After The End

Love or Destiny?

Journey of the Wanderer releases on February 24th. It will only be one of the many books released that day but for me, it’s a momentous day for many reasons. Journey of the Wanderer is the last book in the Triune Stone Series. It’s the book that gives the HEA. It’s the book with the scenes that, even after writing, rewriting and editing over and over, still make me cry. It’s where I say goodbye to characters that I’ve grown to love.

Finishing the last book in a series has always been a bittersweet moment for me. Writers are first and foremost readers. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that I’d have the same sense of melancholy when I finish writing a series as I do reading one.

I  can remember vividly holding The Return of the King in my hand with tears running down my face as Frodo says goodbye not just to Middle Earth, but to me. I didn’t cry but I did yearn for just one more of JK Rowlings’ books. I wasn’t ready to leave Harry or the world she created yet. I finished CS Lewis’s Last Battle and immediately wanted to start again at The Magician’s Nephew.

So what makes a good series? The world building? Character development? Story arc? I think it’s all of these things and more. There is something magical that happens when a world escapes the pages of a book to grow and take up such a place in our imaginations that it elicits true emotion.  Characters, places become real and a part of who we are. And like with any place or person we love, it’s hard to say goodbye.

So it is with a lot of emotion that I give to you Journey of the Wanderer, and the last of a series.

Some legends are born. Some are made. Some just are.

Journey of Wisdom is available now at Amazon, Carina Press or any eBook retailer. 

 As Bredych seizes power in the kingdom of Greton, Ilythra staggers north with a magic stone he covets, fleeing his murderous trackers. There in the mist, she finds the Siobani and the final Triune Stone.

Ilythra's quest won't be complete until she recovers the stone still in Bredych's possession and uses it to mend the wounds of the world. Though the Siobani are reluctant to leave their long seclusion, Ilythra convinces them that the time to reunite the stones has come.

With Ilythra wielding the power of her stone, the Siobani have a fighting chance. But Greton's walls are thick. Bredych's spells are insidious. His army is well trained. And even with new magic she's learned from the Siobani to help her, pulling down the puppeteer of Greton will be Ilythra's hardest battle yet.

What is your favorite series? 

Cookies!

This time of year, my mind doesn’t immediately turn to decorations or gift buying (or getting). I’m not thinking turkey or ham or holiday traffic. My thoughts turn toward cookies. I love to bake. Cake, pie, cookies, you name it. I find it therapeutic. Cookies are my go-to dessert because they’re fast easy and there are so many varieties... which leads me back to why thoughts go to cookies at this time of year.

Christmas cookies.

It’s like an excuse to bake as much as I want, as often as I can, and try as many varieties as possible. I can rarely leave a recipe alone. I like to experiment. What if I added coconut... chocolate, etc.  I have my favorites, and those varieties requested by friends and family, but I love to try out new varieties every year.  I bake them for friends, neighbors, family, and this year I’m even selling them.

I think it would be awesome to participate in a giant cookie exchange, but as that’s kind of problematic, how about an informal cookie recipe exchange?

I’ll give you my favorite sugar cookie recipe and if you have a favorite recipe, post them in the  comments.

 I’ve always loved sugar cookie dough, but this one... the cookies are good without frosting.

½ cup butter, room temperature

4 oz cream cheese, room temperature

1 cup white sugar

1 egg

½ tsp almond extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

½ tsp baking powder

Cream together cream cheese, butter and sugar. Blend until smooth. Add egg and vanilla extract. Mix. Add flour and baking powder and blend together.

Divide the dough in half and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least one hour. (I’ve refrigerated overnight with no problem)

Take half of the dough and roll it to a ¼ inch thick on a well-floured surface. Cut out the cookies and bake them at 350 for 6 to 10 minutes or until golden brown.  (Cooking time depends a lot on what shape you choose for your cookie) If you don’t like the taste of almond, substitute vanilla.

Cool and frost or decorate as you desire.

Let me know what you think of the cookies! I will check the comments and try your recipes too. I may just pick one I like the best and send you a batch of my famous—in my family anyway—lemon cookies. Because who doesn’t love getting cookies?

Not only is my mind full of cookie thoughts,  I’m celebrating my upcoming release, Journey of Wisdom, which is the third book in the Triune Stones series. I don’t think Ilythra ever made a cookie in her life, but she’d probably eat one or two.

Journey of Wisdom comes out December 30^th, just in time for New Year’s reading!

So please, leave your favorite recipe or a link to your favorite recipe in the comments below!