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What is covered below:
World Map of Grimtol!
Primordials of Shadowthorn e-book collection!
Announcement: Changes to newsletter!
Limited-time giveaways and Book Fairs!
Check out the reveals and updates from May's newsletter below! Sign-up to get July's sent directly to your inbox!
I can keep you waiting no longer! The time has finally come for me to share the world map I've been working on for...months 😳😅
The World of Grimtol
Welcome to Grimtol, where seven nations rule fraught with unrest, political strife, and of course, powerful magic! Let me briefly tell you a bit about each of the nations:
Sky-Blessed Lands: Home to the Sky-Blessed (aptly named...lol I am toying with naming the kingdom something different), these people arrived one day when thunder struck the tallest peaks of the Clouded Mountains and are believed to be descendants of gods.
Eynallore: Where the Ashen reside, a resurrected race with strange connections to the afterlife and death. No one quite knows why they came back from the dead...no one but me 😋
Galorfin: On The Day The Land, Sky, and Sea Shook, the earth cracked and swallowed an entire village. Centuries later, the people climbed out of the Maw of Death, a new dwarven race created. Having grown accustomed to the heat of leaving near the world's center, they built their homes among the scorched volcanos on Grimtol's western island, naming it after their first rule, Finnegan Galor.
Caelora Province: Quite possibly the largest, wealthiest, and most powerful of the kingdoms, Caelora covers much of central and southwestern Grimtol. It is the new home to Queen Aenwyn, as well, which I'll talk more about below!
Kingdom of Irongate: Another of the human nations, and the second most powerful kingdom in Grimtol. I haven't done much plotting for them yet, but I do know that after dealing with a plague and multiple dragon attacks centuries ago, they became focused on self-preservation and taking care of their own. Queen Aenwyn's sister is to be wed to the King of Irongate in an unforeseen alliance forged between Irongate and Skogar.
Skogar Territories: The people who live here resemble Vikings in a very general sense. I'm still figuring them out. I do know that they once were apart of Irongate's dominion, but sought sovereignty some time ago. Unsure why 😅 This is also Queen Aenwyn's homeland, and her father leads the Skogar Territories to this day.
Vallonde: The desert territories! Home to busy bazaars, oasis hideouts, bandits, thieves, shapeshifters, and others who have been condemned from the rest of Grimtol. I'm still working on figuring them out too. 😊
**NOTE: Places and lore are subject to change—I'm still in the worldbuilding stage of my writing process, so nothing is set in stone yet, but these are my initial ideas for this world!
Long ago, the entire continent was ruled by the Sky-Blessed, with Caelora, Irongate, and Vallonde being the first to gain sovereignty. They are still by far the most powerful countries, and perhaps the most at odds. Especially since dragons started scorching the lands and the Ashen were raised from the dead...
Which may or may not be a glimpse into some of the conflict Queen Aenwyn will be dealing with in my short story prequel, A Delicate Betrayal 😋
Speaking of the queen, let's talk about the Caelora Province!
Home to King Everard and Queen Aenwyn—whom I shared in the last newsletter that you can read here if you missed it! They live at Caelora Castle in the bottom left of the map.
A decade ago, dragons reigned terror on Grimtol, killing King Everard's parents, and laying waste to many of the Caeloran towns and villages.
As such, King Everard's mission is to kill the three dragons. Although Aenwyn can't remember ever seeing one, she's always felt a strange connection to them, and has been dreaming of fire and death for months.
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Remember, this short story (A Delicate Betrayal) featuring Aenwyn will first be released exclusively in the Wicked Fates anthology in August! If you haven't preordered your copy yet, preorder Wicked Fates, here!
Primordials of Shadowthorn e-book Collection
So, I forgot to share some big news with you all in my last update... 😅
Now you can get Shadow Crusade, Blighted Heart, and Immortal Return—the prequel trilogy to Blood & Magic Eternal—all in one complete e-book collection! 🎉
⚜️ A vengeful huntress
⚔️ A roguish half-demon
⚜️ A world overrun by horrifying monsters
⚔️ And a legion of Shadow Crusaders to stop them
If you haven't read this epic fantasy romance series yet, join the fight against darkness and grab The Primordials of Shadowthorn e-book collection now!
Changes to Newsletter
I've been noticed that my emails are getting pretty too long 😅 I think part of the reason is that I try to email only once per month (unless it's a release month). So, I'm going to try something different...
For the next month or so, I'm going to email 2x per month and see how that feels.
Obviously, I don't want to clutter up your inbox, so I'm not going to force an email if I feel like I don't have any updates or goodies to share. But I also think most of the time I've got something worth your while, and plan to keep my emails meaningful and enjoyable! 😊
In theory, this should mean more reveals, more giveaways, and connecting more with readers about everything bookish! How could it not be AMAZING! 😊
Giveaways, Freebies, & Growing that TBR!
That's all from me for now!
In June I have a special giveaway planned that kind of worked perfectly for Pride Month! So stay tuned for that. 😊 I'll also be sharing more about the world I'm developing. I think I might even share more about "The Ashen" I mentioned above, and Princess Elora who will be one of the main characters in the first book. She's like an undead elf and I am swooning 😈
Take care and happy reading!
Jessaca
About the Author
Jessaca is a fantasy author with an inclination toward the dark, epic, and adventure sub-genres. She draws inspiration from books like Nevernight and ACOTAR, videogames like Dark Souls III, and tv shows like Game of Thrones and The Witcher. She is also a self-proclaimed nerd who loves cosplay, video games, and comics. Click the image to learn more about her books!