Sneak Peak!

Art, Anime, And Secrets

Hello Friends!

Summer is flying by! June was an amazing whirlwind of writing retreats, writing conferences, visiting family, and I’ll be teaching at the Taylor University Professional Writer’s Conference at the end of this month! Whew!

It was amazing to take part of the very first Quill & Chill—a writing retreat for Quill & Flame Publishing House authors and staff. We had a glorious time chatting, connecting, brainstorming, and just being in the same space. I’ve never met finer folk, and came away tired (sleep? Who needs sleep?), but feeling so refreshed.

Directly after Quill & Chill, I attended Realm Makers—an epic writer’s conference. It’ll be at Union Station in St. Louis next year. If speculative fiction is your thing, definitely consider dropping in either for the classes or for their Expo where a brilliant gaggle of authors and vendors fill the whole of the giant exhibition space.

There is a costume awards banquet held every year at Realm Makers. This year I went as The Sugar Plum Fairy from my upcoming book, THE RAT KING. I wore spray glitter.

Never again.

I will be finding glitter on my person from now until Kingdom come…

BUT. While I was there, I got to meet several of the Lumiview folks in person. I had the opportunity to be on a panel with them and share about my experiences working them as they are adapting AN ALLIANCE OF ASH AND JADE into anime.

Y’all. It was so surreal. It was AMAZING.

AND. While I was there…I got to see a little sneaky peaky. And now, I can share this with you, too! The first time I got to see these little promo clips, I screamed and flailed so hard I caused a scene. I’m sure I looked totally deranged, but there are some things that just transcend caring. ;) SEEING a snippet of your book as an anime qualifies. If you’re on social media and follow yxentertainmentgroup, you may have already seen this. But for those of you who weren’t at Realm Makers and who aren’t on social media, I get to share these videos with you now! <3

ALL THE CHILLS.

And also check this out…Leo Xu (Xin Xu) who has worked on movies such as Into the Spiderverse and K-Pop Demon Hunters…Y’all, HE IS WORKING ON THE ANIME OF AN ALLIANCE OF ASH AND JADE. *faints

This is going to be epic. Truly, I do not have enough nice things to say about Y+X, and I’m not just saying this because they’re adapting two of my stories. The thing they are creating defies the rules of logic and rationality. The Lumiview App is going to be an entire ecosystem of interconnected stories, film, vertical (think TikTok meets Netflix—stories to watch on your phone), interaction with creators (authors, screen writers, actors, and more!), a place to find the stories that stay with you. Forever. I had the privilege of seeing a few more promo clips…mind. is. blown. I honestly believe this is going to change the way stories are consumed in the United States.

And guys. You know I have a major thing for Asian Drama. If you’re new here…I have a slight obsession with all things swoony C-Drama, K-Drama…all the Asian Dramas.

THE ANIME OF AN ALLIANCE OF ASH AND JADE WILL ALSO BE AVAILABLE IN CHINESE.

I was squealing with a friend about this and she said, “You need a shirt that says, “check out my subtitles.’” I died. And now I want this shirt (Thanks, Janelle—check out her book HERE). ;)

Find more on the LUMIVIEW here!

We also have a release date for the AUDIO version of AN ALLIANCE OF ASH AND JADE! Narrated by the stellar Verla Bond and Eric Yang, it will release in audio via Tantor Media September 15, 2026!

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Okay, because my life wasn’t already bursting with excitement, I was FLOORED when Romantasy Illustrated chose AN ALLIANCE OF ASH AND JADE for an exclusive early sneak peak in their Summer Volume 8 edition!

Holy smokes, that is my name on their front cover. mind. blown. again. If you want a copy (they have both digital and hard copies), use SKELLY10 at checkout for a happy discount. ;)

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As I mentioned at the front of this missive, I am so excited to be teaching at the Taylor University Professional Writers Conference July 23-25th. There’s still time to register! The schedule is packed with an amazing line up of options to choose from. I’ll be teaching classes on Fantasy Character Development, Romance in Fantasy, and How to write Swoon Not Cringe, as well as a panel or two. Wanna come? Check it out!

And speaking of Swoon Not Cringe…my latest release, KISS & TELL: A GUIDE TO WRITING TOE-CURLING SWOON is officially up in KU, should anyone want to take a gander. This is the sort of book best enjoyed in hard copy as it’s meant to be a guide you write in/practice with as you go through it, but if you have KU and want a perusal, now you can. ;)

And lastly, I have one more secret reveal for you all. ;) I posted one gorgeous piece of art on my social media today, but I haven’t shown this one publicly yet. Y’all can be among the first perusers (I’m not sure perusers is a real word, but we’ll just roll with it). However, do be warned there is a mild spoiler for the end of AN ALLIANCE OF ASH AND JADE. ;) Gorgeous artwork done by artist Laura Bushong. <3

I drool.

I’m going to do my best to get back on my every other Tuesday newsletter schedule. I’ve found the consistency and routine is helpful for me, and hopefully it’s not too much from me in your inbox? You can let me know if it is. I want to send what’s enjoyable for you all, but not clog your inboxes. ;)

Who still has summer fun planned?

Cheers!
-AJ

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AJ Factoid: Yeah. I finished my rewatch of Pursuit of Jade. ;) It’s still glorious. But in something not C-Drama related, I had a deliciously fun book signing at the Springfield (Missouri) Barnes & Noble…and they will be stocking copies of AN ALLIANCE OF ASH AND JADE and THE RAT KING on their shelves. ;) I’ll also be back the week of Thanksgiving (November 24th) for another signing! Drop by, say hello, and maybe pick up a book or two for Christmas gifts. ;)

Lastly in new-to-me-authors, this boxset looks delicious! I’ve heard good things and want to pick it up at some point! :D

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ORIGIN

Somebody help a girl out. Where did we leave off?