Pirithous is back! Son of Zeus releases today! (And more!)

The Amaliad

You came for Thor, now read on for more!

May 2021

After an unfortunately long hiatus, The Amaliad is Back!! But with the same promise: I'll keep it simple -- when I have something exciting to share or a promotion I think you'd like to know about, I'll send it out in a newsletter no more than once monthly. I'll try to include a fun behind-the-scenes tidbit at the bottom for your entertainment, and I'll do my best not to waste your time or clutter your inbox unnecessarily! 

2019/2020 Recap!

2019 and 2020 were busy for Authors!me.

For starters: In 2019, I moved half-way across the country back to North Dakota (pretty suddenly?? I feel like I still don't believe I'm here again). After I got myself somewhat settled in, I launched a Patreon page, and published 9 titles, including TWO new Fate of the Gods novellas, From Asgard, With Love (A Postcards from Asgard companion novel), FOUR short stories (some Patreon exclusive, and others in wide release) and The Siren's Song as its own revised and slightly expanded stand alone novella. You can find more info on all my 2019 releases over on the blog!

In 2020, I launched a third pen name, Amalia Theresa, and released THREE ultra sexy full length contemporary romances/rom coms, right in the heart of the pandemic! Playing to Win, Playing it Safe, and Playing House are all still available FREE for Kindle Unlimited readers for the next two months or so, and of course, also in paperback for order from Amazon, by your local library, or wherever else books are sold. Check out my series page, over yonder to learn more!

Now that I've got you up to date on the books you may have missed during the inadvertent AMALIAD hiatus (you won't believe me but it really honestly took me this long to find the post office with the PO Boxes in this city and get myself set-up to newsletter again! North Dakota is so WEIRD), let's talk about what's NEW and NEXT!

From Asgard, With Love (Wide Release)
From Asgard, With Love (Amazon)
Amalia Theresa Sexy Romances on Amazon
Fate of the Gods series page with ALL the links for ALL the titles!

SON OF ZEUS Release Day!

Happy Book Birthday to SON OF ZEUS!

Patreon Patrons started reading Pirithous's adventure in the modern world back in 2019, in a serialized format, but the full novel (with some additional edits and modifications) is available NOW in wide release both in digital and paperback. And since Pirithous lives that extra life, he's got a HARDCOVER edition, too!

Pirithous is back!
But after 3000 years trapped in Hades, what does he have left to live for?

Pirithous, son of Zeus, stumbles out of the Underworld into Upstate New York, a land nothing like the one he left behind so long ago. The price of his freedom: revive the worship of his gods and build Persephone a temple for her help in his escape. But the world is so changed, Pirithous, once a wealthy and honored king, doesn't know where to begin.

Raised in a strict Greek Orthodox family, Thalia has always been something of a wild child. Wild enough to pick up an attractive man off the side of the road in exchange for his help, no questions asked. When he claims he's a son of Zeus, she gives him the benefit of the doubt. But Pirithous is more pirate than anything else, and an interstate road sign isn't the only thing he's happy to steal...

Hunted by centaurs sent by Hades himself, Pirithous is a danger to more than the woman who’s taken him in, and even for love and the help he needs to repay his debts, it's hard to justify the risk. Pirithous must find a way to work around the threat of his gods and the complications of the modern world to become the man and the hero Thalia deserves. Unless he’d prefer to return to the Underworld—without any hope of coming back.

A fan-favorite hero in Helen of Sparta and Tamer of Horses, Pirithous returns for another adventure, set in the world you know.

And if you want to hear me talk about Son of Zeus and all its drama and trauma (no guarantee that there won't be spoilers) I was over at the Kingdom of Thirst Podcast yesterday, chatting with Abigail! It was so much fun! I hope you'll give it a listen and check out the backlog of eps when you're done!

Son of Zeus on Amazon
Kobo, Nook, Apple, & More!

But Wait! There's More!

Pirithous isn't the only one getting special treatment!

I've been quietly working to update the interior and cover art for HONOR AMONG ORCS and BLOOD OF THE QUEEN, and it seemed only fitting to go all in and launch the new look, inside and out, as Hardcover editions! These are exclusive to Amazon but for those of you who are ride or die Arianna and Bolthorn fans, I hope you'll enjoy having these beauties for your bookshelf! HONOR AMONG ORCS is available now and BLOOD OF THE QUEEN is coming this summer! Even better, HONOR is on SALE to kick off this adventure--grab it now for just $20.95 USD for a very limited time! By the end of the week, it will be back to full price at $24.95.

For those of you who love your paperbacks and are worried that the new art means you won't have a matching set--FEAR NOT! Orc3, THROUGH BLOOD AND STARLIGHT, will be getting a paperback release with the ORIGINAL matching cover art by Melissa Stevens. I've been sitting on it now for years, and I don't intend to ruin your sets! The new art is for the Hardcover editions first, and if you all love them, I'll update the kindle covers soon, too. Should the day come when I retire the original cover designs completely, I'll make sure you have plenty of warning before the final swap!

Buy Honor Among Orcs in Hardcover, Ahhhh!!!!

And Speaking of Orc3...

It's not done yet, but it's coming along!! This has been the TOUGHEST nut to crack for a variety of reasons both personal and professional, but I'm now *fingers crossed* at least half-way through.

Patreon Patrons have gotten peeks at the prologue and opening pages in MULTIPLE iterations now, and I'm not going to make any promises that those opening pages will still be the opening pages when the book is done, but while the struggle has been real, for the first time in a long time, I'm really having fun again inside this world.

Postcards from Asgard is FREE!

As my pandemic gift to the world, Postcards from Asgard is free for kindle, nook, kobo, and apple books readers!

Amazon | Apple | Nook | Kobo | Etc

Once we've firmly entered the realm of community immunity and strong antivirals and we're all free to move around the world without the shadow of Covid looming over our adventures, I'll bring the price back up to $2.99 USD or the rough equivalent in other currencies. But for the time being, enjoy the read, or tell a friend who could use a fun escape in the form of a romantic romp with Thjalfi, Gwen, and Thor's goats.

Other Appearances

I was invited to Shepherd.com, recently, to talk about my favorite books with Norse gods in the modern world.

And I did another interview back in February on the Kingdom of Thirst podcast talking about publishing just generally, and the journey of realizing, heck yes, I do write romance!

Kingdom of Thirst also talks about HONOR AMONG ORCS alongside Finley Fenn's The Lady and the Orc in their Orc(asms) episode. (This one is... definitely not at all safe for work. Listen with caution!)

Oh, and last but not least, I had a poem published by the North Dakota Quarterly. (They were kind of my white whale in college, so it's a thrill to finally make the cut.)

I don't know why I started writing poems again but--you probably will not see a lot of them. Though I did also share one over on Patreon as well: Journey. It's free to read!

Did You Know:

Poor Pirithous, I've been poking at his contemporary adventure--when he's finally sprung free of the Chair of Forgetfulness only to wind up in a wholly unfamiliar world--for a full DECADE now. TEN YEARS!!!

That's a long time for him to wait his turn for the spotlight, but now that he's returned, I hope you'll give him all the love you showed for him in HELEN OF SPARTA and TAMER OF HORSES, because I would *LOVE* to write more about Pirithous and Thalia and maybe some other heroes and gods in this modern world! I've got the start of a story involving Apollo, and a little tiny brain teaser (400 tantalizing words) of what might be the beginning of a prequel about Thalia's brother, Alex, and half of another whole novel of Pirithous's further adventures in contemporary times.

Just give me an excuse, I'm begging you!

But of course Pirithous isn't the only hero I have my eye on. As Amalia Carosella, I'm also working on a Heracles book set in the bronze age--one I've been dying to write for probably just as long as I've been poking at SON OF ZEUS. I'm hoping that once Orc3 gets wrapped up I'll have a little more brain space to dig myself out of the long creative winter that has been hanging like a shadow over my authorlife since I finished PLAYING HOUSE and decant the rest of Heracles's book, the last six infernal chapters of my Paris of Troy novel(la?) epilogue to BY HELEN'S HAND, and the half-written second adventure of Pirithous and Thalia.

AND THEN--well, I think I'll have to wait and see what I'm in the mood for, but I've got at least one more Fate of the Gods novella in me (More House of Lions adventures, set in Roman Gaul!), if not a full novel for just Ra and Athena, waiting for their turn, and a couple of other Bronze Age Carosella book ideas I'd love to explore, plus at least one more contemporary romance to write as Amalia Theresa!

For the first time in a long time, all of that sounds EXCITING. So even though publishing loves to pull the rug out from under me just when I think I've found my footing, I'm going to admit *knock on wood* that I'm feeling ready to get back into the game again.

Wish me luck!

Or just tell a friend about a book of mine you loved, because there is still nothing in this world that supports authors like word of mouth from fans like you! :)

For now here's a little teaser taste of something I've started but don't have the time to focus on yet:

The stone altar was littered with bits of wool, cups of goat’s milk and cheese, stone arrowheads with crudely made bows, and even, much to his delight, a lyre carved with snakes. He smiled, brushing his fingers across the strings. The notes sang true and clear.

“Someone must be in need of your favors, to give you such a fine gift,” his sister said.

“Are you jealous?” he teased.

“What use would a lyre do me?” she laughed. “I haven't the patience to carry more than my bow on a hunt.”

“And you are always hunting.” He took her hand and kissed it. “Don't let me keep you from your quarry. Father is looking forward to his solstice feast, and I've promised him you would bring a fine boar.”

Artemis groaned. “I wish you wouldn't. Half the fun is lost when you spoil the surprise. And I like not knowing what I'll find in the forest.”

He laughed. “Next time, I'll remember to keep it to myself. Good hunting, sister.”

“And what will you do?”

“Speak to the supplicants of course.” He grinned. “Someone must be in need of my favors to leave me so fine a gift.”

He loved her laugh, like moonlight on water. And then she was gone into the trees where no man could find her unless she chose to be found. No man but her brother, in any case, but he had never been certain how much of that was the gift of prophecy, and how much her love.

Apollo plucked the strings of the lyre again and studied the grounds around the altar. The clearing was bare but for the stone, carved with a laurel wreath on its surface and dolphins leaping up the pedestals. A strange place to find such gifts, but he had felt the summons, and after all this time, it would not do to ignore it. He owed that much to his people—at least what was left of them.

A path wove away through the trees—barely more than a deer trail, truly, but he followed it up the mountain, lyre in hand. The dog began barking long before he found the small cottage tucked away from the main road; he could still hear the rush of cars speeding past, though blocked from sight. A lean dog greeted him, tail wagging, and he scratched it behind the ears on his way to the house. Stifled sobs drifted through the window.

“Hello?” he called, knocking on the door.

The sobs stopped and a curtain fluttered. He stepped back, that they might see him more clearly, swinging the bow from his back and dropping it with his quiver of arrows to the ground.

“Who's there?”

He smiled. It was a woman's voice, and that always made it easier. “Apollo Helios,” he said.

There was a loud gasp and the noise of a scuffle from inside, then the door opened and a stooped crone in black bowed, babbling praise and apology in Greek. That explained part of it. But not the lyre, judging by her hands.

“Peace, Mother.” He followed her into the cottage, ducking beneath the door frame. A younger woman held a baby in her arms, her eyes were red with tears, but she did not look at him. “Was it you who called me?”

She shook her head, rocking the baby. The older woman spoke so quickly in Greek he only understood the half of it, but it was enough. The baby was sick, dying, and out of desperation the old woman had dedicated the lyre. Something her father had made for her as a little girl.

He crouched before the younger woman. “May I see the child?”

She jerked back, holding the baby to her chest and turning it away from him. “The doctors can do nothing! Why should I trust a stranger?”

“Because you need a miracle.”

Thanks for hanging in there with me and I hope you'll continue to enjoy the Amaliad, now that I'm back!

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Amalia Dillin

P.O. Box #277
Bismarck, ND 58502

www.amaliadillin.com
www.amaliacarosella.com

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