"We learn from failure. Not from success." - Bram Stoker I took the whole 'fail early, fail often' lesson to heart when I began my self-publishing career a few years back. Here's where you can read about those fails, specifically how I screwed up my debut novel, doubled-down on that failure with its sequel, and, most importantly, what I did to get them back on track. If nothing else, this should make for a good laugh, right?

The Young Person's Guide to Publishing answers your most burning questions about publishing, describes the publishing options available to someone under 18, and helps you avoid the pitfalls that can keep your book from selling.

"So are you going to the battle?" He asked her as he tucked his hands in the jeans pocket. He leaned forward, hoping to intimidate her. But he didn't know who she was. And gods forbid he ever found out about her. She nodded. "Good luck." He said. She smirked. Luck...Her enemies needed it more.. Smiling to herself she clutched the hilt of her faithful dagger. Adrenaline pumped through her veins. Oh! The storm that she was going to unleash...

COMPLETE #1 in Fantasy #1 in Adventure #1 in Historical Fiction ---------- Sometimes, believing helps us to see truth. Other times, we need a little evidence to believe. But there is truth behind everything; every false manoeuvre, ever little lie...a small piece of truth is hidden. Just like truth is wound into legends too. Growing up best friend to the future King, Arabelle never really thought her life could go wrong. Whenever she wanted something, or needed something, she would get it. Then she lost her father at a young age and Arabelle was forced into a world of dresses, balls, and lies. Being a tomboy, Arabelle would have rather been out on her horse doing archery practice with her brothers. When Arabelle gets curious and sneaks into a forbidden area of the castle, she discovers a deadly secret: her bloodline is sacred, dating back to a legend surrounded by the one thing she knows not to be true. Unsure what to do, she gets caught up in a series of events that lead to her being hidden and whisked away from the only familiar place she knew. After making some unlikely allies, Arabelle sets off on a journey to find the legend of the last dragon egg. Fate has something big in store for her; will she be able to withstand the pressure of it all?There is one thing Arabelle needs to learn to survive this new place... Some things are more than a legend. ---------- © Isabella Espe 2013 - 2019 This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. This work is unedited. Your patience and leniency towards any grammatical or spelling errors is requested while you read this story. This story was written in 2013, and the author knows there are a lot of errors in this work. Thank you for understanding. ---------- Credit to @Abyss-of-Crazy for the cover!

A newly expanded and professionally edited version of the Boy in the Woods is now available for sale as an ebook and paperback! Buy it at Amazon, iBooks, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, and many other online outlets. Winner of the 2014 Wattys Talk of the Town award. After a devastating accident takes Jess's parents, a cold and controlling uncle is the only family she has left. Ripping away everything she's ever known, he takes her far from her home in the big city to live on the rural family estate. With a spoiled and stuck up older cousin the only other young person in the home, Jess struggles to adjust to her new life of loneliness and quiet isolation. While exploring the woods surrounding her home one day, she stumbles upon a mysterious boy. Desperate for a friend, she's instantly drawn to him, but he's deeply distrustful and wants nothing to do with her. Sneaking away to see him, she works hard to break through his walls and slowly gains his trust. As time passes, their bond grows from forbidden friendship into something more, but the threat they'll be caught looms closer. How far will Jess have to go to protect the boy she's fallen in love with? Or will her uncle find out about them before she can escape his control? The Boy in the Woods is a mysterious and poignant coming of age novel set in the late 1950's, with the same classic feel as A Little Princess and The Secret Garden. As one of the top ten most read historical fiction stories on the popular reading website Wattpad.com, it's already loved by tens of thousands of readers. This compelling story is twice the length of the average young adult novel, and is appropriate for ages 14 to adult. By the same author as Wattys finalists Stolen Hearts and Love You Forever! Best Ranking: Historical Fiction #1 General Fiction #3 Warning: This story contains occasional language and mild violence.

**A Blue Beard retelling** Based on Charles Perrault's fairytale, this YA Historical Fantasy short story set in Victorian England mixes romance, magic and mystery. After agreeing to an arranged marriage to escape her greedy relatives, 18-year-old heiress Amelia moves into her husband's manor determined to start a new life. But the gothic mansion's forbidding surroundings, the servants' strange demeanour and her husband's mysterious past soon awaken her suspicions. If Amelia truly wants to become the lady of the house, she'll have to discover what secrets lie beyond closed doors and unravel the mystery of the old house's forbidden room. But sometimes secrets are kept for a good reason... HIGHEST RANKING IN HISTORICAL FICTION # 44 Copyright © 2017. All works posted here are the property of EM Castellan. Please do not use without permission. Any duplication or reproduction of all or part of the work without explicit permission by the author is illegal. Cover artist: @seventhstar