Guest Post and Book Debut: Elizabeth Mueller and "Darkspell"

Today's post is special for me. My very first writing bloggy friend was Elizabeth Mueller. So I am so excited to help announce her debut novel Darkspell.

I also got the privilege of getting the opportunity to read her book and post a review. So, the first part of this post is a guest post from Elizabeth and the second part is my review of the book. Enjoy!

Guest Post, Elizabeth Mueller

I’ve learned a lot from the day Darkspell was picked up by TreasureLine. I had thought it was ready since I’d done so many revisions, critiques and overhauls. Before I submitted the entire manuscript, I decided to review a few more critiques. My heart sunk. It was not ready.

I scrambled over the week cutting and pasting chapters, deleting scenes, adding intensity and toning down. I deleted a sum total of 8,000+ words!

After perfecting the novel, I submitted it. My stomach suffered many forms of nausea—I was afraid that the publisher wouldn’t like it, even though she had read my stellar query letter. 

Darkspell finally came back a few weeks later all marked up. I spent another 2 weeks fixing it and sent it back. While waiting for the editor, I started a Darkspell hullabaloo by setting up a month-long giveaway. After some more waiting, I found that there were tons of typos. I spent another week fixing those and when I was done, inspiration hit on how to improve my book. How? Illustrations! With my publisher’s permission, I spent the next week illustrating the chapters, all 39 of them.

Sometime after that, I had the preformat edited version sent to me as a PDF. I was wowed by how stunning it turned out. Then, magic happened: a week or so later, I held my proof. An actual copy of my baby! How beautiful! I combed through it once more with a red pen and sent the corrections to my publisher.

All along, I’ve been devising ways to get my book out there, setting up pre-order options, contests and such.

And now, here I am, waiting for my books to arrive as I’ve placed the order, as well for the release October 31^st! It’s a LOT of work and heartache, but I’ve grown so much from just one book being accepted.

Read the first chapter here!

Book Debut, Darkspell

Winter Sky believes she is everything ordinary ... until she is kissed by Alex Stormhold. As seer of Stormhold Coven, Alex is sworn to be Winter's protector against the darkness that hunts her. Violently thrust into a magical realm she always thought impossible, she stumbles upon a disturbing secret of her own. Will love prove thicker than magic? Included in this volume are author-created illustrations that bestselling author Ellen C. Maze calls a mind blowing treat. Darkspell is classified as a Young Adult Paranormal Romance that will appeal beyond the genre.
                   ~Book Description from Amazon.com


Reviewers on Amazon call Darkspell "Easily a five-star read" and "one of those guilty pleasure books that keep you turning pages."


Elizabeth's creativity fills the pages of her debut novel with more than just words. She painstakingly created drawings for each chapter that really bring the story to life and give the reader a unique glimpse into the world of Winter Sky and Alex Stormhold.


The pages of Darkspell are filled with magic and suspense and a nice helping of romance that even includes a little love triangle. If you're in for a new YA experience Elizabeth's book might just be what you're looking for.


Congrats Elizabeth!