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

Progress Report August 2023

Posted on 13/08/2023 by Hannah Steenbock

Decorative Image created through ArtBreeder.

In this Progress Report for August, I’m actually a bit more hopeful than last month. I’ve been taking it easy with writing, and I’m having some vacation days with my sister being here and keeping me company (and making me walk more than I usually would).

Mindset Progress Report

I’m doing better. Feeling less lonely and actually a little happier.

There are a few visualizations I do at night before falling asleep, and they seem to help, as well. Of course, as I write this, my sister is visiting (which is a nice break from being alone), and we’re doing a lot of things (which I would not do on my own, either). So additional exercise is probably also adding to the improved mood.

Winds and Pillars Progress Report

While there are still no new words, I’m actually figuring out plot points. I know the epilogue for Earth Splits. (And yes, there will be more anxiety for East). I have more ideas for the final book Spirit Sings, which is rather challenging to set up. It will take PoVs from several if not all of my main characters.

Even more important, thinking of Earth and the others is actually spawning some joy, which means Writer Brain is coming back on board for writing those tales. Now I just have to take it gently and easy in order to avoid slipping back into burnout.

Oh, I have a bit of a gift for you this month: You can grab West Flows for free through a BookFunnel promotion (which does require you to sign up to my newsletter, there’s the catch). Follow this link to a bunch of great magic-themed books:

Witches and Wizards: A Fantasy & SciFi Giveaway Full of Magic

Wolves Progress Report

Shane and Dylan (A Wolf’s Hacker) are still on hold, as are Mark and Fred. However, the plots of both stories are basically clear (of course, they will surprise me, I’m sure). I do hope I can write both fast enough to release Mark and Fred’s story in time for Christmas.

After all, that’s in their title: A Wolf’s Christmas. I honestly can’t wait to write that tale.

Short Story Progress Report

I missed the deadline. *sigh*

Fortunately, it’s not dead. I have the plot down, I have some scenes in mind, I figured out more names – now I just have to write it. It’ll make a nice spin-off and character intro for Besilya.

Besilya is part of the crew of the LitRPG series I’ve been keeping on the back burner, The Mengarian Conspiracy. I’ve finished three novels and one short story already, a prequel and this one are in the works. I even have someone I would love to commission the covers with. (Need to find out how expensive they are – which gives me anxiety. Argh.)

Life Progress Report

I did get my DE-Ticket and that feels wonderful. In case you don’t know what it is all about, it’s a monthly subscription to all regional public transport in Germany, at an extremely reasonable price. That means I can use practically all buses, all regional trains (and incidentally the small ferries on the Kiel Fjord) for free. The sense of utter freedom this gives me is… amazing and almost indescribable. Public transport for the win.

At the end of this month, I’m visiting a friend to celebrate her 60th birthday. This is the friend who encouraged me to be a writer in the first place – so we all owe her thanks. I’m planning to get the very first book I ever wrote (in German) up and ready as an ebook in time for it, and I hope I can get a print version into her hands at her birthday. That would be soooo cool! (But it’ll be a lot of work.) I’ll let you know how it goes.

Ember Progress Report

Okay, not much of a progress report, because this is my newsletter promotion.

Ember is well and her cheeky self, of course. This month, she has an adventure at the farmers’ market we visited today.

If you’d like to read her tales, keep up to date with my writing life and receive opportunities to grab free and reduced books every month – sign up below.

Posted in Progress Report | Tagged fantasy, Winds and Pillars, Wolves, writing | Leave a comment

August 2023 Review: The Crystal Pawn by Deborah Jarvis – straightforward, fast-paced read

Posted on 13/08/2023 by Hannah Steenbock

Cover of The Crystal Pawn by Deborah Jarvis

A woman stands in an enchanted forest with a white wolf. Her back is turned to the viewer. The whole scene is cut to the outline of a chess pawn.

The Crystal Pawn is the first book in an Epic Fantasy series. It revolves around a young woman from Earth who discovers that her father is actually a Lord from a fantastic realm where magic is real.

In fact, Deidre is the only hope the kingdom of Keyralithsmus has in beating back an evil Empire that’s posed to invade. According to legend, she is one of the few people who might be able to call the dragons and persuade them to help the kingdom.

Soon, intrigue and murder surround Deidre, even as she finds a few allies and makes new friends. Together, they begin the arduous journey south to find the dragons.

What I liked about The Crystal Pawn

I really enjoyed the rich worldbuilding in this book. It has everything fantasy (except Tolkineque races), including minotaurs, centaurs, talking animals and shape shifters. Hints of other, diverse connections to Earth are strewn across the story which I thought was clever because they make Deidre less of a one-time wonder.

My favorite character is actually Vex (Vexatious is his full name), a talking horse. There is also a rather clever talking wolf who is one of Deidre’s best friends and advisors.

What I would have liked to see more in the Crystal Pawn

Set against that rich tapestry of a magical world I would have liked to see more depth to the characters and more actual growth in personality. The villains especially seem rather one-dimensional and sometimes more bloodthirsty than smart.

Even so, the story itself is straightforward, enjoyable and moves at a fast pace. It will be interesting to see how it develops and how Deidre will handle encountering the dragons.

Where to buy The Crystal Pawn

At the moment, The Crystal Pawn is only available through Amazon, as it is in KU (and thus included if you pay for Kindle Unlimited).

The Crystal Pawn: Amazon Link

Never Miss Another Review and Get the Newsletter

This is my newsletter plug for this post – I hate pop-ups and that’s why I do it this way.

If you liked the review and would like to see more like it, subscribe to my newsletter below. You’ll also get writing news about myself, opportunities to grab free books or ones on sale, and you’ll get the Ember tale.

What’s that?

Well, that’s a little story about my cute dragon familiar that I only share in my newsletters.

Ready? Sign up through this form:

Posted in Review | Tagged dragons, fantasy, review | Leave a comment

Progress Report July 2023

Posted on 13/07/2023 by Hannah Steenbock

The Progress Report for this month is not as hopeful as I wished. Instead of making real progress, I’m sliding back into feeling burned out. Which basically means that I’ve been pushing too hard, rather than let myself recover.

There are reasons for this.

Mindset Progress Report

Yes, I’m still clinging to the “downstream” mantra, and it is helping, I can say that with confidence. My stress and anxiety rates have gone down. Until recently, that is.

Right now, I’m struggling with a lot of admin stuff (both personal and for writing), as well as a deadline for a short story. More about that below.

Winds and Pillars Progress Report

*sigh*

I have managed to put some words into the end of Earth Splits, but I’m not quite done. People are gathering and a familiar (and hopefully well loved) character has arrived after the showdown, but I’m not yet done. Alas.

I’ll publish it as soon as I can.

In very good news, South Breaks (Book 1) is now free in all stores, and I ran a promo early this month that has resulted in a lot of downloads – and even a little sell-through. Just yesterday, I also found a new 5-star review for South, so that does make me very happy.

(Grab South Breaks here.)

Wolves Progress Report

Gods, I want to shift over to Shane and Dylan, my A Wolf’s Hacker characters so badly. And I can’t. Brain is so fried on stuff. Also, I owe it to my readers to push Earth out, so they can continue with the series.

Having said that, it’s very much my intention to revisit the Wolves. And when I contact my cover designer for them, I will ask about print covers. So maybe print will be coming.

Fan Fiction Progress Report

It’s dead, Jim.

Author of the series indicated she’ll write something about one of the characters I snagged, and that’s it. I’m done with it. (Yes, it makes me terribly sad. I had the plot all figured out.)

Short Story Progress Report

I’m part of a project for an anthology of stories about magical artifact. This is a really good way to gain visibility in a large (very large) reader group. I want to be in that one. I WANT THAT.

Problem is that while I finally have a plot skeleton, thanks to one of my friends brainstorming it with me, I actually have to write that thing. And as you know by now, actually writing isn’t easy for me these days. It’s a prequel/side-quest to a LitRPG series that I started writing quite a while ago and where I’m sitting on three finished novels. Getting a good start for it would be awesome.

Deadline is end of the month. I’ll let you know how it goes. As we say in German: Hope dies last.

Life Progress Report

I’m doing my best to enjoy life these days, to fill my well again.

Right now, this often means sitting on my balcony, reading comfort books, sipping watered-down wine. I will admit to absolutely loving the soft breeze and the warm days. (When it’s not too hot.)

I also have a week of vacation lined up soon, and a little later, my sister will come for a visit. Both will be good for me (but bad for my writing).

Getting everything ready is – stressful, I will admit that. I’m in the process of ordering a subsidized version of a General Public Transport ticket for Germany (for those in the know, the Deutschland-Ticket) for August, that’ll let us travel regional trains and all buses for free. It’s an awesome thing, but a bit tricky to actually order. And my sis is riding herd on me with that, because we want to visit places when she gets here.

Oh. I did not visit Kiel Week, btw. Just no brain space for it.

The Newsletter Not a Progress Report

This is the pop-up replacement – I hate them and will not inflict them on you, even if I could. Instead, I’ll just invite you to sign up for my newsletter through the form below.

What will you get?

My writing news, obviously, but also opportunities to score great books by other authors, release news, usually a review (but not for this month), and of course, the Ember tale.

Ember is my little dragon plushie familiar, and she has a funny, cute adventure every month that you can only get in my newsletter. It’s not available anywhere else.

And since you can always unsubscribe (and I won’t badger you with extra emails after you do), why not risk receiving one email per month? Oh, and you’ll get a short story ebook as a welcome gift, too.

Posted in English, Progress Report | Tagged progress report, Winds and Pillars, Wolves, writing | Leave a comment

June 2023 Review: Embers, Scales ‘n Spells Book 5 – Awesome Read

Posted on 13/06/2023 by Hannah Steenbock

Embers - Scales 'n Spells Book 5

Cover image

Yes, Embers is book 5 in a series, and I know that’s a silly thing to do when I haven’t reviewed the rest of the books.

However, I have a very good reason to pick this one, especially in Pride Month: Nikki, one of the main characters, is actually non-binary and uses the pronouns they/them.

Yes, this is consistent throughout the entire book. In my eyes, that’s a real feat by the authors. Agreed, it also poses a bit of a challenge for readers – once in a while I stumbled over this, but it’s worth it to me. I’m a firm LGBTQ+ ally, so there’s that.

And yes, well, it is gay romance because let’s face it, I’ve not been reading much else for my comfort. I went into my reasons for this in last month’s (not a) review post.

The Setting of Embers

The entire Scales ‘n Spells series takes place in an alternate reality world where dragon shifters and magic are real, but it’s based on our modern world. To be more precise, all books of this series revolve around the Burkhard Fire Dragon Clan which has its base near Sonthofen in Bavaria. (Yes, their fairy tale castle is based on Neuschwanstein, quite obviously.)

I find it quite amusing to have dragons dress in suits while in human shape, to watch them use cell phones (not always competently) or to have mages be also internet wizards. SUVs also play a large role, but there are also long flights and train travel.

The Worldbuilding of Embers

Most of the dragons in the series are hundreds of years old, and boy, do they remember their history. There has been a great Dragon War about 500 years ago (most of them were around then) which was the single most catastrophic event for dragons and mages, ever. Thousands died. Basically, they disappeared from the face of Earth, and all lore about dragons became myths.

The series starts out with a young man running across a dragon, completely unaware that he’s a mage. By the time we get around to Embers, four dragons have found their mates in various cute ways and more backstory has come to light – an evil clan of mages are the villains. “Embers” actually presents the end of that particular story arc.

My favorite character in Embers

Well, that’s Nikki, of course, hands down. And I bet that the authors intended us readers to feel just that.

Nikki is smart, determined and truly knows what they want. They are also quirky and not afraid to try any kind of fashion and color. (That’s another aspect of the book I so love.) They are not afraid to wear make-up either – and the dragons are totally accepting. While Nikki is not the first character to do so, they are blatantly colorful.

Yet there is a dark, fearful side to Nikki infused by trauma, and I think the authors handled that gently, as well. It takes time for Nikki to build trust and actually feel that the Burkhard castle could be “home” (for very good reasons). This side also meshes with the immense resilience of the character, and so Embers is not just a gay love story, it’s also a tale of overcoming horrible experiences and achieving emotional growth and healing.

What I like best about Embers

With all those different arcs in it, Embers is a great story of hope.

We do see a love arc with one oblivious character. We see personal growth and much bravery in both. We see thoughtfulness and care. (I love that male characters get to be thoughtful and caring!) We see pain and grief. And we get the classic happy ending for a love story, but they have to work for it, both on their own issues and in the fight against their adversaries.

I don’t think I spoil too much when I say that a big, historical issue for the dragons is also resolved at the end and there is much hope for peace and rebuilding – grounded in cooperation and mutual understanding, paired with determination to never give greed and strife another chance.

And honestly – that is what I would love to see in this world.

Where to get Embers

The entire series is in Kindle Unlimited, which means it’s exclusive to Amazon. I’m giving you the COM link, because I believe you all know how to get to your particular store from that, if needed.

Embers, Scales ‘n Spells

Get my Newsletter and Ember stories

The obligatory plug for my newsletter at the end of each post. Quick recap:

Comes out on the 13th of every month
Contains writing news and a review
Book Bargains
The Ember Tale – exclusive and only in the newsletter

Posted in Review, English | Tagged dragons, fantasy, novel, Pride Month, queer, review, romance | Leave a comment

Progress Report June 2023

Posted on 13/06/2023 by Hannah Steenbock

Progress Report Illustration

Landscape by ArtBreeder, showing green hills divided by rivers.

This Progress Report has mostly good news and it has much to do with a shift in mindset that I’m still practicing. Right now, it feels almost life-changing, however, and that is a huge relief.

I also believe it’s the only way to really deal with Burnout. We cannot go back to our old ways even after recovery, simply because the old ways drove us into burnout.

So what am I doing?

Mindset Progress Report

It’s been years since I first stumbled upon the Law of Attraction and the teachings of Abraham. And yes, I’m quite aware of the pitfalls of “positive thinking” and “wishful thinking”. Even so, going back to those words of wisdom is helping me letting go of worrying and struggling.

I’m learning to ease away from stress and to go with the flow, instead. Biggest and current example is my struggle to finish Earth Splits and getting it published. (More on the actual status of the book later.)

I’ve been setting myself deadlines and missing them. I’ve been figuratively banging my head against walls and my sturdy oaken desk, and it hasn’t changed a single thing: Pushing through in a big, epic effort is just not happening. Much as I dreamed about that. Pushing has only done one thing – stressing me out and making me feel guilty.

Just a few days ago, I decided to let go of the struggle. It’s not helping. It seriously is not good for creativity to be in a stressed-out, guilty, worry-mindset.

Right now, I’m doing my best to choose the path of non-resisting. Of self-care, resting, of giving myself the space to feel good, find happiness and write from that. And lo and behold, some gentle writing is happening.

Winds and Pillars Progress Report

Yes, I’m working on Earth Splits as the main focus of my efforts these days. It’s not very fast (around 500 words per day), but I’m in the final chapter or two. The big showdown has happened, now Earth and her friend have to face old fears, jealousy and suspicions as they enter Iceburg and deal.

The book is growing to be the biggest in the series yet – not surprising, since there is a lot of ground to cover.

I also have ideas for a prequel but I’m still not sure who will tell the story. Or rather I know what kind of person will, but they haven’t stepped out of the shadows just yet. There is a delicious, nasty twist waiting for you, however.

And… I had an awesome interview with Melinda Kucsera about South Breaks, for her podcast “Fantasy, Lore and More”. You can watch it here (sadly, I can’t embed it here or YouTube will grab your information), so click on the link:

Author Interview with yours truly on YouTube

Screenshot of the YouTube video with my author interview. It shows the cover of South Breaks and the words Fantasy, Lore, & More featuring Hannah Steenbock.

Part of the Winds and Pillars Progress Report

I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I did. Just be warned, we had great fun rambling about books, fantasy, characters and Tolkien for almost 90 minutes.

Wolves Progress Report

I haven’t done much for the Wolves, at least not in terms of word count.

However, there has been much brainstorming and thinking, and I pretty much know what will happen in “A Wolf’s Hacker”. It definitely involves irc chat, a dreadful forum and some live game streaming. Don’t worry, though, there will be lots of action. I already know of two familiar characters who’ll have a cameo and there will probably be more.

But wait! Writer Brain hasn’t been idle and has come up with yet another Wolf story!

This one will be called “A Wolf’s Holiday” and it’ll be about Mark and Fred (who you might remember from Connor’s tale, mostly). Fred has relatives in Germany, and when she’s invited to spend Christmas with them, Connor refuses to let her go alone. Of course, they get into trouble. This one will be So. Much. Fun. I really, really hope I can finish it in time for Christmas in real life…

Fan Fiction Progress Report

Alas. I’m stalled out.

That’s okay, especially as the author has indicated she has plans for one of the characters I grabbed from her stories (I made up the other main one). Yes, I wish I could share but the last thing I want is create problems for her, so… nope. Won’t happen anytime soon.

Even so, writing this has been very beneficial both to my mind and my writing style. I regret nothing.

(No. Not telling the author. Or… should I?)

Life Progress Report

It’s summer (a very dry and sunny summer for this part of the world), and that means vacation planning. In fact, I’ll be visiting family mid-July for a week, and I’ll be away again end of August for another visit and a birthday party of a dear old friend.

In addition, the dreaded* Kiel Week is raising it’s noisy head – it’ll begin in five days and the town will be filled with madness. It means not venturing downtown or to the fjord. All available space will be taken up by booths and stages. Town expects a million of visitors (over ten days), so you can imagine the bustle.

Bustle is not a good thing for this autistic woman. No, not going there. Maybe I’ll visit the food market and have some nice Newcastle Brown Ale. Maybe. But I will prefer sitting on my balcony and reading romance. Ahem.

*Actually, it’s an awesome festival of sailing competitions, music, dancing, art, fireworks and lots of entertainment as well as awesome international food, visiting sailors and fun. It usually happens during the last full week of June and always ends on a Sunday.

Newsletter – not a Progress Report

This is your usual not-a-pop-up reminder that yes, I do have a newsletter and it goes out every 13th of the month. (I may make an exception and send a special one for the release of Earth Splits once I get there. No promises, but fair warning.)

It has some news, book recommendations, a review and always, always, the exclusive Ember tale – a sweet little story about my fiery red dragon plushie who serves as my familiar.

Posted in English, Progress Report | Tagged progress report, Winds and Pillars, Wolves of the South, writing | Leave a comment

Progress Report May 2023

Posted on 13/05/2023 by Hannah Steenbock

Progress Report Decoration Image from Artbreeder.

It shows a strange landscape with green plants and round, yellow boulders under a blue sky with some clouds.

In this progress report for May 2023, I’m finally admitting that, yes, I was in Burnout and I’m still climbing out of that pit. Which means I’m not putting (much) pressure on myself to reach specific word counts or even write in specific manuscripts. (Who am I kidding? Of course, I’m putting pressure on myself.)

Burnout Progress Report

What did that Burnout feel like?

Writing has never been harder in April. I had no ideas and no motivation, whatsoever. Mostly, I just wanted to hide from everything. And I did, to a point.

At least I read. A lot. Found another author of M/M romance and have been reading her books ever since, often more than one per day. Why gay romance? I wish I knew. But I think it’s because in gay romance both partners are truly equal. They are not hung up on gender stereotypes.

Yes, they have to overcome misunderstandings, feelings of inadequacy, protectiveness, handling danger and the entire gamut of romance entanglements – but they do not fall into the damsel and hero trope traps.

And I am so, so tired of all those gender stereotypes. I want more than that. I mean, we live in the freaking 21st century, why can’t we have stories that actually… put us there? Where people work together and fall in love regardless of gender?

Thing is, I doubt I’ll get that in any kind of F/M romance, simply because (I’m assuming) most of those readers probably love exactly those gender stereotypes. (If you know of authors who write F/M romances the way M/M romances work, please, please tell me!!)

Anyway, so I’ve been reading a lot, which is good because it helps me reconnect with what I love to read and thus what I love to write. It has opened my eyes to some ways I actually fall short of that in my own writing. Yes, that was a revelation and that takes me to the next block in this report.

Winds and Pillars Progress Report

I’m still trying hard to get Earth Splits published this month. Really. I even bought the cover.

However – *sigh* – the cover needs a bit more work, and my designer is on it, but right now, I can’t even share it, because that’ll be a major change. I’m sorry. It weighs on me because I promised.

Second, I am stressing out over editing the manuscript I have for Earth. I did mention above that I’m noticing places in my writing where I feel I can do better now. Things that my beta reader pointed out for East Roars, already, and things I couldn’t quite see back then. (I did my best to follow her pointers, at least.)

This means I’m not making the progress I want. I’m taking a few days off from work around a public holiday next week, and I want to dedicate those days to getting Earth done and up, at least as an ebook, but print will happen, too.

But… I’m still coming out of Burnout and I do not want to slide back. And it’s so difficult to find the fun in it right now. It’s the kind of fun that induces wailing and gnashing of teeth.

If you want to support me and help with motivation, go and read the Winds series (start with South Breaks). I check sales reports every day, and seeing practically nobody reading those books isn’t helping, either. I’ve given away hundreds of copies of South Breaks through Bookfunnel, but only 11 people ever bought West Flows since I published it. I haven’t even made back the cost of very first cover. And I’m about to publish Book 5 in the series, and I’m very much struggling to write Book 7. It feels rather pointless because clearly, readers do not give a flying rat’s arse. Why should I?

Wolves Progress Report

The Wolves still make me happy. They are basically the one series of my four that actually sells. And they sold better in April than ever. Yay!

In fact, the good sales have motivated me to start Wolves #7, tentatively called “A Wolf’s Hacker”. It features a certain character from Book 6 and how he deals with everything that happened there (spoiler: not well). I have the bare bones of the story worked out, I have the two love interests set up (Shadow and Joker) and I’m starting to get a feel for them. They actually become friends through irc (and yes, I still have my own irc channel). And then they run into trouble, because of course they do.

I’m having fun with them – but the story stands at 3k words, so I have quite a bit to go until 50k.

Fan Fiction Progress Report

Yes, this is a new one. I’m not usually a fan of fan fiction. (Because so much fan fiction is just about dumping characters into bed willy nilly. I hate that. HATE it. Why would anyone take beloved characters, make them do something they won’t EVER do and then hype this up?)

Anyway, Writer Brain has been dumping scenes for a fan fiction tale into my mind without any regard to more pressing stories, and well… I figured any writing is better than none.

So right now, I’m stealing someone else’s characters and playing with them (nicely!) in their world, getting a feel for that writing style and learning a lot about inner dialog and showing a characters thoughts. It’s fun.

I’m calling it research.

And I’m gathering the courage to actually… tell the author. Eeeek!

Life Progress Report

Yup. Because I’m working on actually having, you know, a life.

My sister has challenged me to take a long walk at least once a week, so now I’m doing that on weekends. I walk to the water’s edge and then take an image of one of the seals at the local Aquarium. That’s proof for my sis. (She truly is my best friend.) Did it this morning and then got groceries on my walk home.

Life Progress Report Seal image taken this morning - with an arrow pointing to the seal's head.

And just yesterday, I went to a Creative Writing Class set up at university by the Creative Writing Club. If all goes well, I will join them. This feels big. It means I can connect with other authors in my town even though most meetings are online (which is awesome!).

It also meant I went back to the English Seminar yesterday, a place I haven’t visited for over 20 years. Talk about a walk down memory lane. Some things had changed (new fire-security doors), and some things hadn’t (the mandatory art and the shabby ceiling in the hallway).

Newsletter Progress Report

Well, no. This is not a progress report. This is the non-pop-up that invites you to sign up to my newsletter. I hate pop-ups and that’s why I won’t inflict them on you, even if they do get results.

So if you like getting writing news from me (once a month, on the 13th), great opportunities to snag cheap/good/awesome ebooks, and most of all, an exclusive Ember tale, fill in the form below. You’ll also get to download a gift story from BookFunnel. (I think it’s still the dragon book.)

Posted in Progress Report | Tagged FanFiction, Wolves, writing | Leave a comment

Not a Review – Hannah’s Deep Thoughts about her Intense Reading in May 2023

Posted on 13/05/2023 by Hannah Steenbock

Book I might have chosen for a Review - Broken Warrior by Jocelyn Drake and Rinda Elliott.

This is not a review. I don’t have the energy to write up a good review for a book this month, for various reasons. (Still crawling out of Burnout. I’m reading a lot of comfort books, discovering new ones, and they all have one thing in common.)

The truth is that I’m a bit ashamed to admit that I’ve been binge reading more M/M romance, from mafia to vampires to magic users. And it’s mostly series by Jocelyn Drake, and yes, the Weavers’ Circle is one of them. (Also go and read Haelan by AJ Sherwood.)

All of this has me pondering the big question: Why?

Why am I so hooked on M/M romance?

To be clear, it’s not the bed scenes. They are well written, don’t get me wrong, but there are only so many ways guys can be together. Eventually, you’ve seen (or read) it all.

If you already read my progress report, you got a glimpse of what’s in my thoughts. I decided to go into more detail here.

The Gender Stuff (not a lot of reviews go into that)

For me, the biggest part of romance is the relationship (d’uh). It’s the dance of daring to meet, date, fall in love. It’s the misunderstandings, the hangups, the fears, the feelings of inadequacy, the terror of being rejected (again). And of course, the wonderful decision to face it all together, and make it work out.

And during all of that, in M/M romance, the partners are more or less equal. They are the same gender. That is the point, after all.

Which means, that while they might be fighting through all that relationship stuff (on top of whatever adventures the author chooses to throw at them) they do not run into the traditional gender drama.

There are no stupid stereotypes about women in M/M romance. (D’uh again.)

In most of F/M romance, gender stereotypes rule. Worst example is the horrible, HORRIBLE alpha trope, with the male the big, growly protector, and the woman the small, sweet-smelling, (often spunky), loving, caring, perfect person who needs to be protected despite her own aspirations of success. Yes, people play with that trope, but man.

I am so freaking tired of it.

And just yesterday, in a class on the Mythical Hero, the teacher explained that

Male Hero = Strength
Female Hero = Beauty

Yes, I invite you to puke with me.

F/M Romance Relies on Gender Stereotypes (doubt that appears in a review, either)

Okay, I’m going out on a limb here, but bear with me.

I am still looking for F/M romance where both partners are truly equal. (In fact, I tried to do that with my Wolf stories, not sure I completely succeeded.) Where the male does not have to impress her with his prowess and where the female does not need beauty to be desirable.

Let me take a sweet little detour here:

In my neighborhood, there’s an elderly couple I have been seeing around for years and years. They are both very elegant and they are devoted to each other (I always see them walking close, holding hands or even having arms around each other.)

She is really tall, with long white hair. He is really short. Her arm goes around his shoulder. She pulls her steps so they can walk together easily. She looks protective.

And I love it. I love seeing them. They break stereotypes.

I wish I could read romance with a couple like them. YetI doubt I ever will. Here’s why:

Romance authors are smart. They know exactly what their audience wants and how to hook them. I’m in awe of what the authors I’m reading are doing, both in their stories and in the way they interact with fans. Just… so impressive.

Let me tell you, the majority of fans of M/M are women (and possibly of the authors, too). I believe they are precisely those women who adore equal partners and equal roles. Who adore men who cook, clean and get groceries. (Ahem. Listen up, men!) Who allow themselves to be weak and vulnerable at times.

The readers for F/M romances are different. I believe that they are also mostly women, but they are looking for a different relationship energy: That of the male hero protecting the female beauty. Winning her heart, yes, but through saving her. Yup, the old damsel thing, just much less obvious. Those readers want the classic hero. And the classic woman lead. The beautiful, spunky, modern… damsel.

And I get it. It’s a thing. So many women in so many countries live under incredible pressure, trying to make family and their job work. Trying to live two full lives in 24h a day. They are so tired, so worn down by it – they want their knight to ride in (maybe in the shape of a billionaire, an alpha wolf or a badass mafia boss with a good heart) to rescue them, at least when they can find a few minutes to read.

It’s just not my thing. I want the strong woman, the one who can handle herself and her lover in an emergency when necessary. I want them to be on equal footing. That’s just not something that works well in the F/M romance niche – because those readers do not want it.

I do hope that tales with strong women will become their own little subgenre. Because I’d be binging that so hard.

Tell Hannah what else she could be Reading so she can write a Review

So if you happen to know of an author or a series that does the strong woman equal partner in an F/M romance – let me know. Drop recommendations. Please. Let’s make this a thing.

The Newsletter Popup – also Not a Review

SEO sucks. It makes me use these stupid headers. Apologies.

So this is what I put at the end of my posts instead of inflicting a pop-up on you. I’ll make it short and sweet here: Sign up to my newsletter.

You’ll get links to my stuff, my reviews (or not-reviews), to book sales and opportunities, and the Ember Tale (that you’ll get nowhere else).

Deal? Sign up below.

Posted in English | 1 Comment

April 2023 Review: Rebel Dragon by Steve Turnbull – epic fantasy

Posted on 13/04/2023 by Hannah Steenbock

Earlier this month, I read Rebel Dragon by Steve Turnbull, the first book in his Dragons of Esternes series.

Esternes has been occupied by an invading force and its original people, the Kadralin, have become enslaved. And the dragons (called zirichasa in the book, and technically wyverns – yes I am a nerd) have been turned into toys and are used for races, like horses in our world.

Kantees is slave to a fairly good Master, tasked with taking care of Sheesha, a young ziri who is a really good racer. When the ziri wakes her in the middle of the night, warning Kantees of an attack, the young woman does something she’d be executed for: She rides Sheesha into the night, warning the defenders of her home and actually taking action to thwart the invaders.

Of course, the whole deed does eventually come out into the open, and Kantees is forced to flee. This is just the beginning of a fast-paced adventure that gradually reveals more of the magical world and the history of it.

Kantees turns out to be much more than a slave, and Sheesha reveals there is much more to him, as well. But you’ll have to read all about that yourself.

What I really liked about Rebel Dragon

I love how Steve Turnbull gradually reveals the depth of the world he has created. Esternes is so much more that it seems to be which makes me very curious about the rest of the series.

And while Esternes is clearly a fantasy world, it’s not just a mix of classic magical tropes. There are amazing creatures, both animal and plants, strange magic that can’t be slotted into familiar systems, and plenty of adventures. That alone is worth a read.

There is more, however.

While Kantees is the hero and focus character, she’s not without doubt and flaws. She makes mistakes and pays for them dearly. And sometimes, others pay for her mistakes – which is even more painful. That gives her depth and makes her more relatable.

My favorite character in Rebel Dragon

I’m a dragon lover. So my favorite character in Rebel Dragon is Sheesha. He’s a clever dragon/wyvern with his own magical power. He’s also a little snarky and has a sense of humor, even though we don’t see that at first. It takes a while for Kantees to see him as more than an animal.

The ziri are certainly fascinating creatures, and I really hope that they will come fully into their own during the series.

I also started to really like Daybian, even though he starts out as the arrogant heir of the master (and rider of Sheesha). That young man finally developed a bit of a personality and started to actually grow up during their adventures, and he even became a bit of a hero. I won’t say more – not going to spoil anything for you.

Rebel Dragon is an indie book

You probably know that I’m an indie author and self-publishing my books. That’s why I like to support fellow indies, and Steve Turnbull is one of them. In these days, it matters a lot.

Let me just point out that I didn’t find any typos in the book, either. Being indie doesn’t mean you get sloppy books. Rebel Dragon is anything but.

So, if you like dragons, adventure, a determined heroine, and a mysterious fantasy world, go and grab Rebel Dragon here: Smart link that takes you to your favorite store

Newsletter Pop-up

If you liked this review, you can just sign up to my newsletter and never miss one. Or miss a new release. (Yes, this is my self-promotion, without the icky pop-up we all hate. Do me a favor and sign up, okay? No? Ah, well.)

If you do choose to sign up, you’ll get one email per month (unless something really exciting happens, like a new book out, then you might get more). It will contain writing news, a review like this one, BookFunnel opportunities to grab free or cheap ebooks, maybe some other fun stuff, and definitely an Ember tale.

In fact, my newsletter is the only way to get the Ember stories, about my dragon familiar.

Go ahead. Sign up. I know you wanna. (joke)

Posted in Review | Tagged dragons, fantasy, review | Leave a comment

Progress Report April 2023

Posted on 13/04/2023 by Hannah Steenbock

This progress report is rather hard to write. You see, I stopped writing this month.

Yes, that’s right. I gave up on my daily writing habit, after clinging to it for over four years.

The sad truth is that it had become very hard to write up even a hundred words a day. I usually left it until I couldn’t stall any longer just before bedtime. And it poisoned my entire day.

When my sister came to spend a week with me, the chore of writing sucked the joy out of her visit. On day three, I gave up. I didn’t want to let a habit that had continued beyond its due date to spoil our vacation together.

I haven’t written since. It’s been two weeks now that I filled with reading, with walks, with fun. With joy, even.

Yesterday, I got back home after a visit with my family. One that was better than ever before, simply because I had freed myself from the chore of pushing words that I didn’t really feel.

Of course, the question now is… what can I put into a progress report? Let’s see:

Winds and Pillars Progress Report

Sun has been dragging his feet and refusing to talk to me. That was mostly the reason why my writing has slowed down and become a chore. So – following advice from a good author friend – I decided to let him stew for a bit.

Instead, I’ll go through Earth Splits, rewrite the ending (that will be so much fun!) and give someone quite a reunion. (Can’t say more, spoilers.) I do want to write the description tomorrow and commission the cover. And then I’ll do a thorough edit. I hope to be able to publish the book in May, hopefully before the next newsletter rolls around.

I also have ideas for Moon Rises, which is going to be the last book focusing on one main character. I already know she’ll be a bit of an overconfident bitch. And she’ll meet someone that connects back to North. (*evil snicker*)

The final book will be Spirit Sings, and all of the Winds and Pillars will get screen time in that one. (Yes, I am a little scared about writing that one…)

The only thing that does make me a little sad is the fact that people are not reading (aka buying) the series. There are four books out already!

I’ll share a few words from a lovely review I got for North, though:

If you have read the other books of the series, you can already anticipate that this is the fourth wind escaping certain death.

But, like in the other books, the way it happens and what happens afterwards is quite unique and tied to the specific abilities and magic of the escaped. And, oh, boy, is this story going through some twists and turns.

Read it here: “You will need to hold your breath!”

Proofreading Progress Report

I have another proofreading job coming up end of April, but if you’re interested in having me proofread your book, let me know. Depending on how much work it is (I do a test chapter), I may be able to fit you in. There are definitely openings in May.

Check out my Editing Offers.

Progress Report of Other Things

Well, there aren’t a whole lot of other things. I’m working on marketing (mostly BookFunnel, I put those in the newsletter), I am building a bubble on Mastodon and posting in my Facebook group.

In fact, I’m just getting back into the swing of things after a nice, long vacation. I really needed that break… more than I thought, to be honest. I was close to burnout from stress. And most of that stress came from forcing myself to write.

The trick is now to actually change my life to avoid getting this stressed out again. I’m planning on adding walks (failed that today…) and finding ways to meet new people and build friendships here where I live. I might even try to teach some English. There is irony in that – I have a teacher degree in English and Spanish from university. (Bet you didn’t know that.)

The Newsletter Pop-Up (not a Progress Report)

We all hate pop-ups. Or at least I do and that’s why I’m not inflicting them on you. Instead, I put a reminder at the end of each blog post. And if you read my posts, you should be able to tell they are always different and new.

So why would you want to read my newsletter?

Well, you’ll never miss another release. I’ll also share a review, this progress report and awesome opportunities to grab books for free or on a deal.

Not good enough?

Okay, I’ll give you Ember. She’s my little dragon familiar, and every newsletter contains a little tale about her (most often sweet). You can find them nowhere else.

This is an old image where she was hoarding my fountain pens. The collection has since expanded considerably, by the way. (Yes, I can be a bit… intense with things I love.) I now have almost all Pilot Metropolitans.

So if I managed to entice you into signing up, just use the form below, and you’ll receive a few short story as a welcome gift. Cool, eh?

Posted in Progress Report, Writing | Tagged progress report, writing | Leave a comment

March 2023 Review: Johann by Grae Bryan – love it

Posted on 13/03/2023 by Hannah Steenbock

“Johann” is another one of those M/M fantasy romances I’m reading as comfort books. And this one is even more special to me, because Johann, one of the MCs, is possibly autistic.

But first things first.

“Johann” by Grae Bryan is actually the fourth book in a series about vampires finding their fated mates. And yes, it would be better to read them in order, simply because the inside jokes are much more fun that way.

My favorite character in “Johann”

Obviously, my favorite character is Johann himself, or Jay, as he prefers to be called. Jay is an old, old vampire who hasn’t seen much of the world. He comes across as quite naive, really, but that’s because he has such a zest for living that he considers everything an adventure. And he is so clearly autistic in his mannerism and thinking that I absolutely adore him. (I’m on the spectrum myself.)

For example (this is from another book in the series, “Lucien”), Jay actually pokes a cactus, knowing it will hurt. Because the pain means, it’s real and he is truly there to feel it.

He is also mercilessly kind. He waves to everyone, human or pet. He talks to everyone and throws out compliments, again to everyone. In fact, he utterly charms Alexei, the second MC, when he adores Alexei’s eyes (hazel) and hair (multicolored).

Of course, Johann (as well as Alexei) carries deep scars from emotional abuse from the centuries he spent as a companion to an ancient vampire lady. Naturally, those scars will come to the surface during the story, and will be healing at the end.

What I really liked about “Johann”

The story is told in third person and past tense (which I prefer), from the viewpoints of the two main characters. They don’t always alter, but PoV is indicated at the beginning of each chapter. That makes it really easy to follow the story.

I also love how all the characters from the previous novels appear as side characters. You can see how their relationship has grown in the meantime. And even some other side characters poke their heads in again, which is always fun. It turns Hyde Park, the fictitious town the stories are set in (except “Lucien”) into a place that’s populated by recurring people, and that gives it a more real feel.

In particular, I love how the author uses props to indicate the characters’ moods. Jay, for example, loves the little bell on the door of the coffee shop where he works (Death by Coffee, what an awesome name!), while Alexei is grumpily annoyed by it. Oh, and Death by Coffee is a setting that sees much use in the series, as well.

The basic plot of “Johann”

Well. This is a romance novel, so of course, the couple meet, dance around each other, fall in love, face difficult obstacles and have a happy ever after.

In this case, the obstacles arise from both Jay’s and Alexei’s past, with vampires from Jay’s old, awful den causing most of the trouble. Turns out that there are agreements which Jay decided to keep secret, because he wanted to pretend he was free – for a year. And when a vampire comes to collect, things get dire quickly, with Alexei paying the price.

Even so, the story is never totally brutal or gory. This is cozy fantasy, in a way, which is why I enjoy reading it. Right now, I cannot deal with dark or too harrowing.

If you enjoyed the books by AJ Sherwood that I mentioned earlier, you’ll love Johann and the entire series. Definitely recommend!

The book is in Kindle Unlimited, you can grab it here: Johann

Newsletter Popup

If you’ve been reading my articles for a while, you know that I stick in a paragraph or two in lieu of a popup – because I hate popups with a passion. So this is my spiel for the newsletter.

If you enjoy – *takes deep breath* – writing news, new releases, reviews, great book deals and the odd joke or fun thing, consider signing up below. And if you want to read the adventures of little Ember, my dragon familiar, you will have to sign up. Because I don’t share them anywhere else.

Get the Ember tales here: