Ryan Lanz's Blog

Cover Reveal: The Promise of Scars

The cover for The Promise of Scars is here! Feast your eyes on this one.   I’m excited for this book’s release this fall. When it releases, I’ll announce it here, but you could also hear it via my newsletter, and if you sign up to that, you receive the free prequel story to this […]

Cover Redesign! The Silver Crystal

Hey there everyone! I wanted to make an announcement that I’ve had the cover for The Silver Crystal redesigned by a top-tier illustrator, and here are the results! This designer has created covers for companies like Tor, Penguin Random House, Harper Collins, and The Broken Binding, to name a few, and now he’s redesigning all […]

New Preorder Release! The Promise of Scars

Book 5 in the Red Kingdom Series is now available for preorder! Announcing The Promise of Scars.   Disclaimer: the blurb for this book has spoilers for book 4 – Crossroads of Redemption.   Notes: it has a placeholder cover because I have something big in the works for this book’s cover. I also plan […]

9 Ways To Craft The Perfect Opening Line

When I started writing my weekly Writing Tips posts last year, I posted a piece called Five Ways To Start Your Story. While it does still read as nearly 2,000 words of me crying about how much I loved the new, at the time, Power Rangers movie (for nostalgia reasons, among other things, and now […]

How a Pantser Learned to Plot

I used to be a pantser.  Time was writing by the seat of my pants was the only way I could imagine getting any writing done. This particular approach to the writing process worked for me for a very long time. That changed, though, when a medical condition which seems to have affected the way […]

First Draft Has You Stuck?

So today we’re talking about: first drafts Personally, I find first drafts to be both exciting and horrifying to work on. I mean, it’s the beginning of your new book. It doesn’t get any more difficult than that. But it’s also a chance for you to explore new things –characters, worlds, magic, backstories, different plot lines, etc. […]

So You Call Yourself a Writer. Now What?

You discovered your calling as a writer. You’ve come up with an idea. You made the conscious decision to become a writer and started your writing journey. But now what do you do? How do you find your voice and start disciplining yourself in the craft? Here are a few things to think about when […]

Secrets To Crafting Your Debut Book: A Little Guide For Aspiring Authors

So, you’ve decided to write a book! That’s fantastic—what an achievement it’ll be once you’re done. But where do you even begin? Don’t worry; you’re not alone in feeling a bit overwhelmed. So, let’s break it down into manageable parts, shall we? Every best seller starts with the first word—so make sure it’s special.   […]

New Release! Crossroads of Redemption

    It’s here! I’m excited to announce the release of my next fantasy novel, Crossroads of Redemption, which is book four in the Red Kingdom series.   Here’s the blurb for Crossroads of Redemption:   All roads lead to Abalreen in this high stakes clash of factions. Rhael has many plans to pull off […]

How an Amateur Writer Becomes an Expert

Here’s the thing about writing: everyone starts at the bottom. Some work their way up to the middle. A select few manage to climb to the very top. That’s how it is with any profession. You have no idea what you’re doing. You start to figure it out. At some point you probably come to […]