#take note romantasy authors

[fluffycannibal]

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[rae2velaris]

2024 Was a Great Year for Elriels

The end of the year is approaching, and unfortunately, there's no announcement yet, but Elriels definitely have plenty to be grateful for this year.

On the contrary... (Quick rant...I'm allowed one a year)

The other side has enjoyed complaining and discrediting articles and large companies commenting on Elriel...

Why?

I suppose it's because their side of the fandom has nothing new to talk about with their ships?

All they have are:

Commissioned art pieces paid for by themselves (great for the artists and Elriels do commissioned pieces to so... touche)

Screen Rant articles. This website is a way for free lance writers to make some money. Honestly, if you want to dive into them, go ahead, but these article centralize on the writers' opinions and click bait/SEO. And no, I'm not going to hunt down these writers' information to discredit. People are allowed to have their opinions and make money however way they want. Just at least take a moment to look at the titles for Screen Rant articles vs. TIME, TODAY, and E! News. You'll see a difference going forward in this post.

Additonal unnecsssary "official" weeks/ "spontaneous" days for ships and characters due to the belief that Elriel fans ruin everything

Anyways, let's dive into this year's pro Elriel content ❤️

January 30th, 2024

TIME- Time magazine is a widely cited resource and maintains high standards of journalism. In this particular article, only Elain and Azriel are mentioned as a possibility for the next ACOTAR book.

January 30th, 2024

TODAY Show- A sit-down interview with SJM. (This particular part of the interview I condensed together on Canva because of the limited pictures we can include on Tumblr) Below, Sarah talks about fate, the idea of exploring rejecting mates, and free will. (Lucien and Elain?) She also discusses her characters ending up with someone who offers growth and joy. (Azriel and Elain?) SJM can't tell us in black and white that she's doing this, but COME ON people. There's a reason she discusses it.

Oh, and the TODAY show decided to like/comment on Elriel comments ONLY.

Side Note: If interested, take a look at this tumblr post for a lovely, thorough breakdown. ( @courtofblooming )

April 19th, 2024

Guilty As Sin Instagram Story from SJM- Sarah loves her little crumbs, and this song honestly encapulates Elriel. We unfortunately don't get confirmation from SJM, but I'll include some of the lyrics for you to judge.

This cage was once just fine

Am I allowed to cry?

I dream of cracking locks

Throwing my life to the wolves

Or the ocean rocks

Crashing into him tonight

He's a paradox

I'm seeing visions, am I bad?

Or mad? Or wise?

What if he's written 'mine' on my upper thigh

Only in my mind?

One slip and falling back into the hedge maze

Oh what a way to die

I keep recalling things we never did

Messy top lip kiss

How I long for our trysts

Without ever touching his skin

How can I be guilty as sin?

What makes it even better? Audible and Spotify commented ONLY on Elriel posts in relation to this song. You won't find these particular companies commenting on any other ships of the fandom.

Side Note: The other side of the fandom tries to discredit these influential companies by stating the person behind the account doesn't represent the whole company or just enjoy saying the companies comments aren't credible. Multi-million dollar companies are NOT going to waste their time and reputation on fanon created ships. These companies are business smart and only invest in what's profitable. There's a reason they make millions...ELRIEL is profitable due to canon evidence. Simple as that.

December 2nd, 2024

Bloomsbury and SJMaas Updates announce that the audiobooks are now available on Spotify- Bloomsbury, SJM Updates, and Spotify are in close collaboration with each other. Makes those Spotify Elriel comments even more satisfying. ❤️

December 9th, 2024

SJM 2024 Author of the Year Spotify Video- Although we got little news for the coming spring about audible books, us as a fandom had a lovely time dissecting the video. Yet again, Spotify only commented on Elriel comments.

Side Note: Take a look at these tumblr posts for an inciteful look into the significance of tea cups/Elain ( @offtorivendell ) and an excellent interpretation of the Spotify video. ( @wingedblooms )

December 13th, 2024

E News!- I know this particular article has ruffled some feathers, but it's entertaining none the less! Gotta love the nod to Azriel's wingspan. IYKYK (And yes, it's credible... it's owned by NBC Universal... the same company that owns TODAY and 33% stakes of Hulu through Comcast (Comcast owns NBC Universal, and the stakes are through NBC Universal). I only add Hulu due to the ACOTAR TV series being developed through Hulu.)

December 17th, 2024

Goodreads- This is just a little star on top of the tree, but it's great to know that ACOFAS made it into the top 10 most read overall books this year. (Interesting how ACOSF didn't make it...) Notably, ACOFAS is the bridge for future spin-offs. (Also interesting how a particular character isn't seen in ACOFAS...)

(ACOFAS pictures taken from @psychologynerd post linked below)

In Conclusion...

As an Elriel, I've truly appreciated the continuous confirmations for Azriel and Elain for the future ACOTAR 5 book in small, simple ways. Even better knowing that Spotify and Audible have outwardly commented on ONLY Elriel posts.

As the year 2024 ends, I'll treasure these little nuggets of positivity until the announcement day! I have a feeling 2025 will hold some excellent news for the fandom. Until then, have a wonderful holiday season and a Happy New Year!

P.S.

If you know of anymore pro Elriel content from this year, by all means, write a comment. 🥰

[aho-dapa]

Side note, because I'm watching a video essay that's pretty much saying everything I've been thinking about about,

With sjm's writing, what separates it from a typical romantasy not to take seriously is that post ACOTAR, the author suddenly says to take it seriously.

Feyre's Calanmai Hall scene isn't about Feyre not wanting Tamlin's advances, but that she does, she's just doing the typical romantasy protag thing of rejecting what you really desire. Think about how this contrasts with Rhysand's scenes utm, she doesn't want them and its not given enough detail, but this changes after Feyre and Rhysand get together. For example, the CoN scene. The fucking mid air thing. The telepathy sexting that can happen at anytime without true consequence. Very exhibition. Much voyeur.

This is literally sjm's fantasies played out through Feyre and Rhysand, and even through Feyre and Tamlin.

Despite how much I like Tamlin, he only really became a truly nuanced character in hindsight for me because of sjm's unintentional manipulations of her own narrative. In ACOTAR, he's also built around Feyre the same way most characters are in the first book.

He is built to fit into Feyre, he's meant to parallel her acceptance of her own desires, her own beast through him, because submitting to him is submitting to herself. That's why Feyre's themes get mixed up post ACOTAR, she loses that beast like quality to become a star to suit Rhysand. And sjm brings that back in ACOWAR with the Mirror (although it doesn't hit like it once would have because instead to fitting Rhysand to Feyre, sjm wrote Feyre to fit Rhysand).

The thing that's frustrating is that sjm is the one that is saying these are just not her fantasies on page, she's the one that brought mental health into it, brought up abuse and neglect, and handled it all so poorly.

It's this thing where sjm still wants to have the upturned-nose high ground in her books, she wants to be right, she doesn't want Feyre to be questioned or truly be in the wrong because Feyre is her fantasy. sjm likely writes Tamlin to not like human slavery, not want to be like his father, and with a self sacrificing personality while keeping his beast like qualities for the steamy parts. Because he's written to have that middle ground most people looking for that fantasy can still enjoy while not being too disturbing for our modern sensibilities.

That's why some people not looking for this find Tamlin and Rhysand's actions strange and gross, but people who already indulge in those fantasies were okay with it. And there's even people who think that ACOTAR is too vanilla (me). Anyway.

Basically, ACOTAR is not meant to be taken seriously, its literally another romance book with a fancy (?) cover. Post ACOTAR is not tho, so sjm makes a big deal about taking it seriously because she wants that middle ground with Rhysand when honestly, Rhysand could have been a dark romance ML and no one would have batted an eye. But that wouldn't work for the precedent sjm established with the middle ground, she needs that 'he's feral and sexy and toes the consent line but it's fine because xyz' in her books, and that's why the fandom is so divided. We can't decide whether or not to take it seriously or not because sjm switched up.

Her fault as a writer is that she didn't do this well at all.

I mean, this is also coming from the same woman that briefly had another one of her characters entertain their sovereign right to colonization in goodwill, so. This woman should never have been taken seriously. Unfortunately, she insists upon herself. So in order to actually discuss these books, we have to take her silliness seriously.

(Which is why I stopped because it's an endless cycle of saying sjm wrote something silly and because she's saying it's serious, now we gotta be serious about bat birthing or whatever)

Never forget how I saw a bat get birthed just to actualize how stupid the *gets shot*

[wearethekat]

Anticipated Upcoming New Releases

Anticipated by Me. Asterisk for titles where I haven't read anything by the author previously (ie sounds cool but unvetted)

*Hammajang Luck, Makana Yamamoto (14 January). In a far-future world, a thief is approached by the partner who betrayed her for one last job just after getting out of a prison planet on early parole.

*Death of the Author, Nnedi Okorafor (14 January). Recently unemployed Zelu starts to write a new science fiction book, as the lines between fiction and reality begin to blur.

*Modern Divination, Isabel Agajanian (30 January). Young witch has carefully balanced her witchcraft with her demanding life at Cambridge University—only to find that her magic powers are fading.

Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales, Heather Fawcett (11 February). Book three of a series, in which Emily deals with the repercussions of being engaged to a faerie king.

*But Not Too Bold, Hache Pueyo (11 February). Novella. Sapphic retelling of Bluebeard featuring a giant humanoid spider.

Wooing the Witch Queen, Stephanie Burgis (18 February). Romantasy in which an evil sorceress queen gets catfished by a disguised imperial archduke pretending to be a librarian in a gaslamp setting.

*Greenteeth, Molly O'Neill (25 February). The legendary Molly Greenteeth teams up with a local witch to defeat an evil pastor.

*The Fourth Consort, Edward Ashton (25 February). A human representative to what's supposed to be a pan-species space confederation finds out he's actually on the wrong (and losing) side, and gets trapped on another planet.

The River Has Roots, Amal El-Mohtar (4 March). Novella. Two sisters living at the edge of Faerie tumblr into trouble when one of them takes a faerie suitor.

Once Was Willem, MR Carey (4 March). In medieval England, the eponymous Willem drags himself out of his grave to defend his village against an evil threat.

The Tomb of Dragons, Katherine Addison (11 March). Reportedly actually coming out this year! In book 3 of the series, Thara Celehar investigates a case involving an old cemetery and a miner's group.

A Gentleman's Gentleman, TJ Alexander (11 March). Alexander sticks their nose into the Regency genre with this t4t lord/valet romance.

Idolfire, Grace Curtis (11 March). One woman searching for a last chance and another woman looking for redemption travel to a sleeping magical city.

*Murder by Memory, Olivia Waite (18 March). A sci-fi mystery novella set on a generation ship, where a ship's detective investigates a mysterious murder.

*Aunt Tigress, Emily Yu-Xuan Qin (18 March). Reformed monster Tam investigates the murder of her aunt in Chinese folklore inspired urban fantasy Canada.

*The Keeper of Lonely Spirits, EM Anderson (25 March). Cursed to live forever, ghost hunter Peter starts to settle after two hundred years in a small town in Ohio.

A Drop of Corruption, Robert Jackson Bennett (1 April). Sequel. Our Sherlock Holmes coded detective investigates the disappearance of a treasury officer with the help of her trusty assistant in a complex secondary fantasy world.

*Where the Axe is Buried, Ray Nayler (1 April). In a crumbling near-future Earth, a brilliant scientist flees, because her new invention might be key to assassinating the immortal uploaded President.

*A Duke Never Tells, Suzanne Enoch (1 April). In this Regency romp, somehow both a young lady and the man she's affianced to are in disguise below stairs.

Don't Sleep With The Dead, Nghi Vo (8 April). Vo returns to the fantasy Great Gatsby setting with this novella from the POV of Nick Carraway post-novel events.

*The Raven Scholar, Antonia Hodgson (15 April). Seven candidates compete to become the next emperor—until one of them is murdered. The emperor's scholar attempts to find the killer.

*The Gentleman and His Vowsmith, Rebecca Ide (15 April). An accidentally falling in love with your wedding vendor by during your arranged marriage book, now with a locked mansion murder mystery.

*Notes from a Regicide, Isaac Fellman (15 April). Trans Griffon's adoptive parents die suddenly, leaving him to sort through their papers, which follows the failed revolution they fled.

Advocate, Daniel M Ford (22 April). Book three of a series. Insufferable lesbian necromancer Aelis is summoned back to the capital to investigate an accusation against her former teacher.

Saint Death's Herald, CSE Cooney (22 April). Sequel to my particular favorite Saint Death's Daughter. Lanie Stones must contain her murderously ambitious (and dead) great grandfather before he conquers the world.

*The Sun Blessed Prince, Lindsey Byrd (29 April). Queer romance between a prince with healing magic and the assassin sent to kill him.

Brighter than Scale, Swifter Than Flame, Neon Yang (6 May). Emissary and dragon hunter Yeva is sent to a nation that worships dragons to seduce their queen. Novella.

Drop Dead, Lily Chu (6 May). Rival journalists Nadine and Wesley spar for the scoop on a reclusive author-- until she dies suddenly, and the executor grants them both three weeks to study her papers together.

Ascension, ST Gibson (13 May). Sequel to Evocation about the contentious urban fantasy wizard polycule.

The Incandescent, Emily Tesh (13 May). A professor at a magical academy deals with some troublesome demons. (I'm VERY excited for this one)

*Anji Kills A King, Evan Leikam (13 May). In an impulsive moment, a laundry maid assassinates the king. She flees, pursued by a band of mercenaries with magic masks.

The Starving Saints, Caitlin Starling (20 May). After a six month siege, a castle is freed by a group of cultlike saints. As the castle descends into cannibalism orgies, can three women find a way to save themselves?

Strange New World, Vivian Shaw (20 May). The fourth book in the Greta Helsing series, in which Greta escorts an angel and a demon across America .

*Behooved, M Stevenson (20 May). Princess Bianca agrees to marry a prince in order to end the war—only to have a botched assassination attempt turn him into a horse. They flee together in order to unravel the evil plot.

The Grimoire Grammar School Parent Teacher Association, Caitlin Rozakis (27 May). Ordinary parent Vivian has to rapidly adapt to the world of magic schools when her kindergartener is bitten by a werewolf.

June and later releases under the cut

The Listeners, Maggie Stiefvater (3 June). Hotel manager June is put to an unexpected test when the hotel's rich owners make a deal to host captured Nazi officials.

The Witch Roads, Kate Elliot (10 June). An arrogant prince enters the haunted Spires against the advice of their guide, leaving ex-slave Elen with the unenviable task of guiding a man who isn't quite the same as the one who entered.

The Mercy Makers, Tessa Gratton (17 June). Criminal heiress Iriset uses her ability to create magical disguises to infiltrate the palace and free her father, insinuating herself into the lives of the emperor and his sister in the process.

*This Princess Kills Monsters, Ry Herman (17 June). A sapphic retelling of the Grimm fairy tale The Twelve Huntsmen.

A Far Better Thing, HG Parry (17 June). Changeling child Sydney escapes and crosses over to the human world during the French Revolution to get his revenge on the fairie that took his place.

A Legionnaire's Guide to Love and Peace, Emily Skrutskie (24 June). Two redshirts unexpectedly don't die in a fantasy apocalypse after a band of plucky heroes intervene, forcing them to contemplate their one last night stand.

The Bewitching, Silvia Moreno-Garcia (15 July). A multigenerational story about three women and the curse that stalks their family.

The Memory Hunters, Mia Tsai (29 July). Secondary world academia about using memory magic powers for archaeology.

Hemlock & Silver, T Kingfisher (19 August). A retelling of Snow White from the point of view of a healer trying to cure the poisoned princess.

*Terms of Service, Ciel Pierlot (23 September). Luzia sells herself to the mysterious fae-like Astrosi who live above the metropolis in order to rescue her nephew.

[olderthannetfic]

The To Gaze Upon a Wicked God situation is more complicated than a straightforward "yes/no" on whether it's a colonizer romance or not imo.

I think the author wants to send an anti colonial message with the book, but it very much wants to have the cake and eat it too. It's written a lot like other "dark romantasy" and the marketing surrounding it went hard on the enemies to lovers thing (the Zutara comparisons especially was still being pushed even in late April). Iirc, the real love interest only appears for less than five scenes?

With that in mind, I don't think it's unreasonable to read the protagonist's rejection of the prince at the end as a set-up to a tortured "I love him but I can't trust him anymore because he's evil and lied to me" while Baihu simped for her in the background and the prince gets redeemed with a heroic act at the end of the second book or something. That was my impression until it was revealed that the childhood friend was the real love interest.

(Maybe I just read too many angsty "you killed my whole clan but I still love you even though I'm not supposed to" cnovels in my youth hahaha)

Imo, it was in really bad taste to do a fake out marketing, but idk if she has control over that. It feels like nobody around her understood how touchy the subject and her inspirations were, because none of these irl decisions wouldn't have happened if they did. I don't think the original anon had the right to comment like they understood everything without reading the book, but I completely get the feeling of "wtf girl you did not just write/say that." Also the writing was... not good.

I hope the "baihu cut" remedies a lot of its issues. Plenty of white authors write shit takes on history. Asian authors shouldn't be burned at the stake when they do the same

--

(Followup to last anon about to gaze upon wicked gods) One thing I forgot is that the author's notes directly mentioned the Japanese occupation and unit 731. I think it's reasonable for readers to make the connection between that and the Roman invasion + human experimentation mentioned in the book. I can't blame them from being grossed out or even outraged when everything irl points to Antony being the intended love interest even though he's the leader of in universe unit 731

I can well believe that it's mostly a skill issue.

People should be free to criticize a book for what's actually in there, but yeah, there's definitely this vibe like nonwhite authors or minority authors or whomever aren't allowed to just... not be very good.

I don't mean they should be free from all criticism, but there's a particular type of extra torches-and-pitchforks criticism that amounts to "Thou shalt be a godlike writer from birth or else!"

[procrastaenating]

Hi hello I would just like to tell you that I woke up this morning to you having scrolled through my entire Valiant tag and it brought me SO much joy!!! It always makes me happy to find someone else who loves that book (and also appreciates both The Scarlet Pimpernel (which I just watched for the first time) and the Pacific Rim soundtrack)

So thanks for the notes!! And for reblogging my Valiant/"Stand By You" post, I was very proud of that one lol

Oh, girlie, my heart!!! Valiant was one of the books that rose my head during the latter years of highschool. I managed to have an English teacher who is friends with the author, Sarah McGuire! Which was definitely God's providence in hindsight, lol. Through writing to her, my teacher was able to procur The Flight of Swans bookmarks for us English students. (Also really like Flight of Swans)

I have an obsessive, fierce love for Valiant. This novel is one of the first pieces of media in my earlier teen years that really understood me. It is probably the healthiest form of romantic relationship in my opinion. Not many have posted on Tumblr about it as a tag, which I feel renders it critically underrated; it deserves so much more as a romantasy: content like dissection, philosophy, and fanart. I came back to the tag to see how it has faired, and to my utter delight I found your takes! The "Stand By You" post is a specific favorite to me as well, since it sets literature next to literature in a sweet parallel. So finding a kindred spirit in loving Galen and Saville as much as I is a treasure, and it's like a heart wound getting healing. Would you mind swapping Spotify playlists with me?

I was Thrilled to find that you also enjoy The Scarlet Pimpernel (TSP)! I would LOVE to hear your thoughts on the novel if you would like to share them :)

And lastly, Pacific Rim theme music is just so comforting. 👌

BTW I adore the Cinema Therapy background so much.

So thank you for posting, and thank you for reaching out, @kanerallels ! This message is so sweet! It made my day ❤️

[nikethestatue]

Do you think part of the reason for the delay in acotar5 is maybe her having to rewrite the book or large parts of it because she hadn’t originally fully plotted out the cross over concept for the books that would take place after it happened (after sf) and also because she kind of wrote herself into a corner with acosf by focusing to much on character driven storyline’s? My feeling is she was so busy self inserting herself into nestas “recovery” she forgot to make any real significant plot advancement so now needs to do that in acotar5 (and acotar6) +write a convincing fully fleshed out romance? Now she only has 2 actual books to conclude the whole acotar/ic story arcs , incorporate any new storyline’s introduced in the cross over all while also having focus on 1 romantic pairing per book, that’s got to be tough to fit in and I think her record with sf shows she struggles to do that within one book. It seems like it’s either romance or plot for her if she doesn’t have multiple books to tell a story.

On a side note a couple of things I find frustrating in this fandom is that people make blank statements like “she’s a mates author. So elucian and *gwynriel will be her pairings” like an author can’t grow and write new concepts and in a market so saturated with fated mates why do people want the same old same old and why wouldn’t an author like sjm not want to try something a bit different? and the second thing is (and these are the same people who sprout the fated mates author bullshit) when people say things like 3 sisters 3 bothers is so cliche, cheesy or boring like why the fudge are you reading romantasys if troupe based writing isn’t your thing ffs. It’s all just regurgitated bulls*#t from book to book author to author and isn’t that the appeal of this genre?

I definitely think that she needed the crossover to build up some of the ACOTAR story because she dropped the ball in ACOSF and created such minimal plot with only the troves being of any importance that she needed to start working 'backwards' to create a beefier story.

I think it was even a bigger story on HOFAS but I think it did take over and took away from Bryce's story, becoming too much of an ACOTAR story.

While she is kind of mate-obsessed, to the point of it become boring and predictable, I am hoping that with Elain it will be something more unique. 2 mates, 1 true mate and 1 false mate, no mate at all--I don't know. I think many of her more successful couples didn't have the mate thing happening for a long time. Elorcan, Chaol and Yrene, even Feysand, UNTIL they mated (frankly after they mated they became kind of boring), and I think she had a good idea with Quinlar and 'chosen mates' idea, but it failed to execute.

Also, SJM has literally NO DESIRE to write Elucien. LOL

Like you could tell this is not where she is at mentally or otherwise. I also dont thinks he has any interest in devoting a whole book to Lucien of all people. Like I dont think she even likes him. She isnt writing a wholeass Elucien book.

[thehorrortree]

Deadline: July 1st, 2024 Payment: $10 Theme: Romantic fantasy that takes place in a tavern Spring Submissions Open March 21, 2024 Theme: “You Meet in a Tavern” One of the most well known tropes in table top roleplaying games like Dungeons & Dragons is beginning an adventure by meeting in a tavern. Taverns are a quintessential element to many fantasy stories as meeting places for not only fantasy adventures but also romance (only one bed tropes often go hand in hand with the tavern location). Give us your best Romantasy story set in the beloved tavern location! Anthology Payment: We offer $10 payment upon acceptance, a digital copy of the book, and authors can purchase physical copies of the book at wholesale price. Payments will grow as we do. Preparing and Sending Your Manuscript Deadline: July 1, 2024 midnight. Word Count minimum: 3,000 words Word Count maximum: 10,000 words Please only submit one story at a time. Simultaneous Submissions are allowed but please let us know if your story has been accepted elsewhere so we can pull it from the stack. Please include your real name, real street address and real phone number as well as your email address (presumably real) in the upper left hand corner on the first page of your manuscript. If you write under a pen name, you would put your pen name underneath the title on the first page of your manuscript. Manuscript should be in Word format with normal margins and 12 point Ariel or Times New Roman font (if you send us something in Comic Sans or Wingdings, we will cry). Title your email and cover letter with (Theme) Story and email it to submissions@wandwed.com We will let you know if your story has been accepted or not by August 1, 2024. Thank you for submitting! Please Note: Wandwed reserves first publishing rights and rights to the story for one year from date of publication. After that, you are free to post or submit your story elsewhere. Via: Wandwed.

[thehiddenbaroness]

Entry 2: Market Research

12/26/24 (Backdated)

I’ve begun more detailed market research today: namely, creating an actual spreadsheet to log what I find in terms of titles in genres similar to mine, their pagecounts, list prices, etc. It will take more than today to gain an understanding of the broader picture and the way forward, but some initial impressions:

One’s own understanding of genre has become incredibly subjective. Be prepared to have to wade through a lot of things that aren’t relevant to you, even when you think you’re looking in a genre that fits perfectly. For example, I struggled with the ‘dark fantasy’ tag because it has become nigh hopelessly entwined with ‘romantasy’ or just romance generally. Similarly, look up books you’re familiar with, even if they don’t match your own, to see if your current impressions align with how they fall in the current market.

You will have to trawl, because from what I can tell there’s not much way to apply multiple genre filters on either Amazon or GoodReads. You can, however, sometimes take shortcuts if you find a single book or author that matches closely, and then look at the ‘also enjoyed’ or ‘frequently purchased with’ carousels. 

Include access dates and list prices – what’s up there today may change in a week or even tomorrow. It’s also a good idea to take the opportunity, if you can, to note whether a title is traditionally published or self-published, because that’s important context for the pricing.

If you haven’t already done cover research, this is also a good opportunity to soak in what the genre looks like in terms of design. GoodReads is helpful in that you can also see former editions and perhaps glean when changes were made, and why – i.e., learn from their ‘mistakes’.

Be conscious of algorithms. Try to get a sample from mid-tier sales and lower, not just bestsellers, for a more realistic overview.

+++++ Baroness' Self-Publication Journal Masterpost I'm journaling what I uncover as I do more research for self-publication of my novel! I'll be using the tag "#sp journal". All of this will eventually wind up as part of a larger, more detailed guide I'm making notes for.

[labyrinths-library]

Book 102 of 2024

Phantasma by Kaylie Smith

★★★★★

Find the author here. Get the book here.

Pages: 428

Genre: Paranormal Romance/Romantasy

Spice (out of five):

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Trigger Warning:

Ophelia has a form of OCD that manifests in a negative voice in her head that threatens death and other horrible outcomes if she does not do something at that exact moment. Smith suffers from OCD and has a whole note about it in the back of her book.

Review:

Ophelia Grimm is a necromancer who takes on the mantle of the family's magic after her mother dies. She and her sister then are told that their house is being foreclosed on. Once in a blue moon, a house called "Phantasma" drops into various locations. Anyone can enter, few will exit. Contestants fight through levels based on the different levels of hell to be the last one standing and receive a boon of their choosing from the Prince of Devils who runs the whole thing. People who don't make it to the end either die in the house, forfeit before the levels, or sell bits of their soul for help during the levels. When Ophelia's sister disappears, she knows that her sister has entered this competition. She then decides to go after her into the house and has to make it through 7 levels before she can even see if her sister actually entered the competition. While in there she meets a Phantom named Blackwell and makes a deal with him for help in exchange for her either breaking the curse that keeps him trapped in the game or ten years of her life. Ophelia battles through the levels while also battling her inner OCD demon and her growing feelings for Blackwell, because everyone knows that love is forbidden inside Phantasma.

Book one in a new series by Kaylie Smith. I've seen this book described as smutty Danny Phantom meets a hellish Olympics/Hunger Games. I absolutely adored this book. It is great, great, GREAT spice, like HOT DAMN. Delicious. It was more than just that, though. The plot was really entertaining. The world building was really cool. The ending was a twist. When it comes down to it, Blackwell is one of my new book boyfriends. I made it to reading about level nine before immediately preordering book two in the series, Enchantra, set to drop Spring 2025.

[lexwritesgayshit]

Book reviewer etiquette question for those more experienced:

I know this is a matter of personal preference, but how honest and specific are you when reviewing Indie books?

My personal big rule with indie books is to remember that they are often scrutinized much harder than tradpub books, especially in the case of queer authors and authors of color. I keep this in mind when I'm reading and when I write up my reviews, and try to take note of if I catch myself doing this and how it informs my perspective.

The book in question is written by a sapphic white author, and admittedly a genre I'm not used to and kind of on the fence about (romantasy that feels like it wanted to be coffee shop urban fantasy but placed in a high fantasy world. Orcs putting on Drag shows in taverns - in which it's called Drag - taking a princess to get a latte, latte machines existing but not indoor plumbing, the word smut existing in universe, that kind of thing). No judgement to the genre itself; it might not be my cup of tea but the genre isn't my issue. The constant infantilization of an autistic-coded character, on the other hand, is.

I suspect the autistic coding wasn't intentional, more of a product of this type of character being common in the genre and the author just going with it, without really understanding the nuances of such a character. The writing itself is....not great. Not bad, exactly, but it's obvious the writer's experience has mostly come from reading other inexperienced writers in this genre and emulating the common structure and writing style. There's a lot to be desired, but this is something I give a little leeway to with new, self-published authors. But the way the MC is just arrogant, pushing her "help" on the other character, and then complaining about how she "didn't sign up to be a babysitter" because the character, like everyone else who is searching for something they lost, doesn't know exactly where to start and has never heard of a latte (and the entire way the character reacts to drinking a latte tbh)....as an autistic person it's grossing me out.

I can hold space for the fact that I'm still early in (like 29 pages) and maybe, maybe the MC will be eating her arrogance in time, and maybe the other MC will be the one feeding it to her, but I genuinely don't know if the author knows what she's doing with this autistic-coded character. There are 284 pages so I'm still far out from reviewing, but I want to get a since for some etiquette, I guess, for reviewing marginalized Indie authors.

Feel free to reblog with commentary (or just reblog so others can see), send me an ask, or DM if you'd like to talk privately!

[elliepassmore]

The Ornithologist's Field Guide to Love review

4/5 stars Recommended if you like: romantasy, romantic comedy, light academia, magic

Big thanks to Netgalley, Berkley Publishing, and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

My rating for this book sits somewhere between 4 and 4.5 stars, though it's hard for me to pinpoint exactly where. My rating is somewhat biased. I didn't see the publisher until after I'd requested the book and so didn't realize how heavily romance-oriented it was going to be (I thought it would be more like Emily Wilde's), and that's not really a genre I tend to read. That being said, once the book got going I began enjoying it, hence the rating still being relatively high.

It took me a while to get used to the narrative style of the book. For one, it's set in the Victorian Era and with that comes a lot of thinking about societal politeness and propriety, which doesn't interest me too much. Then there's quite a bit of emphasis on insta-lust and the feelings associated with that, albeit with a Victorian slant, though as mentioned I should've been more mindful of the drama. However, once things start getting on with the Birder of the Year competition, the pacing speeds up and I stopped noticing/being bothered by those two things. I'd say around the 10-15% mark.

The plot itself was interesting and actually contained more humorous moments than I was expecting. The ornithologists take the competition seriously, and it's clear Beth and Devon do as well, but there's quite a bit of tomfoolery occurring as each ornithologist tries to one up the other, and I found some of the situations to be quite funny. I also think that these moments really go to show how far ornithologists are willing to go in this world, which helps provide some context. There are also some behind-the-scenes machinations going on in the competition, and I did have a hard time trying to figure out the true motivation of the competition. There are really two different things going on, one of them funny and one of them more troublesome, that helped add some tension to the plot.

I like the concept of magical birds and the very extra people who study and trade in them. We have the chance to meet a bunch of different birds over the course of the book, ranging from deadly to pretty. Beth takes her job as an ornithologist seriously and is dedicated to studying and protecting birds from more unscrupulous forces. While he may seem like a scoundrel at first, Devon too is intensely interested in keeping birds safe. Conversely, it's made clear that a large swathe of the ornithologist community are less scrupulous and more interested in the fame and glory than in the birds themselves. It's no wonder the competition ends up being what it is.

Beth herself is the very definition of a Proper Victorian Lady. Beth can be quite shy, though she does her best to get along with people, usually with success (the scenes with the French fishermen might be some of my favorite in the book). Part of her shyness comes from being mocked as a child for being a 'weird know-it-all' who was, and is, obsessed with birds, though another part of it comes from her struggling to find the unspoken social rules others seem to follow (as I was reading I suspected she was autistic, and the author's note confirms that Beth is definitely ND, though Holton doesn't provide specifications). As a result, she's a bit of a people pleaser to start the book, though over the course of the competition she begins to stand up for herself and others more, and by the end is truly a force to be reckoned with.

Devon is both similar to Beth and her opposite. For one, he's much more devil-may-care and rakish, willing to be loud and gregarious when the need arises. However, this also masks someone who spent their later adolescent and early adult years feeling apart from others and lonely. In his own way, Devon can also be fairly shy and at times feels inadequate. That being said, it's clear he feels deeply and has a deep respect from the get-go for Beth. I think Devon's rakishness and sensitivity work well together.

The romance works well between the two main characters. Both of them have a deep love for the same academic subject and few people with whom they can let themselves relax and fully be themselves, both personally and academically. As academic prodigies they've had similar experiences in life and thus understand where each other is coming from and where their needs might be in the relationship. While I'd say the romance is definitely insta-love and insta-lust, Devon and Beth both have a wellspring of admiration and respect for one another, which I think is integral.

Overall, this was a surprisingly funny romantasy and I enjoyed the plot and characters. It isn't really a genre I read a lot, so it did take me some time to get used to the narrative style and the focus on romance vs. action + fantasy elements, but I did have a good time reading it.

[romanaxe]

Book Recommendations from a 📻🍎 Fanfic Author

I read 52 books in 2024, below are my favorites and least favorites if you're interested.

Stand-alones:

#1 - Monday's Not Coming by Tiffany D Jackson (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

YA Mystery -  An absolute heartbreaking and tragic story that I cannot recommend enough (check trigger warnings though). A harrowing look at how life and society treats those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds - especially young black girls. Whenever harm comes to them, no one seems to care, and so the abuse continues. 

#2 - Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins(⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

YA Dystopian Fantasy - Prequel to The Hunger Games and I know a lot of people have mixed feelings about this but I think it is a masterpiece of a character study. You take Snow who, at the start, is actually a kind of underdog hero in rich society that you want to root for until you remember what he becomes. Then you wonder -- how the hell does that this boy become that man? And worst of all? You find out. You see every step of his corruption and while you don't agree with him, you understand why he made the choices he did. 

#3 - Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Adult Literary fiction - An examination of the public response and perception of sensationalized serial killers. How society often weirdly idolizes violent men and sees them as some kind of tragic victim or unrealized genius instead of what they are - horrible people who violently slaughter because they just felt like it. I've been largely indifferent to "true crime" sensationalism so far in my life, but this book left me being wary of media perception of (white) violent criminals.

#4 - My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russel (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Adult Literary Fiction - Indepth look at grooming/pedophilia through the eyes of a young teen victim. A horrifying and too real example of how things like this can and do happen. Shows the long lasting effects of groomed and how that can often lead to the victim throwing themselves into more and more toxic situations. 

Annnnd my last one is much less serious/heavy lmao:

#5 - Bride by Ali Hazelwood (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Adult Supernatural Romance (romantasy? Idk) -  people say it's Omegaverse, but it's not, it's really just Vampires and Werewolves. But! Still very fun and has great, fun dialogue. It's a little unserious, but it knows and plays into it. Very very good pallet cleanser book.

Honorable mention:

Radio Silence - Alice Oseman (⭐⭐⭐⭐.5)

Series:

YA Contemporary fiction - I really liked all the characters and the reality that can come with doxxing a faceless creator online. Not five stars just cause it was missing that special spark but very good! (also demi rep in published fiction lets goooo)

Three Dark Crows Series by Kendare Blake (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

4-book YA Epic fantasy series - Three triplet sisters with different magical powers must fight to the death to become the queen. A little teen angsty at some point but I find teen angst incredibly amusing/entertaining so I had a good time. Is it the best writing? No. Was it very entertaining? Absolutely.

Goldstone Saga by Jocelynn Drake (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

6-book Adult Epic Fantasy Series - On Kindle unlimited. Very much Marauders fanfic vibes. I loved all the characters a lot. Not one of those where it's like "it's worth it once you get to the third book!", you'll know if you like it by the end of book one. I was rooting for every romance and the plot was fun to follow along with.  Some serious topics weren't handled great imo, but altogether very enjoyable series.

Least Favorites:

Corrupt by Penelope Douglas (⭐⭐) 

Adult Dark(?) Romance - I heard a clip from the audiobook and was like 'Damn that's hot', turns out the clip is from the fourth book in the series ^-^' This book however was awful to read. It got two stars instead of 1 cause it was so absurd at times it made me laugh

Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood (⭐⭐)

Adult Erotic Romance - Some parts felt vaguely aro-phobic, the Rue(FMC) was just meh over all, and Eli(MMC)is just awful. Only good point was that I think it handled reality of food insecurity pretty well, so also 2 stars

The Perfect Marriage by Jeneve Rose (⭐)

I'm sorry, but what was this book?? All of the characters were annoying, the "mystery" was just the MC leaving out crucial details so the reader wouldn't know just for funsies, so many plot points picked up and dropped (I assume they were supposed to be red herrings??) Altogether very poorly executed mystery.

If you made it to the end and are interested in future book reviews from me, I made a new Tumblr where I'll be posting all that ^-^ @romanreadsbooks

It's my 2025 resolution to write at least a sentence or two review for every book I read

[shellyscribbles]

2024 Reading Highlights

This year I have read more books than I have in my entire life. As of Today, I have read over 230 books.

In my efforts to stay awake while nursing a new born, I started reading Ebooks and man is it easy to sit and read while nursing and rocking a sleeping baby and I have done a lot of that this year.

Since I spent so much time reading, I found a lot of Authors, Books, Series and Characters that I adored so I thought I'd take a minute to share some of my favorites and you all can join me in adoring them or check them out if our tastes seem to match up.

200+ is a lot of books and I could probably do top 10 lists, but I have decided to limit myself to top 5 with honorable mentions.

This is very long and I hope you get something out of it. I had fun pouring over my year of reading and picking out highlights.

That said, here are my favorites from this year:

TOP 5 Authors of 2024

1. Ryan Cahill

2. Jennifer Q. Hunt

3. Corey Ratliff

4. Hannah Hood Lucero

5. Mandi Blake

Ryan Cahill got top spot as his command of language and talent for story crafting as well as character work is remarkable and he quickly replaced Brandon Sanderson as my favorite fantasy author. One note: there is a lot of swearing. Not something I am particularly bothered by, but it was a little jarring 'cause I simply don't read much of it. Corey Ratliff is the other fantasy author on my list as his series, The Elemarian Chronicles had me hooked from the first page. His command of story craft is remarkable. I was completely hooked. I think of that particular series as literary heavy metal. It's fast-paced and hits you in the feels. The end of Blood of Withering Kingdoms had me sweating.

A big discovery I made this year was the genre of Christian Romance. Despite my love of love stories, I have never really read romance because I don't have a desire to read explicit content and while it is an annoying amount of work to sort through, I have found a lot of authors and stories I love and the authors that stuck out to me most were Jennifer Q Hunt whose beautiful and complex historical romance had me hooked. One of my all time favorite characters is one of her creations and I couldn't praise her books enough. Hannah Hood Lucero was a gem I found this past October as she was donating her royalties to the hurricane relief efforts and I had her on my TBR so I decided it was a good time to dive into her books. I was not disappointed. I really enjoyed her stories and the strength of her characters. The Flynn brothers were a lot of fun to read. Mandi Blake was my first favorite, I immediately loved her characters from Remembering the Cowboy. She writes some adorable couples that I enjoyed reading immensely.

Honorable mentions:

Tessa Grace

Charlie N Holmberg

M. J. Padgett

Jennifer Rodewald

Tessa Grace wrote a fantastic book that I wasn't expecting to be as serious and funny as it was. I adored the characters and would absolutely binge read 20 of her books, but she only has one out with another being released next year. Charlie N Holmberg has really fantastic romantasy stories that I really enjoy. M. J. Padgett has some fantastic Romcom books that have gotten me through many nights up with a teething baby grinning and holding back laughs. Jennifer Rodewald wrote a book with the female MC puking on the love interest and that's how they meet, and she kinda had me hooked cause she pulled that off. Her characters have some really great spiritual habits and practices that intrigued me and I just adored how she crafted the family with each new marriage, though I did not love all of her books, the ones I did, I really loved.

TOP 5 Series of 2024

Series-

1. The Bound and The Broken by Ryan Cahill

2. Wisteria House by Jennifer Q Hunt

3. The Elmerian Chronicles by Corey Ratliff

4. The Kingfall Histories by David Estes

5. Sons of Vigilance by Hannah Hood Lucero

Fantasy was the genre of choice when I started reading this year as I had a goal of rereading the Stormlight Archives before Wind and Truth came out. I was enthralled by those series more so than the romance series even though I read a lot more romance than fantasy. The Bound and The Broken explores some beautiful themes with rich characters that feel real. They are annoying at times because people are. They make mistakes and grow and they just feel more real than probably any other characters I have read. There are dragons and magic and friends as close as brothers and I could not recommend it highly enough. Again, lots of swearing, so if that bothers you, just be aware of that.

The Elmerian Chronicles was just so fast paced and enthralling I had to include it. Corey plays with some common fantasy tropes and has some fresh ways of using them that I loved. Lots of morally grey characters and situations. Honestly, I probably wouldn't have read it if I knew what I was getting into because I don't generally do dark fantasy, but it was so well done I will read as many books as he will write. This series also has a lot of swearing and has some pretty late fade to black scenes, but not full explicit.

The Kingfall Histories was so much fun. The first book starts out really depressing but I loved the characters and was invested in seeing what happened to them that I kept reading and I am glad I did. The dragons in this series are my favorite. There are also talking swords and a fascinating exploration of why people do what they do, good or bad. There were some really fantastic characters and definitely some plot lines that had me arguing with myself while I wasn't reading trying to figure out what had actually happened. Definitely one of my favorite series ever.

For my romance series, Wisteria House was absolutely my favorite. I have always enjoyed historical stories and this one is full of rich history, lovable characters and moving stories. There are challenges over come and some fantastic declarations of faith, something I didn't know I loved reading in a book, but I do. One of my all time favorite characters came from this series.

Sons of Vigilance was a series I did not see coming. I was sobbing at the beginning of the first book and then laughing. I enjoyed it so much. I loved the characters, the tension and suspense was great, kept me hooked.

Honorable mentions:

Blackwater Ranch by Mandi Blake

Trumph Over Adversity By Lynn Shannon

Rhythms of Redemption by Emily Conrad

Blackwater Ranch was a really enjoyable cowboy romance series. I love most of Mandi Blakes books (not her first series, she came into her own as a writer, but I found her first series unreadable), but this series stands out as her best.

Triumph over Adversity was another series I didn't see coming. I meant to read a chapter or two before bed and I ended up staying up way too late reading the first book in one sitting. There is a bit of repetition to the stories and the characters while enjoyable, weren't so remarkable that I really remember any of them. All the same, I devoured this series.

Rhythms of Redemption honestly missed my top 5 very narrowly. Gannon is one of my favorite characters, as well as John and the way the themes were handled was something that stuck with me. Plus, its around a band and music which is another passion of mine. I really enjoyed this series.

TOP 5 books of 2024

1. Purest Joys Restored by Jennifer Q Hunt

2. The Ice by Ryan Cahill

3. Bloods of a Withering Kingdom by Corey Ratliff

4. Always You by Jennifer Rodewald

5. Gucci Girls Don’t Date Cowboys by Sophia Quinn

Picking top 5 books was difficult and I basically picked the five I remember best. Purest Joys Restored was about one of my favorite characters and I loved the tropes and dialog. The Ice was a transformative book for me as an author as I realized things about what one can do with a story if language is handled well. Bloods of a Withering Kingdom still lives in my head rent free and the ending literally made me sweat. Always You started with her puking on him and I kinda love how it was handled lol. Gucci Girls had one of the sweetest descriptions of found family ever and it still lives rent free in my head.

Honorable mentions:

A Make out to Remember by Dulcie Dameron

Remembering the Cowboy by Mandi Blake

Of War and Ruin by Ryan Cahill

Keeper of Enchanted Rooms by Charlie N Holmberg

Dereliction of the Heart by Hannah Hood Lucero

TOP 5 Characters of 2024

1. Braxton Rutledge (Wisteria House)

2. Farda Kyrana (The Bound and The Broken)

3. Gannon Vaugn (Rhythms of Redemption)

4. Moro (The Elmerian Chronicles)

5. Andovier Helm (The Kingfall Histories)

For these, the order isn't real accurate, it's hard to rank them as I love them all for different reasons that don't compare or rank easily. Brax was a favorite for lots of reasons but I especially love his growth as a character and how he always quotes hymns in conversation. The fact that the impact of that changes over his journey is very cool. He's a new top three with Kaladin Stormblessed and Prince Myshkin.

Farda is just a great character. I hope he gets a redemption arc. He is just used brilliantly in the narrative and has some of the best lines in the entire series, but he's also a monster who does things that are not easy to forgive.

Gannon was great because he was just so calm and wise. John (from the same series) was also kinda like that, but more concise in his language where Gannon pushed in eloquently whether he was wanted or not, but did so in such as way that he was never offensive.

Moro went for a ride in the story and I think he responded in a way that was interesting and realistic, but also kinda frustrating because he didn't know things and made mistakes because he didn't know. Him and his brother having different missing pieces of information and messing up and doing their best was really fun to read. Moro ended up my favorite half of the two.

Ando was just a great character. It has been a hot minute since I read that series, but he stands out in my mind from the series. He was such a reluctant hero, but good to his core despite the mistakes he made and pushed on despite suffering horrific loss. I got invested in his storyline before any of the other ones.

Honorable mentions:

Dann Prim (The Bound and The Broken)

Dragonmaster Dane (Kingfall Histories)

Therin Eiltris (The Bound and The Broken)

Asher (The Echoes Saga)

Also: If there was an Asher in any series or book I read, I liked them. (Blackwater, Even if It Hurts, Echoes, Forged Brothers). I dunno why but Ashers were my favorite.

Favorite Quotes:

(Warning there will be some spoilery things in here, as well as some language.)

(Note: I was not always able to pinpoint which book the quotes came from so I simply list it under the series name when I couldn't be more specific.)

From Of War and Ruin By Ryan Cahill (The Bound and The Broken):

"Look into my eyes." Farda's heart was beating harder than he'd felt it in centuries. She was just so gods damned stubborn. "I don't know what it is you've done to me, but when you're near, I don't feel so fucking broken. That's why I came back. That's why I'm here. And if the last thing I do is get you back to your brother, then at least I'll have done something decent in the last for hundred years that would explain why I'm still alive while Shinyara is dead. There has to be a fucking reason I'm still here. Now let me help you."

"I wish I'd died-part of me did. In the Old Tongue, they call us Rakina. It means 'one who is broken'. But when a dragon dies, you're not broken. No..." Farda shook his head, his hand closing around the coin. "You're shattered. Your soul is shredded and splintered, its many fragments thrown to the wind. You are nothing, you are nobody. All you feel is empty, and cold, and wrong. That's why I trust the coin. That's why I let fate decide. Partly because everything lost meaning after Shinyara died, but partly because the one time I didn't listen to fate, I lost the only thing left in this world that I cherished. And with her she took my pain, my love, and my happiness..."

From Kingfall Histories by David Estes: (There were a lot of great scenes, but I didn't track quotes quite as much back when I read this. If it made me laugh, I noted it)

"What? Why?" "I can't explain. Not yet. Do you trust me?" "I only just met you." Another laugh. "That's fair, though I did give you bacon on rye bread." Sampson shook his head. "I should trust you because you gave me bacon?"

from the Magelands Eternal Siege by Christopher Mitchell:

'My truth is open to interpretation.' 'Your entire relationship with the truth troubles me at times.'

'Well, I wouldn't want the boys fighting over me.' She smiled at the uncomfortable look on Quill's face. 'Actually, I would; could we arrange that? They could fight to the death, and I get to keep the winner?'

From Some Through the Fire by Jennifer Q Hunt:

"My God is Jesus Christ, who gave up His prestige and honor and health and life, for me," her voice broke here, "and the Father Who sent Him and the Spirit that He gave. The question is not what He demands of me, Harry, when He Himself met all the demands. But there is nothing I will not give 'that I may know Him'. You asked me, the night of the symphony, what did I want from life. Well, that's it. "And if I have to understand God, then it is my own mind I worship, and if I have to control Him, its my own will I worship, and if I have to feel Him, it's my emotions I worship. But if I only have to love and obey Him, then I worship Him in spirit and in truth, and in worshiping Him I have life."

"I hated myself for--for self. I saw how bankrupt, how pathetic I really was-- "And He was there, Ves. He was there. I thought He would reject me after I'd rejected His plan and His ways all those months. Instead He was there, so great I couldn't take Him in and so close I couldn't shut Him out, so mighty I couldn't look at Him, yet so gentle I couldn't look away. "So I gave up. I stopped trying to impress God and everyone else. I can't really describe it, but when it happens to you, you know. A death to all you've ever known, and yet a resurrection to all you've ever wanted. It's not that circumstances are different, or even that I'm different, but there's this calm in the depth of my soul that nothing can touch. I'm not impressed with Billy Sweet anymore, but I sure stand in awe of his God."

From The Shadow Heir by C. F. E. Black

She snorted. "Right. And that. Well, one look at the fae in this cavern, and I can tell you're all miserable. You laugh at death because you hate life, you twist your features because you can't stand your reality, you hide in caves and torture those less powerful than you. I pity you."

She was a spark, and I was a moth, drawn toward the fire that mocked my existence. But like every other spark that wandered into the darkness, she too would snuff out. Pity. For what a thing it would be to watch her spark catch fire.

"You humans think your weak hearts are the only ones that feel, but you--" "No, you listen," I cut him off. "You live forever, and yet you find no joy in life"..."You crave death because you need the reminder that some things don't last and yet it does nothing to push you toward goodness or purpose or happiness. I would be mad, too, if I had to live like this."..."If I had to live knowing my life could never have as much passion or purpose as a mortal's."

"You are the stars. Constant, fixed, and ever burning. It is by your light that I see, into your light that I am inescapably drawn. Would that I could call you down from heaven to fall on me and consume me with your light. But I am born of darkness and have no power to command the stars."

From Triumph Over Adversity by Lynn Shannon

Logan broke off the kiss, breathless, his mind muddled. He sucked in air. "I can't rescue you, woman, if you distract me with kisses that shut off my brain."

From The O'Sullivan Sisters by Sophia Quinn

"Rumor has it she's real cute." JJ wiggled his eyebrows. Nash growled. He legit growled. The sound shocked him almost as much as it seemed to surprise JJ. But then JJ's head fell back with a howl of laughter. "Oh man, you should have seen your face." He pointed a finger at Nash. "I've seen a grizzly protecting its cubs out in the wild up close and personal, and not even that was as terrifying as the look you just gave me."

Thanks so much for reading! Happy new year all!

[evaristo-velez]

Where Do I Begin

Most of the time when I write here, I focus on my processes. I hope other writers can learn something, or readers can see how the sausage is made.

But where the H-E-double-hockey-sticks do I get my idears?

A fine question, m'lord.

Inspiration and You

Steal.

But really, just freaking steal something. A piece of advice I wish I had when I was funning around in fifth grade English: Fanfiction is a great way to hone your writing. The sandbox exists and you write the hard part.

Thanks to Van Allen Plexico for that one. Let me pick it apart.

Worldbuilding and such is making a sandbox. Using someone else's sandbox puts you in a position to write without having to establish your setting and character. Those will come with time, and at times fanfic writers will add OC, so you're already developing further from a given starting point.

Another quote relates to this.

Boundaries: free to do anything within the limits.

By giving yourself a sandbox, you have freedom within the scope of said world.

You may be surprised how many great works started as fan fiction...

"Bad artists imitate. Great artists steal."

When you're pushing towards writing for an audience, crossing into the realm of authorship, this will become apparent.

I liken this to my experience as a nuclear technician. We were taught to learn the mechanisms and principles of operation. Most people could regurgitate the neutron lifecycle or a power plant shift after brute memorization. But why are those things important?

(To extend the metaphor) Knowing why you can shut one breaker, and why you open another first, is more important. My supervisor told us, "A monkey can stand switchgear operator. We don't train for when things go right."

Imitating your favorite author may work. Taking what they did, understanding how the dialogue instilled emotion, or how their descriptions made a setting immersive...that's the shit you steal.

Every writer has been inspired by those who came before. Harlan Ellison inspired JMS inspired The Wachowskis, et cetera. Many shows and movies work the same way. Star Wars did what Kurosawa did, and many science fiction works did a lot of Star Wars stuff (I'm so sorry, Gary Larson).

To sum this point, find what you like and make an effort to understand what you like about it. Make it your own.

In the Lab, with a pen and a pad

Maybe I should put some exercises here?

This part is gonna vary. Let me do this section in three parts.

1) Pants

You know what you are. Jesting kindly. You're gonna go for it though, yeah? Do that. If you get stuck, skip to the next part and give yourself a note. If you cannot go further, retrace your steps to an earlier turn.

When I pants, I follow a few axioms: 'but, therefore' and character-driven.

Characterization should be formulated in your noggin enough to let the characters interact. Use b/t to see if the conflict is continuing naturally towards a pinch point or whatever style guide we're using this week.

Draft out short summaries of a story you want to tell. See if that is worth chasing or seeing through.

2) Planners

Theme? Character? Setting? What do I pick first?

Sorry, I cannot tell you. I don't know why you want to tell a story. Once you know why you want to tell your story, then picking one of those three things will inform the rest.

Theme informs character/setting:

A cast should interact and unravel questions arising from your theme. I think you should present more than one (more than two if you're juicing) sides, textually picking at as many points as your narrative can hold without becoming unwieldy. Pack that bish out and shave off a bunch during editing.

Same with setting. Why does this story exploring exploitation of minority groups best set in a western or a romantasy? Theme first will point you in the right direction, as long as you ask the right questions.

Character informs theme/setting:

I've had freaky lil guys pop into my head without setting. If you're gonna explore this character, let's call them Diego, ask yourself some questions. If your autism is advanced like mine, ask Diego! Between the two of youse, there should be a strong sense of theme or setting. Why does Diego need you to write them onto paper? What about Diego can be explored? Where best can we learn about and grow Diego?

Setting informs character/theme:

Sometimes a cool world begins populating your head. Build that world! When the time comes to write, you'll need someone to guide the reader through this world.

Who should we follow? What perspective does this character bring to the world?

These will extend to your themes. How does this setting compare to our reality? What can we learn from being in this location?

In these cases, allow your story to change as you continue. The interaction between theme-character-setting may shift where the story goes. Don't be afraid to let your story stray from a rigid plan.

3) Plantsers

Pick and choose what you like from above.

Read a damn book

You can prewrite anyway you like, but I think reading is one you should try more often. Engaging your mind with an author's will help you grow. I promise.

If you're going to watch a movie to inspire your book, please understand what can be done in different media. Each medium has limitations and benefits (consider again the idea of boundaries).

Keep writing.

[good-books-to-read]

Title & Author: Illusion of Stars by Sarah Marie Page

Score: 97/100

Publication date: 16 July 2024

Link: https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/93103bd7-dbe3-475d-9d7a-2eb46abe2c04

Comments: This story follows the confessions of the royal physician in training, Isabel as she contends with a mad king, enemy soldiers and much more. if you like Romantasy books, with slow-burn romances and intrigue this book is for you.

I love that it includes a detailed trigger list although it’s placed at the back of the book, It also lists the sexual content within the book and what pages those are placed I really appreciated this, my copy has a link to the map but I do believe in the published copy the map will be on the page, on that note the map looks so good.

The writing initially seems a bit simple, but once you get reading you hardly notice, the characters come across as a bit flat and one-dimensional at the start, and some of the dialogue felt awkward and I was not too fond of some of the characters, however as the story progressed the character and dialogue felt a bit more natural as the pace picked up.

The story takes a while to get going and doesn’t really get good until about the 50% mark. However, after this point, it was delightful, intriguing and funny. despite its slow start, it was an absolute winner by the end.

Thank you Shadow Forge Publishing for providing me this book for review consideration via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.