Without art, the crudeness of reality would make the world unbearable.
―Frida Kahlo
Two More Days!
I can't believe that Belladonna Moon debuts in just two days! I largely wrote this book as a love letter to Savannah. I also really wanted to get into the romantasy genre. I'm lucky enough to have two parents that are still very much in love with each other, and they're both my heroes. They're as different as they are similar, and that means they inspire me in unique ways that helped me become the person I am. As this book is largely through the eyes of Mercy, I dedicated this book to my mother in particular. Because, like Mercy, she shines with generosity and constantly gives the most valuable resource of all (her time) to her community.
A Dream Come True
Before I published The Occult Invasion, for the sake of my mental health, I had to decide what my definition of success was as an independent author. Of course nearly every author's dream is to earn enough to write full time, myself included, but money has never been my end goal. I feel like the best art inspires more art, so I decided my definition of success is someone creating fan art and fanfiction for my stories.
And guess what, I'm now one for two! The lovely Ada Marlowe created fan art for Mercy and Kit. If her name sounds familiar, that's because she's the independent author who wrote the amazing story, Withered by Shadows. You may remember my book review praising it, and I've been lucky enough to form a friendship with the author since we became ARC Readers for each other. I'm not-so-patiently waiting for her sequel, and I'm honored to be a beta reader for it. (That means I get to read it even sooner 😈) Who knew she could create such beautiful art in a different medium, too? I'm in awe of her talent, and I might have cried when she posted this beautiful art.
Mercy is an apothecary in colonial Savannah, Georgia. Like Hattie, she wants to marry, but her idea of marriage is much more progressive for her time period. Because, above all else, Mercy doesn't want to lose her business. If she marries, it belongs to her husband in the eyes of the law. But she has much bigger things to worry about. She's a master of her craft, but she knows little of the magical world. She has to learn - and learn fast - when her parents are murdered. I enjoyed introducing my magical universe through her eyes. This is all new to her, so I loved writing about the things that Hattie took for granted.
The tagline for this story is "The only differences between medicine and poison are dosage and intent", and I feel like that sums up Mercy perfectly. She's an apothecary first, but she also believes in justice... the only question is what her definition of "justice" is.
Kit started with a very simple idea: a man who hides his violence behind charm. I wanted him to fluster Mercy, and safe to say he accomplished that goal. But I also wanted him to represent the danger that comes with my magical universe. Before his arrival (or more aptly, before Mercy's parents were murdered), she only knew a peaceful life. Even when she was mastering her magic and her family was avoiding civilization, she only remembers being safe together.
Enter Kit. He's dangerous and charming and works for one of the most powerful covens in the world. But there's a twist: Mercy is dangerous, too. Kit's been all around the world, so little surprises him... but he founds himself drawn to Mercy in a way he's never been drawn to anyone. Even though she knows nothing about their world, she's still a threat, and he finds himself unable to look away.
Book Recommendations?
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