February Newsletter: A Look Through the Rosebush
Special Book Editions + Exclusive Q+A!
Hello, Roses!
Happy February! Hope the second month of the year has treated you well. Though we got a harsh snap of snow here on the West Coast, the weather has turned warmer and rainy, which is just my favourite. There is truly nothing like a few days of rainstorms to make you feel cozy!
I have about 150 pages of Book 5 left to edit. I have had an absolutely joyful time writing this book. We had to go treasure hunting for certain aspects of the plot during our outlining stage, but once we uncovered those chests, everything fell in line. I feel really confident in the prose and structure, which is not always common for us at this stage! I also feel like Helen and I have learned so much the past three years from publishing the first four books in the series, and as such, there are certain strategies we’ve adopted that have made the process smoother. For example, during editing, I have created a detailed table that outlines a brief summary of each chapter, the day it takes place on, and the time of day. This gives me such a great bird’s eye view of the story and help keeps the timeline in check, especially when working with so many characters!
On the non-writing side, Helen and I enjoyed a bit of fun this weekend by traveling to Vancouver and attending Fan Expo to achieve a true dream come true - we got to meet Hayden Christensen! The word ‘obsessed’ does little to explain our teenage love (and who am I kidding? Ongoing love) for this man. He was so kind and we will truly treasure these moments forever! Not to mention, it was very bucket-filling to travel with our best friends and get some social time in!
On the business side, Mama Paws has been super busy with all of your orders from the shop! A huge thank you to everyone who orders from our little store! We will be restocking signed books shortly. You can click ‘Notify me when in stock’ on the item listing if you’d like an email for when something gets relisted!
Fairyloot Special Editions
It’s almost Fairyloot x Beasts of the Briar release month!! Fairyloot did such a wonderful job creating the most magical special editions of Woven by Gold, Forged by Malice, and Broken by Daylight.
These editions are exclusive to Fairyloot and include reversible dust jackets, floral artwork, and gorgeous character art all made by the talented @nataliebernardart.
These editions are not part of their monthly subscription and are available starting March 20th, 2025 for £72 GBP / $93 USD + shipping. For exact times and more details click here.
They are also adding very limited stock of our first book Bonded by Thorns as part of their sale TOMORROW!! More information on that here.
Moonlight Special Editions
Two special edition announcements in one month!? Yes, you read that right!! Moonlight just announced their exclusive editions of Forged by Malice and Broken by Daylight! There’s a sneak peek of Forged by Malice, and I can confirm, both are GORGEOUS!
This hardcover editions will be available this Saturday, March 1st at 10 am EST (if you purchased book 1 and 2) or Sunday, March 2nd at 10am EST (for general access). They will be $75 USD + shipping and only available for shipping to Canada and the United States!
There were so many amazing artists that helped create this masterpiece!
🌹 Exclusive Hardcover Design and Foiling - @duckhymn
🌹 Digital Edge Design - @duckhymn
🌹 Custom Interior Endpapers by - @jwitless_art
🌹 Bound Vellum overlays - @giannyfili
🌹 Interior art by - @jennastokesart
🌹 New formatting by @bookobsessedformatting
For more information check out their Instagram or Website!
Q + A
We thought it might be fun to have a Q&A that is exclusive to you, our lovely newsletter subscribers! You asked such fabulous questions, I wish I could answer all of them! But I’ll save more for next newsletter!
Question: If the princes were cats, what kind of cat would they each be?
Answer: Ok, we love this question! We had to discuss for a while but here’s what we decided:
Keldarion is a Norwegian Forest Cat—majestic, broody, and built for the cold. He’d stare dramatically out a frosted window, suffering beautifully, and absolutely refuse to come inside, even in a blizzard.
Ezryn is a Bengal—he moves like a jungle predator, disappears for hours, and reappears behind you like he’s been watching the whole time.
Dayton is a Maine Coon—huge, charismatic, and fully aware he’s the most stunning creature alive. The kind of cat who flops onto your lap whether you want him to or not and dramatically yells for food like he’s never been fed before.
Farron is a Ragdoll—the sweetest, softest boy who melts in your arms. He follows his favourite person everywhere and gives the biggest, saddest eyes if you stop petting him too soon.
Caspian is a British Shorthair—chubby-cheeked, dignified, and always slightly unimpressed. Has perfected the art of judging you from his cozy spot by the fire.
Question: Which Prince gets the most steamy time in Book 5?
Answer: Ok, this one I had to to think about as there is some major action in this book. I think… Caspian. Somehow, that little bugger gets into everything :)
Question: Did you go to school to be an author? If not, what did you go to school for?
Answer: No, neither of us went to school creative writing or anything in that realm! Helen originally went to art school and got a degree in that, before transferring into getting her teaching degree. I did a mishmash of many things—psychology, linguistics, even a year of nursing—before also getting my teaching degree. We were both teachers for several years before becoming full-time authors!
Question: Can you tell us—or make up/give a scene—telling us about Kel & Cas’s first kiss?
Answer: It’s on our dream wish list to write Kel and Cas’s prequel one day! In the mean time, here’s a tiny sneak peek of a scene in Book 5 that may scratch that itch…
He sits back on his heels and dusts his hands off. I kneel beside him and say, “It killed me to attend your wedding. And when you ran out, and I followed, you asked me to take you away.”
“You took me here, and I screamed at the sky, then I screamed at you.”
“I didn’t care. You were with me and not her. That was all that mattered.”
Kel moves a strand of hair out of my eyes. “You haunted my every thought. I couldn’t get you out of my mind, no matter how hard I tried.”
I lean into his touch. “You kissed me for the first time.”
Question: Why do you keep hurting my baby Cas? 😭
Answer: Because he likes it… no pleasure without pain, right?! 😇 Heheh. In seriousness though, Caspian has been put/puts himself in a lot of… harry situations. He is very familiar with pain and feels like he can handle it, so he’ll often try to take it in the place of those he cares about. He’s got a bit of a martyr complex, our sweet boy 🥹
What We’re…
Helen:
Watching: Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith! It was in anticipation of meeting Hayden Christensen at Fan Expo Vancouver!
Listening To: The audiobook of Words of Radiance. An absolutely epic series!
Reading: Words of Radiance. I can get through a book a lot faster when I tandem listen/read!
Elizabeth:
Watching: Every Sunday night, my husband and I are watching one part of the Hobbit/The Lord of the Rings. We do this more frequently than I care to admit lol. And extended editions only, obviously!
Listening To: So, when I edit, I like really high-energy, playful, punchy music. (You may recall I usually edit to remixes of pop music that sound like K.K. Slider is singing them lol). But I’ve recently discovered K-Pop and this has unlocked a whole new obsession. My current hyper-fixation is Stray Kids!
Reading: Well, I’ve finished Mockingjay. I BAWLED the whole last forty-five minutes of the audiobook. I remember as a teenager not loving MJ as much as the other two books, but I have a new appreciation for it now and loved it just as much. I felt so wrecked after reading, I started The Hobbit as it’s a comfort read for me. I’m listening to the audiobook narrated by Andy Serkis. His voices of all the characters are spot on! Highly recommend!
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I thought I sub to the newsletter but I didn't see anything about a Q&A 😭 can some kind soul point me in the right direction before I miss the next one?