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.
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!
You may have seen the post on Facebook recently where I announced that the artist for the first two books in my series is unavailable to continue with the third. I will eventually need to change all the covers to something more “action scene” oriented, but I have always wanted the first runs to be more artistic. These magnificent scenes played out in my head as the world came to life within my imagination.
Jonathan Lebel did amazing work taking my stick figures and descriptions and turning them into beautiful imagery.
The first is a scene from early in Hidden Memory when Annalla is still within the traken forest. She has her borrowed blade and boots, with her wings wrapped around her.
The second is from Hidden Sanctuarywhen Annalla arrives at the river crossing. This is just before the events unfold (you know which events I’m referring to if you have read this one).
Onto the Third
I want to continue in this same vein for the third and fourth before I look at shifting the style of all four, so the hunt is on for a new artist who can capture the same grandeur of my fantastical world. The cover of Hidden Promisewill be an image of their arrival in the sanctuary, flying through and providing a glimpse of how and where the people live.
My terrible sketch and description have gone to one artist, and I have reached out to a few others, so I hope to have a cover to show you in the April newsletter. It might be out a little later than my usual mid-month Saturday, but I hope it will be worth the wait.
As for the cover of the fourth, you will have to wait until next year for more information on that one!
Today is National Grammar Day! I don’t know if most authors are like me, but I’m much better at story than the grammar part of writing. I’m the “idea person.” With that limitation in mind, I reach out for assistance on this aspect of my work; the bigger the production, the more help involved.
For blog articles, I’m simply writing in Grammarly’s free version. It’s straightforward and easy to use. It catches the more glaring mistakes, and I feel fine ignoring it sometimes when the suggestions are not fitting my flow. The web add-on also helps with grammar basics when writing my book’s first drafts. I do those chapter by chapter in AutoCrit, which provides some advice on pacing, overusing words, and other such, less-grammatical advice.
Those are the basic tools. The real work comes from a couple of individuals at two specific stages of the book drafts. During the alpha review stage, my husband provides editing and feedback including catching glaring grammatical errors. Those pull him out of stories, so he finds more. While my other alphas help with story points and feedback, he helps provide a cleaner draft for my beta readers. A cleaner beta draft means the beta feedback is that much more valuable.
The second person correcting any remaining grammar issues is my editor, Maxine Meyer. You will find her credited in my copyright as the editor, and she does an amazing job. I’m working on becoming more consistent with my tense usage, but that is the one she probably finds and fixes the most. I also have a love/hate relationship with commas. I love using them and hate their limited (appropriate) usage.
Maxine cleans up the final manuscript before I submit for publication, and it is a crucial step in the process. Any and all remaining errors are mine alone, and she helps me get that as close to zero as possible for your reading pleasure. (Note: I only scribbled out the prices on the main pic as prices change over time and internet pics are forever!)
Hidden Promise
Hidden Promise is back in my hands with some beta reader feedback. I have a few minor adjustments to make, but I should have the manuscript in Maxine’s hands by mid-late April. This places me right in line for my release timetable of mid-June! I’ve gotten some great feedback from my beta readers, and my alpha readers have started on the series finale. I’m excited to share with you all how things are coming together in Hidden Promise and how it ends in Hidden Strength next year.
As a reminder, Hidden Promise is only $3.99 until its release. The price will go up to $4.99 after go-live, so don’t forget to preorder!
On and on into the night, they flew at a pace no horse could ever match, and Larron wondered just how large this land was and how they managed to keep it hidden for so many lifetimes. Finally, he made out pricks of light filtering through the canopy ahead. His assumption of habitation was confirmed when he felt them drop slowly toward the trees. Their descent remained easy until they reached the forest. The prince told Larron to hold on but said nothing else before he pulled up and then dove straight down through the branches.
The ride twisted and turned, as jerky as any he ever experienced flying with Annalla. Larron struggled to cling to his bearer as the force worked to pull them apart. Behind him, he heard a brief, deep-voiced shout of surprise along with Patrice’s screams of fear. The one carrying her would bear claw marks for certain after this; the cat-like irimote was not at all fond of flying.
Once below the clustered branches, where the foliage opened, there was a final jerk as the prince righted himself and slowed to fly between the thick trunks. Sturdy trees surrounded them, and Larron saw an increasing number of structures positioned among the thick branches. There was no obvious way to ascend to the buildings dangling precariously high above the ground. Thin wood planks made the basis of their visible construction, with a gauzy material stretched over the windows. Bindings lashed them to the trunks and branches, but there was no invasive external support holding them in the trees. Assuming they were as sound as he suspected, Larron felt an elvish respect for a people who treated their land with such care. To use it without destroying it took an effort many races overlooked.
They weaved in and out of buildings growing in number and size. Most remained dark within, the people here either gone home or asleep for the night. The prince pulled them up once more in front of a large treehouse and set down upon the open porch circling it. The rest of their party followed close at his heels, and Patrice jumped down from her fairy and dropped to the floor. She clung to the boards even as she murmured repeated apologies.
“Patrice,” Annalla knelt at her side, putting an arm around her as she spoke, “she speaks little of the market tongue, but tells me her skins protected her well enough. She is fine, and you will not have to fly again too soon.”
The irimote rubbed her face before looking gravely at Annalla. “I really do not like flying.”
Tiffany Shearn 
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