A tangible, real journey

Thank you to everyone who bought a copy of Water Sister, my most recent paperback! And thank you too, to everyone who has bought a copy of my most recent publication – This Is Me! Don’t forget to download the first 9 volumes of The Kaerling series in time for your Christmas reading!

I’ve been re-branding my e-book covers for The Kaerling series this autumn! Check out the new look at Amazon, Nook, Kobo and Apple.

A mega thank you to Claudia Messelodi who wrote an article about my epic fantasy series, The Kaerling, at Il Giornale Letterario. An English translation of this piece can be found HERE. She says some lovely things about my writing such as “Her imagery is decidedly rich and vivid, capable of dragging the reader on a sort of journey away from everyday life, a tangible, real journey.”

A huge thank you to Christy Birmingham for interviewing me for one of her posts at When Women Inspire. Read the full Q&A session HERE!

Thank you to Spillwords for making me Author of the Month in July this year! Check out my Q&A session with them HERE and read all my poems that they’ve paired with exquisite images HERE! Spillwords also published my poem The Gentlemen in October!

Thank you to the wonderful Susi Bocks for leaving such a positive review of my poetry collection, Insides on Amazon!

And thank you to Editor Strider Marcus Jones for including 9 of my haiku in the recently published Lothlorien Poetry Journal Volume 14. Living in the world between worlds is available at Lulu!

Thank you to Duotrope for interviewing me about my other blog at Pure Haiku HERE!

If you’re a fan of The Kaerling series, did you know that you can now pre-order Volume 10 Dead Man’s Witness? It’s available on Kindle, iBooks, Kobo, Nook and many other online stores!

I’m making changes to my Patreon support levels next month. Take a peek at the new levels from 8th December onwards!

I’ve been busy as I mentioned above, with re-doing my book covers, as well as writing the first drafts of volumes 13 – 15 of The Kaerling series. I’m still looking for a couple more Beta Readers. If you’re interested, find out how to join my team HERE.

I’m going to be offline during the month of December as I need another digital detox, plus there’s a whole load of books I want to read! (I don’t read books when I’m producing first drafts so as not to unintentionally steal someone else’s ideas!)

Wishing you all a happy and peaceful Christmas and I look forward to catching up with you again in the New Year!

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Spellbinding Books!

Queen of Rats by Chris R Sendrowski Dark, tense and intriguing. This latest novel from Sendrowski takes place in Alg, an area only previously mentioned in his tales of Retrac Daor. I loved this tale of revenge set mainly in the vast underground sewers of a 2,000 year old city. Ember is a fascinating character, accompanied by a huge cast of damaged, flawed heroes and villains. And King Garrowin bears an uncanny resemblance to dictators both past and present…If you’ve not yet set foot in Retrac Daor, this novel is a good place to start. And if you’ve already read the previous 3 tales, you won’t want to miss this one!

Into Eternity by Richard M Ankers A unique view of vampires. The tale of the hydrophobic vampire draws to a close. Everything about this series is unique; the narrative voice and style, the characters, the world, the exploration of vampire mythology and Eternals. A dying world full of stark colours and characters who are unpredictable. This is a meticulously designed plot executed professionally making this an effortless read. “We all have souls, Jean, some just take longer to find them.”

The Sound of Brilliance edited by Susi Bocks Wow! An eclectic mix of styles, subjects and writers. Precise, succinct, impactful. This anthology is one I will re-read again and again!

Revelation by Jane Dougherty Beautifully written climatic conclusion to the Pathfinders series. Dougherty’s imaginative powers continue to enthral the reader as her conceptualisation of Parasidio with a canker at its core plays out in a vivid, action-filled plot!

Stargazy Pie by Victoria Goddard Unusual, quirky fantasy with flavours of Jane Austen and hints of steampunk! Effortlessly written, intriguing and entertaining to read, this is one book I will re-read again and again.

Stellar Fusion by EL Strife An action-packed futuristic tale of discovery and identity. I enjoyed the way the narrator takes the reader straight into the story with no long info dumps to slow things down. Tense, climatic action results in an intriguing finale.

Ignition Point by Jami Gray A fast-paced novella about a magic wielding professional in the modern day. Neat writing with plenty of action and intrigue.

Re-reads

Cosmic Trilogy (Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra & That Hideous Strength) by CS Lewis. This science fiction fairy tale enchants me still at 50 as it did when I first read it at 20. I love the incredible descriptions of the planets, Mars & Venus. I love the concepts of spirituality, masculine and feminine that pervade all 3 books. To read these stories is to discover that however dark evil is, good can be even more terrible than the bad!

Frenchman’s Creek by Daphne du Maurier This author is one of those who influenced my writing, particularly the detailed descriptions of place and atmosphere that make you feel you’re really there. Frenchman’s Creek is as enchanting as it was when I read it in my early teens. This is romance without smut. A swash-buckling adventure for any age!

My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier My mother read me this novel when I was 13 years old. Since then I’ve been hooked! I love this tale of intrigue and love, of poison and unclear, ulterior motives. I love the way the author explains nothing, simply leaving the reader to make up their own mind about what really happened. And du Maurier’s descriptions of the Cornish landscape are second to none. 

Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them?

10/11

dark thoughts
hopelessly loves
dislikes his twin, wants to
trust the others but fears power;
tall Erl

cinquain © Freya Pickard 2021

This cinquain is inspired by my book, Uneasy Allies – don’t forget to read it before 15th January 2022, when the next volume of The Kaerling is due to be launched!

And, if you enjoy fairy tale fantasy with a twist, why don’t you download The Essence of Thyme? It’s just 99p until 30th November…

25/10

their power flickers
second skin shines and crackles
eerie ageless eyes

haiku © Freya Pickard 2021

Here’s a haiku inspired by my book, Uneasy Allies – have you read it yet?

And don’t forget that The Essence of Thyme is currently just 99p! Grab it now!

9/10

shadowed
vale conceals
secretly growing herbs
gathered beneath moon; herb
woman

elfje © Freya Pickard 2021

Don’t forget that Uneasy Allies is just £1.50 until 17th October when the price goes back to £1.99!