Vaetra Unleashed is with my beta readers as I type this. So far, they aren’t finding anything that will cause major revisions to the story, so I should be able to publish the book by the end of September (maybe sooner). I’m sure this is good news for those of you who have been patiently (or impatiently!) waiting for the final installment of the Vaetra Chronicles.
The overall reactions I’m getting on Vaetra Unleashed have been encouraging:
I’m so impressed with this! It’s wonderfully plotted, clear, and well written. The clarity, economy, and steady forward movement of the plot especially impress me. It’s steady without feeling rushed, and nothing seems wasted. As someone new to the series, I had NO problem following what was happening, yet I also never noticed big patches of back story that might annoy readers who were already familiar with the world and characters.
~ Becca Mills
I loved your book! Your plot felt original from the beginning of the first book to the end of this one. Your character “thought” processes add a lot to the development of characters and the reader being able to differentiate between them. I especially liked how Jaylan thought (and what a fair and strategic man he was). Your development of the laws and rules of your created world are interesting and consistent, and you enforce them. It makes it easy to imagine these lands—and the people in them.
~ Nancy Brashear
I very much enjoyed Vaetra Unleashed, largely due to your easy style of writing. … VU is an easy read, yet fast paced and exciting, and I wish you every success with it.
~ Lynda Wilcox
The ending was most satisfying and I love your wording throughout. I saw everything very clearly and the all-too-frequent breaks I had to take to deal with the real world didn’t set me back like it would with some books. I might as well have just hit pause on a DVD and picked it right back up a couple minutes later.
~ Aimless
I am really enjoying the book so far. Lots of good characters, and the different story lines are great!
~ Paul Sheriff
One of the many things I have to do for every book release is come up with a cover. Well, I don’t do the cover design myself, but I definitely work with the designer on the concept and suggest tweaks to the design. I usually spend a few hours searching through image libraries for ideas and specific image suggestions.
Creating the cover for Vaetra Unleashed was initially difficult because I wasn’t sure what I wanted. When I finally figured it out, my designer quickly came up with a mockup that thrilled me the first time I saw it.
Here’s the final version of what she came up with:
Some of the things I love about it…
- It continues the “arch” theme from the first two books.
- It has a magical fantasy feel to it.
- It gives the proper visual impression for the story. The “dueling lightning” effect is just right. The subtle arcs of light in the center give a hint of magical shielding, which is also appropriate.
- The dark terrace does not directly relate to any specific scene in the story, but it adds a sense of danger and heightens the “fantasy” impression.
I think the new cover looks great alongside the previous covers:
I hope you are looking forward to the third and final book of The Vaetra Chronicles. It was both exhilarating and sad to bring the series to a close. I may write more stories set in Mundia at some point in the future, but for now, I’m creating new worlds and new adventures for you.
