Selina Fenech Artist and Author https://selinafenech.com Fantasy Art and Fiction Sun, 21 Dec 2025 00:22:36 +0000 en-AU hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0 https://selinafenech.com/wp-content/uploads/SelinaFenech_Favicon2-100x100.png Selina Fenech Artist and Author https://selinafenech.com 32 32 2025 Yearly Wrap https://selinafenech.com/2025-yearly-wrap/ https://selinafenech.com/2025-yearly-wrap/#comments Tue, 16 Dec 2025 01:44:04 +0000 https://selinafenech.com/?p=30372

Putting together an end of year wrap up is a bit of a tradition of mine, that I’ve been doing for many years now. It’s a nice way to look back at the year gone, and to give you a starting place for moving forward into the new year.  

Here’s what I did in 2025 …

Books Published:

I took a bit of a break from writing this year. After the mammoth effort getting all of the Shadow Dragon Saga written, I needed a break, and only wrote a couple of smaller works, both for that same series. 

I added a prequel story (25k words) as an an extra, and also a bonus scene from towards the end of the series for readers to see those moments from another character’s point of view (about 3k words). The final book in the series was published (but written in 2025), and I also released the HUGE series omnibus. 

Most of my colouring books released were re-used content books, like Minis, Grayscale books, and Bundles. I did do one new colouring book of Fairy Tale Princesses, that was originally commissioned by Colouring Heaven magazine. They had the rights for 6 months after which I was able to add a couple more designs and publish my own book with the images. 

The Beshadowed omnibus audiobook, and the first audiobook in the Shadow Dragon Saga were also released. 

Art and painting:

I am moving back into art more and got a fair bit done this year, but mostly commissions rather than my own paintings. I completed around seven fairly big illustrations (things like this fox and library for BookSnout)  plus a few little extras. 

For myself, I completed two oil paintings, the book dragon and winged lion below, and ran some art print raffles in which people had a chance of receiving the original artwork instead of an art print. 

Thanks to the Kickstarter I ran, I was also able to do four new illustrations for the Shadow Dragon Saga, one in watercolours, and three digital, and also designs for all six main books in the series for hardcovers. 

Events, Personal, and other stuff:

This year, I became an award winning author for the second time, with A Wish of Ashes and Glass being selected in blind judging for the Lesfic Bard Award for best fantasy. Memory’s Wake is my other award winning novel. As it was the first book I wrote and I was an eager new author, I entered it into a competition, which it won, and then I haven’t really bothered with entering my work into competitions since then. But when I saw the gorgeous trophies that the Lesfic Bard Award presents, I had to try and get one! 

Picture

With my first Shadow Dragon Saga audiobook kickstarter completed, I ran one for the second book in the series, and was blown away by the support I received again.

In my efforts to keep earning a living as a creative, I also ran a number of sales for my original artworks finding homes for many. On a whim, I decided to sell some twenty+ year old sketches for a bargain price. This turned out to be very popular, so I raided my sketchbooks and folders and sold upwards of 80 original sketches in the last couple of months. 

I attended a heap of events this year, from huge ones like BABE, Winterfest, and Sydney Comicon, to smaller local markets, I was at an event at least once every month, sometimes three times a month. This year was also the first year that I helped plan and run an event, the Books and Beyond book market.

On the personal side, as some of you know I’ve been going through a separation, and this year the divorce was finalised. This also meant I’ve been able to reclaim a lot of space, including my studio, and make it my own again. I did a LOT of cleaning, maintenance, and painting of the house and it’s feeling like home again. It’s also incredible to have space to paint in again!  

Next year-

2026 currently contains a lot of unknowns. 

There are a couple of big things that are coming through that are likely to dominate my time for the entire year, but still require signature-on-contract confirmation before I will be confident they are going ahead (and before I can say any more). 

I hope they will, because they are exciting and could be life-changing. 

If not, 2026 will look a lot like 2025, with commissions and markets and me trying to continue to earn a living as a creative in a more and more difficult world. 

I would also be aiming to get more new colouring books out. 😊

I wrote the below last year, but feel as though it’s even more fitting this year, so I’m going to say it again. 

Thank you to everyone who has supported me this year and any time earlier with sales or kind words. In the attention seeking world of mass media and non-stop content we currently live in, I’m constantly in awe anytime someone chooses to spend their time or money on me and my creations. 

Honestly it blows me away and is what keeps me going. So thank you!

I hope I can create more in 2026 that you’ll enjoy.

]]> https://selinafenech.com/2025-yearly-wrap/feed/ 2 *GIVEAWAY* New Licensed Wall Art!! https://selinafenech.com/giveaway-new-licensed-wall-art/ https://selinafenech.com/giveaway-new-licensed-wall-art/#comments Wed, 12 Feb 2025 03:51:33 +0000 https://selinafenech.com/?p=28862

**COMPETITION ENDED**

Congratulations Tracey B!

iCanvas now offer a great range of my artworks on their Steelpix Prints, and I have one available for a giveaway! The print is stunning, and you can enter to win below!

iCanvas

A large range of Selina’s art on beautifully produced wall art options, including canvas, steel, fine art prints, and multi panel prints.

See the range here
Eye Of The Storm by Selina Fenech Steelpix metal wall art provides unmatched vibrancy and depth, giving your art a dynamic, eye-catching appearance. With a lightweight design and easy magnet hanging system, these prints are perfect for making a bold statement in any room.
 
  • Size: 26”x18” 
  • 0.5″ Thick Steel MetalCanvas® Panels featuring a black edge band, constructed with aluminum honeycomb interior to ensure it’s both strong and lightweight
  • Arrives with magnetic hanging kit for tool-free installation, addition, and removal of prints
  • UV Printed with high-quality, eco-friendly UltraChrome® Epson inks on white-primed metal surface, topped with a proprietary finish
  • 100% Recyclable
]]> https://selinafenech.com/giveaway-new-licensed-wall-art/feed/ 5 2024 Yearly Wrap https://selinafenech.com/2024-yearly-wrap/ https://selinafenech.com/2024-yearly-wrap/#respond Thu, 19 Dec 2024 00:45:57 +0000 https://selinafenech.com/?p=28633

Didn’t I write one of these posts a week ago? How are we at the end of the year again? 

Let’s have a look at what I did this year …

Written and Published:

This year I wrote more words than ever before, at roughly 300,000 words written and revised. That was made up of around 30K on Beshadowed revisions, 270K on the 4th, 5th and 6th Shadow Dragon Saga books, and 5k on a short story for the next BABE event anthology. 

Some writers find it easy to pour words onto a page. I do not. I struggle with every sentence, every scene, so this was a lot for me, and my brain felt completely and utterly fried by the end of it. 

2024 also saw the release of the Shadow Dragon Saga starting in April, with all 6 books now out in paperback and the 6th and final book’s ebook release officially on January 16, but I’m still counting it in this year’s releases.

 

 

Other Releases:

Everdark Cursed (Beshadowed 4) came out in audio, and Editions du Chat Noir released Shadows Awoken (Beshadowed 3) in French.

I drew the designs for and released a Shadow Dragon Saga colouring book. 

Special editions for my two fairy tale retellings and Everything Left Undone (my pen name romance which I re-released this year) were also designed and printed in beautiful shiny gold foil.

I also designed a special edition Memory’s Wake but haven’t had the funds to get it printed. I may set up a Kickstarter pre-order for it next year. 

Art:

Almost all the art I did this year was either colouring designs or book cover art (books 4, 5, 6 and Omnibus of the Shadow Dragon Saga, and special edition designs).

Due to a steep drop in my income, I’ve started taking commissions again for the first time in many years. So far I’ve worked on a lovely watercolour portrait of a client as a fairy with her cats, and some character artwork for a fave author friend.

Events, Personal, and other stuff:

My daughter started high school and became an official teen! 

Covid finally caught up to me, and we adopted a second cat (a tuxy boy called Griffin) after the shelter we fostered with last year stopped managing new fosters and we couldn’t get more kittens. 

I attended Sydney Supanova, Oz Comic-Con, Newcastle Book Boyfriend, Central Coast Comicon, Love on the Beach Book Signing, and Book Fair Australia.

I cut my hair short for the first time in many years, ran a Kickstarter to fund the first Shadow Dragon Saga audiobook, and had to end the employment of my assistant after many years working together due to lack of funds. 

Next year-

Normally at this time of year I have a firm plan of how many big projects I’m going to get done, with a calendar schedule all planned out. But I don’t this year.

My plan is basically to just trying to earn a living however I can. I’m sure there will be more colouring books coming out, and I’m open again to commissions of any kind I can get, and might end up bugging everyone with a few more kickstarters. I even started looking for external, non-creative employment that could fit someone with no real skills or experience outside of drawing. 

I’ve had an INCREDIBLE run. It’s hard to express how lucky I have been in being able to make a living from my art for so long. That kind of success is so rare and precious and I’m so grateful for what I’ve had. 

But I’m also older now, and SO TIRED. I’ve worked so hard for so long to maintain that success, and now that it feels like I’m working harder than ever and unable to make ends meet, maybe taking a check-out job somewhere would be easier and earn more, you know? 

It’s hard to say whether my drop in income is simply economic, with so many facing financial hardship currently, or whether it’s AI flooding creative markets and taking other jobs, or whether it’s my fault for prioritising my writing over the last two years rather than art and colouring designs. 

We’ll see whether things turn around in 2025. I don’t need a lot to get by. I live a fairly frugal life overall, and will be infinitely grateful if I can earn enough for mortgage and groceries. 

Thank you to everyone who has supported me this year and any time earlier with sales or kind words. In the attention seeking world of mass media and non-stop content we currently live in, I’m constantly in awe anytime someone chooses to spend their time or money on me and my creations. Honestly it blows me away and is what keeps me going. So thank you! 

I hope I can create more in 2025 that you’ll enjoy. 

]]> https://selinafenech.com/2024-yearly-wrap/feed/ 0 *Giveaway* Shadow Dragon Saga Launch! https://selinafenech.com/giveaway-shadow-dragon-saga-launch/ https://selinafenech.com/giveaway-shadow-dragon-saga-launch/#comments Wed, 17 Apr 2024 05:08:52 +0000 https://selinafenech.com/?p=26828

Into a haunted realm a creature unlike any is born, and must be protected.

Orphaned and struggling to survive in an underground refuge, Riony only wants to keep her adopted sister safe. 

In a land where unicorns have been hunted to extinction and dragons are the exclusive possession of the dragonlords, Riony’s life becomes complicated when she finds herself the caretaker of a unique and precious creature: a dragon-unicorn hybrid. 

But when her sister is kidnapped, Riony sets out on a dangerous journey into the shadowdragon cursed overworld, faced with an impossible challenge. Can she save her sister and also protect the newborn creature? Or will she have to sacrifice one for the other?

Fans of Priory of the Orange Tree and The Dragon Prince will love this sapphic young adult fantasy set in a realm of heroines, magic, and dragons.

Get your copy now

Get it for 99c on Amazon
Get the signed paperback direct from Selina

Readers say...

Forget about Fourth Wing and Game of Thrones. This is the best dragon story ever!
Reviewer
"I want these books to continue hurting me."
Reviewer
A powerful book that swept me away.
Reviewer
Be prepared for twists and turns on this fantasy packed adventure following a brave, empathetic young woman with a witty personality.
Reviewer
Great adventure, high stakes, intriguing world, unique creatures!
Reviewer
I felt as though I was inside the book and that all the emotions and feelings that Riony felt, were my own.
Reviewer
it was so easy to read and it made me feel, smile, laugh, cry and so much more. The characters were well written and the adventures never stopped. I can’t wait for more.
Reviewer
I devoured this book in one day because I couldn't put it down! Dragons, secrets, danger, adventure, family - you get it all with the engrossing story. I loved every minute! Must read.
Reviewer
I felt like I was right there through everything that happened.
Reviewer
I've fallen for the main characters. I love the way this book was written. It got me turning pages like I haven't been able to in years.
Reviewer

After many years in the making, I’m so excited to be sharing this series with the world.

Early reviewers are giving these books heaps of love, and I deeply wish for Riony and her adventures to find a special place in the hearts of more readers! 

Curse of the Dragon Shadow ebooks will be 99c during launch, from 18th-23th April, and free for Kindle Unlimited readers!

To celebrate, I have a fantastic competition running below, with lots of awesome prizes! 

Giveaway #1 ended Congrats Bec G!

*Competition redrawn on 13/5/2024 due to no response from first winner.*

Want another chance to win?

Enter another group promo here!

Shadow Dragon Q&A!

Is this series good for kids?
The Shadow Dragon Saga is a Young Adult series suitable for teen readers. There are some darker moments of cruelty and fantasy violence, but if your child has read things like the Hunger Games or Wings of Fire, it would be at a similar level. Sex is mentioned but not depicted, and there is occasional lower level swearing.
In terms of whether kids will enjoy it, a friend of my daughters (12yo girl) borrowed a copy, started reading it on the way home, and didn’t stop until it was finished.

Is this series good for grown ups?
Reviewers say yes!
“Being an adult did not take away at all from this story aimed to the YA market.” 
And, “It’s reigniting my love of reading after years of an unidentifiable malaise towards it.”
There are plenty of deeper themes within the action driven pages to hold an adult’s interest. Yes, this is a book about tough and snarky teens, dragons, and fighting the undead, but where the undead are an allegory for climate change and the violence of capitalistic greed leading to the exploitation and destruction of natural resources and people, and how to hold onto family, community, and morals in such a world.

What does Sapphic mean?
Sapphic means “relating to sexual attraction or activity between women.”
In other words, the main character of this series is a lesbian (and also others, as well as bisexual, non-binary, and other diverse representation).
Romance, however, isn’t a large part of this series storyline, and what there is is slow-build and sweet. Think along the lines of the level of romance in “She-Ra, Princesses of Power”. 
One reader said, “No romance in this novel. We don’t know with who to ship (Riony). She is too good for all of them.”

How many books will there be in the series?
This is a planned six book series, with the first four books written and ready to go, and final two planned out for release by January 2025. If you’re read my other series you know I love a well plotted out storyline, and this series is designed to take you on a sweeping adventure across the land of Elundrae, from the underground refuge to the undead blighted wilds, to the decadent dragonkeeps, as our characters grow from kids just trying to survive, to heroes who may have a chance of saving their world from the curse of the shadow dragon.

How long is each book?
Around the 70-80K words mark. For those who don’t speak author, that’s around 300-400 pages in paperback at an easy to read size and format, that would take an average reader 8 or 9 hours to finish.  
All that to say, these are satisfying full novels but are not massive epic fantasy tomes. Can be binged in a single day if desired (even by 12 year olds). 

Are there cliffhangers?
OH BOY ARE THERE. One book ends in one of the biggest OMIGOD moments I’ve written (it will pay off, I promise!). But this is also why I’ve done all the groundwork already to get this series out FAST so readers aren’t left hanging for long, never more than a few months between books at the planned release schedule.
You may be tempted to not start the series until it is complete, but please, for the love of all authors, please give it a try on release.
If readers refuse to pick up a series on release, it becomes so much harder to get the series completed in the first place. Even if you grab the 99c ebook during launch week but don’t start reading yet, it makes a huge difference to an author’s mental and financial well being.

What were your influences for this series?
A wild and diverse mix of media! Notably, She-ra Princesses of Power, Arcane, The Dragon Prince, Diablo (game franchise), Avatar the Last Airbender, The Locked Tomb, How to Train Your Dragon, The Hunger Games, and also the current state of the world and climate change. 

Will there be audiobooks?
I’ve already spoken to Melody Muze (who did the Beshadowed audiobooks) about narrating this series and she said she’d love to, so book one is going into production already!

Any other questions? Hit me up in the comments!

Are you ready to enter the realm of magic, dragons, and revenants?

]]> https://selinafenech.com/giveaway-shadow-dragon-saga-launch/feed/ 4 2023 Yearly Wrap https://selinafenech.com/2023-yearly-wrap/ https://selinafenech.com/2023-yearly-wrap/#comments Sun, 17 Dec 2023 05:54:07 +0000 https://selinafenech.com/?p=26492 This year has been my most productive in a while. For the last couple of years I had developed a pattern of finishing four major projects each year (generally two novels and two colouring books).

This year, I completed six. This was my first ever three-novel-year, with over 233,000 words written, and I also did three new colouring books as well (although somewhat simpler designs). All of this alongside a bunch of other craziness, see more below!

Before diving in, I did just want to make a note about productivity. It can be so easy to get comparisonitis when seeing other people’s yearly wrap ups. I know I personally feel bad when comparing myself to authors who write dozens of books a year. Remember though that it isn’t a competition.

For starters, this is my full time job so I have many hours to dedicate to my work, and following that, I don’t advocate that the amount of work I did this year was at all healthy. I am feeling a hair’s breadth from burnt out in a big way. However, with the changes to the creative world and introduction of AI, I feel as though I have to make an extra big push right now to try to maintain a livable income with my work.

Now, let’s get into the run down!

Books Published

Novels and books released: Beshadowed Omnibus, A Wish of Ashes and Glass (and French translation), Beshadowed 2: Blood Bound French translation.

Other books/decks: The Practical Magic Oracle Deck, and Reading Journal

Audiobooks released: Entire Heartsblood series and omnibus , Beshadowed 1,2, and 3, and A Wishes of Ashes and Glass

Colouring Books: Natural Enchantment, Natural Enchantment Grayscale, Fantasy Alphabet, Fantasy Realms Bundle, Magical Creatures Mini, Magic and Goddess Mini, Cute Fairy Tales

Artworks Painted/Released

This year I mostly painted book covers and book related things, along with my two entries for this year’s 78 Tarot project (The Empress and Magical Tea Party). I did alternate ebook and hardcover designs for the Beshadowed Omnibus (and released a glorious special limited edition!). I created four covers for the new Shadow Dragon Saga (one not yet revealed outside of Patreon), plus maps and an additional illustrations. I also did the cover for A Wish of Ashes and Glass, and chibi designs for my Empath Chronicles and Memory’s Wake characters.

Events Attended

This year I attended Central Coast Comicon, Book Fair Australia, BABE Ballgowns and Books Event, and did a local market with the Coastwrite group. BABE was the showstopper, and an absolutely magical once in a lifetime experience.

Random extras

The year started out with about 6 months of kitchen/living room/roof/laundry renovations. In the midst of that Serene Conneeley and I launched our Practical Magic deck with special gift boxes.

The Practical Magic Gift Boxes were a huge undertaking!
Some idea of the scale of the renovations. It’s an old house and the original owner/builders cut some crazy corners that meant every step forward ran into a problem.

My beautiful 19 year-old cat passed, and I fostered a mother cat and her four kittens for a few weeks (and look forward to doing it again next year!). I set up direct sales of signed paperbacks, ebooks, and audiobooks on my website here, and have also started releasing my audiobooks on my Youtube channel.

And myself and daughter have still managed to dodge covid for yet another year!

Notes from last year and what’s happening next

I spoke vaguely in my 2022 round up about the new series I was developing, which is the Shadow Dragon Saga. It will begin being released early next year, and the plan is to have the complete six book series finished and out by this time next year! I’m loving this series and can’t wait to share it with the world!

I hit all my other goals for the year, and more.

As for next year, I think I might scale back a little bit again. My main focus is going to be on writing the next three books in the Shadow Dragon Saga, but will no doubt try to do at least 1-2 new colouring books as well.

Readers have been really enjoying my fairy tale retellings as well, so I’ll be chewing over some ideas for what else I can add to that series and maybe plot something out for them for 2024.

My worries about AI are still relevant, and my income has certainly dropped dramatically since AI created books have been flooding the colouring book space. And AI books are now encroaching into audiobooks and novels in a big way as well. I do hope some people will continue to seek creations made by real humans and keep supporting artists like myself. I’m immensely grateful that I’ve continued to be a full time artist for even part of my life, let alone almost twenty years now (I think next year is technically my 20 year anniversary of being self employed!).

As we close out the year with a terrible genocide continuing in Gaza, it has been hard to feel very merry, but I hope that everyone reading this is able to have precious time with family, good health, and peace in their lives as we close out 2023 and move on toward the future.

]]> https://selinafenech.com/2023-yearly-wrap/feed/ 7 *Giveaway* A Wish of Ashes and Glass Launch! https://selinafenech.com/a-wish-of-ashes-and-glass-launch/ https://selinafenech.com/a-wish-of-ashes-and-glass-launch/#comments Fri, 11 Aug 2023 00:31:35 +0000 https://selinafenech.com/?p=26091

Ellasyn has a secret power, one that could be easily abused in the wrong hands. 

She can heal, but only by taking on the illness or injury herself. 

When the king holds a ball to find a bride for his son, Ellasyn only goes to enjoy a night away from the constant cruelty her step-father subjects her to. She isn’t interested in princes. Then she meets the charming and mysterious Ara who seems to have secrets of her own.

When the grand ball ends with an attempt on the king’s life, how can Ellasyn let herself be open to romance? Anyone could be the assassin, and Ellasyn’s kind heart could be a death sentence.

A Wish of Ashes and Glass is a standalone, young adult, sapphic retelling of Cinderella with a twist you won’t see coming.

Grab your copy and escape into this sweet fairy tale today! 

Selina has woven together a magical world of mystery and romance, added with the turns of events and a new era twist of heroine and ending it's truly a must-read for the year.
ReviewerA Wish of Ashes and Glass
From start to finish this book is enticing, magical, enthralling and outright encapturing. It has heroines, masterminds of evil intent, magic, forgiveness, and love; it goes into betrayal and so many other emotions. It's intense, and light all at the same time.
ReviewerA Wish of Ashes and Glass
With its strong, empowered heroines, intricate plot twists, and a touch of enchantment, A Wish of Ashes and Glass stands as a testament to the enduring power of storytelling and the limitless possibilities of reinventing timeless classics. I would recommend this both to anyone looking for a new take on "Cinderella" or seeking a clean LGBTQIA fairy tale adaptation.
ReviewerA Wish of Ashes and Glass
Selina Fenech's storytelling prowess shines through her vivid descriptions and imaginative narrative, breathing new life into the beloved fairy tale. By introducing a queer-friendly romance and exploring themes of selflessness, resilience, and love, the novel captivates readers of all ages.
ReviewerA Wish of Ashes and Glass
The book contains many unexpected twists and turns as well as the same glittering magic and romance that one would expect to find in a "Cinderella" adaptation.
ReviewerA Wish of Ashes and Glass
Ara and El’s love story is the best retelling of Cinderella I have ever read. This is my #1 read of the summer.
ReviewerA Wish of Ashes and Glass
While the audience for this novel is aimed at the young adult market, pretty much anyone over the age of 10 would enjoy this book including adults.
ReviewerA Wish of Ashes and Glass
The story sweeps you away and the world building is descriptive and beautiful as we try to solve the mystery throughout in this exciting and thrilling storyline. Strong heroines, wicked plots, twists and turns to keep you spinning, this truly is a magical read.
ReviewerA Wish of Ashes and Glass
This story of pain and hope tugs on you heartstrings. The book is well written and the characters are fully developed. I highly recommend this fast paced read.
ReviewerA Wish of Ashes and Glass

I’m so excited to be sharing this story with the world in its solo release! It has previously been available in an anthology, and this solo version is slightly longer. 

A Wish of Ashes and Glass ebooks will be 99c during launch week (after pre-order period), and free for KU readers!

Be sure to enter the competition below for your chance to win a signed hardcover copy of this charming fairy tale, plus a Kindle ereader!

*****

GIVEAWAY ENDED! CONGRATULATIONS ARTEMIS G!!

]]> https://selinafenech.com/a-wish-of-ashes-and-glass-launch/feed/ 20 Beshadowed Audiobooks Out Now! https://selinafenech.com/beshadowed-audiobooks/ https://selinafenech.com/beshadowed-audiobooks/#comments Tue, 28 Feb 2023 06:15:49 +0000 https://selinafenech.com/?p=25434

The first two books in the Beshadowed series are now available in audiobooks!

Wait, are you getting déjà vu?? I wouldn’t be surprised, because I made a post almost exactly like this a month ago for the Heartsblood series! That’s because both series have been in production at the same time with two different yet equally incredible narrators!

The third and fourth books in this series are also scheduled for production and coming soon.

These books have been narrated by the incredibly talented Melody Muzljakovich, (who also narrates the voice of Feyre in ACOTAR dramatized adaptation)  as Melody Muze!).

Listen to a free sample on Audible or Authors Direct

Grab your copy of Beshadowed Book 1: Darkness Unknown

You have been lied to.
Werewolves, vampires, ghosts … they aren’t what you think.

After the death of her mother, Everly Boderleth has to go back to her spooky hometown, Shroudhaven, and she has a plan to get in and out as quick as possible.
Step one, clear out the family home and antique store.
Step two, watch her childhood sweetheart die violently at the hands of an indescribable, horrific creature.

Wait, what?

That wasn’t part of the plan. But it was just a dream, wasn’t it?
As the evidence mounts that what she saw was real, a broken heart is the least of her problems.
Everly thinks she’s close to the truth, but nothing is as it seems.

What is really lurking in the dark?

Darkness Unknown is the first book in the Beshadowed series by Selina A. Fenech. If you’re looking for shifters with a twist, urban fantasy with a touch of horror, and a satisfying mystery, you’ll love Beshadowed.

Audiobook Giveaway Competition!

Giveaway Ended! Congrats to Samantha, Krystal, Susannah, Julia, Patricia, Donna, Marieke, Lori, Nicole, and Bailey 

]]> https://selinafenech.com/beshadowed-audiobooks/feed/ 4 Heartsblood Audiobooks Out Now! https://selinafenech.com/heartsblood-audiobooks/ https://selinafenech.com/heartsblood-audiobooks/#comments Wed, 01 Feb 2023 03:47:33 +0000 https://selinafenech.com/?p=25370

The first two books in the Heartsblood series are now available in audiobooks!

The third and final book in this series is also scheduled for production and coming soon.

These books have been narrated by the incredibly talented Stephanie Németh-Parker, along with Zac Aleman for the second two books in the series which contain dual POV. 

Listen to a free sample on Audible or Authors Direct

Grab your copy of Heartsblood Book 1: Unlife

Actress Kaitlyn French only took the role of ‘vampire’s sexy victim’ because she needed the cash.
It turned out to be the role of a lifetime.

Held at the mercy of a real vampire who thinks she’s the tastiest of them all, Kaitlyn is sure she’s hit rock bottom.
She had no idea she’d long for the day when only one vampire wanted her blood. That she’d grow to love the man who fed from her. And that they’d have to fight together to save each other’s lives.

Vampire factions fight over Kaitlyn’s unique blood and what it can do. Facing a future she never imagined is hard. Escaping a horde of hangry vampires is even harder. Will Kaitlyn win her freedom before she is drained dry?

Competition ended!

Congrats to Michele, Belinda, Jen, Gill, Reda, Marjorie, Miranda, Mareike, Leanne, and Theresa! You will be emailed directly with your prize! 

]]> https://selinafenech.com/heartsblood-audiobooks/feed/ 2 New/Old Art book! And Giveaway! https://selinafenech.com/new-old-art-book-and-giveaway/ https://selinafenech.com/new-old-art-book-and-giveaway/#comments Sat, 07 Jan 2023 23:48:40 +0000 https://selinafenech.com/?p=25131

I’m excited to announce the release of a new art book – although one filled with older art. 

As new printing options have become available to me, I’ve decided to update my art book offerings. I’ve gathered together over 250 fantasy artworks that I created from the very beginning of my art career through to 2018.

This book contains the majority of my visual art work from literally the very first fairy and mermaid I painted, through to my work as an established professional artist.

This artbook is offered in paperback (8.5x11inches in size), and hardcover (8.25×11 inches in size). Currently only available on Amazon due to printing and distribution costs.

This collection replaces my previous smaller art books Fairy Visions 1 and 2, Mermaid Dreams, Mythic Power, Gothic Beauty, and Enchanted Fantasy. It contains all artworks these smaller books contained and more, with a more premium print quality.

In order to fit more artworks into this book, I have however removed the sketches and longer artwork descriptions that the smaller collections included. 

The smaller art collections will soon be unpublished and removed from distribution.

Win a signed hardcover copy of Fantasy Art by Selina Fenech: Early Works

Giveaway ended: Congrats to the winner Michelle T!

]]> https://selinafenech.com/new-old-art-book-and-giveaway/feed/ 9 2022 Yearly Round Up https://selinafenech.com/2022-yearly-round-up/ https://selinafenech.com/2022-yearly-round-up/#comments Mon, 12 Dec 2022 09:09:29 +0000 https://selinafenech.com/?p=24968

Here we are at the end of another year, so it’s time for a yearly wrap up!

This year I followed what seems to be becoming a pattern for me in terms of what I create, with four major projects for the year (two books written and two colouring books designed), plus all the other side projects and work around those. 

Books Published -

This year was the solo release (after it’s inclusion in an anthology) of A Cage of Gold and Lies, and the fourth and final book in the Beshadowed series, Everdark Cursed, marking the completion of four completed fiction series! I also released a whopper sized art book of Early Works that will replace the smaller art collections currently available (they will be removed from sale at the end of the year). 

A Cage of Gold and Lies also had its French language release and audiobook release this year.

Also in audiobooks, the Empath Chronicles full series set was released in audio, plus the first two books in the Heartsblood series. The first book in Beshadowed has also been produced in audio and will be released early next year!

I also wrote a Cinderella retelling, which will be released next year as part of an anthology.s

In colouring books, I completed two new major releases, Mermaid Magic and Winged Magic, plus a bundle of 100 mermaid designs and a new pocket sized minis. 

Artworks Painted and Released-

Somewhat less than last year, but still a few good ones in the mix!

New artworks include: Temperance, Lioness, new Heartsblood covers, Golden Orb, Dark Treasures, Beshadowed chibis.

Artworks completed in 2021 but released this year– Solar Energy, Lunar Energy, Transformation, Make a Choice, Overwhelm, Friendship, Lilac Enchantment

Events Attended- 

I upped my attendance of signings and conventions this year after the slower early pandemic years, attending Books By The Bridge, Supanova, Central Coast Comicon, and Book Fair Australia. I also had a book launch night for the last book in Beshadowed (see my speech and reading videos) as part of the Words on the Waves writer’s festival. I also attended a writing retreat with my favourite local authors and knocked out 13,000 words over a weekend. 

Additional random things-

My daughter changed schools, and we had some other big family news (which I can’t discuss publically at the moment, but was big, and cool!). I got myself a Wacom MobileStudio which has been awesome, and restarted my Patreon. My husband turned 50 (!) and I also had my first birthday event for myself since well before my daughter (now 11(!)) was born. 

We had a crazy amount of rain and storms and we had to get our whole roof repaired and have been living with the remaining leak holes in the ceiling since (all booked in for repair with some other renovations in January!). 

My family and I have also still managed to dodge covid for another year! 

Notes from last year–

Last year I wrote on my wrap up blog that “I also need to work out how to be a better employer/manager of others and bring more people into my business to help out, because I feel like that would really help out.”

Yeah… that’s still a big one on the to-do list. I really do need more help in my business in lots of aspects of it, especially the marketting and management side (I do have one awesome assistant that keeps my Etsy store running and helps with publishing processes). 

I also wrote that my plans were to finish the Beshadowed series (TICK!), and do another mermaid colouring book and mermaid bundle book (TICK and TICK!).

I wasn’t sure at the time what I would do after those were done, but then I ended up with an obligation (in a good way) to write something for another anthology, and wanted to do another colouring book, so they filled out the rest of the year. 

Since then I’ve made my decision on the next major fiction series I’ll be working on … probably for many years to come, as it’s going to be a big one. More news on it as I continue development! I’m working with a mentor for this new series, which is I suppose me getting the help I’ve wanted! So I’ll be following all of my mentor’s recommendations for every part of the development and release of this series, which will be an interesting process but has already been informative and exciting. Fingers crossed it all comes together and I’ll have more to share soon. 

Alongside the fiction series project, I also have another big release in March that I’m excited to share soon, and will be creating a companion colouring book for. The Beshadowed series omnibus needs creating and release, and I’m hoping to do another two colouring books as well (bumping up to 3 in total of new major books for the year). 

Thoughts on the world going forward…

The world is changing so much, and so fast, with the introduction and rapid advancement of AI technology. 

Honestly, I don’t know what the future holds for my career at this point, because AI art and writing generation software will make it easier than ever for content creation farms to flood the market with AI generated art, colouring books, novels, and more. I’m sure I will always continue creating in some way or another, but I know it’s going to get a lot harder very soon to get my work found and chosen amid an ocean of infinite AI creations. Making a living as an artist may soon be impossible.

These AI programs can create work faster than any human artist, creating almost instantly something that would take me weeks to paint. 
 

In some ways I like the programs. I enjoy using them myself to see what they create, and find them inspiring. But their existence has also put me into what I feel is a mourning period as I grieve for what I feel is almost certainly the end of mine and so many other artist’s careers. 

All this to say, I will approach next year as with any other and create what I can and hope for the best, but the world is changing so fast, I am unsure where even this next year will take us. 

]]> https://selinafenech.com/2022-yearly-round-up/feed/ 1