Hello, dear readers of this blog!
Unfortunately, due to NaNoWriMo, (which I'm endeavoring to complete this year), and managing a new book release on top of that, (Journey to Freedom, Warriors of Aralan #8), I will not be doing the customary mid-month blog post I usually do. Instead, you get this lovely excuse post, and a promise to round up that list of female Norwegian names by December. :P

"Well then, if that's all you have to say, then why am I still here?" you ask.  Good question. Perhaps you have very good intuition—or perhaps you just realized that I must have something to say since I started a new paragraph. Or maybe you saw the book covers down below. Whatever the reason, your patience has been rewarded.

The release of a new book is always an exciting period in a writer's life, so I thought I'd so something to celebrate!  Journey to Freedom comes out on November 18th (yes, this Saturday), and I've decided to kick it off with a couple of book promotions! Through the 18th and 19th, Branwen's Quest (Warriors of Aralan #1), will be 100% free, and Beyond the Mountain (Warriors of Aralan #2), will be $0.99! So if you haven't been able to read them yet, here's your chance!

November first is a big day for a lot of people in the writing community, mostly because it marks the beginning of a month-long writing fest called NaNoWriMo, (myself included). But this time I'm even more excited, because I  get to bring you an excerpt from Journey to Freedom (Warriors of Aralan #8), a cover reveal, and a release date!

This book is special to me because writing the first draft over a year ago felt like pulling teeth. It was one of the worst writing experiences I've ever had, and I was very, very close to scrapping it all and starting over more than once.  But now I'm so glad I didn't. Somehow God made what I thought was going to be a truly awful mess into something beautiful, and now, thanks to Him, I'm ready to share it with the world. 

I'd also like to mention that if you haven't read any of the previous Warriors of Aralan books, Journey to Freedom marks a sort of "new beginning," and can be read without reading any of the previous ones. Some of Josiah's lineage might be a tad confusing if you haven't (and obviously, in my highly biased opinion you should read them all, *wink wink*), but the main plot is not heavily dependent on the previous books, so if you like any of the things mentioned in the following synopsis, feel free to jump right in. :)

Synopsis:
​Josiah is a prince... albeit one that has just about had it with his hypocritical parents and grandparents, the ruling family of Aralan. Sure, he's not that much different than they are, really—but when they turn down a small country's plea for help in an oncoming war, Josiah is furious. A full one-eight of his blood comes from that country, and he can't believe his ears when they send the emissaries away without a promise of assistance. So he flees the castle, hires a cook to feed him in his travels, and breathes the free forest air for the first time in his twenty-one years of life. Sleeps on the ground for the first time in his life. And argues—constantly—with the most stubborn cook he's ever met in his life. Emma is not one to take orders quietly, despite coming from the poorest part of Freymont; a stark contrast with her sweet-tempered, eleven-year-old sister named Hadassah. Add in Josiah's crazy hermit uncle, a pair of mischievous identical twins, an unheard-of amount of sass, a war of epic proportions, and a betrayal or two—and you have a Journey to Freedom.

Release Date:
"So when does this crazy book come out?" you ask. The official release date is November 18th. Mark it on your calendar, folks, that's less than three weeks!
​Now, for the excerpt!

Excerpt:
   The peachy hues of dawn were just beginning to streak the horizon to herald a new day as Josiah slumped in the saddle, gazing bleary-eyed at the spot between Archer’s ears as the horse plodded along.  He had ridden all night through Freymont, because he had strayed from the only roads he was familiar with and gotten himself lost.  Every time he decided that he would head one direction and come to the end of the city eventually, he was met by a dead end.  It was like trying to find a clear path through a forest overgrown with brambles and vines—although technically speaking, Josiah was about as familiar with that pastime as he was finding his way out of Freymont.
   To make matters worse, he had been pursued off and on throughout the night by searchers.  Josiah straightened in the saddle and rolled his shoulders, wincing as his spine popped.  The street he was on now looked much the same as the rest of the streets in Freymont: narrow, twisting, and lined alternately by houses and shops that kept him from seeing very far.
   Ahead of him an early riser came out of a building, and Josiah pulled the hood of the cloak up and over his head.  He wasn’t sure how well the common folk knew his face, so it didn’t hurt to be careful.
   As he drew near to the mustached man, he received a cheery greeting.  “Morning to you, sir.”
   Josiah nodded politely, but didn’t stop.  He had to find a way out of this labyrinth he called home.  Just then a cry floated to him through the still morning air: “There he is!  After him!”