Book 6 in the Kingmakers' War series is....!

Hi all!

Good news. I have a title, a cover, and a (sort of) release timetable for you.

Book #6 in the Kingmakers' War, the saga of Kael and Briand and Jehn and all of the rest of our lovely group of misfits, is almost here!

A Court of Lies!

I think I said somewhere awhile ago that it would be called A Court of Rags, which 1) didn't end up quite fitting the symbolism of the story and 2) I forgot when I coined that title that I have a character in the series named Rags. So. Lies it is.

Lots of people do some lying in this book. As in all Kingmakers' War books. :)

The book is with my editor now, and after a few rounds of revisions, I'm going to release it. I'm trying this without preorders this time, and I'll probably do it the other way next time. Just getting a feel for what works best for me and for readers. But look for it around the end of June! I will, of course, send out news of the release on my New Releases Newsletter, Facebook, and this blog. So be sure to check!

A CIRCLE OF FLAMES is here!

Hi everyone!

Just wanted to let you know that A Circle of Flames (the Kingmakers' War #4) is finally available in the Amazon store!

You can grab a copy here: A Circle of Flames (The Kingmakers' War Book 4)

And the title (and cover!) of the Kingmakers' War book #4 is...

Hi everyone!

Lots of news today.

First things first. I have slightly reworked the covers of the Kingmakers' War series. And I love them! I kept the same images but went with a "swashier" font, which is what I wanted originally. I enjoy tweaking my covers when I have multiple books to play with--it gives me the ability to built a cohesion among the covers that I can only guess at when designing the first book in the series (since the covers are somewhat informed by their contents).

So, first... the new covers!

And now, the new title and cover of book #4!

Second piece of news! A Circle of Flames is coming out THIS MONTH! :) :) :) I told you guys you wouldn't have to wait as long this time.

Stay tuned for a summary and, of course, for the book release itself!

Cover Reveal for A KISS OF TREASON

Hello everyone!

Ready to see the cover for A Kiss of Treason (the Kingmakers' War book #3)?

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And here's the summary again:

Following another successful mission with Kael and his company, Briand is torn between two choices--should she disappear to protect herself or stay with her friends, even though she is not a Monarchist?

When she and Kael are arrested as spies and taken to the prince's secret court for trial, everything becomes even more complicated... the Seeker Auberon continues to hunt her in her dreams, Briand's feelings for Kael--and his for her--torment them both as they struggle to trust each other in the midst of secrets and conflicted political loyalties, and then there's a traitor among the nobility who has attempted to assassinate the prince.

And some people seem to think that traitor might be Kael.

I'm not sure the exact release date yet, but like me on Facebook or keep checking this blog for more details. If you want to be sure to notified of the release, sign up for my New Releases Newsletter, as I'll send one out with links when it's available!

News and Updates

Hi everyone,

I'm sorry it's been so long since I made any kind of update about the progress of my next book, #3 in the Kingmakers' War series. I've been on a hiatus of sorts due to a sudden and very urgent medical situation in my immediate family. The circumstance is still ongoing and will be indefinitely, but I'm trying to return to work now. I feel a bit scattered still, but I'm here.

I originally hoped to release book #3 (I have a title and a cover, and I plan to reveal those things soon!) in June, but you know what they say about the best laid plans of mice and men. I'm now hoping for August.

However, between now and then I'll do my best to update you all with a few tidbits about Briand and Kael to tide you over.

Other news!

Frost (The Frost Chronicles #1) is on sale for Prime Day. If you haven't read it or know someone who hasn't but might like to, you can get your Kindle copy here!

Also, on Thursday (7/13) I'll be participating in a Facebook read-along for Julia Hall's Life After series to celebrate the newest release in the series. I'll be giving away some books and interacting with people at 8 PM EST, so come and check that out.

Finally, I thought I would dedicate the latest Kingmaker book to a reader. I will get a contest set up for that soon, so if you'd like to see your name on the dedication page, be watching for that. I think it's going to be a "spread the word" sort of thing--I'll probably put A Gift of Poison on sale and you'll be able to enter by sharing a link to that in some form or writing a short blurb about it on social media.

Thank you all for being lovely and patient. Talk to you again soon.

New Kael Book!

Hi everybody!

Sorry for the months of radio silence. I've been sick since December and it's made writing difficult. But I'm feeling much better now, and I have a surprise!

I know a lot of you are waiting on the next Kingmakers' War book. That is coming soon, hopefully in May. But for now, I've just released another book I'd been working on (partly as research for the rest of the series) from Kael's perspective.

Tip of the Dagger takes place between A Gift of Poison and A Bed of Blades. The story is told in Kael's perspective and follows some of his adventures during the time Briand was with the Hermit. It provides a little insight into this inscrutable man's feelings about the dragonsayer, his relationship with his father, and his loyalty to the true prince.

You can find that book here on Amazon!

In other news, I am working on book 3 in the Kingmakers' War series and also some other projects. Thank you all for reading! I love it when you message me about my books, it gives me energy to keep writing. :)

The Darkest Day in the Frost is here!

Hi everyone,

My holiday surprise anthology is available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble for Nook readers.

I enjoyed revisiting Lia, Briand, and Aemi for these holiday stories, and I hope you guys enjoy seeing them again too. All of the stories can be read by anyone, so even if you haven't read the Secrets of Itlantis series or the Frost series or the Kingmakers' War series, you won't find spoilers or be confused about previous plot elements.

Here's the summary:


Return to the world of the Frost (and other fantasy worlds) in this fantasy holiday anthology!

This short story collection contains three stories by Kate Avery Ellison, set in her fantasy series the Frost Chronicles, the Kingmakers' War, and Secrets of Itlantis.

"The Darkest Day in the Frost" - Lia Weaver and her siblings are struggling to survive after the death of her parents. But someone is watching out for her.

"The White Doe of Winterval" - Briand meets the new castle steward, Kael, on the eve of the winter holiday Winterval.

"The Last Sacrifice" - Aemi schemes to get her mother a necklace to wear for the Lighting ceremony. Nol tries to stop her.

Hope you all enjoy!

~Kate

Coming this week! Holiday stories about Lia, Briand, and Aemi!

Guys! I have a Christmas surprise!

I've written a book of holiday short stories set in the worlds of the Frost, A Gift of Poison (the Kingmakers' War series), and Of Sea and Stone (Secrets of Itlantis)!

All the stories can be enjoyed by anyone, even those who haven't read the stories (but there will be some fun things for fans).

The stories include:

"The Darkest Day in the Frost" - Lia and her siblings try to celebrate the new year without her parents. There's a bit of an Adam cameo. :)

"The White Doe of Winterval" - Briand steals a horse and rides in a hunt. She meets Kael for the first time, and he bestows upon her the nickname Catfoot. :D

"The Last Sacrifice" - Aemi does rebellious and risky things in order to win money to buy her mother a necklace for the Lightning that night. She and Nol snark at each other, of course. :)

I hope to have it up for sale sometime this weekend! So stay tuned!

Other news - Briand and Kael fans, you're in luck. I'm still working on the Kael novella and hope to have that out before the end of the year. Then, I'll finish the next Briand book, and then I've got a few new projects in the works as well.

Hello Catfoot

Hi everyone,

Here's an excerpt from A Bed of Blades, available for pre-order now and releasing in February. It is the sequel to A Gift of Poison and the second book in The Kingmakers' War series.

In this scene, Briand has been kidnapped and is trying to escape.

 ~ ~ ~

   A figure was running from the boat, pursuing.

   Briand hit the ground in an explosion of sand, feet stinging, gulping air. She skidded on pebbles as she ducked beneath the dock and made for the city in the distance. She was Catfoot. She was fast. She had the advantage of surprise, a head start.

   Gulls screamed overhead as she ran. She couldn’t hear the pursuer over the pounding of the waves and the crashing of her pulse. The sounds throbbed together, a cacophony.

   A body slammed into her, knocking her forward. She hit the sand on hands and knees before she scrambled up, this time with the knife from her boot in her hand. The figure behind her caught her wrist and yanked her around.

   They went down together hard on the ground. She couldn’t breathe. She stabbed blindly, blade meeting flesh along his ribs. He hissed as the knife clicked against bone.

He had her pinned down with one shoulder while he grappled for the knife with both hands. Black trousers, black shirt, long gray cloak. Necklace swinging in her face, a brown amulet. Face half-hidden by a red scarf.

   The man wrestled the knife out of her hand and threw it into the waves. She was already pulling out the other one, the one she kept in the other boot, but he’d anticipated her move again, catching her wrist in his hand and twisting it hard. She dropped it.

   Now he had taken two of her knives.

   Briand lay still, hoping he’d drop his guard now that he thought she’d given up. There was a third knife. She drew in another breath. Her lungs ached.

   “I surrender,” she said, to make him lower his guard.

   His scarf fell away as he shifted, and shock lanced her like lightning, immobilizing her.

   “Hello, Catfoot,” he murmured for her ears alone as the others came pounding up the shore.

   Kael.

~ ~ ~ 

I'll post more soon! 

Cover for A BED OF BLADES (Sequel to A GIFT OF POISON)!

Hi everyone!

I hope you all had a lovely holiday season. I was sick for almost three weeks, which put me waaaay behind on my writing, but FINALLY I have gotten the sequel to A Gift of Poison back to my editor and I'm preparing for the release in February.

Aaaand I've got the cover finished and ready to show you!

A Bed of Blades is book two in the series, which will be called The Kingmakers' War.

Briand Varryda hasn't seen Kael and his company of Monarchists since they succeeded in destroying the Barrow Bridge and thwarting the march of the enemy. She's been hidden away for two years with the Hermit, forgotten.

When the Hermit protecting her is killed, she flees, hiding among thieves from the insidious Seekers. Briand doesn't want to be a pawn for the Monarchists or the Seekers. She doesn't want to pick a side in the war. She simply wants to live and be free.

When another thief betrays her, Briand makes a deal for her freedom and joins another Monarchist plot with the enigmatic Kael to steal a legendary treasure from a dragon-infested cave. But there are problems. She might have feelings for Kael. The Seekers are pursuing them. The caverns rest beneath an estate of perilous dangers.

And Briand has secrets of her own.

<<You can pre-order it by clicking here.>>
 
So that's the summary. I'm really excited for you guys to read it.

After A Bed of Blades releases, I'll be at working on Steam and Glass. More information about that soon.

Other news - Of Sea and Stone is on sale temporarily. So if you haven't read it, you can get a copy here.