Jessica McCarty, Author

  For those of you who may have missed it, I did an extra blog post last month. If you haven't ordered your copy of Champion's Key  yet, you may want to check out said post as it features a sneak peek of the prologue and first chapter. I'm also selling copies of Key  for those of you who live locally. Swing by the Flora-Monroe Township Public Library to order a signed copy of my book and receive a free bookmark with your purchase. Offer ends October fourteenth. Reading . . . Just Look Up by Courtney Walsh Harbor Pointe, Bk. 1 Christian/Contemporary Romance What Happened to You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing by Bruce D. Perry & Oprah Winfrey Nonfiction Divine Rivals  by Rebecca Ross Letters of Enchantment, Bk. 1 YA Fantasy Music . . . "Where's My Love" (alternate version) || SYML I listened to this song on a loop while drafting the intro to Champion's Sword . There's a video on YouTube that I found later that may be the original ...

I have a little surprise for you, friends! I wanted to do something special to celebrate the release of my newest book, Champion's Key . Scroll down for a little sneak peek of the prologue and  the first chapter. Enjoy! Prologue Sunset Mountains, Esland Two years ago He dropped to the snow, the wind snatching his anguished screams. Foundling, dark as the grave, slithered up his veins, hungry to possess the light. The Champion writhed as the darkness creeped toward his heart and the power connected to it. Xeno grinned down at his victim in triumph, reaching for his prize, his greasy, ice-flecked hair immovable in the storm. The sword’s runes glowed, and a bolt of light shot out to attack Xeno’s hand, contorting his fingers. He yanked it back with a growl. “Release the mantle, Champion!” “To you? Never.” “Your death is inevitable. Pass me the mantle. You know as well as I that if you don’t pass it to someone while you still have your wits, you risk losing it forever.” ...

 Yesterday, I officially hit publish on KDP. From what I understand, it can take up to seventy-two hours for a book to go up on Amazon. That means Champion's Key  should be available for purchase by the end of the week! If you've been following my posts, you probably know this is a YA Fantasy series, which makes it a very different book from my first. But if you were looking forward to more romance and sword fights, have no fear, this series will give you plenty of both!💙A full description of Key  can be found on my "Books" page. I can't wait for you to meet Rosalyn, Briar, and the rest of the gang. It's going to be a wild ride! Reading . . . Range by Ronie Kendig The Metcalfes, Bk. 3 Christian Fiction This series! Just . . . wow! It isn't for the faint of heart, but it's oh so good. A Most Clever Girl: How Jane Austen Discovered Her Voice  by Jasmine A. Stirling Children's Nonfiction "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a girl with a...

  Quick Update . . . I got my copyright back two weeks earlier than I expected ! Unfortunately, I was in the midst of re-reading my book and taking notes for book 2. I finally wrapped that up the other day and have started playing around with covers on KDP. The cover I originally  created doesn't seem to mesh with their cover tool . So, I'll be spending Saturday working on said cover. Once the cover's done, I'll upload the book itself and, hopefully, give you all a release date! Also, if you'd like a quick peek at the book, you can find the prologue pinned to the top of my Instagram page. For Facebook and Twitter, see my post from July 24. Reading . . . Dance of Thieves by Mary E. Pearson YA Fantasy "It was his kindness that had seduced me." Impatiently waiting for book two. I think it got sucked into the interlibrary loan void.😶 To Calm a Storm by Heather Day Gilbert and Jen Cudmore Historical Fiction Vikings. Need I say more? A Match Made at Christmas b...

With Champion's Key  releasing soon, I thought it would be fun to share the blurb. I will hopefully have a release date for you all in the next month or so as I'm still waiting on my copyright. So,  without further ado, here's the blurb for Key !🌹🔑💙   Briar is liaison to the human kingdom of Esland, a role he stepped into after ending his secret relationship with his childhood friend, Esland’s heir. Briar is more than a little surprised when King Arden asks him to look after Rosalyn. Fulfilling his duties isn’t easy. Rosalyn can barely stand to be in the same room with him. One night Rosalyn is attacked, and Briar makes a shocking discovery. The princess isn’t human, something she’s completely unaware of. Rosalyn doesn’t let others in, especially Briar, whose nearness stirs up things she’d rather forget. But when her father returns, poisoned and near death, chaos erupts. Rose finds herself on the run, dependent on Briar to keep her alive. And to mend what’s broken in...

Writing Update I applied for my copyright yesterday! As long as my application doesn't run into any snags, I should have it within two or three months. This is important because it will affect when my book releases. That said, keep your eye out for some exciting updates in the coming months!💙 Reading . . . Ember Queen  by Laura Sebastian Ash Princess, Bk. 3 YA Fantasy Willow by Ronie Kendig The Metcalfes, Bk. 2 Suspense No Offense  by Meg Cabot Romance **Warning for sensitive readers: Contains adult content. Music . . . "Bird" by Billie Marten Enjoying . . . YouTube     * Katherine Sewing , specifically her historical hair care videos     * Mariah Pattie --sewing & the occasional "chicken update"🐔     * The Place We Find Ourselves  (Adam Young Counseling) Food     *sheet pan meals          I make mine with sausage, potatoes, onions, pepper, salt, and olive oil. Lately, I've been doing one side wit...

Writing update . . . This week, I'm using the Read Aloud feature to check for flow and any mistakes in my draft. So far,  I've been very pleased with how the book flows, surprised by a few mistakes (i.e. flash instead of flask and check instead of cheek), and highly  amused by how the robotic voice reads words it doesn't understand. For instance, it pronounces D'Andre's name correctly (Dee-on-dray). But D'Andre in the possessive, D'Andre's, becomes D-Andre-S.🤣Xiomarans (Z-O-mar-uns) becomes Zom-er-uns. And tsked becomes T-S-K-E-D. Maybe I'd get more done if I didn't have to pause and have a giggle so often.😉 Currently, I'm just over halfway through. After that I'll read it again before doing a quick pass for punctuation. As long as I'm happy with it, I'll move on to getting it copyrighted, watch that how-to video on KDP, and get started on cover ideas. I read something the other day that said copyright can take three months or l...