The arbitrary beginning
or happy new year
Hello Dear Readers,
I know it’s been a little while since you’ve seen me in your inbox. Best laid plans and all that. But I am hoping to be here more frequently with all things writing, reading, poetry, and life.
Thank you for sticking with me.
Before I get into everything, I would greatly appreciate if you nominated me for this indie grant! LJ Andrews & Melissa Roehrich are giving 8 indie authors $5k (along with other perks) to use towards their publishing endeavors. You can nominate multiple indies, so please, nominate all your favorites! Here’s the link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSft7RvWn5gneByPSd18fwDKbzDkpv9ZmdALtnUswK43LauykQ/viewform
In this news letter you’ll find (in order of appearance):
Notes on the New Year
Title Reveal for House of Poe Book II
TTWM Updates
2025 Plans
The Year of the Snake
There are a million reasons to avoid the hype of January 1st—resolutions never hold, it’s still the middle of winter and the season doesn’t relent for weeks yet, the commercialization of ‘new and improved’ is demoralizing (not to mention exhausting)… but when you’ve had a year like I have and January comes roaring toward you with hope, you give in.
And if you’re me, you burn the burdens and heartache of 2024 in the flames of renewal. And not just figuratively.
2025 is scary, but in a the way new dreams are. It feels big and wild and uncertain. I am going into this year starting a business, going full tilt on my author career, and placing all bets on me. Everyday is my opportunity to shape the life I want to live and while that is incredibly exciting, it is also harrowing for someone with anxiety.
I’m the kind of girl who reads the last chapter first, because I can’t stand to get engrossed in a story I don’t know the end to. Spoilers? There’s no such thing. I crave certainty.
But now the world is different… I’m different, and the only thing I’m certain of is myself.
So, here’s to living our lives on our own terms and finding a way forward when the path behind us has been destroyed! I hope each of you finds ways everyday to move the needle towards your dreams and goals, and that this year, you bet on yourself more, too.
House of Poe Book II - newsletter reveal
This may be why a lot of you opened this newsletter just DYING to know the title for the second book in the House of Poe series. Well, before I divulge I need to give a little plug to my House of Poe street team! They learned the title first. They also get most news before anyone else, including first dibs on arcs! It is free to join, all I ask is that you help me get the word out about this series. If you’d like to join, here is the link: https://www.samanthajon.com/street-team
Without further ado, here is the title for book two!
The Lies We Keep - House of Poe Book II
I will be sharing this on socials tomorrow and would be forever grateful if you would like, comment, share, and save the post to get the most traction!
TTWM Updates
A few updates on The Truths We Make -
This title will be removed from KU on February 9, 2025. I’m doing this so that I can open up arc requests for both books before the release of TLWK. Amazon has crazy strict rules on ebooks being allowed outside their platform while they’re on KU, so I can’t take the chance of getting removed. So, for now, that will be the last day that TTWM will be available through that service. If you have KU, consider downloading and reading it before then!
TTWM is having some audio recorded! I can’t talk much about this yet, but I am so excited to hear pages from my book come to life in audio. We’re not at the audiobook stage (YET) but this is a small step in that direction.
TTWM has hit 30 reviews (4.7 Stars! EEEK) and 126 adds on Goodreads! I would LOVE to hit 50 reviews and 150 adds before book 2 comes out, so if you haven’t already, please consider leaving a review. This is the #1 way you can help an indie with their books. Leave a Review Here
Those are all the updates I can share (for now!).
2025 Plans
I’ve talked a little here and there about my plans for this year, but I figured I would lay some of them out for you (and me) of what to expect from this newsletter and me this year.
I will be doing a hard cover giveaway of The Truths We Make in the next few weeks for newsletter subscribers! You’ll be able to gain entries by sharing, referring, commenting, liking, etc. With the TikTok ban and the emphasis on connecting with readers outside of social media platforms, I feel like this is necessary to share my newsletter with people who want to stay in touch.
As some of you may or may not know, I am opening my Business Coaching services full time by the end of January. I am also opening a few spots for creatives specifically who need help running the business side of their endeavors. This doesn’t have to be writers, as I know artists and other creatives struggle as well. If you know someone who could use some help, send them my way!
I have announced that TLWK will be coming out this year, but I am also working diligently on two other novels to publish - one is a hockey romance and the other is a romcom. I’m not announcing them because I don’t have the draft finished on one and the other is currently on submission with a publisher and I’m waiting to make a decision on whether or not I’m going to pull my submission and do it myself instead. TLWK is my top priority, BUT I am going to try my damnedest to do them all.
In February I am going to run a Pay What You Want Poetry Class. In it I will use a specific style of poetry to open up your use of lyricism in your writing and show you how you can transfer this technique into your fiction. I hope to see you all there!
I’m opening up a paid subscription option in February. Here I will share serial novels, the hard numbers of publishing, self publishing road maps, and more. Don’t worry, the stuff I share to my newsletter will still be the same!
Those are the current plans and roadmaps laid out for me. Things change and nothing is in stone, but I think to have an idea of the projects I’m working towards.
I’d love to hear about your goals for 2025! What are you hoping to see happen this year?