Amanda Hocking

Hello! It’s me, and I know I haven’t talked to you in awhile, but I have some really exciting things that I wanted to talk to you about.

The First Announcement, and what I think is the most exciting, I am continuing the Hollows series! I know a lot of people have asked for this for a long time, and I always said that if I had an idea, I would definitely return. I just did not want to retread water without something exciting, and I didn’t want to beat a dead horse.

Inspiration finally hit, and I am very excited! I am going to be re-editing and updating the first two Hollows books (similar to what I did with the My Blood Approves Saga last year), and I am also adding some short stories to fill in some of the gaps in the books (more on that later).

I believe the updated versions — Hollowland: Redux and Hollowmen: Redux — will be out early summer in paperback and ebook, and then the third, brand new book will be out by Halloween 2023.

There are actually going to be at least one more book after this — so four books in total — but that one won’t be out until Halloween 2024. Or at least that’s the date I’m shooting for at this time. There honestly might even be more books than that, but I have to get closer to the end of book four to know for sure.

I am honestly just so darn thrilled about returning to this world, and I am having so much more fun working on these than I did the first time around. I think I enjoy writing action and horror more now than I used to? Well, I’ve always loved writing horror, but I enjoy it even more somehow.

Which leads me to my Second Big Announcement. I have started a Patreon! You follow me here: patreon.com/AmandaHocking

The main reason I am doing this is that I have been wanting more input from readers on things like narrowing down titles, character names, and cover designs. I want to have polls and things like that, and I wanted to do it through something like Patreon so that I have the people who are actually fans of my books being the main ones voting. If I have something on other social medias, anyone can vote, and I might be getting input from some who has never and will never read the books, and I’d rather prioritize the opinions of readers are enjoying them.

The lowest tier in my Patreon is called “Reader,” and it’s only a $1, because I really wanted to make it accessible to as many readers as possible, while still having a low bar for non-readers and strangers. In the Reader tier, you will have behind-the-scenes content and early previews of what I’m working on in addition to voting.

The second tier is called “Bookworm,” and that will include everything from the first tier along with short stories and character artwork. I plan to release 2-4 short stories a year, and each one would be given to you free. For example, the two shorter works that I am including in the Hollows Redux will be free to everyone in this tier.

I also have a bunch of really cool Hollows character artwork, and I will be sharing some of that on Instagram and on Facebook. But I will also have some that is exclusive to the Patreon, and patrons will even have the opportunity to vote on what future artworks they’d like to see.

The third and final tier is called “Bookdragon,” and that is the only one with any physical goods. In addition to everything in the first two tiers, patrons will get autographed bookplates, stickers, and bookmarks (2 per month).

Readers are always asking how they can get autographed books from me, and after a lot of consideration, I think is going to be the best way to do it. I have been struggling with figuring a way that I could be sure that I am meeting your needs and having everything on hand, and I ultimately decided on bookplates.

If you don’t know, bookplates are autographed stickers that can be placed in the front cover of your book. It is the cheapest and easiest way for me to get readers autographed books.

Since I am not really doing signings much anymore, this will likely be the only way get an autograph from me anytime in the near future.

I am honestly really hyped about the Patreon, because I think it will give us a new way to interact and to share information. I will have different themes, and I will let you know that my first theme is going to be the Hollows, because I am knee deep in that world right now. But in the future, there will be Seven Fallen Hearts, and I will definitely revisit older series like My Blood Approves, Watersong, Trylle, Valkyrie, and I will also be showcasing my new works, too.

As for the Seven Fallen Hearts, I am still on track for finishing it either by the end of this year or the beginning of next year. It is going to be delayed a little bit, but it’s not because I’m not loving it or enjoying the world anymore. I just felt like the Hollows needed to prioritized a little, because people have been asking for it for so long, and since I haven’t had the inspiration for it, I really wanted to strike while the iron is hot.

In short: Seven Fallen Hearts is awesome, and I think you’re all going to love it, BUT I think that in fairness to long time readers, I need to put the Hollows stuff out first.

And finally, my Third Announcement (which is the least exciting because I have already talked about it a bit on social media, but I still think it’s cool) is that I made a digital coloring book inspired by the My Blood Approves Saga. It’s available on Etsy, if you want to check it out: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1421500525/vampire-digital-coloring-book My Etsy shop is called Hocking Books by Amanda, and the only thing I have up so far is the coloring book, but I hope to add more things in the future.

The coloring book was inspired by characters and places from the world of the My Blood Approves Saga, and I put in a few Easter eggs, and I really had fun making it. It is currently digital only, but I am looking at ways to make a paper version that is easily accessible and affordable. The cool thing about digital, though, is that you can color it over and over again on your iPad or tablet, or  you can print off as many copies as you want. So it’s basically an infinite coloring book.

I really love coloring digitally, so if you haven’t tried it yet, I highly recommend it. I personally use the Procreate app on my iPad for my coloring and drawing, and it allows for some really cool effects and easy correcting of any mistakes.

So those are My Big Three Announcements:

1. More Hollows is coming
2. My Patreon is up
3. The My Blood Approves coloring book is out

In terms of the Patreon, I will still be sharing things on Instagram and Facebook, too, so you will not be in the dark if you don’t want to follow me there. But if you want more than what I’ve already been sharing, and you want to give input on things, then I think the Patreon might be fun for you.

I haven’t been posting online much because I have been working on so many different things, and I am honestly so excited about all of them. I can’t wait to embark on this next chapter of my writing journey with you all.

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