As you probably have guessed, I’ve been working on a new medieval romance series and now I have a tentative schedule and release plan. It’ll be a trilogy of medieval Scottish fantasy romances, which will launch next year.
Each book will be available first via a Kickstarter campaign, in ebook and trade paperback. I plan for the KS campaign for book one to be next winter, maybe March or April, because I want to have the book written first. There will also be some campaign goodies, and you’ll be able to order the print editions from previous KS campaigns (for Blood Brothers and the Bride Quest), as well. The first book will be on pre-order at the retailers at that time, to deliver at least six months after the KS campaign ends. I’m thinking it will be a December release.
So, at KS, you’ll be able to get the book early, get your print copy signed and get campaign goodies exclusive to the campaign.
I’ll plan for the second book’s Kickstarter campaign to be later next year, possibly not with delivery of print books available for the holidays. (Things get very slow at the printers due to volume from October onward.) In that campaign, you’ll be able to get an early copy of book two in ebook or trade paperback, and also add book one if you missed it, and snag some campaign goodies for your hoard.
The Kickstarter campaign for the third book will be in 2026. I haven’t decided yet whether the hardcover editions of all three books will be part of that campaign or a separate campaign. I always want to read and love a book before I commit to having it in a collectible hardcover on my shelf, but your view may be different. We have time to work that out!
In between, there may be a Kickstarter campaign for new print editions of The Champions of St. Euphemia series in trade paperback with duplex covers and in hard cover with a dust jacket. Like the Blood Brothers‘ Kickstarter editions, these will have the illustration of the couple on the inside of the trade paperback cover and on the case laminate of the hardcover. The outside of the trade paperback and the dust jacket on the hardcover will have the type.
These illustrations are already done as they’re on the current editions. I love them to pieces and want to celebrate them with the new editions. I’m also still on the hunt for someone to draw a map. The timing of that campaign depends upon my workload and how things go.
So, my tentative 2024 schedule looks like this:
October – The Bluestocking’s Bargain (Pre-order available now)
March – Kickstarter for book one of the new series
April – The Duke’s Desire
June – Kickstarter for The Champions of St. Euphemia
October – Kickstarter for book two of the new series
December – publication date at the portals for book one of the new series
In 2026, book two of the new series will release at the portals, and there will be a Kickstarter for book three of the new series.
Clearly, there should be some additional hist-rom releases next summer and fall, but we’ll keep things a little loose as yet. Those Kickstarters can chew up a lot of time, but I’m hoping they get easier. I worked out my writing schedule and things were tight at the end of 2024. To keep The Duke’s Desire from sliding to May, I made it book #6 of that series and put the planned book 6 (which had been slated for January) on the back burner. I think we’re all more interested in the duke and Esmeralda’s story, so that one has to be finished up.
On the other side of my office, I have a new contemporary romance series launching in February. My current plan is for The Carpe Diem Café to have three releases next year: Just Trouble in February, book two probably in June and book three probably in October. I have a lot of writing on my schedule and I’m excited about all of these stories.
I’ll tell you more about the new medieval fantasy romance trilogy when the Kickstarter campaign is in preview and can be followed.
Claire Delacroix 