The big Half-Price Sale continues at Smashwords through January 1. Get the four-book Waterspell Boxed Set for only $4.47!
Readers call it:
“Riveting”
“Unforgettable”
“Marvelously complex and captivating”
“A must-read”
The Waterspell fantasy series follows the story of Carin, a lost traveler who embarks on a journey to discover her true identity and learn where she belongs. When she falls captive to a hot-tempered, secretive wizard, he draws her into schemes of magical power and possible murder. There’s a world to save, even if it costs Carin her life. The relationship between Carin and the wizard grows increasingly complex, balancing in a tense power struggle as, together, they navigate a world of dangers while yearning for redemption, a sense of belonging, and maybe a little unconventional romance.
Magic, mystery, murder, and romance. Waterspell: An intricate save-the-world fantasy adventure with complex characters, cosmic calamities, and the gothic sensibilities of Jane Eyre.
Since I returned to writing and publishing in 2022, my habit has been to run one promo a month, alternating among sites such as Book Barbarian, The Fussy Librarian, and Freebooksy. In 2025, my pattern fell apart because the world fell apart around me. (Damn you, Nazis and Fascists!) Several months passed with no promotional or marketing efforts at all from me. I was busy trying to save Democracy.
When November-December rolled around, I decided on a year-end push to raise my books’ visibility. Without really planning it, just scheduling whatever promos occurred to me, I ended up with:
A massive sale of my audiobooks, deeply discounted at Chirp
A half-price sale on all of my ebooks at Smashwords
Here’s hoping this flurry of publicity nets some new readers! The big audiobook sale at Chirp ends December 12, but the half-price sale on ebooks at Smashwords continues through January 1. Spread the word, won’t you? In these difficult economic times (people can’t even afford McDonald’s anymore) every reader of books needs and wants bargains.
I’m excited that my books are included in the Smashwords 2025 End-of-Year Sale! This is a chance to get the complete, entire Waterspell fantasy series at a 50% discount.
For more details, check out my double author profiles. I don’t know how it happened, but I’m listed twice at Smashwords, once with an underscore in my name, and once without. Go figure.
This would be a perfect time to stock up on books for your holiday and wintertime reading. You can also give books as gifts. Smashwords makes it easy. See the “About Gifting” page.
In these trying economic times, authors need your help! Keep us writing: please share this promo with your friends, family, and other bloggers. You can find the landing page here: smashwords.com/sale
As if creating an audiobook isn’t challenging enough, distributing it to retailers is a more complicated and unstable process than it ought to be. In June 2022 when the four-book boxed set of my Waterspell fantasy series was ready for release, I went with Findaway Voices as my distributor because I knew the name. At that time, I had not heard of Author’s Republic. Knowing that I wanted to go wide and not limit myself to the evil Amazon-Audible empire, I liked Findaway for its distribution model. It would get my audiobook into Chirp, Apple, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, and a bunch of audio retailers I’d never heard of, like Storytel and Downpour.
(INaudio’s Supposed Distribution Network)
Change Is Inevitable?
Alas, things kept shifting at Findaway. I had hoped to use them for production services, but Findaway dropped that service without even announcing they were dropping it. Their onetime narrator marketplace just disappeared off their website. Very fortunately for me, I then found the Usound audiobook recording service. From Usound’s roster of top talent, I snagged the amazing Simon de Deney to narrate the Waterspell boxed set, and the wonderful Hannah Eggleton to narrate the linked sequel, The Karenina Chronicles. Both of those professionals did excellent work.
But then, Spotify (yuck!) acquired Findaway in 2022, and I didn’t like Spotify’s reputation for paying musicians a pittance. I stuck around, though, because my audiobooks were still being distributed by the merged Spotify/Findaway entity to all known retailers, and I didn’t much care that my sales at Spotify were nearly nonexistent.
But THEN, in Autumn 2025, Spotify disengaged itself from Findaway, and the old Findaway Voices was rebranded once again as Voices by INaudio (led by Findaway veterans Blake Squires and Ralph Lazaro). I pretty quickly noticed a diminishment in the “off-brand” retailers to which my audiobooks were supposedly being distributed. They disappeared entirely from Libro.fm, and some of the links in INaudio’s “Retailer Link Tool” go nowhere. To be fair, however, I saw no disruption in the distribution to the major players such as Audible, Apple, Chirp, Kobo, and Barnes & Noble.
The Future of INaudio … and Me
I’m sticking with Voices by INaudio, for now, because a review at Reedsy.com says:
INaudio executives are reportedly planning to relaunch audiobook production services in the future.
They also want to bring back giveaway codes to help authors get downloads and reviews.
Both of those developments will be very welcome. In the meantime, I’m keeping an eye on my royalty statements from INaudio.
And I’ve said good riddance to artist-abusing Spotify. I have withdrawn my audiobooks from Spotify, to protest that platform’s immoral and tone-deaf decision to run recruitment ads for ICE, America’s racist Gestapo. My audiobooks remain available at other retailers.
(But only at Chirp are they on sale at really low, low prices in Autumn 2025. Such deep discounts will not soon be repeated, so you might want to check out the Nov-Dec sale.)
Just in time for your Holiday 2025 shopping and gifting! These are the lowest prices ever on the audiobook editions of Waterspell Books 1-4 (boxed set) and the linked sequel, The Karenina Chronicles: A Waterspell Novel.
Limited-time offer, available only at Chirp, where there’s no subscription fee. You buy only the audiobooks you want, when you want, and at the best prices anywhere. Click the images above, or go to:
These highly rated audiobooks return to their regular prices on December 13, 2025. Don’t miss this chance to save big!
Reviews
Highly rated for: Captivating Story • Wonderful Character Development • Magical Voice • Detailed Imagination • Unique Twist
• “A riveting series. Well written, excellent world-building with an engaging plot in each book and well-developed characters. I was gripped right from the start with twists I didn’t see and unpredictability.” —Aria, NetGalley
• “Complicated characters, plot twists, romance, adventure, and magic — all written in a voice that immerses you in a fantasy world both foreign and familiar. Get the box set because you won’t want to leave this world.” —Beck Digs It, Amazon
• “Listening to this book has been great. The story has twists and turns, it flows well and is neither too fast or too slow. The narrator is very real conveying anger as well as softness and intrigue. This is the type of audiobook you can listen to for hours and not get tired of.” —Sue, Audible
• “This story has such wonderful character, scene, and story development. I loved going along for the journey with the characters. I’ve read the books and am thoroughly enjoying the audiobook. The magical voice of the narrator makes the already great story even better, a whole new experience! Great read, highly recommend!” —Amanda, Audible
Through 5 January 2025, every book in the Waterspell fantasy series is on sale. The audiobooks are on sale, too! $14.95 for the four-book boxed set; $11.95 for The Karenina Chronicles. That’s $10 off the list price for each.
Available a la carte (without a subscription) at Chirp, Apple Audio, Spotify, and Nook Audiobooks. If you have an Audible membership, each book is 1 credit.
“Online piracy is a major factor contributing to the decline of authors’ income. Each year, the publishing industry loses hundreds of millions of dollars in lost sales to piracy—and with each lost sale, authors lose royalty income. There is a clear correlation between the decline in income from writing and the exponential growth of online pirate channels dedicated to distributing and selling illegal ebook copies.” —The Authors Guild
You CAN Get Free Books — Legally and Honestly
Authors often give away books to reach new readers and build their audiences. For example, the first book in my Waterspell fantasy series, The Warlock, is free at a whole host of retailers. Anyone can get it from their preferred store absolutely free: see the list of retailers at books2read.com.
Rather than downloading bootlegged ebooks from pirate sites, please sign up for one or more of the following legitimate book-lovers’ newsletters/emails. Subscribe for free, and enjoy a never-ending supply of free books:
If you find a book you particularly like at any of these sites, please consider purchasing an additional book from that author. Writers can’t keep writing if we have no income. Please support us with your book purchases. Thank you.
My Black Friday sale was encouragingly successful, so I’m repeating it. Through 5 January 2025, every book in the Waterspell fantasy series is on sale. Book 1: The Warlock is free, and the five subsequent ebooks are $1.99 each, which means you get the entire six-book series for only $9.95.
But wait! There’s more! Save $1 if you purchase the boxed set for $4.99 and add the two linked sequels for $1.99 each.
Available for all ebook devices: Kindle, Kobo, Nook, Apple, Google Play, etc.
“A must-read for fantasy enthusiasts who enjoy immersive world-building, well-developed characters, and a storyline that seamlessly blends magic and human emotion.” NetGalley
“In this saga, the author has created an epic fantasy world full of magic, danger, romance, and travel through time and space. The characters are vivid and complex, including a young woman on a hero’s quest, and a powerful warlock who isn’t sure whether to kill her or embrace her. This is a most enjoyable read for fans of fantasy and fine writing.” NetGalley
My first-ever Black Friday Sale! Now through December 4, 2024.
Get the four-book Waterspell bundle plus the two linked sequels for only $8.97. That’s a savings of $7 off the regular list price of the ebook editions.
“A must-read for fantasy enthusiasts who enjoy immersive world-building, well-developed characters, and a storyline that seamlessly blends magic and human emotion.” NetGalley
“In this saga, the author has created an epic fantasy world full of magic, danger, romance, and travel through time and space. The characters are vivid and complex, including a young woman on a hero’s quest, and a powerful warlock who isn’t sure whether to kill her or embrace her. This is a most enjoyable read for fans of fantasy and fine writing.” NetGalley
Such a busy week! And a busy month of August, from Day 1. The Karenina Chronicles (the newest book in the Waterspell series) is featured at Kobo all month in the category of “Science Fiction & Fantasy Under $5.99.”
Plus, The Karenina Chroniclesaudiobook is now available at Audible as well as all other major retailers.
🎉 I’m breathless with the speed of events. 🥳 If you’re looking for a good read for your August vacation, please check out The Karenina Chronicles: A Waterspell Novel in any format you like: print, ebook, or audiobook. Discover why readers call it “exceptionally vividly realized” and “engaging from page one.”
“An entertaining, fast paced, and well-plotted fantasy series. The world building is fascinating, and the characters fleshed out. Highly recommended.” —Anna Maria, NetGalley
“Jane Eyre meets Beauty and the Beast. Amazing story, very original. Great series.” —Emma, Amazon UK
“Captivating. I loved this series from beginning to end. Complex characters who mature through the series and unexpected plot twists kept me reading far too late into the night.” —Amy, Amazon
“Such a joy to narrate this. It didn’t feel like work. The story and characters take flight so naturally and then soar.” —Simon de Deney
“A must-read for fantasy enthusiasts who enjoy immersive world-building, well-developed characters, and a storyline that seamlessly blends magic and human emotion.” —Dalton, NetGalley
“I was HOOKED. I read until 3 am two nights in a row to finish this. The magic system is unique and the characters are as morally gray as they come.” —Megan, Goodreads
“In this four-book saga, the author has created an epic fantasy world full of magic, danger, romance, and travel through time and space. The characters are vivid and complex. This is a most enjoyable read for fans of fantasy and fine writing.” —Shirley, NetGalley
“A great read that features world building with drama and magical characters. Highly recommended.” —Neil, Amazon
“A riveting series. Well written, excellent world-building with an engaging plot in each book and well-developed characters. I was gripped right from the start with twists I didn’t see and unpredictability.” —Aria, NetGalley
“Lightfoot has a sure touch with regard to characterisation. Each of her characters has their own authentic and convincing voice. Narrative, description and speech are exceptionally well-balanced.” —Martin Dukes, author of the Alex Trueman Chronicles
“I absolutely loved all four books! You kept your storyline throughout the four books brilliantly. The characters were all genuine and relatable.” —Carol, Goodreads
“I was hooked instantly. I willingly gave up sleep and could not wait to get up to read more. I’m reading the whole series, and absolutely loving it.” —Sarah, Amazon
“Addictive epic fantasy, with drama and adventure. I binged through the books, eager to see how the story unfolds. Great book. 5 stars.” —Di, NetGalley
“An extraordinary book, four in fact! I read these over a five-day period and found the storytelling fantastic. See for yourself!” —Michelle, NetGalley
“Complicated characters, plot twists, romance, adventure, and magic — all written in a voice that immerses you in a fantasy world both foreign and familiar. Get the box set because you won’t want to leave this world.” —Beck Digs It, Amazon
You won’t want to leave this world.
Castles in the cornfield provided the setting for Deborah J. Lightfoot’s earliest flights of fancy. On her father’s farm in Texas, she grew up reading tales of adventure and reenacting them behind ramparts of sun-drenched grain. She left the farm to earn a degree in journalism and write award-winning books of history and biography. High on her bucket list was the desire to try her hand at the genre she most admired. The result is Waterspell, a multi-layered, intricately detailed fantasy about a girl and the wizard who suspects her of being so dangerous to his world, he believes he’ll have to kill her … which troubles him, since he’s fallen in love with her. Deborah is a professional member of The Authors Guild. She lives in the country near Fort Worth, Texas.
Magic, mystery, murder, and romance. Waterspell: An intricate save-the-world fantasy adventure with complex characters, cosmic calamities, and the gothic sensibilities of Jane Eyre.
Mix environmental fantasy with magic, mystery, and a little slow-burning romance, add dystopian undercurrents, and that’s the Waterspell series—a cross-genre story with too many layers for a single label.
