R.J. Metcalf's Blog, page 3
February 12, 2019
Back to the beginning
The first manuscript I wrote was Betrayal by Blood, the prequel to the entire series. I had to know what exactly happened the day the Doldran royal family fell, I had to know the truth of why Slate felt the guilt he did, and I had to see sweet Zak as a little boy, full of curiosity and enthusiasm.
So I wrote that manuscript. And I shared it with my alpha team. And they showed great grace and kindness as they ripped into it, teaching me basics about writing that I hadn’t yet learned. And I made changes, and then sent it to my first-ever professional editor, and she did a fantastic job of also shredding it to pieces for me to learn from and put it back together. And I made many edits, many deletions and additions, much smoothing…and I let it sit on the back burner while I wrote Scars of Time (the anthology that spans between Betrayal by Blood and Renegade Skyfarer). And I set that aside to simmer while I wrote Renegade Skyfarer and Void Born. Then I pulled it out, blew off the dust, re-wrote half the scenes, then sent that to my new editor. A bit more back-and-forthing, and at long last, I am thrilled to say that it’s done. More than done, even. It’s coming out. Next month. YAY!
(And if you’re concerned about when I’ll be picking up where Void Born left off, Traitor’s Crown comes out this summer, and it’s even bigger than any of my other books thus far!)
This was my first book baby. My first book cover designer, first editor, first learning curve. And I am so incredibly excited to share it all with you now! If you’re ready to smirk over young Slate meet Samantha, explore with Zak, and witness Brandon be the family man he should’ve always been, you’ll want to pre-order Betrayal by Blood.
~*~
One man. One choice.
Palace guard and resident heartthrob Slate Stohner wants nothing more than to find his perfect match and start a family. Just like his sister, Sapphire–who has found her true love in the second prince, Brandon Doldras.
When Sapphire and Brandon’s daughter is born, tensions arise over who should rule the kingdom. And after an assassin targets Sapphire, Slate’s world is turned upside down. Trust and loyalty will be put to the test as an even larger plot against the royal family unfurls. His choice could save his family from a dark conspiracy—or usher in their destruction.
November 9, 2018
Void Born Blog Tour!
Void Born is out on Amazon today, and we’re kicking off the excitement with a blog tour!
Friday, November 9
Becky Gaines – Book spotlight
Monday, November 12
Laren Salisbury – Fly Into The Unknown Blog Hop
Tuesday, November 13
Jamie Foley – Character Feature
Thursday, November 15
Cathrine Bonham – Author Interview
Friday, November 16
Laurie Lucking – Character Feature
Saturday, November 17
Sadie Slater – Book Review
Sunday, November 18
Anthony Avina – Book Spotlight (Instagram)
Monday, November 19
Laura Pol – Fly Into The Unknown Blog Hop
Tuesday, November 20
Lara Hitchcock – World Building Feature
Wednesday, November 21
Amy Grace – Book Spotlight (Instagram)
And before all that fun is over, we’re having a Facebook party on Friday, November 16! Come join myself and guest author Edie Melson for the fun (and giveaways)!
And if you’re new to the Stones of Terrene, welcome! Grab your copy of Renegade Skyfarer here and your copy of Void Born here. I hope you enjoy the ride!
Void Born is here!
I am so excited to announce that Void Born is officially out on Amazon and ready for your reading pleasure! (and book three will be out Spring 2019, have no fear)
Along with the excitement of today being the release day, next week I’ll be having a Facebook party with Edie Melson to celebrate, and y’all are all invited!
Join us for behind the scenes fun, interacting with us authors, and, of course, giveaways!
Have you snagged your copy of Void Born yet? You can always get the Kindle copy while you wait for your paperback to be delivered, ya know. (Not to imply that I’m an impatient reader and automatically assume others are the same. Nope. Not at all!)
I hope to see many of you at the Facebook party, and once you’ve had a chance to read Void Born, drop me a review on Amazon or Goodreads, if you’d be so kind. Reviews are the true reward for us authors, you know. ^_^
~*~
The bloodstone has been stolen.
Although the barrier remains, its stability is at risk. And if it falls, all of southern Terrene will be forfeit.
After the tragedies in Doldra, the valiant crew of the Sapphire struggles to regain their footing. Jade returns to Lucrum with the escort of Prince Weston only to find herself cornered by Lord Everett’s political maneuvering. With her freedom at stake, Jade is faced with a choice: give up her dreams for the future, or watch as those closest to her die.
Ben hunts down Victor and his mysterious Void Born with the help of Finn and his granddaughter Raine. The longer they are together, the harder Ben falls for the enigmatic swordswoman. But mad sages and ruthless assassins aren’t all he needs to fear–if Ben’s friends find out his secret, he could lose everything.
With Terrene at stake, they cannot lose sight of their goals.
Even with the past and the future pulling at them.
October 11, 2018
Void Born is nearly here!
Well. It’s obvious that I’m not the best at keeping my website updated. Sorry, y’all.
But I’ve got exciting news! Book two, Void Born, is officially on Amazon and available for pre-order! The adventure continues on November 9, so mark your calendars and prepare to be swept away. (and mark your calendars again, for the prequel to it all will be coming out Winter 2019!)
~*~
The bloodstone has been stolen.
Although the barrier remains, its stability is at risk. And if it falls, all of southern Terrene will be forfeit.
After the tragedies in Doldra, the valiant crew of the Sapphire struggles to regain their footing. Jade returns to Lucrum with the escort of Prince Weston only to find herself cornered by Lord Everett’s political maneuvering. With her freedom at stake, Jade is faced with a choice: give up her dreams for the future, or watch as those closest to her die.
Ben hunts down Victor and his mysterious Void Born with the help of Finn and his granddaughter Raine. The longer they are together, the harder Ben falls for the enigmatic swordswoman. But mad sages and ruthless assassins aren’t all he needs to fear–if Ben’s friends find out his secret, he could lose everything.
With Terrene at stake, they cannot lose sight of their goals.
Even with the past and the future pulling at them.
September 19, 2018
The in-between
The last few months have been endlessly busy! Marketing, writing, marketing, editing, marketing, chocolate, marketing…
I’m thrilled to say that Renegade Skyfarer has been well received, and I cannot say ‘thank you’ enough for such an outpouring of support and love from my readers! Thank you for reading and sharing and talking and posting and reviewing about Renegade Skyfarer. Sincerely, every message, every post, they all mean so much to this insecure author’s heart! Word of mouth has proven to be as invaluable as I expected, and every Amazon review adds fuel to the fire that pushes this engine forward into the rest of the series.
Which, if that’s what you’re hoping to hear about right now, I’ll relieve that steam: Void Born is on schedule, and will be releasing within the next two months. I’ll announce the exact date soon, as well as reveal the cover (IT LOOKS SO GOOD!). Pinkie promise.
In the meantime, I can share a Void Born aesthetic that has a few clues for what to expect in book two. Any guesses as to what you think will happen? ^_^
July 1, 2018
Renegade Skyfarer is here!
The adventure begins!
After months of work, I am thrilled to announce that Renegade Skyfarer is available to purchase on Amazon and on BarnesAndNoble.com.
After you get your copy and you’ve read it, I would be beyond thankful if you were to leave a review on Amazon, GoodReads, and/or BarnesAndNoble.com. I know it may not seem like much, but reviews really do provide the bread and butter for authors, as it’s those reviews, that word of mouth, that sells books. And what is an author without a reader? (let’s not answer that, shall we? That’s a bit depressing to think about.)
Happy reading, Renegades!
~*~
The airship crew saved Ben’s life from a dragon, of all things.
When Ben wakes up, he has no memory of his family, his home, or how he got to this strange world. All he knows is what his new crew members tell him: the magical Barrier that protects their land is weakening. Unless they find the artifact that can repair it, all of Terrene will be destroyed and enslaved by the enemies beyond.
But when Ben suspects that danger may lurk closer than dragons or sky pirates, he has to decide: stay and fight with the airship crew, or focus on regaining his lost memory? If he leaves, he risks losing his newfound friends–but if he stays, he might never return home.
Welcome to Terrene–where dragons exist, the past haunts, and magic is no myth.
Welcome aboard the Sapphire.
June 19, 2018
Renegade Skyfarer releases soon!
It is the craziest thing to think about, knowing that in two weeks, Renegade Skyfarer will be officially released to the world. How is this possible? Where has the time gone? I don’t know, but I can only hope y’all are as excited as I am!
Speaking of excited, have I shown the amazing character sketches that Twitter artist @ErithEl ? I love her work, and she and I actually met several years ago (Seven, I think. Wow.), bonded over Full Metal Alchemist, art, and and cosplay, and have been email pen pals ever since. Now she has a great web comic going, and occasionally takes commissions, when time permits.
Check out her work for everyone! Ben Dubray, Captain Slate Stohner, Jade Stohner, and Zak Monomi… They all look so good!
I just may need to print them out and use them as coloring pages for my kids. Or myself. I haven’t decided yet.
And guess what? I’m just shy of 20 Kindle pre-orders! Mind boggling! I can’t wait to share Ben and Jade’s story, and have everyone in on the adventure. (And I can’t wait to start hearing theories and ships and what everyone likes or dislikes about it all) I hope y’all will join us in the sky on July 1.
The Sapphire’s airship crew saved Ben’s life from a dragon, of all things.
When Ben wakes up, he has no memory. All he knows is what his new crew members tell him: the magical Barrier that protects their land is weakening. Unless they can repair it, all of Terrene will be destroyed.
Ben must decide whether to help the airship crew he’s growing to love like family, or focus on regaining his lost memory, regardless of what dark secrets he starts to uncover there.
Welcome to Terrene–where dragons exist, the past haunts, and magic is no myth.
Welcome aboard the Sapphire.
Pre-order Renegade Skyfarer on Amazon now!
May 21, 2018
Getting closer to publishing day
It’s been a whirlwind over here, getting ready for the ‘big day.’
We ordered proofs a few weeks ago, and have been painstakingly going through every word, every comma, looking for typos and things that are missing or need adjustment. (Don’t worry, I’m not the one looking at punctuation. It’s not my forte and I know it. Proofing is all Mike, as he actually knows and likes grammar to some odd degree.)
It constantly amazes me how little typos that weren’t in the line edited version get into the proof copy. Mysterious things happen during formatting. Not only is there magic that gets the manuscript formatted into a book, but random hashtags, back slashes, and commas get added in. But those are easy enough to fix with our awesome formatter, so we just mark the spot in the book (using a pen on a book has been the hardest thing to adjust to yet), add a flag, and continue on. It’s been an adventure.
While proofing is going on, I’ve been working on the marketing aspects. Figuring out Instagram. Planning a FaceBook party. Looking into which sites I want to advertise through.
Writing a book isn’t hard enough. There’s the editing, the proofing, the marketing, the publishing, and all the little bits that fall between.
Probably a good thing I wasn’t told all this before I started. I may have thought twice and decided to wait a few years. But this story won’t wait that long. So it’ll be out soon. July 1st is looming closer and closer!
If you like reading on your Kindle, you can pre-order your copy on Amazon today!
May 1, 2018
Renegade Skyfarer Cover Reveal!
Look at the beauty of this cover! Know what I see? Hours of labor of love by my team. The promise of adventure within the pages. The beginning of an epic steampunk fantasy series.
It’s all that, and so much more!
I hope y’all will love this book as much as I and my beta team have. You can pre-order the Kindle copy here, and the paperback will be available on Amazon July 1.
Here’s to a grand, new adventure!
The airship crew saved Ben’s life from a dragon, of all things.
When Ben wakes up, he has no memory of his family, his home, or how he got to this strange world. All he knows is what his new crew members tell him: the magical Barrier that protects their land is weakening. Unless they find the artifact that can repair it, all of Terrene will be destroyed and enslaved by the enemies beyond.
But when Ben suspects that danger may lurk closer than dragons or sky pirates, he has to decide: stay and fight with the airship crew, or focus on regaining his lost memory? If he leaves, he risks losing his newfound friends–but if he stays, he might never return home.
Welcome to Terrene–where dragons exist, the past haunts, and magic is no myth.
Welcome aboard the Sapphire.
April 25, 2018
Cover reveal soon!
Guys. I can’t wait. I’m changing the date for the cover reveal. It was originally going to be May 18, but that’s too far away. May 1. That’s so much sooner, and then I can share the beauty of this cover, my pre-order Kindle link will be live, and we’ll begin the eight week countdown for when Renegade Skyfarer is on Amazon!
Mark your calendars, for the time is rapidly approaching!
