We’re not going to make you wait for the first and most important reveal for our Romantasy Retellings Novella Competition.
The winner(s) prize will be made up of the following self-publishing services, aimed at helping them get their fantasy romance novella to readers with all the TLC it deserves!
Further to this, every £25 entry fee grants, not only the ability for writers to submit their work, but a year’s exclusive subscription to the Mythic Alley Substack, where we will be posting regular writing craft and self-publishing advice tailored to each stage of the competition and nurturing a writing community for independent authors of romance.
The submission window opens on 19th October 2026 & closes at midnight (GMT) on 30th November 2026.
Submit the first five thousand words of your romantasy novella, retelling the fairytale of your choice, along with a two-page synopsis, to be in with a chance to win.
We now have a dedicated page on this website, where you can read through the full entry guidelines, terms and conditions, and how to enter our Underrepresented Writers Competition Entry Sweepstake.
(And maybe grab a cup of tea because we’ve done our best to leave no stone unturned)
It’s safe to say that the majority of the Mythic Alley coven are extremely happy to welcome the cooler months as we move towards the end of the year. (Jess enjoys basking in the sunshine but we won’t hold that against her!)
As well as heralding temperatures less likely to have the rest of us fleeing for shelter from the merciless heat, September always has a back-to-school vibe. Literally, our kids are going back to school, which might give us a bit more time for writing stuff if we are lucky, but also, the indoctrination of our youth makes it feel like a second chance at a new year.
So, what have the coven been up to over the long, ridiculously hot summer? And what have we each got planned for the rest of 2026?
Emma Jackson
All of Emma’s plans this year were thrown out the window when her partner was diagnosed with cancer in spring. Treatment is underway, and the summer was spent getting used to the new normal, trying to entertain the kids and dabbling in writing as and when life allowed. Work on Forest of Souls and Starlight was unfortunately put on the backburner, but she did complete a number of developmental edit reports, which is something she loves. If writing for herself is too difficult, offering support and advice to other writers is the next best thing!
The rest of 2026 is going to be dedicated to more editing commissions*, seeing what writing is possible without any pressure, and hopefully getting back to recording a couple of special episodes for the SFFRomCast!
*check out herwebsiteif you are interested in working with her.
Jessica Haines
Jessica somehow managed to complete her edits for her demon why choose novel, around working and the summer holidays! (Superstar). She also attended lots of concerts, with her husband, bless him, going viral at My Chemical Romance (check out her socials to see why).
Her cover designer is working on a gorgeous cover for her demons, so look out for a cover reveal and release before the end of the year!
In addition to all that, Jess is drafting the final book in the Grotesque Family series and book two in the House of Voluptus series! And Emma will be nagging her to do podcast things too probably.
Kate Kenzie
Kate spent the summer working hard on her witchy release for One More Chapter, as well as continuing with her MA in Creative Writing!
To herald the beginning of the ’ber months, Kate planned an at-home writing retreat for herself, which is, frankly, a genius idea! Here is Katie’s beautiful cover, by the way. You can click on it to pre-order for April 2027!
Emma-Louise Smith
Emma also made it to the milestone of “the end” on a writing project! (How awesome are these ladies?). Her winter romance is not fantasy but we love all kinds of romance here, and we’re sure lots of readers do too, so look out for that one.
The end of this year is packed full of exciting plans for Emma, too. She will be attending her first in-person writing event at Once Upon a Tyne (click the above image to find out more), and is aiming to publish a short Halloween release, as well as working on her edits for her winter romance and outlining more projects!
And The Whole Coven…
In case you missed it, all of the Coven are extremely excited to be launching the Romantasy Retellings Novella Competition! Our official announcement was on Tuesday, which you can check out here. Full entry guidelines, and terms and conditions, are on the way so make sure you are following so as not to miss them. Mythic Alley will be opening for entries on Monday 19th October!
How was your summer and what have you got plan for the ‘Ber months?
The Mythic Alley coven is extremely excited to announce that we will be launching The Romantasy Retellings Novella competition this autumn!
Our imprint was founded by a group of fantasy romance writers wanting to self-publish but finding the cost of professional services prohibitive. We banded together to share the breadth of our skills, experience and knowledge, in order to do justice to our stories, both for our readers and ourselves. The Romantasy Retellings Novella Competition has been created with the same ethos because:
“Independent Doesn’t Have to Mean Alone”
Rather than a monetary prize, we are offering a package of services to help (up to three*) winners publish their romantasy novellas. Everything from edits, cover design, formatting guidance and mentoring, to the offer of publication under the Mythic Alley imprint, with the writer retaining full rights to their winning novella and 100% of their royalties.
Further to this, every £25 entry fee grants, not only the ability for writers to submit their work, but a year’s exclusive subscription to the Mythic Alley Substack, where we will be posting regular writing craft and self-publishing advice tailored to each stage of the competition and nurturing a writing community for independent authors of romance.
We will also be open to donations to fund entry places for marginalised writers. Every time the donation pot reaches £25, we will run a sweepstake in order to award a marginalised author a free entry into the competition.
We’ll be looking for the first five thousand words of your romantasy novella, retelling the fairytale of your choice, along with a two-page synopsis, before those shortlisted will be asked to submit their completed novella.
The submission window will open on 19th October 2026
and closes at midnight on 30th November 2026.
Follow us here, on social media, or on Substack for free, to be the first to see our full entry details for the competition and the sweepstake, and our terms and conditions – coming soon!
*Entry fees directly support our Mythic Alley team to offer the services that make up the prize. Each time we pass the required amount to compensate the coven, we will offer another winning spot (with a maximum of three). The more entries there are, the more winners we can offer the prize to!
The Mythic Alley team had to take a break over the last couple of months to concentrate on personal issues but we are gearing up to be back properly in the autumn. Coincidentally the best season for fantasy romance!
While we were away from the social side of things, some of the coven were still working hard to bring new words to readers, and this included the second book in Emma Louise Smith’s Crestwood Falls series!
Crestwood Falls: Inherited Magic is the spellbinding conclusion to the award-winning Crestwood Falls duology: a cosy paranormal romance of secrets, stolen hearts, and the magic that was always meant to find her.
Freya Lockchild came to Crestwood Falls to heal, but she stayed to belong. When the truth about her parents’ murders points to one of the most powerful Witches in the magical world, Freya knew she had to act.
With an inherited magic she doesn’t yet understand, a mission that puts everything she loves at risk, and a new ally that changes everything, Freya must go undercover, deep into the heart of the darkness that took her parents, before it claims someone else.
But justice for her parents comes at a cost, one that will push her further into danger than she has ever been and forces her to act in ways she struggles to reconcile. It asks her to trust her heart when everything else is uncertain.
And if you haven’t read the first book, there’s nothing better than diving into a series knowing it’s complete! Both books are available in paperback, eBook and via Kindle Unlimited!
Follow us now to make sure you don’t miss any of the exciting news about what is coming up next from the Mythic Alley team. Writers of fantasy romance, especially, should stay tuned!
If you enjoy Lillian Lark’s Bathhouse Monster romance, but are looking for a touch more contemporary in novella length, Jessica Haines’ Eurybia is likely to tickle your fancy! For an added bonus, it’s the first book in the House of Voluptus series so there will be more short and spicy reads on the way!
Welcome to the House of Voluptas. Where copulation is her occupation.
Ever wondered what the Goddess of Sexual Pleasures and her three Graces do in their spare time? They open a sex club on Earth for all those who need something more in life, but aren’t sure where to find it.
And Voluptas is ready to give you a front row seat.
When the black envelope arrives on Lucy’s desk it seems to be offering her the one thing she needs; a break from the monotony of life she’s found herself lost in. Accepting the invitation gives Lucy the kick she thinks she needs. And one visit will be enough, right?
But little does she know, the Goddess isn’t satisfied with just a one-time deal.
Once she’s inside, and in the arms of a mysterious stranger, things start to make sense. All except the identity of the man behind the mask. But when the man is revealed, will things still look as good once the endorphins have faded.
The Mythic Alley monthly updates took a little hiatus over March and April as the whole coven were heads down, scribbling away at new words and edits. May signals our return as we have some big news coming soon, as well as releases on the way!
But first up, feast your eyes on the cover reveal for the first book in a new series by Jessica Haines!
Welcome to the House of Voluptas. Where copulation is her occupation.
Ever wondered what the Goddess of Sexual Pleasures and her three Graces do in their spare time? They open a sex club on Earth for all those who need something more in life, but aren’t sure where to find it.
And Voluptas is ready to give you a front row seat.
When the black envelope arrives on Lucy’s desk it seems to be offering her the one thing she needs; a break from the monotony of life she’s found herself lost in. Accepting the invitation gives Lucy the kick she thinks she needs. And one visit will be enough, right?
But little does she know, the Goddess isn’t satisfied with just a one-time deal.
Once she’s inside, and in the arms of a mysterious stranger, things start to make sense. All except the identity of the man behind the mask. But when the man is revealed, will things still look as good once the endorphins have faded.
Eurybia is the first volume in a series of novellas and will be out on 2nd June!
Subscribe here, on our Substack or via social media to be first to know when it’s available for pre-order and what is coming next for the Mythic Alley coven!
We might be a few days late in terms of giving a monthly wrap up, but there has been lots happening with the Mythic Alley team and World Book Day seems a fitting time to let everyone know about it!
Jessica has been busy working on the edits for her demon Why Choose, and she is happy to say, it’s coming on better than she hoped. (We never doubted it would!) She has also been tweaking the plot on the second novella in her Goddess series while looking at cover ideas for the first book, which she wrote last year.
Both Jess and Emma have been getting lots of recording underway for Season Twelve of the SFFRomCast, and the first two have been released already. There are interviews, trope chats, and deep dives into fantasy romance topics heading listeners way!
Emma has been working on revisions for her second contemporary romance. Ideas have made that take a little longer than originally planned but hopefully it will bring more to the story! She has also been working on the cover for it!
As mentioned above, podcast recording has featured heavily too, and she spent some time putting together a proposal for her Mythic Alley coven members about an Idea she had. The Coven have now been consulted and there may be some exciting news coming soon! She also made a concerted effort to post regularly as part of #RomFicFeb26 – organised by the Romantic Novelists’ Association – and found lots of lovely new writers in the online romance community.
Katie took part in some of the #RomFicFeb26 too, around being very busy getting the first draft of her Cackleshore Academy novel sent off to her publisher and receiving her edit notes back. Not only that, she handed in a short story assignment to uni and discovered a new coffee shop with amazing hot chocolate and dinosaur infested plants!
And Emma-Louise wrote a whopping 25341 words and hosted an at home 3 day retreat for herself which was fun! She also finalised all projects for 2026 and started branching out more with her design work.
And last but not least, we are delighted to announce that Crestwood Falls won first place in the Indie Author Awards for Best Young Adult Fantasy! Well done Emma-Louise – massive congratulations!
What a month! If you’d like to hear more updates from the Mythic Alley Coven and be first to find out our exciting news for the imprint, be sure to subscribe!
In light of the most recent article giving airtime to the idea of a “writer” using generative AI to produce a book in a day, and 200 books a year — the Coven would like to make our readers a promise.
Our books do not, and will not, use AI to generate the words, story or cover.
We do not believe that art is a race. We do not create because we are heading for some mammoth goal of “most work produced” (with work being a dubious descriptor). We are writers because we want to spend time writing our stories — writing is the goal, not an inconvenience.
We may joke about it being a curse sometimes because the process of writing can be stressful or frustrating, but that is only because we care. If the precise direction of our stories, the words we used, the images they create and the emotions they evoke, did not matter to us, writing would certainly be a whip-fast business, with or without the use of AI. But it is precisely because we do care, because we want to tell our stories in our own words, that it is hard. As many worthwhile human experiences are. Because ultimately, at it’s heart, that is what art is all about.
Humans communicating about being human with other humans.
Between this fundamental truth, the knowledge that AI language and art generators have been built from the stolen work of writers and artists, and the detriment to the environment, it is a big, fat “no, thanks” from us here at Mythic Alley.
The same applies to AI artwork. We will never knowingly use AI generated images on our covers or as character art or in our marketing. It is getting harder to tell whether or not resources in stock libraries have been generated by AI but we will do our utmost and beg your forgiveness if we slip up in that regard, and the chance to rectify it — after all, we are only human!
Last week we did an introduction to each of the Coven members of Mythic Alley and a wrap up of their 2025. This week, we’d love to share the projects everyone has brewing in their cauldrons of creativity!
First up Jessica Haines:
Jess is aiming to complete her demon why choose novel and get it to the editing stage.
The third book in the Grotesque Brothers series is on her radar, with the intention to dive back into planning and drafting.
Publication of the as yet unnamed but complete novella in the Goddess romance series is the hope for 2026, along with planning for book two.
Outside of writing and publishing (sort of) Jess will be returning to the Meet Cute Book Fest again with Emma, to record more flash interviews for the SFFRomCast and meet lots of awesome readers and writers!
Next up Emma Jackson:
Those waiting on the second book in The Devil’s Bride series, will be happy to know that Forest of Souls and Starlight, the follow up to the gothic paranormal romance, House of Secrets and Shadow, is high on Emma’s list of priorities, with hopes to release it in Autumn.
Outside of fantasy and paranormal romance, Emma also plans to re-release two of her contemporary romances, Summer in the City (May 2026) and One Kiss Before Christmas (September 2026).
As mentioned above, she will be off to the Meet Cute Book Fest with Jess, and they will be recording more of the SFFRomCast from January onwards. She is also hoping to dip her toe into the waters of appearing at local craft fairs to sell signed books. We’ll be sure to let you know where and when incase you live near and want to pop by!
Now for Kate Kenzie:
Once again we are sharing Kate’s post which has some teasers of news for 2026!
And last, but by no means least, Emma-Louise Smith:
Emma-Louise is aiming to publish the second Crestwood Falls book in the early part of 2026. Watch this space for more news!
Another publication will be Tiding of Terror, a YA horror, and Emma-Louise has plans to write for two different anthologies, as well as three full length novels! A witchy revenge tale, dark paranormal romantasy and a romance!
Emma-Louise will also be launching the Noctuary: Notes from the Long Dark – a study in folklore, horror, macabre, gothic and paranormal.
So many exciting projects on the bubble! Are there any in particular you’d love to hear more about? Let us know and subscribe now not to miss more of Mythic Alley’s book news!
To start off the year we thought we’d do a little round-up of what happened with each of the Coven during 2025, as well as announce our new Substack! (If you are on the platform, you can subscribe to follow us here for free.)
If you prefer getting our latest news here though, that’s all good too! We’ll continue to update our blog. Read on for our 2025 round up!
What did Jessica get up to in 2025?
The start of the year saw the release of Jess’s second book in the Grotesque Brothers series, Body of Stone.
As well as completing the first novella in a planned series relating to various Gods/Goddesses, Jess began writing a Why Choose romance with demons. This is almost finished and will run into early 2026 plans.
Jess also a massive year with the SFFRomCast podcast co-hosted with fellow coven member Emma. They branched out and started inviting other authors on to chat with them and held several panels towards the end of the year. Not only that, they ventured out into the real world to attend the Meet Cute Romance Fest. It was a blast and they met many lovely people – some of whom contributed to the special summer season of podcasts recorded at the festival! And finally, The SFFRomCocktail Book was released. Drinks were had, books were read, all was delicious! Would recommend it to your friends and family.
What did Emma get up to in 2025?
First of all, see the above paragraph of podcast fun in Jessica’s section!
October saw the release of House of Secrets and Shadow with Mythic Alley, which was quickly followed by her festive contemporary romance, A Mistletoe Miracle in December.
Behind the scenes, Emma has been doing her best to learn more about self-publishing and working on a variety of projects, including some short stories and a brand new contemporary romance featuring a marriage of convenience – one of Emma’s absolutely favourite tropes! Outside of writing – but not too far outside – she also completed developmental edits for a number of clients!
What did Kate get up to in 2025?
We’ll let Kate tell you in her own words in her latest Substack post which is well worth a follow – and she’ll give a sneak peek of what’s in store for her in 2026!
What did Emma-Louise get up to in 2025?
2025 saw the publication of Emma-Louise’s debut novel, Crestwood Falls, which has been nominated for two awards across eighteen categories! (You can vote in the latest round here.)
She wrote two more books and three short stories!
Emma-Louise also graduated with her Masters and launched a Crime Writing Course!
2025 was definitely an exciting and productive year for the Mythic Alley team and we have big plans for 2026! Follow us here, on Substack or on social media to find out next week what the Coven has brewing!
