#thetenguandtheangel

[alinacapellabooks]

One of the best pieces of writing advice I ever received was to never assume that people care about your characters. I took that to heart, and to this day, it’s the reason why I flesh out my main characters so much in the very first chapter of every one of my books. If I haven’t made a reader fall in love with the MC by the end of chapter one, I count that as a failure on my part.

[alinacapellabooks]

For the love of all that is holy, please do. I will not STFU about them.

Hey, can y’all rb this if it’s okay to send you messages asking about your ocs, cause on god I wanna interact with y’all but I am terrified of being annoying lol

[alinacapellabooks]

IT'S FINALLY HERE! THE TENGU AND THE ANGEL IS OUT NOW!

Hello, hello, hello, everyone, I have some very exciting news to share with you all! The Tengu And The Angel, my debut novel, is now finally available to buy! That's right, you can now get your very own copy of my fluffy, angsty, gay friends-to-lovers novel! Oh, but why would you want to, you might be asking? What's the book about! Great questions, my friends, and I'll answer them both for you right now!

The Tengu And The Angel is a friends-to-lovers romance about two roommates falling in love, and learning to let go of their pasts. Eighteen year old Kunio Yoshioka has just fled his abusive mother's home in Northampton, and he's journeying up north in search of a new home, and a fresh start in life. He's armed with nothing but his dreams of being a successful artist, and his vivid imagination. He thinks of his new adult self as a tengu; strong, proud, and capable of things his child self could only dream of. Twenty year old Nathaniel seems to have it all; he's gorgeous, he lives in a beautiful apartment in the centre of Newcastle, and he's the owner and founder of Black Rose, a Victorian gothic online boutique. Kunio thinks of him as angel; he's faultlessly polite and kind, and he goes above and beyond to help him when they first meet, even though he doesn't know him. He's also painfully insecure, and he lives under the thumb of his toxic 'best friend', Theo, who uses his mental illness to control him. When Nathaniel takes Kunio in, the two form a close friendship, which slowly blossoms into love. Can the two of them learn to put their pasts behind, and make their relationship work? Well, you're going to have to read it to find out! Get your copy from Rakuten Kobo, or from the Amazon Kindle Store below!

[alinacapellabooks]

@the-golden-comet @gioiaalbanoart @inkshine @mundanemoongirl @wyked-ao3 @mauannacreates @lady-grace-pens @fablesandfragments @willtheweaver @illarian-rambling @leahnardo-da-veggie

Can you believe that it’s been a year since my debut? Neither can I, but it’s officially been one year since I released my debut novel, The Tengu And The Angel! Thank you for all of your support over this past year, and for those of you who haven’t read it yet, The Tengu And The Angel is a fluffy, angsty, slow burn friends to lovers romance about Kunio, a troubled teen artist who runs away from his abusive mother, and Nathaniel, the equally troubled fashion designer who takes him in. If you’re looking for a new read this holiday season guaranteed to melt your heart, you can buy my book (And read the entire first chapter for free!) on Amazon! Posting the Goodreads link so that you’ll be redirected to the right Amazon store for your country/territory:

Thank you for all of your support so far, and I’m hoping that you’ll stick around for the release of my next book, Night Of The Blue Moon! Night Of The Blue Moon will be releasing in January! ^^

[alinacapellabooks]

Roast Your OCs Tag!

Title is exactly what it says it is. This is a tag game where you roast your OCs in one sentence. Summarise them in the most hilarious way possible, or just plain insult them, either works. Of course, I'm starting off with Kunio and Nathaniel, MCs of The Tengu And The Angel, and I'm also gonna throw in Ariel and Solana, MCs of Night Of The Blue Moon!

Kunio: Uptight edgelord freaks out because someone loves him

Nathaniel: Hi, I’m the 'Please love me, I need physical validation to live' brand of traumatised

Ariel: Look out, Homura Akemi, there’s a new brooding magical lesbian on the block

Solana: I'm a magical girl, but I'm also a depressed adult woman who hates her day job and cries in her car on the way to work

Tagging @the-golden-comet, @madi-konrad and @randomwritingwords!

[alinacapellabooks]

That’s me with Ryunosuke. He was a loving grandpa to Kunio…So I killed him off to kickstart the worst of Kunio’s trauma…

Go hug your local writer <3 they're probably mourning the death of a character they themself decided to kill <3

[alinacapellabooks]

Your OC Through Gaming!

Tell me a bit about your OCs via the choices they make in videogames! I’ll start of course ^^

Kunio:

Smash Main: Joker. He’s an edgy teen who has a tragic backstory, of course he would pick a character who is also an edgy teen with a tragic backstory

Favorite Animal Crossing villager: Marshall. Kunio, like Marshall, is a short, angry man who is the first to threaten physical violence when mad. Despite this, he has several thousand adoring fans who think that he’s a cutie pie

Stardew Valley Spouse: Elliot or Harvey

Nathaniel:

Smash Main: Palutena. I don’t think I need to explain this one lol

Favorite Animal Crossing Villager: Muffy. She’s a goth who has an old-fashioned sewing machine in her house, and it’s highly implied that she sewed the dress that she has on display, she’s very Nathaniel coded

Stardew Valley Spouse: Sebastian. Nathaniel has only had two boyfriends in his life, but both of them have been troubled edgelords. Boy has a type ^_^

Ariel:

Smash Main: Rosalina. Ariel, like Rosalina, is a beautiful but mysterious entity who is disconnected from the world and lives among the stars ^^

Favorite Animal Crossing Villager: Ione. The color scheme and decor in her house is just like in Ariel’s apartment (Blue, with a planetarium theme and lots of cute plushies ^^)

Stardew Valley Spouse: Abigail or Maru

Solana:

Smash Main: Princess Peach. Solana is 100% the kind of girl who’s like, ‘hehe what’s Smash?’ and then proceeds to destroy everyone in the room

Favorite Animal Crossing Villager: Audie

Stardew Valley Spouse: Maru, 100% of the time. Solana has a thing for nerds, and no one fits the nerdy bill better than Maru ^^

Tagging @the-golden-comet @mundanemoongirl @mauannacreates + open tag!

[alinacapellabooks]

They’re A Ten, But… (Tag Game)

Title is exactly what it says it is. Describe your OCs as tens, but with their most off-putting traits! I’m starting of course:

Kunio’s a ten, but he has mommy issues and if you touch him without his express permission he might violently freak out and break your wrist

Nathaniel’s a ten, but he’s a chronic people pleaser and he doesn’t know the definition of the word, ‘no’

Ariel’s a ten, but she’s a workaholic and she has secrets she’ll never tell you unless you swear on everything that you love that you won’t repeat them to anyone else

Solana’s a ten, but she doesn’t think before opening her mouth and gets worked up way too easily

Phoebe’s a ten, but she’s literally the titan of prophecy and intellect, and she knows everything about your future. She knows everything from the outcomes of all of your decisions, to the exact time and date your life will end

Tagging @the-golden-comet @gioiaalbanoart and @madi-konrad!

[alinacapellabooks]

OC Musical Audition Tag!

If your WIP (Or WIPs) were musicals, how would you want people to play your OCs? What songs would you want them to sing at the audition? Create a musical audition sheet for your OCs here! I’m starting with mine, as always:

The Tengu And The Angel:

Kunio:

An artist with a big imagination who fled home in the hopes of starting a new life away from his abusive alcoholic mother. Though he puts on a tough, proud front, he carries a lot of hidden trauma from his childhood, but will not admit to it unless pushed to his breaking point. Character aged late teens, role would suit an actor in their late teens, however, actors in their early twenties will also be considered. All actors auditioning for this role must be able to demonstrate a natural-sounding southern British accent. All actors auditioning for this role must be able to patter sing, non patter singers will not be considered. Audition will consist of an individual round first, all actors who pass the individual round will be paired with an actor auditioning for the role of Nathaniel, and will be required to perform a duet for the second round

Audition Song (Individual First Round): Dead Bird by McCafferty or Trees ii by McCafferty

Audition Song (Duet Second Round): Starless Night English Ver by Nami Kichi

Nathaniel:

Kunio’s roommate, best friend, and love interest. A soft-spoken people pleaser who has a hard time standing up for himself, especially against his emotionally abusive ex, Theo. Character aged early twenties, all actors auditioning for this role must also be in their early twenties. All actors auditioning for this role must be able to demonstrate a subtle, natural sounding Somerset accent. Audition will consist of an individual round first, all actors who pass the individual round will be paired with an actor auditioning for the role of Kunio, and will be required to perform a duet for the second round

Audition Song (Individual First Round): Cough it Out by The Front Bottoms or Black Dahlia by Hollywood Undead

Audition Song (Duet Second Round): Starless Night English Ver by Nami Kichi

Night Of The Blue Moon:

Ariel

A shut-in indie game developer who rarely leaves her apartment by day, and Blue Moon, the de-facto leader of the titanic champion duo by night. Cold and stern, Ariel rarely if ever lets her emotions show, though she does have a kind heart and genuinely wants to make the world a better place. Character aged early twenties, all actresses auditioning for the role must also be in their early twenties. All actresses auditioning for this role must be able to perform ballet, especially pointe work, to a professional standard. Non-dancers, or beginner dancers will not be considered. Some knowledge of rhythmic gymnastics, specifically rhythmic ribbon, would be desirable. Audition will consist of an individual round first, all actresses who pass the individual round will be paired with an actress auditioning for the role of Solana, and will be required to perform a duet for the second round

Audition Song (Individual First Round): Ready as I’ll Ever Be from Tangled: The Series or Not Joking by The Front Bottoms

Audition Song (Duet Second Round): Rewrite The Stars from The Greatest Showman

Solana

A popular Vtuber and sex worker by day, and Red Sun, Blue Moon’s sidekick and love interest, by night. Sunny and charismatic, Solana is able to attract the attention of the masses with her bubbly personality, but she secretly hates her job and desperately wishes that she could quit. Character aged mid twenties, all actresses auditioning for this role must be in their mid to late twenties. Some knowledge of parkour would be desirable, however it is not a requirement for the role. Audition will consist of an individual round first, all actresses who pass the individual round will be paired with an actress auditioning for the role of Ariel, and will be required to perform a duet for the second round

Audition Song (Individual First Round): All You Wanna Do from Six or Idol English Ver by LeeandLie

Audition Song (Duet Second Round): Rewrite The Stars from The Greatest Showman

Tagging @the-golden-comet @mauannacreates @mundanemoongirl @wyked-ao3+ open tag!

[alinacapellabooks]

I just had to do this with Kunio and Nathaniel, the MCs of my upcoming debut novel, The Tengu And The Angel! I've tortured them enough, they deserve a break lol:

LEARNING: Being obsessed with the Victorian era, (and building his entire fashion label based on Victorian clothes), Nathaniel will never pass up an opportunity to learn something new about it, especially when it could inspire some new designs. He's a highly-skilled fashion designer who takes most of his inspiration from Victorian literature, especially the works of Dickens

GRATITUDE: Kunio takes absolutely nothing for granted, so if he thanks someone for anything, it's always genuine. The things he's most grateful for in life are his boyfriend, Nathaniel, who took him in after he ran away from home, and his friends, as they're the closest thing to family that he has

Positive Psychology OC Ask Meme

I made Askbox Questions out of one of my psych text books to help develop characters for workable storytelling. Send some Virtues and a Character !

MINDFULLNESS– Do they live in the moment? What keeps them present?

SELF-EFFICACY– Does the end justify the means? How to they approach their goals? Do they blame others for their own faults or admit them?

RESILIENCE– How do they handle loss or failure? What helps them stay resilient and bounce back from loss or failure?

GROWTH – What would it take for them to change their mind or perspective? Do they recognize when new paths open for them, or stick to their preferred paths?

WISDOM– Are they open to other people’s perspectives? Do they look to history and past mistakes? What kinds of internal dialogue do they have about difficult situations?

CURIOSITY– How thoroughly do they explore new places, things, or ideas? Do they go out of their way to learn new things?

OPEN-MINDEDNESS– How do they deal with disagreement? How do they balance different perspectives?

LEARNING– What are they interesting in learning about, if anything? What hobbies and skills do they have? Do they know how to make themselves happy?

CREATIVITY– How do they go about solving problems? What is something they enjoy doing so much that they can lose themselves for hours doing it? Pick an object in your space: would they know what it is, and if not how would they go about figuring it out?

BRAVERY– What kinds of risks do they take? What are they willing to risk to help a stranger? Do they consider the cost-benefit of a risk?

PERSEVERANCE– Do they believe success is based on innate ability, or learning to overcome the obstacle? Do they know when to quit? What are ways they identify their weaknesses and strength?

VITALITY– Are they introverted, extroverted, or ambiverted? Are they more active or passive? What do they do to stay energetic? (NOTE: introvert does NOT mean they don’t like people, it means they need time alone to regain their energy for social situations).

INTEGRITY– Do they stand firm in their beliefs? Would they lie or refrain from disagreeing to avoid confrontation?

AUTHENTICITY– What are sub- and unconscious things that make them who they are? Who can they be themselves with, and who do they wear a mask for? What kinds of social roles do they perform?  

HONESTY– What kinds of small lies do they tell others? What lies do they tell themselves? What is the biggest lie they’ve told?

SOCIAL INTELLIGENCE– Do they experience emotional empathy (innate ability to feel emotions for other people's feelings, i.e. happiness at success, grief at loss, etc), or cognitive empathy (may not feel grief but has a logical understanding that loss is painful, may not feel happy but has an innate understanding that someone’s success is a celebrated thing)? Are they aware of their own emotions and reactions? How well are they able to manage their emotions?

LOVE– What attachment styles do they experience? How involved are they in their friends, family, and loved one’s worries, hopes, or goals? Do they turn to their loved ones for support? Do they let people who love them help them?

KINDNESS– Do they go out of their way to do favorable acts for other people? Do they treat themselves?

FAIRNESS– How do they determine what is right? Do they care about what is right?

CITIZENSHIP– Do they prefer to look out for themselves or be part of a community? Are they willing to work with others fairly to reach a shared goal?

LEADERSHIP– Do they have clear, set goals? Do they take the consideration of others, or do what they will? Would they go out of their way to meet the individual needs of people around them, or create a more standardized all-in-one solution?  

SELF-CONTROL– How easy is it for them to perform a new task well? If they want something, how hard is it for them to wait?

PRUDENCE– How far ahead do they plan? Are they able to strategize future potential factors? Do they go out of their way to ask for clarification, or simply assume they know what they’re doing?

HUMILITY– Are they open to seeing their own faults when others point them out? Are they realistic about themselves, or do they inflate negative or positive values? What is something they are genuinely proud of?

FORGIVENESS– Do they obsess or linger on the bad things that someone did to them? Do they allow change to take place after they have been hurt, or do they fight against it? What negativities dictate or direct their decisions or life?

HOPE– Do they look at their past accomplishments as evidence or inspiration for success? What inspires them to move forward?

HUMOR– Do they know how to diffuse tension appropriately, or do they make things worse? Do they let themselves have fun?

APPRECIATION– What kind of accomplishments do they recognize? What things do they find beautiful or attractive? Which of their senses do they find most joy engaging with?

GRATITUDE– Do they thank people out of obligation, or because they are actually thankful? What is something they are most grateful for in their life? What sorts of things should they be more grateful for?

MEANING– Where do they believe they fit in the world around them? What provides them comfort? Do they think about their daily life and routine? Are they satisfied?

PURPOSE– What kinds of goals do they have to look forward to? What are their internal goals (having a good relationship, being a certain kind of person, etc)? What are their external goals (making money, being admired)?

SPIRITUALITY– Do they connect with things greater than themselves, or do they find it daunting? Do they want to have an impact on the world around them (for better or worse)?

[alinacapellabooks]

NIGHT OF THE BLUE MOON IS ON SALE NOW!

That's right folks, my sapphic urban fantasy novel about magical girls who get their powers from the Greek gods is on sale on Amazon now, and you can read the first few chapters for free! If you're in the market for an urban fantasy novel featuring a sun/moon ship, and a friends to lovers romance, be sure to grab a copy! Synopsis below:

Some people live double lives. Ariel Gianapoulou lives a triple life.

By day, she’s a meek, unassuming nobody who lives alone in a messy apartment. On the internet, she’s SeleneDev, the smash-hit indie game developer whose RPGs about magical girls have taken the world by storm. By night, she’s Blue Moon, a magical girl chosen by the titan Phoebe to retrieve Hades’s bracelet from Orpheus and Eurydice, supervillains who are killing people in the hopes of buying their son, Brooklyn, back from the dead. Aided by her partner, Red Sun, Ariel will stop at nothing to defeat the villainous duo. Ariel knows better than anyone that Brooklyn doesn’t deserve a second chance at life—Three years ago, he raped her at a party, and crushed her dreams of becoming a police officer.

There are a lot of people on Orpheus’s hit-list, and things get especially complicated when Ariel’s crush, Solana, turns out to be one of the people he wants dead. Will Ariel be able to stop Orpheus and Eurydice, win Solana’s heart, and keep her triple life secret?

Oh, and if that hasn’t sold you, here’s some other things about it that might appeal to you. My book features:

-An asexual protagonist, and a graysexual love interest. That’s right, we have a sapphic ace4ace romance! -Sun/Moon ship

-Friends to lovers

-Slow burn romance

-Adult magical girls dealing with adult problems

-An Easter egg for those of you who read my previous book, The Tengu And The Angel in chapter one! (BTW that one’s a gay friends to lovers romance featuring two troubled nerds falling in love, with vignettes inspired by Japanese mythology at the end of each chapter. You can find it on the pinned link in my profile!)

NOTBM Taglist! Thank you all so much for coming on the journey to publication with me!:

@the-golden-comet @mundanemoongirl @inkshine @wyked-original-writing @mauannacreates @gioiaalbanoart @estellamiraiauthor @mysticstarlightduck @bone-and-butterflies @herecomesthementalmeltdown @willtheweaver

[alinacapellabooks]

Announcement Time! ^^

I said a little while back that I had an announcement about The Tengu And The Angel, and boy howdy, I'm happy to announce that as of May 7th, my debut novel, The Tengu And The Angel will be available in print on Amazon! For those of you who aren't following me, and are wondering what The Tengu And The Angel is about, it is an angsty gay friends to lovers romance about Kunio, a troubled young artist who runs away from his abusive mother, and Nathaniel, the equally troubled fashion designer who takes him in. More information can be found on the masterpost on my profile ^^

Since today is May 5th, which is the MC, Kunio's birthday, I'm gonna leave you now with this cute art of Kunio and Nathaniel by yhelsstuff ^^ Go check out my book if you haven't already!

[alinacapellabooks]

Happy holidays to everyone, especially my dear moots, who are celebrating! I hope that this festive period brings you everything you’re hoping for and more! And just because I feel like it, I’m going to include a cute snippet from the Christmas chapter of my debut book, The Tengu And The Angel!

“Thank you for everything today,” I say as I finish my last mouthful. 

“I should be thanking you,” he says, “This has been the best Christmas I’ve ever had.”

I give him a side-eyed look. “Even though you spent it taking care of me?”

“I don’t mind taking care of you. You’re an easy patient,” he says, “And besides, this Christmas has been everything I’ve ever wanted from a Christmas. I spent it with someone I love, doing things I enjoy, and I got really sweet and thoughtful presents.”

I lean in close, so close that I could kiss him. “Someone you love?”

If he went any rosier, I think roses would sprout from his cheeks. “Yeah. I…”

He takes a shuddering breath in to steady himself, “I love you. I love everything about you.”

He lets out a ridiculous laugh, like he’s just realising his feelings now. “My name is Nathaniel Azrael Bythesea, and I’m in love with you, Kunio Yoshioka.”

I shake my head. He’s given me an opportunity to tell him how I feel, and I’m not gonna waste it. “Well, if you’re gonna ‘fess up, I might as well do it too. My name is Kunio Yoshioka, and I’m truly, madly, one-hundred percent in love with you, Nathaniel Azrael Bythesea. I dream of kissing you under the stars, and doing all of the other shit that people who are in love do together.”

He smiles that angelic smile of his. “Yeah? Well, I wanna kiss you right now, under this roof.”

I back away. “You can’t! I mean, I want you to, but you have no immune system,” I say quickly, “You’ll get sick too, and you’ll get it way worse than me.”

He shakes his head. “Maybe I won’t get sick if I don’t do it on the lips.”

He cups my cheek with his hand. “Will you be ok if I do this?”

I nod. My heart’s going so fast that it doesn’t feel like it’s beating properly. I might literally die in his arms tonight. 

He parts my fringe and kisses me on the forehead. Cool, soft lips against my burning skin. I lean into his touch, and he puts an arm around me, pulling me in for another, and then another. Gentle butterfly kisses on my forehead, and then one right on the top of my head. I budge up closer, and closer, until I’m laid on top of his chest. He’s so gentle with me that I might actually cry. 

He breaks away when he hears me sniffling. “Are you ok? Was that too”—

“No, not at all,” I respond, “It’s just... I’m so damn happy that I don’t know what to do.”

[alinacapellabooks]

This is so Kunio-coded

[alinacapellabooks]

I'm a sucker for gay historical romances lately. I recently read Last Night At The Telegraph Club, and now I'm reading We Could Be So Good. I need more. I could write them myself, but I've got one contemporary I need to promote before publishing, and then I have an urban fantasy/magical girl two part series to plot. UGGGGGH

[alinacapellabooks]

HUGE ANNOUNCEMENT! THE TENGU AND THE ANGEL RELEASE DATE!

Hello, hello, dear followers, and all else who are viewing this post! I have some very exciting news for you all! My debut novel, The Tengu And The Angel, will officially be releasing on Kobo, and Amazon, on the tenth of December, 2023, so there'll be plenty of opportunities for you to grab your copy! Oh, but why would you want to grab a copy, you might ask? What's the book about? Those are brilliant questions, my friends, and I'm going to tell you the answers right now!

The Tengu And The Angel is a friends-to-lovers romance about two roommates falling in love, and learning to let go of their pasts. Eighteen year old Kunio Yoshioka has just fled his abusive mother's home in Northampton, and he's journeying up north in search of a new home, and a fresh start in life. He's armed with nothing but his dreams of being a successful artist, and his vivid imagination. He thinks of his new adult self as a tengu; strong, proud, and capable of things his child self could only dream of. Twenty year old Nathaniel seems to have it all; he's gorgeous, he lives in a beautiful apartment in the centre of Newcastle, and he's the owner and founder of Black Rose, a Victorian gothic online boutique. Kunio thinks of him as angel; he's faultlessly polite and kind, and he goes above and beyond to help him when they first meet, even though he doesn't know him. He's also painfully insecure, and he lives under the thumb of his toxic 'best friend', Theo, who uses his mental illness to control him. When Nathaniel takes Kunio in, the two form a close friendship, which slowly blossoms into love. Can the two of them learn to put their pasts behind, and make their relationship work? Get your copy, and find out, in December 2023!

Meet The Characters:

Kunio:

Nathaniel: