Media Kit

Author & editor Talena Winters

Get to know Talena Winters.

Mother, writer, knitwear designer, composer, tea and silver lining addict, adoptive mom, and child loss survivor.

 
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Low-resolution preview only. Click on image for high-resolution printable photo.

Highlights

  • Author of page-turning fiction for teens and adults in the the fantasy, contemporary romance, and women’s fiction genres. (See books.)

  • Freelance editor and copywriter specializing in developmental editing for indie authors, book description copywriting, and teaching copywriting.

  • Knitwear pattern designer under her label My Secret Wish Knitting.

  • Composer of several award-winning songs (see Music page).

  • Former lead writer for Peace Region magazine Move Up.

  • Short fiction “Up In Smoke” published in Constellate eZine, March 2019.

  • Blogger since 2006. Writer of the Author Alchemist blog for authors and her personal blog, Winters’ Day In.

  • Mother of four boys—three natural children and one adopted in 2013 at age one and lost in 2015 at age three.

  • Raised in Sylvan Lake, Alberta, Canada, and currently resides in Peace River, Alberta.

  • Addicted to tea and silver linings.

Also see my About page.

Bios

 

Author Bio & Speaker Introduction

 

One-liners:

Clean & sweet romance, gripping women’s fiction, and epic young adult mermaid fantasy author and tea addict.

Breathtaking epic fantasy, gripping women's fiction & heartfelt clean romances. Experience the magic.

Soundbite bio:

Talena Winters writes page-turning books, empowering knitting patterns, the Author Alchemist blog, and musical theatre, plus edits other people’s work—all while drinking copious amounts of hot caffeinated beverages. She wants to be a mermaid when she grows up.

Long Biography:

Talena Winters writes page-turning fiction for teens and adults in multiple genres including young adult epic historical mermaid fantasy, contemporary romantic fiction, and more.

Besides writing fiction, she also blogs, designs knitting patterns, and, for many years, was the lead writer for regional magazine Move Up. She is passionate about helping develop other writers’ stories as a freelance editor. Having started her career in the music industry, she has written several award-winning songs and has an almost-finished musical based on the biblical story of Esther which was co-written with Candace Marshall waiting in the wings.

Her first novel, an inspirational romance called The Friday Night Date Dress, was released just two weeks after the sudden and traumatic death of her three-year-old son in 2015. This experience dramatically changed her outlook on life, love, death, and faith. She wrote her second novel, Finding Heaven, a romantic psychological women’s fiction about a woman recovering from an abusive past, as an expression of that newfound understanding. Praise for that book has been overwhelmingly positive, with one reader calling it “one of the most beautifully written books I have read” (Kristin Dyck, editor of Mile Zero News).

Since then, she has begun a young adult historical science fantasy trilogy called Rise of the Grigori. The first book, The Undine’s Tear, has been praised as “un-put-downable” and a “hit out of the fantasy ballpark,” and the second, The Sphinx’s Heart, has received similar glowing praise. A stand-alone prequel, The Waterboy, is available as a free eBook and audiobook for her newsletter subscribers.

In 2022, she began publishing a clean and sweet small-town romance series based on her adopted home town and the amazing and resilient people she got to know while writing for Move Up. The second novel of the Peace Country Romance series, Every Bell that Rings, will be released in late 2024.

She and her husband and a varying number of their three young adult sons reside on an acreage in the Peace Country of northern Alberta, Canada, with their two Husky dogs and two neurotic orange cats. Her writing is fueled by an insatiable passion for stories, dark chocolate, and making the world a better place. And she would really like to know why the tea is always gone.

 

The Much-Too-Long-and-Detailed Bio:

 
 

Writing

Freelance Work:

See my Freelance Work page for a list of non-fiction articles I have contributed.

Featured Blog Posts:

See my Top Posts page to find more popular blog posts I have written on love, loss, grief, kindness, being your best self, and more.

 

Recent Praise

For The Undine’s Tear:

“Wow. Just WOW!!”
- Candace Marshall, early reader

“Readers! Reviewers! Anyone with a pulse! You want to read this book. It’s fantastic!”
- Ellen Michelle, editor, owner of Constellate Publishing

“I couldn’t put this book down!”
- Jessica Renwick, author of The Book of Chaos

For Finding Heaven:

“A riveting, true-to-life tale of love's power to heal and redeem.”
- Melissa Keaster, author of Eleora

“One of the most beautifully written books I have read.”
- Kristin Dyck, editor of Mile Zero News

“It's about unearthing the real you after being under the mudslide for so long. It still tugs at my heartstrings.”
- Corrie-Ann, Goodreads reviewer

“A moving and beautiful story of accepting who you are, overcoming the past, and embracing the future.”
- Kamber Ferriss, reader

“Masterful.”
- Marcia Anderson, reader

 

Connect

Web: www.talenawinters.com
Email: talena@talenawinters.com (advertisers & guest post requests, check this first.)
Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/talenawinters.artist
Instagram: www.instagram.com/talenawinters
Twitter: www.twitter.com/talenawinters
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/TalenaWinters
Newsletter: www.talenawinters.com/newsletter

 

Books

Click low-resolution cover preview for a high-resolution cover image. More promotional images and full blurbs available inside the books' media kits.

 

Rise of the Grigori

Young adult epic historical fantasy series.

The Waterboy (A Rise of the Grigori Story)

Zale Teague grew up thinking he was an ordinary boy—until the day he called lightning from the skies and caused an explosion with horrific results. Now, at only eleven, he is fleeing his newfound merman identity to protect his loved ones from disaster. Will he find a place to call home at last, or will he need to keep running . . . forever?

Standalone prequel novella to The Rise of the Grigori series.

 

The Undine’s Tear (Rise of the Grigori #1)

Mermaid princess Calandra races against time to save her people from their dark past before she goes insane and unleashes unfathomable destruction. Success will cost her everything, even love. While she's redeeming the world, who will save her?

 

The Sphinx’s Heart (Rise of the Grigori #2)

Calandra was supposed to save her people. Instead, her island nation is in chaos. Earth's oldest enemy is on the loose. And her brother has inexplicably turned against her. Even her plan to save the man she loves has gone awry. With the Madness taking hold, can Calandra undo a mistake that has plagued the undines for millennia and save the world… before it's too late?

 

Contemporary Fiction

Finding Heaven: A Novel

Author Sarah Daniels feels trapped in a living hell but thinks she deserves her life—until an enigmatic stranger invites her to choose a different future. But is it too late for Sarah to find heaven? Gritty romantic women's fiction.

 

The Friday Night Date Dress

After suffering tragic loss, Melinda pours her grief into creating couture masterpieces she wears only once. Can Peter, an aspiring fashion photographer, break through her protective shell and bring her back to life?

 

Peace Country Romance

Sweet small-town clean and wholesome love stories.

Cover for Every Star that Shines.

Every Star That Shines (Peace Country Romance Book 1)

After getting cancelled, rising actor Delanie Fletcher returns home to piece her life together and gets a second chance with her first love. Will wishing on stars make all Delanie's dreams come true?

 

Every Bell that Rings (Peace Country Romance Book 2)

Nurse Stephanie Neufeld’s bah-humbug ways have met their match when her old crush decides to make her fall in love with Christmas. But while Noel Butler slowly melts her reserve, will he ever let her unwrap the secrets in his fiercely guarded heart?

Releases October 15, 2024.

 

Short Fiction:

Up in Smoke

In this mountain town, there are animals far more dangerous than bears. A Jack Reynolds adventure.

 

All I Want for Christmas (A Peace Country Story)

All he wants for Christmas is a family.