New here? I write fast-paced, slow-burn paranormal romance where strong women, good men, and impossible pressure push love to its limits. 💜

The Front Page

Hello from the planning-and-writing trenches!

I’ve been working behind the scenes on a few different things lately. I still have two books left to write in the Cursed to Love series, so you’ll be seeing preorders for those soon.

I’m also still working on Deadly Mark, book one in The Altered series. That world is big. Really big. So I’m taking my time with it, and I’ll update you once I know more. And I'm working on a third world, because... why not? That is the fun of being a writer.

I want to say a huge thank-you to everyone who answered last week’s questions about the newsletter. I asked whether you read everything, skim some sections, mostly want pictures and videos, or are mostly here for the puppy pics.

Honestly, I was humbled by how many of you said you read everything. Thank you. 💜

Because of your answers, I’ll be keeping the Behind the Pages section, and I’ll also be adding some videos soon. Or at least, I’ll be adding videos once I figure out how to make them. 😂

And I'd like to send out another thank you to everyone who replied and told me what kinds of prizes they enjoy most. That was really helpful, and because of your replies, I’ll be switching things up soon, including May’s prize. So make sure you vote in the 52-Week Journey each week. More votes mean more chances to win, and I have some fun things coming.

So, now for this week's question...

✨ The 52-Week Journey — Week 19/52 ✨

Last week I asked: Would you protect someone you love… even if it meant lying to them?

You said: Yes. And wow, you really meant it. 88% of you chose yes,

which makes this the strongest response to any question so far.

This week: Would you rather be the one who leaves… or the one left behind?

Click one to answer.

One Who Leaves

One Left Behind

Full Rules, Deadline, & Details Here.

I'll reveal May's prize soon. I promise. 💜 /KJ

Behind The Pages

Week 7 of the In Magic Series Posts — Trusting Yourself and Letting Go

Each week, I alternate between talking about a couple from one of the books and something specific to the series.

This week is about Rowena from Courage in Magic, so fair warning—there are spoilers ahead if you haven’t read it yet.

From the beginning of planning the In Magic series, I knew Rowena would be able to communicate with ghosts. But I also knew the first ghost couldn’t be easy.

It couldn’t be a stranger. It couldn’t be someone distant enough for her to study or help in a professional way. It had to be someone who would hurt.

So the first ghost Rowena hears clearly is Taren, her younger brother. Except he isn’t six anymore, the age he was when he died.

He’s older now, and that one detail raises questions Rowena isn’t ready to answer. Where has he been? Why is he older? Why can she hear him now? And if Taren is really gone, what does that mean for Mirek, her older brother?

That was the emotional core I wanted for Rowena.

Her gift gives her something she never thought she could have again—a connection to her brother. But it also forces her to face the grief she has spent most of her life carrying. And before she knows it’s Taren, before she understands what her magic is doing, Rowena has to live with something terrifying.

She can’t trust herself.

She’s hearing things no one else can hear. She’s seeing things no one else can see. And because she’s a psychologist, she knows enough to be scared by that. She knows the signs to look for, the questions to ask. She knows what it could mean if the cause wasn’t magic.

That part felt important to me. Because even though Rowena’s experience is supernatural, the fear underneath it is something much more relatable. Most of us aren’t hearing ghosts, but a lot of people know what it feels like to second-guess themselves. To wonder if they’re overreacting. To know something feels wrong, but not have enough proof to explain it. To be afraid that if they say the truth out loud, someone else might not believe them.

Rowena isn’t weak because she doubts herself. She doubts herself because what’s happening to her doesn’t fit into anything she can explain.

And on top of that, she’s carrying survivor’s guilt. Rowena lost her father, her brothers, and later her mother. She is the only one left from her immediate family, and that shapes the way she sees her life. She doesn’t just want to help people. She feels driven to help them. Almost like every person she saves, every person she counsels, every person she supports, helps prove she’s using the life she still has in the right way.

That’s a heavy thing to carry. And I think that’s where Rowena became more than her magic for me.

Her gift matters, of course. Talking to ghosts is a big part of her story. But the deeper part is this: Rowena has spent years trying to be worthy of surviving.

She helps people because she cares. But she also helps because loss left a mark on her. It made her feel responsible in a way no one person can truly be responsible.

That’s why Taren being her first ghost mattered so much. He isn’t only proof that her magic is real. He’s proof that her grief isn’t finished with her yet.

Hearing him gives her comfort, but it also hurts. Seeing him older than he was when he died gives her answers, but it creates more questions. And knowing she can speak to him doesn’t erase the fact that she still lost him.

That was the balance I wanted in Rowena’s story. Her magic gives her something extraordinary, but it doesn’t make grief simple. It doesn’t erase survivor’s guilt. It doesn’t instantly make her trust herself again.

It just gives her a place to begin. And sometimes that’s what courage looks like. Not being fearless. Not having all the answers. Not suddenly knowing exactly what to do.

Sometimes courage is admitting that what you’re feeling is real, even when you don’t understand it yet.

For Rowena, that starts with a voice no one else can hear.

And the hardest part isn’t believing in ghosts. It’s learning to believe herself. 💜 /KJ

Off The Page

Here's a bit about what's happening with me outside of writing...

It's been warm, and the buds are finally coming out on the trees. 🍃

Solo likes to hide under his place-bed in the living room and eat the straps that are underneath it. I'm getting good at sewing them back on.

A close up of Solo hiding.
And... you might be thinking "Why doesn't she stop him from eating the straps?" I pick my battles. 😆

We had to remove some patio bricks to get to a gas line and Solo decided it was a great sandbox. 🐶 (The gasline was gone, but the bricks weren't back in place yet). 😅

The Next Pages...

Stay tuned for more coming soon, along with preorder links!
I've got a few exciting projects in the works!

Until next time.... Wishing you a little hope, love, & magic every day! 💜

Get in touch

kj@kjwarawa.com

https://kjwarawa.com

Don't want to hear from me anymore?

I’m not offended, I promise! Just click here to unsubscribe.

What if grief answered back? 💜