tiffanyshearn

World Cup 2023 Begins!

How many nights in a week can I go with only three hours of sleep? We might find out in the coming month with the world cup being played in New Zealand and Australia. The majority of the games are scheduled to start between midnight and three AM in my local time zone. I should be grateful the times are not during the work day. I don’t think I could spare the time away to watch at all if they were.

The first US game was Friday early evening against Vietnam. While I don’t think this US team has the same flare as the one in 2019, they are still fun to watch. The rest of the world is also catching up in quality, which is making for much closer matches than in the past. It’s exciting to see the progress of women’s soccer, and I hope that starts to better translate to things like jersey availability, broadcast contracts, and especially pay.

For the group stage, I have the US, Canada, and England on my calendar for reminders, and then all the games in the knockout round. A handful of players from the OL Reign were called up for the world cup to play for their countries, so I’m excited to see what they can do there before coming back to Seattle for the remainder of the NWSL season.

Rapinoe is still my favorite. She brings such energy to the game right along with her attitude. She might be younger than me, but I still want to be her when I grow up. The combination of confidence and consideration in the face of the vehemence she far too often receives is reflective of inner strength I can only imagine.

On the field, I would have liked to have seen more shots on target for the US. Given the control, opportunities, and skill, you would expect more fireworks. Vietnam put up a good effort, but it couldn’t stop the shots from eventually chipping away. That PK was weak though, so work on getting more power behind those.

Canada and England’s games were a bit lackluster with great showings by their opponents. No big upsets as there were at the men’s tournament late last year in the group stage, but the heavy hitters have some things to think about and kinks to work out.

The next US game is against the Netherlands on July 26th at 6 PM PST. It is one of the last chances to watch a game at a reasonable time of day in the Americas. The game will also be a test for the US with their opponent ranked fifth by FIFA. Other top-ranked teams have yet to play their first game, so I’m excited to see what the tournament has in store.

Catch the action on various FOX channels in the US and support your favorite players.

Hidden Promise in KU!

Earlier this week, I pushed the button that shifted Hidden Promise, the third installment in the Hidden series, over to Kindle Unlimited. After a dip in April, I saw an uptick in page reads for the first two books in the series over the last couple of months, so if you have been waiting for the KU release, it has officially arrived!

The first three books are all available on Amazon in ebook, paperback, and now on KU. When you finish each one, please take a moment to leave a rating/review to help others find the series.

Happy reading before the World Cup starts!

Bavarian Independence Day

No, this post is not about Bavaria, but about the little slice of Bavaria nestled in the Cascade Mountains. I spent the 4th of July week in Leavenworth, Washington for a much-needed vacation. This one we took with my sister and her kids, sharing a VRBO and planning some group activities.

The first day was horseback riding. Everyone was interested in that one, and we had reserved the early morning spot so we were out on the mountain before the heat of the day hit. I have been on rides a few times before, and I love meeting the horses and having a relaxing ride along trails through the forest.

Horse selfie! I had to borrow my niece’s jeans because I packed last minute and forgot my own.

While the adults rode in the last three positions, my nephew and niece were toward the front with the guide. Our horses started to fall back from them a bit. We think it was because my niece’s horse had gas the entire time, so Duncan, my husband’s horse, stayed back a good horse length or more. Then we slowed down further because Splash at the back had to stop to pee so many times.

I love it, though. I find a ride through the woods relaxing because you are away from the stress of life. It is the same with the hike we did on the 4th, which was probably my highlight. Usually, my favorite part would have been the ziplining or rafting, because I love those fun, exciting activities. This year, I have enough thrill in my everyday life that I needed the away time.

We made it to the lake! There were actually two lakes on this hike, but the kids were getting tired, so we turned back at the first one.

As for the rafting and ziplining, the rafting was tame compared to my single prior experience. It was late in the season with the water running low and slow, but the ease was perfect for my nephew’s first time rafting. He now wants to go again with us in May. He is not fully processing how much rougher and colder it will be at that time of year, but we will likely not be going for at least another year or two.

Ziplining is always awesome and something we try to do on every vacation. Each location puts its own spin on the experience, and this one had a clever duck hunt. They had over 200 rubber ducks hidden along the course and gave the group a target of how many we needed to find to earn our stickers at the end. There was even a giant duch made out of floaties in a pond, and we had a contest of who could throw a little rubber duck inside of the floating duck as they zipped across. Only one of the guides made it, but I think I was the closest otherwise.

Along with activities, if you head to Leavenworth, you should make sure to check out a few of the Bavarian attractions. Andres Keller was my favorite German food during this trip. The schnitzel with spätzle was wonderful, and they had an accordion player there during dinner. For shops, the cheesemonger is not to be missed. They know their cheeses and have samples to try. Cured, the butcher, and the oil and vinegar shops are also top on our list. If you prefer sweets, there are a few chocolatiers along with handmade ice cream available.

We walked everywhere, and I probably still ate more calories than I should have. Regardless, I had a great time. The hot weather soaked into my bones, and I took some time to relax and have fun. Now, it’s back to work!

Before work, we did have D&D with a potluck dinner yesterday. But, NOW, it’s back to work.

Elaria – Origin of the Fairy

This post contains minor spoilers for Hidden Promise, and I recommend holding off reading further until you are caught up with the series so far. It is also my first foray into creative writing in about a month, so please bear with the rusty attempt.

Origin

Between the balance of vampires and fairy in Elaria, the vampires emerged first. In the east and south, an airborne menace swarmed far and wide each night, devastating the surrounding landscape. Storms raged through the air and over the denuded ground. Animals fled, rivers ran dry, and fires raged after lightning strikes.

Ripples ran through the realm, and it shifted, and adapted. Points of calm appeared around the chaos, gentling the atmospheric turbulence. The fairy had evolved.

The weather disturbances were merely the first stage of the conflict. As the storms calmed, the people clashed. Vampires and fairy filled the skies, vying for control, establishing strongholds, and spreading through the realm.

Upon their emergence, the fairy had greater numbers. It had worked for the gilar to counter the elves. Unfortunately, the greatest weapons of the vampires overmatched the fairy, and the fairy numbers slowly dwindled away. They did not possess the brutal-minded aggression of the gilar and were not inclined to attack the vampires unprovoked.

Infighting among the vampires initially saved the fairy. While the fairy built strong communities, the vampires fought for control of their colonies. The insect and bat wings clashed, both subjugating their prisoners until the two types integrated so much that they became one.

Both the gilar and elves stood firm against vampire incursions and held their territory. Skirmishes with the gilar set the vampires back further. The gilar proved highly resistant to the vampire’s venom and highly motivated toward revenge. Sometimes the fairy came out victorious in a confrontation with the gilar, but those occasions were, more often than not, followed by significant retribution. The hubris of the vampires and aggression of the gilar bought the fairy time.

Migration

Through the centuries, the fairy migrated and spread across the realm. They sought places to call their own, flying far and wide. The vampires followed, always.

The fairy trained to defend themselves. They created weapons to combat the threats of fighting their balance. None of it saved them, not enough. Vampire venom had a devastating impact on any fairy struck by it. Within hours of being clawed, a fairy would fall ill, becoming weak, shakey, and sweating. In a day, after suffering even a minor injury, half the fairy would be dead, and only half survived. Even with the precautions they took and the defenses they developed, the fairy faced destruction. They could not continue to defy the odds, nor escape into the far reaches of the continent. There was nowhere the vampires could not follow.

Disappearance

In the mountain ranges to the north and east, battles raged. Over the ocean to the south, vampires and fairy fought and fell. The fairy became desperate and withdrew into defensive positions around their disparate settlements. While the elves wondered at the extended silence from the friendly race, the fairy leaders sought radical solutions. One woman found a solution.

She went away, disappearing for a time before returning with a promise: her life, and all to follow in her line, in exchange for the protection of her people. She would sacrifice and live a life of solitude, and the fairy could disappear into their newly established sanctuaries.

Seven islands of safety, the sanctuaries connected on an essential level while remaining physically remote. No one could leave, but no threats could enter either. The protector of the sanctuaries went into hiding, and the world thought the fairy were lost. All that remained of them were stories and legends.

Hidden Promise Available Now!

Hidden Promise is officially out in both ebook and paperback formats! This past Tuesday marked the release of my third book on Amazon. I spent time on Monday finalizing the paperback so it would go live around the same time, and the timing came out near perfect in the end.

Thank You!

A huge shout out to my alpha and beta readers. Reading early versions and providing valuable feedback is exciting, but it’s also daunting at times, especially for an extended series of full-length novels. I did have one beta reader drop off this time due to conflicting obligations, so if you are interested in joining the beta team, please let me know!

I also think that Miguel Lobo did an amazing job taking over the cover artist role for this book. The feedback on the third cover has been overwhelmingly positive. I love that the series feels visually cohesive while bringing a new life to my world.

Thank you so much for helping get the word out!

Finally, a specific thank you to Beba for her ongoing support and stellar street team efforts. Beba has been a beta reader from the first book. She rereads the final versions and always follows through by posting honest reviews on various platforms. Her engagement with me on social media is up there with my sister (and biggest fan). This time, she even posted a recommendation for my series in various groups. I could not be more humbled and appreciative of this level of support.

And Now!

The ebook is now up to the same price as Hidden Sanctuary. If you were hoping to get preorder pricing, you’ll have to be satisfied with snagging Hidden Strength at a discount instead. The fourth and final installment is available for ebook preorder, and I’m doing similar preorder pricing as I did for Hidden Promise.

For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, I’m continuing the tradition for this series of giving the book buyers about a four-week headstart. Hidden Promise will shift over to KU sometime around July 10th, so keep an eye out around then for it to become available to your library.

Happy reading, and don’t forget to leave a rating/review!