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2024 is almost over so I thought I'd best have a think about how this year has treated me.

Looking back over 2024:

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The magic is back!

My author website has been down for a couple of weeks for a revamp, but now it's back.

Click on the link and tell me what you think.

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Look at this festive goodie! My latest novel in a Christmas bauble. What more could an authorly lass ask for?

Big thanks to Vicky at Nan's Attic for making this for me (and the Haven Wakes and Magic Bound baubles too). They make me smile every year when I unpack them to go on the tree.

That’s it. The festive season can begin.

P.S. You can find Nan's Attic here: https://www.instagram.com/nans_attic/

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With three books out there in the big wide world, is this the end for the Haven Chronicles?

Find out here:

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The day has arrived! Haven’s Deceit is born, published, launched into the big wide world.

This is the third instalment of my YA fantasy series and I couldn’t be happier.

In Haven’s Deceit, Steve’s on the hunt for his missing parents. As the Council isolates Darkacre and Steve’s friends are stripped of their powers, can he find the answers they all need?

Get your hands on a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Havens-Deceit-Haven-Chronicles-Three-ebook/dp/B0DK787VBD

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Look what arrived in the post! My author copies of Haven’s Deceit. And yes, that is a very happy Fi in the photos.

Now it’s time to send them out to my ARC readers.

Just in case you didn’t already know about my latest novel, here’s the blurb for Haven’s Deceit, book three in my futuristic fantasy series:

The magic continues…

As Steve Haven and his friends mourn the loss of a companion, they think things can’t get any worse.

But then the gates linking Darkacre to the outside world are sealed shut by the Council. And to make matters worse, Hartley Keg’s magical travelling powers are cruelly taken away, leaving him as trapped as the rest of them.

Steve is determined to find his missing parents, and maybe the mystery of where they have been all this time will be the key to freeing them and Steve’s friends from the Council’s traps.

And so Steve and his friends must embark on their most difficult and perilous journey yet. As they do so, they find themselves drawn into a world much more dangerous than they ever imagined, ending in a place where no-one can be trusted, everyone is controlled, and there can be no secrets.

Will Steve find his parents and the truth behind who he really is?

And who will save him this time, when his friends are powerless, trapped, or both?

***

Haven’s Deceit will be published by Burning Chair on 21st November 2024. It’s already available for pre-order through Amazon (e-book) and Burning Chair (paperback).

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Just in case you didn't know that my next novel is out on 21st November, here are all the details:

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5* Book Review of Voodoo and Veils by Bella Colby

This is the fifth instalment of the Wedding Witch cosy mystery series and still going strong.  Skylar, Jen, and Herb are in attendance at another wedding at Tidewater Castle. This time round there’s a medieval theme and a historical battle re-enactment. But as you’d expect in a cosy mystery, the day doesn’t go to plan.

The returning characters in the Wedding Witch series just keep getting better. And Tidewater feels like a genuine community, with all its gossip and connections. I love that beyond the story of each novel, there’s an ongoing mystery too that is revealed just a little more with each book.

And what a great ending! I’ll have to buy the next book to find out what happens (which I was always going to do anyway, to be fair). More please, Bella.

*****

Here's the blurb:

A historical wedding, a supernatural storm and a mystifying murder. Can our witchy sleuth spell out the truth as “I do” becomes “who-dunnit”?

Skylar Blackwood, wedding celebrant and witch-in-training, thinks a battle re-enactment for your big day is downright ridiculous. That’s until she accidentally casts a spell which appears to leave one actor dead. Now she’s freaking out because if her magic killed the king, she’s got more than a spell book full of trouble.

Skye, Wolfie and her quirky crew challenge her detective ex-husband to be the first to untangle the truth. But they can't crack the case until they determine the cause of death.

This baffling puzzle will take sneaky sleuthing and some supernatural shenanigans to stop the real culprit getting away with murder.

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I have so much to tell you that I’m a little bit giddy. Look at this! Haven’s Deceit is book three of the Haven Chronicles. Isn’t it gorgeous?

Here’s the blurb:

The magic continues...

As Steve Haven and his friends mourn the loss of a companion, they think things couldn't get any worse.

But then the gates linking Darkacre to the outside world are sealed shut by the Council. And to make matters worse, Hartley Keg’s magical travelling powers are cruelly taken away from him, leaving him as trapped as the rest of them.

Steve is determined to find his missing parents, and maybe the mystery of where they have gone will be the key to freeing them and their friends from the Council’s traps.

And so Steve and his friends must embark on their most difficult and perilous journey yet. As they do so, they find themselves drawn into a world much more dangerous than they ever imagined, ending in a place where no-one can be trusted, everyone is controlled by the mysterious Mindslayer, and there can be no secrets…

Will Steve find his parents and the truth behind who he really is?

And who will save him this time, when his friends are powerless, trapped, or both?

Haven’s Deceit is the third adventure in the Haven Chronicles, following on from Haven Wakes and Magic Bound, a unique blend of fantasy and sci-fi which has been described by readers  as “shades of Artemis Fowl, hints of Harry Potter…  and Skulduggery Pleasant”.

*

Haven’s Deceit will be published on 21st November but is available for ebook pre-orders on Amazon right now.

If you can’t wait to pre-order your paperback copy, head over to the Burning Chair website: https://burning-chair.myshopify.com/products/havens-deceit-by-fi-phillips

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New Blog Post

With the next instalment of my YA futuristic fantasy series about to be launched, I thought it was time to tell you what inspired me to write this third novel. While it’s a continuation of Steve’s adventure in Haven Wakes and Magic Bound, there’s a whole range of other factors that have shaped this book. Let me explain.

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4* Book Review of The Year Before The End by Vidar Hokstad

This is the first novel I’ve read by this author but I’m so glad I did. This is space sci fi fiction to the core. In-depth world building. Believable space crafts and technology. A consistently fast pace that keeps Zo and her crew in increasing danger. Intrigue. Interplanetary politics and terrorism. Aliens. The ending perfectly sets up the next novel. And this is only the first book of six. **** The blurb: Forty years ago humanity found out we were not alone. The Centauri offered us the galaxy. With one year to go before the gate is ready, Captain Zara Ortega learns of a conspiracy between Mars separatists and the Centauri to split the solar system between them. The crew of the ship Black Rain goes on a daring raid from one of the most well-guarded stations in the system to uncover the truth, but an attack on their ship raises more questions. A meeting with their contact near Mars goes badly wrong and leads them into a chase through the asteroid belt in a desperate bid for survival. Deceit and betrayal have put not just their lives on the line, but the future of humanity.

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Here's my 5* book review of With This Witch, I Thee Dead by Bella Colby.

*****

More murder, magic, and wolves

This is the fourth Bella Colby novel in the Wedding Witch cosy mystery series and I’m still loving these books. There’s another whodunnit to solve, a magical mystery to investigate, and relationship woes/joys to handle.

The familiar characters just keep on getting better. The murder set-ups are believable and intriguing. And the backdrop of Tidewater and its castle is the icing on the cake.

Now I’ve finished this novel, I’ve got my eye on the fifth book in the series. Keep them coming, Bella.

*****

Here’s the blurb:

Skylar Blackwood’s days in the sleepy seaside town of Tidewater are a whirlwind in a cauldron. She’s loving the bustle of wall-to-wall summer weddings, the forgotten thrill of using her magic, and the fun of flirting with the dashing doctor who won’t take no for an answer. The shocking discovery of a dead body casts a jinx on all that.

Once again, Skye finds herself in competition with her detective ex-husband. Ignoring the handsome jerk while cracking the case before he does is one hex of a challenge.

But not everyone is as they seem. Can she muster enough magical mojo to stop herself becoming the murderer’s next mark?

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I explain why there are so many magical doors and thresholds in my novels in this month's blog post.

Read it here:

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With the third book in the Haven Chronicles YA fantasy series well on the way, I thought it was time to reintroduce the books so far. Oh, and drop a couple of hints about what you’ll discover in book three.

Find out here:

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You go on holiday to Stratford on Avon, home of Shakespeare, and what do you bring back? A baby Cthulhu and a magical mug of course!

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Where else would you find a fantasy author on holiday than in a library in a castle? This is the library in Warwick Castle.

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Here's my 4* book review of The Gaia Effect by Claire Buss.

****

This is the first novel I’ve read by Claire Buss, but it probably won’t be the last. The problem I’ve had with some climate fiction novels is that they’ve focussed on the concept rather than the characters, creating a disconnect for me personally. In the Gaia Effect, however, there are plenty of relatable characters.

The world building is well explained and developed. Without wanting to give anything away, the method of having/obtaining a child is a brilliant indication of what this world will be like.

The ending of The Gaia Effect perfectly sets things up for the next novel in the trilogy.

****

The blurb:

When Kira wins the right to a child, she thinks all her dreams have come true. But then the impossible happens, her friends become pregnant naturally and the truth of society under Corporation begins to unravel.

Confused, Kira looks to Gaia – a myth she barely believes in – for comfort and guidance, only to discover more lies. And when a terrorist attack undermines Corporation government and plunges City 42 into chaos and rebellion, she vows to protect her friends and family at all cost. Desperate, they flee City 42, racing into the unknown world outside the walls. There they find Corporation's subterfuge goes deeper than anyone realised.

Can Kira and her friends survive Corporation’s lies and expose the truth? Or will Kira become another Corporation casualty?