The Unseen – Many Updates and the Blurb

Back by popular vote (for those who don’t know), The Unseen is the first of four encore novellas that I’m writing about Dragos and Pia. These are a series of linked stories, and they want to be told in a different way than I have told stories before. These are (hopefully) going to read like a serialized story.

Normally I don’t like cliffhangers, so I don’t write them. But these are different. There will be cliffhangers, guys.

I’m sorry, but that’s all there is to it. It is what it is. Cliffhangers. The good news is, the stories will be released pretty quickly, so you won’t have long to wait for each one.

The story has been finished and edited. We’re compiling the final file now, getting it formatted, and we are ON TARGET for having the story available for purchase through my website on 6/27.

There is no pre-order capacity on my website. As soon as the story is up we’ll be hopping up and down and yelling about it.

Audio and paperback—yes, there will be an audio version. Sophie Eastlake is on board! *throws confetti* I’ll be sending her the final file tomorrow, and she will start recording. No, there won’t be a coordinated release.

The audio will come after the release of the e-book and paperback–and yes, there will be a paperback version too. Always remember: when we know something you will too. When the audio and paperback are available, we will hop up and down and shout about it! Promise!

Now that the blurb is finished, we’re going to get pre-orders up, and as soon as we have those links we’ll share links with you for Amazon, Kobo, Apple, and Google Play for wide release on 7/13.

NOOK READERS Sadly, I will not be distributing new releases through Barnes and Noble for the time being. With COVID-19 and the massive hit to the economy, Barnes and Noble is struggling to survive. Authors received notice that they’re not paying some of their royalty obligations. While Barnes and Noble have protected self-published authors thus far from this shortfall, there is no guarantee they will pay royalties in full to self-published authors moving forward.

I want so badly for Barnes and Noble to survive, but I’m not willing to risk the revenue from my sales to their liquidity crisis, or potentially sacrifice a paycheck that I need to pay my rent and buy food if they withhold from paying their royalty obligation. For that reason, Nook readers will need to buy my stories from my website for now.

This will work (at least for this title) in your favor, because you’ll own the story outright and will upload it yourself to your e-reader. If Barnes and Noble do go under, I’m not quite sure what will happen to Nook and the stories readers have already purchased.

When I have confidence that Barnes and Noble will survive and pay their royalty obligation, I will release books through them again.

More not-so-fun stuff. As you know all too well, 2020 has been hard for everybody.

That includes me.

One of my challenges has included being in downtown Denver for the protests. Don’t misunderstand – I adamantly support Black Lives Matter, and the protests have been important and legitimate in every conceivable way. If I weren’t in the risk group for COVID-19 I would have considered joining them.

As you also no doubt already know, there has been some activity that has not been legitimate, such as damage done to property and looting. (None of this has been done by legitimate protestors!) In Denver, while we had curfews, I heard sirens at night and a pop-pop-pop sound that I do not believe was cars backfiring.

I was never in danger, but it was stressful and uncertain. I did more than pay attention to the curfews—I made sure I was in my house with the doors locked before nightfall.

The stress of this messed with my ability to write with the warmth and humor that these stories should have.

I’ve been working on strategies to maintain my writing voice and protect my creativity. I am writing, and I like what I’m producing. But it is a challenging to project with any degree of certainty when the second story will come out. It may be August – which is one month after the wide release of The Unseen.

Or it may be September.

EITHER WAY THE NEXT STORY WILL COME QUICKLY.

I just can’t and won’t promise August with any degree of certainty. Have faith and rest assured, as soon as I know something, you’ll know it too.

Did you make it through all that text?

Now for the fun stuff! There’s the blurb of The Unseen (to be available for purchase on my website on Saturday!).

From NYT bestselling author Thea Harrison comes the first in an explosive new quartet of stories set in the Elder Races world…. Dragos and Pia are back by popular vote!

***THIS STORY ENDS IN A CLIFFHANGER***

Saying goodbye to their old life in the Wyr demesne in New York may be hard, but Dragos and Pia are determined to create a new life in the Other land of Rhyacia.

At first, everything seems idyllic. Rhyacia is paradisiacal. Accompanied by old friends and new allies, the future looks safe and bright for Dragos, Pia, and baby Niall.

But strange things are happening beneath the picturesque façade. Items move unaccompanied, buildings collapse without justifiable cause, and even the most Powerful residents of Rhyacia can provide no logical explanation for the events transpiring. Whispered rumors point to something called the unseen.

As Dragos and Pia investigate, they uncover a greater mystery than they could have imagined, and they realize the startling truth…

They’re not alone in Rhyacia. The land Dragos had thought was uninhabited hides many secrets, a shocking history that’s not quite ready to be buried, and something more.

Something ancient, evil, and hungry. Something that wants to consume Dragos and take everything he holds dear.

Something that just may be powerful enough to overcome the dragon…

***This is book 1 in a series of 4 connected novellas. The first three books in this set will end in cliffhangers.***

*whispers* Cliffhangers

26 Responses

  1. Wendy Wilson says:

    Love Love. I can’t wait. cliffhangers hoo

  2. Gerri says:

    Thank you. I know it’s been so stressful lately, in news and my personal life. I am.looking forward to these novellas, cliffhangers are ok. Something to look forward to.
    Thank you and stay safe

    • thea says:

      I appreciate so much your kind note and I’m sending you all good thoughts and wishes. Hang in there.

  3. June says:

    Thanks for your support of the BLM movement. I’m stressed and just sad. Your books give me a break for an hour or two from living as a black woman in America. Thanks.

    I’ll probably will be cussing you out for the cliffhangers but I’ll be okayyyyy and say sorry later.

  4. Rhiannon says:

    yay! Thank you!!!!!!!!!! Much love.

  5. Celia Scanlon says:

    I can understand the outside interference to creating so I’m sending Love, Light and total trust. I’m happy to have something to look forward to. Cliffhangers add good spice.

  6. Judy says:

    So excited! Thanks for your creative hard work.

  7. Mary says:

    Hi Thea, hope you are well. Thanks for keeping us updated. I have one question about Stinkpots name. I’m thinking it’s pronounced Neil?

  8. CARLA says:

    I am sorry to hear of your writing difficulties. I pray that you find peace to complete book 2 ahead of schedule. Because we your loyal fans are counting on your books to assist with escaping from a summer of living with COVID-19 precautions and danger of violence. My escape is through reading your books. I have re-read Dragon Bound 5 times in the last 4 months because of COVID-19. Normally, I only re-read the book 2-3 times in a year. I work as a Nurse and need the escape from the real world of this disease. Thea, I have been a fan your books for 5 years and really appreciate you sharing your writing talents. There are a lot of Nurse who read and discuss the characters in your books, just to improve their day at work. We all agree Pia & Dragos are the favorites. The discussion of characters ease tension on bad days. Thanks for bringing Pia and Dragos back to us. Please take care of yourself. Love and appreciate you, Thea

    • thea says:

      Carla, if you or any of your friends would like a free copy of The Unseen, please email theaharrisoninfo@gmail.com with a picture of your photo ID or some other way to show us that you are a verified healthcare worker. I would love to support you and other healthcare workers with a small thank you for the difficult job you are doing. I’m so grateful for everything you are and will continue to do. Much love to you.

  9. Mary says:

    Have had no access to my 600+ library items in my Nook for over 3 months. Must reprogram my Nook for the umpteenth time and must have stronger internet. Last week I went to B & N store and couldn’t find new releases in romance & SFF. B & N will be going under if it can’t respond to customers. So I get your reasoning. Only thing is that I am not very techno savvy in downloading – have had many e-books offered as freebies by publishing companies and author contests and have rarely been able to read them. I want to read Unseen. Hope I can figure out how.

    • thea says:

      What is happening with Barnes and Noble is infuriating and heartbreaking. We so want them to succeed. And we want to make this work for you if we can, Mary. Can you download the Kindle app on your phone or iPad? It’s very easy to load documents to your kindle app. We also have links for “how to” load documents on your e-reader. https://theaharrison.com/how-to/ I hope this helps.

  10. Lori says:

    I love the blurb. This sounds like another awesome adventure for the Cuelebre! And a cliffhanger!! I can’t wait! So happy, it’s only a few more days to release. Thanks again for continuing to write during these stressful times. Stay safe & healthy.

  11. cannonfodder says:

    Hmm i’m torn, waiting around a year for the whole thing to come out doesn’t sound that bad, in comparison to how long i have waited for other works. Lol i’m a Diane Duane fan. On the other hand i feel like an addict just knowing they will be out soon, and i could get my fix at anytime. cliffhangers will drive me nuts, then again so will waiting, sigh so hard to decide.
    Thanks Thea!!!

    • thea says:

      I think these cliffhangers will be acceptable, given that I’ll be putting out the stories quickly. There won’t be any waiting for a year on these babies! 😀

  12. Lori says:

    OMG! The blurb makes me wish I can read this book now, but only a few more days. I can be patient. LOL! 🙂
    And I don’t mind cliffhangers but I really appreciate you letting us know in advance. Again, thanks for continuing to write during these stressful times. I always look forward to reading any of your books but when it’s Pia and Dragos that’s just icing on the cake.
    Hope you continue to stay healthy and safe.

  13. Scarlet says:

    Hi Thea!!!

    I am so excited that you are writing again about Pia and Dragos. They are my favorite characters from the Elder Race series. I have read Dragon Bound at least 6 times and I am reading it again this week. Reading is my favorite hobby, and with the COVID-19 pandemic going on it is a stress reliever to read your books. I live in Louisiana and we are having an upsurge in COVID-19 cases. I am a Registered Nurse and I work directly with COVID-19 patients on a regular basis. Reading your books helps me to unwind after work and your books make me laugh when I am sad about all that is going on in this world right now. I am praying for all of us and I pray that you are relieved by any stress you are having. You are a good person with a kind heart. And I appreciate your support of Black Lives Matter also. I greatly appreciate your books especially Pia and Dragos stories. I will be on pins and needles with the cliffhangers after the books, but I will enjoy the suspense. Thanks again for your creativity and books. I pray you have a blessed day! And much love to you.

  14. Caroline Muehlbauer says:

    I just finished Unseen. When you said cliffhanger – Can I just say WOW. I am so looking forward to the next 3 books. Thank you for writing about my favorite characters again. Have a wonderful day.

  15. Sandra says:

    I just finish reading Unseen for the third time, I cannot wait for the rest of the books. Absolutely awesome, thank you. I think you should re-think ending books on these characters from the Elder Race.

    Stay safe and healthy