Hey Strangers,
We have a lot of exciting things coming up, so I hope you’re ready! I’m also enlisting your help under book updates, and revealing character art, so make sure you stick around!
For starters, if my outline would cooperate, I’d be ten chapters away from concluding Gemma and Theo’s story. I’m writing Caleb’s POV separately, so there’s still a bit more to write, but I’m happy to report that we’re moving along!
However, this is the messiest first draft I’ve ever written, so it still needs A LOT of work. I’ve always been a pretty clean drafter so I’m well beyond my comfort zone with how “bad” this is, but the old adage is true: You can’t edit a blank page.
So, for now, I’m just going to worry about getting to the end, and then circle back and clean up the word vomit that is this draft later. Once I’ve edited it to death, I’ll pass it to a few trusted readers to spot any plot holes, patch them, and then get this sucker over to my editor.
I’m not going to pick any release dates until we’re much closer to the end. I don’t want to break any promises, but just know that we’re on a bullet train right now, and I hope I can give you that date soon.
In the meantime, I need your help!
Strangers in Our Heads (Strangers # 1) is on the long list for the Indie Visible Awards! Only the top three books from each category will proceed, so if you could vote for my title, I’d REALLY appreciate it!
It’s listed under “Young Adult,” and you can vote for one book from each category, only one time.
Voting is also only open until the end of the month, so please get your vote in ASAP! I’ll ❤ you forever!
Vote here.
On a different front, I received character art back for my adult paranormal thriller: The Deliverance of Briar Glen (aka MonsterHouse). AHHHH!
Huge thanks to Nikki Hunnewell for bringing Hannah and Ellis to life, not to mention Robert’s shadow in the background.
Look at all the fun, subtle details! The time! The moths! Hannah’s necklace! The axe! The skull of an ancestor!
I’m currently querying agents with this book, so keep your fingers crossed for me, y’all.
I added another event this spring! The next few weekends are pretty busy; it feels like I’m going to be all over the place, so I hope you can catch me at one of these locations!
I’ll have Strangers in Our Heads & Strangers in Our Hearts available for purchase, as well as Kaleidoscopic Quill, the anthology I’m in, so I’m excited to bring everyone a new option who has already supported me in the past!
I’ve also decided to make hardcovers for Strangers available upon request. The majority of people who purchase at my table want a paperback, but for the few who do love hardcovers, I can get them for you! It just costs a ton to print and ship, so I don’t want to restock until I know there’s a demand for it.
So, feel free to let me know at any time, and I’ll get a hardcover for you. ❤
Tonight, my husband and I are going to see Andrew Bird live with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, and excited doesn’t even begin to cover it. I bought him these tickets as a birthday gift (which was back in January), so I’m glad the day has finally come! It’s going to be such a cool experience.
ALSO! The Buffalo Sabres have made the playoffs! This is the first time in fourteen years! We’re back, baby.
Last month, I went on a writing retreat with two lovely friends! Admittedly, we didn’t get much work done, but a new tradition has formed! We’ll do better next time… because we’ll be forced to write in different rooms so we don’t spend the whole time gabbing, lol.
I also had a signing with Em & Em’s Books in Buffalo back in March, which is such a cute space. If you’re local, I highly recommend checking them out!
Additionally, two short stories released in print last month, so that’s pretty exciting. As mentioned before, I now have copies of Kaleidoscopic Quill available in person, but if you’re unable to make it to an event and want a copy, you can get it here.
The other short story is out in Dark Horses: The Magazine of Weird Fiction, which is also available online. Grab a copy here!
Short story time about Kaleidoscopic Quill!
I was sitting under this butterfly decoration at Turning Stone when I got the email that I was shortlisted for the Kaleidoscopic Quill: An Inspiring Butterfly anthology. I’m not much of a gambler, but my husband was in a poker tournament, so I came with him to hang out at the bar and write.
Well, last month, he was in another tournament, and I was back at Turning Stone, the same exact day I noticed the author copies of the anthology I was shortlisted for was sitting on my porch. I grabbed one from the box, literally on the way to the car, to head out.
The giant butterfly was gone when I got there, but WOW was that weird. I couldn’t have timed that better if I tried. A full circle moment, for sure!
Lastly, Charlie turned 11 last month (03/13), and Coffee Bean is officially one (as of 04/05). It’s so funny to me that they’re 10 years apart, since they absolutely do not act like that. Watching them play and run around each other makes my heart melt. ❤
Since last month’s newsletter, I’ve read The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James, Beasts of War by Ayana Gray, A Tale of Flight and Flame: A Realm Apart by Kristie Price, and Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs.
I’m currently reading Thane by Aaron Randolph and Don’t Let the Forest In by CG Drews.
Andrew Bird! His tour is centered on the 20th Anniversary of The Mysterious Production of Eggs, so that’s been on repeat lately.
I’ve also been using an instrumental reading playlist a lot lately, since I can’t write with lyrics. If I need music, I’ll put on something like this to get in the zone.
I’ve magically stayed caught up with The Rookie, The Pitt, and Grey’s Anatomy, and don’t ask me why (okay, you can ask me why), but I’ve started ER. This show came out just before I turned two years old (1994), and ran for 15 seasons. So, while I do remember parts from when I was a kid, I can’t say I ever really watched it, so here I am… starting a new adventure, currently on season one.
I have 800 different things to watch, but it’s really all Noah Wyle’s fault.
Written by R.B. Madison, Hidden on the Highest Shelf is a collection of poems that paint a journey of the highs and lows of mental health. From the lows of navigating the dark corners of the mind and challenging feelings to the highs of learning how to heal and cope with those feelings. This collection is filled with vulnerability, growth, questions, strength, and, most important of all, hope. Hidden on the Highest Shelf is for anyone who has gone through a challenging time with mental health who are looking to feel seen and that they are not alone. It is with great hope that these words will to exactly that… continue reading.
Callie Sheffield dreams of being a novelist, but for now, she’s stuck ghostwriting other people’s stories. Her latest project is a finance book for the boss of her long-time boyfriend, Thomas. Their relationship is safe but stagnant, and with every passing day, Callie feels her own ambitions slipping further out of reach.
To carve out some time away from Thomas, Callie takes her laptop to the local library, where she meets Will Pearson, a plaid-shirted library clerk with messy hair, a secret tattoo, and the effortless charm of a… continue reading.
Together until the end. It’s a promise Ash intends to keep.
As a marked one living behind the stone walls of Null, Ash grows up knowing one truth: to prevent the curse from awakening inside her, she must die at the hands of the Keeper. Sixteen years of strict rules and cruelty is made bearable only through a secret friendship and a shared fate. Knowing she’ll be with Jace at the end is enough.
Until it isn’t.
Now her death is imminent and… continue reading.
Please take note that this is a system to spotlight other indie authors per their request. These titles have not been vetted and readers are encouraged to do their due diligence beforehand.
Until next time friends!
Stay strange, and go Sabres,
Bri
BRI EBERHART 
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