Hello, I’m L.A. Barnitz
After spending many good years working in communications, raising my children and exploring India with my husband, I’ve returned to my lifelong passions–writing fiction and tending living things. I read a lot of different genres but fantasy, science fiction and horror are my things. If those are your things, too, I hope you’ll sign up for my occasional newsletter and let me know what you’re reading.
Thanks for visiting my website and learning more about my first published novel, The Stonebound Heir.
News & Updates
Two months now since The Stonebound Heir was launched, and I’m still excited about how this little indie novel is making its way in the universe. So far I’ve sold 80+ copies, which I feel is pretty good. At least it’s still above par with the sketchy internet info that says 90% of indie books sell 100 or fewer copies in their first year. You’ll help me beat this sad statistic, won’t you? TSH is available as an ebook on Amazon, Kobo, Barnes & Noble and more sites. The paperback is available on Amazon, and, fingers crossed, through Draft2Digital soon.
If you have read TSH already, thank you so much! Remember readers, your words are gold. Please leave a review on Amazon, Goodreads or anywhere else. The algorithm gods demand tributes!
Upcoming Events:
Sept. 25th, 5pm, Rolla Public Library, Rolla, MO.
Sept. 28th, 6:30pm, Lake Spring Community Building, Lake Spring, MO.
Novel release: June 26, 2024!
An epic journey of the heart.
Fourteen-year-old Sid Sol knows nothing about his origins but believes himself destined for better things than living in an isolated cabin with a giant and a girl whose strange appearance causes the locals to shun them. His fellow orphan, sixteen-year-old Lingli Tabaan, only wants a home where she will be safe from those who are convinced she’s from the otherworld.
In this coming-of-age story of secret origins, friendship, and betrayal, the arrival of a mysterious woman provides Sid with the chance to claim a more glorious future, but his departure doesn’t go smoothly, and star-cursed Lingli is forced to undertake a journey she never wanted after their guardian is brutally murdered.
Sid and Lingli meet again in Saatkulom where they
serve a mercurial maharani who will risk the realm to secure a new alliance while fighting her own inner demons. One teenager’s fortunes rise while the other’s fall. Will their loyalty to one another survive?
Cover art by Cristina Bencina.
Inspiration
The Place
I’m always curious about other writers’ and artists’ sources of inspiration, so let me share a bit about what inspired The Cursed Cycles series. Parts of the fictional world of novel, Ascarya Erde, draw upon Persian civilization and other places in our world, but it is heavily influenced by India’s medieval past as a result of my love affair with Indian forts, palaces, art and folklore. Living in India from 2009 to 2014 gave me ample opportunity to immerse myself in the mysteries of Gwalior, Chittorgarh, Udaipur, and the splendid ruins of Delhi–all of it firing my imagination like a firestick thrown onto a thatched roof (If you know, you know.).
The Characters
More than quests or vanquishing the villain, I’m fond of themes about finding courage and maintaining one’s humanity in the midst of inhumanity. Whether a character is just flawed or blind in some way or is downright messed up, they’ve all got something to say, and there is nothing I enjoy more than delving into the effects of deeply disfunctional families and bad parenting.
Little Hawk Books is my publishing company. I started it for two reasons. First, to get my own work out there. When I was writing The Stonebound Heir I queried about 50 possible literary agents after looking into their interests and other titles they had championed. It took me more hours than I care to think about. I received several polite declines, a couple of them actually sent very encouraging notes that bemoaned their inability to work with me, but I found myself on the receiving end of radio silence from the majority of agents queried. At the same time I was trying to follow a few writers on social media and I better understood how long it would take to see my work published even if I queried for another year and found the right agent. “Self,” I said to myself, “you are too old to wait for this. If you truly believe in this novel and want to see it in the hands of readers, you’re going to have to do it yourself.” So I did.
My second reason for starting this little publishing endeavor is to help other independent authors who believe in their work and are ready to give self-publishing a try. I’m not taking anyone’s projects out of their hands, but I am happy to offer advice and, where possible, help authors make connections with the cast of characters whose help you will need in real life. If you write fantasy, science fiction or horror feel free to contact me for more information about how Little Hawk Books might help you.
Contact
You can keep it simple and email me at l.a.barnitzbooks@gmail.com, reach out to me via Facebook or Instagram, or you can check out these links for extras. I love to hear from readers, but please be patient. I try to respond to everyone, but I don’t always respond quickly.