Welcome to the doldrums.
That is how I refer to this time of year here in Pennsylvania. It might be perfectly pleasant where you live, but here, it’s cold, it’s gray, it’s gloomy, and the days are still short. Christmas is over so all joy is gone. I don’t mean to be so depressing, but I have to be honest, writing these emails is my therapy so talking about it will make me feel better!
One thing that gets me through this seasonal depression is writing. I know I’ve already told you that words are on the page for the next Camilla book, but I’ve recently gotten into a good habit of working on this book. I’m writing Camilla almost every day, instead of sporadically. So, I’m making good progress and feeling really good about this book!
I have a teeny tiny, yet exciting announcement about this book which I’ll let you know about at the end of this email.
Stick with me, K?
Last year I tried something different with these posts. Instead of doing a boring author update every month (who here even cares about my life??), I did a few articles on Camilla’s world and things about the books that you might not normally catch. I got deep on Catahli, poison rings, and Portia’s amulet. I talked about some of the details that I can’t always put in the books.
Then I started to feel like I was missing out on sharing what was going on in my life (you guys care about my life, right??). So, I got out of the habit of writing these articles.
Well, starting really soon, these posts will be consumed by NEW CAMILLA BOOK content, so I thought I’d do one more email diving deep into an aspect of Camilla’s world before we get caught up in launching a new book in the series.
So, today I’m going to tell you about the two very different castles we’ve seen in Camilla’s story so far. They’re both located in the city of LilyAye, but they’re very, very different.
The Bradac Castle: Old and stately, this castle was the first to be erected in LilyAye. It was the OG castle, if you will. Despite its name, this castle was actually built during one of the Manhew Supreme Ruler’s reign. But it was primarily used by the Bradac Supreme Rulers. Note: there were several Bradacs that were Supreme Ruler of Elmyra.
This castle is stone built. It’s described as having silver doors, crystal nobs, and marble floors. We also know (if you’ve read The Dark Ruler) that this castle has extensive rose gardens and a beautiful courtyard. I won’t give away any spoilers, but one of our headline characters gets married at this castle. Yep.
After years of development in LilyAye, the Bradac castle is now nestled tightly amongst the city. Although an impressive estate, this castle just wouldn’t be good enough for a certain Quinten Warwick…
The Warwick Castle: When Quinten became Supreme Ruler he grew bored with this castle so he set out to build a new one. The second castle that Camilla discovers in The Dark Ruler is massive. In fact it’s so big, that she can spot the dark edifice from a balcony in the city. (picture that scene from Aladdin where he shows Jasmin the view from his shack-like perch)
And yes I said DARK edifice because the Warwick Castle is dark gray and black. It’s made almost entirely out of dyed Catahli instead of stone and marble. This is because once Quinten made his deal with the devil (ie Portia), he had access to the Catahli mines and could use it show off his wealth. You’ll see in the next Camilla book (the one I’m writing now!) how building an entire castle out of Catahli will turn out to be a bad idea. Stay tuned.
Now, I know I promised all of you a teeny tiny announcement for the next Camilla book. Next month I will be revealing the title! I’m actually super excited about this because I’m getting pretty sick and tired of referring to it as “the next Camilla book“. Lame, right? I might also include a little blurb so you can get hyped about what’s gonna happen next!
BUT here’s the thing, if you’re not caught up on all the other books, you’ll feel less hyped. Make sure you go grab your copy of book #1, The Sacrifice of One. It’s FREE for my rebels!
Have you already read The Sacrifice of One? Make sure you check out the other books in the series. Did you know I wrote a prequel too that comes BEFORE The Sacrifice of One? I’m biased, but it’s good, and a really beautiful love story that will be resolved in the next Camilla book! (Gosh, I can’t wait to start referring to this book by it’s title!)
Check out all the books in the Camilla Crim series:
Prequel: The Faintly Beating Heart
Book #1: The Sacrifice of One FREE eBook!
Book #2: The Bear Gap Rebels
Book #3: The Dark Ruler
I can’t wait to see you on the other side of the doldrums!
Bye!
Emily
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