A Rebel's Path - Release Day!

The day has arrived! My new book, A Rebel’s Path, the third in my Enchanted Path series was released today. And for the next two weeks the digital copies of both A Smuggler’s Path and A Noble’s Path are half off!

An unruly mage from the past has returned to test the limits of Inez’s magic and terrorize Canto…

Magic has become a liability for mage-in-training Inez Garza. Now that she’s accepted Zavier’s proposal of marriage, the scrutiny she once avoided as a smuggler has become nearly unavoidable as his future queen. Any missteps with her magic risks exposing her at the highest levels of Canto and especially to her intended, who still doesn’t know she harbors inherent magic.

Control over her Powers is essential, and her only hope is accepting help from one tutor who doubts her abilities, another who covets them and her mother, who doesn’t trust either of the two.

Differences will have to be set aside when it appears a figure from the past only whispered about in stories returns and threatens all of Canto with his dark magic.

Challenging a seasoned magic-wielder with her erratic Powers is just the kind of thing that could attract royal attention, or get Inez killed. She will have to uncover closely held secrets and take help from unlikely quarters in order to keep everyone safe. But even magic has its limits…

…when you walk a rebel’s path.

Here are some early reviews:

"An enthralling quest tale with a valiant and enchanting protagonist." –Kirkus Review

"A fast-moving plot and a cast of nebulous characters who exist in the grey space between good and evil make for a thought-provoking read that hums with tension… Cruz has crafted something that truly stands out within the genre." –Self-Publishing Review

Like all indie authors, I hope you read my books and post good reviews! To learn more about my other books visit www.booksbyilcruz.com

Fairy Word of Mouth

Remember the brave little tailor? He kills seven flies with one blow and sews a belt proclaiming his achievement to anyone who read it. It led to people somehow assuming he meant giants and not flies. Or how about the woman in Rumpelstiltskin whose father bragged about her spinning straw into gold while drinking in a tavern and somehow word got back to the king? Talk about amazing marketing.

With my new book coming out I have what I assume is a common writer fantasy. It goes something like this: the book is released and because it is just so undeniably good everyone reads it (and of course loves it) without having to create marketing campaigns or materials.

Maybe fairy tales have it right. There are days I consider just wearing a belt that says “four-times published author” or “excellently reviewed novelist” with a QR code for people who want to know more. Or times I wish I had some sort of herald that would go about telling people about my work. I know it’s a dream, but it’s one I indulge in when another publishing date rolls around. Like now.

I’m less than a week away from A Rebel’s Path being available everywhere, the third in my Enchanted Path series and I am predictably behind with my marketing. And my postings. And yet, I have to remind myself I’ve accomplished something not many people do, and I’ve done it four times. In the meantime, here's hoping the grapevine does its job.

Mechanical Creativity

As I'm sure you've noticed, new posts to my blog have been absent. I considered pushing through to make sure I had consistent content, but that's how I ended up in this predicament in the first place. Let me explain.

When the pandemic first began, I was at the start of a blog tour promoting A Noble's Path, the next book in my quartet. While I had a wonderful time getting to know new bloggers and participating in interviews, the results were mixed. People had other things on their mind and so did I. We didn't know how long this whole thing was going to last and each day was a question mark.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

After the tour ended, I threw myself into edits for book three, A Rebel's Path. And there were more than a few days when it felt like I had to throw myself into it because I had no desire to work on edits. I made a deal with myself that I would work on at least six pages every day, so I could get my manuscript to my editor in a timely fashion. I have no idea what I wrote and it showed when I got comments back from my editor saying, "This doesn't sound like you."

And it wasn't. I apologized to her and set my work aside promising to get it to her before summer. But the pandemic dragged on, my daughter was home "virtually learning" and my normal time for creativity became hampered. To make a long story short, I got stuck. So I made a really scary decision for someone who has written consistently since 2012. I stopped writing.

I knew it wasn't forever, but it still made me nervous. Why was I home, if not to commit to writing? Besides the quarantine, there was no reason I should be here. But then I started to embrace what I call mechanical creativity--artistic but guided. I practiced calligraphy drills. I used coloring books. I tried drawing tutorials. I created illuminated letter art for friends. I did a lot of redecorating in Animal Crossing. All of it had one thing in common--no writing and no stakes.

It's still scary especially because I have little patience. I want stuff done yesterday so I can check it off my list, but all the mechanical creativity has taught me to take a breath or three and realize writing will always be there. Every so often I have to relearn that.

So thank you for those readers who kept coming back to my blog and to the new arrivals, welcome. We finally seem to be on the approach to turn a corner and what better way to celebrate than getting back to normal-ish.