Rachel Rener's Blog, page 11

TODAY'S THE DAY!

THE GILDED BLOOD KICKSTARTER HAS OFFICIALLY LAUNCHED!

The most stunning, colorful, breathtakingly-beautiful omnibus you have ever seen is on the verge of becoming a reality. We're talking:

All four books of the Gilded Blood series combined into one gorgeous deluxe collector's edition (with 11-pt font, for those who don't love to squint!), signed by yours truly!

A stunning foiled leather cover featuring Roy's infamous "Butt Cobra" and our beautiful, almond-loving Biscuit ❤︎

10 high-resolution, full-color illustrations of key moments in the series (sirens, crystal caverns, and baby Biscuits included!)

110+ revamped, fully colorized chapter headings (plus detailed character portraits of all your favorite (and not-so-favorite) characters!)

Sprayed gilded edges as a nod to our gilded-blood heroine, and

A sturdy-yet-stunning slipcase to protect your new treasure!

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For those of you who are unfamiliar with the site, Kickstarter is a platform that lets backers support a creative endeavor as a community. It works just like a pre-order, but with the opportunity to unlock book upgrades and extra goodies for every order as the funding increases. It will also be the only guaranteed way to get a copy.

Every follow, comment, and pledge tells the Kickstarter algorithm that this is a project that deserves to be publicized. So even if you're unable to splurge on the omnibus at this time, every dollar and share counts! Regardless of whether your pledge is $1 or $100, I cannot thank you enough for embarking on this adventure with me!

I am SO EXCITED to (hopefully) turn this dream project into reality!

September Deal Alerts!

USA Today Bestselling Author, Astrid V.J. is putting her entire Elisabeth and Edvard's World Boxed Set on sale for 99 cents! Check it out here! (Deal runs through 9/16, and then half off until 9/18).

The Synced Audiobook is HERE!❤️‍

THE DAY HAS FINALLY COME!! The entire Gilded Blood series is now available on Audible!

Not only has the one and only Tara Novie returned to reprise her role as our favorite needle-phobic Jewish heroine, but the KING of steam, Logan McAllister, is making his Gilded Blood debut as the sumptuous voice of a certain smoldering incubus.

And let me tell you, Logan's voice SMOLDERS

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/85042f_3f713cecc59a4fa7a4677258ac06a00f/720p/mp4/file.mp4

So much love has been poured into this series, from butt cobras to hard-fought battles, and I could not be more excited to share this final, breathtaking installment with you!

Happy listening!!!❤️‍

BISCUIT!!!!

You asked, and my incredible illustrator, Uwe Jarling, triumphantly delivered! Behold - our brave and stalwart little Biscuit, soaring to Talia's defense in a prismatic blaze of glory!

What's that you say? You can't see all of the details?

Hmmm...I suppose that can only mean one thing: You'll have to follow the project to see the 2nd completed illustration in all its stunning, jaw-dropping glory!!

The Kickstarter for this omnibus is officially launching on September 12th, but the pre-order link is up now! ,Even if you're unable to contribute financially at this time, the more followers a Kickstarter project has before launch, the more KS pushes it in the algorithm once it goes live.

ONE WEEK 'TIL LAUNCH, PEOPLE!!!

Are you excited?! Cause I sure as fork am!!!

⌛COMING THIS OCTOBER⌛

For those of you who have been asking about my next project, I am SO pleased to present the spooky, time-bending, jaw-dropping sequel and prequel(!!!) to The Girl Who Talks to Ashes...

,THE BOY WHO LURKS IN SHADOWS

It’s been three years since Lilah Quinn stumbled upon the bones of her biological mother, thereby solving the mystery of Willow’s long-forgotten disappearance. Since then, Lilah has been working off-book as Sheriff Reid’s star detective, solving decades-old cold cases with the help of those closest to the crimes – the victims themselves.

But when Lilah’s newest case hits a dead end, she’s forced to do something she’s never done before: speak to the murderer himself. Unfortunately, his “ghost” isn’t interested in helping her, nor is he willing to play by her rules. Because, unlike all the others, this ghost is able to exist apart from his bones, untethered even by time.

And now that he’s been freed, he’s got a bone to pick.

---

Get 15% signed copies of The Girl Who Talks to Ashes from now until Halloween with code ASHES15!

Yes, I have ARC reader openings, so if you've read The Girl Who Talks to Ashes and have time between October 1st and 17th, shoot me a message!

For those of you who haven't read the first book yet, now's the time! Ashes is wide until October 1st, when it will be triumphantly returning to its perma-home in KU alongside Shadows!

And for those of you who may need a little more enticement, here are some quotes!

"ℎ ℎ ℎ ℎ ℎ ℎ ℎ ℎ , ℎ - ℎ , ℎ ℎ ℎ. ℎ ’ ℎ." - Vinnie A. (this has to be one of my favorite quotes about this series!)

"5 ℎ ℎ ℎ - . " ℎ ℎ ℎ ℎ ℎ . ℎ . ℎ ℎ ℎ ℎ ℎ !" - The Magic Book Corner

"ℎ . ℎ , ℎ. ℎ ℎ ℎ ℎ, ℎ ℎ, ℎ ℎ ℎ ℎ . ℎ ℎ, ℎ ℎ . ." - SPFBO Winner, Author J.D. Evans

"ℎ ! ℎ ℎ ℎ ℎ ℎ ℎ ℎ - , ℎ ' ℎ . ' . ℎ -ℎ , . ." - David Green, author

I need your vote for the next Gilded Blood full-page illustration!

WOW. Over 200 followers in one weekend! I can't believe it! I've been chewing my nails to the nubs over this overwhelmingly intimidating project, but you all have given me hope that we just might be able to pull this off! Thank you all so, so much for the support!

If you haven't already, you can follow the project here. Even if you're unable to contribute financially at this time, the more followers a Kickstarter project has before launch, the more KS pushes it in the algorithm once it goes live on September 12th. So please come join and help make this lovely project a reality!

Speaking of which, it's my goal to have two finished illustrations by the time the project kicks off. So I want to know: which illustration would you like to see Uwe create next? (options below!)

Talia and Zayn kneeling with their arms around each other in the fae realm, surrounded by tall cobalt-blue grass, with the cerulean sun setting in a vibrant green sky. Biscuit engulfed in rainbow flames, protecting Talia from a vampire who is trying to attack her. Location: Zayn's ultra-colorful fae-bound office. Mermaids rising up from the emerald-green sea, hand in hand. They have green-tinted skin, long black hair, and are draped in garlands of shells and seaweed.

,Let me know your thoughts in the comments and I'll do my best to make it happen!

ATTENTION: You do NOT want to miss this announcement!

Exactly 17 minutes after the final book in the Gilded Blood series was published, one of my readers asked me, "Hey, when are you doing a deluxe omnibus for the Gilded Blood series?" To which I tiredly replied, "I just wrote 4 books in one year. My nerves are so forking shot, the answer to that is NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER ." (Except my response was much more polite than that, I swear.)

More and more requests for a special edition started coming in after that.

But there was already a deluxe paperback out there with partially-colorized chapter headings. Tired or not, I wasn't going to take more money from my readers unless I could make something truly and utterly spectacular for them.

Then, several months later, I saw the most beautiful book cover I had ever seen. I mean, my jaw DROPPED.

After looking into the artist, I thought to myself, Man. If someone as talented as Uwe Jarling could do like 10 full-page, full-color illustrations of key scenes in the books, that alone would make the omnibus worth it.

Well, I reached out to Mr. Jarling and not only can he do it, but he's SUPER excited about the project. And guess what else? He's already started working on two of the illustrations.

And so, after MUCH thought and designing and meticulous financial planning, ,we ARE, in fact, doing this. Not only that, but I promise you this: if this project funds, this omnibus is going to be the most beautiful, most colorful, most breathtaking book imaginable. In addition to the revamped cover and added illustrations, I'll personally be redoing all of the chapter heading artwork, resulting in 100+ fully-colorized designs. We're also looking into a special printing method that will allow for some of the most vivid colors imaginable. Seems fitting for such a colorful series, after all :)

So....are you ready for this?

The Kickstarter for this omnibus is officially launching on September 12th, but the pre-order link is up now! Even if you're unable to contribute financially at this time, the more followers a Kickstarter project has before launch, the more KS pushes it in the algorithm once it goes live. So please come join me on what is going to be a TERRIFYINGLY wild ride, because I'm going to need all the help I can get with such a massive undertaking. (We gotta raise $15,000 in 21 days. TWENTY ONE DAYS. Are you panicking? Because I'm not. Nuh uh. Nope.)

Just in case you needed a teensy bit more incentive, here's a close up of the first of 10 full-color illustrations that are hopefully to come!

,What do you think? The project is still in the planning stages, so I'd love to ,,hear your feedback ,!

Fort Collins Comic Con made the terrible mistake of inviting me on their podcast.

I recently sat down with Nick Armstrong, one of the organizers of the Fort Collins Comic Con! Not only did he have to mark the podcast as "explicit" thanks to my lack of filter, but I also let slip WAY too much about a certain unpublished book. And no, I won't give you the minute mark to find it

Rachel's writing process is unique. She's a pantser, writing by the seat of her pants, and doesn't plot out her stories in advance. She wrote her first book in just seven weeks, pouring her hyperfocus and undivided attention into the story. Talk about dedication!

Rachel's love for fantasy shines through in her work. She draws inspiration from her favorite fandoms like Sailor Moon and Goosebumps. Her books feature overpowered women who can destroy planets, a trope she adores. Who doesn't love a strong female protagonist?

From corporate job to bestselling author, Rachel Rener shares her journey on the FoCo Comic Con podcast. Don't miss this inspiring conversation! Get ready to be enchanted by Rachel Rener's urban fantasy books that combine science and magic. Tune in to the FoCo Comic Con podcast to learn more about her captivating storytelling!

If you enjoyed this rambling, filter-less interview, I'll also be hosting a panel at the convention entitled ,Men Writing Women: An author-led panel that [lovingly] examines poorly-written, two-dimensional female literary characters through humorously bad examples (“she breasted boobily down the stairs”), followed by a thoughtful discussion on how to successfully write fully fleshed-out, three dimensional, realistic female characters in fiction writing. Caution: cringe-worthy anatomical terms abound!

To all my local Colorado nerds, I hope to see you there! To everyone else, thanks for stopping by!

One month!

The 4th and final book in the Gilded Blood series is coming out in ONE MONTH! Head on over to Audible to preorder your copy!(Just WAIT until you hear how sexy Zayn sounds in his chapters!!!)

Live Chat with Bestselling Author Heather G Harris!

We started off with some technical difficulties (how many authors does it take to start a live video on Facebook?) but ended up having an absolutely lovely time talking about interdimensional filing cabinets, rogue familiars, and the writing process in general.Enjoy!

You are cordially invited!

Come join Heather G Harris and me this Tuesday as we chat all things Gilded Blood-related (and I sneak in a few questions about her Other Realm series as well)! We'll be on FB Live chatting and taking questions from reader. More details below!

Date: July 25th, 2023

Time: 1pm MST / 8pm BST

Location: Facebook live - you can follow the event and sign up for alerts at https://fb.me/e/MSXlrAAV.

PS: Don't forget that you can take a peek at ALL my upcoming online and in-person events on my Event Calendar!

Hope to see you all soon!