Category Archives: Stonebearer’s Betrayal

Winning the League of Utah Writer’s Diamond Quill Award

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The annual awards banquet of the League of Utah Writers was held on a warm night in August. I’d attended this event every year for nearly a decade, applauding the winners of the various awards and enjoying the company of my favorite fellow writers. While I’d entered more categories this year than I had in the past, I was very aware of the talent level I was competing against.

As the night progressed and the various categories were announced, I was happy to get a third-place win in the YA first chapter category all while trying to ignore the other categories where my work was completely ignored.

The end of the evening is reserved for the announcement of the big winners, including the Quills contest for published books. Back in 2019, I’d entered Stonebearer’s Betrayal and won a Recommended Read. In 2021, Stonebearer’s Apprentice won a Silver.

While I really liked how Stonebearer’s Redemption had turned out, I knew that as a third book in a series, it would be hard for a judge to understand any of the references to the other books. I crossed my fingers for a mention, as even a recommended read would have made me very happy.

As the Quill Awards for all the different categories were announced, and my category came and went, I tried not to be disappointed. Part of being a professional writer is understanding that some people might not like my work. Lurking at the edge of possibility was winning the last and largest award, the Diamond Quill.

This award was always announced after all the others, meaning that everyone who entered whose name hadn’t been called was now on the edge of their seats for this one last chance at recognition.

They called the winner, and it wasn’t me. I was prepared to be okay with it. Annoyed, but okay.

Except – this year they had a tie.

I’d already mentally packed my bags and was eager to leave when a very familiar book cover flashed on the screen and my name was called. Shocked isn’t quite the word for what went through my system. I was floored. Speechless. Stunned. Hubby dearest captured a picture moments after that says it all.

It took a few days to even believe that it had happened. In some ways, I’m still in denial about the whole thing. Perhaps that’s why it took so long to write this post.

To all of you who stood by me through thick and thin, thank you. Writing Stonebearer’s Redemption was possibly one of the hardest projects I’d ever embarked on and required every ounce of skill and inspiration that I could find. It was one of those books that fought back and challenged me to do better, be better. I couldn’t have done it without the support of my family, my writing community, and of course my amazing editor who called me on all the ideas and concepts that weren’t working.

Thank you to the League of Utah Writers for this honor.

Find the entire Shadow Barrier Trilogy, including Stonebearer’s Redemption, in this amazing ebook box set!

Get your copy today!

Stonebearer’s Redemption is here!

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After a year of extra waiting, the third and final book in the Shadow Barrier Trilogy is finally here! Stonebearer’s Redemption picks up Katira’s story a few months after the events of Stonebearer’s Apprentice where Wrothe found a way to attack the stronghold of Amul Dun directly, the first enemy to do so in the castle’s long history.

What’s this one about?

We start the story with Katira being content with her new life living at Amul Dun as she learns more about the power she holds. This peace is disrupted when she discovers that Namragan is under attack by shadow hounds. Both she and Papan feel compelled to return and ensure the safety of the place they once called home.

In doing so, Katira encounters a new problem that has everything to do with who she is and her destiny. If she can solve it, it will right a wrong committed hundreds of years before she was ever born.

Stonebearer’s Redemption is a fact-paced story full of drama, danger, and all the feels you’ve come to expect from me.

Why the delay in publishing?

Books that end a series present their own unique challenges, and this one is no different. It was a massive learning experience for me to gather up all the different story threads and combine them together to create a fulfilling conclusion that lived up to expectations.

Considering all that – I was bound to make a few mistakes.

I truly believed the book to be brilliant and complete back in August 2021 when I turned it into my editor for the first time. It was then that she very kindly pointed out a story problem so large that she may or may not have had the urge to throw the book across the room.

It seems that in my misguided attempt to elicit sympathy for our favorite villain, Wrothe, I made some choices that didn’t make sense in light of just how nasty a character she was in the first two books. Turns out that you can’t give a bad guy a happy ending, no matter how compelling you think it might be.

But, as I said before, writing this series has been a learning experience. I had a chance to make things right and by golly, I was going to take it. The last thing I would ever want is for a reader to be invested in Katira’s story enough to read the whole series, only to be disappointed in the end.

Up to this point, I’d been working on this book several hours a day for months on end. I needed a break. So – I wrote a cute little novelette that had been itching the back of my brain since I’d finished book #1 all about the events surrounding when Katira came into Jarand and Mirelle’s lives as a baby.

Only a writer would distract themselves from one big book problem by writing another book. So, yeah … Ta Dah!

Of Stone and Spark can be found as part of The Complete Shadow Barrier Trilogy Box Set.

Once “Of Stone and Spark” was done, I dove back into editing and pulled out those less-than-great ideas like the weeds they were. In the process, I found all sorts of new exciting ideas waiting for me. Stonebearer’s Redemption is a million percent better for the effort and I’m glad I took the time to essentially rewrite the entire thing.

What’s next?

As this is my first completed series, I’m taking a few weeks to truly celebrate this moment. This is the largest and longest-running project I’ve ever finished and it deserves time to shine. It won’t be long until I’m itching with a new idea, or character, or world that demands to be written.

As my gift to you, Stonebearer’s Betrayal, the first book in the Shadow Barrier Trilogy, is discounted to $0.99 for the entire month of December 2022. If you haven’t started, here’s your chance!

Grab my copy today!

Happy reading!

FanX Salt Lake 2021

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After a year of tumult and avoiding crowds, or to be honest, avoiding people in general, being back at FanX was a welcome step back to normalcy. That said, it was really weird to interact with so many friends and strangers in person after so long of not feeling safe to do so. I was pleased that the majority of attendees chose to respect the mask rule as I know it helped keep us all safer.

This year was a number of firsts for me, which made my FanX experience that much more exciting. I wasn’t until recently that I was able to join the panelist group, thanks to a dear friend who advocated for me. Before that, I’d always bought a ticket and spent my time attending panels in the audience, walking the vendor floor, and finding friends who were actually working the con. Throw in an occasional cosplay, and that was the extent of my experience.

The Booth

In previous years, I’ve never committed to selling my books at any particular booth, mainly because I didn’t really have that many books to sell. Way back in 2019, which feels like forever ago, I got to sign books with my favorite indie bookstore, The Printed Garden. And while it doesn’t hold a candle to the work of running a booth, it was the perfect way to stick my toe in the water.

This year I buddied up with two fabulous authors, Candace J Thomas and C. M. Adler, as well as one amazing artist, Julie Gallegos to make up the Local Fantasy Author Booth #1236. All I can say is, what a learning experience. I got a much greater appreciation for booth design, inventory management, and patron interaction than I ever expected.

Moderating my first panel

It’s one thing to be invited to talk about different topics, it’s quite another to guide the conversation. This year I participated in three fascinating panels, Spirited Away, Flash Gordon, and The Witcher.

2021 marks the 20th anniversary of the Japan release of Spirited Away, so I thought it would be a great year to celebrate. As the panel was my idea, they let me moderate which is something I’ve done a bunch in other smaller venues, but nothing as big as FanX. My fellow panelists were terrific and the discussion ranged from thematic elements of the show to how Miyazaki ties his creations to folklore and culture, to my favorite question – which character each of the panelists felt represented them the best.

The other panels were also great fun. For Flash Gordon the moderator brought some slides that compared the Sam J Jones movie to the original Buster Keaton series. We then talked about our favorite scenes – definitely the tree spider scene – and also brought up all sorts of interesting trivia, like how the role of Flash was originally offered to Kurt Russell.

As for the Witcher panel, I got to let my inner geek shine as only myself and one other panelist had read the novels and many of the questions had a lot to do with how the different medias compared with each other.

Selling out of my book!

As authors, nothing makes us happier than connecting with people who love the subjects and genres we write about. Selling my fantasy series at FanX was a dream come true. I’ve never been in a situation where people would walk by and see the books we offered and say, “I want that” and then buy it. Talk about feeling validated.

Again, this whole event was a learning experience. Part of that learning was all about how many of a title I should ideally bring. Had I brought more, I could have easily sold more. I don’t feel bad. As a first time, I consider the whole experience a raging success.

My one regret

Most years I spend far more time roaming around and seeing the other tables and booths. That said, most years I have my amazing hubby to keep me company as we look at all the cool cosplays and things for sale. While he came this year to visit, I was too overwhelmed at all the newness of working the booth to spend much time with him. When I did take a minute to wander around, it wasn’t the same.

Next year for sure I will make the time to roam the conference and see all the amazing stuff with hubby dearest and perhaps pick up a few more sparkly goodies along the way.

Stonebearer’s Apprentice is Here!

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I’m so dumbfounded that this book actually got finished, got through editing, and got onto the virtual shelves, that I’m not quite sure how I arrived here at today. This book was a team effort. My family and production team have been so supportive in these last months as all the last pieces of this project were pulled together.

Here’s my heart’s warmest thank you to everyone who has helped me along the way. You are what made this possible.

About Stonebearer’s Apprentice

The story of Stonebearer’s Apprentice begins a few weeks after the end of Stonebearer’s Betrayal. Katira is adjusting to her new home at the tower of Amul Dun, her new responsibilities, and trying to come to terms with her new life. After all that’s happened, she welcomes the promised safety of Amul Dun and it’s magically protected walls.

Which makes it all the more shocking when Katira finds herself targeted once again. This time, however, she’s no longer the helpless girl she once was. There is a power inside her that she must learn to control. If she doesn’t, it could kill her.

That is if the traitor in the tower doesn’t find a way to kill her first.

Katira’s only hope is to master her power. Her apprenticeship tests not only her strength and courage, but her determination to do what is necessary as well. If she fails, she won’t be able to protect the people she’s come to love.

Get yours today!

Head on over to Amazon to grab your copy, Stonebearer’s Apprentice is available in both ebook and paperback. Even better, if you are enrolled in Kindle Unlimited, you can grab this title for free.

If you missed reading Stonebearer’s Betrayal, grab an ebook for free this weekend from June 12-16. My gift to you!

You can also find updates and post notifications on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram – chose the one you like the most!

Jodi L Milner is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Stonebearer’s Apprentice Ebook Now Available for Preorder!

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It’s official! The ebook of Stonebearer’s Apprentice, the second book in the Shadow Barrier Trilogy, is now available to preorder. Squee!

Putting the finishing touches on this project couldn’t have come at a more dramatic time. Important decisions about final edits, cover text, and marketing had to happen in the cracks left between the extra work needed to help my kiddos get their school work done. I imagine many of you are just as relieved as I am that the school year is over.

Which means … it’s reading and relaxing time!

Better still, if you missed the first book in the series, now’s is a great time to grab it as well. The ebook is only $2.99, and is also part of the Kindle Unlimited program. (Just a secret between you and me, I’ll also be giving it away for free from June 12-16 as part of the celebration during the release of book two.)

Paperback lovers never fear! I’m taking care of you as well. You can grab your Stonebearer’s Apprentice paperback on the official release day June 12. Don’t worry, I’ll remind you. If you also wanted the paperback copy of book one, now is a brilliant time to grab it. Currently it’s listed at about $6 on Amazon. I’m not sure how long that will last. If you want to treat yourself, grab it before the price goes up.

Click here to preorder Stonebearer’s Apprentice!

Jodi L Milner is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Stonebearer’s Apprentice Cover Reveal!

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The day is finally here! Cover reveal day! I’m thrilled to be able to show the cover to book #2 of the Shadow Barrier Trilogy. Many of you have been with me from the beginning and I’m so happy for you to share this moment with you today. A huge thank you to my cover designer, Fiona at Fiona Jayde Media, for combining my vision and her artistry to create something truly magical.

Without further ado, here it is!

In this installment the Shadow Barrier Trilogy, Katira must come to terms with the life she’s fallen into. She’s expected to face her fears as she endures training that will push her to her limits and beyond. But, things can’t be easy. There is a traitor hiding within the walls of Amul Dun. Wrothe is not defeated as everyone believed. If Katira is going to survive, she must master the power of the Khandashii. Without guidance, it will kill her. Her apprenticeship tests not only her strength and courage, but her determination to do what is necessary.

Sound like a good read? I sure hope so. One of the things I loved about writing this book was digging deeper into the personalities of the characters that appeared in book one, but didn’t get a chance to shine. We get to see much more of what makes these characters unique.

Psst – if you want to have the first dibs on seeing cool stuff, consider signing up to be part of my fantasy reader’s community. They get all sorts of good stuff before the general public, including free short stories, offers from other authors, early chances to snatch up preorders, and fun stuff like this cover reveal (they got to see it a few days ago). Go ahead, do it, I’ll wait.

Good news! Two weeks until I open ebook preorders for Stonebearer’s Apprentice to the public. Stay tuned for the link! I’ll be posting it literally everywhere.

You can also find updates and post notifications on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram – chose the one you like the most!

A Different Kind of Tired

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I know you’ve felt it, heck, you might be feeling it right now. There are different flavors of being tired. The one most associated with the word tired is that fatigue that results from lack of sleep or doing too much. If your stress levels have been like mine, you probably have had bouts of insomnia to accompany the whirlwind that is adapting to everyday life, which in turn makes the vicious cycle of being tired that much worse.

Photo by Abbie Bernet on Unsplash

Then, there is the tired that actually means overwhelmed. This is when there are too many items on the to do list, too many thoughts in your head, and too many responsibilities that you feel you can’t possibly meet. Often it’s not that there are actually too many things to do, it’s that trying to wrap your head around doing all of them is downright scary.

It gets even worse when any of those items are frightening by themselves. Lately, some of the simplest things have become scary. Before COVID, I never liked grocery shopping and treated it more like the Grand Prix; prepare ahead, plan my route, get in, get fueled up, pay, get out. The faster the better.

Going to the grocery store now has an extra layer of scary. Nothing like the chance of catching a horrible case of death to spice things up, right? There are all sorts of new rules that people should be following, but everyone you see are doing their own interpretation. Psst … the masks go over the nose, people.

Photo by Scott Warman on Unsplash

This entire week as been filled with the dreadful anxiety that comes with being overwhelmed. This time it’s not the perpetual hedonistic treadmill that is policing my darling kiddos through the rigors of online school, we got that all figured out. It’s not even the ever growing pile of dishes that seem to spontaneously reproduce in the sink and then vomit out all over the kitchen. They’re annoying, but they don’t make my blood pressure go up.

Nope, the biggest source of my overwhelm tiredness hamster wheel is reaching the ‘you better get it done stage’ of releasing book two of the Stonebearer Saga. I’ve made so many promises to get it out earlier this year and I’ve broken everyone. After having to adjust my timeline so many times already, actually committing to something makes me break out in a cold sweat. The goal was to have it out in March. Yeah, that March – you know, the one when the world closed it’s doors and the economy started to slip down the drain.

If I commit to a release date again, I have to complete it. But this time, I’m armed with a manuscript that’s about five hours away from being called completely done. Which leads me to make the following announcement.

Drum roll please …

Stonebearer’s Apprentice will be released June 12 come hell or high water.

Photo by Austin Schmid on Unsplash

For early bird access to the cover reveal and preorders, come join my Fantasy Reader Community. My readers get everything from free ebooks from authors around the world, sneak peeks inside my writing world, random advice about life, and the occasional opportunity to help me shape the concepts I use in future stories.

This announcement also means that YES, I am looking for reviewers and friends on social media to help me spread the word. If you are interested, let me know and I’d love to work something out!

Squee! So exciting!

You can also find updates and post notifications on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram – chose the one you like the most!

It’s ALIVE! Stonebearer’s Betrayal is back and better than ever

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Back in October 2019, the ebook of Stonebearer’s Betrayal was removed from Amazon and hasn’t been available. While it was gone, the Stonebearer Saga brand underwent a huge renovation to renew and refresh its image in the marketplace. The biggest part of this was commissioning a fresh new cover that better represented my vision of the book.

Have I been crazy excited about this? Absolutely.

The story still revolves around Katira’s experience as she learns the truth about the magic which exists in both her world and her family, a truth which has been hidden from her.

Here’s the new back cover blurb:

Forbidden magic compelled Katira to live a lie, but learning the truth is far more dangerous than she ever dreamed.

When an innocent hunting trip turns into an attack, Katira’s world fractures. Her humble parents are actually legendary Stonebearers – immortal, powerful beings tasked with protecting the human world from creatures of the mirror realm.

Those cracks widen and shatter apart when the Archdemoness, Wrothe, escapes from her timeless prison and snatches Katira away, intending to use her as bait to destroy not only her family line, but the entire Stonebearer Society.

If Katira is to be made whole again, she must learn to trust the young stranger who’s trying to save her while finding the strength to accept not only her parents’ power, but her own.

Winner of the Quills 2019 Recommended Read

And yes, you can totally order it RIGHT NOW.

Head here for the newly branded ebook

Head here for the new paperback

Note – because the original book is still in the process of being removed from Amazon, be sure to use the above link to find the new paperback.

You can also find updates and post notifications on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram – chose the one you like the most!

Reflections on 2019

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No. I’m not writing a goals post. I refuse. Not even the most persuasive chocolate bearing sweet-talker can talk me into one. So there. Ha.

Why? No one wants to read a goals post. Yes, I totally have a few (hundred) goals that I’m making plans to make happen, but waxing all poetic about it all over the blog feels, well, pretentious.

That – and of the hoard of goals I put into writing, I’ll probably completely forget about 70% of them before January ends. It took forty years to figure out that when it comes to personal goals, I tend to go a little crazy – and I can’t handle crazy right now.

Does this all sound a bit familiar? Yeah… I totally did it last year with my whole power word campaign.

Here’s a review of 2019

I really liked the idea of power words, but the idea faded out after the first few months. I still have two words posted here at my desk and I wouldn’t be able to tell you what they were. Note to self – don’t pick nine power words. Instead of digging deep into one idea, I was all over the place with a constantly shifting focus. It was an interesting experiment and if I did it again, I would approach it differently.

As a family, 2019 was busy. With all the kids in school but none of them driving, it means lots of being a mom taxi for me. We traveled quite a bit in our travel trailer, including heading down to the Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam. Currently, the kids love video games, board games, and exploring new places.

At the beginning of 2019 I’d just barely survived putting my first book into the world and was already on the edge of a significant burnout. Most of January of 2019 consisted of 6-8 hour days contacting reviewers and learning how to best market a new product, all while being a mom to young kids and also maintaining a home. What made me more tired than anything was not knowing what needed to be done and and trying to do all the things anyway. I’ve learned a lot this year and going forward I have a better plan for future releases.

Which leads me to my most significant moment of 2019, the decision to request back my rights to my first book back and create my own publishing label – Stone Orchid Press. This was not a decision I entered into lightly. I agonized for months over the pros and cons of staying with traditional publishing vs taking up the banner on my own. In the end, the flexibility of setting my own deadlines combined with having more control over the quality of the finished project and the production schedule helped me make my decision.

Going into 2020

My big focus for 2020 will be to find balance between my career as an author, taking care of myself, caring for my family, and keeping the household in order. As we left 2019, I worked actively to find a way to handle my schedule in such a way that I could do all four things in a very intentional way.

My big kick off announcement for 2020 is the rerelease of Stonebearer’s Betrayal in preparation for the release of the sequel novel, Stonebearer’s Apprentice, coming later in the Spring.

You can totally order it RIGHT NOW.

Head here for the newly branded ebook

Or … here for the brand new shiny paperback (Note – the cover is still in the process of loading into Amazon, but this is the correct link)

You can also find updates and post notifications on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram – chose the one you like the most!

Rerelease Cover Reveal!

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Just in time for the new year, Stonebearer’s Betrayal has undergone a massive face lift. This new cover captures not only Katira’s story in a new and powerful way, but also represents my growth as an author and my decision to become an independent publisher of my own works.

First, a huge thanks are in order to Fiona Jayde Media for transforming my ideas and thoughts into an image that represents everything I originally hoped the story to be. I loved working with her, and I’m looking forward to crafting covers for the rest of the books in the Shadow Barrier trilogy with her.

You’re probably wondering why I wanted to update my cover. It’s a long and complicated story that has everything to do with my writing goals and what needed to happen to bring them about. Long story short, after receiving a year of thoughtful feedback from people in the industry I trust, I knew a change was needed. Don’t get me wrong, the first cover was dramatic and moody and dark – which does represents some of the elements of the story . However, it didn’t capture Katira’s youth or insecurity and as she is the focus of the story, I wanted the picture to do that part justice.

A jaw dropping design by the talented Fiona Jayde.

The new cover shows Katira as a younger and far more feminine character. She holds the knife that Elan gave her in the beginning of the book and is encircled by magic symbolizing her plunge into the magical world. If you look closely, there are lightning-like lines skirting the outside of the image to represent the marks mature Stonebearers develop on their skin after years of working with the power. In the background are crumbling ruins, representing the Khanrosh where Regulus initially releases the demoness Wrothe and where the story’s climax takes place.

On January 2nd, the fresh new ebook and paperback of Stonebearer’s Betrayal, the first novel in the Shadow Barrier trilogy, will officially hit the shelves and be available for purchase once again.

Also coming soon, book two in the Shadow Barrier trilogy, Stonebearer’s Apprentice – hitting the shelves of online retailers on March 19th.

Want to be notified the second my books are available on Amazon? Be sure to follow me over there, it’s super easy and they will let you know whenever something new is available!

Click here to go straight to my Amazon author page!

You can also find updates and post notifications on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram – chose the one you like the most!