fantasy books – Tiffany Shearn

What Should I Read Next?

I miss reading books that capture the imagination and draw you into the story from beginning to end. Due to the nature of my current occupation overwhelming my mental capacity, it is easier to lose focus on the books I’m reading. Over the last two years, I’ve probably only read about half of what I used to go through annually on top of my writing. However, this is not only due to my work.

Several of the bigger authors I read seemed to have written their longer-running series into a corner. The main characters encountered challenges that could only be faced by taking on a curse or something similar, so the most recent books in the series revolved around some obscure deus ex machina necessary to escape the impossible circumstances in which they found themselves. While the stories might have been good enough and well-written, beloved side characters were left out, and the climax felt…rote.

One of my “comfort reads” authors is taking a couple of years off, and another main author is not revisiting the genres I read for another year or two. The result of all these shifts has left me with a lack of reading material to hold my interest. This is not to say I lack reading material at all, but the quantity of what I’m looking for is not as easy for me to find.

Help!

What I need now, are some recommendations! Here are some of my favorite genres:

YA or cozy romance (no – low spice)
Urban fantasy (any spice, but story-focused)
High fantasy (love creative worlds and magic systems)
Murder mystery/crime (interesting main characters)
Sci-fi (with a splash of the fantastical)

Throw me your recommendations, especially if they are newer or lesser-known authors!

Hidden Strength Release

I’m a bit late in posting the announcement here, but Hidden Strength is out and available in ebook and paperback formats! This is the fourth and final book in the Hidden Series of Elaria. The moment is a culmination of a four-year labor of love and puts the cap on an emotional journey. I love all of my characters and their unique personalities. I know many readers have enjoyed getting to know them through the series as well.

Initial feedback has been positive, and I hope the reviews start coming in soon. My sister said I should sell the final book with a pack of tissues. There are heartwrenching moments throughout, and everyone mentions different ones pulling at their heartstrings. It is interesting to see what events hit for different people.

Audiobooks

I’ve started looking into audiobooks. The format is frequently asked about when I go to events like the Renaissance Faire. I’m hoping to save up some of the money I make at the faire this year to pay for a good voice actor, but I’m not certain about the approach I want to take with the producer.

A couple of years ago, I asked if people preferred male or female voice actors for their audiobooks and the feedback was evenly split between the options. I’m leaning toward a faint British accent because that feels “old-school fantasy” to me. I think either gender could work since I tell the story through multiple points of view. While Annalla is the main character, Larron follows close behind for “screen” time, especially in the first book.

I would love to hear some of your favorite fantasy readers if you are a big consumer of audiobooks. Let me know in the comments, and keep an eye out for more audiobook information to come!

Hidden Strength Cover Reveal

For those who signed up for my newsletter, this will be repetitive. With this final cover reveal of the series, I wanted to share a little more about the covers and their design inspiration.

Once again, Miguel Lobo has brought a wonderful eye and talent to create the cover for one of my books. For each of the covers in the Hidden series, I wanted to represent a scene that felt like a turning point for the story or characters in my mind.

With Hidden Memory, it was at the beginning when she was alone and afraid in a strange forest. As it is not a spicy book, I took some liberties and gave her some semblance of clothing in the image, but the scene for me is one of desperation and isolation. She is a combination of terrified and numb, determined and wounded. Annalla has become a blank slate needing to rediscover herself.

For Hidden Sanctuary, I wanted the river scene. If you’ve read the book, you know what is coming soon after they arrive at the river. This is a moment of transformation and realization that she is much more than she or anyone thought. It also demonstrates some of her youth and inexperience, and how the interplay of those aspects can be a threat to her and those around her.

Miguel came on for Hidden Promise, and I wanted that scene to be one of wonder and discovery. Not all discovery is welcome, though. Entering the sanctuary for the first time accompanied the weight of so many additional burdens and expectations. A mission had been accomplished, but everyone realized it was only a new beginning.

Now, for Hidden Strength, we come to the end. Everyone and everything is rolling toward a final confrontation. Both sides struggle for the most advantageous actions and positions. It’s war, and families, hearts, and lives will be torn apart. The scene is one of bated breath on the precipice of the moment they cannot return from. For better or worse, their next steps are as inevitable as the result is unknown.

Those are the feelings that went through my mind when I wrote the scenes and what they conveyed to me. I would love to hear what you feel from them, as art is as emotional as it is visual.