Chelsey M. Ortega

November Newsletter November’s newsletter is always my favorite because I get to summarize October, which is my favorite month! My son’s football team made it to the semifinals in the playoffs. I’m super proud of him.…

November's newsletter covers my favorite holiday, some exciting editing news, and my monthly reads. Subscribe to the blog to check it out: chelseymortega.com/2025/11/01/n... #newsletter #November2025 #bookreviews #amediting

Monday Mood - Bondwitch This Monday Mood spotlight falls on Bondwitch by Chelsey M. Ortega, a darkly enchanting tale of family secrets, forbidden magic, and a young...

Today Bondwitch is the Monday Mood feature on Still Moments Magazine. Check it out! stillmomentsezine.blogspot.com/2025/10/mond... #wrpbks #yafantasy #SpecialFeature #darkfantasy #comingofage #oppositesattract #vampireromance #strongfemalelead

P.S. If you're one of the authors who's going to be there, drop a comment introducing yourself.

Mark your calendars for October 25th! From 10:00 am-1:00 pm, the Provo Library is hosting almost 100 local authors, and I will be among them. 🥰
#UtahHumanities #bookfestival #readlocal #provolibrary #utahauthor #localauthor

Thank you to The Wild Rose Press for accepting my story, and especially my first editor, Sam for believing in me. (4/4)
#bookbirthday #happybirthday #bookanniversary #wrpbks #yafantasy #comingofage #oppositesattract #darkfantasy #vampireromance #strongfemalelead

I have several other projects in various levels of drafting, editing, formatting, and publishing that I'm super excited about. But Bondwitch will always be my first book baby. The story that started my journey. (3/4)

I wrote the first draft in 3 months, and thought, "Oh my gosh. I can do this!" Two years of editing and 9 months of rejections later, and I wondered if I would ever see this passion project in print. Then I got that life changing yes, and I wake up every day so happy to be here. (2/4)

Today is Bondwitch's 2nd book birthday! I'll be celebrating on Still Moments Magazine this upcoming Monday when Bondwitch is their Monday Mood highlight.

I'm truly grateful to be a published author for two years now. The writing and publishing process is not quick or easy. (1/4)

New Release: Lost in His Spiderwebs I’m excited to have Amber Daulton back on the blog. Her latest book, Lost in His Spiderwebs released today. And the title is perfect for an October release. Here’s Amber. Lost in His Sp…

I'd like to welcome Amber Daulton back on my blog. Today her latest book released: Lost in His Spiderwebs. What a great title for October! Check out the inspiration here: chelseymortega.com/2025/10/13/n... #guestauthor #newrelease #darkromance #romance #secondchanceromance #octoberreads

October 2025 Newsletter What do you get with 3 kids and 3 extra curricular activities? A very busy mom. It’s football season for one, soccer season for another, and gymnastics all year-round for the third. Every day I am …

October's newsletter talks about motherhood amongst extra curricular activities, Utah Authors Day, and Book Reviews. Subscribe to the blog and read here: chelseymortega.com/2025/10/05/o... #newsletter #October2025 #utahauthorsday #bookreviews

Should you repeat a writers conference? In June 2023, I took the opportunity to attend my first educator’s conference with my administrators and several other teachers. The conference was in Austin, Texas. I’d never been to Texas before,…

I have now attended the Quills Conference in Salt Lake City 2 years in a row, and I highly recommend it! chelseymortega.com/2025/09/28/s... #books #conference #education #learning #networking #quillsconference #writing #writingconference

I am so excited to share that I will be presenting at The Wild Rose Press's Tuesday Night Chat on September 30, 2025!

To join:
Go to The Wild Rose Press website
Hover on the "Events" tab
Click on "Weekly Free Chat Room"
#wrpbks #WritingWebinar #amwriting #amediting #preptober

Today's character highlight is Adam. We only get to meet him once, but boy does he make an impression! #CharacterHighlight #meetacharacter #yafantasy #darkfantasy #oppositesattract #vampireromance #comingofage #StrongFemaleLead

Bondwitch is available here: chelseymortega.com/bondwitch-se...

Thoughts on seeking out spoilers to decide if you want to finish a series? #reading #fantasyreads #romancereads #bookdiscussion

September Newsletter Classes have officially started for the 25-26 school year, and I am loving my new schedule, and am getting used to my new classroom. The school I teach at is growing in student population, so over …

September's newsletter showcases my new classroom, headshots, and book reviews. Subscribe to read: chelseymortega.com/2025/09/07/s... #newsletter #BackToSchool2025 #amediting #bookreviews

Today's character highlight is Luna.

Bondwitch is available here: chelseymortega.com/bondwitch-se... #yafantasy #darkfantasy #comingofage #wrpbks #oppositesattract #vampireromance #strongfemalelead

World Building Expansion in Onyx Storm I have had to percolate my thoughts on Onyx Storm for several weeks. I read the last chapter on July 31st. The next day I posted a thread that said, “I just finished Onyx Storm and I am not okay”. …

Onyx Storm broke my heart. Of course, fellow readers know that's a good thing. Here's my analysis: chelseymortega.com/2025/08/24/w... #bookreview #onyxstorm #romantasyreads #dragons

Looking for YA fantasy with romance recs. (The romance can be the main plot or a side plot.)

I recently learned everything I have written is YA not New Adult. So, I should probably better understand the genre I write in.

Self-recs are welcome! #yafantasy #bookrecommendations #yaromance #yareads

Today's #bookqw word is turn. And I have another twofer!

To Sign or Not to Sign will be available with other magical love stories in February 2026. #newrelease #yafantasy #shortstory #forbiddenlove #comingsoon2026

To Sign or Not to Sign is in the formatting phase! #yafantasy #shortstory #forbiddenlove #newrelease

Today's character highlight is Gwen.

Bondwitch is available here: chelseymortega.com/bondwitch-se...
#wrpbks #yafantasy #darkfantasy #comingofage #oppositesattract #vampireromance #strongfemalelead #characterhighlight

Day 4 of the Quills Conference: I learned tips on scheduling writing time to meet deadlines. I continued learning about audiobooks, and attended an open mic poetry reading. While listening to others, I wrote my first two poems ever! Overall, the conference was helpful and inspiring. #quills2025

Day 3 of the Quills Conference: Signed copy of Legends and Lattes. Socialized with other romance writers. Learned about audiobook options, and got some helpful tips on editing emotion and the senses into my stories. Also, I'm in love with the outfit I wore to the evening banquet. #quills2025

I always miss the first day of the Quills Conference because of back to school stuff. But I'm here for the evening part of day 2 and ready for the rest of the weekend! #Quills2025

August 2025 Newsletter July was the perfect way to end summer. We went camping, my husband and I celebrated our 15th anniversary, and our family spent a week in San Diego. In San Diego, we went to Seaworld and I particip…

August's newsletter covers some very exciting updates, including the cover art for Bondwitch: Hybrid! Subscribe to the blog to read: chelseymortega.com/2025/08/03/a... #newsletter #coverart #dolphins #amediting #bookreview

Today's #bookqw word is rain. Have you ever been camping in the rain? My family's awful experience from a few years ago inspired this scene.
#paranormalromance #amediting #fatedmatesromance #shifterromance #slowburn #lovetriangle

Today's character highlight is Jake.

Bondwitch is available here: chelseymortega.com/bondwitch-se...
#wrpbks #yafantasy #darkfantasy #oppositesattract #vampireromance #comingofage #strongfemaleprotagonist

Romance Tropes in Iron Flame Iron Flame is the second installment of The Empyreon series, and it starts right where Fourth Wing left off. This sequel also ends on a major cliffhanger, and Onyx Storm picks off right where Iron …

Iron Flame is the second installment of The Empyreon series. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Iron Flame and rate it 5 stars. And I have three main takeaways to discuss. chelseymortega.com/2025/07/20/r... #bookreview #rebeccayarros #romantasyreads #romancetropes #JealousEx

July 2025 Newsletter I finished my first class of my Master’s program last Sunday. I earned an A-! This was a great experience because I learned that I am a better reader and writer from ten years ago (when I finished …

July's newsletter has some very exciting news regarding my next publishing contract! Subscribe to the blog to read: chelseymortega.com/2025/07/06/j... #wrpbks #newsletter #college #newrelease #summerreads #bookreviews

Here is the official list of all the winners of the NEST contest: crowowfigroup.wixsite.com/website/nest... I have read several of the winning titles, and they are fabulous. Use this list for inspiration for your next good read! #nestcontest #winning #goodreads #summerreads