New Publication Date for The Scot & the Sorceress

Posted on June 6, 2023 by Deborah Cooke

I’ve moved out the pubilcation date for Murdoch and Nyssa’s story, which will now be published on July 15. I apologize for the delay but I want the series finale to be just right. If you’ve pre-ordered the book at any of the portals, you probably got a notification of the delay.

Amazon would not allow the publication date to be moved, so I had to cancel the pre-oder there. The book will be available at Amazon on the publication date, but you’ll have to order it again then. It’ll have a different ASIN.

I had planned to switch to creating pre-orders at Amazon only after I have a completed book, beginning in 2024. This just makes the change occur a little sooner.

I have two pre-orders remaining without book files – One Knight’s Desire and The Stolen Bride – and it is quite likely that I’ll have to cancel OKD at Amazon for the same reason as S&S. Although I’m writing more than usual this year, I’ve still fallen behind. I apologize for the inconvenience.

The Scot & the Sorceress, book two of the Blood Brothers trilogy of medieval Scottish romances by Claire Delacroix

Embittered by his losses and thwarted in his pursuit of vengeance, Murdoch is sworn to avenge his father. The sole means of striking a blow against his enemy, the Silver Wolf, is to seize that man’s beloved wife, Alys—but Murdoch cannot bring himself to injure a woman he has known all his life. When the wise woman of the woods offers herself in exchange for Alys’ freedom, Murdoch cannot resist temptation. The mysterious beauty lights a fire in his blood, a need for more than vengeance, and Murdoch finds himself enchanted. He never expects Nyssa, his apparent opposite, to burn with a similar desire for vengeance—but once she asks for his assistance, Murdoch swears gladly to do her will.

Nyssa is a healer and a wise woman, blessed with visions of the future to come. When her dreams fill with horrors for her kin in the distant north, she knows she must return to aid in their defense, no matter how long the odds against her. She strikes a bargain with Murdoch, a man with fearsome fighting skills, to aid in her quest, never guessing that her need to heal his hidden wounds will be so overwhelmingly powerful. Her visions warn that she has made an unholy alliance and that Murdoch’s anger will destroy her utterly—yet Nyssa cannot resist his fiery touch or the gift of watching him heal.

Bound together by passion and fury, Murdoch and Nyssa journey north, where they find her family snared in a battle that pits brother against brother. When Nyssa’s father surrenders her to his enemies for the sake of peace, Murdoch realizes that he must defend justice everywhere, beginning with the rescue of his beloved—no matter the cost to himself.

Series finale coming July 15, 2023

Pre-order available at some portals:

A Sneak Peek at the Bride Quest Kickstarter Rewards

Posted on May 17, 2023 by Deborah Cooke

Monday, I talked about Kickstarter in general and why I like using it. Today, let’s talk a bit more about those perks for backers that will only be available through the campaign (running May 30 to June 10.)

First, there are the books.

The Princess, book one of The Bride Quest series of medieval romances by Claire Delacroix, all print editions

This image shows all four editions of The Princess: from left, the original mass market paperback (out of print so included here for scale), the new MMPB, the current trade paperback and at the right, the new hardcover edition.

The hardcover has a case laminate, which means there’s a second image on the case of the book. It’s the new illustration, so with the hardcover, you get both images.

The Princess, book one of The Bride Quest series of medieval romances by Claire Delacroix, 25th anniversary commemorative hard cover edition

While you can order the new 25th anniversary editions of the books from your portal of choice (the pre-orders for The Princess are up now, for both the new hardcover edition and the new mass market edition), those books will be delivered in November.

By ordering them through the Kickstarter campaign, you’ll get them early.

You’ll also have the option of having your books personalized or signed, which is a great touch for your keeper shelf.

You can also save money on the hardcovers, if you buy entire trilogies through the Kickstarter campaign on the Early Bird specials. Sooner, signed or personalized, and cheaper too!

One of the interesting things about Kickstarter is that readers in different genres and subgenres find different perks appealing. I noticed in January that my readers really liked new content – the most popular tier was a new book in that world. So, for this campaign, every backer will get a copy of the ebook of the new bonus epilogue to the Bride Quest I, which is called Christmas at Tullymullagh. That story will be included in the new print editions of The Heiress.

There will be a stretch goal for a second bonus epilogue called Easter at Airdfinnan. If we reach the stretch goal, that ebook will be supplied to all backers and the story will be included in the new print editions of The Temptress. The first story at least (and the second if we achieve the goal) will be packaged in ebook and put up for sale by the end of the year —again, you’ll get them early if you back the campaign. These stories are an opportunity to catch up with the characters and check in with them. I’m working on the stories now and am having such a good time with them – it’s fun to revisit old friends! 🙂

I also thought it would be fun to incorporate the cover reveals for the other five new editions in the Kickstarter campaign. That gives me a good reason to post an update every day and switch out the graphics. Here’s the schedule for the campaign:

The schedule for the 25th anniversary commemorative editions of The Bride Quest at Kickstarter, May 30 to June 10

The little green clocks indicate Early Bird specials. Essentially, you save by committing to a trilogy (or both trilogies) before all of the new covers have been revealed.

For example, the hardcovers are priced at $39.99US at retailers. My campaign is priced in Canadian dollars because Kickstarter doesn’t give me a choice. $39.99 US is about $55 CA. That first Early Bird special is for the three hardcovers in the Bride Quest I trilogy, signed, for $135 CA. That’s about $100 US and it includes postage to US addresses, along with all physical and digital swag revealed during the campaign. That offer is only available for the first 24 hours of the campaign – it’s an Early Bird Special! – but I think it’s a great deal.

I’ve also gone through my books and have listed some of the original mass market paperbacks for sale as add-ons in this campaign. If you like the older editions, here’s your chance to get out-of-print copies.

There will, of course, be other surprises during the campaign, but here’s the one that I particularly like. I had a version of the dust jacket for The Princess printed on cotton (it has a lot less type) and am making fabric jackets to fit the hardcover books. If you order any of the signed hardcover editions, you’ll get a fabric book cover made by yours truly to protect your book while you read. You’ll have to wait for the reveal on June 8 to see exactly what they look like but I love them. I’ll only make enough of them to fulfil the rewards. (So, yes, if you back that $135 CA tier, you’ll get the fabric book cover, too.)

The final thing to remember is that you don’t have to buy print books during the Kickstarter campaign. You can back a campaign for digital rewards (like the ebooks of the short stories). You can shop for other medieval romances of mine – they’re ALL available in the add-ons – or save on my audiobooks during the campaign. You can even back a campaign for no reward at all, just to support the author.

25th anniversary commemorative editions of The Bride Quest at Kickstarter, May 30 to June 10

The Kickstarter campaign for my Bride Quest 25th Anniversary commemorative editions launches on May 30 and runs through June 10. I hope to see you there!

You can follow the campaign right here.

Why I Like Kickstarter

Posted on May 15, 2023 by Deborah Cooke

I talked about Kickstarter on my Deborah Cooke blog last December before launching my first campaign there, but haven’t discussed it here – beyond announcing the upcoming campaign for the Bride Quest 25th Anniversary Commemorative Editions.

Let’s change that today.

As ever, the book market is changing. Taking advantage of new opportunities is key to continuing to survive and thrive as a creator. For example, once upon a time, every author had a website, a blog and a link to their Amazon page. Now, opportunities abound for connecting with readers and selling books, and each author can develop a custom mix. It’s not possible to do everything, so I try to pick things that are fun or make sense to me. I like having the websites. (Some authors now eschew them.) I like having the blog, even though it’s a bit old-school – and WordPress is now promoting the subscribe feature, which makes the blog into a kind of mini-newsletter. I like that. I have mixed feelings about monthly newsletters, mostly because I personally don’t love them – but what I like isn’t necessarily what my readers like.

And I like Kickstarter. The environment is fun, and the interactions with readers are fabulous. I find the enthusiasm very inspiring and like being able to easily talk directly to readers. It feels more intimate than the blog or a newsletter. My first campaign was quite intense but a lot of that was because I didn’t know what to expect. I think it’ll be easier (and more mellow) this time.

I like making all the graphics and organizing the campaign. The tools are evolving all the time – this time, for example, I can add images to all of the reward tiers, which looks much better. Here’s one of the images for the upcoming campaign:

Graphic for the 25th anniversary commemorative editions of The Bride Quest at Kickstarter, May 30 to June 10

I also like that each campaign is for a very specific (and limited) period of time. When I had an online store, there was a constant drip of things to do. A quarterly deluge is easier to manage, in a way. Although many authors are opening their own online stores, I’m not in a hurry to do that again. The main category of items that sold in my store was signed books, but the cost of postage from Canada is prohibitive. For the foreseeable future, I’ll only offer them through my Kickstarter campaigns. Shipping personalized copies directly from the printer saves money and works out well, especially if it can be done in batches, for example.

On the reader side, a Kickstarter campaign is a chance to participate. You can make a difference in the creative journey of the authors whose work you enjoy by supporting their campaigns. This process makes projects possible that might not have happened otherwise, which I like a lot. I would never, for example, have undertaken the work and expense of creating these new Bride Quest editions without Kickstarter to launch them and help to finance the upfront costs. In a way, they’re kind of a test, to see whether it’s worth doing new packages for other series and launching them this way.

And of course, there’s an upside to being a supporter. There has to be! There are perks that are only available through the Kickstarter campaign to backers. I’ll talk a bit more on Wednesday about specifics for the Bride Quest campaign, and give you a sneak peek of what’s in store.

In the meantime, you can follow the campaign right here.

Tumbling Dominoes

Posted on March 7, 2023 by Deborah Cooke

Yesterday, I moved out my publication dates. Moving one meant moving the next and so forth, so we have a domino effect.

The Widow's Wager, book 3 of The Ladies' Essential Guide to the Art of Seduction series of Regency romances by Claire Delacroix — The Widow’s Wager

The Scot and the Sorceress, book four of the Blood Brothers trilogy by Claire Delacroix — The Scot & the Sorceress

One Knight's Desire, book three of the Rogues & Angels series of medieval romances by Claire Delacroix — One Knight’s Desire

The Widow’s Wager will now be published April 11.

The Scot & the Sorceress will now be published June 15.

One Knight’s Desire will now be published August 15.

The culprit was a story that I added into my schedule in January, mistakenly believing it would be a novella. Kiss of Enchantment is a full-length book and one that has to be nestled into the existing world of the Dragonfire Novels. It’s the first book in a new PNR series and hopped onto my schedule during my Kickstarter campaign. It also publishes in April. I was just too optimistic about getting the story done in a short period of time and, as a result, everything moved a little bit further along the conveyor belt.

On the upside, my next Kickstarter campaign will feature new print editions of The Bride Quest – not omnibus editions, but individual hard covers and mass market editions. That will launch in May or June, and I’ll tell you more as we get closer to that. You can also follow me on Kickstarter to be notified of all new campaigns.

The Stolen Bride Cover Reveal

Posted on February 6, 2023 by Deborah Cooke

The Stolen Bride, book three of the Brides of Inverfyre series of medieval Scottish romances by Claire Delacroix

The Stolen Bride is Evangeline and Ramsay’s book, book three of the Brides of Inverfyre series of medieval Scottish romances. This pair met in The Runaway Bride and there’s a lot of energy between them. Evangeline, of course, will be expected to make a strategic marriage but won’t be pleased about it. I’m thinking Ramsay will offer the perfect temptation for her to defy her father, the Hawk, and to evade her arranged marriage. Hmm. But why does Ramsay want to marry her? Evangeline may think she’s jumped from the fat to the fire…

This one will be published in December 🙂

She will be no man’s prize….

Evangeline Armstrong is resolved to evade the strategic marriage arranged for her by her father, the Hawk of Inverfyre. She feigns compliance, intending to flee to the king’s court for protection once her party is away from Inverfyre. Instead, she is seized by Ramsay MacLaren, an outlaw and her father’s sworn enemy, and compelled to wed him.

Ramsay MacLaren owes a debt to the eldest daughter of the Hawk of Inverfyre, one he will never forget‚ just as he cannot forget the beguiling beauty who helped him escape her father’s dungeon. He has learned that no other woman can satisfy him, though he knows the Hawk would never allow their match. When Ramsay witnesses Evangeline’s departure with only a small party, he sees his chance and claims her for his own.

In morning’s light, Evangeline fears that Ramsay’s sweet words were solely to earn her capitulation—and support his claim to Inverfyre. All the same, she cannot regret the marvel of his touch. Does she dare to trust the warrior whose kiss ignites her very soul? For his part, Ramsay finds himself captivate by the woman he has taken to wife—even at the expense of his own plan for vengeance. Can he truly destroy all of import to her to avenge the past? When Ramsay is challenged by Evangeline’s wealthy betrothed, how can he choose between his vow to his family and the lady who holds his heart in thrall?

Evangeline and Ramsay’s story is coming December 26, 2024.