As we bid farewell to another incredible chapter and eagerly turn the page to a brand-new year, I want to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude for the journey we’ve shared throughout the past year.
2023 was a tumultuous year for me, personally. Heartache and loss, joy and friendship, love and laughter, tears and trials … every day was a journey unique to its own. I know that the personal bled through into my writing journey and there were times I didn’t think I would be able to continue. But with God’s help, and your support, I was able to persevere!
Thank you!
As we move into 2024 I want to assure you that there are great things in store for this little community!
As most of you know I was blessed to be able to take Author Brittany Wang’s, Published Series Roadmap Course last year. I can honestly say that it changed the direction of my writing career. The materials and lessons involved were clear, concise, and gave me the much needed wind for my sails. Because of that, much of the changes I am about to announce were made possible!
Please bear with me, because this post is going to go long!
MY WEBSITE
The address is still the same, www.kathywereb.com, but the title on the banner has been changed to reflect my new permanent title. It now reads ‘Kathy Wereb, Romance and Fantasy Author’. I’ve also updated the images, and changed the pages to make it more streamlined and user-friendly. Please check it out and let me know what you think!
MY MERCHANDISE
Did you know that I have created a Merchandise Shop? While I haven’t officially announced it yet, it is available and ready for business. I’ve titled it KWereb Designs and it will host all of sorts of goodies related to my novels and author aids. There are a few items on there already, but once my fantasy series comes out I will be stuffing it full and make a big to-do over it.
MY SOCIAL MEDIA
I have also updated and streamlined my Social Media links. Sadly, I am no longer posting on Facebook. Honestly, it doesn’t get much engagement, so the time spent keeping it updated isn’t worth the effort.
I am concentrating on Instagram and YouTube instead. You can find me with the following handle, @kathywerebwrites for both platforms.
MY JEWELRY BUSINESS IDEA
I will no longer be playing around with the idea of making/selling jewelry. At the moment, I just don’t have the time or the will to embark on such a creative journey. Happily, my urge to write has been renewed and that is currently what I am focused on.
MY WRITING
Here is the good stuff you’ve been waiting for!
If you haven’t been to YouTube in a bit you might want to head over there and watch the most recent videos! In them I explain a few of the changes that have happened, but to get you up to speed I will list the most important ones here.
- I am now using Bullet Journals to track my writing.
- Because of the above, I am now sitting at a total of 11 fully outlined and prepared novels waiting to be written! (This is HUGE! As my fellow procrastinators know, getting anything done ahead of time is something to be celebrated. Woot!)
- I am still using planners, but my planning has changed a little.
- I am currently writing a Fantasy Series that contains four novels.
- Sadly, I have put the kibosh on the Maui Romance Novel series. The August 8, 2023 fires in Lahaina have completely overwhelmed me. My heart can’t handle the pain of writing them.
Now that we’ve gotten that stuff out of the way, let’s dish about what no one else knows!
We’ll start with romance …
Among those 11 outlines are five Romance Novels … yes, five! Four of them are going to be a series, but standalones so that you won’t have to read them in order. The tentative title for the series is, what else but “The Love Series”. They will include standard tropes … age gap, meet-cute, love triangle … just to name a few. Also, one of them was inspired by the book of Esther from the Bible, but with a modern twist. There are going to be more in the series than the first four, but at the moment I’ve got enough to keep me busy. The fifth outline I have is a standalone modern-day romance inspired by my favorite Broadway play … the Phantom of the Opera!
Oh my peeps, I am so excited to get these written!
Now about the fantasy outlines …
Let’s chat about the duology first. These two books are going to wrestle with the question of ‘What happened to Cinderella’s step-sisters?’ I don’t know about you, but I have always wondered what became of them, so I am happy to announce that I’ve come up with two great ‘what if’ novels that will hopefully satisfy those of us who have always thought that while yes, they were spoiled brats, they also got the short end of the deal with that crazy mother of theirs.
Now, the BIGGEST news I have for you today is about my Fantasy Series!
WARNING: THE BELOW INFORMATION CONTAINS SERIOUS SPOILERS. IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO KNOW, DON’T READ FURTHER! (Also, please DON’T share the information. This is strictly for my Newsletter Subscribers only.)
I am excited to announce that the title of the series is “A Hero’s Chronicles”.
As mentioned, this series will contain four novels. They are as follows:
A Hero’s Journey – Our Heroes begin their journey on a quest to save the Princess, but by the end realize the stakes are much deeper than they had first imagined.
A Hero’s Discovery – In search of answers to questions dredged up in the first novel, our Heroes plunge into territory unknown and face a force bent on more than just the kidnapping of a Princess.
A Hero’s Victory – This is it. This is the moment our Heroes must face their own weakness in order to save the Kingdom, but, will they be able to forge ahead? Or will they succumb to outside forces and see the Kingdom fall?
A Hero’s History – Long before our Heroes were born, before the Princess was kidnapped and the Kingdom threatened, a conflict rose in the land that set the stage for what was to come. This is the origin story behind our Heroes quest.
Wow! I’ve got goosebumps just thinking about it!!
Inspired by a splash of ‘The Princess Bride’, a healthy dose of ‘Lord of the Rings’, and a little of ‘On Wings of Ash and Dust’ thrown in for good measure, I guarantee that this four novel series will leave you hanging on the edge of your seat!
If you would like to keep up with the progress of the novel writing, please head over to YouTube and subscribe to my channel. Also, be thinking about your role in these upcoming novels, as in the coming months I will be asking for Beta and ARC readers, as well as a Street Team to get the message out about their release.
My goal in 2024 is to publish the entire series, one after the other, and I am looking forward to working with you to make these novels great!
With warmest aloha,
