Before I set out to publish The Iyarri Chronicles, I had all these grand ideas of what being an author was, and just about every single one of those grand ideas was dead wrong.

I struggled mightily with the decision to self, indie, or traditionally publish. I questioned if my work was at all good enough, or even on the same planet as the authors I idolized so very, very much. And I had absolutely no effing clue what I was doing.

If you're an aspiring author, curious about the process, or just have a question you want to ask, now is the time! (And I mean up to and including 'who was your favorite / least favorite character to write', or ''how did you get the idea for [thing]?'.)

Since every author takes a different path, I'll be pulling in my good friend (and Patron!) Rowan MacKay to give additional thoughts. 

You might recognize Rowan's name from this review I gave of her debut novel, Wreathed in Tide & Torment and I cannot recommend it enough!

Once all the questions are in, Rowan and I will be responding to your questions on Patreon (the post will be public for all to read, but you will need an account even if it's at the free tier)!  

Click the button below to ask on Patreon, or just respond to this email by Sunday June 22nd  (no worries, it will only go to me, not everyone getting this email, but if you'd prefer to send me a fresh email you can do so at melissa@nightblooming.com

As a reminder, the entire series of The Iyarri Chronicles has earned itself out and we're going to celebrate with 3 things:

• A sale! 25% off all Iyarri Chronicles ebooks and hardcovers EXTENDED!
• an AMA about the publishing journey and fielding questions from people who might want to self or indie publish and have questions about the process < You are here
• A preview of the upcoming audio book of Heaven's Silhouette. (coming soon!)

Not sure why this is such a gigantic deal, or what earning out means? Check it out on Patreon (post free for everyone, but Patrons get behind the scenes updates, discounts, and more, so I'd highly encourage you to sign up, even as a free member!

No matter if you need to finish your set or are just starting The Iyarri Chronicles, you can purchase ebooks and autographed hardcovers at NightBlooming and support me directly. Going through Amazon? They take so much of every hardcover sale that I make more on an ebook :(

You can also pick up the complete ebook trilogy. This is only available on NightBlooming, and I designed the cover myself! 

These books are truly a labor of love, and will be a treasured collection of functional art for your bookcases.

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If I had to pick one word for Heaven's Silhouette it would be ``refreshing,`` because for all its gritty urban fantasy awesomeness, it refuses to rely on easy tropes, specifically the pseudo-feminist heroine who is an all powerful badass and magically possesses omnipresent agency. 

Aurelia is not a superhero; she's strong the way real women who find themselves in bad circumstances are strong. She finds small, personal ways to assert and preserve herself as forces bigger than her dictate the very terms of her existence. If that is not a fable of strength ... I don't know what is. 

This is what speculative fiction does best. The characters are grayscale, the text engages difficult issues rather than toeing a palatable line around them, all while the fantasy cuts open worn out paradigms like a sharp knife. Just brilliant.⁠
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This review made my heart swell, it's everything I ever hoped someone would find in my books. If you haven't started The Iyarri Chronicles, Heaven's Silhouette is the first book, and I hope it resonates with you as much as it did for this reader!⁠