Blog | Hannah Steenbock | Feel-good Stories. In Any Universe.

Idea Questions

Posted on 10/07/2015 by Hannah Steenbock

Major Questions

Again and again, I’m being asked how I come up with my ideas. And I do have more ideas than I can write in my entire lifetime.

Thing is … for me, ideas are everywhere. It’s more a question of mood and how I feel rather than where I hunt for ideas. I don’t usually “hunt” them. They slam into me, no matter where I am. Could be in bed, in the shower, at work, or walking around.

It could be the news, some weird sentence or – as is happening right now – a couple of friends chatting in my irc chatroom about some scientific question.

And then there are two major questions that really set me off:

What if…?

That’s really the basis of all stories, to be honest. Every fiction writer goes “what if…?” in their writing. That’s why we call it fiction. We deviate from reality. Continue reading →

Posted in The Cloud Lands Saga, Writing | Tagged dragons, ideas, The Cloud Lands Saga, worldbuilding, writing | Leave a comment

The Dragons go to War – “Kraken War” Release

Posted on 20/05/2015 by Hannah Steenbock

Kraken War

Today, “Kraken War” has gone live. It’s the exciting sequel to “Dorelle’s Journey”.

Dorelle is back in the Western Kingdom, after delivering her warning. And the King springs into action, organizing a fighting force, and giving Dorelle joint command with the Crown Prince, Orlen.

They don’t know that treachery is already brewing in the wings. A dragon has plans of her own… and when the fighting doesn’t go well, she acts on them.

Dorelle and Orlen have to fight the ultimate battle to save their lands, to beat back the aggressive kraken and to keep as many dragons alive as possible. Of course, Dorelle listens to her heart more often than to cold, military logic, with far-reaching consequences.

And then there’s a Wing Commander who stays true to his calling and his heart even under horrible circumstances and duress. A hero who would rather die than betray his Kingdom…

Follow the fighting dragons, and be swept away to a foreign land full of adventure, love, treachery, and heart-wrenching loyalty.

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“Kraken War” is released both as ebook and in print. And as a special favor to my fans, you’ll receive the ebook for free if you buy print through Amazon. (Print is going through review, as well as matching with the ebook and should be available again tomorrow.)

As always, I’m asking a favor:
Please leave a few words on Amazon, Goodreads or your blogs if you enjoyed the story. And please, let me know if and when you do.

Also feel free to comment below!

Posted in The Cloud Lands Saga | Tagged dragons, fantasy, novella, The Cloud Lands Saga | Leave a comment

“Dorelle’s Journey” Goodreads Giveaway!

Posted on 27/04/2015 by Hannah Steenbock

Dorelle’s Journey

This is an awesome opportunity for every reader and fan: I’m giving away five signed print copies of “Dorelle’s Journey” through a Goodreads Giveaway – starting today!

And yes, I’m sending them to all possible countries listed on Goodreads. (I personally hate Giveaways restricted to the US and the UK. And since I’m in Germany, I’ll have to pay international postage anyway. So there!)

The catch is that you have to be a Goodreads member to participate. On the other hand, registration is totally free, and of course, Goodreads is a great way to find new and exciting books.

So how can you get one of the signed copies?

Follow this:

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Dorelle’s Journey

by Hannah Steenbock

Giveaway ends May 10, 2015.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to Win

If you’re already a Goodreads member, just fill in your address and hit submit.
If not, you’ll have to sign up and then come back to participate in the Giveaway.

I will sign every single copy with a personalized entry before sending them out.

What are you waiting for?

Your Turn:
Do you have any questions about the Giveaway?
Would you like to say something about “Dorelle’s Journey”?

Posted in English, The Cloud Lands Saga | Tagged dragons, gift, Giveaway, Goodreads, international, novella, signed copy | Leave a comment

I’m Proud to be an Indie Autor

Posted on 24/03/2015 by Hannah Steenbock

Happy Author

From my posts you may have seen that I’m an indie author who self-publishes her books.

And I’m proud of it.

Yes, sometimes I see things that make me cringe. Yesterday, I was pointed to a book (which shall remain nameless) that was obviously, painfully, badly indie.

– The cover was gruesome.
– There was a glaring error in the first sentence of the description.
– The copyright notice looked utterly unprofessional.
– More errors in the first few paragraphs, disjointed writing, and headhopping.
– And yes, it was free.

Now, the fact that this particular author hit “publish” on Amazon KDP doesn’t make me proud. But what I like is that he or she had the option to do so.

The biggest part of being an indie author is freedom.

Freedom to write what we want.

You see, I have a friend who wrote a great historical novel – set in Egypt. No publisher would touch it. She wrote another novel set in the middle ages, and they loved it. That’s where the market was, they said, and gave her a contract. And asked her to write more of the same. Continue reading →

Posted in English, Writing | Tagged marketing, self-publishing, writing | Leave a comment

About Writing Dragons

Posted on 30/01/2015 by Hannah Steenbock

It has taken me a long, long time to write about dragons in a serious way. Which is funny, because I’ve always loved dragons.

I remember reading a German children’s book that has dragons in it. Ugly, nasty, dirty and altogether unpleasant dragons. (Jim Knopf und Lukas, der Lokomotivführer, by Michael Ende). Actually, there is one exception to that but she doesn’t get much screen time – I won’t say more because of spoilers.

Then Pern happened to me when I was an exchange student. I spent much of my free time translating Dragon Flight into German… And that set the standard rather high. Of course, I imagined my very own dragon, with her own name. Who didn’t?

Also, most dragons in Dungeons and Dragons are … bad news. I actually played a character once who developed dragon characteristics – there was a half-dragon player set in 3E, if I remember correctly. Sadly, that game didn’t go very far, and the group dissolved soon after that. Continue reading →

Posted in English, The Cloud Lands Saga | Tagged Dorelle's Journey, dragons, fantasy, The Cloud Lands Saga | Leave a comment

Books I enjoyed in 2014

Posted on 02/01/2015 by Hannah Steenbock

Reading

I’ve been thinking about what to write at the beginning of a new year. I could talk about projects, about plans and characters that I love … but there is plenty of time to do so later.

So I decided to make a list of books that really touched me in 2014. That’s not going to be easy because I don’t usually take notes about books. (Here’s a thought: A book journal, jotting down a few ideas about every book I read…)

I’m excluding non-fiction (of which I read a lot, being a coach and therapist in my other life), since this is the blog of a fiction writer.

Anyway, here we go, in no particular order as I dig through my Kindle:

The Mage Winds Trilogy by Mercedes Lackey

Reading these books early in 2014 was like revisiting an old friend, with new adventures. I enjoy Valdemar a lot, and these tales were nice, entertaining and soothing. There was some brooding, but not near as much as in the Vanyel trilogy. Also, much less heartbreak. ( And it was kind of nice to learn something new about Vanyel, too.) I was at a point where I needed soothing and entertaining more than dark. Continue reading →

Posted in English | Tagged 2014, authors, favorite books | 2 Comments

Flash Friday: The Summoning

Posted on 12/12/2014 by Hannah Steenbock

Well, demons are the favorite playthings of some summoners. Not all of them, as you can see.

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Carefully, Daron drew the pentacle with holy chalk. Then he lit the candles one by one, closing the circle with the calling of the four elements.

With two deep breaths, he centered himself before starting the incantation.

“I call thee, Svarog,
for the might of the fire
for the power of the game
for the will of the desire
for the aim of the flame.”

The air flickered around him. Power moved on a larger scale than he ever expected. A flicker of fear stole over him, and he brushed it away.

“I call thee, Svarog,
for the roar of the fire
for the …”

Something moved. He whirled. A flickering spark flew up from the pentacle, followed by a larger one. Daron cringed as the pentacle on the floor filled with fire. Flames roared up, and he took a step back. One candle fell, breaking the circle. As fire engulfed him and seared his body, a voice entered his gibbering mind.

“YOU CALLED?”

Posted in Flash of Magic | Tagged demon, fanatasy, flash fiction | Leave a comment

Flash Friday: My Friend

Posted on 14/11/2014 by Hannah Steenbock

Boat

Water had always been my friend. Until today. Today, it had become my enemy. Alone in the sea, my boat sinking to the bottom, I knew that water would kill me. It was just a matter of time.

For now, it still carried me. Floating on my back, I stared up at the sky. The sun was setting. Already, I could feel the cold creeping into my body and started to shiver. The sky turned purple, then dark blue. Stars sparkled in a final salute.

I caught the moon rising above the waves when the shivering gradually ceased. In a part of my mind, I knew the end was near. Yet it was nice to just lie here in peace, being gently rocked by long waves. I drifted into sleep, didn’t even fight when water covered my face. I just allowed myself to slip under.

It was so easy.

I blinked, fully awake again. The water around me was alive, vibrating with color and energy. It took me a while to understand, but then I laughed. Oh, yes, water was my element, and now I had become a part of it.

I smiled and rose through my new world.

Your Turn:
What do you think happened?

Image source: F. Moebius

Posted in English, Flash of Magic | Tagged element, fate, flash fiction, ocean, water | Leave a comment

Flash Friday: Alchemist’s Dream

Posted on 24/10/2014 by Hannah Steenbock

Alchemist

He was so close. The residue in the glass had gleamed in such a way he knew making gold was in his grasp. Once again he mixed fluids, heated them gently, stirred them diligently. This time, he would add one more ingredient.

It had taken a lot of negotiation with the thieves’ guild before they agreed to get it. In the end, he promised a year’s supply of that gray powder he had discovered. They used it to blow open locks, a weapon that had all traders paying the guild so their coffers would be spared. He had given that task to his new apprentice. Let the fool grind charcoal and sulfur, and mix it with saltpeter. He was meant for better things.

Very gently, he lowered the glass back into the flames, gave it a final shake. The concoction welled up again, and a golden shimmer began to coat the glass. His heart beating with glee, he lifted the glass high. Finally!

“Master!” The scream was followed by rapidly retreating footsteps.

What…?

Before he could finish the thought, a huge explosion shattered the laboratory, tore apart the walls and smashed all hopes of ever finding the alchemist’s dream.