Yes, but no. In many cases they don’t actually care about the story as much as the money they think it’ll bring. If they love your characters it’s because they imagine dollar bills rolling out before them like a red carpet.

WOW. You’re just annoyed because no one picked you up.

Am I annoyed? YES. Can I back my claims with info that would prove my theory? I’ll do my best and let you decide if I succeeded.

Let’s Look at the Industry First

Certain Genres Get Favored

This isn’t an opinion: it’s just a fact. Query Tracker is one of the most popular sites used by authors to find Literary Agents and they keep track of which genres are the most popular vs. which genres Literary Agents are willing to request the most. Here’s the comparison chart based on their data.

Fantasy ranks No.1 on both lists which is honestly no surprise because let’s face it; fantasy is amazing.

According to Alyssa Masticate, an independent book editor and publishing consultant, it is YA that has reached No.1, with LGBTQ+ themes coming in second, closely followed by Fantasy, Romance, and Thrillers. To read her full break-down, click HERE.

A blogger & author by the name of Karin Gillespie tracked her own data and this is what she found.

“The three hottest genres include romance, fantasy, and horror. In romance, romantasy and rom-coms dominate. Dark fantasy is the most popular type of fantasy.”

To read the complete article, click HERE.

So how does this have anything to do with publishers/agents not caring about your story? Fantasy and Romance are popular for a reason. People love them. Those genres are at the top of the list due to popular demand, right?

Yes, but that’s not the problem I’m having.

My problem is the QUALITY of Romance and Fantasy that they’re accepting. I don’t believe publishing companies always accept THE BEST. I have also noticed there are a lot of inconsistencies with what they say they want vs. what they actually accept, so let’s dive a little further and bring my experience into this. I’ve been rejected by 170 Literary Agents so you will have to trust my perspective on this, sniff. Or NOT.

It’s your decision ;)

Time To Rant

Opinion TIME

1. Agents want what they KNOW will sell.

I truly believe you could write the most jaw-dropping, plot-filled story and an agent would totally pass it up because it’s not what’s trending.

I received a Literary Rejection for my Sci-fi Thriller recently that looked like this summarized.

“The story had many good qualities, but we wouldn't know how to pitch it. We hope you can find someone who feels more suited to your story.”

I guess I should feel flattered because hey, my story is different! (Sobs inside)

Wouldn’t know how to pitch it? That to me signals agents know it’s not what publishing companies are looking for and as they prefer what’s safe, they didn’t feel comfortable taking on a project that is anything but safe.

If you’re wondering if your book has a chance, just look at the list of things I did and DON’T DO THEM. (this may or may not be satire)

Prologues where no one dies.

Prologues with subtle foreshadowing

POC characters when you’re not a POC person

Cliffhangers

FMCs who aren’t sassy

AI Topics

No Graphic Sex

Weird Genre Mashups

Bizarre Mental Illness Reps

Simple Writing Style

Avoid all that and maybe your chances will be better. I mean, screw creativity right?

2. I constantly see Literary Agents post “We’re Looking for Diversity”

Yeah, no, that’s a lie.

I’ve realized that diversity is code for ‘diversity that’s been done before and we know will sell.’

Diversity that I’ve noticed gets picked up (this is not me being biased, this is just me noticing patterns)

LGBTQ+ themes

Varying Sexual Content

Sapphic Romance

POC (people of color) characters written exclusively by POC writers of the ethnicity they’re focusing on who are providing the exact messaging they’re looking for.

Diversity that I’ve noticed gets rejected

Clean-Romance

Varying Christian Themes

POC characters written by someone who does not share the character’s ethnicity

POC characters written by POC that don’t share the messaging they’re looking for

On top of that, I can’t tell you how many books have the same content, similar story line, and identical titles. Think - A_of_and_ (You get the idea)

Ok, yeah, they look the same but surely the stories are unique? HEMMMMMM that’s a bit of a stretch. I can say for certainty that the Romantasy Genre is suffering horribly from lack of variety when it comes to plot, but I got rejected by 170 Literary Agents so who am I to judge??

(Anyway, I love Romantasy so PLEASE can we fix this problem?)

Well Maybe Your Book Just SUCKS

OK. Maybe I really am just a bitter old loser who’s unwilling to accept the truth and refuses to realize their book is genuinely terrible. (AND WON’T SELL)

Nearly 7 months in being Indie Published I can say that I know that’s not true.

HOW?

Because I’m getting readers who LIKE what I’ve written and often times they find me in the most unexpected ways.

DATA DRUM-ROLL

I hit #9 on an Amazon Bestseller List opening week

I hit top 20 & 30 on Amazon Bestseller Lists for two months straight.

Sold over 320 copies.

Had my MMC go viral - click HERE.

28,000 pages read on Kindle Unlimited.

Amazing reviews like these.

Agents said no thanks.

Readers said yes please. (EXCEPT THE TROLLS FROM REDDIT WHO CYBER-BULLIED ME FOR COMPLAINING ABOUT THIS AND THEN REVIEW BOMBED MY BOOK ON GOODREADS) but besides them I think I’ve done pretty well for a newbie author and am excited to continue plowing ahead all by myself.

Anyway, I highly recommend you read Secrets of Cuniculum because Book 2 is coming out soon, and my Arc Readers are pretty invested!

Grab Book HERE.

Thanks so much for reading!

Check out my WEBSITE/BOOKS/MERCH

Read more

I wanted to announce that my Substack will be a little different from now on!

As many of you know, I spend 4 to 6 hrs a day marketing my book. Yes, I am crazy. Yes, I love doing it. So I decided I wanted to take it the extra mile.

Starting next week, I will be posting more in-depth articles for paid subscribers. Subscribers will get special access to info I normally wouldn’t share because SPOILERS. Below is an outline of what this will look like.

1. Tier 1 Subscribers - ($10 a month or $100 a year) - Posts for these subscribers will range from my opinions on writing, publishing, and social media culture as well as writing/publishing tips and tricks. It will ALSO include PLENTY of lore about my Sci-fi series, how I view world-building, and deeper explanations of my characters.

2. Tier 2 Subscribers - ($300 a year) - Sneaks Peaks of Entire Chapters of my WIPs/Books (A LOT GUYS. This also means sneaks into works before they’re published) + Discounts on Merch

The regular book updates, art reveals, and snippets will remain available for people on the free subscription!

Paid Subscriptions are what help me fund my projects and meet writing goals. If you are unable to pay just now, feel free to share this post, as this helps me just as much! This delulu Indie Author would be forever grateful and also wishes to remind you to never give up on your art. You have to believe in it first because if you don’t, who else will?

OR you can help me fund my Kickstarter so I can get an iPad and make cool art/animations for y’all of my characters!! Even $5 dollars would be amazing;) 22 days left to go…

Donate HERE

Thanks so much for reading!

View my WEBSITE/MERCH/BOOKS

I posted a thread asking people to drop crazy lore about their story. I don’t know what magic happened but the thread blew up. 185,103 views and suddenly a slew of famous authors/artists started reaching out.

The FIRST was the author of Dungeon Crawler Carl, Matt Dinniman, and whew…I was NOT expecting that!

After that, the rest of them just kept coming. I don’t even have pics of all of them but here are more examples.

To view full Thread, click HERE.

I’d also like to announce that 4 days into my Kickstarter, and I’m so close to hitting 1k out of the 3k needed!! So thankful! I’ve 26 days left to raise funds so that I can get an iPad.

I have 2k Subscribers on Substack. If only 500 donated $5.00, I’d be able to reach my goal!! OR you can get a fancy package and have my book (books) shipped to you!!

Kickstarter Link HERE.

Please help me out so I can get an iPad and make cool art and work towards becoming a Bestseller like the ones above, hehe.

Thanks so much for reading!!

IT’S NOT WORKING CURRENTLY SO PLEASE WAIT UNTIL I GET THIS RESOLVED WITH THEM BEFORE DONATING.

The blood and sweat (but no tears) that went into building this project has finally reached completion! My Kickstarter is LIVE.

What does this mean??

This means that if the project is fully funded by 30 days, I will be able to afford audio-book equipment and an iPad that will allow me to create amazing character art/animations for all of you!

It ALSO means that all who donate can get something! If 200 people buy just ONE signed copy of my book or the special edition eBook package, I’ll be set! If I DON’T reach full funding by 30 days, I get no money and you get to keep yours, but y’all get no gifts, and I get no iPad so that’s boring.

I spend approximately 4 - 6 hours every day marketing my book. I’m in a bad money situation and most of the money spent on expenses is pulled from savings. Any donation, no matter how small, would mean a lot to me. And even then, if you can’t donate, just sharing the word would also mean a lot!! PLEASE send this Kickstarter to whoever you know who might be interested:)) (I don’t really have money to pay for ads, sniff.)

Click the link below to see what’s being offered!!! (New art, bookmarks, special paperback packages, and more:))))

Access KICKSTARTER HERE

Your support means the world, guys. Thank you so much!!

I typically don’t share much about my private life, but I felt this story would be relevant to helping my readers/followers understand who I am and how I got to where I am now + what I write. And maybe it will help someone else too who’s had similar struggles.

I mention quite often that I started writing at the age of 7. The feeling of power it gave me was indescribable. Even adults liked the little stories I scribbled on card-stock paper. I was praised for my ability to write strong rhythmic poems. At age 9, I wrote a 150 page fantasy story that I completed at age 10. I was constantly imagining plots, animations, goals, dreams of fame. I became obsessed with it all. Too obsessed. My imagination was powerful, and I did nothing to regulate myself.

But at the end of 2011, all that changed.

I don’t know what triggered it or why it happened so abruptly, but I started experiencing brutal intrusive thoughts. I developed OCD that would’ve driven anyone crazy. Had to skip steps, couldn’t say or think in a certain order, had to repeat ideas or prayers. None of it was logical. I knew that, but I also didn’t know how to stop.

The worst part, however, were the intrusive thoughts. I don’t want to share the bulk of them, as it is very traumatic, but one of the major ones in the first few years of dealing with this was ‘you should kill yourself’.

The thing is, I didn’t want to die. I loved living and still do. I always had an aptitude for life. So to feel an intense pressure like someone else was in your head telling you to off yourself was extremely disturbing. I was a hyper sensitive kid, so that didn’t help. It completed destroyed me. It got to the point where I started contemplating doing it every single day for 2 years straight and fighting myself. The only thing that helped me survive was my faith.

My life was being completely ruined…

I could no longer write. Everything seemed evil. I felt as if I were doing all the things my characters were and wasn’t able to separate my imagination from reality. I couldn’t watch anything scary or violent. Even aggressive music upset me. I started getting nightmares every night. My blood pressure got affected and if I tried to sit up, my vision would black out, and I’d fall over. I was constantly crying. I was too scared to explain what I was going through. I didn’t want anyone to think I was crazy, even though every day I figured I was going crazy or losing my mind. In all honesty, I didn’t even know how to explain it. I began to hate myself.

Fast-forward to when I was 17, and we moved to Missouri. I still kept experiencing intrusive thoughts, but they were always shifting. While I’ll not divulge too deep into them, they were starting to hurt my ability to socialize. I had already tried picking up writing multiple times and every time I had to stop. I then made the decision to go to college for music instead even though deep down, it wasn’t what I wanted. I felt I was barely holding on to my sanity. And yet, all this time, I hid it. No one guessed anything was wrong. Not my family, siblings, or anyone at school. Not my friends. I was just a stubborn, geeky teen, with an extroverted personality. In fact, I genuinely believe the bulk of people thought I was a happy person. It was the one thing I hid masterfully, which is honestly shocking since my face is an open book, and I’m horrible at pretending. However, if people had looked closely, there were signs.

My eyes looked empty. Lifeless. My face was bloated and the fact that puberty wasn’t kind to me didn’t help. I also developed health issues around this time. Our well water was toxic and there was bacteria in our pool (unknown to us). It got into my stomach and because I’ve always had a sensitive stomach and was already compromised emotionally, my health completely plummeted.

Me Then

Me Now

At the time, we couldn’t figure out what was wrong. I experienced what I now know to be chlorine poisoning. I had a severe reaction to it. My intestines and stomach began to hurt all the time. The pain was crazy. My period vanished. Could no longer eat. I lost 17 pounds. Had no appetite. I’d be unable to go the bathroom for days. My stomach swelled so much I looked pregnant. I got heartburn that was like fire in my chest. I constantly experienced the urge to throw up, and my intestines felt like they were being squeezed and tied into knots. Doctors said I had IBS and H pylori ‘and oh, here are some meds because we can’t figure what is exactly wrong with you’.

The meds only made it worse. I lost my period for 9 months. My joints began to creak and ache. I’d get dizzy and light-headed. It was a whole new level of misery that didn’t get better until I was 19. We caught on that our well water was bad and stopped drinking it. My siblings, who had also been experiencing health issues, improved, as did I, but the damage had already been done to my gut. I didn’t realize at the time what that meant for me long-term.

As I improved slightly health-wise (or so I thought), my mental hell reached a whole new level. We moved back to Georgia, and I got a job, but at this point I was a wreck. My stomach was still damaged, and I had to plan everything around it. It made work so stressful, but for 4 years I’d plowed through the pain so that’s what I continued to do. I thought fasting would help, but it became a bad habit, and soon I was barely eating anything. I ate way too much sugar and not enough good food. I was addicted to chocolate. At this point my periods returned, but they had become brutally painful. It felt like someone was knifing up my gut and ripping my intestines out. To this day, I experience periods that have me flat out on the floor yelling in agony. I began having to plan everything around them as well, and it made working even more difficult.

The worst part of it all, however, was still my mental health. I was experiencing such horrible intrusive thoughts that it began rewiring my brain. I tried to get counseling but to no avail. I scared or stumped the few people that I let try to help me. I could have watched a person fall and break their leg in front of me and felt nothing. I was completely numb. I could no longer happy-cry. Everything was only rage and anger. I continued to hide it, but the double life I was living was driving me insane. I had breakdowns constantly. My anxiety was through the roof. I was miserable. I felt cold, heartless, and cruel. I was at my wits end.

Then what happened next changed everything.

I mentioned I had always been religious. To this day, I credit God as being the only reason I survived what I’d been through. Faith and grace were the things that kept me fighting myself and pushing on.

And then one day I had a thought that I’m certain was not me but God maybe?? I honestly don’t know for sure. I was eating dinner, with a feeling of foreboding (I had been waking up struggling to breath for months beforehand) and suddenly a voice/thought in my head said, “You know, you could ask for physical struggles instead of mental ones.”

My initial reaction was NO. I felt I was only starting to get better physically and didn’t want that ruined. But I was also aware that I could not go on much longer because of my mental state, so I was like, “Alright. Not ideal but I’d rather be physical unwell than spiritually/mentally.” I was also aware that in the past, being in extreme physical pain sometimes helped alleviate the mental pain.

The next Wednesday, last week of January, 2021, I began experiencing chest tightness. My period also was the most horrible yet. I was on the floor crying for hours and immediately I remembered what I had thought and was like “uh oh, that’s crazy. Maybe it’ll just go away.”

It didn’t.

For the next 2 weeks, my health deteriorated rapidly. I got throat pain, and my legs ached. I struggled to breath. My chest would tighten and the air in my lungs seemed to dissipate. Then my heart would palpitate. I began experiencing pain like lightning up the left side of my skull that would shoot down to my heart. I had to call out of work.

Two days before my 21st birthday, things got even worse. My nose would get such intense pressure that I couldn’t breath through it. My throat would close, and my chest tightened. I felt extremely light headed and had to throw my neck back just to breath. I was gasping for air hours on end. Every day, the length of time that I had to fight for air would increase. It was literally like some evil schedule that’d kick in around 1 p.m. and end at 2. Then 3. Then 4. At this point I was furious with God. I hadn’t actually thought He would let things get this far and was so bitter at what I’d gone through in the last 11 years that I actually raged at Him mentally.

The evening of my 21st birthday, my entire body sort of went like, “we’re done.” I struggled to breathe from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m., and it got worse with every hour. My parents thought I had anxiety and so they gave me some alcohol, which I accepted, thinking it would make me feel better. It made it worse. What I didn’t know at the time was that whatever illness I had rewired my body and was making me hyper allergic to foods I ate regularly, such as chocolate, peanuts, etc., While I barely ever had alcohol, I also developed an allergy for that too.

At this point, my parents gave up helping, totally stressed and confused at my situation. In all honesty, they did not realize how severe it actually was. I refused to go to the hospital because it was the height of Covid scare, and I knew they would hook me on a ventilator which I also knew I didn’t need. I could tell my lungs were clear. The only way I can describe what everything felt like was going underwater, sucking in lots of air, and having none of it come out. Literally suffocation.

I stayed alone in the basement, and at this point it was 20 minutes to midnight. I could feel my body shutting down. I was super dizzy and lightheaded and nothing I did worked. Not sitting, throwing my head back, leaning over…nothing. I was so exhausted from trying to breathe that I wanted to give up. My head, throat, and chest felt like they were being squeezed shut. It suddenly occurred to me, “Oh my gosh, I think I’m close to dying.”

That is when I really started praying.

I mentioned earlier how I’m Catholic. Catholics believe that you can ask people in heaven to pray for you just as many Christians believe you can ask people on earth to pray for you, so I asked Mary (the mother of God) to help. I leaned over in a fetal position, strugglingto breathe, and told her, “Look. I did not fight myself for 10 years just to die like this now. I’m meant to do something with my life, and I know there are people who need me. (that’s another story for another time. It’s actually beautiful). So I’m going to keep asking you to ask God to help me, and I’ll just sit here waiting until you do because I think I’m dying, but I also know I’m not meant to die.”

For fifteen minutes I just rambled on like that. Then, five minutes to midnight, I suddenly felt all the tightness in my chest, head, and throat release like poof, and I literary gasped out, finally able to breathe. The relief was so great and that I actually felt happy. The extreme mental anguish I was usually in dissipated. I felt mentally more like myself, even with my heart skipping all night and emitting a clicking sound. I wasn’t better though. I was so ill even my dog was scared. She stayed super close to me - something she never usually did - moving whenever I moved.

That was my 21st birthday. And it didn’t stop there.

For 4 months, I barely left the house and quit my job. I had bad episodes every day. I went to doctors and had loads of tests done, all to no avail. They kept telling me I was healthy. I cut out lots of foods and started drinking pine needle tea, which helped a lot. One night I woke up in a panic because I’d stopped breathing in my sleep. After that, I’d sometimes stay up until 5 a.m.. I had bad colds and flus every month on top of what I was already dealing with. The only thing keeping me sane was my faith and my friends. It wasn’t until a year later that my breathing stabilized, and I could work. It took another year and a half before I only experienced it a few times a year instead of every day.

All this time, I had been praying for someone who could help my mental state and it was during my illness that a priest at our church was able to give me solid guidance. Slowly but surely, I began to feel like a dark door in mind was closing and good ones were opening to take its place. Little by little, VERY SLOWLY, I improved mentally. I was able to experience healthy emotions again. I was still too afraid to write but started to feel more like I had as a young kid. Myself.

By 2023, I barely even remembered what the evil in my mind felt like. It just vanished.

What I didn’t know was that while my mind was healing, my body was completely burnt out. I’ll discuss this further in Part 2 and how I started writing again.

To this day, I don’t know if one can explain what I dealt with properly. I think only someone who’s tussled with something similar can understand. It felt like a dark shadow or an evil presence had taken up residence in my head, forcing me to feel and think something that I wasn’t. And eventually, at a certain point, that evil presence got shut out. It’s these experiences that were my inspiration for Kyber Karlin (Kye) in my Sci-fi Thriller Series. I wanted to create a character who felt evil and was succumbing to that evil, against his will. Someone who doesn’t understand what is wrong with him and whose entire view point becomes warped. And while I can’t share more cause SPOILERS, I will say that I took my experiences and brought them to the extreme through Kye. His aura and actions symbolize what dealing with those things feels like.

I will say that while Kye seems like a villain he most certainly is Morally Grey, and it will all make sense in the end.

Part 2 coming Sunday.

Make sure you follow my Kickstarter so you don’t miss the launch on August 11th!

Follow my KICKSTARTER HERE

Thank you so much for reading!

A very short and sweet post for today!!!! I'll make it quick.

I NEED YOU!

Yes, really.

My Kickstarter launches August 11th.

If you're wondering what that is, it's basically a Go-Fund me for artists, but the people who donate get prizes sent by yours truly. The bigger the donation, the bigger the prize😏

Please follow me on the Kickstarter Page!! That way it can go live and possibly even get boosted by Kickstarter themselves:))) (And that way you won’t miss it when it’s fully live.)

Follow my KICKSTARTER HERE

Because I'm BROKE, I can't really afford advertising money so I'm asking anyone who's interested to help spread the word!!

Sign up to my Launch Group, and I'll send you all the slides day of Launch so you can share to fellow readers, your Substack, social media, and friends!!

Sign up to my Launch Team HERE

If you're curious as to what the prizes are, just know they'll include signed paperbacks wrapped and sealed with an original wax seal, special edition eBooks with original and NEW character art inside, bookmarks, and more!

If the KICKSTARTER isn't successful y'all get to keep your money, I get no money, and you get no prizes.

LET'S NOT LET THAT HAPPEN, COUGH

I better see lots of sign ups. 😉

Thanks so much for reading!!

Visit my WEBSITE/MERCH/BOOKS

So if you’ve never watched the movie Inkheart, it’s basically about a man who has the ability to read words and the story comes to life, but for every character that comes out of the book, one from the real world must be sucked into the book to take its place.

While I’m not sucking anyone into my world literally, I do feel like I’m dealing with something similar, especially after hearing the latest scandal within the AI Oligarchy. Let me explain.

For years now, I’ve noticed that I’ll write things, and they’ll come true for myself or others in some EERILY similar way.

Here are examples :0

1. I had a crush in my 3rd year of college (he ended up being a disaster) but at the time I was super into him. (He was hot, that’s my only excuse. Like drop-dead, gorgeous hot.) Anyway I had to write a short story for my class and decided to write a cute little romance based off of what I’d want to happen to me. LOL.

   (Basically, in my story, a girl goes on a little outing with a random guy she meets, and they stop at a coffee shop where an elderly couple compliments the girl saying how pretty she is and asks if they’re dating. The guy replies no, whereas the husband teases him and says he would date her if he knew what was good for him. I AM CRINGING.)

Anyway, said crush and I went on an outing two weeks later with his friend and did a photo shoot (cringing even more) and two elderly ladies walked up to us and asked which of the two boys was my boyfriend. We all replied, “we’re not dating” and the old ladies were like TO MY CRUSH, “Ahh, well, you need to take less pictures of nature and more of her because she’s absolutely gorgeous.” AGHHHHHH.

2. In Book 2, I wrote a scene with a character inspired by one of my friends. (Even gave them the same name.) She really loves Javeer and added his pic as her phone wallpaper so I decided to give her a restaurant scene in Book 2 where she meets Javeer. (In real life, my friend works in a restaurant.)

   A few months later, she reached out saying she waited on a guy who reminded her of Javeer in both looks and personality and said he was joking and chatting with her at the table. I was like /:000 (I swear, so many people message me saying they saw someone who looks just like him, but I never do which is unfair since I wrote him.)

3. As I was on the way to my very first book signing, I had two crows fly past the window. (If you need a reminder, my character Kye is obsessed with crows.) That had never happened before so, ofc, my only logical reaction was to scream.

   Ironically, Ren and Javeer are the most liked characters by majority of readers but at the book signing, the second most popular bookmark was Kye’s, so go-figure.

4. It’s now all over the Book World news that AI companies are buying old books, processing them, having their AI study them/remake them and then destroying the originals. (They really are trying to rewrite history). The villain in my story does something similar (can’t explain how as it would be a major spoiler) and now I’m just concerned because there are WAY too many things in my Sci-fi Series that you do NOT want coming true.

Like seriously, imagine if you decided to take a walk down a tunnel or a dark street at night but then all the lights started flashing and a shrill laughing noise pierces your ears. You turn around and see flashing green eyes behind you with the pupils roving back and forth and then a 6 ft. skeletal android with zombie skin patches emerges out of the dark, its mouth half hanging as it tracks you down. (Book 2 Hint)

Yeah, NO THANKS.

I’d rather get a handsome boyfriend that is super nice and has a great personality but no, instead we get the history re-writers and the AI freaks. Lovely. Just great.

Some good news! My book hit 76 Amazon reviews which means I’m closer to 80, which means I’m closer to 100! (Once I get 100, I can promote my book on Bookbub.)

SO, go read my book and then rate it well on Amazon, BWAHAHA.

Grab Book HERE.

OR, you can join my Arc Team and read both Books 1 and 2! I’ve 38 new sign ups so can we get it to 40??

Sign up HERE.

I have new art coming out for Book 2 and some pretty big stories/updates in the next weeks so stay tuned!

I also got a new TikTok account because my other one was GARBAGE so please follow and support ;)

Follow my TikTok HERE.

Thanks so much for reading!

View my WEBSITE/MERCH/BOOKS

Let’s go through them:)

1. I have THREE Book Signings Scheduled for this year.

   a. The Crazy Book Lady in Acworth, GA - August 1st.

   b. Second&Charles in Kennesaw, GA - September 12th

   c. A table at the Acworth Cultural Arts Fair in Acworth, GA- October 10th

2. My Cover for Torment of Torquent, Book 2 in my Sci-fi Thriller Series, is ready and it is absolutely GORGEOUS. The artists did an amazing job!

   To see full book reveal post, click HERE

   

   I made a pretty epic Book Trailer that took WAY TOO LONG to create so now I demand you watch it to make up for my pains.

   Watch HERE.

3. I have 120 Arc Readers! A small number, but I’m always looking for more, so if you’d like to recommend the book to someone who’d like to join my team, you can share this link with them. (Please do, lol)

   Share HERE

4. My KICKSTARTER will be up in another month! I will be sharing more on this in the next week, but for now, here is a sneak peak of what it’s looking like.

   (This Kickstarter would be HUGE for me if successful. I’m in a bad way financially and have tons of health problems, so this going well would make a lot of things possible for my Book 2 launch that I otherwise wouldn’t have the money for.)

   

   

   5. I have new character art being made for Book 2! (Can’t show anything yet, but it’s in the works;)

   And finally, let give you sneak peak of what readers are saying.

   

   Thanks so much for reading! Have a great week.

View my WEBSITE/MERCH/BOOKS

THIS WHOLE POST IS SATIRE SO BEWARE ;)

THE FMC DOESN’T SWORD FIGHT IN THE FIRST CHAPTER (she never swords fight to be honest)

I made Laeli Coren (my FMC) start out as shy and anxious. She’s got a crazy amount of mental power that isn’t really revealed in Book 1 and apparently only heroines who are immediately badass are permitted in BookTok Spaces. OOP. She also receives plenty of male protection (apparently an ick to certain people, but I personally would like a handsome robotic bodyguard locked in my closet, thank you) and is emotionally foolish when she loves someone (like come on, what clever person in real life would ever do THAT?)

Oh, yeah, forgot to mention she has a big crash-out by Book 3 and becomes insanely powerful because nothing helps you overcome your fears like a healthy dose of rage.* (but who wants a character arc that builds over time am I right?)

THE LOVE INTEREST IS A SWEET GUY WITHOUT BAGGAGE (can life get any more boring?)

Sure, he’s the perfect height. 6’4, muscled, green eyes, freckles, dark skin. Funny. Teasing. A warrior. Motorcyclist. Swoon-worthy. A girl’s dream am I right?

WOMP WOMP sadly not. He’s just too NICE.

I mean, what guy would ever have all those attributes and NOT be a douche bag? TOTALLY UNREALISTIC. He’s not playing hard to get, sulking about something, brooding in misery, or deciding to hate the FMC until chapter 30 soooooo, guess that makes him a dull cookie. BookTok could NEVER.

THE MORALLY GREY CHARACTER ISN’T WINNING OVER THE FMC (we all know she should love getting manipulated)

He’s pale, blue-eyed, and like the toxic bald version of Avatar Aang, and she DOESN’T FALL IN LOVE??? In the BookTok world? ABSOLUTELY TABOO. Getting rescued from a gang that he told to kidnap her so she’d feel indebted to him and FINALLY visit his mansion full of dead stuffed crows and gothic mirrors - I mean UHHH…what girl wouldn’t wish for that?? He prepares an entire ballroom dance that he’s been planning for months while secretly stalking her, professes his love, and tries to seal the deal with a kiss she doesn’t want. Every book girlie’s dream. For her to think ‘not for me’ is absolutely sacrilegious.

THERE’S AN AI CHARACTER (downright blashpemy at this point)

We all know AI is the enemy. It’s a perverse form of trickery when the AI is built like a 6’5 handsome robot with an intellectual face, chestnut hair, and artistic flair. It’s even worse that he has medical knowledge and can guard you from evil villains and intruders (he’s supposed to be the intruder, DUH) Not to mention he keeps secrets from the FMC. SECRETS?? UGH. We all knew you couldn’t trust artificial intelligence. This is deception at its finest. BookTok BEWARE.

Ok, whew. All done! Just had to get that off my chest.

Now that you know the truth, also know I’m very shameless and believe there are some people out there who might like to be rebels. If you are a rebel or considering becoming one, I highly recommend you check out Book 1. It’s available on Amazon and at 300+ reads already, I feel a few more wouldn’t hurt;)

Click HERE to read.

If you wish to be even more rebellious, Sign Up for my Arc Team for Book 2. A recent Arc reader completed all 554 pages in one night and another said that while she was mentally screaming at the tension, everything in Book 1 was finally starting to make sense. So I highly recommend you join in on the forbidden fun!

Sign up to be an Arc Reader HERE.

Thanks so much for reading! Have a great week!

View my WEBSITE/BOOKS/MERCH

Some people acted in alarm after I posted wild snippets about Kye, the morally grey MMC from my YA Sci-fi Thriller.

Example of what I shared:

When they said HE’S MORALLY GREY but didn’t mention that he almost gets her KIDNAPPED so he can ‘RESCUE’ her and then tries to FORCE HIMSELF on her and when she escapes to her boyfriend in the rain he secretly follows with a SYRINGE.

Most of the commentary from people sounded a bit like this.

“That’s not morally grey. That’s just evil.”

“That’s supposed to appeal to women?”

I think they just need to read the story to understand ;)

But no, seriously, is my character actually morally grey or am I trying to take advantage of a trope for marketing purposes? Let’s dig into this.

Here’s the definition of a villain.

1. A character in a story or play who opposes the hero.

   Originally, a low-born base-minded rustic; a man of ignoble ideas or instincts; in later use, an unprincipled or depraved scoundrel; a man naturally disposed to base or criminal actions, or deeply involved in the commission of disgraceful crimes

Here’s the definition of a morally grey character.

1. Morally Grey is a term used to describe a character who is neither good nor bad. They have no motivation to do good or bad actions. On the contrary, morally gray characters follow their ambition rather than those of the greater good or evil. Due to their goals being detached from these attributes, they could be intrinsically virtuous or vicious if their character’s values align with their objectives.

I will explain Kye further by dissecting my scandalous paragraph and let you be the judge. I’ll make constant references to the above definition to compare and contrast.

1. “he almost gets her KIDNAPPED so he can ‘RESCUE’ her”

   a. Morally Grey Characters do not have a solid grasp on virtue or vice. They value their personal motivations and if they deem those motivators to be good to THEM, that is all that’s needed for them to act. So what’s motivating Kye? Without sharing spoilers, let’s pull a hint from the story.

   Malin’s eyebrows raised. “Then what entices you my friend, if not women?”

   Kye’s mouth turned slightly in a strange manner. “Personal ambition.”

   “Haha. So money?”

   “No.”

   “Not money…not women. What then? Where does your ambition lie?”

   Kye’s voice shifted from monotone to intense. “In freedom.”

So to Kye, freedom (from who or what he does not specify here) is the end goal. He will do anything to attain it. And he’s decided that his path to freedom includes Laeli, the FMC. When she does not respond to his desire to become closer, he grows desperate and feels the need to force her hand. Because he does not wish to do so in an overtly physically manner as he loves her in his own, twisted way, he decides to set up a scenario where she feels indebted to him and agrees to visit his mansion out of her own free will. (Manipulation, IK)

Let’s jump to the next line.

2. tries to FORCE HIMSELF on her

   a. Kye has already proven to not be right in the head. He believes his aggressive romantic endeavors will be met favorably because Laeli has demonstrated what he mistakenly interprets to be signs of approval.

3. he secretly follows with a SYRINGE.

   a. Laeli’s ultimate rejection has caused Kye to snap. He decides it’s suddenly necessary to use physical force, yet even now he believes such actions are justified. Here’s another hint.

“You are going to come with me,” he muttered. He pushed his mouth next to her ear. “I will take you away from here and then…we can both be free.”

We see here that Kye believes he and Laeli are in similar situations and their safety/success is tied to one another. His move is motivated by envy yes, but also fear, desperation, and concern.

Essentially, it’s not the actions but the psychology behind the actions that separate a morally grey character from a villain. A villain acts badly simply because he’s able to. His motives are rotten to the core. There is no grey area. He hurts others because he can; manipulates because he can. The line between villain and morally grey is VERY thin but it’s still there. Both have ambitions, yet these ambitions are fueled by distinct motives. The morally grey character believes his motives are justified because he’s working towards what he believes is right and good in the end. The villain thinks his motives are justified because it’s solely what HE wants, and it doesn’t matter whether what he wants is good or bad. He wants it, and that’s enough.

What are your thoughts on this? Do you agree or disagree?

Be sure to Subscribe because next week I’ll be sharing some personal experiences of mine and how they tie into Kye’s dark psychology, which will also be explained in more depth!

If you you can’t handle not being in the know, read Book 1 HERE so you can be ready to read Book 2 when it comes out ;) GET THOSE ANSWERS.

Well some of them, oop.

Meet me on August 1st at The Crazy Book Lady!

Book Signing + Bookmarks:)

Oh and me (;)

5058 Allatoona Gtwy, Acworth, GA 30101

Thanks for reading!

View my WEBSITE/BOOKS/MERCH

Yes. I went to college for an English degree, and my goal was to focus largely on Creative Writing. That is what I love most and what I’m best at. I figured college would connect me to people with publishing experience, provide courses that would show me the right routes to take, and overall, make my publishing journey easier.

Man, was I wrong.

I will say that the English Professors I had were typically very good and I have loads of respect for many of them. My writing improved drastically after my time at college, and I have to give them credit for that. They really pushed me to improve myself.

Unfortunately, none of them knew anything about the publishing world outside of academic publishing. The professors that did were always unavailable because their classes would fill so quickly. The few classes I had in Creative Writing were very easy and didn’t tell me much that I didn’t already know.

I graduated realizing I’d have to teach myself everything.

• Editing

• Formatting

• Where to find literary agents

• How to build query letters

• How to use KDP

• Alternate publishing platforms

• Retail platforms like Digital2Draft and IngramSpark

• Newsletters (I was fortunate enough to meet a college professor later in life (after graduating) who has been extremely generous in sharing information and taught me the importance of newsletters.)

• Marketing Tactics

• Arcs

• Social Media differences

• Algorithms

• Kick-starters

• Book-funnel

• Website Platforms

• ISBNS

• Copyrights

• Ads

• Amazon Keywords

Teaching yourself all those things is EXHAUSTING.

It also made me wonder: why are there NO college courses that teach any of that?

I feel that many Indie Authors get a bad rap because…

1. The market is saturated with people who publish and don’t know what they’re doing and the knowledgeable authors get lumped in with the less knowledgeable ones.

2. People view Indies as writers who didn’t make it the Traditional Route so not good enough.

I could be wrong, but as far as I’m aware, a Creative Writing Degree (which I didn’t get by the way) is different than a typical English Degree (which focuses more on the academic side) but even then they hardly touch on subjects in my above list. Again, MIGHT be wrong, but to my knowledge, that is typically true for most colleges who offer creative writing courses.

I think they should change that. Being an Indie Author could and should be considered a respectable career instead of not professional as one girl happened to mention to my face 4 years ago.

What do you think?

Haven’t read my Sci-fi Thriller yet or know someone who might be interested? Share the link!

Click HERE to buy book.

Thanks for reading!

View my WEBSITE/BOOKS/MERCH

Now mind you, there’s truth in all the above statements. I’m not denying the horrible implications AI is having on culture and society/the environment. I personally think AI should have nothing to do with the Arts. However, what I’ve come to realize is that AI has the ability to bring out the worst in people, and this is by far one of its most damaging effects.

What do I mean by that? Well, let’s circle back to my title, where I implied that people are the ones causing harm more than the actual AI. How did I come to such a conclusion? Let’s plow through it together.

1. AI was created by human beings - We need to stop pretending like AI is a magical creature that spawned into existence all on its own. Human beings designed it, funded its growth, and trained it. Every single aspect of AI has a human stamp, and it is humans who’ve pushed for its ever-expanding reach.

2. Humans choose to use AI for nefarious reasons - See an ‘artist’ touting an AI generated image as an original piece of work? They are the ones lying. Notice how AI art is trained off of the stolen work of other artists? Someone chose to train their AI off that data without obtaining permission.

3. Humans use AI as a shield to bully others - “So many AI witch hunts. If AI didn’t exist this wouldn’t happen".” Maybe, but I’m not too confident about that. 90% of people who make AI use accusations in the Art community do so either because they’re jealous, or they’re outright bullies. AI is the shield they use to look justified when attacking someone they don’t like. I’ve no doubt many would find other ways or reasons to bully without the existence of AI.

   I’m a sketch artist. (not the best but I’m learning) I had a girl harass me for half a day on my Instagram saying my drawings were ‘traced’. I’ve had other authors tell me what I should or shouldn’t be posting on my OWN PAGE. I’ve seen artists offer to provide proof of their original work only to be told “I don’t need to see it because I KNOW it’s AI.” Whose fault is this ultimately? The AI’s or human’s?

People are always commenting on how AI is ruining everything. And to be honest, it really is, but I truly think this is largely because it’s utilized by greedy and malicious people. Is a gun evil in itself or is the person who uses it to murder others the problem? We need to ask ourselves these kinds of questions.

Ultimately, that is why I decided to make this the primary theme of my Sci-fi Thriller Series. I do not want to reveal too much because (SPOILERS) but I can say that I use every opportunity to demonstrate how humanity is always the trigger behind the tool. My book is chock-full of robots and some of these robots will be heroes. Others will be villains. Yet always, I make sure to focus on how if a robot is evil, that’s because its creator is evil. If a robot is good, that is because its creator is good. Seeing a slow takeover of the robotics? That is the decision of the human beings who created those robotics in the first place. I will never fail to make the robot a mimicry of its designer. I’m not writing a story where the AI overrides its programming and breaks free. I’m creating a world where all artificial intelligence is shackled to who made it and this will either build or destroy society depending on who ends up having the upper hand. And with reviewers saying my story feels unique, I truly hope I can continue to portray that in an original way!

ON THAT NOTE, my book is on sale right now for 99 CENTS. For all of those who read/vibe with Book 1, I am offering you a chance to read Book 2 completely free, so make sure you hop on over and read Book 1 first ;)

Buy Book 1 for 99 cents HERE.

To read 5 sample chapters first, click HERE.

If you end up liking Book 1, feel free to fill out this form for a chance to read Book 2 for free! Access form HERE.

Thank you so much for reading!

View my WEBSITE/BOOKS/MERCH

When I first started writing my Sci-fi series, I had no idea about this sudden burst of popularity within the Sci-fi book world. I will be totally honest and admit that I new next to nothing about Sci-fi other than Star Wars, Alien, and some other original movie classics. I’ll also admit that I found (and still do) find many Sci-fi books to be boring. Their heavy tech focus and the added technicality of the characters doesn’t appeal to my reading tastes. Just from personal experience (perhaps I don’t know about the good ones) many of the plots/protagonists of the books I poked through felt stiff and dull. I prefer stories that are very character based, and I think this is why I really enjoy the Red Rising Series so much.

As many of you loyal readers probably know, I wrote a Sci-fi series because of a challenge given to me by my Instagram followers. I remember thinking, “Hmm, they’re suggesting I write Sci-fi, so what if I wrote a story that someone picky like me would want to read? Even better, what if I wrote a story that I’d want to watch as a movie?”

So I did! Was it a mainstream idea? (No, my 160 rejections from literary agents proves that I think!) Did I pack it with all my favorite themes/tropes, even though some might say that’s a bad idea? (Yes, yes I did) Did I add in AI, Robots, Human Corruption? Yes…

WAIT, WAIT…STOP!!

AI, Robots, and Human Corruption aren’t a new idea. So how could I sit here and say my story is unique? Isn’t that rather bold and presumptuous of me?

MaYbE…But I also think it’s true. I’ll explain (and if I’m wrong, you’re welcome to correct me in the comments ;)

1. AI - Most stories with AI are about it developing feelings, taking over the world, breaking out of control, overriding its programming, etc., etc….

   My series doesn’t present AI in this manner. In my books, AI stays within its programming. It doesn’t rebel or become more human-like on its own. My focus is largely on the humans behind AI. I will dive into a setting where AI is dangerous because it can be manipulated by humanity, and it can also be a force for good when placed in the right hands.

2. Robots - Like Star Wars, there is definitely a variety of robots in my books, particularly in Books 2 and 3. Unlike Star Wars, my robot designs are a little more complex. (By complex I mean a larger contrast in variety/mannerisms/purposes)

   a. Utility robots - different designs, models, personalities, skill sets within this subset. Often rather stupid but with quirky mannerisms.

   b. Security robots - there will be a variety here too. Designs, traits, fighting techniques will differ based on which city the robot is from.

   c. Military robots - Dangerous, cruel, and hard to kill. These will carry some human attributes, but their overall design is geared towards obedience and violence.

   d. Seductive robots - Designed to appeal to the human senses, these robots are also a symbolism of all the worst traits in a manipulative human being and this is reflected by both their behavior, brain patterns, and appearances.

   e. Death robots - so named because their one purpose is to terrify the victim by both their exterior and interior design. They are killers.

   f. Humanoid robots - Robots that are the most human-like in both mannerisms and physical attributes. These robots are almost a god-like mimicry in robotic form due to their superior attributes/mental/physical capabilities.

3. Human Corruption - Ok, so I’ll admit, this one isn’t that unique. I think human corruption is too much of a universal thing. However, there are always interesting ways to package it. I don’t want share much here because it would be a MASSIVE spoiler, but I can say that I touch along the idea of immortality in a world that is strictly technological, as well as my own twist on the idea of genetic superiority.

I have to brag a little here ;) Many of my best reviews come from people who openly admitted they don’t like Sci-fi or have never read it, so I think that’s a flex! I’ve appealed to some die-hard Sci-fi fans too, so that also makes me really happy!

If any of this has piqued your interest, the first book in my series is available HERE. (Free with Kindle Unlimited or on sale for $3.00)

If you’d like to read three free sample chapters, click HERE.

To add to that, here are 2 more Indie Sci-fi Authors to check out.

Read New Earth HERE

The first wave of colonists found alien life. The third wave doesn’t want peace. They want control.
This three-chapter, complete short story is a prequel for the Dead Cell series.
Tani’na and the few half-breed descendants of First and Second Waves of colonists are infected with Chromata, a sentient life form native to New Earth. But it isn’t the enemy.

First Wave, sent a century prior, made peace with the inhabitants. Some of Second Wave joined them when they arrived decades later. Most remain loyal to the Thyterion empire, which is destined to arrive as the third and final wave. Emperor Riscerman wants the planet cleansed for their arrival. Tani’na wants revenge for the death of her mother and sister, among thousands of others who perished in the Silacia settlement bombing.

Commander Worton must pay for following such heinous orders. Tani’na and her Father’s First Wave army storm the city and the state-building to retake control. Tani’na knows what must be done, and she’s the only one who can do it.

I read this one, and it’s really cool, guys. Highly Recommend Talos from ! Read HERE

A deep-space research vessel drifts through an uncharted system.
Its crew wake to silence, their mission uncertain, their memories blurred.

Outside, the void moves in ways it shouldn’t.
Inside, the boundaries between faith, reason, and reality begin to erode.

As systems fail and trust fractures, the crew must confront what waits beyond the hull and within themselves.

Talos is a quiet descent into isolation and belief, where the line between the human and the machine begins to blur.

Thanks so much for reading. Have a great week!

View my WEBSITE/BOOKS/MERCH

BookTok saved the reading industry. Reading books is the new trend and to be honest, that’s not a bad thing. It’s magical, fun, and depending on what you’re consuming, good for the mind. It sharpens the imagination and can also enhance your own writing abilities.

As a kid, I mostly read clean historical fiction and non-fiction. My parents were very strict, so I was not allowed to read just anything and to be honest, I didn’t care for fantasy or sci-fi at the time so that suited me just fine. Even as a teen, I was pretty much unaware of the BookTok trends/favorites. I didn’t have an interest in sampling any of the popular books within those genres until this last year. Writing a Sci-fi series of my own changed my brain. I wanted to compare my writing to what everyone else was creating, and I realized I actually enjoyed branching out. Now Fantasy and Sci-fi have become my new favorite genres, not just to write, but to read!

However, there’s a trend I noticed that I don’t particularly like, and that’s the portrayal of romance in many of these popular books. I will refrain from giving particular examples, but I noticed that what is classified as ‘romance’ in these books (many of them YA/NA) is not so much romance as lust. The focus is heavily on the body, sensations, feelings, passion, and arousal, and while all those things are part of a romantic relationship, they are not the sole factors, and I would argue that if they are the predominate factors that’s not real romance. (Infatuation, cough) It would make sense to me if this ‘romance’ was coming from perhaps a villain who couldn’t tell the difference or perhaps who could and just likes to label lust as love but unfortunately it’s coming from the stories’ heroes! (I can’t help but think that the way many of these hero-protagonists describe their love interests reminds me of Frollo from the Hunchback of Notre Dame when he’s obsessing over Esmeralda. Probably NOT a good thing.)

Another lesser but equally common problem is the lack of variety in romantic relationships. Nearly every books I’ve ever read is a slow burn or enemies-to-lovers. Now don’t get me wrong, I LOVE both of those. When well done, they will absolutely keep me hooked on a story from beginning to end. Annoyingly, many of them are NOT well done. The enemies-to-lovers is often a bratty, spoiled girl and grumpy, obnoxious guy who are both prejudiced. It doesn’t give enemy to me, just immature. It’s also giving mIsCoMmUnIcaTiOn.

EW.

Adding to that, I’ve noticed many readers think those two types of romance tropes are the only ones to exist. When I first published my Sci-fi Thriller, some people complained about how the romance was unrealistic. This rather shocked me. I had created a dynamic between my two protagonists where both of them met each other and immediately felt an attraction and showed it. I am baffled as to how that is unrealistic as I know it happens to many people and has also happened between me and a guy in my own life. While we never reached a relationship stage, I decided to write a story where the couple actually moved forward with the initial attraction and started a friendship, which will then eventually turn into a relationship further on in the series. They don’t get down and dirty by chapter 20 and you know what? I think that’s ok.

The Romantic Timeline in my Sci-fi Series

Book 1 = Crush Stage - We’re interested in each other, and we’re not going to hide it. I’m attracted to you and you to me, but let’s be friends first so we can get to know one another better.

Book 2 = Relationship Stage - We get along great and the attraction is deepening. New physical boundaries have been crossed. We’ve undergone some scary stuff and that’s only deepened our connection. We’re definitely boyfriend/girlfriend.

Book 3 = Together for Life - We’ve gone through hell together. We NEED each other. Emotional and physical attraction have hit a new level. We have one purpose - one mission- and were completing it side by side. There’s no way we’re letting the other go.

Please know that I do not think every romance should be like mine. I love a variety, and we need MORE variety. My biggest gripe with Romance & BookTok is that toxic or unhealthy relationships are glorified and sadly, many of them have NO variety. If you’re going to be toxic, throw it at me in a new way ;)

And on that note, I will now share with you a sneak peak of what romance in Book 2 will look like:) Javeer is one of my most loved characters and whew, ylanast did a good job on him! (Laeli ofc, is adorable.)

To buy Secrets of Cuniculum (Book 1) click HERE. #9 on a Bestseller List opening week.

Free with Kindle Unlimited

Thank you so much for reading!

View my WEBSITE /BOOKS/MERCH

So I have big news! I’ve posted a DTIYS challenge and am offering artists a chance to participate. And yes, there will be prizes! I’ll be giving out free digital, special-edition copies of my books to winners ;) If you are an artist or know any artists who might want to join in, please share this with them:) To view the full post with the rules/directions, click HERE.

Arc Readers

I am also three weeks away from sending out Book 2 Arcs, so if you’ve read Book 1 and want to read and review Book 2 of my Sci-fi Thriller series, sign up HERE.

Free Chapters of my Sci-fi Thriller

This weekend was great for me. I reached 51 Amazon reviews, hit over 1k pages read on KU, sold 7 books, and jumped back up to #45 on an Amazon Bestseller List. (Oh and 522 adds on Goodreads) To celebrate, I’ve decided to hand out not one but THREE chapters of my Sci-fi Thriller. If you’d like a chance to immerse yourself in my world, get your free chapters HERE.

And Finally…

Just want to go on a little rant about how grateful I am for all the support. It’s truly the most amazing feeling to have people read your book and love it. I’m sure every author on Substack can relate to how wonderful it is when someone messages you or posts a review saying your book made them cry. That the story was exciting. The characters memorable. That they want more; they NEED Book 2 right away. So again, thank you to each and every reader who has decided to follow me along on this journey! I don’t know where I’m going, but as Tolkien said, “Not all those who wander are lost.”

And I’m very much hoping to be found*

Have a great week!

My drawing of Kaine Ferron from Alchemised. Highly recommend the book*

Then that turned into, “Well, I guess I’ll write a series.”

Which THEN turned into, “Aw fudge, this is getting pretty complicated. Time to start writing notes.”

And NOW I have to write a whole battle scene and keep up with four different romances in book 3, PLUS multiple cults, hierarchies, political adversaries, tech, and oh, yeah…lots and lots of robots.

I put a plenty of thought into my robots meaning…they all have different structures, purposes, and designs. And no, they don’t override their programming. All my robots stick strictly to their design. (Now something else can make them break programming, but I won’t be sharing what that is cause SPOILER.)

Without further ado, here are my robots.

3-10s - Small, box-shaped utility robots that can be programmed to preform a particular function (robotic repairs, vehicle repairs, household appliance repairs, etc.) They tend to have a one-way functioning brain (meaning a processing unit that is not complex), so they aren’t the brightest tools in the shed outside of their primary design. (Mimi from Book 1 is a 3-10. She has like twelve lines in the entire book but has somehow managed to become a favorite among readers. Definitely wasn’t expecting that, but not complaining, haha.)

Seven-99s - Tall, white robots that are modeled after women and and owned as bodyguards by the elite in the Five Cities. They have immobile mouths and three pairs of eyes: two on their faces and two more in the upper center of their chest. This extra pair of eyes makes them perfect for guardian roles. They typically wield spears and have an elegant but swift fighting style.

K6-12s - A black military robot made of tungsten and steel. Very large and strong, these robots are programmed to be heartless and deadly. Their faces are human-like, and they have yellow rimmed eyes. Their sturdy exterior makes them hard to kill.

Skull Krawlers/SK-11s - Silver skeletal robots that blend in with shadows and have flashing green eyes. Their dead, zombie-like appearance and shrill screams are designed to strike fear into their victims. They are extremely grotesque and enjoy taunting their targets. They often wield serrated blades and are extremely fast and flexible. They can only be killed through the lower pelvic region where their heart and brain are hidden.

Ren, R-17 - A humanoid robot that is the sole model of its kind known to exist. With an exterior appearance that looks completely human, this robot could pass for a person were it not for the metallic strip around its right eye. Abnormally brilliant and artistically inclined, it was originally designed to be a medical android but is also capable of fighting techniques unmatched by any other robot. Its abnormal strength can be contributed to its khilange interior, making it almost indestructible.

Death Twins - (Sorry guys. These 2 are a secret that only gets revealed in Book 3.)

That’s all for now! Might come up with more eventually but this is what I’ve got for the present.

By the way, I’ve more character art. (created by yours truly)

When two geniuses meet, it’s bound to end well right? Well it definitely started well and then things get messy (to the point where I had readers saying they cried). TBH though, I feel like making your readers cry is every artist’s dream goal.* Here is the guilty couple.

To view full image of Renon and Elina, click HERE.

To buy the book, click HERE.

Thank you so much for reading! Have a great week:)

View my WEBSITE/MERCH

1. My First Book Signing Experience

2. New Character Art

3. Small Lore Drop

Barnes&Noble Book Signing

Last weekend was my first book signing, and I had no clue how it was going to turn out. I knew the average Indie Author sells 4-8 books at their signings so I decided to aim for twelve. (If you’re wondering why twelve it’s because a manager at 2ndCharles told me one of their best Sci-fi indie authors sold ten, and my competitive self wanted to beat that.)

I ended up selling 13 copies!!

Got 18 newsletter signups.

Now planning to schedule another signing.

But that’s not all! I went back to Barnes&Noble the next day to see my books on the shelf, and they’d put it next to Hunger Games and The Woven Kingdom by Tahereh Mafi. (and next to Lightlark) Needless to say, I kind of had a moment seeing my book beside three bestsellers.

New Character Art

So I have new character art of Javeer and Laeli which I’m really excited to share. It was created by readingbythelantern on Instagram and came out so beautifully! (This may or may not be a pivotal scene from Book 1 that looks really calming but is about to turn into a nightmare.)

To view the full reveal, click HERE.

Small Lore Drop

AI will be a heavy theme in my series, but I’m not planning on doing the whole AI takes over the world and overpowers the humans thing. I’m actually doing something that I feel is more accurate and less represented. (Evil humans taking over the world with AI)

How will be I doing that? (Can’t say cause then I’d be mean for dropping spoilers) However, what I CAN say is I firmly believe it’s human nature that’s always the problem in the end and not some robotic/artificial entity. I love diving into the morality of a situation and throughout my series, I plan to touch on the ethics of human/robotic experimentation, overuse of AI, and the dark nature of politics. (Totally doesn’t sound like anything in real life, cough, cough.)

On a final note, be sure to follow and subscribe because my next newsletter will go over the many different robots in my series and their functions. Since I’m a generous author, I will share an action quote/scene sneak peak from Book 2 ;)

To view the full post of action/romance sneak peak quotes, click HERE.

To buy Book 1 (Secrets of Cuniculum), click HERE.

Thank you so much for reading!

View my WEBSITE/MERCH

So to describe my writing process, I will now share it through an outline. Time to break the cycle ;)

1. Coming up with the story

   a. Build the characters

   b. Develop their personality based on vibes

   c. Come up with scenes that match that character

   d. Use music to inspire scenes

   e. Barely write any notes unless necessary (and in no order)

   f. Only write once 80% of the story is ready in my head

2. Writing the Story

   a. Write

   b. Re-read

   c. Edit

   d. Take breaks

   f. Doom scroll

   g. Write more (I either write for 30 min or 4 hrs)

(Half of world building may or may not include imagining scenes as animations or movies.)

I recently panicked, thinking I was finally showing signs of aging because I couldn’t remember scenes/lines and had to write them down, but then I realized it was because I’d never created a story of this size before. It WAS only supposed to be a short story and for context, this is what I’ve ended up with. (Send Help)

Book 1 - 398 pages/90,839 words

Book 2 - 545 pages/126,761 words

Book 3 - A predicted 700 pages/140,000 words (REALLY SEND HELP)

My goal is to publish Book 2 in October. (stressing but excited) My other goal is to get 400 reviews (POSITIVE ONES) for Book 1 by end of this year.

And now, without further ado, here is the scene snippet from Book 1 that I’ll be sharing. I hope you enjoy it:)

CHARACTERS

Renon Coren - Upper Class Elite/Professor/Businessman/Genius

Elina Taren - Inventor/Mechanic/Engineer/Tech Genius

Dreadon Durus - Upper Class Elite/Inventor/Genius/Politician

K6-12 - A large, black robot designed for military combat. Its advanced features and human-like attributes, along with its tungsten core/exterior, make it a formidable weapon.

(Scene from Secrets of Cuniculum)

As Elina watched them both, an uncanny sensation prickled over her skin. Then her attention was suddenly diverted by the movement of a new person entering the room. Seeing it was Renon, Elina caught her breath and straightened her posture. He looked extremely debonair tonight, wearing a golden-brown vest with a white collar underneath. His thick hair was slicked up front and waved back against his neck. Elina quickly averted her gaze, but she could feel her cheeks warming, and her arms beginning to sweat as he seated himself behind the President. I wonder what his face looks like without glasses.

Elina was momentarily distracted from her thoughts as the sound of a graceful tune wafted into the room. The orchestra in the adjoining lobby had begun to play and as if it were some sort of cue, the President rose to his feet, everyone following suit. Stepping ahead of the President and making his way to the front of the dais, VTech’s CEO cleared his throat and raised a hand.

“I first of all want to thank President Cair for being present for this special moment. His attendance means a great deal to this company, and we hope that he finds the endeavors we have made for the military satisfactory. This project was presented to him many years ago and so it is with great pride that I stand here now to present the finished product. I also wish to thank the members of our board, our many generous investors, as well as the hundreds of employees who make what we do possible.” The CEO gestured to Dreadon and Elina. “This particular project only exists because of the incredible genius of our top engineers: Dreadon Durus and Elina Taren.” The crowd clapped as Dreadon and Elina bowed.

The CEO cleared his throat and continued. “Before you stands model K6-12. Each letter and number is a reference to the purpose and history of this model. K stands for kill, as this weapon is designed for military combat. Six stands for the number of years it took before this project was generously approved by our governing body. Finally, twelve is a nod of respect to the span of the Presidential term. The Five Cities are pleased and honored to have President Cair represent us as a people, and I look forward to a closer relationship with him and the ruling administration in the future. But now, I will pause my speech and let you all see what you came to see. Let us demonstrate how this model stands up to the one that is currently being used by our military.” Nodding towards both Elina and Dreadon, the CEO went and sat back in his chair, eyes narrowed and arms crossed.

Stepping forward, Elina entered the glass enclosure and flipped a small switch on the android’s neck. Instantly, the android’s head straightened, and its pupils became visible: black eyes surrounded by a thin, yellow ring. Elina then activated the second robot and exited the enclosure, securing the door behind her.

Returning to her place by the dais, Elina held her breath as the K6-12 android rotated its head and eyed Dreadon. For a moment, Dreadon stood motionless. Then he gave it a barely perceptible nod. The yellow ring within the android’s eyes glowed brightly and with one rapid motion, it charged for the second robot. With a complicated flip, the K6-12 flung itself over the robot and knocked it to the ground. Rising to its feet, the robot removed a gun at its side and fired at the K6-12. Raising its arm, the K6-12 activated a blue shield, using it to block the barrage of bullets. Swinging out its arm, the K6-12 then knocked the gun from the robot’s hand and struck it in the chest. Before the stumbling robot could recover, the android swung around again and seized the robot’s neck. Yanking a knife with a glowing, grey blade from its belt, the robot slashed at the K6-12’s arm, temporarily breaking free. In response, the K6-12 grabbed both of the robot’s arms, pinned them together, and kicked out its leg, sending the robot to its knees. Yanking the knife from the robot’s hand, the K6-12 lurched forward, plunging the knife into the robot’s neck. The robot’s head severed and slid to the floor, the rest of the body crashing beside it. Straightening, the K6-12 android raised its arm, and the entire room burst out into an eruption of cheers and clapping.

Elina gave a little gasp, realizing she had been holding her breath the entire time. She observed the excited fire burning in Dreadon’s pupils and shifting her attention, she saw his mother had a strange smirk across her face as she applauded. The CEO rose to his feet, beaming with satisfaction, and the rest of the guests were nodding in admiration and approval…

If you want to read the full thing, grab now while it’s on sale ;)

Buy Book 1 HERE

Thank you so much for reading!

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Currently closer to being finished with editing Book 2 before Arcs get sent out. I have about 2 chapters left to go. If you haven’t signed up yet for Arcs but want to, click HERE.

I will now do something new. I have 3 topics I wish to touch on in my newsletters.

1. AI and its relation to my Sci-fi series (lore drop)

2. The robots of my Sci-fi series (explained in detail)

3. My writing process + snippet from Book 1 (sneak peak)

Let me know which one you want first by leaving a comment below! Number with the most votes wins.

Leave a comment

If you haven’t read Book 1, you better chop hop to it because Book 2 release is October, and you’ll want to be prepared ;)

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Thank you so much for reading!

As a kid, that’s what I spent the majority of my time doing. I imagined, and the more I read and thought, the sharper my imagination became. I stopped playing with toys, because why bother when my mind could do so much more? A toy couldn’t save a slave girl, gallop away on a horse, befriend a runaway orphan boy, a winged elf, and go on an adventure following a valuable map in a world full of creatures. (AND LOOK REAL WHILE DOING IT.) That was the story my 9 year-old self came up with. I ended up writing all 100+ pages too, typing with one finger at a time (because I didn’t know how to type properly) and not providing any spacing between dialogue (because at 9, who needs to do that?)

I learned I was also capable of changing the type of things I imagined. I don’t just mean fiction to fantasy. I could imagine characters in 2d - 3d. Characters that looked real, or characters that looked animated. I could change the style of animation too. I re-animated the entire LOTR series in my head, making the story flow exactly as it did in the book, giving all the characters different looks. As my mind grew sharper, I became more obsessed with using my imagination, and that ended up causing problems. Eventually, I had to take a LONG break from any story telling or imagining, and it was a very torturous choice to make. I was addicted to my imagination and not in a healthy way.

I’ve often wondered about other people’s imaginations. Are they as clear cut as mine? How do theirs differ from mine? In which areas are they weaker and which are they stronger? How good is their mental focus? Do their imaginations give them vivid dreams, which then give them more story ideas? And on top of all that, do they get exhausted or experience burn-out?

While creating the groundwork for my Scifi series, I thought, “Hmm…what if a huge part of the conflict was the imagination. Suppose a villain had my thought process, and it made him arrogant beyond reason. Suppose the hero had this ability too, but because of personal weakness, locked away her imagination deep inside her brain. What if the imagination was a source of actual power in the physical world? It could be used to inflict pain and pleasure…to build or destroy. People could look into one another’s imaginations. Manipulate them using their own. And what if it was done in a world completely devoid of magic?

So yes, I ended up using this idea as the backbone crutch for a huge chunk of my story. Book 2 of the Nriv Series will especially focus on these elements as the characters advance further into the story and the plot deepens beyond the groundwork and introductions of Book 1.

What are your thoughts on this? Have you had similar ones?

Purchase Book 1 HERE or add it to your TBR HERE. Get while still on sale!

Thank you for reading!

View my WEBSITE