Over the weekend, it became clear that I had two choices left for the release of volume three:

1.) Release a roughly-edited, rushed final draft of Vanguard of Justice to you on schedule in April.
2.) Allow the retailers to cancel my pre-orders (which would cancel the rest of the series, too).

You all deserve the best I can give you in this series. Oracle of Life (volume one) and Monk of Death (volume two) are both already available to read. Book three, the file that was completely lost on my drives, though quickly revised, is very rough and needs time to go through the proper editing process before it releases.

What this means for you as readers:

Anyone who pre-ordered should now have received a pre-order cancellation notice from the retailers for books three and four.

I am going to step away from the series for a bit to clear my head and come back to Vanguard of Justice with fresh eyes and a fresh mind, to make this the best book of the series yet. When it's polished and ready for the world, I'll launch the book without a pre-order and let you all know it's available.

If you'd like an update when the book goes live, my newsletter subscribers will hear first (you can sign up here to receive my newsletters).

Thank you all again for your support, and for reading the worlds I've created!

​~Katherine

The Lords' Gambit Series is shifting to a brand new character and storyline once again in Volume Three: Vanguard of Justice, bringing knights, pirates, and assassins together in a high seas mythological fantasy adventure.

Knights

Freya, our newest main character, is the commander of the Order of Holy Knights.

Freya has been tasked with one primary duty: serve as an advisor, right-hand, and protector of Crown Princess Mariabelle, who is set to take her rightful place on the throne at the turning of her twentieth spring.

When the treasonous King Regent schemes to overthrow his niece's right to the throne, Freya stands between the princess she loves and the sure destruction awaiting her people.

Pirates

Pirate King Seba and his crew of shadows about The Celestial's Tears are the terror of both sea and land.

Said to be wraiths, the crew (under the watchful, shadowy eyes of First Mate Caitlin), is loyal to the estranged Prince of the shadow kingdom Kertopa.

When the King Regent of the lords' United Provinces offers Seba an opportunity to finally retake his throne in Kertopa in exchange for whisking Princess Mariabelle away, the Pirate King does not expect a Holy Knight to be the one standing in his way.

Assassins

Pirate or Knight, Princess or Prince those who board The Celestial's Tears never come back the same. Assassins hail from the ship, or at least that's what the legends say.

To return to Kertopa and break a dark curse thousands of years in the making, Freya finds herself making a deal with the shadows themselves to save her Princess, and their entire kingdom.

When the price for failure is her own soul in exchange, but success only sets the stage for world-wide war, Freya and Seba must decide how much having the right royal on the throne is truly, in the end, worth sacrificing.

Do you want to be a pirate in Vanguard of Justice? If so, here is your chance! See the wanted post below for more details on how to enter the drawing to have the first mate in the third volume of The Lords' Gambit Series named after you:

Introducing my newest main character: Kritinia!  

Kritinia was born to the Queen of Light, in secret, at the lord of Light's monastery.

Bearing the sigil of a sun as a birthmark assured her lineage as the lord of Light's heir, but an additional sigil--the lord of Dark's star--meant something much more powerful was at work. Labeled the 'Ultimate Treachery', she was left behind at the monastery to be raised as a boy in the lord of Light's service.

As she grew up, Kritinia dreamed of becoming a Holy Knight--a warrior monk in the Order of Light. She excelled at weapons training, but struggled with science and math. Beyond her studies, though, a single overwhelming choice always weighed on her: Should she continue her deception and take the vows of the Order upon her twentieth spring? Or should she leave the Order to try to find a semblance of a normal life?

Next week, Kritinia is bringing the second volume of The Lords' Gambit Series to life. One of the most exciting parts of writing this series has been bringing a new character's story to each tale. Kritinia, especially, is dear to my heart (I loved her character so much that I chose to use her name as my Fiverr username). 

She is witty, generous, and thoughtful. 

Quick on her feet, her primary strength in a fight is her nimble unpredictability. Kritinia is not a damsel; she is a life-long trained warrior.

When all she values is lost, and all her convictions come into question, Kritinia's strength may yet have the power to save her kingdom, and the lords themselves.

Want to be a part of Kritinia's journey?

-Grab your copy of Monk of Death here.
-Sign up for my newsletter here for launch week news and giveaways.
-And share your thoughts about my newest main character: Kritinia in the comments.

I am super excited to be able to invite you to join the Monk of Death ARC Team!

Unlike my Street Teams, this advance reader copy team does not require posting on social media. It honestly doesn't even require reviews (though honest reviews are always appreciated and helpful). 

If you'd like a chance to receive a free copy of Monk of Death (The Lords' Gambit Series Volume Two) before it released on February 14th, just fill out the form below. 

I will be selecting 20 people AT RANDOM (using the Wheel of Names) to gift a free advance copy of the book. And yes, this is open internationally.

My one ask?

That you be a lover of dark fantasy.

If dark fantasy is not really your thing (or if you've never given it a try), this may not be the best book to jump into the series with. In that case, I suggest checking out book one, Oracle of Life, instead to see if it's your style, since it is a shorter book. 

**ARCs are unedited, unformatted, advance reader copies of upcoming books. These books have been copyrighted are not to be resold. Because these ARCs are not yet edited, minor typos/grammatical errors may appear which should be edited out of the completed version. Please keep this in mind if you plan to review the book based on the ARC (as the version you're reading, while 100% the same in plot, is not  going to be the version put up for sale).**

Winners selected to receive copies will be e-mailed directly by Bookfunnel, NOT from me personally. Once Bookfunnel sends you your ARC copy, you have 5 days to download it (not just open it, but actually download it to a desktop) before your link will expire. Once a link has expired, you waive your right to a free ARC copy of the book and will not be resent a new link.

-Learn more about the first volume in The Lords' Gambit Series here
-Grab your copy here
-OR listen in to the opening/first chapter live here

You can also keep up with all the upcoming news about The Lords' Gambit Series by signing up for my newsletter here (and I'll send you a free book as a thank-you for signing up).

Want to learn more about Oracle of Life?

-Grab your copy while it's still only 99 cents HERE
-Take THIS QUIZ to see which character your would be in the book
-Join TEAM NARIAH (the main character's team) or TEAM IRONY (the goddesses' team) and get a special digital badge for launch day
-Sign up for my newsletter HERE to stay in-the-loop on future giveaways and writing news (and I'll send you a free e-book as a thank-you gift for signing up) 

-A FREE advance reader copy of Oracle of Life e-book.
-A weekly live read leading up to launch week, with the author in a Street Team only group video call.
-4 Street Team exclusive contests featuring swag & other prizes
-Your first name included in the "acknowledgements" section of the book

-Post at least once on your social media platforms to share about Oracle of Life, and talk about why you wanted to be on the street team.
-Participate in the Street Team contests as you are able/wish.
-Share your favorite quotes, characters, etc. on your socials/blog after the live reads. (Optional)
-Post about the release on launch day (January 17th, 2023) on all of your social media platforms and (if applicable) your blog.

AN IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT LEAVING BOOK REVIEWS:

Reviews are NOT EXPECTED, NOR REQUIRED, to be on my street team. Honest reviews are always appreciated and helpful, but I do not mandate them and you don't have to send me proof of them.

It's time! Come RSVP for The Lords' Gambit Series reveal party here!

Date: Thursday, December 15th, 2022
Time: 11:30am Central Time (12:30pm Eastern, 9:30am Pacific)
Where: Katherine D. Graham's Oracles of Dark Fantasy Facebook Group here
What: See all five covers and titles, learn a little about each main character, and join in on some giveaways/games!

Want to stay in the loop on The Lords' Gambit Series news?

-Subscribe to my newsletter here for frequent updates and a free book
-See which character you would be in Oracle of Life (volume one of The Lords' Gambit Series) here
-Follow me on Bookbub or Goodreads for a notification when my books are released