​Today is release day for Blanket of Snow (After the Storm, #1), and what fun! This is the first of a series of novelettes (all about 20K words long - a one hour read) based on characters that we already know and love well, and focusing on their emotional states and their healing journeys, so the series lends itself to the novelette format.

When I first began writing in 2010, I was pretty keen on shorter stories. I liked the fact that in order to write a good one, it had to be short and snazzy; to-the-point, but not loose on detail; and it had to capture readers from the start and not let go, because you needed ALL of their attention for the very short time you have it. I liked all of that, and I felt some of that skill had been lost in the past few decades as commercial publishing houses favoured huge tomes over the shorter book (usually for financial reasons). With the emergence of eBooks, that financial reason is no longer valid - it's easy to pack a punch in a short story for an eReader and sell it for 99p, and people WANT this. What better for a one hour train journey than to be engrossed in a book you know you'll finish in time? It's perfect.

Writing Blanket of Snow was no less perfect. Not unusually for me (though it's been a while), this story came to me in a dream, and I knew when I woke up exactly how long it would take to write. My inexperience in 2010 failed to tell me that The Witching Pen Series would NOT be a series of novellas and that I was jumping the gun and possibly making a mistake by originally calling that series The Witching Pen Novellas. In my head, all the stories would be no more than 40K words, but I didn't know my writing well enough then. I didn't know that I would favour large-reaching arcs and plots that liked their twists and turns, and subsequently, half of that series was written as full-length novels, making the original series name (novellas) utterly pointless and inaccurate.

I have no such worry about After the Storm. There's a plot here, sure, but it's a mini-plot that buffers what the characters are emotionally going through - it's not the main focus - so I've been able to sit back and write a shorter story with full enjoyment in doing JUST THAT without doubt and without any external pressure. It reminded me of one of the reasons I love writing in the first place, and not least, one of the reasons why I love being an independent author: I can write for my pleasure; for readers' pleasure; for the characters' needs; all without having to unnecessarily expand the story, or dumb it down (or dumb it up) to fit a mold.

So I hope all Eye of the Storm fans thoroughly enjoy the After the Storm series, because it will be an insight into the main four characters that we simply won't get in the upcoming Aftershock series, because we won't be telling that series from the POV of the four Eye of the Storm characters - it will be from the perspectives of brand new (now adult) characters.

After the Storm will fill some blanks for fans, but also hint at a couple of future obstacles to come. There won't be any cliffhangers as such (remember this is not a plot-filled series), just these hints that will be touched on again in the Aftershock series, and possibly even the Blood Shadow series.

After the Storm will add a bit of depth to anyone who cares to read it, but at the same time, anyone who chooses not to won't be missing out on anything in order to understand what's to come.

It's fun. It's a lot of fun weaving worlds together. I hope you enjoy the read.

Dianna x
​

Have you heard? We'll be getting a little bit more from our favourite werewolves - you can thank my insatiable mind for that because this story came to me in a dream, just when I thought I was done writing books from Lydia, Lawrence, Ryan and Taylor's perspectives. Nope. There's a little bit more...

This is a novelette - a one hour read (just under 20,000 words). More than one novelette will make up the After the Storm series - stories told from each of the main character's points of view in the months immediately after the fatal storm, concentrating on the emotional and mental healing they each need to go through. They stand on their own, and don't have to be read to understand any new series coming next. However, they'll hold little titbits of information for readers who want that little bit more (there is a little plot threaded throughout the novelettes).

Currently available in digital format only.

What a year! Having started it doubtful and a little worried, I can safely say I have wrapped up a LOT in 2017, made huge progress, and am thoroughly looking forward to 2018. What are you looking forward to most in 2018?

As I move into the new year, I'd like to mention that I'm on Booklikes.com now - this is where I'm going to hold most of my upcoming paperback giveaways and conducting some future interviews and special features, and so on. I'm excited about this new platform! My Booklikes blog will feature all writing updates, so if you're on there, you don't have to venture onto Facebook or my own website to keep up to date on releases and excerpts. (And if you're on Goodreads, all my updates already transfer to my Goodreads blog.)

I'm also on Litsy.com (my handle is DiannaHardy - just search for me there). I plan to post a fair amount on Litsy, as a reader as well as a writer. It's a lovely little space full of truly passionate book lovers, and only available as an app.

I am still most active on Facebook, and I don't see that changing any time soon, but these other platforms may bring something new into the mix.

With regards to new releases, the Eye of the Storm Omnibus Edition is now out! All the books in one. It does NOT contain the "Recap of Werewolf Biology and other Terms" section that you get at the beginning of the individual volumes because there's no gap between books, so you can read through the whole thing without needing the recap. I also wanted to keep something exclusive to the individual volumes. I may revisit the recap if I ever bring out a compendium of the series - it may happen, because, as we know, it hasn't quite ended. Blood Shadow and Aftershock will continue the saga in a different way.

The Omnibus is a steal at £9.99 for the digital format, and £24.95 for the HUGE bumper, special edition keepsake paperback of 824 pages. You can get them via the links below (release date: 31st December).

2018 will see me writing Blood Shadow, followed by Aftershock, and then I'll also be starting work on Autumn's Fall, which won't be published until 2019. If I can squeeze any other, new stories in between, I will, but those are my priorities.

You can pre-order Blood Shadow already over at iBooks, Nook, Book Depository and Waterstones. Excerpts and teasers will be posted on my Facebook page, as well as on Booklikes over the coming weeks.

Finally, I'll be at the UK Southern Book Show in Worthing on Sunday, 4th March - I hope to see some readers there. I'll have some books on hand and will also be giving a short talk in the afternoon.

2018 is looking to be full of opportunities, and I wish you all the very best of them. Here's my question to you again: What are you looking forward to most in 2018? Do let me know in the comments.

​Have a wonderful New Year's Eve, everyone, and may your New Year be full of abundance!

Love,
Dianna xxx

If you're looking for the last book of the Eye Of The Storm series - signed - to add to your collection, the virtual signing is now open. There are also a few benefits to a virtual signing you won't get with a regular order - you can view all the info here:
​http://www.bittenfruitbooks.com/virtual-signing.html

​There is also exclusive Eye Of The Storm merchandise coming to the store soon - not much of it, and it's not always easy to order in, so if you see anything you'd like, ​do grab it. I have a very cool mug arriving soon, and a very cool notebook. Some Facebook peeps have already reserved theirs - they'll be gone quite quickly. Best way to reserve yours now is to order at the store, and it will automatically be sent to you on arrival.
http://www.bittenfruitbooks.com/store/c5/Exclusive_Merchandise.html

​Lastly, I am trudging through the Eye Of The Storm Omnibus Edition formatting. My goodness, it's a task and a half, and trying to fit it all into one giant paperback is looking to be a challenge. But I have accepted the challenge! More on this soon when I'm nearing the end. The expected date for the release of the Omnibus is 31st December, this year. There'll be an eBook version as well, but both versions require different formatting, so I literally have to do all six books, twice. (This is how much I love my readers ;p )

​That's it for now, but there's more news coming very soon - it's a busy end of the year!

​Love,
​Dianna xxx

Good morning, everyone! Thank you for all your lovely feedback and reviews for Reign Of The Wolf. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it.

This is going to be a short and sweet blog post because I want to get straight to telling you the good stuff!

New Website

​The website is self-explanatory: here it is! TA-DA!!! Welcome to my new site - a bit more sleek and a little easier to navigate, I hope. Have a browse, let me know what you think.

Cover Reveals

I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS! It's going to mean more to you if you've finished the Eye Of The Storm series.

As you all know, the Eye Of The Storm has ended now - the story of our four favourite werewolves is done. But others' stories are just beginning. There's the vivacious Layla, and the mysterious Jasmine for starters. I really, really want to write about their future.

However, before I can tell their story, we need to find out exactly how they got to where their story starts. So ... [drumroll] two companion novels are in the works! The companion novels form their own mini-series called Blood Never Lies, but each book stands on its own. The pre-order for these will go live very soon.

The first is called Blood Shadow and tells the story of Jennifer Warren. If you've read to the end of Reign Of The Wolf, you'll know exactly who that is. I couldn't leave her voice unheard; I couldn't leave her with all the shit I'd put her through without a more solid conclusion. Her story is expected to be published in April, 2018 in both eBook and paperback.

The second companion novel is called Aftershock, and belongs to Pete and Claire (and Jasmine). We're going to find out what happened to them over those five years they were away.

SPOILER ALERT: Don't read this blurb if you have not yet finished Reign Of The Wolf!

Aftershock has an expected release date of September, 2018.

And there you have it! Before all of that though, we have the Reign Of The Wolf paperback about to go on sale end of this month, and then the Eye Of The Storm Omnibus Edition planned for end of December.

And it feels so damn good to be busy again :)

I look forward to sharing it all with you.

​Love, Dianna xxx