Welcome to the Ashe Abbey blog
Welcome to the Julia Nicole Ashe blog, a space dedicated to all things books, upcoming projects, and other topics of interest. If you enjoy my coloring books, short stories, or novels, this is the place to stay updated on my latest work and creative endeavors. I hope you enjoy the content! Links to content are included for purchasing books.
Visit YouTube to see a 6-minute video about gameplay for Sigils of the Veil
Lore for Sigils of the Veil!
Shattering of the Aetherveil
Prologue
In recent years, trade roads had grown empty. Strange lights had appeared in distant forests and entire herds of deer had vanished from valleys without a trace. Warnings were muttered by the aged healers about storms to come. Cracks appeared in the foundations of shield walls that had stood strong for centuries. The veil-oracle felt a weakening of the Aetherveil—that which protected against the darkness. His king, concerned about this mystery, bade him consult his counterparts in other Kingdoms about strengthening their world.
The Five stood around the flame at a lake so still it reflected its surroundings like a mirror. Thus, the lake was called The Mirror. The Five comprised a storm-caller, flame-tender, tide-speaker, grove-keeper, and veil-oracle. Each was a practitioner of the natural world of Aetheria. Their gifts were gentle and used to give aid. Each stood holding their staffs, invoking the Veil to strengthen the world.
They began their rites, drawing power from the earth and sky. Each reverently tossed a handful of nature’s smallest wonders as befit their calling. None knew what this rite would accomplish, but their intent was one of service, for each served a King in the realm of Aetheria. The Kings of their age feared war and famine and enemies beyond their borders.
As the Five continued their rite, the earth of Aetheria shook around them, the Mirror shimmering and then seeming to crack. The Five paused briefly at this and then continued their rite, drawing more power, watching the Mirror in anticipation of the strength they sought.
The waters of the Mirror shook apart, shattering like glass, and the fabric of the sky above ripped apart. The Five were struck off their feet by an unseen force. The destruction of the Aetherveil became a force that rolled across the entire world of Aetheria. Many across the realm were struck down. Others were imbued with power and rendered unconscious. The magic roared to life as it was destroyed, changing its people for all the generations to follow.
Ancient History - Lore for Sigils of the Veil
Sealing the Veiled Ones
A thousand years ago, the Veiled Ones came from their world seeking the life force of those on Aetheria after killing their own planet. The Veiled Ones were great in number and slaughtered many Aetherians. The legends whisper that the peoples of the Aetheria came together in this time of great need—the kings with their armies of knights and the mages, druids, and dark elves. Together, with great power and sacrifice, they created the Aetherveil and hid it beneath the lake called The Mirror, a sacred place of belief which contributed to the power needed to hold the Veiled Ones. The Aetherveil stood fast for more than a thousand years. The legendary battle passed into obscurity, taking with it the secret of the Aetherveil and the dangerous enemy it held at bay. An enemy that waited for another chance, a thinning of the veil, or the ability to strike against it.
The below are companion coloring books - The book on the right is a reverse coloring book with color transparency to see the picture and use the color in the picture or choose your own. You can also just outline and leave the color base as is!
The book on the left has been converted into sketches that you can color ~
I'm putting together some activity / trivia books - see the Newsletter page! Coloring books, too. This weekend, I'll be working on Lore for the Fantasy Card Game. I'm pondering putting the game on Kickstarter. I have some ideas for goals and tiers, so I'll be working with my son on designing that and putting it all together. We want to find a printer that's local, so we can save on shipping ~ I think the game is great and unique - hope it gains a following! Research on starting a Kickstarter happening this weekend!
My books have been added to my local district library! So exciting! Thank you, Kent County, for adding my books to the collection :)
There are more to come!
Easy riddles for ages 9-12. Fun little mind benders to quiz your friends with ~
E-book coming soon
The Trinket Box Chapter 14 is up!
I have 6 more chapters to write and then I'll be doing a final review along with a probable edit of the pictures, too.
Read on Substack!
Fantasy Card game is coming soon!
We've got the play worked out. Upload to a game developer is under way. Our plan is to record ourselves playing the game (10 minutes maybe) and post it. I"ll add video here and on YouTube or somewhere - so people can see how to play as well as read the instructions.
Great Trivia books - download on Amazon or a PDF!
Fantasy Card Game!
We printed out a paper version of our card game yesterday and gave it a trial play. We had a blast - both rewriting and refining the rules but also just making mincemeat out of defenses and lobbing attacks at each other ~ haha!
I’ve written a millennia history - one that tells the tale of something happening before but that’s been forgotten to time, and the current day - something's “rotten in the state of Denmark” and they’re trying to figure out what it is and fix it.
After writing the history and the prologue, I now want to do a book or series that tie into the card game. I have all kinds of lofty ideas! Looking forward to releasing the game and then getting to work on the tie-ins!
January Newsletter
On Trademarks
We have decided on J.J. Veil Games for our trademark. I've been investigating trademarks and intellectual property and all the things to protect our new game. It might be a little bit of a process, but I think it's worth pursuing the trademark. Anyway, we're going to trademark the name and maybe stylize it or incorporate a sketch or icon or something. . .
We're continuing with developing the game, and we're in the process of putting the design for the cards together - Yay! I anticipate we'll have it in production in the next month or so! Very exciting!
The Trinket Box on Substack!
Chapter 8 is up on Substack!
I'm uploading 3-4 chapters per week on Substack. Once it's completed, I'm going to review one more time, edit as needed, and publish to Amazon and Draft2Digital! I hope you'll take a look - it's fantasy for middle grades ages 9-12, chapter book.
Sigils of the Veil
It's a Fantasy Card Game in development! My son and I are working out the kinks and designing the cards. Fun!!
Veil Sigil Card
Fantasy Card Game
My son, Josh, and I are creating our own Fantasy Card Game! The image to the left is very cool, but that's not it - haha! We've got the whole game and how it's played mapped out, next we'll create/design the cards and other items that are part of game play. Then, we have to try playing it using the rules we put together. There's a little ways to go, but it's nearly done and I'm very excited to get it produced! Can't wait!
The Trinket Box - Chapter 5 on Substack
Sam and Maria landed in separate parts of the world through the Trinket Box - They meet strangers, escape danger, and try to find each other in this strange new world
Amazon is blocking many of my coloring books
I'm trying to find another solution for print on demand, but in the meantime, I have made these available as a downloadable.
The Trinket Box
I've started uploading the story chapter by chapter on Substack. This is a Fantasy chapter book for ages 9-12.
I uploaded Ch 2 today and made a couple changes to that. This discussion Post gives some background and idea on the direction and what the changes mean :)
Ashe Abbey
Christmas Newsletter
Stella chapter 9 just published on Substack!
Read about the snowstorm that almost put an end to the Advent and their solution ~~
Merry Christmas
Christmas is almost here - We finally got our tree up. We had our Kids Christmas program at church last week, and they did a really fun song called Shaggy Smelly Sheep - they loved the hand motions.
I thought work would slow down during December, but I feel like the first 2 weeks have been round-the-bend crazy. I have a medical documentation business that’s full time. I started the business in 1992, and over the last 10 years, it has become more than full time for me. I’m ready to take a break, slow down, and work on building a book business!
I’m considering Books.By. I might try it for a year and see how it goes.
Part of the comfort of Amazon is that people have begun to find me organically. I set a limit of Amazon Ads to $50-$60 per month and I’m pretty much breaking even on royalties. But having built the medical documentation business from the ground up, I know it takes patience and time to build a business. Maybe in a few years, I’ll have enough of a presence to have a comfortable supplemental income.
I do have a newsletter which I’m sending out monthly, but I’m considering a biweekly, so I can showcase some of individual books or just a couple at a time. There always seems to be a Holiday coming up that I can gear things toward, too ~
Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas — I’m continuing Stella’s Advent Scavenger Hunt on my Substack as well - There is a 2025 Posts tab on my Substack site that has the Chapters of both Little Mouse and Stella’s Advent Scavenger Hunt for you to read in order! Ashe Abbey on Substack
For anyone who loves to color, I have some Holiday downloads just for you!
Poem published on Substack and available on Amazon
Lovely picture book Advent poetry - You can see what it's all about on Substack - purchase on Amazon in either soft cover or digital ~
Exciting Review on Substack
Thank you, Visible Reader, for inspiring me!
Coloring Books
Christmas Window Coloring Book
Purchase downloadable PDF
Or the book on Amazon
At the links below!
Stella Chapter 3
It's on Substack! Stella has to work on her treasured project with the most annoying boy in school!
Stella Chapter 2
Stella's trying to bring back an old town tradition. But first she has to convince her mother.
Publishing to Draft2Digital
I published Little Mouse to Draft2Digital yesterday - it takes several days for it to actually publish, but once I have that master link, I"ll post it here.
I also went to the local library yesterday. I love our smalltown library! It's housed in a beautiful 100+ year old building. Right when you walk in the door, there's a kids play area (I donated some coloring books for that!) and a 1000 piece puzzle in the works for anyone who enjoys puzzles. Fun! That reminds me that I want to get a puzzle table for home and have a perpetual puzzle going on here too!
I've started putting up my next book on Substack (jnashe.substack.com) It's an Advent story.
I confess that I think kind of in terms of holidays and my books might naturally be along that timeline - I guess we'll see. I have a couple ideas for fantasy - a middle grade and one for any fantasy lover. Those are brewing - I might not be able to work a holiday into those - maybe I'll make up holidays based on the world they're set in. . .Anyway, fun, fun!
Have a blessed Christmas season!
Little Mouse Published!
It's in review. . .I'll post a link as soon as it's approved!
Publishing Little Mouse Lost
I'm setting up the file to publish to Amazon and Draft2Digital in the next week. I'll be posting on Substack and here on my website with the link for those! Yay!
It's just past Thanksgiving ~ My son, his husband and my good friend Kat joined us for dinner (Kat's sweet potatoes were amazing! Dan's chocolate chip cashew bread was amazing, my turkey&stuffing was amazing, my sister's shepherd's pie was amazing! Haha! Then we played Wizarding trivia (yes, Harry Potter) and watched Elf. It was a good Thanksgiving! Hope yours was amazing too!
Little Mouse Ch 9
Happy Thanksgiving all!
I have much to be thankful for~The year has gone by pretty fast. Looking forward to a remarkable 2026!
Little Mouse Lost: A Christmas Eve Adventure - Chapter 7
Listen and read on Substack! I've been doing my own voiceovers - Respect to those Audible etc readers whose job it is to read entire books. I trip over words, need to whet my whistle, trip over my tongue, and have to pause and restart, splice and whatnot! Haha :) It's a fun experience!
Little Mouse Lost: A Christmas Eve Adventure - Chapter 6
Little Mouse's adventure continues to the den of a great bear. Read and listen on Substack ~
Little Mouse Lost: A Christmas Eve Adventure
I'm posting this adventure on substack - one chapter at a time! There's no cost and the app is free :) I plan to publish this as a Grade school book - 4th through 6th grade with discussion quesitons at the end - maybe a recipe or craft included :) A fun project!
Ginger Giraffe Makes New Friends
I wrote this with the idea that friends can be across borders. Tigers and giraffes would not normally be friends (especially considering one is a predator!) but they become friends and help each other in the story.
Ginger Giraffe makes new friends as she searches for her mother. Join Ginger on her first adventure with her new friends, Terrance and Elijah.
New Release
Bring the magic of Christmas to life with this delightful coloring book of kids at Christmas time!
~ Jolly children and Santas to color ~ Bold and easy coloring
Behind the pages
11/10/2025 - We're having our first snow of the season! It's cold and the trees are white - beautiful!
Christmas Short Stories for Children Published
I have a collection of short stories that can be for kids to practice reading or used as bedtime stories for the Holiday season ~
Behind the pages
Christmas is coming fast! I have a couple of Christmas poems and am working on a Little Mouse Christmas story. Christmas is a favorite Season of mine. I love the giving Spirit the season fosters and celebrating the birth of Jesus!
More than just stories
The story of Jesus' birth in a poetry Picture Book!
Available for purchase on Amazon and a link to other stores/formats. ebook & print
Support the ashe abbey
The Advent Light
Four candles stand in waiting,
Each flame a tender glow,
To mark the weeks of promise
As Christmas nears so slow.
The first is lit for Hope anew,
Its light both pure and small,
A whisper through the winter wind—
God’s love will come for all.
. . . . .