The past month has been an interesting journey of learning and growth. My writing skills continue to develop, and I feel as though I learn something new everyday. Perhaps one day the sense of self doubt and inadequacy will evaporate…perhaps not, but either way, the journey has been amazing so far.

This month Amazon released its new Kindle Vella program. For those who have yet to hear about it, Vella is a serial based reading platform, where authors upload their stories one episode at a time. Think of it like a tv series, but for books. I have been planning to publish on Vella since it was announced, figuring this new platform would make for a fun experiment. Amazon, of course, gave us indie authors little time to prepare for the soft launch, announcing it one month prior without a specified date. (Talk about stressful!) Many authors, including myself, found ourselves in a rush to write as many episodes as possible.

There are still some glitches, and the reader base remains small, but I’m hopeful the platform will gain momentum when the ZON really hits the advertising hard. Until then, taking the opportunity has encouraged me to write another book, and another book means more practice and skill development!

So, what project have I started for Kindle Vella? Let me introduce you to Blood & Magic, a story that follows my series, Chronicles of Virgam.

The narrative follows Eramus, a young man with no memories of his past who possesses magical powers that he’s kept hidden from the world for the last decade. But what happens when the girl he cares for and her father are in danger?

Revealing his power incites fear and distrust among his fellow villagers, but that isn’t the worst of Eramus’s problems when he learns about his past from a mysterious stranger and the king of Izarden sends his army to kill him.

There are 15 episodes of Blood & Magic currently available on Vella (As a true panster, I’m not sure how many there will be) and you can read the first three episodes for absolutely FREE! That’s the cool thing about Vella, you can try out any story without making a purchase, so you’ll know if you want to continue before spending any mullah. If you’d like to check out Blood & Magic, you can find it here, and don’t forget to leave me a “thumbs up” once you reach the bottom of the episode so I know you enjoyed it!

I’ve also taken a nose dive into learning Amazon ads this month! (Insert terrified face here) Really, it isn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I was so afraid to even start ads, but as I continue to learn how they work, I feel more comfortable with them. As a complete newb to advertising, I took Bryan Cohen’s free Amazon Ad course and it was beyond helpful for learning the very basics of advertising. I highly recommend it to anyone considering Amazon ads.

Who knows how well said advertising will pay off, but I’m determined to give it my best effort and see where it leads. There is nothing more scary than facing the unknown, but those who dare to venture forth receive the greatest rewards.

Here’s to taking a leap of faith!

What jumps into the unknown have you taken this month?