Spring 2024: Preorder The Way of the Wielder Now!

Hello, and welcome to my newsletter! This is the first installment, and it’s packed full of great stuff (including a surprise at the end, so stick around).

First—Happy Spring (at least, for my followers in the Northern Hemisphere)! This is my favorite time of year. The days are getting noticeably longer, everything’s coming back to life, and soon I get to plant new flowers and herbs along our rebuilt rock wall! Wherever you are—whether it’s spring or fall, or something in between—I hope you are well.

Now onto the great stuff!

If you’ve been following along on my blog, you’ll know that I recently revealed the cover of my debut novel, The Way of the Wielder (artwork below). In that blog post, I explain some of the details on the cover, so if you’re interested, check that out! Overall, I’m very pleased with how it turned out, and I hope you are as well.

Which brings me to the big announcement…

The Way of the Wielder is live!

Yes, my debut novel is finally here!

This is a long-awaited moment for some, while others are fairly new to my writing journey. Either way, The Way of the Wielder will be published on March 26, 2024!

You can preorder it on Amazon now in the Kindle format. If you prefer a paperback format, that will become available on the release date. (At this time, Amazon does not support preorders for paperbacks.)

Click here to preorder on Amazon!

(Note: I will likely do a wider distribution in the future, but this is the first time I’ve published a novel, and it’s all a little overwhelming. Please be patient with me as I navigate the self publishing world.)

What’s the book about?

If you’re new to following me, you might be wondering: “What the heck is this book about?” It’s a valid question—one which I could spend hours answering. I’ll go into a bit more detail below, but first—the blurb.

Two people, searching for their paths in life.

Jaslan, a Water Wielder, begins researching a magical object with a strange symbol inside. As her research unfolds, she discovers truths that will not just change how magic is viewed, but will awaken in her something she thought was only a myth—something that may endanger her life, and the lives of those around her.

Jack joins an organization with ulterior motives, and slowly begins to question his involvement. But when an unexpected opportunity presents itself, he accepts without hesitation, and is plunged into a life of secrecy that allows him to protect those he cares about, but also blinds him to the veiled motives of others.

Her research and his espionage entwine in beautifully tragic ways that reveal not just the power of magic, but the power of love, the power of truth, and the power of lies.

Additional Insights

Blurbs are so hard to write. Their whole purpose is to offer a glimpse into the story, and hope that potential readers are interested enough to continue reading what’s inside. But a glimpse is not enough to summarize what happens in a novel. I’m not going to summarize what happens here either, but I do want to offer a bit more insight.

The Way of the Wielder is listed as a fantasy story, but it’s so much more than that. It’s a “coming into their own” story—one where the main characters are searching for (and often struggle to find) their places in the world. It’s a love story—one that endures through great hardship and heartache. There’s romance, mystery, espionage, action, and—of course—elemental magic.

As the blurb mentions, Jaslan is a Water Wielder. Ever since she assumed the title of High Lady at age nine, she has had to find a balance between fulfilling her late father’s wishes and remaining true to herself. After much consideration, she chooses a Focus that lets her do both. Soon thereafter, she begins researching a magical object and the symbol inside.

Jack is Jaslan’s best friend—and the younger brother of the man she’s supposed to marry. His goal is to keep those he cares about safe, but he struggles to find a way to do that. He joins an organization he thinks will help, but realizes that may not be the case. So when another (very unexpected) opportunity presents itself, he doesn’t hesitate to take it.

Their stories are intimately entwined—so much so that I consider this romantic fantasy. Fantasy is ultimately what drives the story, but the romance is slow-burning and undeniable.

Content Warning

I should also point out, there is a content warning in the Preface, which reads as follows:

“This novel is a work of fiction, but does contain real world topics that some readers may find difficult to read. Those topics include: swearing, sexual assault, mental health, sex, violence, and death.

I have done my best to portray these topics in a compassionate and sympathetic manner. However, everyone’s journey is unique, and healing is wholly personal. Read with caution, and take heart in knowing that you are not alone.”

It was important to me to include this. I don’t want to surprise my readers, especially when reading such scenes can be difficult for me as well (as a survivor). The story is not about those scenes, but they do exist—and there is healing.

How did you come up with this story?

I started playing Dungeons & Dragons with my husband and our friends in 2019. When the pandemic began in 2020, we started a new campaign, and I created a human variant sorceress with a terrible sense of direction.

I loved playing her, and realized I needed to know more about her. So, the day after our sessions, I started writing what happened from her perspective. I also explored her backstory—her upbringing, her magical abilities, her love interests, and the experiences that made her who she was.

However, I quickly realized the Jaslan I was writing was not the same Jaslan from our Dungeons & Dragons campaign. The same was true of Jack (played by my husband). So, I created a new world for them. One with its own magic system, as well as unique societal and religious tensions, people and events, history and world building. Oh, and a map. Naturally.

That world—the kingdom of Vastrenar—is the setting for this novel, as well as the three sequels I have planned (one is already written, and another is my current work in progress). I hope it’s as captivating to you as it is to me.

As I mentioned earlier, The Way of the Wielder (Kindle format) is now available for preorder on Amazon. If you want a paperback format, you can save the link and return on Tuesday, where that option will become available.

And if you can’t wait until March 26, I have a surprise for you… chapter one is below, for your enjoyment!

I sincerely hope you’ll give The Way of the Wielder a chance—I truly don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Thank you for your support. It means so much to me.

Until next time, be well, and stay creative.

~Sarah

The Way of the Wielder

1

Duty

Eight Years Ago

The bench next to the rose hedge was the perfect place for a memorial stone.

At least, that’s what Jaslan heard her mother say to Conrad a week ago. She didn’t understand then, but now that the day had come, she supposed her mother was right.

Jaslan stood beside her mother and copied her tall, proud posture. Cassandra, her little sister, stood on the other side, fidgeting with her blue sweater and dark gray dress. They all wore similar colors.

Jaslan focused on Conrad, who laid the rectangular stone on the ground a few feet in front of them. After a few adjustments, he stood back and nodded.

“It’s ready, my lady.”

Her mother, Lady Lockridge, removed the cover of the ceramic urn that held her late husband’s ashes, then turned and knelt before her eldest daughter. “Remember what I told you, my sweet?”

Jaslan met her mother’s red-rimmed hazel eyes and nodded. She summoned a Water Sphere, which hovered just above her skin. When it grew to the size of her head, Jaslan pinched her cupped hands and funneled the water into the urn.

Conrad took the urn and held it while her mother stirred the contents inside with a wooden spoon. The water turned the ashes to mud, but it was still too thick.

“Once more, my sweet.”

Jaslan funneled another Water Sphere into the urn.

After a few more stirs, her mother nodded and knelt before the stone. “Girls, come here.”

Jaslan and Cassandra knelt beside her while Conrad placed himself opposite the stone and held the urn above it.

“What now, Mommy?” Cassandra asked.

Their mother took a ladleful of the ashen mixture and spread it on the ground along the top of the stone. “Now we return your father to the gods. Do you remember why?”

“Because he died.”

The bluntness of the words knocked the air from Jaslan’s lungs.

“Yes, he’s no longer with us as he used to be.” She scooped out a second ladle of ashen mud. “But he will remain here, in the soil, bringing us beauty and love and life in everything that grows. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Mommy.”

As her mother and sister spoke, Jaslan stared at the stone and focused on her breathing. Her spine was straight. She held her chin high and set her jaw with a sense of duty that had built within her over the past week.

“Would you like to spread some of the ashes onto the ground, my little love?” Lady Lockridge asked her youngest daughter.

“Yes!” Cassandra placed some of the mixture on either side of the stone, forming part of a circle around it.

“That’s enough now, Cassandra. It’s Jaslan’s turn.”

Cassandra relented with a harrumph, then their mother turned to Jaslan. “Are you ready?”

“Yes.”

“You’re sure you don’t want me to do it?”

Jaslan nodded. It was her responsibility, and she knew her father would want her to do it. It would mean more coming from a Wielder.

She took the spoon and spread the remaining mixture around the stone. Her tears dotted the stone as she slowly, methodically completed the circle around her father’s memorial. Once the urn was empty, Jaslan filled it with another Water Sphere and slowly swirled it around, gathering the remains of her father’s ashes. She spread the mud water around the stone, then handed the empty urn to Conrad.

After taking two deep breaths, Jaslan reached across the stone and put her fingers in the mud. “Alexander Michel Rowen Lockridge.” Her lips trembled at her father’s full name, but she didn’t falter as she traced along the circle. “We will miss you every day, and we will love you always. The Elements guide us in life, and now they guide you in death. May they guide you always, and may they bring us together again.”

Jaslan finished speaking just as she completed her trace around the stone. She lifted her hand and stared at her cold, mud-covered fingers. In the corner of her eye, Jaslan saw a lone Water Wysp drift toward her. It bounced on the ashen circle, then the stone, then her fingers.

Then Jaslan finally accepted that her father was gone.

She clenched her trembling jaw and raised her chin. Conrad watched her with a proud, pained smile. “You did well, Lady Jaslan.”

“I’m so proud of you, my sweet,” her mother said, thumbing tears from Jaslan’s cheek. “I know he’s proud of you, too. He was always proud of you. His little Water Princess. You’ll be a great high lady someday, but you don’t have to worry about that right now.”

The words made Jaslan’s heart ache. High lady.

Lady Lockridge pulled her daughters close and kissed their heads. “I’m so proud of you both for being so strong, but it’s over now. You can go play if you want.”

Cassandra yawned. “Mommy, I’m tired.”

“Would you like Conrad to bring you upstairs for a nap?”

“No, I want you!” Cassandra’s words were suddenly on the verge of hysterics. A tantrum in the making if she didn’t get her way.

After another kiss to Jaslan’s head, her mother stood and picked up her five-year-old daughter. “Alright, my sweet, alright. Conrad, would you bring the urn and spoon to the kitchen, please? I’ll wash them later.”

The head steward bowed his head. “Of course, my lady.”

Her mother and sister left, but Jaslan continued kneeling before her father’s stone, reading the words carved into it.

Devoted Husband, Loving Father, Cherished Friend

May the World Ever Be Yours to Explore

In This Life and All the Lives to Come

Her face pinched with grief, and she choked back a sob. Somehow, she felt older than her almost ten years. High lady.

“Your father was a good man,” Conrad said gently. “One of the best, and he loved you very much.”

Jaslan peered up at him with tear-filled eyes. “Do you think I’ll ever be as good as him, Conrad? Will I be a good H—” She couldn’t finish the question.

Conrad was suddenly at her side, lifting her chin and meeting her gaze with soft determination. “You will be a greathigh lady someday. He knew it. Your mother knows it. And I know it.”

She forced a smile at the man who’d held her through those first nights after her father’s death. “It’s my duty to be high lady. That’s what Mother says.”

“She’s right. But it’s also your duty to be true to yourself. Your father made a name for himself by doing what he loved, and he did that before he became a high lord.” He stood and smiled down at her. “You have many years until you need to become High Lady Lockridge. Your duty between now and then is to do what you love.”

Jaslan considered that for a moment, then nodded. Conrad patted her head affectionately, then returned to the house.

Once alone, Jaslan took a deep breath and steadied her mind. She would do as Conrad said, but not until she was ready. The last week had been hard, and she had fought back against her emotions for too long. Now that her part was over, it was impossible to hold back the emotions that swirled inside her.

Jaslan stood and turned toward the house, then glanced toward the Capital Gardens. The house would hold memories of her father that she knew her heart couldn’t handle, but the Capital Gardens would be open and free, with plenty of places to hide from the world. She nodded to herself, and ran to the one spot she knew she’d find comfort.

  ~~~

Tucked in the northeastern corner of the Capital Gardens was a small, hidden alcove. One side was the back of a stone building, but the other three were made up of hedges and shrubs measuring almost ten feet high. It was there that Jaslan lay on her back against the cool grass, raindrops dotting her face, mixing with her tears.

Everything’s going to change.

She didn’t want anything to change. She wanted her father back. “I miss you, Daddy.”

Thunder rumbled in the distance. Jaslan lay there for an hour watching the clouds roll overhead. The storm was still a ways off, and at this time of year, it was likely to break up in the mountains north of the city. Even if it didn’t, Jaslan had no plans to leave the alcove. Water Wielders never feared the rain.

Water Wysps were all around her, floating in the sky, dancing in the puddles at the edge of the building, or bouncing in her hand lying upon the grass. The little blue pieces of Naida stayed by her side for a time, as if they, too, were mourning the loss of her father, another bonded Water Wielder. Eventually, they drifted away, likely returning to the Leonid River, which cut through the center of the city.

Rosehelm was quiet. Jaslan closed her eyes and let the brooding storm fill her senses. Crisp autumn moisture slicked her skin. Songbirds fled the front. Leaves rustled along the cobbled paths outside the alcove. Several times she breathed in deep and exhaled through her mouth, willing herself to calm down in both heart and mind.

Then she sensed someone else in the alcove. Jaslan opened her eyes, and a single yellow rose was above her face. She smiled and reached for the stem, gazing at the boy who gifted it to her. “Thank you, Jack.”

He nodded, then lay beside her.

Raindrops came and went, but even at their most intense, they were hardly more than a sprinkle. The breeze picked up ten minutes later, and thunder rumbled again. Closer.

“You’re in pain,” Jack said.

Jaslan brought the flower to her nose and inhaled deeply. “I’m sad.”

“I can feel it.”

She rolled her head toward him just as he placed a hand over his heart.

“I can feel it here,” he said.

It was always like this between them. They always knew what the other was thinking or feeling, even without words. Jack was right. She was in pain, and it was deeper than ever. Between her father’s death and the responsibilities that would soon fall on her, she was sad, and overwhelmed, and scared. And it was in his presence—only in his presence—that she felt comfortable enough to speak her thoughts.

“I’m not ready to grow up.”

“So don’t.”

“But I have to. I’m going to be High Lady Lockridge someday.”

Jack’s face softened, but his eyes never left hers. “Someday, but not today.”

She smiled faintly. “No, not today.”

He smirked in that I told you so kind of way, then gazed into the sky. She did the same, and silence fell over them again.

Jaslan could feel the moisture in the air growing thicker by the minute, and she knew the stormfront was close. Jack’s house was only a couple of minute’s run away, and her house was ten. They should have gone inside, but neither of them moved.

“When you’re high lady, will you still be my friend?”

The words caught Jaslan off guard. It wasn’t like Jack to be uncertain. She nodded without hesitation. “Yes. Will you still be mine?”

He smiled wide as he took her hand and nodded. “I’ll be your friend—always.”

The words comforted her, and she truly smiled for the first time in days. Then, as was often the case around Jack, she felt a little mischievous. “Even when I’m married to your oldest brother?”

Jack grinned. “Especially then.”

She giggled just as thunder cracked over their heads. They both yelped and jumped to their feet, then ran to Jaslan’s house without a second thought.