C Rae D'Arc

MY BOOKS ARE AVAILABLE THROUGH BARNES & NOBLE STORES! 🤩🥳

To celebrate, I'll have my first signing at the Barnes & Noble in the Columbia Center Mall! Come visit on Jan. 13th between 12:30-2:30!

For those who are less familiar with the publishing world, this isn't an easy feat for self-published authors. This was one reason I set up Bursting Box Publishing LLC. This was one reason I bought my own ISBNs. This was one reason I had my covers redone. This was one reason I put up with the cr*p of Ingram Sparks. All of that to meet the requirements of national brick and mortar stores.
And it happened!

It says "1 Day Only," because today's the BIG OFFICIAL DAY where you can grab THOUSANDS of FREE eBooks! 🤩

https://www.romancebookworms.com/free-romance-ebooks

BUT if you're seeing this a day late, Don't Despair! Most books should still be available!

"Don't Date the Haunted" is one of them (under Paranormal Romance because I could only choose one category) and will be free until the 29th! If you already have it, now's a great time to share it with a friend! (Books are more fun when you share them with friends.) 😉



(Graphic was created by another participating author)

🎄Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! ☃️
Here's a 🎁gift 🎁 for you!

"Don't Date the Haunted" eBook is FREE from Christmas to Dec. 29th!
Thousands (I'm not exaggerating) of authors are offering a free eBook for this 3-day sale, so even if you already have my book, you can share this with your friends and check out the site below to find some others!

https://www.romancebookworms.com/free-romance-ebooks

Please, don't forget to leave reviews! 🥰

Happy Holidays (no matter what you believe)!
To celebrate, I've joined a HUGE GIVEAWAY, coming next week!
Seriously, if you're looking for something new to read for the winter break, check back next week.

To explain the picture, we had a fun moment of burying Hiro with his soft toys. 😆 He seemed confused but didn't mind. He stayed like that for a good minute.

Come to Adventures Underground on Dec. 9th between 12-2 to get signed copies of my books, including my newest release, "Little Red and the Lumpy Bed: Dreaming Princesses #3!"
Right in time for Christmas! 🎁
Also, I might be dressed as Emer during a midnight masquerade...🌿 I had a little too much fun creating her mask...😝

COMPLETE! 🥳🎉🎊
As promised, here's the daily word count with color-coordination to show how many words were in each book.
The second picture is from my NaNoWriMo stats, showing my steady climb to write 50,000 words this month!

What do these numbers mean? Well, I FINISHED a very rough first draft of Haunted Investigations #1 (Aeron's book) as well as reached about 50% done for books 2 AND 3.
As for Dreaming Princesses, over HALF of my words this month went into book 4, making it about 60% done!

Oddly, I went into this expecting to work on my stand-alones, "Legends of Aibara" and "Scales and Steam." I was surprised with each day that I felt inspired to work on Dreaming Princesses and Haunted Investigations, but I'm not complaining. 😄

Another exciting mountain that I climbed, concerning word-count, is that according to my records (kept since 2012), I've now written over 1,100,000 words in various stories! 😲🥳 (That includes my unpublished works, but not my personal journals.)

I knew this week would be crazy (between Thanksgiving and Black Friday), so I'm always grateful for the extra time to relax my goals. 😊

This is why I try to write 2,000 words every day of NaNoWriMo. Not only does this let me take Sundays off, but by writing *at least* 2,000 words a day, the extra words go toward the holidays.
Actually, I'm far enough ahead that I only need to write 1,000 words for the last four days! 😃 (I'll probably still shoot for 2,000 though, because Michael set a writing goal too, and he's fallen behind, so I have to pick up his slack.) 😛

Concerning WHERE these words were written, Monday was entirely in Legends, Tues-Thur. was all in Dreaming Princesses #4, and Fri-Sat. were in Aeron's Haunted Investigations. I'll have a color-coded chart next week when it's all over. 😉

Happy Thanksgiving! 🦃

Is there a better way to celebrate than with pie? 🥧🍰
I'm not one to recommend cookbooks (or non-fiction books in general), but I frequently recommend "Pie," by Ken Haedrich.

I'm not a cook (serious understatement - I've ruined boxed mac and cheese...twice), but this book taught me how to make pies! "Pie" is focused on sweet pies (I'm not complaining), but it taught me well enough to explore other recipes, like chicken pot pie:
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/26317/chicken-pot-pie-ix/

Since Michael and I are having Thanksgiving dinner alone and neither of us love turkey enough for a week of leftovers, we're having a homemade chicken pot pie and classic pumpkin pie instead. 😋

Another wild week of NaNo done!
"Oo-oh! We're halfway there!" Because I'm definitely "living on a prayer" to accomplish this. 😆

I had a few good days when I was able to focus on only one book for the whole day. 👍
Again, I wrote primarily in Dreaming Princesses #4, and secondary in Aeron's Haunted Investigations (books 1.5, 2, & 3), then Saturday was all in Legends.

I'm ahead of my goal enough to relax a bit on Thanksgiving and Black Friday--which is good, because I rarely get any writing done on those days. 😛

Behold, the mære
as described in "Little Red and the Lumpy Bed: Dreaming Princesses #3."

The concept of these monsters came to me while researching the origins and many definitions of "mare" from "nightmare."
As a highly visual person, I had ideas of what I wanted them to look like but struggled to fully visualize them. Then, one of my fellow author friends, Alicia Morley Dodson, did Inktober. So, I asked for a commissioned piece and got this fantastic terror. 👻

Week 2!
I was still 600 words behind from last week, so I didn't get ahead of schedule until the 7th, but if I keep this pace, I'll get a nice break during Thanksgiving!

I worked in a little bit of everything this week, but the first part of the week was focused on my Dreaming Princesses series, and the last part of the week was focused on my Haunted Investigations series--so much that I FINISHED my very rough first draft of Aeron's first book! It still needs a LOT of work, but all the gaps are filled! I'll leave the editing for next month, when I'm burnt out of writing. 😛

My husband built me a new bookcase. 🥰
It's the tallest one.

So, my first way to procrastinate writing for NaNoWriMo was to reorganize all of my shelves. I labeled them in the second picture. Yes, there's an entire shelf for just dragon books, and all of our Harry Potter books and games are now on the second game shelf. ❤️

When people walk into our home, this is what they see, so...we've had a lot of questions about things in this room. Go ahead and ask them. 😛 To answer the most common questions: Yes, those are car seats. Yes, that is a lego spaceship. 😆

'Tis the Season to go CRAZY! 🤪
Welcome to NaNoWriMo (or National Novel Writing Month), where writers voluntarily torture themselves by writing 50,000 words (200 pages) in the 30 days of November!
This normally equates to writing about 2,000 words (4 pages) a day for me. (PS. I write an average of 10,000 words per month normally, so NaNo pushes me to write 5Xs the amount I usually do.)

I started off pretty good with 2,190 words on Wednesday, but I didn't start writing on Thursday until 11PM. I was supposed to make up for it on Friday with my writing group, but ended up talking too much (as usual). So, Saturday became my "make up" day. Even after 3,636 words, I'm still behind my weekly goal, but only by 606 words. 🤪

Also, in case you're wondering, almost all of my writing this week was in Dreaming Princesses #4. 😉

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Happy Halloween! 🎃

Back in 2015, my husband and I were at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter as I eyed the Ravenclaw robes.
M: When are you ever going to wear them?
Me: Every single Halloween. For the rest of my life.

So far, I've kept that promise and found other excuses to wear my Harry Potter robes. 😄 But standing in the Pasco Farmer's Market this last Saturday morning was the first time I've ever been COLD in that outfit. I wear a white long-sleeve button up, tie and scarf around the neck, long-sleeved sweater, and long robes. (I mean, the costume was made for students in SCOTLAND in the WINTER.) Not seen in this picture were my blue gloves, knitted hat, fuzzy socks, and leggings underneath my work trousers. 🥶
Also, in case I don't seem geeky enough, yes, I'm holding a wand that I hand-carved, and wearing a Ravenclaw headband, Head Girl pin, a time turner necklace, Deathly Hallows keychain, and dragon earrings. 🧙

However you spend your Halloween--stay warm, stay safe, and have fun! 😄

Last minute notice, I'll be at the Pasco Farmer's Market for their final event of the year! They'll have a 5K run, face painting, live music, Halloween costumes, and fun vendors like me! 🧙

It might be freezing cold from 9AM to 3PM, Saturday the 28th, but I'll be there with paperback copies of "Little Red and the Lumpy Bed!" 🐺

(I won't be sponsored by the Arts Foundation of the Mid-Columbia this time, but I'll happily post their brand on my page to support the local arts. 👍)

I was interviewed by "The Stories Told Podcast!" Personally knowing EW Barnes and Mike Grayford, I had a lot of fun talking with them about "Don't Date the Haunted!" (They had to cut out some of my laughing.) 😆

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_Qlq4LBEvw

PS. For a little behind the scenes - we had to record this twice because of technical difficulties, but I didn't mind having fun with these people again! 😆

A Hauntingly Delightful Interview - Author C. Rae D'Arc - The Stories Told Podcast Join authors E.W. Barnes and Michael Grayford as they interview author C. Rae D'Arc, author of the delightful dark romantic comedy "Don't Date the Haunted."Y...

"Little Red and the Lumpy Bed: Dreaming Princesses #3" is going up to its standard price at the end of this weekend!
(So, if you're thinking of getting it, now is the time!)

On a personal note, I've discovered that the best thing for me to do during a book release is to get away from my desktop. Yes, it creates some extra stress to make sure everything is *perfect* before I hit "publish," but it keeps me from stressing over the numbers of sales or ratings.
So, when a friend asked me to join her for a writing retreat to the BEAUTIFUL Anacortes, WA, I said, "Let's go!" (after confirming with my husband and co-workers with the last-minute trip).

I didn't do a ton of writing, but I met some absolutely wonderful people and a couple super sweet Aussies (pictured, first one's an Aussie-doodle--but look at that adorable smile!). 😄

Dreaming Princesses #3 is NOW AVAILABLE
on Amazon for eBook and paperback!

It's soooo close, I can touch it!
"Little Red and the Lumpy Bed" comes out TOMORROW!
(Yes, Hiro was a little inspiration for me as this book involves dogs--tame and wild.)

I felt like this several times while writing this book, thinking I had "only 3 more chapters" for several weeks as I'd work on one chapter, then separate it into two (eventually turning 3 into 7).

As usual, "Little Red and the Lumpy Bed" will be ON SALE for the 1st week to thank you for your support. 🥰

Happy Birthday to Hiro!

It's a little crazy to think that he's already 5 years old! He's still a little troublemaker with more energy than Michael and I have combined, but he's calmed down a LOT.

He still likes to take "the path of most resistance," as he frequently shoves his face between gaps around our knees, and he gave us a funny look when we tried setting headphones on him.

ONE WEEK until release date!
Here's another quote that inspired "Little Red and the Lumpy Bed" (Dreaming Princesses #3)!

It's my birthday month, so here's a gift to you!
"Don't Date the Haunted" eBook is free with a newsletter subscription (that I might send once a month maximum), and you'll enter to win a $20 gift card from MyBookCave! 👻
As someone who's conscious about content and the growing need for parental guides for books, I'm a fan of MyBookCave and its services. 🥰

👉https://mybookcave.com/g/halloween-horror/?bcsrc=18pi2m1👈

"Little Red and the Lumpy Bed" (Dreaming Princesses #3) is coming out in TWO WEEKS!
In case you missed this little Easter Egg from "Don't Dance with Death" (Haunted Romance #3)...
Yes, there's a cameo of Brooke and Alun in "Little Red and the Lumpy Bed," Dreaming Princesses #3. 😉
No, you don't need to read Haunted Romance #3 to enjoy #3 of Dreaming Princesses. It's like the Stan Lee appearances in Marvel movies - if you recognize them, it's an extra laugh. If you don't, it's fine. ☺️

What a better way to celebrate Bilbo and Frodo's birthday than attending a sci-fi/fantasy convention? If you're at FanX, come find me in the Artist Alley! 😃
I'll take any excuse to enjoy a hobbit-sized feast. 😉

ONE MONTH until Dreaming Princesses #3 comes out!
To celebrate, here's the cover reveal and a quote from one of the tales that inspired the story!
Yes, I'm aware that October 13th is "Taylor Swift Day" this year, but it's a FRIDAY and 13's my lucky number too. (Married on the 13th.) Besides, I think T. Swift would support people reading a self-published book while waiting in theaters. :P

I had the awesome opportunity to be interviewed on "Fantasy, Lore, & More," by Melinda Kucsera! We talked about "Dreaming Beauty," and the many things that inspired the story - including fairytales and their origins, my experiences in England, and more! (Seriously, a lot more - I had only planned for an hour, but we ended up talking for an hour and a half because we had too much fun.) 😆

- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cV4MLbM7lOw
- Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/melinda-kucsera/episodes/Fantasy--Lore---More-Dreaming-Beauty--A-Wild-History-of-Fairy-Tales-e28qn3m
- podcast home where you can find links to iTune, Amazon, etc: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/melinda-kucsera

I'm doing another giveaway with a bunch of FANTASY authors!

Even if you already have "Dreaming Beauty," you can share this with your friends (especially with #3 of the series coming out THIS FALL) and pick up a BUNCH of new fantasies from other authors!

https://mybookcave.com/g/coming-of-age-fantasy/?bcsrc=18pi2m1

Looking for a book for your book club?
Here are some spoiler free book club resources for "Don't Date the Haunted!"

https://craedarc.com/2023/09/02/book-club-resources-for-dont-date-the-haunted/

Including: discussion questions, a deleted scene, some behind the scenes about the story's inspiration, and a way to contact me to join your discussion!

Book Review!
While Dreaming Princesses #3 is with Beta Readers, I'm using the time to catch up on my reading list, including Jim Doran's "On Earth, As It Is." It's book 2 of his Kingdom Series, but if you enjoy my books, I highly recommend his.

For my full review, see:
https://craedarc.com/2023/08/27/great-as-it-is/