Winds of Magic Cover Reveal

So I was hoping to have Winds of Magic, Book 1 of Mage of Storm and Sea, out right about now. Then two things happened: the cutoff dates for timely processing before Christmas on one of the ebook distributors I use was a week earlier than I'd planned on, and then, halfway through the final proofread, a plot point in the final battle that had been bothering me bloomed into a full-blown plot hole. It was easy to fix, but involved a partial rewrite of the first part of the battle scene and a number of smaller adjustments throughout the manuscript. So after I did that, I decided to just start the final proofread over again. I finished today, and after this I'll format the ebook and have it ready to release the first week of January! To get release news and a free copy of Dreams of Magic, the prequel, sign up for my email newsletter.

In the meantime, I also hadn't gotten around to revealing the cover, but now, here it is!

Art by Yuriko Matsuoka

This is Esavas, about thirteen years after Dreams of Magic. His life is quite a bit different now from how it was, and it's about to get a lot more different! Here's what Winds of Magic is about (I'm still fine-tuning this; blurbs, argg):

After a terrible mistake in his youth, Esavas Daruvias has found peace and belonging at the secluded Tower as a Master of weather magic, vowed to celibacy, self-mastery, and non-violence.

Then without warning, the troubles of the past resurface to disrupt his quiet life. A mage rebellion has erupted, led by a mage with strange and terrible powers - his sister Rayaluna, the person hurt the most by his long-ago mistake. Though hidden away at the Tower for more than twelve years and sworn to a life of peace, Esavas is called on to help put a stop to the rebellion.

With the safety of the non-magical people of the Islands - and of the Islands themselves - at stake, and bound by his oath to never raise a hand in violence, Esavas must discover the secret of Rayaluna's magic, stop her rampage, and save her from herself - without violating his oaths and losing his own soul.

Where's the heroine, you might be asking? Leshi makes a few cameo appearances in Winds of Magic, but she really comes into the story in Book 2, Sea of Magic. I'll start fine-tuning edits on Sea of Magic as soon as I get Winds of Magic formatted. The cover for Sea of Magic is probably my favorite picture of any of my couples! Though there's some pretty tough competition, especially with the new covers Yuriko Matsuoka did for Daughter of the Wildings and some of my other books. So watch for that (newsletter subscribers get to see cover reveals first!) and for release news and updates on Winds of Magic and Sea of Magic.