Treasures, quests, allies, and abandoned relics!

Hi fellow travelers,

You've probably either heard or noticed this already, but Jandalf the Green can be a rather scattered and clumsy wizard.

Especially at this time of year, when I come back from Christmas Break to find my desk covered with scrolls, scrips, and other messages that seem to have arrived by magic!

At least, that's my excuse for the fact that I've been dropping the ball left and right when it comes to stuff I meant to share with you.

And my last newsletter was dedicated to my Top Ten Reads of 2024, so not much catching up occured then.

Maybe we can get back on track by the end of the first month of 2025, at least?

Because Jandalf the Green has lots of adventures to invite you into.

Treasures!

It's been a whole year since my short story, "People of the Rain," was published in Voices of the Future Vol. 1: Stories of Family and Fearlessness!

Not only does this mean I get to share my writing with you in a beautiful physical book.

It's also a key to my current treasure hunt.

You see, Voices of the Future is a fundraiser that helps me and my Author Conservatory classmates earn money to attend writer's conferences.

My plan is to attend a conference this year where I can pitch my new novel, The Henchgirl and the Hero, to agents and/or publishers.

This could help the book get published months or even years faster than it would otherwise!

But of course, conference registration isn't free.

So I'm working to raise $500 for conference registration by this summer.

I was hoping to hit the halfway point by the end of 2024.

Well, look what you all helped me do by purchasing book copies!

Not only did we cross the halfway mark, we blazed past the 75% mark!

Thank you so much for contributing out of your own treasure to help my horde grow large enough to purchase conference registration.

Guess what?

We only need to sell 7 more Voices of the Future copies (assuming full $17 price) to hit that $500 goal!

Would you like to help me cross the finish line of my treasure hunt?

Buy a signed copy of Voices of the Future

A note for those of you who don't live in the Kansas City area: starting January 24th, shipping will increase from $5 to $9.

Yes, this is why I'm sending this email on a Tuesday rather than a Saturday like normal.

I know it seems crazy expensive, but unfortunately, that's what shipping a book to you costs at the moment.

So if you can't receive your book from me in person, I would recommend placing your order by the 23rd to take advantage of that lower shipping cost!

Buy a signed copy of Voices of the Future with shipping

Or, if you DO live in the Kansas City area, I would love to give you your book in person and let you save a few dollars.

Buy a signed copy of Voices of the Future WITHOUT shipping

The Quest Returns!

What if you want to help me adventure to writers' conferences and take the next steps in my author journey, but it's not the right time for you to invest financially?

Well, a while ago, I introduced you to the Quest of Five Tasks, which is a fabulously adventurous way to support my author journey that won't cost you a cent.

And it comes with a fittingly fabulous prize.

Then I kind of...forgot about it.

Oopsie.

Anyway, the Quest is back.

I originally gave a deadline of December 5th, which of course is no longer applicable.

The new deadline for completing the Quest of Five Tasks will be April 30th, 2025.

In a sense I'm glad to be extending this. Because I really want to make sure you all have time to earn the fabulous prize.

And the fabulous prize is...

"People of the Rain" character art by my friend Anna Carroll!

Here's just a peek at the fabulousness:

That's right, this art includes Cirrus and Geshemo, who have never been drawn before, as well as Moriyah!

The whole picture is just amazing. You do not want to miss seeing it!

And you can do so as soon as you complete the Quest here:

Behold the Five Tasks!

Let me know if you have questions about any of this!

Shoutout to my faithful friends who have already completed the Quest despite my total lack of reminders. Give yourselves an extra snack today as a reward.

Allies!

Speaking of NOT so faithful friends, I wanted so share something with you from a fellow author this Christmas. And I, um, didn't.

My friend and classmate Lydia Smith is a biblical fiction author. In December, she sent her newsletter subscribers serial Christmas-themed short stories. Which I thought was such a cool idea!

Unfortunately, there's a gap between thinking something and acting on it, and sharing Lydia's newsletter with you fell right into that chasm.

Now, Christmas might be over (we haven't taken down our decorations yet, so I'm not sure).

But if you join Lydia's newsletter and ask her really, really nicely, she might be willing to share her stories with you still?

Worth a try, at least! Especially if you're a biblical fiction fan.

Join Lydia Smith's email list so she won't think Jandalf the Green is a bad friend

Abandoned Relics!

I would love to blame my discombobulation and lack of remembrances on the Christmas season. But the truth is, all the way back in October, I made a YouTube video that I've managed to not edit and post.

The question is, should I take the time to edit and post it?

It's the video where I talk more about War and Peace and whether it was worth the time and effort to read such a massive, old, intimidating book.

Would you watch that video?

If not, you need only remain silent. I know how to interpret it when a question like that leaves me listening to the crickets. No hard feelings in that case.

But if you DO think this video should see the light of day, please let me know! Otherwise, it'll gather dust in the back hallways of my computer.

Whether this video piques your interest or not, what DO you want me to make YouTube videos about this year? What would be worth your time to watch?

Of course, if you'd like to watch something right now, there's always my Top Ten Reads video.

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The End

Ok, unless I'm forgetting something else (which is more than likely), I think that catches us up on 2024 stuff.

On to the adventure of 2025!

Ok, one last comment about 2024. In my final email of the year, I asked what you guys think of stories with real heroes.

And I LOVED your responses! It was such a good conversation. Thank you for clarifying my thinking on this topic and confirming that I'm writing the type of story that a lot of readers want to read!

In my next email, I'm super excited to give you an update on The Henchgirl and the Hero and open up a new conversation: what makes a character the kind of hero you want to read about?

If you'd like to be early to the party, feel free to go ahead and answer the question now!

Do you feel settled into 2025 yet, or are you still catching up on 2024?

Adventurously yours,

Jenny Gossell (Jandalf the Green)