Amanda Hocking

As some of you may know, I’ve been doing a writing advice series on YouTube. You can watch the full thing: here. I’ve decided to start posting the videos here on my website, so people don’t miss them, and I’m also going to be including a written transcript here below the video.

I’m only on my fourth video of 2022, but I thought I would go back and add the first three videos here as well. I’m starting with my first video now, and I will post the other videos and transcripts over the coming days until I’m all caught up.

For those of you who don’t want to listen to the video or just want to look back on what I’ve said, below I have a lightly edited transcript of the video:

Since this is my first video of 2022, I wanted to take a look back at 2021, and I wanted to take a look forward at what I have coming up for this year!

If you didn’t know in 2021, I published three books. The first book that I published was in January last year – The Ever After, which is the final book in the Trylle Saga, and it’s a doozy! I really loved this book, and now that the nine-book saga is complete, I really ought to do a retrospective on the worlds of the Trylle, Kanin, and Omte.

The next book I came out with last year was Bestow the Darkness. It is my first book written for adults, and it is a very, very dark gothic romance. It’s kind of steamy, with strong elements of folk horror. I really love this book, but it is different than the others I’ve written.

The final book I published last year is a re-release of Virtue. (I go more in depth about what that means and why decided to revise and rewrite a previously released book in this post here: Virtue Re-release Explained). It’s a sweet fairy tale romance, and it’s the first book in the Seven Fallen Hearts series.

So, The Ever After was the last book I released with my publisher, and I have returned to self-publishing this year. It’s been really great for me creatively, but I’m still on a bit of a learning curve (or re-learning curve?).

When my publisher and I couldn’t come to agreement about my next series, I was nervous about going back to self-publishing. The whole industry has honestly changed so much since I started way back in 2010, but it has been really great for me. It’s liberating, and I feel more bold and more connected with the choices I’m making – both in terms of writing and in terms of overall career decisions.

With a publisher, you pitch a book, and then you are contracted to write that book. So I would feel obligated to only work on that book, and I missed out on just following my whims and creativity. Sometimes, I can get inspiration, and I just want to work on that for a bit, but it often doesn’t go anywhere. They’re whims for a reason.

What I’m learning about myself is that writing things just because I want to is still a part of my process. And it’s not that I don’t want to write the books I was contracted to write. It was that I felt like I was cheating on them or something if I worked on anything else, and that became really stifling for me creatively. I needed to allow myself more freedom to express whatever ideas it is that I want to express, not just the ones that are commercially viable.

The past year or so, I have been writing so much, and I have gotten back to my roots about why I love writing, and it really has been so fantastic for me. I do have to spend more time doing things are necessarily as much fun or fulfilling – like formatting and marketing – but overall, I’m really enjoying where I’m at right now.

None of this is to say I had a bad relationship with my publisher. I don’t actually have anything negative to say about them, and I really enjoyed my experiences there. Everyone I worked with there was very kind and passionate about books, and I definitely think we put out some fantastic books together! So no regrets there.

With all that, here is what I am planning on coming out with in 2022. My main focus is going to be working on the Seven Fallen Hearts series. Virtue is book one, and like I said, it’s already out now. I am hoping to come out with the second book sometime in the next several months, but I don’t have an exact release date yet. It basically depends on when it’s finished and polished and ready to go.

There are going to be four full length novels and three shorter works (short stories/novellas), for seven works in total in the Seven Fallen Hearts series. I don’t know when they will all be out, but I am planning on the entire series being written and released by mid-2023. Hopefully sooner, but I’ll see how good I get at making (and keeping) deadlines for myself now.

I am also working on a young adult series inspired by Greek mythology called the Dynasty of Starlight. It was originally going to be a stand-alone book, but it’s growing and growing, and I’m thinking it will be at least two books, maybe three. But because of the nature of the series, I’ve decided that I want to write them all before I start publishing. I am hoping that I can get the first book out by the end of the year, but the Seven Fallen Hearts is going to be my priority, so I may have to wait a bit longer on that.

I also want to thank you all for making 2021 as good as it was for me. It wasn’t a great year, not for basically anybody, but so many of the good parts I’ve had come from the support of readers like you! So honestly, thank you all so much for all your support. Any time you read a book, or tell a friend about my books, or check it out from the library, or leave a review, you’re honestly making the writer’s day. We love you all so much! Or at least, I know I do. 🙂

Until next time, stay safe, be kind, and happy reading.

Read on in next week’s post WoW #2: Updates, Bookplates, & Yellowjackets

In a world filled with Magic, Love might be the final answer in the war between Good and Evil

When Lux is sent after a sheltered Princess, he disobeys his Master. Now Lux is battling goblins, sea dragons, and his own heart.

The fairy tale begins in Virtue – the first book in the Seven Fallen Hearts. This second edition of the book includes revised and extended scenes.

Get Virtue in paperback or ebook amzn.to/3IZi7Rc

Over ten years ago, I wrote and published a fairy tale romance called Virtue. It was something I wrote for me, during a tumultuous time, but I kept thinking about it all these years.

Finally, I came up with a concrete idea for the world. I have reedited, revised, and extended the original Virtue. I’ve re-released it in paperback and ebook, and it is now the first novel in a series that I’m calling the Seven Fallen Hearts.

Below are common questions I’ve gotten about Virtue and the Seven Fallen Hearts.

What changes did you make from the original version of Virtue to the new edition?

I explain more in depth in my YouTube video (which you can watch: here) but basically, the original work had some problematic issues. Things like body-shaming and some internalized misogyny, which I needed to change.

I also expanded scenes and chapters to make the story richer and more in depth, and I made a few tweaks to the final chapters to make the book more open-ended for the rest of the series.

What is the Seven Fallen Hearts? How many books will there be in the series?

The Seven Fallen Hearts is a young-adult series featuring fairy tale romance and fantasy adventures. There will be four novels and three shorter works (short stories/novellas), so there will be seven works in total in the series. The first book Virtue is out now, and the second book will be out in early 2022. The entire series should be out in paperback and ebook by mid-to-late 2023, but I do not have exact dates for publication yet.

If I bought the ebook of Virtue years ago, will it be updated automatically to the new one?

No, I’m sorry. The ebook is low-priced, though, and there will be sales in the future. Virtue is also out in paperback for the first time.

How do I know which version of Virtue I have?

The copyright for the new edition is 2021, and it has a blue cover with a butterfly on it. Any other cover or copyright date is the old version. The new version was published on December 15, 2021 and the old version was removed from sale before that, so if you bought the copy before that day, it is likely the old version, and if you bought it after that day, it is likely the new version.

Anything else I should know about Virtue?

This week I’m having a themed work across all my social media where I talk about and celebrate my bestselling vampire series, the My Blood Approves Saga.

Later on this week, I’ll be posting trivia and hosting giveaways. But for now I’m taking questions on the My Blood Approves Saga. Ask me anything about any of the books or characters, and I’ll answer them in a video I’m posting on Friday.

All five the books and the novella in the saga are on sale, so if you haven’t read them yet, now is the perfect time!

The New York Times Bestselling author of the Trylle Saga and Freeks returns with her first novel written for adults. A slow burn romance collides with gothic horror in 1890s Michigan.

Emiliath lives in a cloistered religious sect with her sisters and brothers, as she has for over twenty-one years. Her life is stable and quiet, but she has begun to feel a longing for something more. When tragedy hits close to home, she starts to connect with a handsome stranger from the city, Trent.

But her quiet life is far more sinister than it seems, and Trent has his own secrets. On top of that, a hungry beast is lurking in the forest, and it might be the end of everything Emiliath has ever known.

Get BESTOW THE DARKNESS in ebook

Get BESTOW THE DARKNESS in paperback

So… I wrote a book during the pandemic. This book, to be exact. It was my way of coping with anger, frustration, isolation, and a lot of other things. What I was drawn to were moody, intense gothic romances, so that’s what I wrote. It is a stand alone novel, but if you all really enjoy it, I have ideas for a tie-in novella that I will happily write if you are interested. But there will be no more books beyond the one novel and a possible novella.

This is a super disjointed rollout, I know, but I just needed to get this book out into the world. Right now, it is available as an ebook and paperback, with audio coming in the future.

I plan to have a more traditional rollout for my next book – with cover reveals, preorders, and review copies sent out – but this book was different.

I want to a compile a list of people to review books, so if you are interested in getting advanced review copies of this or future books, please email me at hocking_books at outlook.com, and include the following info: your name, any blogs/bookstagram/booktube/booktok info you have, what your favorite genres to read are, if you prefer ebooks or paperbacks, and your mailing address (if you prefer paperbacks).

Also, please tell me if you are specifically interested in BESTOW THE DARKNESS. I will be sending out a few copies for review, but they will be ebooks ONLY for this book.

I made a video where I explain more in depth about the writing process and why I’m releasing it this way. You can watch below:

And as usual, I made a playlist a go along with the book that I listened to when I was writing. This one really inspired me and helps enhance the overall feel of the book, so I highly recommend listening along when you read BESTOW THE DARKNESS .

Hello, 2021! Boy, do I have big plans for you.

The Ever After – the final book in the Omte Orgins and the final book set in the world of the Trylle and Kanin – came out at the beginning of January. Despite many tears being shed, most readers seem to really enjoy how it all ends.

This means that the entire nine-book Trylle Saga is complete, and all of the books – Switched, Torn, Ascend, Frostfire, Ice Kissed, Crystal Kingdom, The Lost City, The Morning Flower, The Ever After – are available now in paperback, ebook, and audio.

I will be doing an in depth post taking a look back at the callbacks, references, Easter Eggs, and other trivia about the saga, but since it will be so spoiler filled, I think it’s best to wait until the finale has been out for a little while to give people a chance to read it.

But I wanted to give you all a quick heads up about what’s coming up for me. I spent the past year dealing with some dark days and writing like mad to cope, but I got a lot of good work done and I am hitting the ground running for 2021.

It’s too early for me to give specific details, but I am returning to self-publishing. I will do a longer post (and probably a video) where I talk more about it all, but I have at least two books that I think will be ready this year – a very dark, very sexy gothic romance and a beautiful, heartbreaking Greek myth retelling. I promise to have more details when things get more concrete.

But I don’t want any readers to miss out on new releases or exciting book news or sales or giveaways, so I finally set up a newsletter. I promise not to spam you – I will only send out an email when I have something exciting to share with you.

I had planned to do more giveaways and things like that in 2020 to celebrate my tenth anniversary as a published author, but COVID really had other plans. I am hopeful that this year I will be able to really get out and do giveaways and a lot of the fun stuff that I had set up for last year that had to be sidelined.

But please, sign up below. I have SO MUCH really great stuff planned for this year, and I’d really hate for anyone to miss out on it.