publishing | Alexandra Gardner

Queen of Chaos

Posted on December 2 by Alexandra Gardner

DISCLAIMER: This is edited from a post in 2024. That title had “Latest News” in it, and that’s… sooooo out of date. I’m pinning this one to the top of the Chaos Newsletter page in place of that one so everyone still has the pleasure of “meeting” me. Have fun, my minions of chaos.

I’m As Chaotic As A Squirrel in A Peanut Factory

Hi all! Your unofficial Queen of Chaos here, saying, “sup?”

Let me introduce my fabulous self. Buckle in 😈.

33yo absolute fukkin’ delight of a human being who is aptly self-monikered the “Queen of Chaos.” I identify as 🏳️‍🌈 Rainbow Soup (aka too many to list) in the glory that is the LGBTQ+ community. I’m a self-published author who writes new adult dark paranormal romance, dark urban fantasy, contemporary romance, high fantasy—you guessed it!—romance, and some really random-ass bonkers shit. I publish in the following categories: Action, LGBTQ+, Enemies-to-lovers, Gods (Greek, Egyptian, and Celtic), Magic, Mages, Witches, time travel, and more! (I’ve yet to publish my contemporary and high fantasy works, so please be patient with me 😅).

I have 10 books 📚 currently published (as of December 2025), over 30 manuscripts written (which are staring at me balefully from the depths of my Files folders), and too many overlapping characters vying for space inside my head.

They’d invite you over for a party, but honestly, even I don’t like listening to them bicker inside my own mind, so…

I have an 11-ish year old cat named Boots. Bootsigus (for short 🤪) is a majestic being with toe beans who trills and screeches at Mommy when she isn’t “sitting on this damn floor in front of the wall heater with meeee!” Oh, and for his morning spoonful of wet food. He’s deceptively sweet, but he’s too much like his devious mother—but at least I’m not secretly a raptor plotting world domination.

I’ve got a BA in English, a minor in Writing, and a Masters in Library and Information Science. In other words: I’m a verbose creature with far too many questions, not enough answers, and I will literally go down a research rabbit hole for 2 hours+ because the answer I found to my original question 75 minutes ago perpetuated a snowball of THIS IS SO INTERESTING!

By day, I’m a Reference Librarian; by night, I’m a chaotic entity who probably needs to vacuum, do the dishes, and wash some damn socks because I’ve run out. My hobbies include eating, sleeping, binging anime, reading audiobooks on x3.5 speed, and pacing in circles trying to remember “That Thing” that I forgot… again.

All that to say… NICE TO MEET YOU! I hope you stick around and enjoy the ensuing chaos.

Welcome to the World of Chaos~

With love 🖤,
Your Queen of Chaos

P.S. Don’t forget to comment below! Tell me about yourself and what your likes and hobbies are ☺️.

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TBH, we could all use a little more fandom in our lives.
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Rogue Caster Cover Reveal

Posted on December 2 by Alexandra Gardner

Chaos & Brotherly Love

Hello, my lovely minions of chaos. I hope you’re all doing well. I’m truckin’ along myself, so that’s good. Being productive — when I’m not binge watching Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Nostalgia, you distracting bastard.

Anyways~ that’s not what we’re here to talk about.

We’re here to talk about Rogue Caster (Light of Chaos: Cloak & Dagger # 1). Like with Born Elementals, this upcoming novelette introduces you to another spin-off series in the Light of Chaos universe. Rogue Caster is set 20 years prior to the events in King’s Chaos (Light of Chaos # 1). It follows Sam’s father, Henry Anders, and his brother, Daniel Anders (aka Neil Hunter).

Y’all, I’m *seriously* excited for you guys to read this one. I had SO much fun writing it. Many of my readers agree: Henry Anders is their favorite — and that’s *without* having his POV on-screen (on-page?) yet. Well, here it is! And let’s just say, if you’ve “met” Sam in the main Light of Chaos series, then you’ll find out that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

The mischief. The “OH SHIT!” The “Imma dipshit.”

It’s some *good* shit.

Besides getting to know Henry more, I’m excited for readers to learn more about Neil and his relationship with his brother and the morally gray (dare I say “corrupt”?) man who shaped the fates of the Anders family and the people they love.

So, without further ado~

Feast thine eyes upon both the COVER and the BLURB!!! Yeeeee~

Such glory for mine eyesssss!

I LOVES EEEEET!

Ready for the blurb? It’s a bumpy, wild (unhinged) ride:

Two brothers. One city. A war of shadows.

Surprising no one, Henry Anders has really screwed up—again. His juvenile days of being a ‘bad boy’ landed him with the wrong crowd, and those choices constantly put his family in danger. He never wanted to join a cult full of disturbing hexcasters with an overlord as creepy as he is ancient—and Henry can attest: that man is decrepit—but here he is, an unwilling member of the Blood Moon Brotherhood.

His latest and greatly messed-up task: Gain the trust of a child from a powerful lineage and lead him to slaughter.

Daniel Anders has buried his own dark history beneath the crimson jacket of the Cardinal Sun Guild. Now known as Neil Hunter, he’s a master tracker and spatial mage on a mission: Hunt down Seattle’s most dangerous cult and stop their notorious assassin before the magical community burns.

Two brothers stand on opposite sides, the law and dark secrets between them. When the truth comes to light, blood will spill across the streets.

🩸 There will be carnage… 🩸

💀

Rogue Caster (Light of Chaos: Cloak & Dagger # 1) is coming to a digital bookshelf near you soon. It’ll drop on December 23rd, 2025, so mark your calendars! PRE-ORDER this dark, gritty, unhinged novelette now.

~Keep reading for a sneak peek of what’s inside~

Ever have one of those days? Well… poor Henry…

Henry

When I envisioned my life, I never expected to find myself in a back-alley dumpster after being pushed off a two-story building in downtown Seattle. The impact was hard and jarring, and I was almost certain my kidneys were lodged in my lungs. Or maybe it was the putrid smell of whatever rotten takeout had been stewing among cooking lard, burnt frying oil, and—was that…? I gagged. Yes, that was fermented cat litter, the rank scent of ammonia fumes threatening to burn the hair from my nostrils or my eyes from my skull.

Willing my bruised arms to move, I slapped at the side of the dumpster until I caught the lip of the metal receptacle that Satan himself put here to remind me that my soul was his just as soon as I died. My imminent death, that was surely seconds away if I didn’t. Get. The. Fuck. Up. And run.

Desperate to make it to twenty-three and home to my wife, I gritted my teeth, a growl rumbling from deep in my core as I pulled myself up. My head spun, eyes crossing the moment I was upright. If the fall hadn’t killed me, if the internal bruises or bleeding I likely had hadn’t killed me, then the knife wound to the side of my abdomen would.

I pressed a hand to it, hissing through my teeth as my head jerked back from the searing agony that the single touch brought. The adrenaline of the hunt was wearing off, and if just this was enough to make me want to rip my own heart out and embrace whatever torment awaited me in the Underworld, then what the fuck would running do to me?

Put me in a fucking shock-induced coma—that was what.

Pulling my hand back and seeing the sticky crimson coating my entire palm nearly did just that.

Then my heart skipped its merry ass to Hell when a shout from above had my eyes snapping open in pure terror.

“He’s still moving!” the cultist shouted to his demented friend—the friend I hadn’t counted on when I ambushed the asshole now demanding my death. “Finish him before his cronies come for our heads next!”

My cronies? HA! Let them come. I’d crawl back into the fucking dumpster while the cultists took care of the bastards who blackmailed me into this fucked-up situation to begin with. Fuck Rogue Casters, fuck cults, fuck all the fucking fucks birthed from dickheads and suckled on manipulative, backstabbing, douchelord milk.

My brother joined a guild, and what did I stupidly do? I joined a damn cult. I didn’t know they were a cult, but tomatoes fucking tōmatoes, I guessed, because I was a damn Rogue myself. Even Daniel had been, back when we were dumbass teenagers using magic to steal shit and screw with Norms. But that—that had nothing on murderous dark Casters, who literally dealt in blood magic, hex magic, and sacrificial rituals. Cursing some poor bastard was a regular occurrence back at the home base. Wait, wait; my bad—back at the “dwelling.”

Pretentious asses.

But, oh, yeah—running. Feet. Ground. Do the steppy-step-step. Go fast—GO, GO, GO!

I gave my head a shake, listing sideways as the motion made me sway. Oh, yeah. I was a dead man—not even a walking one, since I was. Still. Sitting. Here. While death approached from above. My only saving grace was that neither of them was an archer—which, thank whatever gods didn’t hate me enough to let me be assassinated by an arrow. My Sarah would’ve already had each of them through the heart, eye, or balls with a single shot—and I wouldn’t be sitting here—thinking about irrelevant shit, Henry—while my assailants closed in.

Where the hell was Dan when a guy needed a spatial mage to save his sorry ass? Not old times—this was far from old times. No one was coming for me when the law was hot on my heels for getting caught snagging a pack of smokes or beer.

We really did tear it up back in the day, didn’t we?

***

Find out what happens next: PRE-ORDER for the December 23, 2025 release!

Thank you for your continued support. More to come later.

As always, welcome to the Chaos.

With love 🖤,
Your Queen of Chaos

**Don’t miss out on the beginning of Rin’s next adventure! Download his special bonus scene directly through this BookFunnel link OR “purchase” Elite Hunter FREE on amazon! New purchases include the special bonus scene as the epilouge.**

Start the Adventure

P.S. Don’t forget to like, comment, and follow below ☺️!

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New Release: Mórrígan’s Curse

Posted on November 4 by Alexandra Gardner

Hello and wonderous day, my lovely minions of chaos!

Today is release day, and I’m so very excited for this one! After years of reworking Mórrígan’s Curse, it’s time to share it with the world. It’s dark, it’s funny, it’s chaotic, it’s emotional — it’s full of twists and turns you won’t expect. New friends, new allies, new conflicts — old enemies.

Prepare yourself for: action, love, grief, anger, vengeance, family, friendship, covens, ~magic~ and so much more!

All magic comes with a price.

Samantha Anders successfully forged bonds with her cousins, repairing her soul. But it came at a cost: she’s draining their lives. As Sam’s godling powers grow, her abilities become harder to control.

They’re not the only ones fighting to survive…

The Ravenhart curse is haunting Vincent. Grief is stirring dark feelings, driving him to fits of madness. With each passing day, his gruesome nightmares take him closer and closer to the edge of despair.

And a sinister voice invites him to give in…

With lives hanging in the balance, Team Sibyl will have to pay a price to keep each other safe, and the consequences threaten to unravel the Cosmos.

Get this thrilling novel HERE!

Thank you for your continued support.

As always, welcome to the Chaos.

With love 🖤,
Your Queen of Chaos

Start the Adventure

P.S. Don’t forget to like, comment, and follow below ☺️!

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Work-In-Progress Wednesday # 5

Posted on October 22 by Alexandra Gardner

All The Book Things™️

Hello and wonderous day to all y’all, my lovely minions of chaos!

A few updates as we approach Publishing Day.

To start, Light of Chaos # 5, Mórrígan’s Curse, is publishing November 4th, so don’t forget to snag a copy, available for pre-order.

As far as my #AuthoringAdventure…

I’m currently mid-edits for the Sticks & Stones series. My beta reader is enjoying them profusely, which is a good sign! Minimal edits will be needed on my part, which means I’ll be able to publish those in the near-ish future. That’ll start sometime in 2026, since I’m still wrapping up other Light of Chaos things. No promises on when publishing will start.

With Mórrígan’s Curse finished and ready to publish, the “other Light of Chaos things” include book 6, with the tentative title Godling’s Folly, which I’ve somehow — MIRACULOUSLY — managed to finish a rough draft of. I’m also about 3/4 way through a rough draft of book 7, which is going a lot more smoothly than expected, considering I’m “cobbling” it together from a previous draft.

Let’s just say, when I originally wrote book 6 back in 2021, I kept writing and didn’t stop until the draft was over 257,000 words long. So, I’ve already taken about 80,000 words out of that for Godling’s Folly, while needing to cut content, seeing as how the plot changed DRAMATICALLY with Mórrígan’s Curse. The latter half of the that content is also being picked through, and I’ve already set aside the key content for book 7’s draft. Now all that needs to be done is backfilling with new content, just as I’ve already done with Godling’s Folly. I already know how I want to adjust that, so it’s just a matter of writing it.

The other “Light of Chaos things” I’m working on are trying to wrangle Sibling Charm (Born Elementals # 3) into a coherent draft. It’s the final novelette in the trilogy, and while I’ve gotten over half the content written — and I enjoy it quite a bit — there’s been some teething problems with trying to wrap up the trilogy without giving away too much content in the main series. The Born Elemental crew overlaps pretty heavily with Sam’s crew (aka Team Sibyl), and it means trying to have the Born Elementals trilogy come to a satisfactory conclusion WITHOUT spoilers, which is proving to be more challenging than I originally thought. The original ending I had for what *was* the complete draft gave away WAYYYYYY too much, so I had to delete nearly all of it… *sob* 😭

And last but not least, I teased a “special project” VERY early this year when I gave a rough estimate of my publishing goals for 2025. So, what exactly is that project? Well, without any spoilers, in Mórrígan’s Curse, you’re going to get a brief glimpse into Henry Anders’s past, and just how… sketchy it was LOL. So, I’m excited to announce that Henry and his brother, Daniel Anders (who y’all know as Neil Hunter), will be getting a dual point-of-view novelette!

It’s Dark, it’s sassy, it’s hilarious, it’s bonkers, and I can’t wait for y’all to get a better idea of what set Henry, Neil, and their wives on the paths their lives take. You’ll learn how Henry came to work at Morley Enterprises, how Neil and Maverick Ravenhart met, and how the Legend of the Sibyl was revitalized.

So, what’s the title of said novelette? Rogue Caster (Light of Chaos: Cloak & Dagger # 1). I bet y’all noticed that says “# 1” *smirks* 😏. I’ll give more details when # 2 is in the works, but it will be a continuation of Henry’s story, but VERY indirectly. It’ll follow different characters in the Light of Chaos universe, set 7 years after the events in Rogue Caster.

Okay. I’ve probably overwhelmed y’all with a barrage of information. The TL;DR boils down to:

Mórrígan’s Curse publishes November 4th;
Book 6 and 7 should both have completed drafts by the end of 2025;
Sibling Charm is taking a bit longer than expected, but rest assured, it will see the light of day;
Rogue Caster will be coming to a shelf near you in the near future.

Okay, I’ll leave it at that for now, but don’t forget: the PRE-ORDER for Mórrígan’s Curse is available now, so order your copy today.

Anyway. Thank you for your continued support. More to come later.

As always, welcome to the Chaos.

With love 🖤,
Your Queen of Chaos

Start the Adventure

P.S. Don’t forget to like, comment, and follow below ☺️!

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Mórrígan’s Curse Cover Reveal

Posted on October 14 by Alexandra Gardner

Deliciously Saucy

Hello, my lovely minions of chaos. I hope you’re all doing well. Things on my end have (surprisingly) been truckin’ along. I’ve been getting a LOT of writing and editing done. Heck yeah, witches! But that’s not what we’re here to talk about.

We’re here to talk about Mórrígan’s Curse.

Wanna see how shiny the cover is??? Wanna know what the blurb is? WANNA READ A CHAPTER FROM OWEN’S POINT-OF-VIEW!?!!?!?

ARE. YOU. READY. FOR. THIS!?!?!?!?

Such glory. Much beauty. Lots of kick-ass, take-names attitude 😎

I LOVES EEEEET!

What story is held betwixt the covers, you ask?

All magic comes with a price, and Team Sibyl is going to learn that the hard way…

Samantha Anders successfully forged bonds with her cousins, repairing her soul. But it came at a cost: she’s draining their lives. As Sam’s godling powers grow, her abilities become harder to control.

They’re not the only ones fighting to survive…

The Ravenhart curse is haunting Vincent. Grief is stirring dark feelings, driving him to fits of madness. With each passing day, his gruesome nightmares take him closer and closer to the edge of despair.

And a sinister voice invites him to give in…

With lives hanging in the balance, Team Sibyl will have to pay a price to keep each other safe, and the consequences threaten to unravel the Cosmos.

HOLY GASPING WOW! That’s intense, amirite? Buckle in, y’all, for a wild ride.

Mórrígan’s Curse (Light of Chaos # 5) is coming to a bookshelf near you soon. It’ll drop on November 4th, 2025, so mark your calendars! PRE-ORDER this dark, sassy, cursed beauty now.

~Keep reading for a sneak peek of what’s inside~

Ever wonder about Owen’s past? Where he was prior to meeting his Kairos? Well, behold, a little snippet about the Merlin Estate from his Point-of-view.

🥁 Drum 🥁 roll please for this little tease~

“Here we fucking go,” I groaned. “Go back to bed and let me embarrass myself in peace.”

They didn’t hear me, of course, and even if they did, they wouldn’t listen to a word I said.

“What’s that?” Phoenix asked, tensing next to me as he gripped the glaive.

“The most annoying calvary no one asked for.”

He looked at me in consternation before a group of five people were finally close enough to see. Four held flashlights while the fifth was showing off with his fire affinity. Smug bastard was a show pony, even for the most mundane tasks in the history of mundaneness.

“Ah, whadda we have here?” Aron—the bane of my existence—said with a smirk. “Why, if it ain’t a washed-up wee lil’ babe.”

I squinted an eye at him, then at the others. “Don’t you have children to terrorize and puppies to kick?”

Aron grinned wider. “Why, I’m lookin’ at wan right now.”

Lifting a shaky hand, I flipped him the bird.

The swordmaster chuckled as he looked around me. A single brow rose as he took in the sight of Phoenix, then the glaive. His gaze returned to me, all amusement fading from his expression. “Funny, boyo, but that power deh feel like a Kairos. O were ye aff onna ’nother wana yer wee adventures, like the runaway shitehead ye are?”

I rolled my eyes as I put the Jeep into gear, slowly putting my foot on the gas. “Move your minions or I’ll run them over. I’ve had a fucking day, and I’m not paid enough to listen to your bullshit.”

“Owen,” he growled, but I kept my foot on the gas. “Owen Alexander Merlin, ye turn aff that motor an’ get oot before ay give ye a wallap, ye fecker.”

“La-la-la-la,” I said, pressing down on the accelerator. Aron’s disciples—or whatever he was calling them these days—jumped out of the path of the car. To be extra petty, I turned on the stereo, cursing the damn thing as I had to change the station to local frequencies. I threw a dazzling grin at Phoenix. “How do you feel about Welsh opera? No? Me neither.”

As he stared at me in complete befuddlement, I began whistling along, expertly navigating the winding roads through the lush forest. Aron had made me run them enough times, I could probably do this with my eyes closed. I didn’t think Phoenix would be entertained if I tried.

“What the Duat is going on?” he shouted to be heard over the music. “Who were those people, and where are we?”

“A fun little place I like to call Hades on Gaia.” I flashed him another grin. “You didn’t think I grew up in the Merlin Tunnels, did ya?”

He stared at me blankly. “For the love of Ra, eyes on the road!”

I turned my attention back to the road, smirking when I saw flames and lights reflecting off the rearview mirror. Aron was giving chase, and it pleased my gleeful little vindictive heart. The number of cuts and bruises I got from that asshole while he taught me swordplay made this petty act of defiance all the sweeter. Maybe if the jackass hadn’t enjoyed swatting me with the flat of his blade when I goofed off, or slapping me upside the head, maybe I wouldn’t be such a ‘brat.’

As I picked up speed, throwing dirt with the beautiful, wonderful deep-grooved Jeep tires, an exhausted, maniacal burble of laughter escaped me.

Dirt shower, anyone?

Phoenix looked tenser and tenser with each passing moment, especially when I began sharply whipping the Jeep around trees, narrowly avoiding clipping them.

“How do you feel about off-roading?”

“That better be a jo—” He began cursing up a storm in ancient Egyptian, as I sent the Jeep rocking and swaying as I went over large rocks, tree roots, and various other uneven obstacles.

“You think we’ve lost them yet?”

“I HATE YOU!”

I laughed, veering out of the trees and back onto the main dirt road. When we reached the large metal double-door gate, I finally brought the car to a stop. Phoenix looked ready to murder me, probably while he vomited all over me.

Leaning out the window, I pressed the call button on the intercom. And kept pressing and pressing, making it make a horrid buzzing noise, until someone finally snapped, “I’m coming, ya git! I’m coming!”

“Hey, Mervyn, open up!”

There was a brief pause. “Master Owen, is that you?”

“Master?” Phoenix muttered disbelievingly under his breath.

“The one and only. Now, hurry up and let me in before Aron skins my hide.”

Mervyn sighed heavily. “One of these days, boy. One of these days…”

The doors swung open, and I peeled onto the paved driveway, heading toward the homestay. It was basically a mansion—or a castle, if you wanted to be fanciful. Once upon a time, in a land far, far—right fucking here—Emrys Merlin build a gigantic house for Arthur and friends to live in. But it wasn’t just them who lived here. Guinevere lived here, too. Then there were the guest rooms, and the visitor’s quarters and—you get the picture.

Considering it was built in the medieval period, circa the fifth century CE, it was rather nice. It was stone and brick and mortar, with high windows and large double-arching doors. There were well-maintained gardens that Arthur had originally planted, along with the expansion over the centuries. As time passed, the grounds keeper and other Merlin made tweaks and changes to suit modern life—of the eras, that was.

As for me? Well, I’d brought it into the twenty-first century. Yeah, we’d had electricity around the time of invention, and yes, it was upgraded to keep the interior from burning down when sparks decided to fritz. But my contribution was cable television and Wi-Fi. Only heathens wouldn’t lay the groundwork to have a gazillion miles worth of power lines and cables hooked up to their house for all to enjoy the godliness that was the internet.

Once again, I braked hard, making Phoenix and me both jerk against our seatbelts. “C’mon! Get out!”

I threw my own door open and rounded the vehicle to where Phoenix, sweaty and legs shaking, was propped against his side of the Jeep. “You…are the most…deplorable person…in existence,” he panted, looking green around the gills.

“Aww, Casper, I like you, too,” I said cheerily, feeling my own exhaustion catching up to me. I was just as sweaty and shaky as he was, but for completely different reasons.

Mervyn, expression that perfected level of I-have-no-qualms-ending-you—or bending me over his knee like he used to when I was a shithead child—stalked toward us. Nice to see some things never changed. “Master Owen,” he said in his pronounced Welsh accent, “where have you been? And what is the meaning of this—this chase?” Then he noticed my gory appearance. “My word, dear boy—what’s happened to you?”

“TL;DR,” I said. “But I need a little favor.”

There was that unamused expression I loved so much. “And whatever would that be?”

“Catch.” I tossed the keys to him. “Can you have this washed and shined for me? Teddy’s probably not gonna be happy I took it on a joyride. Oh—and make sure Aron doesn’t dent or scratch it. As fun as it would be to see the swordmaster schooled by an Elite Hunter and his overprotective beau…actually. No. That would make all my dreams come true.”

Mervyn heaved another sigh.

“YE SHITEBAG!” Aron bellowed from down the driveway, closing in on us rather quickly. “WHEN AY GET MA HANDS ON—”

With a smirk and a two-finger salute, Phoenix and I vanished into Chaos.

That’s our Owen — troublemaker to his very core. Soon… Soon you will see these new faces and more. So don’t forget to PRE-ORDER for the November 4, 2025 release!

Thank you for your continued support. More to come later.

As always, welcome to the Chaos.

With love 🖤,
Your Queen of Chaos

Start the Adventure

P.S. Don’t forget to like, comment, and follow below ☺️!

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Work-In-Progress Wednesday # 4

Posted on August 13 by Alexandra Gardner

Plot Bunnies Strike!

Okay. So. I promise I’m making progress on Light of Chaos. Mórrígan’s Curse (Light of Chaos # 5) is well on its way to seeing the light of day. In fact, it’s with my lovely editor right now, getting its last round of line edits! Then comes formatting. Then covers! Then publication! Can’t wait for you guys to see this one. While there isn’t a cover yet, I’ve picked the model for it, and she’s my favorite version so far. All sass and I-can-kick-your-butt attitude. If you’ve explored my website, you’ve already seen her, but I can’t wait to see how kick-ass she’ll look on a cover. *swoon*

Buuuuuuut… why am I starting off with “I promise” like I’ve been caught with my hand in the cookie jar? Well… I kinda had a plot bunny get stuck in my head and it refused to eff off.

What does that mean for my #AuthoringAdventure?

So glad you asked. Buckle in, this one’s kind of a long ride…

Back in something like 2019 (Yeah, THAT long ago), I had an idea for a series of urban fantasy short stories. My goal for them was to produce rapid-release content to keep readers entertained between full-length novel publication. Then poop hit the fan, and I had to bench the idea.

What sucked about having to set them aside is that I’d already outlined them and found gorgeous images for the covers. In other words, they just needed to be written. And when I say short stories, I’m talking about 9,000 – 10,000 words. That’s roughly 8 – 10 hours for me to draft each one. That doesn’t count edits, so I’d assume each book would require up to 24 – 48 hours of my time (total – NOT all at once), depending on first draft quality.

Yes, that quick.

So rewind to two months ago when I stumbled across my outlined document, buried deep in the recesses of my Google Drive. My fingers itched to open it, and, well, chaos ensued. My mind started churning through the possibilities, but this time, I had an idea for how to kick things up a notch.

The original concept was to put them in their own universe to set them apart from the Light of Chaos, since the concepts didn’t seem to fit into the Chaos Universe. LMAO! If I can have gods, demigods, goddamn Typhon, and other references to creatures of myth, why the hell can’t I have spookies that go bump in the night?

Welcome to Sticks & Stones: The Underground. While the guilds are the Magical Community’s established police force fighting “crime” in the form of rogue Casters intent on harming others, Sticks & Stones is a secret underground government agency. These are the vigilantes of the Magical Community who battle the creatures that go bump in the night so the world doesn’t have to know monsters exist and are hungry for your flesh and blood.

While the guilds focus on human intervention, Sticks & Stones is a bounty-based (loose) version of the CIA for things that stalk you in the dead of night.

The Underground is made up of 4 short stories that introduce you to the underbelly of the “monster” world – vampires, ghouls, demons, and more. These books are dark, a bit messed up, and injected with humor that makes up for just how… unhinged and unsavory the content can be. Reader’s beware — but in a literal sense. Trigger warnings will be added.

All books in the Sticks & Stones universe will be LGBT+, but these 4 start us off with 3 different MM pairings. The other planned books (yes – OTHER BOOKS), set at Mischief Manor, a haunted house for a coven of wayward witches, primarily have FF pairings. However, we have bisexual, pansexual, asexual, and aromantic characters who either end up in an FF relationship, MF relationship, or no relationship at all. #RepresentationMatters. Mischief Manor stories are *Urban Fantasy*, not romance, despite me mentioning relationships.

I’ve overloaded you with information, but all that to literally say: The first 4 MM books are drafted, and I’m satisfied with how they’ve turned out. I need people to look them over, just to be sure others actually think they make a complete story — I know they do (cocky much, Queen?), but it never hurts to get a second opinion.

My focus needs to shift back to Light of Chaos, but once I’ve finished my current projects, I’ll try to make quick work of getting Geomancer (Sticks & Stones: The Underground # 1) published within a timely manner. Please enjoy this raw, unedited snippet:

“Monster Morgue and Crematory, you stake them, we bake them,” I say, seeing my boss’ name on my caller ID. I already know why she’s calling, and I’m surprised it took her this long to get around to it. She’s off her game lately. And honestly, I have no clue why she hasn’t fired me yet.

Oh, right. It’s hard to find people to work for a top-secret magical organization that fights monsters under the cover of night. Or daylight. Not all creatures are circumspect.

“Flint Ashford, I will skin you alive and make gloves out of your flesh!” Jade shouts, ever the creative one. “You had one job—ONE! And yet you decided to make a mockery of everything Sticks & Stones stands for!”

“It’s not a mockery.” I switch the call to speaker and open up the glorious ad I created last week. “I’m just being honest. It cuts down on the idiots trying to scam people—or get themselves killed. Have you read the latest reports? There’s been fifteen complaints of missing limbs or serious maiming just in the last three days.”

She inhales deeply, and I can envision her pinching the bridge of her nose. It’s a common sight when she’s dealing with me. “That’s not the point, Flint. We are a professional organization, and we need the trust of our users if we’re going to maintain the number of people willing to claim bounties on behalf of the Magical Community. If we lose bounty hunters, we’re increasing the number of potential incidents—ones that result in the death of innocents.”

“Innocents still die—and so do the idiots who take bounties they aren’t equipped to handle. It’s not fixing the issue. It’s perpetuating it. People who think they’re heroes are getting themselves killed because of their egos. If they see upfront that they shouldn’t fuck around, they won’t accept dangerous bounties and find out. I’m doing them a public service.”

“I swear to all that’s—” She cuts herself off, and I wonder how much longer until she comes through my phone and kills me herself. That’s not one of her abilities, just in case you’re wondering. She can, however, suspend me upside-down by the ankle with her telekinesis if she wants, though. Been there. Done that. It’s actually quite fun. Maybe that’s why she stopped using it as a threat. “Take the listing down.”

“Why? It’s gotten a lot of likes and comments on the app’s public chat board.”

There’s a long silence, all except for the sound of her nails rapidly clicking on her phone screen as she presumably goes to check it. “I hate you.”

“Awe, you love me.” I smirk. Her comment is practically her admitting I’m right. “If it does cause issues, I’ll rewrite it. But in the meantime, it’s getting a lot of hits. It’s even drawn more users to the site. Check those numbers if you want, but I did what you wanted: increase downloads. So why you mad?”

“Your mother should’ve spanked you more as a child.”

Anyway. Thank you for your continued support. More to come later.

As always, welcome to the Chaos.

With love 🖤,
Your Queen of Chaos

Start the Adventure

P.S. Don’t forget to like, comment, and follow below ☺️!

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Work-In-Progress Wednesday # 3

Posted on June 11 by Alexandra Gardner

Spill the Tea, Queen

Whew. It’s been a Whole-ass Time™️.

Between finishing the last touches on Coven Witch (Light of Chaos: Born Elementals 2), creating its sales page on amazon, and drafting up wayyy too many promotional images (of which, 99% weren’t used), I’m on the back foot. Launching a book release campaign is intense, and it took up a lot of my focus for the first five months of the year.

But also~ Look at the beautiful ✨ shiny ✨!

Don’t forget, Elite Hunter (Light of Chaos: Born Elementals 1) is still set to perma-free. Be sure to get both books!

Only available in Kindle & Kindle Unlimited.

Okay, onto the new #AuthoringAdventure news…

Morrigan’s Curse, book 5 (installment 7) in the Light of Chaos series, only needs one last review before I “so yote it be” at my editor. Buuuuuuut… I’ve only just started on that. I have several, SEVERAL hours of edits ahead of me. This one has a publication date of late summer 2025. Launching a book takes a lot of time and work, and I’m excited to put my full attention into that process.

Why late summer? Because, at the end of June, I get the magical gift of having a full week to spend with my gamma and my mom, who’s flying in from out of state. I’ll get to see extended family, too. We’ll be having a celebration of life ceremony for my grandpa who passed away in October. The holiday season was too chaotic of a time to celebrate then, so instead, we’re going to have a blast in the (hopefully) nice weather, yeet Grandpa’s ashes into the large backyard fire pit (because he’s a badass 😎 who wants to be close to my grandma), and enjoy good food and company alongside him. I’ll be tossing in some yummies for him 🔥.

Even more blessed, I get the privilege of hosting one of my best friends at my place for a week ( …one week after my mom flies home 🤣). She’s flying over from across the country, and I can’t wait to see her! It’s been almost three years since I last saw her. We’re going to veg on my couch, spend some time writing, and be lazy AF. Then I’ll drive her to the Pacific Ocean since she’s never been. I’ll be a muthafukkin’ mermaid 🧜‍♀️ and dive into that cold AF shit because (like Darien Black) water is my element.

As y’all can tell, June and July will utilize most of my Brain Energy, so I’ll need time to recover.

Busy, busy, this Queen of Chaos is.

Look forward to Morrigan’s Curse sometime in August or early September… (It all depends on if the hydra chooses to interfere in my life again…)

Anyway. That’s all the relevant information at the moment. More to come later.

As always, welcome to the Chaos.

With love 🖤,
Your Queen of Chaos

Start the Adventure

P.S. Don’t forget to like, comment, and follow below ☺️!

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Coven Witch Pre-Order

Posted on May 5 by Alexandra Gardner

Pre-order Discount! Woot! Woot!

It. Is. HERE! The beauty that is Coven Witch (Light of Chaos: Born Elementals 2) is finally up for pre-order. For a limited time, this bad boy / good girl / generous genders all will be discounted to $0.99.

Say hello to your ~new~ little friend, releasing…

May 19th, 2025!

Darien Black wants revenge.

Ever since a Cardinal Sun Elite Hunter murdered his brother a month ago, he’s been searching for Rin’s killer. But the man is like a ghost, and Darien can’t seem to find him anywhere. With each passing day, the elemental voice of Water living in his veins urges him to give into the churning tide within and seek retribution, no matter the damage left in his wake.

High Priestess Serena of the Celestial Moon Coven is worried about her boyfriend Darien. He’s become distant and withdrawn, and she fears that Water will take him over and cause violent destruction, costing thousands of innocent lives. When she seeks advice from her patron goddess Selene, it’s Hecate, Goddess of the Crossroads, who responds. She warns that his heart is in danger.

If Darien can’t find the strength of heart to forgive himself and the man who killed his brother, the world will come to ruin.

***

Meet the covens. Battle your enemies. Prove your mettle. And pray to the goddess you survive.

Pre-order Now!

Now for the ~exciting~ news that I promised in the cover reveal newsletter:

Amazon has invited me to try the virtual voice beta audiobook program. This beta platform is by invite only, so I’m investigating the viability of this for future audiobook releases. I will be starting with Elite Hunter (Light of Chaos: Born Elementals 1) to see how readers respond. If all goes well, the Born Elementals trilogy will be published in this audiobook format.

Some of you might be looking at me like *squinty face* “Elaborate on ‘virtual voice,’ Queen.”

Like Siri and Alexa, there are preset voice options to choose from. These are called “synthesized voices.” I’ve probably listened to each of the many, many options 30x apiece by now. (Hey, you can never be too careful when comparing timber to timber to timber when selecting the “perfect” voice to represent your characters). They each sound fairly natural, with the exception of a few — which I won’t be using anyway.

There is no anticipated release date for the audiobook at this time. I’m still in the “investigation” process. So until I’ve listened to the audio from start to finish, I can’t be certain of the quality. My main concern is whether or not there’s the option to add emphasis to certain words that are “stressed” with italics. Fingers crossed!

For anyone who isn’t fond of virtual voices reading books, I have a far, far, FARRRRRR off dream to have *real* voice actors narrate my books. However, I don’t have $5,000+ to produce even one of my books… And with eight books already published, and several more on the way… well. My Queenly ass be like “LOLOLOL I’ll go broke, yo.”

If I *do* secure a voice actor or two, y’all’ll be the first (second) to know.

I’m trying to hold out for this option when it comes to the main Light of Chaos series, simply because there’s so much nuance that’ll get lost in a virtual voice. Okay, okay — you caught me: It’s purely for the snark. The. SNARK! Y’all, have you read that shit!? I need irl people slinging that ‘tude while reading Sam and Jeph and Owen and —

*clears throat*

Anyway, that’s what I got for now. More to come later.

As always, welcome to the Chaos.

With love 🖤,
Your Queen of Chaos

P.S. Don’t forget to like, comment, and follow below ☺️!

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Romance My Heart

Posted on February 3 by Alexandra Gardner

Be Still My—OMFG!!!!

“OMGGGGG, QUEEN! IS THAT WHAT I THINK IT IS!?!? SFJKLSDAJFKJ!!!”

Yes, my lovely Chaos Minions, it is! It’s the Light of Chaos Series Collection: Volume 1 (Books 1-3) — and it’s FREE February 3 – 6, 2025.

Did I mention it has an EXCLUSIVE BONUS CHAPTER that isn’t available anywhere else?

Want More Stuff to Set Your Heart Aflutter?

“Wait!!!! There’s MORE!?!?!? GO OFF, QUEEN!!!!”

Y’all know I’ve always got more for ya. Ready for it?

I’ve partnered with over 200 Fantasy Romance writers to bring you this one-day-only FREE EBOOK PROMOTION that focuses specifically on *Fantasy* Romance genres: Paranormal Romance, Monster Romance, High Fantasy Romance, Modern High Fantasy Romance, and Historical Fantasy Romance.

Here’s just a sample of the 200+ titles to look forward to… including the brand new 3-in-1 Light of Chaos Series Collection!

So, for today only (February 3, 2025), you can follow this link to indulge your inner binge reader by downloading as many free ebooks as you want. I know I’ll be looking for some new authors (and I may have already found a few that I’ve been stalking while waiting for the sale to go live 😈). I hope you find some new favorites as well!

Who needs Valentine’s Day when y’all’s eReaders gonna be stuffed with mild- to steamy-AF romance? We celebratin’ early! Don’t need no IRL person to love ya. Y’all’re dreamy just the way ya are. Enjoy yourself (if ya know what I mean 😉).

✨💅🏻✨

**(emoji pattern sparkle-nails-sparkle = me thinking I’m a baddie)**

**I also realize this aside will look really weird to anyone for whom the emojis don’t render correctly**

😅

Have I Stolen Your Heart Yet?

Remember how I told y’all that my editor had access to Coven Witch (Born Elementals 2)? Well… Let’s just say: I was right! The manuscript passed her editorial exam with flying hearts! As in: The manuscript really is almost ready to make its pending ✨debut✨.

Take that, Writing Hydras 🐉! Sneaky little asshats. You can’t hold me down! (I mean, you can. And you do. But I’m winning atm, so gargle these lady balls!)

😳 Oh. Hi, y’all. Didn’t see ya there…

Once the final edits are put in place, I’ll be peeling the hydras’ eyes for ARC victims 😎. I’ll also be battling them for finding time to create a signup form… But I’ll send out the info when everything’s ready. Then the selected victims will get a free Advance Reader Copy of the ebook in exchange for their honest review. 😇

To thwart future hydras from creeping up on me and delaying my #AuthoringAdventure again, I’ve created an editing and publication schedule for me and my editor to keep track of due dates. Hydras like to invade her life, too, so I’m hoping the schedule keeps us both on track in spite of any new hydra heads making an appearance.

Being a one-woman indie publishing house and an indie author is rough… pray to the goddess for each of us 🥹. We could really use all the Good Vibes. Especially her. Cus I’m not her only client, gods love her beautiful soul. And she’s my full-service editor AND publishing house.

Get that woman a drank! No! A massage. She needs all the massages.

In addition to the schedule, I’ve already created Amazon preorder pages for each title that will be published this year. They’re currently not available to the public. It’s a new-to-me feature, for one, but I don’t have cover art for those titles yet so I’m holding off on making them live.

I’m Missus Steal-Your-Heart

“👀 Queen, did you say EACH TITLE!? As in, there will be MULTIPLE books this year!?!?!?!?”

Indeed I did ✨💅🏻✨.

My goal is to release four new titles this year (three novellas and Light of Chaos # 5). Two novellas are just shy of being ready for formatting. One novella is making me pull my hair out by the roots. And Morrigan’s Curse is… well, I’ll be lucky to have any hair left. But I am DETERMINED to get y’all some quality reading for y’all’s TBR shelves.

Tentative publication months (subject to hydras):

🖤 April: Coven Witch (Born Elementals 2)
🖤 June: Morrigan’s Curse (Light of Chaos 5)
🖤 August: “Untitled” Novella (lol, I’m actually just keeping y’all in suspense. It has a title. But it’s part of an unnamed project, so I don’t want to spoil it just yet 😎)
🖤 October: Sibling Charm (Born Elementals 3)

One-two-three-four! I’ve just stolen each of your heart chambers!

As always, welcome to the Chaos—and don’t forget the FREE romance ebooks!

With love 🖤,
Your Queen of Chaos

P.S. Don’t forget to like, comment, and follow below ☺️!

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Work-In-Progress Wednesday # 2

Posted on January 1, 2025 by Alexandra Gardner

Yas, Queen! Progress.

Happy New Year, and may the gods ever be in your favor…

Hope the holiday season treated you well. I spent my Yuletide week running around like a tree with its branches lopped off. Kinda hard to get anything done without limbs, y’know? And with roots holding ya in place… heh.

I spent the 25th with my grandma, but instead of the Christmas movies I thought she might want to watch, we went “old school” on they asses. Trust me when I say: You haven’t lived until you’ve shared the glory that is White Chicks with your 90-year-old grandma. She chuckled the whole way through, even sometimes dabbing at her eyes with a tissue during the emotional scenes. Sometimes those endings just like to jostle your contact lenses.

Now, to our regularly scheduled program…

In my previous, very short Progress Update post, I mentioned life is a hydra, and it’s after my head. Problem is, my head doesn’t grow back. So I keep on keeping on, fruitlessly trying to slay the beast. That said, I have made some progress toward future publications.

While publish dates are still TBD, I want to revisit some of my previous updates about my #AuthoringAdventure.

After agonizing over the opening chapter of Coven Witch (Light of Chaos: Born Elementals # 2), I’ve gone ahead and passed the current manuscript to my editor for initial review. While I feel like the draft is well on its way to the next stages (as far as content goes), that remains to be seen. Editors have a keen eye, and I might be overly confident in my assessment LOL. You can find the tentative book blurb on the Born Elementals series page.

Look forward to a cover reveal at some point, as well as the opportunity to receive an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. If selected, please do honor the agreement for an honest review. When the hydra stops trying to bite my head off, I’ll create a sign-up page, along with expectations. But that’s also a beast for another day.

Speaking of that series, in early 2024, I published my FREE novelette Elite Hunter (Light of Chaos: Born Elementals # 1). On March 1, 2024, I published an extended-length chapter that serves as an official epilogue to Elite Hunter. You can download the FREE chapter at the end of Elite Hunter on amazon. It directly follows the last chapter of Elite Hunter and is from Rin’s POV. So, if that gives you a reason to keep reading and to not come for my head (like the damn hydra), please wait to kill me until after you’ve seen a glimpse of what’s to come next in the World of Chaos.

BookFunnel hosts the epilogue, and it will prompt you to sign up for this newsletter, but that’s an *optional* feature (and obviously, some of you are already signed up), so feel free to bypass that option. Since the document is an ePUB, BookFunnel will give you several options as to which platform you wish to read it on. It will require you to verify your email before you’re redirected to the download page.

“But, Queen,” you’re saying, “what about the main series? Where’s my next Light of Chaos?”

Well, that has been spanking me. So much so that me and Morrigan’s Curse might as well be lovers in the night. (Shanelle ships it). I’d honestly hoped to have it published by November 2024, considering how long I’ve been working on it, but: RE: hydra. It’s only just recently gone through the first round of content edits, and that was with me hating sections of it. So. Yeah.

You get the picture.

As always, welcome to the Chaos.

With love 🖤,
Your Queen of Chaos

**If you downloaded Elite Hunter prior to March 1, 2024, you will need to download the epilogue directly through the BookFunnel link. My plea to you: If you are able to, please download Elite Hunter through amazon. Downloads through amazon increase my visibility to potential readers. As we well know, algorithms affect data across all platforms. Meaning, without engagement, your listings / social media posts / etc. might as well exist in the Void. Please help me escape the Void… it’s dark in here.**

P.S. Don’t forget to like, comment, and follow below ☺️!

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