One winner will receive the following 8 audio books:

• Brand of Light by Ronie Kendig (Digital download code)
• By Darkness Hid by Jill Williamson (Digital download code)
• Emberhawk by Jamie Foley (Digital download code)
• Of Fire and Ash by Gillian Bronte Adams (Digital download code)
• Secrets in the Mist by Morgan Busse (Audio CD set)
• Stealing Embers by Julie Hall (Digital download code)
• Winter, White and Wicked by Shannon Dittemore (Audio CD set)
• Within These Lines by Stephanie Morrill (Audio CD set)

How to Enter:

-Enter and see full rules at The GR8 Audiobook Giveaway.
-Winner will be chosen randomly after March 7, 2023 at 11:45 pm PT.
-Must be 16+ or have parental permission to enter.
-USA entrants only.
-Giveaway sponsored by participating authors.
-Giveaway is in no way endorsed or sponsored by Instagram or Facebook.
-By giving your email you are agreeing to join the email newsletter of the participating authors but may unsubscribe at any time.

Good luck, readers!

Next stop: our brainstorming retreat, coming up the first week of February. We will plot out all three books there, and hopefully talk about my novella a little too. I cannot yet tell you what these three novels will be about, but I can tell you that you are going to LOVE them.

⁠Are you as excited as I am? I hope so!

First, I’ve been slowly drafting Magic Hunters 3 on Patreon. I’m currently working on chapter 10, so I’m about a third of the way done. I’m super excited to finish this trilogy. I don’t know if you remember, but since I teach fifth grade, I really wanted to put out a series of books for younger readers that my students could enjoy. So, while this project was conceived for them, it’s for everyone, and I’ve had a lot of fun mashing up all the fairytales and nurshery rhymes I could find. We should be doing a cover reveal for book two in January, and (hopefully) both books two and three will release in 2023.

Second, I’ve been hard at work on a proposal for a stand-alone fantasy novel. This is the book that, for years, I have refered to as my Regency fantasy novel. I really can’t say much more than that right now, but I might be working on a map over Christmas break. We shall see.

Third, the search for my three authors to write for the Sunrise Publishing Blood of Kings: Legends Collection is almost done. There were ten authors in the second round, and they are all so talented that it’s been unbelievably difficult to choose between them. I have been reading their work and praying and talking with the Sunrise team, and we are close. I had hoped to be able to announce the three authors in December, but we’re not quite there yet. Plus, I didn’t understand the legality involved in the process. Once we do choose our three authors, we have to wait for contracts to be signed before anything can be officially announced. This makes January a more realistic month for making the big announcement. It will be here before we all know it!

I will say that I now know so much more about what the next few years will look like for me and the Blood of Kings storyworld. It will all start with me writing a novella about a character who will introduce the Legends Collection. I already have an idea, and I am SO excited. The story will begin with Achan summoning this new character to Armonguard to question him, challenge him, and send him on an epic quest that will likely span many years. I haven’t named this character yet. I’m thinking it might be fun to get your help on that. Stay tuned!

Fourth, my husband is a screenwriter and has been for years. Lately, he and I have been networking with those involved in the Portland filmmaking community. We have made several new friends and are learning what it takes to make our own indie films! This will take years, we know, but it’s an exciting adventure to embark upon together. I’ve always loved creating with my husband, so these have been fun times, for sure.

So, that’s the update from me. I’ll have so many more announcements to make in 2023, in which I actually announce official things rather than vague mentions of possibilities around the corner. I hope you’re all staying warm and enjoying the holiday season.

Have a fabulous week, and keep on reading!

~Jill

In all honesty, I’m still learning what Discord is, but I started my own server with a bunch of different discussion threads. I’m hoping this will be a nice alternative from Facebook to connect with my readers. If you want to join the fun, click here. Though, apparently Discord links expire in 7 days, so if you click on that link and it’s no longer working, email me, and I’ll get you a fresh link.

I’ve talked a lot about Kindle Vella these past few months. It’s become my new writing motivator. Because of the weekly publish deadline, I’ve been able to write a chapter a week while working full-time. Right now, I’m three chapters out from finishing Magic Hunters!

Now, I thought about jumping right into Magic Hunters, book two, but I’d like to send the full book to some beta readers and get an edit on it before I keep going. That way, if the story needs some major changes, I won’t be wasting my time on book two until I know where the story is headed.

That said… (drum roll) … I decided to finish writing Onyx Eyes instead! (I’m super excited about this!) Some of you may recall that once upon a time I was writing Onyx Eyes on my blog when I had to stop because Bethany House bought my Kinsman Chronicles trilogy (hooray!), and I had to get busy writing those tomes. (They took me four years to complete. There’s a reason they call the genre epic fantasy.)

Well, I spent the past couple weekends reading over the chapters of Onyx Eyes I had completed (seven chapters!), and I published them to Kindle Vella. They are there now for your binge reading pleasure. The week after I complete Magic Hunters (November 3), I’m going to post Chapter 8 of Onyx Eyes. At once chapter a week, I’ll have it completed by the end of February!

Did I mention how excited I am about this?

For those of you who are not Kindle Vella readers, I have an alternative way for you to read along with me and give feedback on the chapters. But first, let me remind you what Onyx Eyes is all about!

Onyx Eyes (Stonecasters Saga, 1)

The princess is missing, and Drake has until the next moon to find her and stop a war. His search leads him to the human realm where he finds a changeling slave impersonating a teenage boy. When the boy’s sister learns Drake’s true name, she demands he take her to the faery realm to look for her brother. Drake doesn’t have time for human games, but the girl controls him now. The sooner he finds the boy, the sooner he can find the princess and stop a war. Unless this girl enslaves him forever.

So fun, right?

So, how can you read the serial version of Onyx Eyes?

1) Kindle Vella

As I mentioned, you can read Onyx Eyes on Kindle Vella. You can read the first three chapters for free. After that, the book will cost around 850 tokens. If you’ve never used Vella before and have an Amazon account, they might offer you 200 free tokens at the end of the third episode to keep reading. Go to the Onyx Eyes book page to learn more.

Once I follow a Kindle Vella book and read the first chapter, I can open it on my Kindle app and read it there. Some people have told me this only works for IOS Apple devises. Kindle Vella is still in beta mode, so that could very well be.

2) Patreon

You will also be able to read Onyx Eyes on Patreon starting November 1. Originally Amazon said we couldn’t publish our Kindle Vella stories anywhere else, but then they made one exception: Patreon. I have been wanting to start a Patreon for years, and this finally gave me a good reason.

So, if you haven’t been able to read Magic Hunters on Vella, now you can read it on Patreon instead. And you’ll be able to read Onyx Eyes too, starting November 1. Visit my Patreon page to learn more.

I’ve never had a problem trying new things. Whether or not I showed my creations to another human is a different story. As an introvert, I wore caution like a suit of armor. I knew I could do anything I wanted to, but I also had to be careful. Rejection pierced my protective armor and wounded my very soul. Still, if someone said “You can’t do ____,” I would do everything in my power to do just that. I have always been a very determined person, but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t afraid.

Years ago, a website called Patreon opened for artists to grow a community of supporters. I loved the idea. (Everyone wanted my books for free, and I couldn’t pay my bills!) But I was chicken. Back then, I didn’t know how to value my art. (Which is why I was always giving it away.) I barely knew how to value myself. The introvert in me flailed at the idea of putting myself out there in such a vulnerable way. I wanted to do it. I made an account. But I never went live. Too often in my life, I’ve let fear keep me from doing something I wanted to do. Patreon was one of those times.
Recently, many of you have written to say you can’t read on Kindle Vella for a various reasons. As it turns out, Amazon allows authors to publish their stories in one other location: Patreon. Since over the years I’ve learned to be bold for myself and my art, I decided it was time to open Patreon as another avenue for readers to find my work. Patreon won’t be for everyone, but for some of you, it will fit just right.

What is Patreon, you ask? It’s a subscription platform that helps artists earn a monthly income by providing rewards and perks to their subscribers. It’s a way to gather my most devoted readers in one place and shower them with all the books and all the fun. Plus, getting readers to invest in my books up front will help me pay for editing, covers, and audio book productoion.
Patreon is a way to preorder every book I write in advance, to read them before anyone else, and to be part of my innermost circle of readers. Yes, I’ll still likely still offer ARCs in other places, but Patreon subscribers will be first, always.

I’m deeply grateful to those who have supported me over the years. Since I began, I’ve grown so much as a writer and a human. I’ve learned to take risks when I need to and not only when they’re a sure thing.

You can read a detailed list of the benefits for each level on my Patreon page, but I’ve pasted the gist of each below. And if you have questions about how Patreon works or want to share how you’ve been taking risks in your life, send me a message. I’d love to cheer you on!

I created three subscription levels.

For $1 a month ($12 a year)

You can read all the serials as I write them. So far, that’s going to be _Magic Hunters_, book one, and starting in November, _Onyx Eyes_, book one. But this will also include whatever I write after that.

For $3 a month ($36 a year)

You can read all the serials as I write them. You will get a 10% off discount in my author bookstore. You will also get digital advance reader copies of any book I release as I publish when it becomes available.

For $5 a month ($60 a year)

You can read all the serials as I write them. You will get digital advance reader copies of any book I publish that year. You will get a 20% off discount in my author bookstore. And you will also get a signed paperback or hard cover (if available) of any book I release when it becomes available.

Note: Serial-wise, you won’t be able to read Onyx Eyes on Patreon until November 3 after I’ve published the final chapter of Magic Hunters.

Any questions?

The UPS truck must have taken a detour down to the Alamo or something, but my author copies of Hunger finally made their way to my house last night. And they are beautiful.

If you’ve been waiting to order the hardcover book or to order autographed copies from my author bookstore, all that is now ready to go. Click on the “store” button in the menu. Everything should now be working smoothly.

I have to say, the hardcover is SO pretty, and I was having fun just looking at it for a really long time. This is something I usually do when one of my books releases. It’s just nice to take a moment, just me and the book, to reflect on the journey.

Me: Well, book, we did it. How does it feel to exist?

Book: Feels good. Feels real good.

Me: You’re welcome.

Enjoy the book, my intrepid explorers, and the adventure. And keep on reading!

And then I answered a call for young adult writers on a work-for-hire project. I’d never written for hire before, but as I looked into the opportunity, it seemed perfect for my situation. I would work with an editor and three other writers to help develop a four-book contemporary series for teen girls. The series would follow four friends, and we would each write a book in their point of view. The books only need be 50,000 words (which for me, is like a third of a book, right?), so I signed up, relieved and grateful and blessed to have an answer to my prayers of paying the bills in 2019.

The project took a lot longer than any of us anticipated, and was a bit harder to write while being in grad school that I had originally imagined. Also, my book was longer than 50K. True to Jill Williamson form, it came in at 70,000 words. (Hee hee. –guilty grin–) But I’m proud of this little story! It’s about a girl named Izzy, whose personality is almost fully my daughter Kaitlyn, who helped me immensely with this book. (The wild leggings and cupcake baking is all her.)

Mine is book three in the series. Books one and two come out this April. Books three and four come out August 3. Here is the book cover for my contribution to the Riverbend Friends.

AND HERE’S THE STORY: Winter break is usually Izzy’s favorite time of year, but this year all it does is make her feel lonely. She adores her brother Sebastian, but she’s stuck at home taking care of him ALL. THE. TIME. And her squad―her friends from Drama I―are too busy with their own exciting plans to get together with her. So of course her phone is her lifeline!

Izzy creates and posts videos of her amazing, to-die-for cupcake creations on her Instagram account. AND she stays connected with her squad. At least she would . . . if any of them bothered to text her back. Seriously, how hard is it to text back? But then school starts up again and Zac, the dreamy senior she’s been crushing on for months, starts texting her. But her friends are less than thrilled. If they could only see Zac like she does―he’s really a great guy! Then everything would be perfect.

I really did have fun writing Izzy and her family. A couple things about this series. Like I said, mine is book three, and while there are four books, they can stand alone on their own. So you can read the series in order, or you can pick up any of them and enjoy the stories. Click here for a link to the series page on Goodreads.

You can add The Me You See to your Goodreads TBR by clicking here.

And here is the link to The Me You See on Amazon.com.

What do you think? Do you read contemporary stories?

It’s fabulous.

Gillian Bronte Adams is a narrating genius. She does all the voices, and is so entertaining as a narrator that I smiled the whole time I listened to this book. It’s that fun.

The audio book should be up wherever audio books are sold. If it is not listed at your preferred audio book retailer, you should be able to request it. It is also available through Overdrive, though you might have to request that your library order it. If you subscribe to Audible, you can get it as part of your subscription. Here are just a few places you can find the audio book:

Amazon

Audible

Apple

Kobo

Chirp

Scribd

CD versions should release in the summer of 2021. I will keep you posted. Gillian is currently editing the audio for book three. I’m so excited to see the trilogy complete!

Scroll down to find the link to add Hunger to your Goodreads account and the link to view the pre-order page on Amazon.com.

Here is the book description for Hunger:

WHAT DO YOU HUNGER FOR?

In the wake of a pandemic, Eli and his friends find a thriving community that offers free housing, food, and thankfully, safe drinking water. But something is amiss. The residents spend most their time partying and attending concerts. No one seems concerned that the virus is still out there. When Eli tries to leave, he discovers a fence has been built to keep him, and everyone else, inside.

Hannah is tired of running. When she is conscripted to work in the hospital, she hopes she’s finally found a place to belong, but Admin’s disregard for a doctor’s pledge to “First do no harm” is unsettling.

As Hannah starts to wonder if she will ever be safe again, Eli clings to his hope for freedom. In a world filled with lies, can they learn to trust each other? Or will their hunger for safety trap them in a world that’s not so safe after all?

Preorder HUNGER:

Ebook: ●Amazon Kindle

Add HUNGER to your Goodreads:

Click here: ●Goodreads

Also… Don’t they look gorgeous together?