I am so excited to reveal the cover for A Time of Gladiators and Fate. This is a novel I’ve dreamed of writing for so long, and it’s a great pleasure to bring it to you soon. I’m working through revisions and beta reader feedback before it goes to the editor next month. The official release date is October 12th.
All the details about the book, including the cover, summary, tropes, and pre-order links are below. I am changing things up with this one by releasing it straight to KU (Kindle Unlimited). Having said that, the hardcover will still be widely available (and the Realm of Zadrya books will still go wide first to accommodate those already following that series).
If you’d like a taste first before committing, I’ll be posting the first three chapters late next week. It should give you an idea of whether or not you’re ready for the madness that ensues in this book.
As for audio, I’m going to run A Time of Gladiators and Fate (ATOGAF) by my audio publisher first, but if they’re not interested, I’ll handle it another way to make sure it happens. Regardless, it won’t release with the ebook, but I will get it out as soon as I can to those who prefer that format. Be sure to check back for updates.
In an update post back in April, I mentioned that I’d started a new project. It required a massive amount of research and sort of took over my life. The story that had been playing vaguely in the back of my head for more than ten years finally took shape, vividly.
I’d already begun writing it when I mentioned it before, but now I’m far enough along to have a cover designed (same person who handles the Realm of Zadrya series). I can also announce the release date, which will be October 12th. You’ll get to see the cover much sooner on July 9th, though. I’ve got a sign-up link for anyone interested in participating in the reveal that you can find here: https://forms.gle/4iJQR43XMghh58Eg8
While I’ll go into some other details below, this is the current summary of the novel to give you an idea of what it is about (unless you’ve been paying close attention to my social media posts and already know):
Be careful what you wish for, or you might end up in 97 CE.
I grew up on a farm in Kansas, so nothing could have prepared me for landing in the Roman Colosseum when it was still intact. I was surprised, the audience shocked, and my rental car unamused as we hit the sand. After a heart-pounding chase around the arena involving spear-throwing legionnaires, armed gladiators, and a couple of wild animals, they cornered me. I punched and kicked my way through as many of them as I could before being forced to surrender in my floral sundress meant for vacation, not blood sport. The emperor offered me two choices.
One: my immediate execution Two: become a female gladiator.
I chose to live. While I’m not afraid of hard work, the ludus where I’ll train is brutal. It’s an environment most modern women would find unlivable, aside from all the bare-chested men, but that isn’t as spectacular as one might think in a place where violence is the goal. I’m about to discover all the unpleasantness of this period that most movies skim past. On top of that, an enigmatic man who knows I’m from the future has offered to sponsor me. What he wants in return could be dangerous. I’m in way over my head with no ruby slippers to send me home.
If you’ve ever wished for a story with Spartacus-meets-Outlander vibes, including the grit but with a little more humor, this might be the book for you.
Book releases October 12th, 2026. Pre-order the ebook on Amazon HERE.
TROPES
Time travel
Roman Empire
Gladiator romance
Banter
Slow-burn romance
Reluctant allies to lovers
Found family
Fish out of water
Mysterious MMC
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Brief explanation on why this setting and year.
So why did I choose 97 CE, given that the Roman Empire spanned many centuries?
I am excited to announce an amazing pre-order incentive for Wrath & Desire (open internationally). This contest is brought to you in part by me and also the lovely Rae Rae Reads on Instagram, who also wanted to help sponsor the prizes. Please be sure to check her out and follow her!
For those who pre-order from one of the retailers (purchase links below) and submit their proof through this LINK, you will be entered for a chance to win a paperback or hardcover (depending on the goal we reach and which order your name is drawn) of either Oaths & Vengeance or Wrath & Desire.
This contest will remain open through to the end of the day February 22nd (United States time). The drawing will take place after that. We will announce the winner(s) and contact them within 48 hours of the novel’s release on Feb 23rd. If you enter, be sure to check back for the results. I also have a counter below that I’ll update regularly.
Note that entering your email and any other data is only for the giveaway and does not sign you up for newsletters or anything else. We simply need a way to contact you if you win.
75 Pre-orders
-We are already close! If we reach this milestone, one name will be drawn to receive a paperback copy of either Oaths & Vengeance or Wrath & Desire (their choice).
100 Pre-orders
-If we reach this milestone, a second name will be drawn to win a paperback copy of either Oaths & Vengeance or Wrath & Desire (their choice).
150 Pre-orders
-If we reach this milestone, in addition to the two winners above, we will draw a third name to receive a signed hardcover copy of either Oaths & Vengeance or Wrath & Desire (their choice).
CURRENT PRE-ORDER TOTAL
*I will update this regularly for anyone who wants to track the number.
Please comment below if you have any questions. Once again, you can enter the contest (with proof of pre-order) at this link- https://bit.ly/WrathPreorder
It’s hard to believe we are already two weeks into a new year! I’ve been busy with a lot of behind-the-scenes projects while the editor is working on Wrath & Desire. Some of those include designing family trees for main characters, creating dictionaries/listings of plants, animals, and the various races in the series, hand-drawing art, updating maps, and much more. I’ve also got the ebook up for pre-order on the other retailers now, so you can see the links at the bottom of this post.
In addition to the above, I’m working on a bonus story (possibly two) for Wrath & Desire that is going to be…interesting to say the least. Some readers requested it after I posted the chicken distraction excerpt a while back. It will be a mixture of humor and naughtiness. I will include links to the story/stories at the back of the eBook for those who are interested in downloading it from BookFunnel for free.
I spent nearly a week this month drafting backmatter for the novel (to be included in all formats). There will be a listing of fae and non-fae races, with pertinent ones having summaries and key details included about them. There will also be a plant and animal dictionary you can reference that gives descriptions and known characteristics, such as their danger level and intelligence rating. Only in the Realm of Zadrya do you have to worry about how smart a plant is, and some of them include bonus details that haven’t been mentioned in the books yet. This is a sample definition of one of the plants you already saw in the first book, so it doesn’t have spoilers:
For the maps, I am going to have the artist who designed the ones for Oaths & Vengeance update them, since a few more features need to be included for the next installment. I’d love to add more maps to the book, but they significantly increase the file size. The larger the book file is, the more Amazon keeps from the sale price for itself. By early February, I will have a page here on my website that will include all the maps I’ve drawn of this world. That includes the realm, various lands, and even some of the cities. This way, if you’re one of those readers who likes to follow along using maps, you can keep the webpage open on your device to check it when needed.
Next topic! For my ARC readers, you would have received an email update from me on January 9th. If you didn’t, it may have gone to spam, or you may have received a copy of Oaths & Vengeance directly from Netgalley, Booksirens, Hidden Gems, etc., and didn’t sign up to my list afterward. If you are interested in receiving an ARC of Wrath & Desire, please sign up HERE and be sure to include a link to your review of the first book. This way I can add you to the team for the next. There is also an option to join my street team through the signup.
Finally, I’m posting the links for book two below. As I usually do, the ebook will be available widely across retailers for a couple of days after the release before I pull it and add it to Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited program. I plan to have the hardcover available around the same time as the ebook release, and the paperback will come out in March (more on that later).
I am so excited to finally share the cover for Wrath & Desire, as well as the official book summary. I’ve been sitting on it since August, waiting to be sure on the release date for the novel, since it turned out to be longer than expected. I can now say it will be available on February 23rd, 2026!
A couple of weeks ago I began revisions, and I’m working hard to finish those with the book due to the editor at the end of December. I am loving Wrath & Desire so much and can’t wait for you all to read it in February.
If you missed them, I’ve shared excerpts from the novel (pre-edit) you can check out HERE and HERE. Later this month, after the beta readers finish reviewing them, I will post the first three chapters. None of the snippets/excerpts come from those, so they’ll all be new text to read.
