Blessed Lady above, thank you for your bountiful blessings of love.
The final book in the Shanhasson trilogy, Return to Shanhasson, is now available at Drollerie Press here. In the next few days it should also pop up on Amazon, B&N, etc. I’ll add buy links as they’re available.
Reviewers: please contact me (joelysueburkhart AT gmail DOT com) for a review copy!
For my early formative years of writing (early 2000s), there were only a handful of authors I read heavily: Robert Jordan, Laurell K. Hamilton, Amanda Quick, Julie Garwood, Johanna Lindsay, and George RR Martin. Since the Shanhasson trilogy was my first project, you’ll probably see a lot of those influences.
I tried to take everything I loved from epic fantasy… the lushness of romance…and the sultry romps of LKH (before the arduer took over)…and create a world that contained it all. Political intrigue, worldbuilding, large character casts, sweeping story arcs, epic journeys mixed with emotional relationships and complex erotic situations. If LKH taught me that one heroine could have many lovers, then George RR Martin taught me…
To kill characters.
I’m so in love with Game of Thrones on HBO and I’m absolutely thrilled that it’s generating such excitement for people who might not have read the series, but seriously, I’m worried about people’s reactions as those beloved characters start dropping like flies.
Okay, I don’t quite kill as many characters as Martin, but major characters DO die in the Shanhasson series. If you already read Road, you know that. But killing characters is a huge no-no in Romancelandia, and since I write a lot of romance and romance-like work, I want to be clear up front.
Return to Shanhasson is NOT a romance.
However, if your heart isn’t singing with joy at the end…and yes, a few tears might spill from your eyes (I cry every time I read it)…then I’ve failed utterly and completely.
To be completely fair, characters might be DEAD but they’re not GONE. e.g. there are still scenes with the characters who were killed and they’re still important to the story. They’re simply bound to appear only in Dreams. So here’s a little twist for you: if I bring back the beloved characters, then it’s only fair that I bring back the hated ones too, right? *wicked grin*
Anyway, if you take a look at the Return to Shanhasson page, you’ll seen the following warning:
THIS TRILOGY IS NOT ROMANCE. Bad things happen. Significant characters die. Love is the greatest gift of all, and sometimes requires the greatest sacrifice. However, love shines in the darkest night. The road is long and hard, but when Shannari reaches her destination, she’ll reunite with all her loved ones she’s lost over the years and find more love and happiness than she’s ever known.
Thank you, Mr. Martin.
We’re finalizing the release date as I type, but it’ll definitely be THIS MONTH! Thank you, everyone, for your patience. I hope the final book in the Shanhasson trilogy meets your wildest expectations!
Meet Mykal tal‘Mamba, a man so cloaked in Shadow that he doesn’t remember exactly who he is. Or rather, who he’s been.
Raising his voice, Mykal yelled after the fleeing trader. “Tell Shannari dal’Dainari that soon I’ll soar over her Shining Walls!”
Coming August 29th from Carina Press:
Bred for him…and for his bed.
Golden-eyed Jin has spent her life preparing to be the Emperor’s consort. She knows her destiny is to serve the Emperor by indulging the dark desire that he has buried deep inside his heart—the desire to give pain.
Only she can take the pain he yearns to give, and transform it into the most unimaginable pleasure. But to enjoy all the Emperor can give her, she must survive assassination attempts from those who would keep them apart.
Seducing the Emperor is risky…but it’s the only way to fulfill her destiny.
The formatting is complete and we’re working on the cover. This one will be done by a new cover artist. I’ll keep you posted but we’re very close!
REVIEWERS: I have ARCs (pdf — and I can probably make you an epub too)!!!! This is the third book in a trilogy and I’m afraid it will NOT make sense if you haven’t read the others. If you’re interested in rating/reviewing on any book site and would like the book(s) please contact me!
I always love Mrs. Giggles’ sense of humor — and cutting wit — so it’s a pleasure to announce that she gave Lady Doctor Wyre an 84!
What I like though is how the ménage à trois makes sense in this story considering the context of the setting, and how the author takes the trouble to show me how the two men care for Charlotte and how she for them, instead of relying of cheap gimmicks like “two weird gay guys from outer space who needs a human woman to make them whole” or something equally ridiculous.
She does comment that she wished the novella was much longer. I’m pleased to say that I plan to write at least one more novella that explores their relationships even more, tentatively titled Lord Regret’s Price.
Thank you, Mrs. Giggles!
I got my Samhain royalty statement this weekend and I’ve been happy-teary ever since because Conn hit a significant milestone. After its release in June 2009, Dear Sir, I’m Yours has sold 10,000 electronic copies! I’m just stunned, honestly. It’s absolutely amazing to think that more than 10,000 people have read a story I wrote.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you to each and every one of you who’ve read about the sexiest English teacher alive and went on to read about his wicked brother Victor…and hopefully their incredibly complicated sister, Vicki.
A huge HUGE thank you to Su at Earthly Charms for designing these incredible character cards for my new release! I highly recommend her for quick, lovely designs — and I can’t wait to hold these little beauties in my hands!
These are all in pdf format.
If you’d like a complete set, send your snail mail addy to joelysueburkhart AT gmail DOT com. It might be another week or two before they’re printed and shipped, but I’ll get them out as soon as I can. (P.S. If anyone’s going to RWA or any other con and can take some of these along for me, please let me know!)
Updated: I will ship internationally too – as long as you don’t mind me throwing in a few extras to make the postage worthwhile! Feel free to share them with your friends!
I’ve already posted the entire short story as “Friday Snippets” here on the blog, but here’s the free read compiled into a single file. Several of you indicated interest in continuing the story about Lady Wyre’s “assassination,” soI hope to continue writing parts of this prequel over the next few months.
Lady Wyre’s Regret (pdf)
I also have mobi and epub versions, but for some reason WP won’t allow me to upload them. If you’d like one of these alternative formats, just e-mail me (joelysueburkhart AT gmail DOT com) and I’ll send you the desired version.
Lady Doctor Wyre releases next Tuesday, March 29th from Samhain Publishing (pre-order available)!
Susi, the Geeky Bookworm says:
An inventive setting with an enthralling adventure plot. The mix of historical, steampunk and science fiction is masterly woven together and the detailed view you get in the novel will leave you breathless.
Thank you so much, Susi! I hope to expand more on the developing romance and the men in particular in the next novella!
