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Review of the new Dragon Gate Series by Lindsay Buroker – definitely read those 5 great books

Posted on 13/07/2022 by Hannah Steenbock

Yes, the Dragon Gate series is what I have been reading in the last few weeks. In fact, it was rather riveting, for several reasons.

The Dragon Gate heroes

Lindsay offers up a bunch of good people, starting with Jadora, a scientist, herbalist and archaeologist, and her son Jak. Both are on a quest to find a special artifact – but when they do, their lives are irrevocably changed, along with the entire world. Because they found a dragon gate…

There are also a bunch of mercenaries, mostly women. They are great fun, they are lippy and they don’t take prisoners. Well, mostly. Unfortunately, they find out that they cannot always choose who they work for. Let me name Ferroki, the captain of the mercenary band, and Sorath, who is trying to be an ex-mercenary – and failing.

Next is Vinjo, a creative engineer and minor mage. He’s a genius, and that lands him in hot water. Or cold water, depending. He finds out the hard way that he has little choice who to work for if he wants to stay alive.

And finally, we have the zidarr Malek, the champion of one of the major mage-kings in this world, fighter extraordinaire and accomplished mage himself. Superhuman, basically. Most of the zidarr are cold, arrogant men (there is no female zidarr, although someone we get to meet has tried), but Malek has a different past and turns out to be as honorable as his position allows him to be. Which comes with a price, at times.

Yes, there are some romantic relationships that develop among the good guys, and they are slow burn. In fact, when several finally do end up in bed together in Book 5, it took me by surprise. (Nothing very graphic, but yes, they do get close and personal.)

The Dragon Gate Villains

Most fantasy books have villains, and this series is no exception. The world is ruled by several kings and at least one queen. They are mages who live and rule from flying cities, literally looking down on those puny, terrene humans without magic.

Uthari is one of those mage-kings, and while he can be generous, he tends to be fairly narrow-minded and only interested in his own well-being. He twists and uses everyone he gets his hands on. He’s also very old and one of the strongest mages in the world. It takes quite a while in the series before he actually has reason to fear anyone – and he moves quickly to contain the sources of that fear. No, he is not a good guy.

Tonovan is the commander of King Uthari’s mageship fleet, and he is the stereotypical bad guy. Arrogant, greedy, a rapist and a killer. The guy we all love to hate. He gets his hands on almost all of the good guys and gals at least once…

The Dragon Gate Dragons

Yes, there are dragons in the series, but it takes quite a while for them to show up, and… almost all of the ones who do are in a very bad mood. I won’t say more because you really need to read the series to understand what happened to the dragons and why they are what they are.

The Dragon Gate Series from a Writer Perspective

Now, this is where I will gush and fangirl. Because this series takes epic to another level.

You see, the plot twists and turns worse than a greased snake. And many, many times, Lindsay manages to pit our heroes against each other. Again and again, they end up in situations with impossible choices – and our heroes slip out of death’s clutches by the breadth of several times, often for a price. This is masterful. Seriously. I learned so much just from reading the series.

All heroes are up against impossible odds, too. Most of them have no magic. At the start, actually only Malek has any magical powers, but that changes over the course of the series (for reasons that make a lot of sense). On the other hand, practically all mages are villains who can read minds, throw fireballs and squash people they dislike. Or torture them.

And throughout the series, things get worse. The threats grow bigger. Heroes make mistakes that earn them even more danger. The stakes get higher – in the end, it’s about saving the world, not just their own lives anymore. The way this world unfolds and grows is also very well done, so I took notes on worldbuilding.

Having said all that, I can’t wait for the final book to come out – it’s scheduled for October and it’s in editing already.

Where to get the Dragon Gate Series

Right now, the series is exclusive to Amazon, and it’s in Kindle Unlimited. This will probably change eventually, Lindsay does put her books up on other stores after some time. There will also be audiobooks if you prefer those.

I’ll link you directly to the Series Page on Amazon COM: Dragon Gate Series.

More Dragon Gate Fun

Lindsay has a lovely website, and she wrote a post with some backstory when she was just starting out writing the series. Definitely worth a few chuckles: Dragon Gate: Behind the Scenes

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

Progress Report July 2022

Posted on 13/07/2022 by Hannah Steenbock

Yes, this is another ArtBreeder image I created within a few minutes, just for this Progress Report. Those images are public domain as per their terms – so it’s okay to use them here.

General Writing Progress Report

I’ve been writing every day. In fact, I’m on day 1285 of doing so. That’s three years, six months and a few days.

Most of that writing has gone to the Twin Worlds, you may have seen me talk about them. Right now, I’m writing a bit where Crash has been abducted by a mind-mage and the others are working to find and rescue him. This is part of book 2 – but I have so many more ideas.. I even know what I want on the covers, so I might just find a designer soon.

Just a few days ago, I pivoted over to the first book in what might eventually become a steamy romance series (with shifters, no less!). I finally figured out how to make it closer to market, by adding a few chapters to the beginning and actually giving the male hero his own Point of View. It’s great fun to discover how he thinks.

Now, I’m pondering a new pen name for that series… what do you think of Jenna Redrock?

Winds of Destiny Progress Report

I just published the first book of my Winds of Destiny series, which makes me very happy. Have a cover image of “South Breaks”.

I decided to give this series to Hannah, after all, even though there are some explicit bed scenes. The general feel of it just fits Hannah a lot better. If you want to take a look and learn a bit more about South, West, East and North, head over to the series page.

The story is a feel-good adventure, the opposite of grim-dark. Yes, there are dark moments, but all in all, it’s not very gruesome or bitter.

Last weekend, I managed to fix the interior graphic I used so it would come up clear in the print and set up the print version on Amazon. It’s available now!

There is already a preorder set up on Amazon for “West Flows”, which is book 2. The text is done, I have chosen the interior graphic, the cover is being created, I just have to run it all through Atticus and then upload. I love West, and I really, really hope that you will, too.

The books for East and North are already written, but North will need some editing.

Wolves Print Progress Report

Yes, I know. *hangs head in shame*

However, finally setting up the print for South and learning how to actually do that on Atticus has given me much more confidence for setting up the Wolf books in print.

I’m planning to really get this done once I’m back from my vacation (taking the second half of July off). Of course, I also need to get West all set up because of the pre-order.

Editing Progress Report

I have a wonderful new client who is letting me proofread her fantasy books. Rather grimdark ones, but the story is intriguing and very, very intricate. She’s using a new pen name for these, but you can look up her other books here:

Mette Holm Books

Of course, I’ll tell you once those books are up in the stores.

If you need an editor or proofreader, let me know!

That’s all for today!

Newsletter

If you never want to miss a new book or find out what’s going on in my author life, sign up to my newsletter! You’ll get a free dragon book, and of course, the Ember stories which are exclusive to my newsletter.

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

At Blade’s Edge – Great Story by Doranna Durgin

Posted on 13/06/2022 by Hannah Steenbock

At Blade’s Edge is the first book in Doranna Durgin’s Demon Steel series. She’s republishing them through her own publishing company. Yes, she’s very much an indie author, so keep that in mind if you prefer reading indie.

Since Doranna is also an author whose books I tend to just one-click even without reading the description (she is that good), I also grabbed these the moment I learned about them. And they are so good.

Today, I’ll talk about the first book in the series, At Blade’s Edge.

At Blade’s Edge – Book 1 in the Demon Steel Series

At Blade's Edge - Book 1 of the Demon Steel Series

Ignore the man chest. This is not steamy, although there is one (very sweet) sex scene, and yes, it’s paranormal romance.

However, this novella is also full of action.

Alex Donally finally gets the attention of Deb Marchant who works in a store for car parts. He doesn’t know that trouble lurks in her past, just as she doesn’t know he invites trouble for a living. And yes, there is mutual attraction, but both know better than to pursue it.

When their worlds collide, however, everything changes. Alex vows to protect Deb, with the help of a blade that is much more than it seems. And they ride directly into danger…

What I love most about this book is the amazing, crisp language. The description of Alex goes like this – and it tells you almost everything you need to know about him. It is also the very first sentence of the book.

Sharp dark eyes, sharp jaw, black leather and habitual stubble, definite bad-boy attitude.

Of course, there is much more for him that you’ll have to fund out yourself.

The characters have depth and a history that goes far deeper than necessary for this little novella and their interaction is clearly influenced by this history. That gives their world much more substance – and it will get even better in the next two books which are full novels.

What I don’t like? That cover. Dear gods, that’s just so not Alex and so not this story. I wanted to share the review in a group that does not allow steam – and a bare chest does indicate steam, even if it’s not just a man chest. So I couldn’t share it there, which is a shame because there is nothing crass in Doranna’s bed scenes.

(Here’s a secret. I must have re-read this book five times already. I love it that much – and it still manages to hold all my attention. I’m weird like that.)

Go read this book. Let yourself be drawn into a tight, fast-paced, sweet story that will leave you wanting more – and then continue with the series.

Find “At Blade’s Edge” here: Retailer Links

Never want to miss another review or new release?

Posted in Review | Tagged Doranna Durgin, fantasy, review | Leave a comment

Progress Report June 5th 2022

Posted on 05/06/2022 by Hannah Steenbock

I haven’t done a progress report in way too long, so I’ll let you know what I’ve been up to in the last few months…

Twin Worlds Progress Report

I spent most of my writing time with Sara, Judy, Crash and Krighen.

Book 1 is mostly finished, I’m getting feedback from beta readers and that means tweaking. I’m also getting a lot of ideas for books 2 and 3, which means more tweaking of book 1. Even so, I’m quite happy with it.

The funny thing is that I’m writing books 2 and 3 simultaneously. And yes, I am being mean to all of them (Sara gets away with the least pain – for now), but they also find out so much more about the villain and themselves. And yes, the relationship between Judy and Krighen remains volatile.

The image above is another Artbreeder creation. It could show a location from book 2.

Wolves Print Progress Report

Alas. I haven’t found the energy to look into this. At least Atticus seems to have stabilized a little, and they did something amazing about curly quotes. And June is already full of things to do (editing jobs, admin work), so don’t expect progress with that just yet. Apologies.

If you haven’t read my “Wolves” yet, you’re missing out on my best-selling series. In it, you’ll find Wolf shifters, Wolf bikers, a Wolf doctor, Wolf bodyguards and generally a lot of action and adventure paired with a sweet romance plot (no steam – they refused to go that route).

The book to start with – for free! – is “A Wolf’s Quest“, and it’s up on all major stores, including Amazon, Apple, Google, Kobo and Tolino. You can even borrow it from your library through Overdrive. (But I’m not telling you that I think books 3 and 4 are my best ones…)

Winds of Destiny Progress Report

Now, I have awesome news for you here! Because the Winds of Destiny are coming out soon, which is a new series for my Joanna pen name (because it does have some explicit scenes in it). The first set is called Winds of Destiny (four books, already written), and the second set will be called Pillars of the Empire (five books, struggling with the first of those but I’ll get there).

Those books are back in my control and I just found a cover designer willing to work with my ideas and inside my budget. All I have to do is a final, final edit and then run the file through Atticus to create the ebook and the print – and I have a self-imposed deadline to get it all done before the July Newsletter.

That means you can look forward to a new book by yours truly next month!

Editor Progress Report

Yes, I’m actually editing for others!

Right now, I have two active projects and I finished a third one last week. It’s a weird mixture of fun and work, to be honest – fun because I get to read good books and work because I can’t just relax and enjoy them.

I also finished a proofreading job for an author I love (and would like to call a friend) in April. And she just published the book, so I’ll send you there because it is so absolutely awesome.

Rings of Ranadir, by Doranna Durgin

You may also know that I am a teacher at heart, and so I want to share a link with all my author friends. You see, the most difficult thing to get right in all this writing craft is punctuation. Especially punctuation around dialog – even more fun is the fact that this differs wildly across languages. Be warned!

Anyway, here is a link I have been sharing around because on that website they explain all the intricacies of dialog punctuation in American English. Yes, it must be that specific.

Here you go: How to Write Dialog.

That’s it for today, I aim to do this again next weekend – poke me if I don’t…

Posted in Progress Report | Tagged progress report, Twin Worlds, Winds of Destiny, Wolves | Leave a comment

The King’s Swordsman, an awesome series by Becky James

Posted on 13/05/2022 by Hannah Steenbock

The King’s Swordsman is a fascinating saga by Becky James, one of my author friends. And right now, she’s getting ready to publish Book 3 in it, The Limit of the Lonely Man. Release date is June 9th.

I’m sharing the cover here, simply because I love Thorrn, the main character, and all the friends he makes. I love those stories and yes, I have re-read the books, which I only do with the ones I really, really enjoy.

Now, Thorrn is a very good swordsman. He’s fast, strong and swift with a blade. He’s also very loyal, caring, determined and stubborn.

He’s not necessarily smart.

And that gets him into a lot of trouble, especially since he also ends up having to deal with the weirdness of the United Kingdom on Earth on top of all the problems he has in Oberrot.

Yes, this is a series that uses a fantasy world, magic, sword-fighting and portals. It’s not quite a parallel world to Earth, but Earthlings play an important part in the whole universe there.

In addition to this fully-fleshed world, you get almost non-stop action, amazing plot-twists, portal fun and heartbreaking love. Well, and Thorrn gets beaten up a few times, poor guy.

I absolutely adore what Becky created and I want to encourage you to read the entire series. Of course! Because it’s that good. Here are the universal links through Books2Read:

The Tenets in the Tattoos

The Bind of Blood and Bonds

Go and read those books now, so you’re ready for Book 3 when it releases.

More about Book 3 of The King’s Swordsman:

The Blurb:

Evyn is running out of time. A princess could have a solution–or be her downfall.

Newly made Rangers, Thorrn and Aubin race to find the cause of Evyn’s strange illness, seeking out Princess Sabatha of Rush. Aubin’s self-doubt threatens the outcomes of the mission while King Gough is making political moves, hoping that Evyn continues her betrothal to Prince Gerlay of Dinahe rather than choosing anyone else.

But destiny weaves around them, drawing the multiverses and their hearts together. What is Evyn’s calling as the Spirit Shaper, and what does it mean to be the Lonely Man?

Take a look at the The Limits of the Lonely Man HERE.

Posted in Review | Tagged fantasy, Magic, portal world, review, series | Leave a comment

Progress Report May 2022

Posted on 13/05/2022 by Hannah Steenbock

Let’s start this progress report with a kind of bang. Or rather, this bang will come in the second half of 2022.

The above picture is how my month started out: I received mail from Susan Kaye Quinn, who has organized the Writers on the Moon project.

It literally means that my books will be on the moon, in the shape of epubs and PDFs, and what you see is the cargo manifest and the flight ticket. If you look closely, you’ll also see a little chip on top of the book (on Sidren’s body). That’s a mockup of the data chip that will be send to the moon. With any luck, the lander will take off later this year.

I think that’s so cool!

The Twin Worlds Progress Report

Right now, as I’m writing this progress report, I have some beta-readers going through the first version of Book 1, Steps of Courage. I’m also working on Book 2, Paths of Control, fleshing out the plot and giving my heroes a lot of trouble in the shape of an extra guard sent with them to make sure they don’t break any rules.

Which is not working… as you might expect.

In addition, the villain will take a much more active role in Book 2. You’ll get a better look than just her fleeing backside, and no, that won’t be fun for some of my heroes.

Oh, you want to beta-read, too? Let me know!

Dragon Pawn Progress Report

Yes, I have picked up the story of Marick, after stalling out on the dragon fights that I still need to write. In fact, I’m giving you a sneak preview of the first couple of chapters HERE, outside of this progress report.

I’m almost done with this book, set in the Cloud Lands Beginnings series. You’ll see a few familiar faces eventually, but it’s all about Marick – and of course, survival in a world where dragons still eat people.

Marick loves horses, which both helps in dealing with dragons and gives him a lot of heartache. Here’s how he sees them:

Marick had loved horses all his life. Their scent, their grace, their willingness to partner with humans… all of that spoke to his soul. Horses had always talked to him, through their movements, their looks, and sometimes, their sounds. It was almost like reading minds, he thought. And now, they had been reduced to food. They would never know the kind of partnership that was possible. They would never learn to balance a human on their back and race with the wind.

I’m fairly confident that I can get Dragon Pawn published around the end of June. So stay tuned (and sign up to my newsletter if you haven’t already) so you won’t miss it when it comes out.

Wolves Progress Report

No, sorry. I still haven’t managed to set up the print versions. Apologies.

Instead, I’ve done something completely insane: I have created the first draft of a screenplay for the first episode of the first Wolf book, A Wolf’s Quest.

And it’s all the fault of The Mandalorian.

You see, my sister introduced me to the series when I visited them on my vacation before Easter. And my nephew lets me watch on his account. Let me admit it right here: I have binged the episodes. More than once. Ahem.

The story-telling just blew me away. Yes, it’s obvious that one person wrote it all and that a lot of thought went into the whole thing, including incorporating as much canon as possible. What I really enjoyed, however, was putting little hints and teasers into the series that really only made sense after a while.

I loved the way they built a main character we don’t ever see face to face (well, almost never) into someone we can care about, someone we relate to, someone we possibly might even love.

Simply through the story, through posture, action and his voice (and what a voice it is!).

Which got me thinking very hard about visual story-telling. And I remembered a friend of mine telling me that some of my dialog is practically screenplay-ready. So I asked him, and he generously shared two of his screenplays and pointed me to text books.

Which got me started on writing my own, which is a huge learning curve.

Now I dream of creating a Wolves of the South set of miniseries, one little series for each book. The first one, A Wolf’s Quest, will be divided up into three episodes, and I’m working on the first one. Definitely more to come in the next progress report.

It’s utterly insane because I have almost no contacts in the industry, I’m not a huge fan of movies and well… let’s be honest, most screenplays never sell. And yet I can’t get that image out of my mind, and I really, really want to see Ben’s eyes shift on screen. And yeah… I want to see Nick on his motorcycle and how Connor kisses Ashley.

If you know people in the streaming industry, would you introduce me?

Posted in Progress Report | Tagged Cloud Lands Beginnings, dragons, fantasy, progress report, screenwriting, Wolves | Leave a comment

Progress Report April 2022

Posted on 13/04/2022 by Hannah Steenbock

Let’s start this progress report with an image from near where I live. This is the Eckernförder Bucht, an inlet of the Baltic Sea. And it stands for the first two weeks of April, which I took off work for vacation.

My sister (who is visiting me this week) and I walked there with two friends who provided transport (I don’t own a car). It was windy and we weathered a couple of showers with hail and snow. And I found a special rock – yellow sandstone with bog iron wrapped around it.

That fallen tree is still alive, btw, it has leaf buds. And just like that tree, my writing is still alive: I have been writing every day, just not as much as usual since I spent a week with my sister’s family. And I got to see my Dad, which was very good.

The Twin Worlds Progress Report

I’ve made substantial progress with the Twin Worlds since the last progress report.

Book 1 is almost ready for beta readers. I need to fill in one or two more chapters and then clean it up (taking out all my writing dates and comments).

I’ve started writing Book 2, and I have some fun coming up when Sara and Judy are reunited with their families. Happiness and heartbreak will go hand in hand there, before things will get really difficult.

I’ve also written a few chapters for Book 3 already – Writer Brain insisted on sending me scenes with such intensity that I had little choice except writing them out. Master Pentas will have quite a role in that one, and I have a neat little secret for Crash to find out there.

I finally made a decision on the series title. It will be known as “The Mages of the Twin Worlds”, and it will feature portals on the covers, to convey that part of the world.

Wolf Print Progress Report

Sorry. I didn’t get any further – which was good because Atticus kept adding functionality. And I just remembered that I wanted to change the preview chapter in Wolves #1. So it is a good thing I didn’t make much progress, but I really, really hope to get moving on that next week.

Atticus is great for formatting books. And I am pondering adding a wolf graphic as chapter header. Would you like that? Let me know in a comment.

Atticus Recommendation

If you are an author and want to format your own ebooks and print books, I will whole-heartedly recommend Atticus. Yes, it’s not cheap (147 USD as a one-time payment), but still cheaper than other formatting software that includes print PDF. And unlike Vellum, it’s available for all OS, including Linux. It works in almost every browser, too.

They have recently added much functionality to their print PDF creation process, giving us a full PDF preview before you download it.

It’s still not a program to write in – unlike Scrivener – but the formatting side of it is now extremely useful. It’s also getting more and more beautiful, with added templates and the ability to create your own unique look for your books.

I enjoy using it, so I hope you will, as well.

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

“The Power of Conviction”, by Catrin Russell

Posted on 12/04/2022 by Hannah Steenbock

This book is the first in “The Light of Darkness”, an epic fantasy series by Catrin Russell. And as it behooves such a series, the ago-old battle between good and evil, literally between light and darkness, is at the front and center of it.

Here’s my review:

The story revolves around two main characters who are polar opposites: The Priestess Ayana and the demon Prime Samael.

Ayana lives in the Temple of Light and fighting demons is her everyday life. Those evil creatures keep attacking humans, stealing children and robbing crops. And the Head Priest has decreed that all demons must be killed in an outright war to rid the world of them.

Samael is the heir and prime defender of a large demon tribe. He is expected to marry and secure his line, to keep the tribe alive and safe. But none of the potential mates shoved at him stir even a flicker of interest. Instead, he keeps watching and baiting a certain priestess, with no idea why.

Soon, it becomes obvious that things are not as clear-cut as they seem. And not much later, convictions are beginning to be tested.

In addition to the two main characters, there is quite a team of supporting characters who all bring their unique personalities and experiences to the story, from the sweet, talented healer to the scarred war veteran. And love blossoms in many different ways.

I invite you to step into this epic world where Light kills, where Darkness creates fear, and where people strive to hold on to their convictions. And where, as you know, opposites attract.

You can find “The Power of Conviction” in these stores.

The Entire Series by Catrin Russell is for Sale for a Limited Time (April 17th – 21st)

The first 3 books of the completed Light of Darkness series by Catrin Russell are on sale between the 17th and the 21st of April! The series is perfect for readers who enjoy visceral, gripping high & epic fantasy tales with dark undertones and romance! As humans engage in a sweeping war against demonkind, a Priestess of the Light is forced to choose between heart and duty. Fate, prophecies, and an impossible love will blur the very line between good and evil.

The Power of Conviction, FREE (Amazon worldwide)

The Path of Salvation, $0.99 (UK/US only)

The Resurgence of Light, $1.99 (UK/US only)

The entire series on Amazon

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

What is Hannah Reading (March 2022)?

Posted on 13/03/2022 by Hannah Steenbock

Hoo boy, that is a loaded question. Because Hannah isn’t reading what she writes…

In fact, I am a bit embarrassed to reveal what I’m reading. Which is exactly what I want to talk about today.

Because, you see, I’m reading steamy Alien Abduction Romance. *takes a deep breath* And that, as I will do my best to explain, is a good thing.

Reading for Escape

We keep talking about reading for escape as if that’s something bad. As if wanting to escape is a sign of weakness, of giving up or of being unable to cope. A sign of failure.

Let’s be honest for a while here, though.

We are in the third year of a pandemic that has killed millions of people world-wide. We still don’t know all the factors for Long Covid and how people can recover from that, but I’ve seen claims that about one quarter of all the people who contract it are still battling symptoms months after their official recovery. And that’s in mild cases.

Pandemic fatigue is setting in now, which means measures are being relaxed even as a new variant is burning through all continents (yes, Covid has even reached Antarctica) and numbers are higher than ever.

We are still dealing with the economical fall-out of everything the pandemic interrupted, with massive changes in life-style (home office, anyone?) and life will never get back to the normal we knew until early 2020. Never. And we’re still adjusting to that.

On top of all that, we’re in the third week of a massive war in the middle of Europe, a war that might still lead to World War III and potentially a nuclear inferno. A war that might – in a best case scenario – turn to guerilla warfare in an occupied nation and continue to simmer for years to come. (Yes, I dream of Ukraine being restored to full sovereignty, but let’s be honest…)

I’m not dealing well with this, at all. I envy those who do, but I need breaks and time-outs from constant worrying and stress. I need this in order to function and so I can keep creating my own worlds.

Escaping into a fantasy world where guys are perfect mates (even if they are growly and possessive) and women get all they ever dreamed about (the teddy bear beneath the growl), where the happy ending is guaranteed, no matter how dire the situation gets – all this is very soothing. And it’s what I need right now.

I just wish their chocolate cake were real.

Reading for Research

(Read this if you’re an author or if you want to know the secrets we authors use.)

Yeah, yeah, I know. And no, it’s not entirely an excuse.

Reading this is teaching me a lot about series, even if I may never write in this exact genre (but never say never, there is Joanna, after all, and I may have a steamy story with growly shape-shifters on the backburner).

The worldbuilding in this series is fascinating. Every story – even if it’s the same story over and over and over again in structure – adds more to the world. We learn about the alien culture, we learn about their capabilities, we learn about history, we learn about the state of Earth in the future. And I find it fascinating to see how it’s all “casually” woven into it.

The “butter”. (You need to read “7-Figure Fiction” by T. Taylor to understand that expression. Get it if you’re an author and want to learn about Universal Fantasies.)

Oh, gods, the “butter”. These stories hit a ton of fantasies, including chocolate cake that’s not fattening. And I’m not joking here at all. This stuff is what keeps people reading. These bits that make your heart swell with longing will keep you coming back for more in a series. Even if you blush admitting that to yourself.

I am taking notes. Kind of, anyway.

And finally, the series hooks. They are done quite masterfully, even if it’s a simple technique that I used in my Wolf books for the first time.

The trick is to introduce likable side characters. Give them something to do, make them memorable in a way, make the reader like them. Make the readers care about them.

And then give them their own book.

It’s as simple as that, but it’s done so well that I’ve been reading book after book after book in this series. If you write series and people love your world, find ways of doing that. Give side-characters their own book. It will be worth it.

What are you reading?

So yeah. What are you reading this month?

I’m asking because I’m always looking for more books to read. Don’t be afraid to share even if you think it might not be my favorite genre. Or did you expect me to enjoy Alien Abduction Romance?

Tell me what you’re reading and what you like about it. Would love to hear from you.

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Progress Report March 2022

Posted on 13/03/2022 by Hannah Steenbock

Here’s the one good thing for my progress report: I have been writing every day, just as I have since January 1st 2019. Today (3/13/2022) I’m on day 1166 of writing every day.

Keeping track of this is one way of making sure I do not skip even a single day. It makes it possible to keep that promise to myself.

Having said that, I’m still not back to writing 2k every day. I miss that speed. I miss being that deep inside a story, but it is just not working with what I’m writing now.

The Twin Worlds Progress Report

“Twin Worlds” is my shorthand for the new series I’m working on. It’s challenging me on several levels.

First, I’m writing four focus characters instead of one or two like I used to. I’m still not sure this is the right way to go for this story but they are insisting.

Second, this story has been coming to me in bits and pieces, not at all in the order they will be read in. So I have chapters that will stand and am writing chapters to fill the gaps. Talk about a Frankennovel, seriously.

Third, it’s easily double the size of any Wolf book or even one of the Zell books. This is huge. A massive storyline to keep track of.

Fourth, Writer Brain is already throwing more plot points at me, for books 2 and 3. Even so, I’m worried about being able to create another book with a similar size because for now, the ideas are not enough for 100k. I actually bought Plottr for a year after a recommendation from a friend, and I am very happy to have a place to dump those plot points in.

Fifth, I have come up with titles for the first three books. I really hope I can get all of that published this year, but … well, you see items one through four. Anyway, here are the titles:

Steps of Courage
Paths of Control
Trials of Power

Wolves Print Progress Report

Yes, I promised. I know I have at least three friends waiting for the print versions, and yes, I started the process. And then I stalled out checking the print interior of Wolves #1 for more typos (if you find any, please let me know).

Yesterday, I found out that being stalled out was a good thing. You see, Atticus, the program I started using for the Wolves, has revamped their PDF creator and previewer, and it’s become much better! Waiting paid off!

Except now I have to go in and redo all the formatting settings. But since I have to do that anyway – would you like a cute wolf graphic as chapter headers? Let me know in a comment.

ArtBreeder Progress Report

What? ArtBreeder? What’s that?

It’s a very neat website with an AI that “creates” images from “parent” images that you can “breed”. I looked at it first quite a few years ago and created an image of Zell that really inspired me to keep writing his story. (But in all honesty, it was rather… gruesome.)

I returned to it last year and found it much improved. I played with more Zell characters and turned the gruesome version into a much better one.

Finding myself extremely bored at some point late last year, I went back once again. It has become amazing. In fact, it’s so much fun to play with now that I went and created images for my Twin World characters. Hop on over if you want to see how I envision Sara and Judy, Krashanaris and Krighen.

And in fact, I created that landscape image above on that site, first “breeding” one and then playing with the sliders to give it a sunset feeling. I can totally see that one as background on a cover, too.

I will absolutely recommend playing with ArtBreeder, especially if you’re an author or a cover designer. It’s fun and fascinating.

Newsletter – Progress Reports and much more in your Mail Box

I do send out a newsletter every month, on the 13th, called “Ember Alert”. That’s because it features an exclusive story about my little dragon plushie Ember. And no, I’m not even posting it on this blog. You can only get it in the newsletter.