#ardawyn

[eluari]

MELODIE DER ASCHE - (AKA: BORN TO THE SEA)

Genre //Adult Fantasy Status // Finished 💕 - Release 02.04.2024 Publisher // Droemer Knaur (german publisher) Themes // a fall from grace | vengeance | justice | action & consequences | magic | loyality | survival | love | war | fate | rebellion | sacrifice | m/m romance

There were times when I thought that I'd ever make this post. Times when I doubted that a story with an m/m romance would ever get picked up by a major publisher. But here we are ... 🥹

Melodie der Asche is the german title of my WIP Born to the Sea, and what you see up there, is the official cover. The real cover of the story, that started in 2019 here on Writeblr. I even got to illustrate the hands ... T_T Anyway, I'm forever grateful for all the support I've found. I miss you & love you, guys! I hope you're all doing well. 💕

You can preorder Melodie der Asche *here* & I have included the german preview text in case you happen to speak german.

Das Vergessen war seine Gnade. Die Wahrheit ist sein Untergang. Ein Magier ohne Zukunft versucht, sein Schicksal abzuwenden. Ein Fischer ohne Vergangenheit verliebt sich in einen Feldherrn, der eine Lüge lebt. In einem kriegszerrissenen Land stürzen sie sich in den Kampf um Freiheit und decken eine Wahrheit auf, die so schwer wiegt, dass sie besser nie ans Licht gekommen wäre. -

Drei untrennbar verbundene Schicksale entscheiden über die Zukunft eines kriegszerrissenen Reiches. Inmitten des Konfliktes zwischen der Rebellion und dem grausamen Regime des Sha ist Caliyan der stärkste Magier seiner Zeit, doch man hat ihm alles genommen. Im Versuch seiner dunklen Bestimmung zu entfliehen, verliert er sich in Rache. Vaelen ist ein einfacher Fischer, der seine Vergangenheit nicht kennt. Das Einzige, das ihn ständig begleitet, ist eine unbestimmte Sehnsucht, getrieben von einer geheimnisvollen Melodie in seinem Inneren, die noch lauter erklingt, als er Laudan kennenlernt. Aber Laudan ist nicht nur ein Spion der Rebellen, sondern auch der Feldherr des Sha – und damit nicht der, für den Vaelen ihn hält. Laudan ist sofort fasziniert von dem jungen Fischer, seinem starken Willen, der Freiheit und der Anmut, die er ausstrahlt. Doch welche Chance hat eine so zarte Liebe, wenn um sie herum ein Kampf tobt? Wenn Laudan ihm nicht sagen kann, dass er nicht der ist, für den Vaelen ihn hält? Und Vaelen die Macht besitzt, den Frieden zu bringen oder alles zu zerstören, woran Laudan glaubt?

Du bist noch nicht fertig, flüsterte ihm die Dunkelheit zu. -

Rache, Magie, Macht: Ein queerer Fantasy-Roman über die Gnade und den Fluch des Vergessens und den Kampf um Freiheit. In ihrem Debüt über das tragische Schicksal von Vaelen und Laudan erschafft Elya Adair eine magische Welt voller Verzweiflung und Liebe, Zärtlichkeit und Gewalt: Eine tiefgründige Liebesgeschichte, bei der man liebt, hasst und leidet!

»Ein Buch wie eine Symphonie - zärtlich, traurig und getragen von einer bombastischen Melodie, deren Töne noch lange nachklingen.« – Mira Valentin

»Emotional, tragisch und wortgewaltig - mit Melodie der Asche hat Elya Adair ein beeindruckendes Debüt geschrieben, dessen intelligent verwobene Handlungsstränge, tiefgründige Figuren und einzigartige Fantasywelt Lesende von Beginn an in ihren magischen Bann ziehen. Eine unvergessliche Liebesgeschichte, die immer wieder den Atem raubt. Ganz klare Leseempfehlung!« – Lina Frisch

»Melodie der Asche erschafft Bilder voller Magie und Liebe. Auch nach dem Zuklappen des Buches hallt die Welt von Elya Adair noch lange nach.« - Andreas Suchanek und Christian Handel my old BttS Taglist! Lots of Love to you all. I hope you're doing well. @ardawyn @cirianne @elfrooted @somedeadmagic @relevy @alternativeforensicscientist @doro-writes @pen-in-hand @wanderers-minuet @skyfireflight @darth-salem-emperor-of-earth @monaramis @rookie009 @re-writing-h @lady-redshield-writes @zachatari @owl-writes @noxstories @quilloftheclouds @illyriandreamer @writemares @lordkingsmith @kosmosian-quills @reeseweston @ladywithalamp @the-violent-writer @phoenyxrisenfromashes @fantasy-shadows @v-writes-stories @ntbogoni @notiziarios @cawolters @adie-dee @wildswrites @siarven @semblanche @unfortunatelyunfocused @furysreign @a-tear-in-the-veil @acaranna @themidnxghtwriter @songsofaleria @wqtermelon-gloss @august-the-third @waterfallwritings @drunkinbook @doriians @homesteadchronicles @inky-duchess @silas-the-reading-addict @vesrayn @vorskra @miladaydreams @halfbloodlycan @smilelovefat-e @slothssassin @writer-somewhat @twoseeds

[enchanted-lightning-aes]

[ID: a green header with three birthday cakes at the corners with the red text that reads ‘Happy Birthday, (@ardawyn) aka Sophie!! Sending all the good vibes for you!!’ / finish ID]

hey, Sophie, @ardawyn!!! here’s a b-day card for u!! definitely going to do this for my friends if I’m able to. <3 it’s made from canva. sending good vibes and hugs for you!! may u have decent days ahead of you filled with success and joy!! 🎉🎉✨✨

[tragedieds]

🌹

This want belongs to you. It buzzes through your skin, rattles at the cage your bones have made for it, leaves you breathless and aching.

send 🌹 for a random sentence of a random WIP!

[howdywrites]

🌹

Thank you so much, my friend! ❤️

From Sisterhood of Blood -

She wore her late brother’s clothes - pants that needed to be belted around her thin waist to keep them up, and the ends cuffed over her dusty boots.

[time-to-write-and-suffer]

✂️ and 🌋 for the OC Questions?

Oh jeez! I didn’t expect anyone to actually send anything, otherwise I would’ve left OC names or WIPs in the tags, as it stands idk who you’re asking about so I dunno what to answer :’)

That being said, thank you for sending this in! :D

[kosmosian-quills]

I had a crazy, stupid idea for a thing to do in Animal Crossing because my wardrobe in game is simply bursting ((when I realised those yellow jumpsuits looked awfully familiar.....)) - make the OC’s of a few peeps in Animal Crossing form!!

I realise they aren’t too accurate but there’s only so much I can do on that front XD and I was working on this alone so trying to work out emotes for two characters in the same photo was..... hard. I’m sorry!! I’ll try again soon XD

Anyway - the peeps featured!

1 and 2: Alicia and Marissa from Street Magic, by @cirianne. The yellow jumpsuit gave me this idea, ok. But the real crime is that there is not a white one :C i was kinda limited with my furniture and stuff so Alicia is in a classroom and Marissa is in her super swanky kitchen!!

3 and 4: Lilly and Grayson from our Street Magic Spinoff, by me and @writingonesdreams. I couldn’t not do #Lillson4Lyf. This game was made for bringing out the cute in Lilly and Grayson as a couple <3

5 and 6: Acacia and Kyler from The 5th Magic, by @writingonesdreams. Acacia, I admit, I struggled with the outfit, but I kinda figured she looks good in anything, so..... but Kyler was easier. I had a coat just for the job to make him look as swish as possible! Also him being moody is featured!

7 and 8: Sarra and Ahni from Knight Errant, by @dove-actually. Full disclosure, Dove, this one was the first one where I tried to have both characters at once, and I couldn’t figure out how to use emotes for both of them at the same time (I only have two hands forgive me!!). I did eventually figure it out and by the time I was transferring these files I realised I forgot to go back and make Ahni look more animated. I will try again soon though!!

9 and 10: Tilda and Rajani from The Dawnbringer, by @ardawyn. The outfits were my undoing, but I think I did ok! I have a little market like area in my town so I have to admit using it for Rajani was a nice effective touch that I enjoyed doing. Totally made the terraforming of that entire quarter of my island soooo much more worth it XD

I think I’ll do more of these soon. I might make it something of a game for writeblr, because it was kind of fun! I just need a more effective way of getting the images off my switch and onto my laptop though :( oh well.

I hope you like the images! I did have fun making them, and your OC’s are all amazing and I love them!

[endlesshourglass]

🎭 and 🧸 for Madeleina? Love that name btw!

Thanks for the ask, and thank you! She’s one of the first OCs I ever created and she still has one of my favorite names to this day.

🎭 - Does your OC show different sides of themselves to different people?

Yeah, that’s kind of her thing. Not gonna lie, Madeleina is a bit snakey. She’s usually very straightforward and blunt, but if she wants something from you, she knows how to act to get it. It’s kind of terrifying, tbh. She’s really good at smooth talking so it’s hard to tell if what you’re getting is the real thing. The best way to explain it is that there’s Madeleina, and then Polite Madeleina™.

🧸 - On a scale of 1 - 10, how ‘soft’ is your OC? 1 being the edgiest of edges and 10 being a literal teddy bear that cries at everything? (Bonus questions, where on the scale would your OC place themselves, and where would they like to be on the scale?)

I’d say Madeleina is a solid 4. I’d say Madeleina would place herself as a 3 (she’s pretty self aware but doesn’t realize how kind and supportive she can be). She would probably want to be a 5, but I think her tongue is a bit too sharp for that. 

Ask Game

[raevenlywrites]

10 and 15 for the meta asks? :)

10. How would you describe your writing process?

Chaos. Bootstraps. Absolutely making things up

Usually what comes first for me is dialogue, and I’ll jot those down, maybe with beats in between, maybe not, then I go back and fill it in. So it might look something like:

“I can’t believe you,” [expression beat: cold/fury] “Did you think I wouldn’t notice?” Note: Rosey has taken a bite of Tybee’s sandwich

And then I just keep writing til I finish the idea/run out of steam. Then I’ll fill in/polish

15. which is harder: titles or summaries

SUMMARIES. Titles really don’t matter :P

[quilloftheclouds]

Hello there! Didn't see you in my dash for some time. I hope you're doing alright! How about Rose for the character meme ask? I'm somehow always intrigued by her when you mention her! :D

[Pick an oc of mine and I’ll explain the top 3-5 essential concepts to writing them!]

SOPHIE!!! HI HI! I’ve been semi-active for a while now, unfortunately, I’m just so low on creative motivation these days. ^^’ But I’m hoping to get better! How are you, how are things???

And ROSE! I absolutely love how complex her character is underneath all the sweet facade~

Initially, Rose is that sugary sweet girl with a cutesy and childish attitude, prone to teasing jokes and mild mischief and completely unnecessary acrobatics. But she’s nowhere near the innocence she plays at, rather using the act as a manipulation tactic on everyone else, and her bubbly giggles always come out the most at the misfortune of others...

Despite that childish nature, Rose is actually very clever! She’s extremely nosy and loves to eavesdrop or sneak through documents she’s not supposed to read, and piecing together evidence is her forte. Though her excuses make her out to be innocent enough, Rose is genuinely one of my scariest characters to me purely because of how dangerous she is, both through fighting prowess and blackmail skill.

She also holds grudges for a long, LONG time! She’s kinda been blinded by her want for revenge, really. ^^’

She’s quite clingy because of her past experiences with relationships, and once bonded to someone, she’s as loyal and trusting as an awestruck puppy. This can lead to... a lot of problems, especially when she constantly looks the other way on things she really shouldn’t.

She’s kinda a villain? Probably my closest character to one? Hmmm~

[laure-writes]

Honestly, people are so talented on this site like, I’m so rooting for you guys! Make your novels come true!

[enchanted-lightning-aes]

ardawyn said: Yes, they are definitely helpful. When I still had a fandom blog and also fandom sideblogs people used to tag that sideblog. So all I had to do was go into that tracked tag and reblog everything I was tagged in. It was a way to find things more easily even before we were able to tag people

It’s also very helpful for letting bigger blogs see your stuff. If you make a gifset and tag a big fandom blog and they reblog it from you, chances are high that people see your gifs and reblog/follow you. But only tag blogs if they have it in their description that they track a certain tag.

. . . so, it’s a fandom exclusive thing? because I’m thinking of making a self-tag instead of a tag-list reblog but I’m on the fence about it. thanks for the input, Sophie! I haven’t been in fandom long enough and it shows, lmaooo.

[homesteadchronicles]

Happy Storyteller Saturday! :) I hope no one asked this before, but what element would you assign to your OCs?

Thank you so much, my friend! No worries on that one: no one has, as of yet, surprisingly. Since I have the Twelve Elemental Domains in Kingdom Come, I’ll use them: Fire, Water, Ice, Lightning, Earth, Wind, Light, Darkness, Healing, Death, Time, and Dimension. Some of my characters end up having power over some of these areas, but that’s more determined by bloodlined than personality correlation, so we’ll go with the latter here.

___

Royan Godewine’s element would be Time. Royan has been burdened with power over the advancement of time - an ability he never asked for or wanted. The tick of an eternal clock never stops inside his mind. He must always remain aware of what comes their way, what will not wait for them to unite their world and get their lives together. The Vault comes, ready or not. Only, right now? He would rather pretend everything can stay still. Just for a little longer.

Medea Brahim’s element would be Death. One of the only characters who starts with supernatural power, Medea lords over the domain of Death. A single touch can inflict disease, drain life force, or weaken the will. But beyond her actual acquisition of this power, Medea’s life has been shaped by death. The demise of her aunt, Hala, reformed her nation from top to bottom and eradicated her faith in the Sealed God. This transformation shaped Medea into the unstoppable force she is now, seeking to create her own pantheon of men-turned-gods - ones who would not let their people die.

Kasumi of the Shadow is, unsurprisingly, Darkness. As a Shadow, Kasumi spends most of her time in the dark - spying, sneaking, waiting. She has become so accustomed to hiding that she does not know who she is in the light! She knows the price of exposure in the limelight, and does not want to pay it anymore. Out of everyone’s elements, though, hers would be the most prone to change over time.

Farukh (Slave #400K)’s element would be Fire. Farukh is a wildfire, igniting the hearts of the oppressed and relighting hope they thought was long lost. But he’s also untamable, able to burn people when he’s not controlled, reined in.

Carmila Ramos’ element would be Water. Shocker, I know. But it’s not just a life by the open seas that’s made her this way. She’s tempestuous: calm one moment, and raging the next. Not necessarily with anger, but with a maelstrom of emotion nonetheless. She flows with whatever comes her way, not happily but out of need, forced to accept change even when she pushes against the riptides she herself caused. A lot of Carmila’s character arc is wrapped up in her not accepting that she is who she is, and I think the concept of her going against her own tides sums that up perfectly.

Oeden’s element would be Healing. A large portion of Oeden’s story deals with his inability to help or save others. He cannot heal his own condition, and his prophetic words only seem to doom those he comes in contact with. Despite the despair he sees in his dreams, he desperately wishes to spare the world and its people from their inevitable end. Oeden’s story deals with him coming to grips with the fact that healing comes in many forms, and it does not always come, for one reason or another. For him, or for others. But he can heal who he can, in the way that he can.

[tenacious-scripturient]

Happy Birthday! 🎉 I hope you have a wonderful day. And I wish you loads of inspiration, motivation and luck for your writing!

thank you sophie!!🤍🤍 i'll definitely try with the motivation, and right back at you :D

[howdywrites]

For the OC questions, 50 and 55 for Jackie? :)

Thank you so much!! 

50. How attentive is your oc? How perceptive are they? How easily do they get distracted?

Jackie can easily get carried away with the task at hand, which is great for when she’s doing mapping or paperwork, but terrible if she has a schedule to keep but is lost in the flora and fauna of the creek she’s squatting by. She’s very detailed oriented, which is a gift for her line of work as a park ranger. It’s one of the reasons she gets rotations at the firewatch towers.

55. How sensitive to loud sound is your oc? Do they prefer constant high background noise, low background noise, or complete silence?

In nature, loud noises don’t usually mean anything good. Jackie can hear a gun going off a long distance away and is easily startled. When she’s up in the tower, she prefers to keep a radio going on low to cover up some of the creaking when high winds blow through.

[bebewrites]

How about 💪 and 😈?

💪 who’s the strongest character physically?

probably finian, landon, or vega! all my strong bbys and all soldiers/guards.

😈 which character is the villain and/or antagonist?

the main villain in this story is largely unknown in the first book. i’d say it’s mostly the curse itself and the witch who set the trap for everly, although many people suspect no one person could have created a curse that big. a mystery!

thanks for the ask, sophie!!

[send me an emoji!]

[livvywrites]

Happy Storyteller Saturday! :) Did you ever have an idea for an OC that somehow didn't make it into any of your WIPs or that you had to cut again for whatever reason?

The amount of OCs that I’ve had to cut from Metanoia alone is insane, so… thank you for giving me this excuse to talk about some of my other babies :D

I’m only going to list the ones that I actually wrote about, & not ones that were cut before I started drafting at all~ Otherwise this would be insanely long!!

I would like to write about these kids eventually though—perhaps in another story set in Eldora?

Ferris & Bella Ryder — Their great great etc. grandparents founded the Knights’ guild. Their parents helped formed the Syndicate, which united some of Eldora’s biggest guilds. When the Knights are targeted & slaughtered (originally by Kai’os’s invading forces), they go on a quest to get revenge & rebuild their guild (by joining the resistance against Kai’os).

Evander Lumina — Talitha’s cousin & other close friend. He joined the Knights as soon as he was old enough. Like Ferris & Bella, he had just taken his vows when the Knights were attacked. He survived with a small group (which originally included Asa, who had been working there as a healer) & ended up joining the resistance.

Kathleen Golde — Her father was a member of the merchant’s guild. When they were attacked, she survived—barely. She was taken in by a group of retired mercenaries, and helped them manage their business for a time. However, she ended up joining the resistance when she heard about their efforts. (Romance was planned between her and Evan.)

Aylin Frostmoore — A priestess of Hope who foresaw something terrible happening. Her order didn’t believe her visions were anything more than nightmares—so she left. When Kai’os attacked she knew she needed to go where a priestess was most needed—and also perhaps see if his betrayal was connected to the terrible thing she saw.

Vrishka — She was a soldier and former Knight assigned to be Aylin’s bodyguard. She was one of those who survived with Evander, & joined the resistance in hopes of rebuilding the Knights order.

Krushak Stonefist — alias, Karl Stone. A well-spoken diplomat. He joined the resistance to aid them in making alliances with foreign powers.

Aishlynn also had her own team of Slaeyr back then, but that was before she was slotted to be part of the main group~

I ended up cutting all of those characters to make the story more manageable for me, because it was just too large of a cast to keep up with. Like I said, I would still like to do something with them one day—something still set in Eldora, but no longer connected to Alinora/Kai’os/Kaltain/Fate.