#Novella November 2024

[novella-november]

Oh, and for those not participating in Ominous October (see my pinned post for details), does anyone have any suggestions for ways people can begin planning/outlining their Novella November projects?

Does anyone have some Outline templates they would like to share ?

I always just.... winged it in the past lol, but I *am* doing some more in-depth planning this time.

An outline at its most basic should at least consist of :

Who are the characters?

Where and when is it set?

What is the Big Problem/Plot of the story?

Some additional details you can fill in from there:

Who is your main character? What kind of personality, abilities, and flaws do they have? What do they look like? Sound like?

If there are two or more main characters, how are they connected to the Plot?

If there are two or more main character POVs, do the additional perspectives bring something new and interesting to the story?

What are your characters motivations? Do these motivations change over time?

What kind of Conflicts do your character(s) face?

What kind of setting is your story set in, and how does that influence your characters and the story?

If you have thought of one, what do you *want* the main Theme of your story to be?

How do you plan on including this theme in your work?

What will start your Character(s) on their journey in the plot?

How will they have changed by the time you reach the middle of the book?

What is the climax of the work going to be?

How are the events of the book resolved?

Are all of the strings tied up for a standalone, or are there still pieces left unraveled, for a sequel to explore, or simply for an open-ending, intended to invite speculation from the audience?

[snarkelf]

Novella November has me SO hyped!! The idea I'm playing with right now might turn into a novel (w series potential), though 😭

BUT the urge to write fanfic is very strong as well...

[davidarc]

TCL's 2024 Reading Challenge Participation Post!

TCL's 2024 Reading Challenge Participation Post! Happy New Year, tomorrow! As I did for 2023, I'm putting up my declaration of which #readingchallenges I'll be participating in during 2024 into a one-stop-shop post on my #bookblog here!

[when-wax-wings-melt]

Y'all wanted the presentation? Here's the presentation. Image descriptions are below the cut!

(technically this wasnt part of the assignment, which was "write an essay and read at least one full page to the class" so the reason why there's those huge blocks of text is because that is taken directly from the essay. i can condense things if I WANT to condense them)

[ID: 15 screenshots of a powerpoint presentation. The text is either white or gray, and the theme is various shades of purple, typically with bubbles of dark/light purple and images.

Slide one: Title reading "Keeper of the Lost Cities: A Love-Hate-Love Relationship, And What It Can Do To Your Psyche" with three images on the side. The first image is a meme of two stick figures, the first saying "kotlc lore is second nature to us rabid fans so it's easy to forget that the average person only knows the average special ability count and one or two vackers", the second figure saying "and valin, of course," and the first saying "of course." with text at the bottom reading "Even when they're trying to compensate for it, experts in anything wildly overcompensate the average person's familiarity with their field." The other two images are of Shannon Messenger, a white woman with blonde hair. The images are captioned "The dastardly mastermind behind it all" and "meet Shannon Messenger".

Slide Two: Title reading "Background" with a block of text and two images. The text reads "In total, the Keeper of The Lost Cities (KOTLC) series has over 7000 pages, split between nine and a half books (Book 8.5 was, uselessly, a novella) with a planned tenth coming in late 2024, and a graphic novel dropping in November. It’s the kind of series that hooks you the same way a fisherman hooks a fish: with a promise of a treat that goes very, very unfulfilled." The top image is the cover of the first keeper of the lost cities book, captioned with "book one of what will soon consume my entire brain for years and years and years" and the bottom image is a fish staring at the top image as if it is a tasty treat, captioned "Poor, innocent little 6th grade me".

Slide Three: A block of text reading "This is to say: KOTLC is a good series, at least at first. It’s certainly been my core obsession for a good (or bad) five years. It’s a hook because you can’t escape once you’ve begun. It’s my own personal brand of heroine, as Edward Cullen might say if Bella were a too-long book series that doesn’t resolve any plotlines or character arcs and instead piles more information on top of worldbuilding until contradictions are more plentiful than the packed main cast." An image of Edward Cullen from twilight is captioned "Me, apparently".

Slide Four: A small caption at the top reads "If the series ever ends you can call me Brant when Jolie asked him to leave the Neverseen the way I will burn down my house and kill everyone I love (haha just a joke to get us going)​" with an image of a huge explosion below it. Text reads, "Basically, KOTLC is a good series, but the idea of recommending it feels like I’d be violating several articles of the Geneva Conventions. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. The thought of it ending is an impossibility on the scale of the apocalypse and I hope (I'd rather) the world ends before this series does."

Slide Five: Titled "Queer-Coding in the Lost Cities" with the image of Sophie Foster and Fitz Vacker on the side. Text reads, "The queer-coding doesn't just stem from Sophie’s dedicated denial of both her worth as a human being and her desire to kiss her pretty girl friends. A connection called a “Cognate Bond” is often referred to in the text as the closest two elves can become, emotionally and mentally. Cognates exist when two Telepaths (such as Sophie) have such a deep and unbreakable trust bond that they become more skilled together than they were apart. In creating and maintaining this bond, they have to complete trust exercises and not hold back secrets keeping them from total confidentiality. Sophie’s cognate is her friend (and love interest, and, debatably, ex-boyfriend) Fitz, whose romantic relationship was in a large part focused on their cognate one. Their trust exercises involve staring into each other’s eyes, holding hands, having matching rings, and Fitz telling Sophie that she’s the only person he can truly trust. Fitz also asks his father at one point if cognates are allowed to date each other— his father affirms the statement."

Slide Six: Titled "Queer-Coding: Qualden, Tiertice, and such other 🤨🏳️‍🌈 moments​" with the text, "Notably, Alden has the authority to do so since he himself was a cognate, only undergoing a nasty breakup— sorry, only losing the bond after his cognate, Quinlin, kept too many secrets. It’s implied that two other characters were once almost Cognates, only to grow too far apart when one of them, Prentice, has his sanity forcibly shattered and is locked in prison, leaving his (gay lover) best friend, Tiergan (code name Granite), to raise his son. The choice to parallel Fitz/Sophie, Alden/Quinlin, and Tiergan/Prentice was possibly not a conscious one, since Messenger has never attempted to hint at the existence of homosexuality before, but it still resonates with hundreds of queer teen readers who look at the portrayal of utter devotion and trust between two men and think, wow. this is what i see in myself.​" The image is a quote from Neverseen, reading "'What did you give him?' Granite asked, cradling Prentice like a baby. Prentice's head lolled to the side, his body limp and pale." / "Granite held Prentice tighter, whispering, 'It's going to be okay.'"

Slide Seven: Titled "Honorary Errol "I have five identities and they're all the true me" Forkle Mention​". Smaller text below reads "Strut it Magnate "I inspired Loki but don’t even ask about the horse thing" Leto!​" A picture of Mr. Forkle is next to a tumble post by me about Forkle being trans based on the Loki thing. The slide is decorated with several trans flags.

Slide Eight: Titled "Beauty Standards" with text reading "Speaking of things Shannon Messenger did subconsciously, it’s so painfully clear that this series was written by a white American woman that it makes me break out in hives. Messenger establishes very early on in the series that all elves, no matter who they are, are gorgeous in comparison to humans. For some reason that I’m sure has no correlation to Sophie and therefore Messenger’s personal biases (aka Western hetero/cisnormativity and gender roles), every single elven character is slim with clear skin and no glasses. For some reason, beards seem to be impossible for elves to grow naturally, since the only time facial hair ever appears on anyone’s face is when they take an elixir to change their appearance." An image of Sophie with her human family is captioned "Sophie with her ugly nasty disgusting human family apparently​".

Slide Nine: Text reading "Valin is a member of “the drooly boys” who, had they been “human, would’ve been skinny, with acne and braces. Since they were elves, they were fairly good-looking—or they could’ve been if they hadn’t slicked their hair into greasy ponytails” (Messenger KOTLC 170). It seems elves have evolved past the need for brown eyes, acne, crooked teeth, facial hair beyond eyebrows, and variations in body fat—not to mention most other features that make people unique. ​There is indeed a single elf who is fat and even has wrinkles (elves also don’t physically age past 30, fun fact). He alters his appearance with berries that swell his skin, making him the only unique body type besides Sophie’s human family, who are consistently thrown in terrible comparison to her new, movie-star-looking adoptive parents. The berries also make him smell, interestingly enough.​" Images of Councillors Zarina, Terik, and Clarette line the right side of the slide.

Slide Ten: Text reading: "By portraying the elves as the standard for beauty and then removing any pimple, stretch mark, fat roll, body hair, crooked tooth, big nose, or any of the thousands of features that add depth to faces and bodies, Messenger tells us that perfection lies in eliminating all “flaws.” She tells her young readers that they are desirable if they look like Sophie, or Biana, or Keefe—not Stina with her curly hair, or Dex’s too-skinny arms, or Forkle’s large stomach, or my human body.​" The family portrait of the Vackers is also there.

Slide Eleven: Text reading: "Mostly, what defines KOTLC is how it’s interpreted rather than the content itself. I look at Sophie Foster and see parts of myself, but that does not make her me. These characters always feel so painfully real, desperately relatable, as if Messenger cobbled together a main cast from bits of my life, but they are not. In the end, they are just characters. ​In the end, it’s just a series made for middle schoolers, in the same way the sun is just the sun, and the stars are just there to twinkle merrily and not to be explored.​" Sophie on the cover of Exile is also there.

Slide Twelve: Text reading "Literally the day after I finished this presentation a new Marella short story came out in the paperback version of Stellarlune (book 9). This is a quote in the short story:​" with a picture of the short story of Marella being gay about Linh. Also on the slide is "🚨🚨🚨Alert Alert!🚨🚨🚨​" "🤨🤨🤨🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈⁉️⁉️⁉️⁉️​" and "Everyone is excited about Marellinh canon but I think she will simply never acknowledge it again.​"

Slide Thirteen: Just the text "Oh, By The Way, This Series Is Off The Walls Insane​"

Slide Fourteen: Text reading "Things that happen in this series: Alicorns have sex and then there is a graphic birth scene (but the Forkle as Loki thing is going too far 🤨)​, Love Interest confesses his feelings by telling Sophie he wants her to be assigned to marry him by the government​, An ogre bodyguard plays matchmaker with her charge and his crush (successfully)​, There's a guy who can sense "potential" except is definitely lying about this​, Villains die so disappointingly. So far we have "hit on head with rock" "smushed by door opened too quickly" "exploded" "fell into evil birthing sauce" (this last one was cool though)​, and A school principal becomes president​" Three tumblr screenshots and memes detailing other things that happen in the book are also there.

Slide Fifteen: THE END. A screenshot captioned with "Credits for the fake book 7 cover go to @/aphelea on tumblr​" shows a canva/booktok style fake cover for Flashback, with a dancing couple, a horse, and the words "he was a boy. she was a horse. could I make it any more obvious?"

/end id]

[ekdarnellbooks]

Available Books

Sci-Fi Alien Romance

Vrauma's Menagerie, Amazon and Kindle Unlimited

why choose: 2 aliens x human FMC

tentacle smut

alien abduction

book 1 (sequel coming in 2025)

novella

Tumblr post: x

A Bond of Blood, Amazon and Kindle Unlimited

bat-like alien MMC x human FMC

bloodplay

primal mating urges

size difference

book 1 (sequel coming in 2025)

novella

Braax's Bride, Amazon and Kindle Unlimited

sexy dragon alien husband MMC x human FMC

CNC

aftercare king

instalust

standalone novella

Tumblr posts: x, x

Dark Sci-Fi Alien Romance

The Thyline's Mate, Amazon and Kindle Unlimited

OTT wolf alien MMC x human FMC

noncon/dubcon

primal play

knotting

high spice, low plot

standalone novella

The Dalgur's Pet, coming in December 2024 to Amazon and Kindle Unlimited

"nice" alien MMC x mean alien MMC x human FMC

noncon/dubcon

alien abduction

oviposition/breeding

praise and degradation

Tumblr posts: x, x, x, x, x

Fantasy Romance

The Sorcerer of Shadowholde, Kindle Vella (coming in November 2024 to Amazon and Kindle Unlimited)

polyam romance with elves and half elves (MMF + and extended polycule)

morally gray vampire MMC

friends to lovers

magic is illegal

Baldur's Gate 3 x Dungeons and Dragons vibes

standalone novel

Freebies

Jury Duty (free ebook when you sign up for my newsletter, also available on Tumblr)

alien MMC x human FMC

tentacle smut

DVP, DP, all holes filled

a bit unhinged

everyone is morally gray (or worse)

standalone novelette

original Tumblr post: x

Abracos (free on Smashwords)

sentient AI x human scientist FMC

he's literally a black box like HAL 9000

workplace romance

standalone short story

[lxdyblackthorn]

Seasons of shadowhunters Kickstarter!🍂

Cassandra Clare just announced a Kickstarter project with new (and not so new) shadowhunters content to be sent out throughout 2024 and 2025

It includes:

a physical copy of Secrets of Blackthorn Hall

an updated version of the Notable Shadowhunters flower card book

a collection of four novellas (at least one of which is set in the shadowhunter world) with covers by jenny zemanek

a romance themed short story collection

a journal with a compass on the cover (like thomas'!) and 12 artworks by cassandra jean

and if you back the project in the first 48 hours you get the 1st chapter of the wicked powers sent to you in 2024

It launches in November and you can sign up to be notified here

[simonnebethel]

Writeblr Introduction

Just learned what a writeblr intro is so I'm gonna make one before I go to bed lol

I've already done something like this a few days ago but that was when I had no clue what I was doing lmao, so might as well make a more in depth one

About me:

19, she/her, bi

American

I write mostly fantasy and urban fantasy, and honestly i dont think i've ever written a story that was non-fantasy lol

Started writing when I was 10, but it was mostly Warrior Cats fanfiction on Wattpad lol. I went through a writing slump for most of highschool but last year I decided to get back into it since I'm not doing anything else lol

I like to read fantasy and classic lit, also anything with vampires. I also have a soft spot for slowburn romances where the main characters dont kiss until, like, the 4th book heehee

In love with anything gothic, vampire, and wlw 👩‍❤‍💋‍👩

I think one of my more niche interests is any early 2000s fantasy/sci-fi movie with a nu-metal/rock/alternative soundtrack like Queen of the Damned and The Crow. They are just...*chefs kiss*

My current stories:

A Chant for Blood (Formerly known as Account of Calamity)

Account of Calamity is a gothic victorian fantasy about a Grand Marshal, Karliah Helisende, and a blood-drinking fiend, Yorick Gwynplaine, who work together to investigate the mysterious portals that spawn dangerous creatures into the city of Isarnan, all the while Karliah is being haunted by the mysterious ancient temple that watches over her every move.

I'm currently working on the second draft, and I may start looking for beta readers once I'm finished, although I know I'm not far from finished with this novel. I also plan to make it a 4 or 5 book series, and slowly add a slowburn romance.

12/30/24 - Second draft has been finished!!

Looking for beta readers! Look here!

Our Demonic Hearts - The Craven Pact Series #1

Our Demonic Hearts is a urban fantasy about a cambion woman, Ana Kravens, haunted by her past. Taking place in a small Mississippi town, a man she went through a traumatic incident with, Beau Motloe, shows up on her doorstep one day with a deal; help him find his missing mother, and he'll give back the memories she lost during the traumatic incident. Her father, a demonic creature of unknown origin, wants nothing more than the Motloes dead, claiming that they were the very reason his daughter was almost killed 6 years ago. Ana goes against her father's wishes and accepts Beau's deal, suspecting that her father isn't telling the whole truth about that fatal night.

It is completed and available on Wattpad and Royal Road!! It was just a small project I had done for Nanowrimo, and has been edited at least once before being published. However, I plan to make it a trilogy and maybe have some spin-offs. This story is fairly new, but most of the characters are at least 5 years old and I love them very much <3

What I plan for 2024:

Finish the second draft of Account of Calamity and look for beta readers(In the beta reader phase!)

Start the second novel of The Craven Pact Series

Write a short story/novella or two taking place within the Account of Calamity universe. My brain is currently exploding with ideas rn(2 are in the drafting process currently!)

Write a short story about Ana Kraven's mom and how she met Marchosias, Ana's father.

Plan something for Nano?? Idk where I'll be in November lol

I'm interested in following other writers and reading everybody's stories! I would also be interested in a beta read/beta swap ^^

Other sites I'm on:

Wattpad: LillithOfBees

Royal Road: SimonneBethel

Nanowrimo: BeeWitch

18+ Writing discord!!!

[duckprintspress]

Welcome to Duck Prints Press

Duck Prints Press LLC is an independent publisher based in New York State. Our founding vision is to work with fancreators to publish their original work. We are particularly dedicated to working with queer authors and artists to publish stories featuring characters from across the LGBTQIA+ spectrum. We were founded in January 2021. We're fan-owned, queer-owned, and dedicated to working with diverse creators, whether they be queer, disabled, bipoc, neurodiverse, or any combination of the above!

Current Projects

The Twinned Trilogy by Tris Lawrence (f/f, m/m, and others, three-novel trilogy, modern with magic college setting; Kickstarter to (maybe) launch this winter - you can follow the campaign now!)

Anthology: Many Hands: An Anthology of Polyamorous Erotica (what it says on the tin: poly erotica; Kickstarter ended July 20th. Fulfillment in progress.)

Anthology: A Year of Queer 2023 and A Spicy Year of Queer 2023 (a project featuring stand-alone short stories previously published by Duck Prints Press. Projected for a crowdfunding campaign in late 2024)

Novella: Scrap Metal Angel by Nicola Kapron (modern-with-magic adventure with horror elements, crowdfunding October 2024)

Anthology: A Truth Universally Acknowledged: Queer Fanworks Inspired by Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice (what it says on the tin; art and fiction are currently in progress, crowdfunding projected for November 2024.)

Anthology: Scholarly Pursuits: A Queer Anthology of Cozy Academia Stories (writing period underway!)

Monthly short stories are published to our website and our Patreon!

Come read with us - we host a low-key reading challenge on Storygraph, encouraging people to read more queer books!

Upcoming Conventions and Events

September 22nd: A Big Gay Market x Saratoga Pride (High Rock Pavilion, Saratoga, NY)

September 28th: The Shirt Factory Book and Comic Festival (The Shirt Factory, Glens Falls, NY)

October 20th: A Big Gay Market (Washington Park, Albany, NY)

Past Projects

Pride Merchandise campaign featuring art by Pippin Peacock (six mythical creatures in each of eight pride colors, offered as die-cut stickers and enamel pins; available on our website!)

Anthology: Aether Beyond the Binary (aetherpunk settings, main characters outside the gender binary; available on our website!)

Hockey Bois by A. L. Heard (m/m, modern sports setting, sloooooow burn romance; available on our website!)

Anthology: Aim For The Heart: Queer Fanworks Inspired by Alexandre Dumas's "The Three Musketeers" (what it says on the tin; available on our website!)

Many Drops Make a Stream by Adrian Harley (f/f, fantasy, novel; available on our website!)

To Drive the Hundred Miles by Alec J. Marsh (m/f, explicit novella, trans male main character; available on our website!)

Anthology: Add Magic to Taste (fluffy queer relationships at magical coffee shops, tea shops, and the like; available on our website! New second edition ALSO available on our website!)

Anthology: And Seek (Not) to Alter Me: Queer Fanworks Inspired by William Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing" (what it says on the tin; available on our website!)

Anthology: She Wears the Midnight Crown (f/f stories set at unusual and creative masquerades; available on our website!)

Anthology: He Bears the Cape of Stars (m/m stories set at unusual and creative masquerades; available on our website!)

Support Duck Prints Press

Shop in our bookstore to get short stories, novelettes, novellas, novels, anthologies, bookmarks, stickers, enamel pins, and much more!

Become a Patron for shop discounts, behind-the-scenes glimpses, ask-us-anything access, Discord invitations, teasers and previews, bonus extras, and up to ten free stories every single month!

Buy us a ko-fi for a small, one-off donation! We appreciate every penny.

Subscribe to our mailing list to get offers, new release information, blog posts, and more.

Follow Duck Prints Press

Tumblr: @duckprintspress (you're here! you found us!)

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Mastodon: dppunforth

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Twitter/X: we no longer use Twitter

Learn More About Us

Our webpage

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Sign up for our mailing list!

Join us on Discord!

[surroundedbypearls]

A List of my 2024 Writing Goals

January:

Outline the new draft for 'Homebirds' - done!

Plan the rest of 'The Seal and The Raven' (my 2023 Nano WIP) - done!

February:

Finish copyedit of the 'Closet Pun' short stories

March:

Finish copyedit of the 'Closet Pun' novella

Finish the new draft of 'Homebirds'

April:

Finish proofread of the 'Closet Pun' short stories

Outline the new draft for 'To Catch the Sea'

May:

Finish copyedit of the 'Closet Pun' novella

June:

Finish the new draft of 'To Catch the Sea'

Finish outline of 'Untitled Castle WIP'

July:

Finish line edit for 'Golden Hands and Golden Fingers'

August:

Finish copyedit for 'Golden Hands and Golden Fingers'

Outline the new draft for 'The Wildfire King'

September & October:

Working on different bits, not planning to finish anything

November:

Finish the new draft of 'The Wildfire King'

Finish new outline for 'Untitled TWK prequel 1'

December:

Finish line edits for selected 'Untitled Folk stories' WIP

Finish first draft of 'The Seal and the Ravens'

Start drafting 'Untitled Vegas WIP'

I'm also hoping to do a beta read for 'Closet Pun' this year, so keep an eye out if you're interested or send me a message!

[untouchable234]

IMPORTANT UPDATE: My third novella, "AJ vs. Santa", has finally been all typed up!

Join AJ and her friend, Twist, as they head on an outlandish adventure to try to find out if Santa is good or evil. Does he really give gifts to good, little kids, or is he just a burglar who breaks into houses on Christmas Eve? Read the book and find out!

COMING TO A TUMBLR BLOG NEAR YOU ON NOVEMBER 23, 2024!

(Art credit: @sammym332)

[ereborne]

1, 2, 4, 8, 12, 15, 17, 20, 26, 32, 44, 46 (weird or genre-defying books), 47, 50

Thank you for so many prompts!! This was so fun to do and now it is so long. I hope it's as good to read as it was to write out!

1) Name the best book you've read so far this year: I answered Aftermarket Afterlife by Seanan McGuire to digs just a moment ago, but I'm glad you asked too, because honorable mention goes to Inheritance by Nora Roberts. It came out in November, not technically 2024, but time is fake and 2024 is just beginning anyway, so I'm counting it. Inheritance starts pretty slow and for a bit I was wondering how it was going to manage a satisfying resolution, and then I realized she was doing something new! (unfair. she's been building to this since 2015, it's just that now is when it's starting to really click with me) Instead of a trilogy with three couples whose romance arcs each get centered in their own book, this is going to be a trilogy focusing on unraveling the family curse/haunting, with the four main characters growing tighter as a unit (and forming their two romantic pairs, of course) throughout. I really like the characters and I am delighted by the curse/haunt storytelling. Cannot wait to see more.

2) Favorite fantasy book(s): this is so hard. okay, okay, brief rundown. brief. I can do this. bookshelf by bookshelf, I think. we'll take as granted everything by Seanan McGuire, sure. Bayou Moon and Magic Strikes by Ilona Andrews. By the Sword and From a High Tower by Mercedes Lackey. Bryony and Roses and Summer in Orcus by T Kingfisher. The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley. Deep Wizardry by Diane Duane. The Long Patrol-Marlfox-Taggerung by Brian Jacques, which I always read in a shot as if they were one book. Similarly, the Protector of the Small and Magic Circle quartets by Tamora Pierce, and the Icewind Dale trilogy by RA Salvatore. Tangled Webs by Elaine Cunningham. The Return of the King by JRR Tolkien (really all the LotR trilogy, but even I cannot say I sit and read them all three straight through as if they were one). The Wee Free Men and Thud! by Terry Pratchett.

4) Favorite science fiction book(s): The Ship Who Sang and Dragonsdawn by Anne McCaffrey. Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie. Exit Strategy and Network Effect by Martha Wells. The Galaxy and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers. Rescues and the Rhyssa by TS Porter (also a favored queer fiction book, but I love the alien worldbuilding so much it has to be here)

8) Favorite queer fiction book(s): Humanity for Beginners by Faith Mudge. Nightvine by Felicia Davin. the Harwood Spellbook series by Stephanie Burgis (also a down-in-one-shot series). Holly and Oak by R Cooper.

12) Favorite horror book(s): I haven't read too many horror books, so my pool is limited here, but The Twisted Ones and The Hollow Places by T Kingfisher both gave me the shudders so bad.

15) Which genre(s) are your favorite? Fantasy! I love all the fantasy subgenres, and especially the magical realism overlaps.

17) Favorite finished book series: How finished is finished? A lot of my serieses are made up of several trilogy/quartet subsets together in a world. hmmmm. The Protector of the Small quartet again by Tamora Pierce, I think.

20) Where and how do you find new books to read? I mentioned in my reply to digs that I'm subscribed to a ton of newsletters, but I feel like I undersold their effect on me. I don't know how many I'm subscribed to--just sat here and off the top of my head counted to eighteen that post at least weekly and I'm so sure I'm missing some--and I love having that regular infusion of book progress and reviews and writing thoughts and commentary. I really do recommend that folks subscribe to their favorite authors.

26) Favorite novella(s): Silver Shark by Ilona Andrews. The Seven Brides-to-Be of Generalissimo Vlad by Victoria Goddard. Jackalope Wives by T Kingfisher.

32) Name your favorite author(s): massive overlap with everybody else I've listed here. who haven't I mentioned? Jennie Crusie, Jayne Ann Krentz, JD Robb (which is a Nora Roberts penname but they've got distinct enough works I want to list them out separate). Patricia Briggs, Patricia C Wrede, Max Gladstone, Gail Carriger, Nalini Singh. And Ed Greenwood, about half the time.

44) The book(s) whose stories have become part of your very makeup: The Lord of the Rings trilogy by JRR Tolkien. Watership Down by Richard Adams. Agnes and the Hitman by Jennifer Crusie. Silver Borne by Patricia Briggs. The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett. Phoenix & Ashes by Mercedes Lackey. The Hands of the Emperor by Victoria Goddard.

46) I like (weird or genre-defying books), recommend me a book to read, please: First thought was the Humans Are Weird series by Betty Adams, though that might not be what you mean. They're intensely fun collections of 'humans are space-orcs' style vignettes. Maybe more directly books that are weird would be the Craft Sequence series by Max Gladstone and Hammers on Bone by Cassandra Khaw. Very toothy complicated magical realism. And my favorite genre-blending books are always the Elemental Masters books by Mercedes Lackey. A Study in Sable for instance is equal parts a Sherlock Holmes story and a retelling of The Twa Sisters fairytale, and also a coherent installment in an ongoing historical fantasy series about elemental mages in early 1900s England.

47) What are the last three books you read? Indexing by Seanan McGuire, Die in Plain Sight by Elizabeth Lowell, Pirate's Honor by Chris A Jackson

50) What kind of book have you never read but always hope to find at some point in the future? This is such a fascinating question. I don't know that there's anything in particular that I've always wanted and never found, but there are things I'm always looking for more and better examples of. I'm extremely picky about soulmate AUs, so a good one especially captivates me. Oh, or a really well-handled impromptu adoption! Child characters and bureaucracy are both tricky to write and things I know a lot about, and when they're done well they hook me so hard.

[novella-november]

Novella November 2024 Announcement Post

Hate AI, but love writing challenges?

Want to take part in a global, fun project to write a Novella in one month?

Grab some friends, and take part in Novella November, by writing 1,000 words a day for the month of November, ending with a 30,000 word Novella to test and stretch your novel-writing skills!

Your goal is not perfection, but merely getting into the habit of writing a litte bit every single day :D

No website, no sign-ups -- Just a community initiative to write using only your own word!

What are the rules? Just Three so far!

#1 - No AI

#2 - No Plagiarizing

#3 - Wordcount for the month should only come from what you write during the month.

What does that mean?

Only words written during November should go towards your Wordcount for the month... but! Feel free to use your 30k words as a continuation of previous writing, or just make it the first 30k words in a longer novel!

Don't think you can write a whole entire 30k word story? Write a series of short stories that total up to 30k!

Not ready to write original works yet? Write a 30k word fanfiction that you can post after the month is over!

Share your writing experience, tips, encouragement, and questions in the #Novella November tag!

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EDIT, from the tags: Want a progress tracker? Track your progress with TrackBear!

https://trackbear.app/

Don't have a word processor? Use LibreOffice , the free and open-source alternative to Microsoft Word!

Want to organize/storyboard your Novel and don't want to pay a subscription? Try 7writer by Simon Haynes!

Want to be able to listen to your story aloud for proofreading using TTS (text to speech)? Try Balabolka!

Or, create some custom progress / Goal Cards in advance you can fill out as you reach word goals! For ideas and templates, search this blog for "goal cards" :D

Want to do a writing challenge in more than just November? Check out my ideas here for year round challenges to keep you writing consistently! Got feedback? Send it in, I'd love to see everyone's ideas!

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EDIT 2: I almost forgot to mention, if you are unable to write/type your story, you can also narrate/dictate your story to your preferred recording device!

If you're doing a Recording only and it doesn't automatically generate a transcript, it would obviously be hard to judge the word count -- but you're also working with a lot of obstacles, so I'd say if you're able to complete your story via voice recording from start to finish, you've definitely achieved the goal!

Edit #3: added the title "Novella November 2024 announcement post" to the top to make it more standard with my Ominous October and Drabble December posts (will be updating Outline October shortly) , added "Official Announcement Post 2024" to the tags so people can easily find the monthly events for 2024, and added a bit of bold to the third bullet point in the original post from September 2nd 2024 for emphasis.

[eruden-writes]

Ringing out 2023

I wanted to visually see all the things I accomplished this year, since it's been a little on the rougher side for me.

⭐⭐Most - not all - of the content for these particular titles can be found at Eruden Archives, here on tumblr. ⭐⭐

Lights, Camera, Orc-tion! (Kahdreg x Avicia)

Self-published as two books then as a 2-in-1 duology in ebook and paperback!

Teeth (Maktov x Thalia)

Self-published as a novella with two erotic short stories, in ebook and paperback

The Unexpected Human Problem (Tai'dqei x Rayelle)

Completed in January 2023

Went through edit and revisions most of the year

Is being submitted to publishers and literary agents

The All-Hearts Festival

Started and completed in February 2023

Going through edits and revisions for self-publication

Has some art

Room and Board (Tabaeus)

Five updates in 2023

Desperation's Summit (Rakash x Cordelia)

One update 😖

Strictly Pleasure (Jek x Heidi)

Started in July 2023

11 updates!!!

Plus some art

Scent Match (Augustine x Amber)

Started in March 2023

9 updates!!!

Some art as well

Feed the Fever (Cyd x Mara)

Started in November 2023

2 updates

Misc Projects

Various bits of art concerning Obe / Fae Courts / Faebrikins

Cranky x Stowaway art - From "Dancing" on down.

Part took of Monster March a little

. . . . . . . . .

I'm frustrated with how little I feel I've gotten done this year. Looking at this makes me feel a little more accomplished, but I didn't market my books like I wanted to or stay on top of self-publishing. I had plans to start going to conventions or writers events or maybe even orchestrating local signings.

A lot of my productive hiccups have to do with current family court litigation and we'll still be in the throes of litigation come the beginning of 2024.

However! Hopefully some machinations for the New Year will give me a creative boost for 2024.

I hope your 2023 treated you all well and I hope your 2024 is phenomenal!

[magpiefngrl]

Nov + Dec Books

Photo Credit (original): Ed Robertson

Nov + Dec 2023

An uneven two months. Read loads in November but got into a huge slump in December. I was too busy and stressed and overworked. I recovered eventually with some comforting romances and a few shorter works. In total, I managed 12 books (incl. several novellas) in these two months.

End of year musings and a review of my 2023 reading goals in future posts.

Books that stood out:

Amnesty by Lara Elena Donnelly

A satisfying end to the Amberlough trilogy. Very elegant and mature books; it's a crime they're not on more people's radar.

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

Several years later than everyone, I finally picked this book up and really enjoyed it. Will be continuing with the series eagerly.

The Invention of Angela Carter by Edmund Gordon

I didn't expect a biography to keep me so hooked, nor did I anticipate being so inspired. An excellent read for fans of Carter.

Magician by KL Noone

Fantasy m/m romance done very well. Lovely connection between the two main leads, truly heartwarming without being saccharine, emphasis on kindness; all-round a gorgeous little story.

What's next?

Setting goals for 2024!

[doctorjuvenile]

Things from WtA: The Book of Hungry Names you should know

There is an actual forest being clearcut to construct a police training facility in the U.S.

Protests against the clearcutting of Weelaunee Forest in Atlanta, Georgia have been ongoing since April 2021. Just like STATZ, a massive 'Cop City' is being built, replete with an entire mock city with empty apartments. The construction project has been widely criticized and authorities have killed one forest defender and made 61 arrests against protestors. 28 more arrests were made against students of Emory University in 2024 who peacefully protested for total divestment and were additionally shot at with tear gas, rubber bullets, and tasers. (Wikipedia)

This is not just a storyline in a well-written game. This is a real fight happening.

From Wikipedia:

Planned facilities include classrooms, a burn building, a mock city (including apartments, a bar/nightclub, and a school), and a shooting range.

Sound familiar?

2. Nin's appearance was inspired by Patty Smyth in the music video for "I Am the Warrior"

Confirmed to me by Kyle Marquis himself, Nin also sings a bit of this song in-game:

Nin sings, "Shooting at the walls of headache pang pang, I am the worrier," drumming on the desk. Elton flinches at each "pang."

3. The Dunwich Horror is a novella written by H.P. Lovecraft set in Massachusetts.

Although folklore in the region predates Lovecraft, whippoorwills carrying away the souls of the dead feature heavily in this story too.

4. Update coming on Monday.

Not sure what exactly it will entail but the code for the bugged Cheetah's Claw achievement will definitely be fixed. Oh, and the Red Talons are coming in a future DLC.

[meltotheany]

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018! hi hi, loves! i hope you’re all doing well and staying cool (or warm) in whatever hemisphere you are in! i always love doing posts like this, and just reflecting on all the good book options i have for the last six months of 2024 (which feels wild to even type)! but truly, so many good books are publishing over the last half of this year, and i can’t wait to talk about them all with you! 😍 🌞 SUMMER RELEASES ☆ The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Djèlí Clark – august 6th ⤷ once again, this book is about necromancers, assassins, and a vow our mc isn’t supposed to remember, but does. it very well could be my new personality very soon! ☆ Mistress of Lies by K.M. Enright – august 13th ⤷ maybe the summer buzzword is assassins, because this queer filipino debut also stars one who is forced to work with two others to solve a magical murder mystery that could also involve vampires. this is truly the debut that i have been looking most forward to all year! ☆ The Crimson Crown by Heather Walter – august 27th ⤷ we love a tuesday birthday, and this year for mine i get a sapphic snow white dark retelling. i am obsessed with this author’s writing and her malice duology that ended up being a favorite of mine. i can’t wait for all the sapphic stories she will give us, but this birthday release one feels very special to me already. 🍁 FALL RELEASES ☆ Graveyard Shift by M.L. Rio – september 24th ⤷ i mean, once everyone saw there was a new ml rio book coming out i think the entire book community let out a breath they didn’t know they were holding. it is “only” a novella (i say this as a novella lover), but it is about a group of night shift workers trying to solve a mystery at the graveyard, involving a gravedigger, and i know it’s going to be everything. ☆ The City in Glass by Nghi Vo – october 1st ⤷ at this point, i will just beg tor for anything that nghi vo writes. but this is a brand new standalone all about angels and demons and a lost city and i just know that i am going to love it like everything else this author writes! ☆ Lore Olympus: Volume Seven (Lore Olympus, #7) by Rachel Smythe – october 1st ⤷ there is just something really happy and healing about waiting for my next preorder of lore olympus to come in. volume six  was actually my favorite so far, so i extra can’t wait for this newest installment for the fall! ☆ Spectacular (Caraval, #3.5) by Stephanie Garber – october 22nd ⤷ i cannot believe we are actually get a caraval holiday story right before the holiday season! i am so curious if we will see characters from both of her trilogies in this, and if we will get some hints for what is to come next! but i love being in the world of caraval and i can’t wait for this! ❄️ WINTER RELEASES ☆ The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong – november 5th ⤷ this is actually one of my favorite covers… ever. but is a new debut about a immigrant fortune teller, traveling from town to town with her magical cat, and i think this is the tale of them trying to help someone in one of these towns! this is going to be cozy and heartfelt and i can’t wait to read. ☆ The Songbird & the Heart of Stone (Crowns of Nyaxia, #3) by Carissa Broadbent – november 19th ⤷ i am all caught up and so ready to read this new carissa broadbent book! this third full length story is about a character we know and love from books one and two, but i am curious how i am going to enjoy it because i really didn’t love the last novella i read set in this world. but i am still excited to find out this winter! ☆ Wind and Truth (The Stormlight Archive, #5) by Brandon Sanderson – december 6th ⤷ the fifth and last (of this story arc, before a very big time jump) of the very beloved stormlight archives. i cannot believe it will be in my hands in six months, and i also can’t believe brandon has said it is the longest bo...