Big Huge Wonderful News

First of all, some smaller but still great news--I found out last week that Freya, the mama cat I fostered (and Diana's mother) was finally adopted from the shelter. She went to a house with no other cats, which is what she really wanted, and I am sure she is going to make her new person really happy. She was a great mama and a really sweet cat, but after being a stray, she was too defensive with other cats in her territory to be able to stay here, even if I hadn't thought six cats was even crazier than five... So this was absolutely fabulous news, and it made me almost as happy as my other news. Almost.

As many of you know, I lost my contract with Berkley for the fiction books (Baba Yaga and Rider series) about three years ago. Since then I have been diligently writing and sending out partials of various novels (contemporary romance, humorous romance, women's fiction) to various publishers, with no luck. Lots of great rejections telling me they loved my writing, but it is a very tight market, yada yada yada. (I have lots of other author friends in the same position, so I in no way take this personally. Publishing is tough right now.)

I was, in fact, beginning to worry that my fiction career was over, although thankfully the nonfiction is still going strong. (Did I mention that I love you people?) I dabbled a little bit in self-publishing, but I just don't write fast enough to be a success at that.

Last October, my agent Elaine sent out a partial manuscript for a book that was something completely new and different for me. She had suggested that my voice would be a good fit for cozy mysteries. To be honest, I kind of thought she was crazy. But if you have a good agent, you try and do what they say.

Last week, we got word from Berkley's mystery imprint that they wanted the first three books in the "Rundown Rescue" series. So ladies and gentlemen--I'm BACK!

Who is celebrating with me?

Big News Announcement and Holiday Greetings

I know I have been a little scarce lately, but things have been crazy this year. Crazier, I should say. And December is always something of a wild ride, between running The Artisans’ Guild (50 artists, retail in December, ‘nuff said), making jewelry, and all the regular holiday stuff. Plus upstate NY winter and sick cats. But I’m going to try and catch up on all the news, starting with the big announcement I’ve been sitting on for a few weeks.

NEW BOOK CONTRACT!

In Friday’s Publishers Marketplace, there will be this announcement:

Non-fiction: Religion/Spirituality

Deborah Blake's A MODERN WITCHCRAFT PRIMER: GODDESS EMPOWERMENT FOR THE KICK-ASS WOMAN, a comprehensive guidebook to witchcraft as a female-focused religion, including detailed instructions on how to practice self-care in today's society through goddess worship and magic, to Daniela Rapp at St Martin's Essentials, in a nice deal, by Elaine Spencer at The Knight Agency.

That’s right; I signed a contract for my first mainstream nonfiction book, with St. Martin’s Press. This is really exciting for a couple of reasons. It will allow me to reach an entirely new audience, and hopefully help a lot of women who are trying to find ways to feel more empowered in an increasingly overwhelming world. Don’t worry, though—this doesn’t mean there will never be another Llewellyn book. This is simply a fork in the road, not an entirely new path. Still, it is VERY cool, and of course, I’ll be celebrating with a giveaway! 

Celebration Giveaway!

 Check it out: A Fire tablet, a signed copy of The Little Book of Cat Magic, a broom pen, a regular pen, a stuffed dragon, a black cat bookmark, and an assortment of other bookmarks!

We’re also shopping a contemporary women’s fiction book, and I’m working on the next book in the Baba Yaga series, which I hope to self-publish in the new year, other contracts allowing.

For those of you who are still holiday shopping for Yule and/or Christmas, I’ve got a bunch of fun things up on my (mostly moribund for the last few years) Etsy shop. There’s some jewelry (Pagan and otherwise), some signed books and tarot decks (usually with other goodies), and due to numerous requests, I’ve also created some spell kits for Opening to Love, Protection and Strength, Healing and Peace, and Prosperity. The kits are available in either lovely carved wood boxes or pretty organza bags, with or without signed books. You can check it out here:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/deborahblake

Keep in mind that we’re getting close to the holidays, and even with priority mail, I’ll need a few days to get things to you. So if there is something that strikes your fancy, order it soon.

 

 What the spell kits look like.

I’ll be doing an end-of-year wrap-up in a couple of weeks, but in the meanwhile, I wish you all a Blessed Yule, a Merry Christmas (a belated Happy Hanukkah) and all the joy in the world.

And now to the giveaway! As usual, all you have to do to enter is fill in the Rafflecopter form. No purchase necessary. Maybe you'll end up with an extra gift for yourself this holiday season.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

Big News for Llewellyn Fans!

So, I promised y'all more good news, and here it is. But there is kind of a funny story behind it, so I thought I'd share.

I keep saying I am not going to write any more Llewellyn books, as much as I love them, because the novels take so much of my time now. Then, of course, I came up with the idea of the 365 Day book, which I'm working on now. But that was ABSOLUTELY going to be the last one.

Then, around my birthday at the end of April, my beloved Llewellyn editor, Elysia Gallo, made a cryptic comment about how she had something for my birthday, and I was either going to love it or curse her name. Huh? I said. And then promptly forgot about it. (I pretty much promptly forget about everything.)

Then, towards the end of May, a package showed up in my mailbox.

The Mysterious Package

 I felt it as I walked up my driveway, and it was clearly a book. But it felt like a hardcover, albeit a small one, so it clearly wasn't one of mine. I was without clue. (Also not unusual.) So I opened the package as I was walking and pulled out this:

DOG Magic? WTF?

 For a minute, I was completely baffled. Elysia knows I'm a cat person. Why on earth would she be sending me a book of DOG MAGIC for my (belated) birthday?

So I read the pretty card she sent with it...and laughed so loudly, I think I scared the birds. (Yes, I was still in the driveway--I was curious!)

My belated birthday card. Isn't it cool?

The Card

Here's part of what it said:

Dear Deborah,
Happy belated birthday!
Your crazy-making gift from me is a new book idea--how would you like to write the companion to this book--but The Book of Cat Magic? Isn't it cute? And it's tiny--only 40K words! You know you want to! Please?

The really funny part? I had literally said in a conversation with my agent Elaine the day before, "And I'm pretty sure the 365 Day book is the last Llewellyn book I'm going to do." Boy, when the universe laughs at me, it isn't even subtle, is it? Snort.

So I called Elaine and asked her if she thought we could squeeze this into my schedule, and she said, "It's the book of CAT magic! You have to write it!"

So I called Elysia and said yes :-)

Apparently I'm doing one more Llewellyn book after all. It won't be out until sometime in 2018 (the tarot deck is coming January '17 and the 365 Day book will be out in the fall of '17, probably), but boy, am I going to have fun writing it!

Anyone else excited about this too? (And yes, I'll be putting together some kind of giveaway to celebrate at the beginning of next week. Any requests?)

WHOO HOOO!

Sekrit Project Announcement! Magic Times Two

I've been working on a sekrit project for ages with my friend, author Mindy Klasky. Mindy approached me with the idea when we were both at the RWA National Convention in NYC last July, so I have kept this under my hat for a LONG time! Today, we finally get to share!

Here it is!

Yes, that's right--it's two times the magic and two times the fun! (For the price of only one book, which is even better!)

Magic Times Two: Two Books for the Price of One!


A Unique Duo of Humorous paranormal romances by USA Today bestselling author Mindy Klasky and award-winning author Deborah Blake.

Vampires! Witches! There’s magic afoot!

In Mindy Klasky’s Fright Court, Sarah Anderson has found her dream job: Clerk of Court for the District of Columbia Night Court.  Dream job, that is, until she’s attacked in the open courtroom by a vampire defendant.  And until she’s forced to take self-defense lessons from her boss, the enigmatic vampire James Morton.  And until she learns she can’t share the truth about any of that with her best friend, Allison Ward – even over delectable cupcakes from the Cake Walk bakery. Soon, Sarah is surrounded by vampires, griffins, and sprites – all members of a secret supernatural court.  And when a deceptively easy-going reporter starts to ask questions, Sarah wonders just what answers she is supposed to give…. Will Sarah be able to create order in the court?

In Deborah Blake’s Witch Ever Way You Can, Deirdre Connelly is a modern witch who accidentally becomes the reluctant guardian for the Star Stone, an ancient mystical crystal. With the aid of handsome actor Robert Daniel Addison and a mysterious spiritual guide, Deirdre uses magic, ingenuity, and determination to fight a deranged billionaire for possession of the Star Stone and its power.*

Magic Times Two will be in stores on August 18. Between now and then, keep an eye out for giveaways from both me and Mindy, plus one BIG joint giveaway on launch day!

*Those of you who have been with me since the beginning may recognize this title. It is my first novel, which I briefly had out on its own but took down when the Baba Yaga series came out. Since many of you have asked about it, I decided to release it again, in this special form!

Tarot Deck Update and Announcements!

Cross-posted by Deborah and Elisabeth:

As many of you know, we (author Deborah Blake and illustrator Elisabeth Alba) have been working all year on a tarot deck for Llewellyn Worldwide. There was an important meeting at Llewellyn this week and we have a few exciting things to announce. First off, we finally have A TITLE!

Introducing…EVERYDAY WITCH TAROT (and its accompanying book, The Guide to the Everyday Witch Tarot). Ta da!

The book cover will feature the High Priestess card:

 And the kit cover will be the Judgment card:

This is what Elisabeth looked like after finally finishing the last painting!
 

The deck will be out in January 2017, a little over a year from now. We can’t wait!
 

For those of you who are impatient to get this deck (and who could blame you), Elisabeth and I will be posting an occasional "sneak peek" until it is released.

 So, anyone else excited too?

P.S. -- For the tarot lovers among you, I saw that Llewellyn has a big tarot sale on right now. You might want to go take a look, even though you won't be able to get this one for a year. Llewellyn Tarot Sale 

 

Big Huge Fabulous News

Greetings from the depths of cold and snowy upstate New York! I hope that those of you in colder climes are managing to make it through this unrelenting winter. Hopefully my news will brighten up your day a little (it sure brightened up mine!).

I know that many have you been waiting to hear whether or not Berkley was going to give me a contract for the next Baba Yaga book. It took them quite a while to decide and I’m sorry to tell you that after looking at all the numbers, they have decided not to do book 3.

In, fact, they have contracted for THREE MORE BOOKS IN THE SERIES—books 3, 4, and 5!!

Plus another novella, which will be out before the next book. [Insert author happy dance here.] I hope this news makes you as happy as it does me. Which is pretty darned happy, I gotta tell you.

The bad news is that since it took them so long to decide to contract for the next three books (did I say YAY?), the third Baba book won’t be out until sometime around February of 2016. The novella (which will revisit our first Baba Yaga, Barbara, so we can see how things are going for her and Liam and little Babs) would be out around January, but that still means that all my faithful readers will have to wait a year or so for more Baba Yaga stories. I know; it’s a bummer.

But wait—there’s MORE good news! Yes, really.

Once upon a time, I wrote an urban fantasy novel called Pentacles and Pentimentos, featuring a witch-cop named Donata Santori. It was pretty darned good, if I do say so myself. How do I know? Because that was the book that got me signed by my agent, the wonderful Elaine Spencer of The Knight Agency. It was meant to be the first in a series and was based on the award-winning short story I wrote that was included in The Pagan Anthology of Short Fiction. But for whatever reason, we didn’t manage to sell that book at the time. (Publishing, go figure.)

Luckily, my editor Leis knew that my readers would want something to tide them over until the next Baba Yaga book comes out, so I am also getting a contract to publish Pentacles and Pentimentos at last! They’re only going to put it out as an eBook to begin with, but if it does well enough, they’ll put it out in print too. (No pressure, eBook buyers!) AND, if it does really well, they’ll put out more books in that series too.

So, to sum up…

I’m getting a THREE BOOK CONTRACT for the next three Baba Yaga books, plus a novella, and an additional smaller contract for Pentacles and Pentimentos. [They’ll be changing the name, but I don’t know what to yet.] And you all are getting a lot of new books over the next couple of years!

I guess I’m going to have to come up with some way to celebrate, aren’t I? Any suggestions? Maybe another big giveaway?

And, of course, I am still working on the tarot deck project for Llewellyn, and my next nonfiction book is coming out from Llewellyn on March 8^th, which is only a couple of weeks away!

 EVERYDAY WITCHCRAFT

I  hope you’ll join me in doing the happy dance for this great news—because it would never have happened if it wasn’t for all the wonderful readers.

YAYAYAYYAYAYAYAYYAYAYAYAYAYYAYAY!!!!!!!

(So tell me, are you happy dancing too?)

 

The Super Sekrit Project REVEALED!

I've been teasing you all for a couple of months now by occasionally mentioning the Super Sekrit Project I've been working on--but I swear, it wasn't my fault.

The thing about publishing is that you don't want to announce any project, no matter how certain it seems, until you have a contract. And the contract for this project was unusually complicated because there were two people involved.

That got your attention, didn't it? Okay--here is your first hint. This is other person who is working on the Super Sekrit Project with me: Elisabeth Alba

Go ahead, take a look. I'll wait. Do you have a guess what the project might be?

Here's another hint: this project is for Llewellyn, but it is completely different from anything I have ever done before.

NOW do you have a guess?

*bounce* *bounce* *bounce*

Okay, I'll tell you!

I'm doing a TAROT DECK.
I know! How cool is that? (Can you tell I'm a little excited?) I hadn't really planned to do anything else with Llewellyn, beyond the book I have coming out in March [Everyday Witchcraft, a follow-up to The Goddess is in the Details, which just went back for an 6th printing, by the way.]. I'm mostly focusing on the fiction for now. But when I got offered the chance to do a tarot deck, the project was just too fun and cool to say no to. And then they found Elisabeth to do the art, and I was even happier I'd said yes, because I really love her work.

We don't know what it is going to be called, although we are using "Retro Tarot" as a working title, because the style is loosely based on the art for the front cover of The Witch's Broom. You remember that, right?

We'll probably end up calling it something like "Everyday Witch Tarot" or "Practical Witch Tarot," because as usual, I'll be taking a simple, practical, and easily accessible approach. It is my job to come up with the theme, and the descriptions for all 78 cards (we are using the basic Rider-Waite tarot as a base to work from, since most people are familiar with those cards). And then write a 300 page book to go with the cards, which Elisabeth creates based on my descriptions. She's amazing, so I think this deck is going to be really something.

Here's a little note from Elisabeth (who is going to do a blog post of her own about the project--as soon as she's done GETTING MARRIED): 

I'm very excited to be working with Deborah on this tarot project over the next year and a half. Her writing and my art are meshing fantastically so far, and I can't wait to see what other cards await my pen and paintbrush! This will be a fun collaboration, and I'm very pleased and honored to be working on it with Deborah and everyone at Llewellyn.

(And yes, she did say "year and a half." That's how long it takes to create a tarot deck, mostly because of the insane amount of artwork involved. So this won't be out until sometime in 2016. Darn it.)

Here's a little sample of what we're working on:
The Queen of Pentacles

The Queen of Pentacles

And here's what it will say about the card in the book:

Caption: “Prosperity and abundance come in many forms.”

Underneath caption: You have everything you need and most of what you want. Life is full of gifts, if you open your heart and spirit to them.

Detailed explanation of card:

Prosperity is as a much a state of mind as it is the state of your bank account. There is abundance all around you, and people who will help you achieve your goals. If you are rooted in the earth and tuned into the glory of the world around you, it is that much more likely that you too will blossom and grow. Be the Queen of your own domain, but rule with love and an open heart.

Things to consider – Do you appreciate the riches in your life, whatever form they take? Are you open to new opportunities? Are you fully present in your own life? How can you make the most of the possibilities available to you now, and how can you prepare for any new possibilities that lie ahead? Embrace your own power without fear. Be open to help from others who are willing to work for your benefit. Remember that prosperity doesn’t have to mean money.

 

The 4 of Swords

The 4 of Swords

Caption: “To Sleep, Perchance to Dream”

Underneath caption: Are you resting, or retreating?

Detailed explanation of card:

We all need to pull back from the world from time to time; take a break, catch our breath, and regroup. The trick is to know the difference between the lack of movement that is positive and beneficial, and the lack of movement that means we are stuck, in a state of suspended animation.

Things to consider: Depending on where this card falls in a reading, it may be a suggestion that you need to rest and refresh your spirit, giving yourself the time and space to renew body, mind, and spirit. Alternately, it may indicate that you are stuck in a rut, spinning your wheels when you should be taking action. Are you tired and overwhelmed? Or are you running away from making the tough choices or taking decisive action that you know is needed. Is there someone in your life who is holding you back, or whose lack of action has a negative effect on your current circumstances? This card indicates that they are stuck, and probably not going to change. Do you need a rest or a wake-up call?

As you can see, we are using lots of traditional imagery, like black hats, and brooms, and black cats. I'm having a blast working on this project, and I'm so glad I can finally share it with all of you! What do you think?