what she came up with for the new one!

I'm looking at releasing the 2nd edition in February of 2021--this will be for the E-Book, and I hope the paperback to follow very soon after (or at the same time--that's a detail I'm still working out because the paperback is a little different case than E-Book--I would like to release not just in Kindle, but also in Nook--maybe even some other E-book platforms as well. Those details aren't ready to be shared, just yet).

So, *drum roll* I give you the 2nd Edition of Divine Love, Book 1 in the Immortal Dreams series, cover art for you to enjoy:

Isn't it gorgeous? Fiona Jayde Media is the company I used (she also did my bookmarks and all my original covers). And in January 2021 an email interview I did with Fiona will be up on The Author Encounter's blog for a blog version of The Author Encounter presents: Behind The Page: Industry Interviews with Bethany Averie.

I'll be posting about the new cover art on social media this week, with this fun graphic that I put together (thank you, Canva!) So, I thought I'd share that graphic with you, as well.

Here you go:

Anyway, I hope you all are having a wonderful Advent and got your Christmas shopping all done!

Hope you have a Magically Marvelous Monday!

Work In Progress...

 Happy Monday All,

I'm once again playing with the theme of my blog, trying to find something that works best for me. For now, this new one seems like a good fit. The banner I made in Canva, which is a really cool site that helps you make graphics for different posts and things.

I'm still working on the same WIP (Work In Progress) that I've been working on for a while. The good news is, it's almost ALL written! Then I can (FINALLY) start the editing process. I'm looking forward to getting this all cleaned up and querying.

The Author Encounter continues to do well, and there are SEVERAL events coming up next year in 2021. I'm excited!

BIG NEWS:  Next week (the week of December 14th) I'm going to do the cover reveal for Divine Love, the 2nd edition! To be clear, I'm not changing the plot or the characters. My contract was up with my publisher and it wasn't renewed (long story, no details I can share, sorry) so I'm reissuing it myself and it's got a fabulous new cover from the same cover artist who did the original, Fiona Jayde. She's AH-MAZE-ING!

So, watch this space, because there will be more coming (and yes, the whole website thing is still up in the air, but I promise it's on the agenda of things to do!)

Hope everyone has a Magnificently Marvelous Monday!

Wooo-hoo, Updates!

 Happy Thursday Darling Readers!

It's been a while since I last updated and there are plenty of things to mention. I'm still trying to figure out the new template I'm using on this blog. The template came with some options I don't even use, so ignore them (I'm talking about the link options that don't go anywhere). My website is still being worked on and figured out--lots of things have gotten in the way of getting that completely up and running, but it is on my mind. 

I've been writing! Yes, yes, I have! For months now I've been working on a new story (no connection to my Immortal Dreams series or the out-of-print, All's Fair In Love & Lion). I can't tell you where I am with the story because I keep pretty mum about the process until I have specific news. But I am writing and I am editing and I am working on query stuff.

The Author Encounter has been taking quite a bit of my time (but yes, I have been working on all the stuff I mentioned above). But, things are progressing there. Some people have asked about what the company does. So, here's the break-down as best as I can give it:  it's a company that does promotion and engagement. What does that mean? Well, if you're a reader it means attending uniquely themed events (no two events are exactly the same--even if it's an interview series like the one I'm starting on November 13th called Behind The Page: Industry Interviews with Bethany Averie) and we're working on membership perks and things like that for readers/unpublished authors/reviewers. For authors, it's like having a promotion company, but with a twist: we're built upon engagement and interest in our different events, so authors get info on upcoming events and get to say if they want to be featured or make suggestions for events. (I'm sure I've missed a detail somewhere. My business partner is better at explaining it than I am!) We also have what's called a "Supporter" option. That's for businesses like editors, publishers, agents, etc. who have a business they want to promote to our members that are specific to writing and publishing. We're pretty niched on what genres we'll accept and promote (because we know what we're good at and what we're not) but we're hoping to grow and offer more in the future.

The Author Encounter is hosting Indie Author Day on Saturday, November 7, 2020. Registration is free and required. https://theauthorencounter/indie-author-day/ is the link to check it out. The workshop I did with my narrator was recorded and will be available on that day to watch.

Both Divine Love and Astral Love are now out-of-print. I won't go into the details, but the contract with my publisher wasn't renewed. However, I'm working on re-issuing Divine Love and will be working to re-issue Astral Love, as well. Divine Love is still available in audiobook format, though through Audible, Amazon, and I believe, iTunes, and I highly, highly, highly recommend getting it even if you've already read the E-book (or paperback) because my narrator, Chris J. Hudson, is AH-MAZE-ING! I do hope one day to have all the Immortal Dreams books out in audiobook format, but right now that's not possible for a variety of reasons. But, don't lose heart, I keep working on trying to figure it out with Chris and he said it's not an unlikely thing, it just isn't possible for us to do right now.

Other than that, it's normal life in the Averie Household. Offspring things to do, and I also continue to be wife to my husband. It's wonderful to have Averie Cat as my furry companion/furry shadow. I'm grateful to God for all of them and for my family and friends. And of course, you dear readers. I do my writing and re-issuing the series FOR YOU! You keep me writing and doing this, so thank you so much. Your support means the absolute world to me.

Have A Thrillingly Terrific Thursday!

Webinar, Writing, Reading...

 Happy Monday Everybody!

Just two more weeks until me and my narrator, Chris J. Hudson, present our webinar, Done By Christmas: The Making of An Audiobook. I can scarcely believe we've got another opportunity to present this workshop again. It's been two years. We're very excited and I owe it all to the company I co-founded, The Author Encounter.

While I'm still writing, (and my writing is important to me, of course) The Author Encounter means a lot to me because it's giving opportunities to showcase authors in all different stages of their careers. Readers will get a chance to interact with authors in a more "intimate" way than some author events. And the events are more than a book signing. They're meant to be unique experiences. Unfortunately, due to Covid-19, we had to put our inaugural in-person encounter on hold (Books & Beauty). We've got most everything for the event, but we're keeping it for whenever we can do an in-person event again. What we're doing is different than anything I've done as a writer--it's on a smaller scale (to create that intimacy I mentioned) and each event is themed towards a particular genre (Books & Beauty is themed around Romance). But, for now, everything will be virtual. We're going to have a costume contest on Instagram, we're putting together books we're thankful for in November and a scavenger hunt in December (I love Christmas and so does my co-founder, Nan, so we're hoping to do this up very Christmassy).

Our company is open to various genres across the board--including Non-Fiction and we very much would like you, my darling readers, to join!

We recently got a Celtic Author (who's bio was fun to read--originally from Belfast, and found his way down to Texas!) named David H. Millar. We've got some other members, too and working on building a member page on our website (not sure when that will be ready, but it's on our list to accomplish).

This brings me back to my webinar...

It's open for registration now. But, with one caveat...if you're a member you only pay the annual membership fee and then you can get access to the webinar for no extra cost (and that membership fee will get you into other exclusive member content as we roll it out), but if you don't join, it's going to be an extra cost. So, I definitely encourage everyone to join.

As for writing...

I'm working on an idea...I'm not sure if it's panning out or what, but I'm working on it. I'm also in the process of self-publishing Divine Love back into E-book and paperback with a brand-new cover! (Done by the ever-talented, Fiona Jayde--who did do the original cover, as well). Self-publishing has been a bit of a mess for me. There is a lot I have to look into and do that I didn't before, but I love this book so much that I want it out to my readers.

And I'm reading, of course...

I did some catch-up reading, too. I finally read C.C. Hunter's This Heart of Mine (very good!) and I read the two books that have been released in Jennifer L. Armentrout's Origin series (also good).  I'm hoping Harley Brooks comes out with part 2 of book 2 in her Designer Genes series really soon. 

I'm excited to see how Kiera Cass's The Selection works out for Netflix. So far they don't have a cast list--and it's in the very early stages of everything (and I'm not sure how this all works during a pandemic). So, I'll have to keep an eye on that for sure!

Anyway, I hope you all have a Marvelously Merry Monday!

An Experience Worth Encountering...

Happy Monday All,

While we're all trying to navigate our lives amid a pandemic, I'm eagerly awaiting the next collaboration I have coming up...

The last time audiobook narrator and musician, Chris J. Hudson, and I teamed up was in 2017. We did a talk on putting together an audiobook for BrazCon.

Well, we're baaaccckkk! 

This time our workshop, Done By Christmas: The Making of An Audiobook has been expanded into a more in-depth workshop! We'll be hopping online from our respective states (Chris is California and I'm in Texas) to bring you the workshop, except longer, more in-depth, and online. This webinar will be available on September 4, 2020 at 8pm Eastern/7pm Central / 6pm Mountain / and 5pm Pacific.

The Author Encounter will be sponsoring us in this event. The Author Encounter is geared towards helping authors' visibility whether they're newly published, or superstars. Some people who read a genre that an author is in might not have discovered a particular author and this is an opportunity for them to be seen and also engage with their established fans (and, hopefully, gain new fans!)

I'm pretty excited to see how this all goes and thrilled to be able to work with Divine Love audiobook's narrator again. (Yes, Chris did the narration and all the voices for the audiobook version of my novel).

I'm also working on getting Divine Love available to E-Book and paperback readers, too. I hope to make it available on more platforms, too. As an author, I'm trying to make my work available in as many ways as I can with the resources I currently have available to me.

Anyway, I wish all of you the absolute best and hope things are going well.

Have A Marvelously Magical Monday!

Lots O' News...

Happy Wednesday Everyone!

I've been trying to update this blog at least once a month--sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. I don't have a consistent schedule set up, so I guess at the end of every month, come check-in and see if I've put up a new post.

So, now for my news updates:

• The Author Encounter website has been up and running for a while now. Authors, readers, agents, editors, vendors, etc. can join. If you're interested, but want more information than what's on the website, you can contact the company via email.

• We're on the LAST day of the Kindle giveaway. You can join by going to The Author Encounter giveaway page and entering. No purchase necessary.

• The audiobook narrator of Divine Love, Chris J. Hudson, and I will be running an online workshop on September 4th for members (so there's an incentive to join right there!)

• Because of Covid-19, all our events will be online until further notice. We've got the Books & Beauty event on hold, for now. We're going to look into whether or not we can hold it next year when the new year comes around. Updates will be posted for sure on The Author Encounter website and I'll probably post something here, as well. Check the events page for more information on online events.

• I've decided to stick to writing Young Adult (YA) novels and not do adult, so for now, I'm retiring the Jeannie Averie penname.

• My publisher has decided not to renew the contract on Divine Love, so the Kindle and paperback versions are not available at this time. I'm not sure, but I think the only one of my books that's still available in paperback is Perfect Love, and I'm not sure if that will stay true in the future.

• I'm working on self-publishing Divine Love so that it can go back up on Kindle, paperback, and other platforms to be available to my readers. I'm very passionate about the series being out to you all because it's a story that's meant to be read and enjoyed not put on a shelf somewhere. I've got several people helping me out with that. I appreciate all my readers' support over the years and I hope you'll keep supporting me in my new and future endeavors. Please consider reviewing my novels on Amazon and Goodreads and/or your blogs. Also, tell others! Word-of-mouth is so important to authors.

My prayers and thoughts are with those suffering because of Covid-19. Recently, a friend of mine mentioned that co-worker of theirs passed because of the virus. I know people who have had it (and/or do have it) so my prayers are with you all. Hopefully, we'll get through this pandemic soon and be able to socialize more and have a more "normal" type of life experience again.

I wish each of you the very best and I hope you all have a Whimsically Wonderful Wednesday! Take care, God bless. :-)

Best wishes,

Bethany Averie