DarkSider News: December 2025 - General News!

      

"A Girl Walks Into A Bar

Here I was with my best friend, about to do something stupid and wondering how I'd let myself get talked into this. Jen grabbed my arm and pulled me towards the bright lights and chaotic sounds of the bar. No fancy name, just 'the bar.'  That should have been my first warning, but I pushed down my unease. This was supposed to be my big adventure into the city, away from home for the first time ever. 

My one shot of freedom in a place where no one knew my secrets."

- Strange Magic (Book 1, Touch of Magic) by Ruby St George

Introducing Juanita Kees' alter ego, Raven Corbin

Some authors find inspiration in coffee shops or quiet libraries. Raven Corbin found hers in moonlit cemeteries and the whispered legends of abandoned towns.

Growing up on family vacations that other children might have found terrifying, Raven was enchanted by crumbling headstones, forgotten settlements, and her father’s spine-tingling campfire stories that brought the past to life. But it was her older sister’s home — an historic dwelling dating back to 1814 — that truly opened Raven’s eyes to the world beyond the veil. Living alongside restless spirits, including one particularly dramatic poltergeist, became as natural as morning coffee.

These early encounters sparked a lifelong fascination with the deeper mysteries behind supernatural phenomena. Raven discovered her true calling: helping tormented souls find the peace they’ve been seeking for decades, sometimes centuries, by uncovering the truth behind their tragic stories.

Raven masterfully weaves together historical mysteries, paranormal encounters, and small-town secrets in her atmospheric novels. Her Bitterport Mystery Series, set in the hauntingly beautiful but abandoned Tasmanian town of Bitterport, will captivate readers worldwide with a perfect blend of ghostly intrigue, buried secrets, and heartwarming romance.

Drawing from her background in professional editing and publishing, Raven crafts emotionally engaging stories where every creaking floorboard and mysterious apparition serves the larger purpose of justice and redemption. Her paranormal mysteries are for readers who appreciate stories where the supernatural meets the deeply human.

When she’s not communing with spirits or researching historical mysteries, Raven travels extensively, seeking inspiration in the world’s forgotten corners. She shares her adventures with her partner who has learned to pack sage and salt alongside the usual travel essentials.

Raven believes that every ghost has a story worth telling, and every mystery deserves to be solved — preferably with a happy ending for both the living and the dead.

“I don’t write horror stories. I write healing stories that happen to involve ghosts.” — Raven Corbin

See Raven's page on the DarkSide DownUnder website. 

Melinda Sørensen

Melinda was a guest on Weaving Words into Stories with Selina

talking about Writing Romantic Magical Realism.

The Solstice Queen was also reviewed by The Book Dragon's Den

Claire Boston

Claire has moved her newsletter to Substack.

And has Chapter 1 of Repairing Dreams posted there. 

Bernadette Rowley

Bernadette has a three part series on her blog about 

The Romantasy Hero: What Makes Him Unforgettable.

and Archetypes of the Romantasy Hero - Part 1 

Also check out Bernadette's pins on Pinterest. 

Lilliana Rose

Dragon Bond has been translated into German. 

The rest of the series is on pre-order.

Cover done by Eleni Konstantine's alter ego, HelzKat Designs. 

Mel Teshco

The Gangters at War series is now available in French.

Amazon Au and Amazon fr

Covers done by Eleni Konstantine's alter ego, HelzKat Designs. 

Anna Hackett

Mission: Her Safety (Book 5, Team 52) is now available in German.

Amazon Au and Amazon de

D.K. Hood

Her Broken Wings (Book 8, Detectives Kane and Alton) is now available in French.

Her Shallow Grave (Book 9, Detectives Kane and Alton) now has a pre-order in French. 

Due for release 26 January.

Tears on Her Grave (Book 24, Detectives Kane and Alton) and 

Fear For Her Life (Book 25, Detectives Kane and Alton) are available in German. 

 

Good Girls Don't Cry (Book 26, Detectives Kane and Alton) and 

Their Haunted Hearts (Book 27, Detectives Kane and Alton) are now available for pre-order in German. 

 

Amy Hutton

Amy was interviewed on Talking Aussie Books, a podcast by Claudine Tinellis.

Readings mentioned Ghosted.

And Ghosted was a top audiobook for October on Spotify.

(See Amy's post on Instagram)

 

Leisl Leighton

Join Leisl's Legends on Ream to get early access to chapters of The Huntress and the Vampire King. 

Annie Seaton

Beneath Still Waters  gets a review on Facebook on Katie's Reading Nook.

Cathleen Ross

The Sheikh’s Forced Bride (Book 3, Billionaires & Sheikhs) was a 

Feature Book on the ARRA blog (Australian Romance Readers Association).

Cover done by Eleni Konstantine's alter ego, HelzKat Designs. 

Christina Phillips

Abducted by the Highlander (Book 3, The Daughters of the Isle) was 

reviewed on Historical Romance Reviews.

~~

Congratulations to our DarkSiders! 

Happy Reading everyone. Be safe & well. 

Next on the DarkSider News: Pre-Orders & Covers!

 

DarkLight On... Bernadette Rowley!

Welcome Bernadette!

You write fantasy romance / romantasy. What attracted you to this genre?

I happened upon fantasy romance after being challenged to write a romance by my mentor back in 2011. As a long-time epic fantasy reader, I decided that if I was going to write a romance, then it must be set in a fantasy world. And the heroine turned out to be Princess Alecia Zialni. The book was titled Princess Avenger, and it was the start of a twelve book romantasy series called The Queenmakers Saga. Alecia became the central focus of six of the books.

What is it you like about writing a series?

What’s not to like about writing and/or reading a series? As a writer, you get to really know your characters as they develop over time. In Alecia and Vard’s case, it was around twelve years of having them in my life. And your world provides secondary characters that demand their own story. It’s really magical how it all fits together and that, I think, is the main attraction. It certainly fascinates me how the stories in my series interlock in a satisfying and unplanned way.

Are you a plotter? Pantser? Or somewhere in-between?

As you may have noted from the above answer, I’m a pantser. I often have a synopsis to work from, and I try to have the romance plot or a three act plot structure depending on whether we are talking romance or straight epic fantasy. However, once I get the idea for a story, I get impatient to start writing. I may have a vague idea of how the story will end but everything in between is a mystery.

What is your favourite part of the writing process?

I love the editing process much more than writing draft. It appeals to my dominant left brain. However, I do very little editing while writing the story. I wait until the end, give the manuscript a rest and then come back fresh. 

But thinking about drafting the manuscript, when you get into the flow and you have some idea of where you are heading (for once), that’s pretty cool too. To realise you have spent the last hour writing and not noticing the passage of time - and you have 2000 new words – does provide a buzz!

What advice do you have for aspiring writers?

The advice I always give to aspiring writers is to get the words on the page and create a daily habit of doing so. We all know how a few hundred or a thousand words each day or even several days a week, can add up. 

How do you fill the creative well?

I read a lot, every day. That’s the main way. Also, currently, I’m doing some personal development focused on creativity. How am I doing that? I have a list of audiobooks I’m going through. The first was a trilogy of small books by Austin Kelon called ‘The Steal Like an Artist Audio Trilogy’. Highly recommend. Now I am working through Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way. Through this process, I’m exploring my creativity in many ways, including creating fan art for my books. I drew a lot as a teenager and I’m loving being back creating in that space.

Another creative avenue I’m exploring is creating a Pinterest presence as my main social media. I love creating pretty pins and am having some success so far.

What is next for you?

After completing the twelve books of the Queenmakers Saga, I was a bit lost. During the writing of To Wed a Queen, which I knew would be the finale, I thought much about what I would write next. I decided to write a coming-of-age trilogy based on Alecia’s oldest daughter seventeen years later. What has evolved from that has been astonishing.

Though Iona is a multiple animal shifter like her father Vard, she has also grown into a figure of extraordinary talents. I’ve just completed the first book in the trilogy which is called Shadow Wing Quest. Just saying… Alecia’s story began as a trilogy and finished twelve books later. We shall see!

What is your latest release and your inspiration behind it?

My latest release was To Wed a Queen and was released around a year ago. I thought, after Alecia and Vard went thought such an ordeal to find each other, the least I could do was give them a wonderful celebration. Let’s just say that all did not go as planned. You’ll have to read it to find out what happened on their rocky road to the altar.

To Wed A Queen

Book 12, Queenmakers Saga

A queen who yearns to marry her beloved. A powerful shifter, who must choose between old attachments and new. Will their lives be joined? Or can enemies ruin their carefully planned future?

Determined to celebrate her ascension to the throne, Queen Alecia Zialni throws a coronation ball, even though her fiancé is absent. Disaster strikes when her young daughter goes missing during the ball.

Vard Anton undertakes a mission to find his father, missing since the end of the recent war. He should be with Alecia but there is time to complete his quest before their wedding day — at least he hopes there is.

While no stone is left unturned in the search for the little princess, Alecia fears she will never see her child again. Who has taken her and what do they want? And how can she find a way forward if the worst happens?

Meanwhile Vard must choose between returning to find his daughter and forging ahead to locate his father. Can Alecia solve the mystery in time to save her toddler and wed her love? Or will the powers of darkness rob her of her soul mate and her daughter?

To Wed a Queen is the exciting twelfth book in the Queenmakers Saga epic romantasy series. If you like strong heroines, political intrigue and mythical creatures, you’ll love Bernadette Rowley’s captivating adventure.

Buy

Bernadette Rowley

Bernadette Rowley is an Australian epic fantasy romance author who is also a veterinarian. After flirting with picture books, junior fiction and space opera, Bernadette was challenged to write a romance in 2011 and she hasn’t looked back.

First published by Penguin Australia and then Pan Macmillan Australia, Bernadette is now an independently published author. The Queenmakers Saga contains eleven books spanning the genres of fantasy romance and romantic fantasy.

Her favorite tropes are enemies to lovers, forced proximity and forbidden romance. Strong themes include the horse/human bond and healing.

When not at her desk, Bernadette can be found absorbed in a good romance or romantic suspense, swimming, walking or having coffee with friends.

Find Bernadette at bernadetterowley.com

Bernadette's book links

As well as 
Goodreads | Instagram | Amazon | Facebook  | Pinterest |