Rachel Rener's Blog, page 11
August 18, 2023
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 ,!
August 15, 2023
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!
August 10, 2023
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!!!)
July 25, 2023
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!
July 23, 2023
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!
July 17, 2023
Who's afraid of a little time-bending?⏳
I stumbled across a review today that really resonated with me, and, after getting permission from the original poster, I wanted to share it:
Jayne brought up such a good point here, one I've been struggling to overcome anytime I try to (un)successfully market this book: In addition to the fact that this book is a serious genre-bender (SFF + mystery + coming of age + mild horror + time travel), the hardest part of convincing my readers to read The Girl Who Talks to Ashes is that it comes across as fairly dark. (I've pasted the blurb below so you can see what I mean.)
To clarify, yes, there are some darker themes (and, , I did admittedly have to turn on all the lights in the house once or twice because truth be told I'm a total baby when it comes to horror), this book is so much more heartfelt and uplifting than the blurb initially suggests. Yes, there is loss, and a certain creep factor (mostly because Lilah's powers aren't quite what they seem), but there's also: ⏳ found family (Lilah's adoptive father is one of my favorite characters EVER) ⏳ first love - seriously, the MMC, Jace, is SO SWEET. ⏳ a "disability" that's transformed into a strength ⏳ humor ⏳ blue pop tarts ⏳ and a SUPER cool storyline about a gal whose seizures cause time to fracture around her.
PLUS - and you didn't hear this from me - there's going to be a big Ashes-related reveal later this summer. So if you're thirsting for more books of mine, definitely don't shy away from this one! After all, there is always light at the end of every dark tunnel.
Rachel
Aforementioned blurb:
Fifteen-year-old Willow is terrified of her new baby, Lilah, who has a peculiar form of epilepsy. Every time Lilah's eyes glaze over, terrible things happen: flowers shrivel, food goes to rot - even Willow's long, auburn hair turns stark white. But it's the death of the family cat that becomes the last straw; in the middle of the night, Willow and her mother dump the infant at the fire station two towns over – and are never heard from again.
The next morning, Chief Stanley Quinn takes Lilah home and cares for the toddler as best as he can. With medication, her epilepsy remains under control... For the most part.
But as a teenager, Lilah isn't always keen on taking her pills, and when she sneaks away to a rock concert with the cutest boy in school, something terrible happens, landing both of them in the hospital. After Stanley breaks down and confesses everything to his adopted daughter, she decides to track down the young girl who gave her up sixteen years ago; the young girl who never made it home that night… The young girl who is now presumed to be dead. Soon, Lilah's quest to find her birth mother becomes a quest to solve a sixteen-year-old missing persons case. She has everything she needs to find her – she just needs to learn how to control her peculiar ‘gift’ before she kills someone.
Again.
So, what do you think? Are you interested to venture outside your own comfort zone and give The Girl Who Talks to Ashes a shot?
July 10, 2023
Allow me to introduce the KING of Romantasy...❤️
Remember how I told you guys I was sitting on some fabulous news about the final audiobook in the Gilded Blood series? Well GUESS WHAT. The time has come to share it!!
Not only is the one and only Tara Novie returning to reprise her role as our favorite needle-phobic heroine, but the KING of steamy romance, 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.
Mark your calendars - Synced is coming to Audible SEPTEMBER 12TH! Until then, it's a great time to catch up on the rest of the series!
Happy listening! ❤️
July 9, 2023
More tattoos have arrived!!!
You asked and we delivered - more temporary tattoo rune sets are now in-stock!
They come in sheets of 20 and include:
Laundering x 2 Extinguishing Animalia Chaining/Unchaining Ventus, Fulmination Ligature Ignis Resurgence Restoration Tesseract Smokescreen Shield Amplification Protection Translation Lunar Runes x 2Best of all, like ,signed books, all tattoos include free next-day shipping! Enjoy!!
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Please don't reply to this email directly, as it won't make it to my inbox! For all direct replies, you can head on over to ,www.RachelRener.com/contact or email me at RRener13@gmail.com!
If you enjoyed this post and want to show your support, I would be grateful if you ,,subscribed to my ,,blog and/or gave a ,one-time-only tip. With a subscription of $5 a month, you'll gain access to all past and future locked content for paid subscribers only. It also shows me that you like what I’m doing and want to see more! ❤️
June 26, 2023
Who's a Fan Expo Featured Author? This chick!
I'm so chuffed! I've been selected to be a featured author at FAN EXPO Denver (formerly Denver Comic Con)!
I'll be there all weekend with a group of authors called the Fantasy and Sci-Fi Collective. We'll have a block of tables in the vendor room facing the Pro Comics authors ( I'll be signing books at block A1706).
I'll also be on two panels! We don't know exact locations yet, but the panel times are listed below. I'll update the event info when I get the rooms. Looking forward to seeing you all there!!
Sunday, July 2, 2023
10:30 AM -- Writing through the Pain: Trauma and CreativityPanelists Stace Johnson, MOD. DL Wainright, Adam Gaffen, David Lee Summers, and Rachel Rener.
Description: From crafting authentic narratives to self-care strategies, our panel of authors will explore the delicate balance between vulnerability and healing, offering insights into how they have grappled with their own experiences and the role that storytelling plays in recovery. Please note: this discussion includes sensitive topics and discretion is advised.
2:30 PM -- History and its Influence on Science Fiction and Fantasy.Panelists David Lee Summers, MOD. Peter E Sartucci, Rachel Rener, and Stace Johnson.
Description: History is an essential part of writing science fiction and fantasy. Science fiction writers need to understand the past to imagine a possible future. Fantasy writers might set their stories in real or imagined pasts, but need to understand how things worked together in those time periods. Panelists discuss how they research history and how they use it to inform their stories.
Can't wait to see you all this weekend!
June 20, 2023
Temporary tattoos!!!!
Do to overwhelmingly popular demand (no, seriously, you guys were *persistent* ) I have tentatively launched a temporary tattoo line based on the Gilded Blood and Lightning Conjurer series. I'm testing out the waters presently and only have a handful of designs, including:
• Talia and Zayn's Claim (Gilded Blood #4), 2x2"• Protection Rune (Gilded Blood 1-4), 2x2"• Chaining Rune (Gilded Blood 1-2), 2x1"• Amplification Rune (Gilded Blood #3), 2x1.5"• Glowing* Lunar Rune (Gilded Blood 3-4), 3x2"• Pentamancer Sigil (Lightning Conjurer), 2x2"
* ℎ , ℎ ℎ ( ℎ ), ℎ . '
[image error][image error][image error][image error][image error][image error][image error][image error]If demand is high enough, I'd like to include designs of all the runes (see below), as well as add custom elemental sigils from the Lightning Conjurer series.
What do you think?
***
Please don't reply to this email directly, as it won't make it to my inbox! For all direct replies, you can head on over to ,www.RachelRener.com/contact or email me at RRener13@gmail.com!
If you enjoyed this post and want to show your support, I would be grateful if you ,,subscribed to my ,,blog and/or gave a ,one-time-only tip. With a subscription of $5 a month, you'll gain access to all past and future locked content for paid subscribers only. It also shows me that you like what I’m doing and want to see more! ❤️
