Moving Day

So we have a new website now, over at https://jayemckenna.wordpress.com/. It's a lot tidier than this one, and I think it looks a heck of a lot better on phones and such.

For now, you'll have to use the wordpress address to get there, but eventually (once I get by tech-panties untwisted and have a word with my IT Guy) jayemckenna.com will will get you there.

Hope to see you over there!

Now Available: Mercenary (Kingmakers, Book 3)

I finally have a new release for you! Mercenary (Kingmakers, Book 3) is now available. Mercenary continues the adventures of Coryn, the ex-assassin, and his new love interest, Kai. There’s kidnapping, monsters, magic, some royal relations, the usual dash of romance… and the appearance of someone you might remember if you’ve read my Wytch Kings series.

For Kai McKinnon, the town of Icewood is just another slap in the face. Stranded across the Veil, Earth-born Kai is learning just how ill-prepared he is to survive wilderness, monsters, and magic. The only bright spot in Kai’s life is Coryn, the man he’s coming to care for. But how long will the competent Coryn be willing to put up with Kai’s blundering attempts to learn the skills he needs to stay alive in a world that seems bent on killing him? 

 

Buy Links: Amazon | Apple | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Smashwords

Coming Soon: Mercenary (Kingmakers, Book 3)

Mercenary is done and awaits only the final polishing touches. It will be available this spring from all the usual suspects.

Minnesota boy struggles to survive monsters, magic, and love.

For Kai McKinnon, the town of Icewood is just another slap in the face. Stranded by his now-dead grandfather, Earth-born Kai is learning just how ill-prepared he is to survive untamed wilderness, monsters, and magic. The only bright spot is Coryn, the man Kai is coming to care for. But how long will the competent Coryn be willing to put up with Kai’s blundering attempts to learn the skills he needs to survive?

For Kai’s cousin Adrian, Icewood is an abuse-free paradise where he’s learned that he’s not crazy, but sensitive to energies no one on Earth is even aware of. Apprenticed to the mythe-weaver who saved his life, Adrian must now learn to control energies that make him powerful enough to kill with a thought.

For Coryn, the man who helped Kai and Adrian escape captivity, Icewood is a trap. An ex-assassin marked for death, Coryn fears he will only bring danger to the peaceful town — and to Kai. The smart thing to do is leave, but his feelings for Kai make that impossible.

When Adrian disappears, a rescue mission into the heart of the most dangerous forest on Aion forces both Kai and Coryn to face their deepest fears head-on. Can they find Adrian and bring him home before it’s too late? Or are they all doomed to die in the depths of the Mithrak?

Askarra is Live!

Askarra, the seventh and final book in the Wytch Kings series is now available at Amazon and Smashwords, and should be available at other retailers in the next few days.

War is imminent. 

After the Wytch Council’s failed attempt to destroy the city of Ravenfell, the Wytch Kings of the Northern Alliance are divided over how to respond. Those in favor of swift retaliation would send in their dragon army supported by rhyx-shifters, who can transport soldiers to any spot in Skanda in the blink of an eye. Those who urge caution fear the ancient weapon planted at Ravenfell may not have been unique.

Renegade Wytch Master Ilya knows the mind of the Council all too well, and fears the dark path the Alliance may be forced to tread in the name of freedom. He has a plan, but when his husband Wytch King Garrik refuses to hear his counsel, Ilya sees no choice but to act in secret.

Captain Kavarr’s body may be healed, but his confidence is shaken. Torn from the psychic connection he shared with the rest of his shifter pack, he no longer considers himself fit for command. But his new immunity to the mythe makes him an ideal candidate for a dangerous secret mission that could change the course of the war.

Prince Delrinian of Ysdrach has been the Council’s pawn for nearly half his life. Newly freed and eager to prove his loyalty, Rin finds himself thwarted at every turn by his overprotective brother. When a chance to strike a crippling blow to the Council presents itself, Rin volunteers to help — even though his sometimes-prophetic dreams warn that the price of his involvement could be the life of the man he’s falling for. 

Buy Links: Amazon | Smashwords

Update: March 2020

As you may have noticed, I don’t have a new release for you yet. I had hoped to have the third Kingmakers book out this month, and then Askarra, the final Wytch Kings book, by the fall.

Best laid plans and all of that.

Due to a rather annoying repetitive stress injury, I've had to train myself to type using the Dvorak layout, which is a more ergonomic keyboard layout. I started learning it nearly a year ago, and have only recently managed to truly accept the necessity of permanently switching (read: quit whining and cheating by going back to the qwerty layout “just for today”) and get on with it. Using the Dvorak layout is definitely helping with the repetitive stress issues I have, but it is also slowing me down, but not nearly as much as the family stuff I have going on.

Without going into a lot of detail, we lost my mum to cancer just before xmas, and the months leading up to that were busy, stressful, and exhausting in more ways than I knew I could be exhausted. The months following have been busy, stressful, and exhausting in different ways, with my dad needing a lot more help and attention than any of us anticipated.

Things have finally settled into kind of a routine, though I don’t have the kind of writing time I had before. I am writing again, though not at the pace I was a few years ago.

About a year ago, when things started looking bad for my mum, I had decided to push Kingmakers out farther and get Askarra done next, since the dragon stories were Mum’s favorite, and I wanted her to be able to read the end of the series. That didn’t happen, but since I managed to get Askarra about a third done before we lost Mum, I decided to finish it before going back to Kingmakers. Now that I have a little more space in my head for story stuff, I’m hoping to have it done by the end of summer/beginning of fall, but that will depend on how things go with my dad, and of course, how things go with COVID-19 and all the fallout from that.

In response to all the lockdowns happening all over the world, Smashwords is having an Authors Give Back sale. From now through April 20, three of my series starters are free on Smashwords: Burn the Sky (Wytch Kings 1), Psi Hunter (Guardians of the Pattern 1), and Khalshir (Kingmakers 1). I’ve also priced them at $0.99 at Amazon. In addition, I’ve tweaked the ending of Burn the Sky, so if you want to pick it up for free at Smashwords, you can download the tweaked version and check it out. I’ve been meaning to go back and rework the ending, which upon rereading, I decided was perhaps a bit abrupt, but haven’t had time.

Hopefully by the time I release Askarra, this virus and all the chaos it has caused will be largely behind us. In the meantime, I hope you all stay healthy!

Ravenfell is Live!

Ravenfell, the sixth book in the Wytch Kings series is now available at most ebook retailers, and coming soon to others.

Prince Jossafir of Ysdrach should have taken the throne after his father’s death, but a Wytch Council experiment gone wrong has left him with a dangerous Wytch power he has no hope of controlling. Declared a monster unfit to rule, Joss is locked away, his only visitors those who have been sentenced to death… and him their executioner.

When the Northern Alliance’s dragon army invades, Joss’s brother Wytch King Delrinian is captured, but Joss escapes his prison and joins a band of rebels. Joss’s first task as a member of the rebellion is to identify a highborn Alliance prisoner who may have information about the estate where his brother is being held. To Joss’s shock, he finds Prince Bradin of Miraen, the man he once loved with all his heart, lying in a dirty cell, injured and awaiting interrogation.

Now Joss must make a choice: will he use his deadly Wytch power to aid the rebels’ quest to rescue Delrinian and reclaim the kingdom, or will he turn traitor and save the man who once set his heart on fire?


Buy Links: Amazon | Apple | Kobo | Smashwords

Coming Soon: Ravenfell (Wytch Kings, Book 6)

Ravenfell, book 6 of the Wytch Kings series, is on its way. It tells the story of Prince Jossafir of Ysdrach and Prince Bradin of Miraen, and sets the stage for the final conflict between the Northern Alliance and the Wytch Council. Ravenfell is a fantasy/romance novel of ~90,000 words, and will be available in August.

Prince Jossafir of Ysdrach should have taken the throne after his father’s death, but a Wytch Council experiment gone wrong has left him with a dangerous Wytch power he has no hope of controlling. Declared a monster too dangerous to rule, Joss is locked away, his only visitors those who have been sentenced to death… and him their executioner.

When the Northern Alliance’s dragon army invades, Joss’s brother Wytch King Delrinian is captured, but Joss escapes his prison and joins a band of rebels. Joss’s first task as a member of the rebellion is to identify a highborn Alliance prisoner who may have information about the estate where his brother is being held. To Joss’s shock, he finds Prince Bradin of Miraen, the man he once loved with all his heart, lying in a dirty cell, injured and awaiting interrogation.

Now Joss must make a choice: will he use his deadly Wytch power to aid the rebels’ quest to rescue Delrinian and reclaim the kingdom, or will he turn traitor and save the man who once set his heart on fire?