Want to write a novel?

 

I've talked to a lot of people who've said they wished they could write a book, but didn't know how to go about it. I've talked to a few more who enjoy writing books but didn't know how to outline to make the process easier, less time-consuming, and more satisfying. Well, I turned my answer to those people into a book. Maybe it'll help you too.

Novel By Me is a guide that lets you fill out the pages, from drawing the cover to brainstorming ideas to crafting a structured plot. Fill in the lines on each page to create your novel. You'll brainstorm ideas, and then describe your characters, setting, plot, and more. You can use this book however you like. Feel free to write in the lines. Scribble notes in the blank spots. Draw or paste pictures—and don’t forget to design the cover!

Children can use it to practice making their own story. Teachers can use it to teach the parts of a story and get students excited about writing. Beginning writers can use it to get started and learn how to turn ideas into words. And established writers can use it as an outline for crafting a longer novel. Novel by Me is currently on amazon in paperback only. Check it out if you or someone you know would like help writing a story!

It's Publication Day!

 

Two pairs of siblings must save their kingdom from a greedy jeweler in this YA fantasy tale inspired by Aladdin and Cinderella.

The Masters of Wishes is now published! When looking at the whole series, I decided that I wanted a new book to start off the Spectra Crown Tales that fits the traditional fairytale retellings novel a little better. So I moved The Masters of Wishes, a retelling I'd been looking forward to all along, to the front of the series. This book follows a princess who only pretends to be perfect (I'd call her a rebellious princess but her parents not only approve, they taught her to flaunt convention), and who already has magic powers. The story follows her romance with a street rat as she saves her kingdom from an evil jeweler. It felt like a better series opener than The Seventh Clan, which follows a peasant human boy in a war, where the fairytale elements are looser and not in the order you'd expect.

Spectra Books updates:

“You know, there is a reason we’re not allowed to visit jewelry shops,” Clifton said, “especially together.”  “You can wait outside,” Marjie answered, “while I will simply control myself.” Clifton opened the door and walked inside.  So much for caution. Marjie hurried in after him.  Glass cases displayed rings, bracelets, and all things shiny. A huge sapphire amulet hung from a peg near the door. Good color but not very clear or well-polished, not nearly as expensive as it appeared at first glance. Marjie let her fingers brush over the surface. Mined near the southern tip of the Great Mountains almost five years ago. She grinned and examined a pair of turquoise stones set as earrings, though they’d been harvested over fifty miles apart.  She understood the need for security, but it really wasn’t fair she didn’t get to visit shops like this more often.  The shopkeeper was stocky with a pleasant face and an elegant long coat despite the warm spring day. He bowed low. “How may I be of service?”  “I need betrothal gifts,” Marjie said. “One for a man, one for a woman. Something nice. And never mind the cost.” She made the coins in her pocket rattle together.  “Ah, excellent.” The shopkeeper rubbed his hands together. “Would this be something to wear, or something to display?”  “I’m not sure.” Marjie peered around the shop. “He’s a sculptor, so he might appreciate something detailed.”  The shopkeeper clapped his hands. “I have just the thing! I’ll have my assistant watch the shop while I go get it.”  He hurried to the door where a young man was just entering. He shoved past, and the young man stumbled and fell to the stone floor. Oblivious, the shopkeeper hurried on.  Marjie rushed over to the assistant. “Are you all right?”  “Yeah. Sorry.” He started to stand but froze when he saw her. His eyes were large, almond shaped, and deep brown. What made him stare like that? He looked ordinary enough at first glance, but as she watched, she glimpsed something in his face, something she couldn’t name. Something different, exotic even.   The young man straightened, and she realized he was way taller than she expected, with long arms and legs as though he’d been stretched too far. His hair was a bit too long and a bit too greasy, but he had a nice smile.  She realized suddenly how awkward they must look, staring at each other. She turned away, only to realize that Clifton was staring too.  “Aren’t you Landin Trappo?” he asked.  The young man started. “Do I know you?”  “You don’t remember? We were children. You found me when I was lost…”   Clifton! Marjie sent. Don’t tell people who you are!  Landin’s eyes went wide. “Oh, I didn’t recognize you! I mean, the way you’re dressed… I mean…” He glanced over his shoulder and stopped talking. At least he hadn’t shouted out Clifton’s title. Shopping became almost impossible when people knew who they were.   “Landin!” came a distant bellow.  A flash of fear crossed Landin’s face. “Maybe you two should leave now.”  Marjie didn’t move.  Landin turned back through the door he’d come through.   They trust us in the shop alone? Clifton sent.  Well, I’m not sure I trust them. Marjie strode up to the door and listened hard.  “You little thief!” The shopkeeper’s voice almost hurt her ears. “Two diamonds are missing! Two of them! What did you do, stick them in your pocket?”  “No. I swear. I must have dropped them last night.”  “If you don’t find those missing diamonds, you and your sister will be out on the streets!”  Marjie ground her teeth. She shouldn’t interfere. At least, not in broad daylight.  Clifton glanced at her. He saved my life when we were kids. Maybe we should do something.  The man was still yelling. “Useless, idle boy! I don’t know why I bother to feed you!”  Landin muttered something too low for Marjie to catch.  A thud followed—not dramatic, but Marjie had watched enough guards at practice to know the sound of someone being hit.  She had enough. She stormed right through the back door and into a small workshop.  The shopkeeper looked up. “Ah. Young lady. Please, don’t let our private family matter–”  “It’s not private if you’re threatening my friend,” Marjie said, “and your missing diamonds are stuck in a crack between the floor and the wall, under the desk.”  The shopkeeper blinked.  Clifton got to his knees and reached beneath the desk in question. Then he pulled out his hand and showed them a handful of small gems, including two diamonds. Only Marjie knew that he’d summoned them from cracks around the room. “Quite a few things dropped back there.”  The man’s eyes glittered. “How interesting. I didn’t realize that Landin had such gifted friends.”  Marjie froze. She might have made a serious mistake. “No gift. I saw the sparkle down there. The light hit them just right.”  The man’s expression didn’t change. “I see.”  Her and Clifton’s lives were dangerous enough as royalty. The last person they wanted to find out that they could locate and summon gemstones was a temperamental shopkeeper.   Clifton flung the handful of jewels on the desk. “Sorry, we’re out of time. Maybe we can buy something later.”  Marjie waited for the shopkeeper to argue. He’d just lost a big sale. But the man’s smile remained in place. “I look forward to your next visit.”  Clifton rushed for the door, but Marjie hesitated. They had to leave before the shopkeeper asked too many questions, but walking away when a friend needed help felt wrong.   She reached into her pocket and found a small scroll, an invitation to Clifton’s birthday celebration. She waited until Clifton had the shopkeeper occupied and then pressed the invitation into Landin’s hand. The brush of his fingers against hers was the only indication that he’d felt it.  Continue reading The Masters of Wishes by Christie Valentine Powell

Meet the main characters of The Masters of Wishes!

 The Masters of Wishes comes out December 6th!

Meet the characters! Here are the main four:
Princess Marjie (Don't call her Margaretha. She hates it!)

• Only princess of Nomelands

• Can locate and identify treasure but prefers honing non-magic skills.

• Has a pet snake named Millicent.

• Better at disguising herself than seeing through disguises.

• Plays “Aladdin’s princess”/ "fairy godmother”
  
  
  Prince Clifton

• Has two brothers and a sister and is the only one without a name starting with M.

• Can summon treasure if he knows where it is.

• Always carries a lamp with him.

• Hates being bossed by his sister but does what she says anyway. 

• Plays “the genie”/ "fairy godmother”
  
  Landin

• Overworked by his stepfather, a jeweler

• Can shape treasure (gems and soft metals)

• Very close to his sister Ashlin, and no one else. 

• Looks up to his father but won’t tell anyone who it is.

• Plays “Aladdin”
  
  Ashlin
  Loves her mom, brother, and baby half-sisters. Tries not to think about her evil stepfather.

• Can turn dust and dirt into earthenware objects (like lamps)

• Changed her name from Linelle to Ashlin to hide from her powerful ex-family.

• Plays “Cinderella”

Meet the Centaurs

 

I've been sketching out some of the centaurs who appear in The Centaur Chase series. I'm not a professional artist or anything, and I'm sure there are others out there who can do a better job... but at least you can be certain that these aren't AI! First of all, we've got Dale, one of the main characters, and his son Dash. Dash is around six months old, but that's closer to two years developmentally compared to a human. Dale lost most of his family in a human attack and is struggling to care for Dash on his own. Ryn used to be human but was transformed into a centaur mare, and now the two of them roam around, telling other centaurs about the possibility. Ryn and Ace only make a brief appearance at the beginning of the Centaur Choice. Who knows, maybe I'll write down their full story at some point. Dale's brother Shade lives at the centaur village, which they call the Square. He's made a living for himself making leather vests for sale. He's clever and creative in a society that usually values physical strength, so he's never been able to find a wife. Thorn hates humans for the destruction they've caused to centaurs. He has a large family at home, but he leaves them to join in kidnapping young women, hoping to stop human hunters from attacking. No, they aren't related, even though they're the same color. Clay and Eve befriend our main characters, who take responsibility for them. Eve was captured by humans who wanted to "civilize" her, while Clay defected from the kidnappers.

Bree meets a natural centaur herd in The Centaur Charge (book 2). You've already met Thorn in book one, but here are the rest of his family, especially matriarch Moon.

Bay and Lane start off as bachelor stallions at the centaur village, which they call the Square, but I have plenty of character development in store for them (sorry, guys). You might notice that there are coins woven into Lane's tail, a sign of centaur wealth.

These three mares started off as humans but were transformed into changelings. They all have different reactions, even after they're rescued from their captors. One falls in love, one schemes to destroy her captors, and the other falls in the middle.

I won't spoil too much about the babies, but I had to show you how cute foals are! Since centaurs are pregnant longer than humans, they come out more developed. Not only can they hold up their heads and torsos just fine, they can toddle around right after birth.

So now you've met some of the centaurs from The Centaur Chase. You can find out more on our website. Don't forget to preorder The Centaur Charge, coming out July 5th!

The Cousin Curse: a retelling of The Six Swans and Paul Bunyan, available now!

 

The Spectra Crown Tales just got a little bigger!

When I started to work on this book, I knew only a few things: the fairytale (the Six Swans), the location, and a few of the characters.   Viola is the main character. She's a princess with Sprite abilities (life magic) including shaping fibers and shifting into a bison-like animal. She was born without vocal cords, so in this version, she never had a voice.   Only one of the swans is her brother, 10-year-old Beck. The other five are her cousins, with a variety of abilities. You might recognize Perrin, the human with Spectra abilities, from book 1, The Seventh Clan (which incidentally is only 99 cents). The last character that I knew for sure was another cousin, Kelda Sage, who has the ability to change other people into animals. She's been isolated for most of her life and never developed a sense of empathy. Kelda will be the protagonist of the next book, The Songbird's Hearth. Viola's twin sister Lilac makes a few appearances in this book. You might remember her from her own Crown Tale, The Dream Realm, which is this month's free book! Grab the ebook on amazon for free from March 1-5th, 2025.

I knew that this story takes place in a wild forest contested between kingdoms which is often used for logging. That's what led to the main love interest, who is inspired by Paul Bunyan. He's big but still a regular human and uses an ax to chop trees. He's also a gentle giant who is kind and supportive, and who came from a village where everyone speaks sign language, inspired by a real-life location called Martha's Vineyard. I have a BS degree in Wildlife and Wildlands Conservation, so I have taken forestry classes, and a little of that seeps into the story as well.   The next story chronologically will be The Songbird's Hearth, as mentioned, but it won't be the next book released. That's because I'm pausing to write a prequel. The Masters of Wishes is a mashup of Cinderella and Aladdin. You haven't met any of the major characters yet, but some familiar names will appear.