Happy Spring, Starlight Readers!

It's been a busy couple months here in the Burke household. We weathered winter with only one major flu that wrecked our schedule. How about you?

And while the ice and snow kept us inside quite a bit, we still loved the beauty of the clear blue skies and winter wonderland. Now, the family is divided on whether we want the temps to warm up or stay colder for awhile longer.

I much prefer cooler weather to the coming summer swelter if I do say so myself.

In January, I introduced you to myself and to this fabulous newsletter that's supposed to drop in your inbox once a month. (I have no idea where February even went.) This month, I figured you should get to know the books ... well, the ones that are published anyway.

Therefore, I present to you ... The Sacred Armor Trilogy.

Ooo ... pretty colors.

(You'll find I'm all about color.)

The Sacred Armor trilogy follows Karina, a young healer who finds her world turned upside down when she's suddenly crowned queen.

As if that isn't enough--before she even has time to understand or settle into her new role--she's tasked with retrieving the sacred armor of her people in order to defeat an ancient evil that's infecting her world.

Each book follows her and a growing ragtag group of friends as they travel the three kingdoms to find the temples, complete the challenges each piece of the armor requires, and retrieve each piece of the armor.

But the longer it takes, the more the world around them succumbs to evil and the more treachery they have to avoid!

In this tale, you'll find bits of self-discovery, adventure, forgiveness, romance, battles, and more ...

​JOIN THE ADVENTURE TODAY!​

I'm knee-deep in edits for the new book series. Yay! This is what it looks like right now:

Book 1 is with the proofreaders/Alpha readers.

Book 2 is with my editor.

Book 3 big self-edits start this week!

Books 4-6 are looking lonely in the corners of my hard drive.

Yes, I'm insane. I'm also not sure how I'll continue to balance all this. So if you feel led to send me dark chocolate, I won't say no.

(I also need to figure out how to add emojis in KIT.)

The BIGGER update is that I'm doing a dual-launch of a Kickstarter and a Cover Reveal (for Book 1) on WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8!

Would you like to be involved?

​I need street team members who would love to get the word out about my dystopian fantasy series!​

Here's my working tagline for the EmberBright Saga:

A kingdom on the brink of civil war requires the intervention of the EmberBright. Unfortunately, she’s still unaware of her destiny.

If you love:

• Political Stakes
• Chosen One
• Stories that MOVE
• Familiar Magic Systems with a Twist

Sign up for my street team! I'd love to have your help! (And I'm all about creating community and gushing over fandoms.)

Due to, well, life, I haven't had as much time to read the last couple months. However, I'm still diving into some amazing stories.

What I'm Reading:

Last time, I was reading Book 1, now I'm well into Book 2. I love Novalise's character (and the others as well). The only way to save her people is to betray the king she vowed to protect.​ ​ Buy now

Coming Soon ...

Several of my friends have books releasing in the next few days, weeks, months ... And I'm so excited to share them with you. I think there's a little something here for everyone. And maybe something for your kids, too!

As the first quarter of the year comes to a close, what has you struggling?

Often as the seasons change, we find ourselves trying to keep up. What we really need to do is take a step back, breathe in deep, and just ... take a moment.

We live in a time of "hurry up." Taking a moment seems like just the opposite and leaves us feeling panicked. We're always running behind. Something always needs to be done. Someone always needs our help.

But when that moment is just us. When we're by ourselves. When we close our eyes and we focus on God.

Something magical happens.

Everything starts to fall into place.

Don't get me wrong. It's not actually magic. I'm not saying if you take a step away, close your eyes, and pray that all your problems will go away.

Not at all.

What I am saying is often times we forget where God falls in the midst of the chaos. We forget His place in our everyday lives.

And when we do ... that's when chaos starts to rule us. Instead of us being in charge of our day.

So, let's remember to take a moment. Breathe in. Pray.

And take another step forward today.

#ShineBeyond, my beautiful friends.

What are you most proud of accomplishing this month?

Wow. I can't believe we're already at the end of the first quarter of 2026. That's insane!

In February, I got to go to the Realm Makers Writers Retreat in Florida. What a breath of fresh air. I needed that.

Next week, I'm hosting the online version of the same retreat in the RealmSphere.

Are you a member of the RealmSphere?

If you're a science fiction/fantasy writer, this is the place for you! We're a community of writers/creators (beginners and experienced) who learn and grow together.

If you're a fan of sci-fi/fantasy ... well, there's room for you too! We've got plenty around the RealmSphere for you.

In fact, we're taking nominations for the Reader's Choice Award right now!

Next month, we have the Spring Book Festival. Plus, there's RealmieWriMo (a chance for writers/creators to set some productivity goals and chase after them with friends!).

Don't forget to sign up for my Street Team if you love helping authors get the word out about their latest books! ​Apply Here!​ Let me know! For now, I'll see you next month. Don't forget to #ShineBeyond! Blessings, Ralene