So I’ve been pretty quiet for awhile lately… Mostly because I’ve been crazy-busy working on stuff that I didn’t want to share until it was ready to go. (You know what they say about the quiet ones, lol.) Let’s see… Where to begin? …Oh, right.
My New Website
So, yeah. This is my new website! I previously maintained two separate sites for my books: waywardscribe.com and katirwin.com. Both of these sites have been stripped down to links pointing to here, where (almost) all the content was moved.
If you’re looking for my pages on Writer Resources, those are still being maintained here on waywardscribe.com. (I still need to get on top of updating them with new info/experiences. It’s on my seemingly never-ending list of sh*t that needs to get done.)
This new site covers ALL my writing work in one place, with room to grow. My plan for blogging (which I’m usually sporadic about at best) is to aim for a casual, weekly update post to check in with what I’m working on, and any news I might have to share in any genre I’m writing. (Of course, my newsletter group will always get first dibs on new project/release info. 😉 If you’re interested in joining, click here.)
Speaking of any genre…
Killing Off Kat Irwin
Back when I started dipping my toe into writing a second genre in addition to fantasy (crime fiction), the common consensus was to use a pen name to avoid confusion between genre brands. Years have passed, and now it seems to be completely acceptable for authors to write more than one genre under the same name. (…Aside from the obvious exceptions, like erotica, or *gasp* men writing romance.)
As long as the books are branded properly to make it clear they aren’t the same genre, no problem. In fact, it helps to increase your overall author footprint, since all your titles will be under one name. (And retailer algorithms like Amazon like it when an author releases titles on a frequent basis.) Not to mention, I seemed to be constantly having to explain to people why I am both Kat Irwin AND Jacquelyn Smith, which was confusing.
I’m just starting the changeover process, but going forward, all my Kira Brightwell crime fiction titles will be written as Jacquelyn Smith. Meanwhile, the previously-published titles will be switched to ‘Jacquelyn Smith writing as Kat Irwin’. Same series, same author, same quirky, kick-ass heroine.
Which leads to…
New Covers, Blurbs, Metadata, etc.
I already knew I was going to have to change my covers for my Kira Brightwell series. I decided to give ALL of my titles (crime fiction AND fantasy) an overhaul at the same time. Figuring out the branding for Kira took some time. I was initially stuck, because I had branded them as thrillers, which I’ve come to realize they really aren’t. Yes, they have action, but they’re really more in the mystery genre, but not quite in the whodunnit sense–hence, crime fiction. (There’s a crime in each one, and Kira is something of an amateur sleuth.) The closest parallel I could come up with was Robert B. Parker. For the most part, his books aren’t really whodunnits, but they feature detectives/PIs solving crimes, so they’re in mystery.
While I was still stuck on Kira Brightwell as a thriller series, I started emulating the common look of popular thriller covers these days, which was what made me realize something was wrong. They were all too dark and serious looking. While the Kira books DO have crime in them, they also have a lighter side as well, with a (warped) sense of humor (again, like Robert B. Parker). So I started to emulate Parker’s cover style instead, which seemed a much better fit.
Once I got the Kira covers sorted out, I moved on to my fantasy books. My fantasy short stories needed a bit of a facelift, and I wanted an updated look for Fatal Empire as well, as I plan on releasing the remaining three titles next year, and I want all of them to be aligned branding-wise. I was still pretty happy with my Lasniniar novel covers–they only needed a bit of tweaking. (I’ve created a stronger author brand on all my covers to keep my name visible in thumbnails, plus the original Lasniniar title font was on the ornate side, and a little too narrow.)
Legends of Lasninar needed a complete overhaul. Since there were so many of them, I had kind of winged it on those ones, using free images. (At one point, I was releasing one or more of them a month.) I wanted Legends of Lasniniar to be branded more strongly in terms of being fantasy, and part of the overall Lasniniar series, so I went back to using silhouettes, like I have for the core Lasniniar novels, while keeping the jewel-tone backgrounds from the original designs.
And this wasn’t the only change to Legends of Lasniniar…
New Lasniniar Series Book Numbering
The numbering system for the Lasniniar series had gotten really confusing. I wrote Soul Seeker first, so it was Book 1, but then I wrote the prequels Light Chasers and Kinslayer after, so they ended up as Book 0 and Book 0.5 respectively. (See? I told you it was confusing…) And then there were the Tales of Lasniniar (Legacy Hunter, Shadow Stalker, and Bond Forger). These are shorter adventures that take place between the main novels. They had weird book numbers as well (0.75, 1.5, 2.5).
I originally wrote those three shorts before I came up with the Legends of Lasniniar concept. But if I were to write any of them now, I would publish them as Legends of Lasniniar. So that’s what I’ve done, while rejigging the novel numbering to iron everything out. Here is the new order:
Book 1: Light Chasers
Book 2: Kinslayer
Book 3: Soul Seeker
Book 4: Storm Rider
Book 5: Wave Runners
Book 6: Godmaker
Book 7: Void Walker
Book 8: Harbingers
Everything else (including Legacy Hunter, Shadow Stalker, and Bond Forger) is now classified as Legends of Lasniniar to help differentiate between the novels and the shorts. This has been updated here on my site, but I still am in the process of updating it with all the retailers. If you’re looking for a current reading guide to the series, you can find it here.
And of course, while I was working on all this, I still wanted to keep writing, so…
New Releases (Now available)
Fantasy:
Legends of Lasniniar: Adventure Takes a Holiday | Click here for retailer links
Barlo’s wife has kicked him out of Dwarvenhome.
To be fair, he might have been a bit overzealous in his attentions—an easy mistake to make when you’re about to become a father for the second time.
Now he and his elf friend Iarion are off to kill some time until the baby arrives. A journey to Lasniniar’s Barrier Mountains strikes Barlo’s fancy—a relaxing jaunt to take his mind off his impending responsibilities.
…Until everything starts to go wrong.
A lighthearted, fantasy misadventure for both new and regular readers of the World of Lasniniar series by Writers’ Journal winning author, Jacquelyn Smith. This short story takes place between Kinslayer and Soul Seeker. Click the link above to find this title at your preferred retailer.
Crime Fiction:
Weigh In | Click here for retailer links
Kira Brightwell might be a bad-ass MMA trainee now, but she doesn’t remember her high school years fondly. In fact, she prefers not to think of them at all.
And yet she finds herself walking the familiar hallways once more—all thanks to her former tormentor and current sidekick, Trevor Wright. An old friend of his has a problem—the kind only Kira can solve.
Assuming she can step up to the challenge.
A quirky, short crime novel for both new and regular readers of the Kira Brightwell series by Writers’ Journal winning author, Jacquelyn Smith. This adventure takes place between Low Blow and Game Plan. Click the link above to find this title at your preferred retailer.
In the Clinch | Click here for retailer links
Kira Brightwell never thought it would come to this. She had gotten so close to making some real headway in the Procurer case…
Until he pulled the rug out from under her.
Almost every tie to Kira’s support system has been systematically severed—her family, her friends… She has sacrificed everything in her hunt for the man who abducted her. And now an old enemy is determined to kick her while she’s down.
A single question remains.
How much more does she want to lose?
A gripping crime novel and the fifth book in the Kira Brightwell series by Writers’ Journal winning author, Jacquelyn Smith. Click the link above to find this title at your preferred retailer.
Available for Pre-Order (Coming Sept. 12)
Fantasy:
Legends of Lasniniar: By the Light of the Moon | Click here for retailer links
Iarion and Barlo need a place to stay for the night.
The elf and dwarf have been wandering Northern Lasniniar for awhile now. They want a hot meal, a pair of beds, and a bath—and not necessarily in that order.
The human village of Misthaven is the closest option, but even at the height of the Harvest Festival, the villagers shun strangers and hide in their homes the moment the sun goes down.
Iarion and Barlo are baffled.
What darkness threatens the mist-shrouded village?
A fast-paced, fantasy adventure for both new and regular readers of the World of Lasniniar series by Writers’ Journal winning author, Jacquelyn Smith. This short story takes place between Wave Runners and Godmaker. Click the link above to find this title at your preferred retailer.
Crime Fiction:
Cornered | Click here for retailer links
Kira Brightwell knows where to find the Procurer.
After four long years of searching, she finally has him in her sights. But taking him down won’t be easy. The clock is ticking, and he’s a man who knows how to cover his tracks.
…And Kira isn’t the only one looking for him.
A gripping crime novel and the sixth book in the Kira Brightwell series by Writers’ Journal winning author, Jacquelyn Smith. Click the link above to find this title at your preferred retailer.
…So that’s what I’ve been up to. It’s been a little overwhelming, but I’m working my way through it. And of course, even after I manage to get all my ebooks updated, there’s still the paperbacks, and then I want to get into large print, plus I have some new distribution channels I want to try, and other projects to write… It’s a never-ending process. (Which is both exciting and a bit daunting at the same time, lol.) I’ll do my best to post on here as I truck along. 🙂
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