Here we go!

*There are photos in this month's newsletter, so if your email program doesn't let you see them, be sure to click the "View in browser" link at the top of this email to get the full experience! (This also helps if you're having trouble opening/using any of the links in the email.)*

Things are finally settling down a bit here as the Legislative season winds to an end... it was a crazy whirlwind of a first year here in our new roles--my husband as the new lobbyist-in-training for home education rights, shadowing and training under the woman who got homeschooling legalized in Florida nearly 40 years ago, and me, as the Community Manager for the parent support/outreach/education portion of what we do (basically, I answer questions, interface with Florida parents, and run our online communities and forum). We were fighting all season for a change to prevent undue regulations on certain homeschooling families but making seemingly little to no headway with the House or Senate, then finally, right down to the wire, the legislature listened to our concerns and made the change! We are praising God for that---the story of how it happened truly could only be God!

And I've now spoken as a homeschool parent at three legislative committees--two in the Senate and one in the House. Wild!

With all the craziness of the legislative stuff, settling into our new town, and homeschooling, I had to scale back on my writing schedule a bit. But now that things are calming down (and we're finally finding a decent routine again with our homeschooling!), I'm looking forward to increasing my writing time again... which means more stories coming and more active posting on social media again, among other things, including one very special project I'm extra excited about!

I'm excited for what's ahead, and I hope you will be, too.

Read on for more updates!

Behind-the-Bookcase

the secret things I'm working on in my behind-the-bookcase lair... um... office

Kindle Vella

I'm still posting episodes of Fate Rising on Kindle Vella every Tuesday and Saturday.

The big news right now with Kindle Vella is that the token structure and user experience will be changing! Amazon recently informed us that soon, the following changes will be rolling out:

• The first 10 episodes will now be free to read. (Previously, the first 3 were free... but 10 will allow readers the chance to try out a story more fully before deciding whether to continue with the locked/paid episodes.)

• Every locked episode will cost 10 tokens to unlock, regardless of word count. (They said this was to remove reader confusion about how token costs were calculated, and to make Vella stories more affordable for readers!)

• The 200 free token offers will end (because now every reader can read 10 episodes free).

Keep an eye out for these changes... they should be rolling out over the coming weeks!

And, as I mentioned in a special email blast at the end of last month, all Kindle Vella stories are completely free to read for Student Prime members for the next few months!

While some of these changes have Vella authors concerned about what it means for our earnings, we've been told these free reads will factor toward our Bonuses... so I'm holding out hope that Vella will still be a worthwhile endeavor for indie authors.

And I am excited that this makes it even easier for all of you to check out my stories on Kindle Vella if you haven't already!

I have two Leyward Stones serials on Kindle Vella, and one standalone serial. You can find them all here:

• Macchiatos, Faerie Princes, and Other Things That Happen at Midnight (Leyward Stones, Season 1): https://www.amazon.com/kindle-vella/story/B0995RNGSR (NOTE: This is the same storyline/nearly identical content to the published Leyward Stones books 1-3. It was released on Vella first, then published as those books once the serial finished posting.)

• Fate Rising (Leyward Stones, Season 2): https://www.amazon.com/kindle-vella/story/B0CFZTKV7G

• Ghost Trouble: https://www.amazon.com/kindle-vella/story/B0B7LGQGGC

   

I have enjoyed publishing on Vella, and I plan to continue posting there at least through the end of Fate Rising, and maybe with new stories beyond that as long as it makes sense to do so.

PirateCat Publishing

The twice-weekly episodes of Fate Rising are also publishing concurrent to Vella inside my PirateCat clean YA reading portal. If you still don't want to give Kindle Vella a try, you can always join my PirateCat Publishing as a subscriber and read all these stories there!

Books and E-books

I still plan to release Ghost Trouble (mentioned above) in e-book and paperback sometime this year... and true to my word, I plan to make a limited-time offer to my email newsletter subscribers to get the e-book for free! I'll keep you all posted on that when I have a more specific timeline.

I have some other things planned for the near(ish) future, too, but I'll wait to announce those when I have more details.

Blog and Social Media

I am slowly ramping back up with my social media presence now that things have calmed down, so keep an eye on my Facebook and Instagram and YouTube... and my Twitter/X (which has been all but dead for YEARS but I'm slowly reviving it!). You can find the links to ALL of my social media platforms at the bottom of this email.

Now for the reveal of the new project I'm most excited about right now...it's actually one that will take place on my blog!

I will be slowly rolling out more instructional content about writing on my blog and YouTube channel over the coming weeks (I hope!), but that's actually NOT what I'm most excited about. I have a secret fiction project that will involve my blog! If you love YA fiction and mysteries, you'll definitely want to watch for this one...

...And I hate to say this, but that's all I can say right now!

Stay tuned to my newsletter and social media, because I will definitely announce more about this project when the time is right!

Life Blurb

The section where I tell you in blurb form what my life has consisted of the past month...

I gave an extended life update in the intro to this newsletter, so I won't ramble on too much more here, other than to say we are really loving it here in Tally so far, my third-born just turned 9 last month (we had a very sweet visit with some friends who came up from Tampa to celebrate with us), and my second-born is about to turn 11 next week!

Also, if you don't mind praying for us, we've had some health issues rotating through the family, and we're finally in the process of officially listing our previous home for sale and (hopefully) soon making an offer on another home to purchase! (We are looking for something that would allow my parents to eventually move up here to live on the property with us... either in an in-law suite or something similar.) We would appreciate prayers for no further health issues and for a smooth and speedy sale/purchase process so we can get settled into a more permanent home here in Tallahassee that will meet our family's needs long-term!

Here are some pictures from the previous month:

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That's it for this month's newsletter!

Thank you for being here, for supporting my stories, and for all the encouragement you provide to me, month after month. I love to hear from my readers, so feel free to reply if you have anything you want to say!

Blessings,

Crystal

CCrawfordWriting

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