Abandoned at birth by her mother, and hidden from the world by her father, Elizabeth Bathory-Tepés will stop at nothing to bring her family back together. Now in audio!
It's not easy being the daughter of the two most renowned serial killers in the world.
Nobody knows that better than Elizabeth Bathory-Tepés, the daughter of Vlad the Impaler and The Blood Countess. Abandoned by her mother at birth, and neglected by her father while growing up, Elizabeth will stop at nothing to get her family back together. But will it be worth the cost?
The Covenant of Blood the Audiobook is a novel turned audiobook production that blends urban fantasy with historical figures.
Its themes focus on relationships, specifically found family; the connections between parents and children, significant others, friends, and siblings; and how those relationships can impact our lives. The Covenant of Blood is the first novel in a series of interconnected standalones within the Bloodlines universe, which means you can enjoy it without reading the other books in the series. Previous fans of The Covenant of Blood will enjoy this book in its new format; and new fans will be introduced to the Bloodlines Series.
The Covenant of Blood has an array of characters with different types of personalities, and it features aworld with vampires, witches, fae, blood pacts, lost loves, magical stones, and steamy slow-burn romances. The audiobook production, voiced by Jynelle Brown of J. Brown Voice, will transport you to that world. That's what this campaign is for.
Why an audiobook, and why crowdfund it?
The reason I chose to crowdfund the audiobook is twofold. First, and foremost, I believe in accessibility. Audiobooks provide a way for those within blind and other disabled communities to access stories. Because I'm a part of several marginalized groups, I understand how important accessibility is. Second, I've had so many readers request The Covenant of Blood as an audiobook at events and conferences that it just made sense to do it.
That said, audiobooks are notoriously expensive to create, and the only way I would be able to meet this demand is by crowdfunding. That's where you come in!
Backing this project means supporting marginalized creators since the author (myself) and the voice actor (Jynelle Brown) are both Black women, but it also means supporting accessibility, the right to read, and community.
And, if this project funds, I'll be able to continue telling stories from The Bloodlines Series.
Whether you're here because you're looking for a winter read or because you just need The Covenant of Blood in all the formats, today is your lucky day!
Travel to a world with vampires, witches, fae, and much more!
Elizabeth (Daughter)
Our main character.
Lizzy for short. She’s a badass on a mission to find her mother, but that's just the beginning. When a blood pact goes wrong, she'll do anything to break it. If you’ve got a problem, take it up with her alter ego and body double Liz.
The PI
The love interest.
Adept at disappearing out of the blue and reappearing when most needed. He refuses to get close to people and has a lot of secrets—including his real name. When those secrets are revealed, and decisions are made, everything will change.
Anton
The villain.
He's a wanted man, but he doesn't give a damn, and for good reason: He's hard to find. When he spots a chance to fulfill his dream, he's willing to pay it—in blood.
Idabelle
As southern as southern can be.
Not as sheltered as Lizzy, but sheltered enough to be a wild child. You never know if she’s going to make you apple pie or shove you straight into a pile of mud. Needs to assess her priorities in life.
Vlad the Impaler
A father.
A shit father, but at least he stayed. Wants to exert control over everyone, but doesn’t have his own life together. Where’s that soul at buddy?
Elizabeth (Mother)
A vain woman.
Named her daughter after herself to cause the utmost confusion. Left two men so she could explore the world. Says she doesn’t care about anything or anyone.
Jynelle does professional voiceovers, narration, and storytelling. She's most enthusiastic about projects that include the Golden Girls, romance, comedy, mystery, thriller, and science-fiction; and she is a proud pet and pup mom who is always curious about the world around her.
Jynelle is a master of producing, performing, storytelling, reading, and narrating audiobooks, commercials, meditations, IVR, and more. She loves good books to read, listen and refer to, brag about, and (on occasion) color. She also enjoys learning about the past and exploring what the future holds because history has a way of repeating itself. Reading, narrating, storytelling, performing & sharing knowledge her way of contributing to the world at large.
Audiobook Format:
I am estimating the audiobook to be 12-14 hours long based on books of similar page length. The audiobook file will be delivered via BookFunnel and will NOT be DRM'd. In other words, you will own this file and will be able to listen to it on whichever device you choose.
This is a digital ONLY project, meaning all rewards will be sent via links. There is no shipping on any pledge level. Physical books are in the Add-ons and shipping for those is charged AFTER the campaign.
The three most popular pledge levels include:
Idabelle ($15): The Covenant of Blood audiobook, a digital phone wallpaper, and your name in the credits.
The Blood Countess ($30): Everything above, plus the Blood Ties audiobook and The Covenant of Blood ebook.
Liz ($50): Both audiobooks, all three ebooks, a printable double-sided bookmark, stickers, and three digital art pritns.
Pledge levels begin at $2 (your name in the credits) and go up to $250 for everything plus naming a character. See the Pledge Levels tab for the full list, or start at $5 and billd your own from the Add-Ons.
EVERY BACKERWHO PLEDGES $5 OR MORE will receive one of five digital phone wallpapers with quotes related to the book. Backers will also have their name read at the end of the audiobook. Yes, you read that right! Be immortalized in this audio production of The Covenant of Blood as one of the many people who helped me make this a reality.
Returning Backer Rewards
If you're a Returning Backer you'll receive a pre-recorded message in the voice of Liz, Lizzy, Angelo, or Dmitri. Only available on Backerkit!
*The pre-recorded messages are at the discretion of the voice actors.
Cross-Collab Rewards
This time around, I've partnered with the AMAZING Allyson Lindt to bring you a cross-collab reward. Back both of our projects (mine at $5 or higher), and you'll receive a digital poster!
The Covenant of Blood includes themes and discussions that may trigger individuals including, but not limited to:
If you were looking for physical rewards, and couldn’t find them, then you’ve come to the right place! Here in the add-ons, you’ll find the physical copies of backlog and some character prints! So, whether you’re trying to join the world within the Bloodlines Series and read urban fantasies filled with love, family, and steamy slow-burn romance, OR if you're just looking for a gift for a friend, these Add-Ons are just for you!
*This is not a comprehensive list. More add-ons are available. *Shipping for these items will be applied at a later time.
The Covenant of Blood Add-Ons:
These add-ons include The Covenant of Blood in different formats.
Ebook: ePub and PDF, delivered via BookFunnel, not DRM'd. Read the book on any device of your choosing
Paperback: about 314 pages, 70lb premium color on white paper, simplex cover on Gloss Finish
Hardback: a duplex with a Jacketed Case Laminate on Gloss Finish and interior cover art
All feature beautiful cover art by Giulia Caligola of Lunar Morrigan Arts and photography by Alejandro Smith.
Bloodlines Series Bundle Add-Ons
These bundles are sorted by book title (Blood Ties and Blood Lies bundles) and type of book (audiobook, ebook, and hardback). Want it all? The Bloodlines All-In Bundle has every book in their currently available formats.
*This is not a comprehensive list. More add-ons are available. *Shipping for these items will be applied at a later time.
Genre:
The Covenant of Blood is an urban fantasy novel, that features historical figures and their children living their lives in the modern world. The novel is best classified as New Adult, although it is appropriate for those at least sixteen years old with parent supervision.
Audiobook Format:
The Audiobook version is the main purpose of this campaign. I am estimating the audiobook to be 12-14 hours long based on books of similar page length. It features the amazing voice of Jynelle Brown (confirmed).The audiobook file will be delivered via BookFunnel and will NOT be DRM'd. In other words, you will own this file and will be able to listen to it on whichever device you choose.
Both the hardback and the paperback are printed on 70lb premium color on white paper and are about 314 pages long.
The hardcover is a duplex that comes with a Jacketed Case Laminate on Gloss Finish and has interior cover art, while the paperback is a simplex cover, also on Gloss Finish.
Ebook Format:
The Ebookversion of The Covenant of Blood will be available in ePub and PDF. It will be delivered via BookFunnel, and is not DRM'd. In other words, you'll be able to read the book on any deviceof your choosing.
In the spirit of excitement and fun, the stretch goals will be announced once we hit our funding goal of $3,500!
I hope you're as excited to unlock the first stretch goal as I am! For this campaign, I wanted to make the majority of the stretch goals more community based so I can give back to a few causes that are important to me—like art, literacy, and health.
When we hit $3,500, our first stretch goal will be announced. This one is a gift for you. Something you know, something you love. It’s also new, and some say can breathe life. It will also help a specific community. Go ahead, take a gander, I bet you know what it will be!
Timeline, Shipping and Fulfillment, Pay Over Time, and Funding
This will be my second time producing an audiobook, so the timeline for this project will be different from previous ones.
I learned a lot from my last two campaigns, including timing. But, since I've been in contact with Jynelle for almost two years now, I am confident that this audibook can be completed just in time for the holiday season. However, because physical items have given me trouble in the past, I'm building in room for delays on the physical add-ons.
2026
10 September-1 October: Backerkit Campaign
2 October-31 December: Audiobook Production
2027
3 January-31 January: Send out Smoke Surveys
1-28 February: Assess Smoke Surveys
1-31 March: Production and Shipping of Physical Add-Ons
1-30 April: Quality Control (checking for errors like mispronunciations, time skips, etc.)
1-31 May: Audiobook Corrections
1-30 June: Audiobook Corrections, fix any issues with Add-ons; complete ordering
1-31 July: Begin distribution of Rewards, Add-Ons, and Stretch Goals
1-31 August: Continue distribution of Rewards, Add-Ons, and Stretch Goals
1-30 September: Distribute any rewards that didn't go out in December.
1-31 October: All rewards distributed and shipped to Backers.
1-31 November: Last chance to claim rewards.
31 December-8 January: Close project and donate any unclaimed rewards to a person or charity of my choosing
If production runs long, the outside date is December 2027, with the project closing date in January.Keep in mind this is a tentative schedule that will shift as the project moves forward. For updates on the schedule, refer to the FAQ page.
You should keep in mind that I will apply shipping costs at the END of the campaign for add-ons.
All reward tiers are digital only tiers, so there are no shipping costs associated with them. Add-Ons vary in weight, so shipping costs will be different depending on which ones you choose. I expect shipping costs to be around $10-$25for residents of the United States, and it will be applied at the END of the campaign.
Due to current shipping laws and the changes in the GSPR, I will not be shipping outside North America (the United States, Canada, and Mexico). If you live outside North America, and wish to purchase one of my books, please email me at info@thejsliving.
For this campaign, I am using Backerkit's Pay Over Time feature! If your pledge is over $149, after you select a pledge and go to Checkout, you'll be given the option to pay 4 equal interest-free monthly installments of your pledge total over the course of 4 months.
If you select Pay Over Time, you acknowledge that:
your rewards will not qualify for shipment until you have paid in full.
any partial payments made are not eligible for a refund.
you will not be able to access the pledge manager survey until after you have paid in full, which might mean a more limited range of options for things like character prints and stickers.
The funds raised for this project will help me create an audio production of The Covenant of Blood and to continue creating stories in The Bloodlines Series. One day, I'd like to be a full-time author who can create and tell stories every day from the comfort of any place in the world. And, with your help Bloodlings, I can get there.
From novels and novellas to comic books and short stories, I write character-driven urban fiction that will excite you with its fresh lore and slow-burn romances.
Hey, hey, Bloodlings!
Once again, it's ya girl J.S. Living, but you can call me by my government name: Jaleesa, because I've got the feeling we'll be REALLY, GOOD friends by the end of this campaign.
To kick off this new-found friendship (or continuing friendship if we've met before!), I would like to tell you a little about myself. So, here it goes:
I'm a published author, and I currently live in Maryland. However, my hometown is in Georgia. That makes me a Georgia Peach, lol. When I'm not at work, I love watching TV shows with supernatural elements—such as Grimm, Lost Girl, and Supernatural—and curling up with my cat while reading books by indie, BIPOC, and women authors. I'm also a huge fan of smart retellings of classic stories that spin outdone cliches and overly used tropes into magic, like Kalynn Bayron's Cinderella is Dead or Kayla Ancrum's Darling.
I've held a plethora of jobs in my life; but, right now, I'm proud to say I'm a Communications Specialist. I'd tell you all about my degrees (plural), but that might be a bit much; so, instead, I'll tell you this:
If you want to connect with me over cats (and animals in general), anime, reading, learning, and/or food, you can contact me via social media (@thejsliving on ALL platforms), my website (www.thejsliving.com), via email ([email protected]) OR, do me the honors of sending me a good old-fashioned letter in the mail (contact me for the info) because I LOVE that kind of thing!
Anyways, if you've been following me the last few years on socials, or if we met in person, you know I released my debut novel The Covenant of Blood (CoB) in November of 2022. I'm so happy to say the book has been doing well, and I can't thank y'all enough!
Now that it's been around for some time, I think it's time to upgrade the book with a note from the author and an acknowledgement page for the backers who are going to help me turn it into an audiobook during this campaign!
The Covenant of Blood
In case you didn't know, when CoB debuted, I also wrote Blood Ties: A Collection of Three Covenant of Blood Shorts (Blood Ties), which my existing readers were able to access via a QR code in the back of the book. I'm excited to tell y'all that Blood Ties has officially been replaced with a new freebie: a one-page comic only available by purchasing CoB or attending one of my in person events!
If you love short stories, then Blood Ties is a great way for you to dip your toes into my corner of the urban fantasy world, and the audiobook production is an excellent way to immerse yourself in the book. Blood Ties includes stories about Liz, Dmitri, and Angelo as they strive toward their goals of escape, marriage, and preserving research respectively.
Blood Ties: A Collection of Three Covenant of Blood Shorts
Blood Lies: A Collection of Seven Brotherhood of Blood Shorts, whoseofficial publication date is set for November 2026, is the third book in this series of interconnected standalones. This urban fantasy meets historical fiction features Anastasia, Voica, Mihrihmah, Mihnea, Islyn, Indigo, and Rimi as they uncover secrets and lies that will change their lives forever. Available in ebook, paperback, and hardback, the emotional rollercoaster known as Blood Lies is a collection of short stories meant to crush your heart, mend it, then feed it to the wolves for breakfast. A crowdfunding for the audibook version of Blood Lies is slated for 2027.
So, whether you're just now hearing about CoB, or have already purchased the other books in the series, you'll want to add The Covenant of Blood audiobook to your collection and discover how little decisions can have a ripple effect on the rest of our lives. That said, I'm super excited about this new project and I hope you'll support me in turning it into an audiobook! And, of course, I couldn't do this without my AMAZING voice actor Jynelle Brown!
Once this audiobook production of The Covenant of Blood Ties is complete, my next goal is to fund The Brotherhood of Blood,which is the companion novel to Blood Lies. Surprisingly, the first draft of the book is complete, but due to some plot issues, I had to put it on the back burner. But, with Blood Lies complete, and new insight on the characters, I think the second draft will be a breeze to get through. In any event, keep an eye out for that eBook campaign this October!
Also, as you probably know, I'm looking forward to connecting with you all, and I can't wait to get the audio version of The Covenant of Blood! While we wait, though, if you love fantasy as much as I do, check out these Backerkit Campaignsas well:
Is ONE world really enough? Do you not need to conquer more like the book dragon we all know you are?
Authors and creators need coffee to sustain themselves, and here is your chance to directly support them. We've all banded together on this quest, so why not check out other campaigns?
Back 3 or more campaigns in the Fantasy Banner get an Exclusive Zine featuring Bonus Content from every Creator!
Ready to escape yet?
📖 Printopia 2026
This is aPrintopia 2026project 📚 A celebration of books, comics, and graphic novels featuring an amazing lineup of creators crowdfunding together from September 10 – October 1 📅
👀 Explore the Printopia Banners Every project belongs to a banner, so you can discover stories you'll love and creators to follow:
Fantasy: Epic worlds, mythical beasts, and magic systems that defy reality.
Sci-Fi: Futuristic technology, space adventures, and mind-bending science.
Horror & Thriller: Spine-chilling scares, dark mysteries, and high-stakes suspense.
Romance: Heartwarming journeys, passionate bonds, and unforgettable love.
All-Ages: Fun, engaging, and wholesome tales perfect for every generation.
Anthologies & Collections: Curated short stories, diverse art styles, and unique creative voices.
🎁 Printopia Freebies Overview — Check out all the different ways you can get freebies in addition to your pledge rewards!
Banner Digital Zine Freebie — Support 3+ creators per banner to unlock their limited banner digital zine freebie, filled with art, stories, and bonus content from that group’s participants. Collect a new and exciting digital zine from each banner!
Cross-Collab Freebies — Back both projects in a Cross-Collab pair and get freebies from those participating creators (see individual project pages for exact freebie details and unlock requirements).
Allyson Lindt