Rachel Rener's Blog, page 13

❤️

LINKED // GILDED BLOOD #3 is FINALLY here!

Plus, you can grab INKED for free & JINXED for just 99¢!

❤️ I don't think I've ever agonized this much over a book before. For one thing, Linked presents a tremendous shift in Talia and Zayn's relationship dynamic, as well as their overarching character arcs. SO. MUCH. GROWTH happens!

Secondly, this story marked my official foray from urban fantasy into pure epic fantasy, meaning detailed maps were drawn, elvish languages were created, and many, many 12+ hour days were spent toiling over keyboards and sketch pads.

AND YET, because of (or perhaps in spite of) my neuroticism, this may just be my favorite book to date. And I truly hope, from the bottom of my heart, that you will feel the same!

Read / # right now!

Signed, deluxe color paperback edition Standard (B&W) signed copy Kindle (Free on KU!)

Download / # for FREE on Amazon!

Signed, deluxe color paperback edition Standard (B&W) signed copy

Nab / # for 99¢ on Amazon!

Signed, deluxe color paperback edition Standard (B&W) signed copy

Pre-order / # on Amazon! (Cover reveal happening TOMORROW!)

You can even pre-order your signed, deluxe color paperback edition here !

Thank you all so much for your enthusiasm and support this past year! I can't wait to hear your thoughts on the penultimate installment of the Gilded Blood series!

For all direct replies, please visit ,RachelRener.com/contact or email RRener13@gmail.com.

Linked Deluxe Color Edition Copies are In!!

They look absolutely gorgeous, and the interior ain't so bad either ‎️‍Get your signed copy here! (Because all orders are shipped next-day, there is a great chance you'll get your copy before the book is even published. And that is a-okay by me)

"Too Stupid To Live"

Let’s talk about the plight of "stupid" female literary characters.

See the original Facebook post ,here .

How many times have you read a fantasy book and either found yourself calling the female main character TSTL ("Too Stupid To Live"), or read reviews disparaging her as such?

As a female writer of FMCs (Female Main Characters) I'm here to (hopefully) put this “TSTL” label to rest, because it’s not only unfair, but terribly sexist. Here’s why.

First of all, I’d like to point out the sheer number of MMCs (Male Main Characters) in fantasy books that have made terrible, idiotic, literal war-losing/nation-dooming choices: Rand al’Thor (WOT), Kvothe (Name of the Wind), and Bilbo Baggins (The Hobbit), to name a scant few. Now, when you read reviews of these books, you will never see the term TSTL to describe to MMCs, even though these characters repeatedly make terrible, sometimes-life-and/or-limb-threatening mistakes. What you WILL see are words like “stubborn,” “aggressive,” “head-strong,” and “resilient” – but never “stupid.” Even when these characters’ actions throughout the books(s) are incredibly, inarguably stupid.

Meanwhile, you’ll see FMC’s making these same (or even lesser) mistakes - not trusting someone they should, taking time to get acclimated to their new (oftentimes magical and/or dangerous) surroundings, or making risky decisions that, more often than not, end up paying off in the end – and yet these young women are often labeled as “stupid,” “idiotic,” or “annoying.”

(And before someone chimes in and says, “I’ve always said Rand was stupid,” or “But Bella really WAS stupid!” I think we all know that we’re going by the rule in this discussion, not the exception.)

Conversely, if a female character is strong, makes good choices, catches on quickly, adapts to her newfound magic/power/skills with little struggle (etc.), we write her off as a “Mary Sue” - a (specifically female) character who is disparaged for unrealistically lacking in flaws or weaknesses.

So, let me get this straight – if a FMC (whose life was just turned upside down) initially struggles, makes poor decisions, and/or winds up putting herself in dangerous situations because of her own stubbornness/impetuousness/poor judgement (but eventually learns and grows from them, as any well-developed character should), we label her as TSTL?

But if she is capable, talented, self-assured, and, let’s be honest, traditionally masculine in her behavior, she’s called a Mary Sue?

What the hell?

This is NOT cool. And we need to stop doing this.

By the way, before someone accuses me of picking on men, I’m NOT just accusing men of calling FMCs stupid. In my experience, it is actually women who are more likely to disparage female characters in writing. Why is that? Is it because we as females are conditioned to be embarrassed for reading romance, YA, and female-lead books, so we therefore feel the need to defend ourselves by putting those characters down? If that’s the case, we’re indeed opening up a whole other can of worms – one that deserves just as much, if not more, attention. But seeing as I’ve probably lost 60% of you by now, I’ll save that soapbox rant for another day.

Anyway.

I realize I’ll likely get a lot of hate for this post; folks will claim that MMCs get called stupid all the time and FMCs with the TSTL label truly deserve it, and it has NOTHING to do with the characters’ genders. But the fact of the matter is, this IS a problem. Once you’ve combed through as many book reviews as I have, you will see a clear and distinct pattern: female MCs are deemed stupid for their poor choices, but male MCs making the same poor choices are either headstrong (or some other forgiving synonym), or just need a little bit of time to come into their own.

I could go on and on, but I will instead leave all of you with this one, single thought challenge: the next time you read a book from a female’s POV and are tempted to call the FMC TSTL, I encourage you to ask yourself whether you’d still be using that label if “she” were instead a “he.”

On a final note, I’d like my readers to know that I proudly stand by every single one of my FMC’s choices, which means that I, apparently, am Too Stupid To Live.

And yet, here I am – living. Go figure.

Stupidly Yours,Rachel

Please do not reply directly to this email, as it won't make it to my inbox! For all direct replies, feel free to write me at ,RRener13@gmail.com. (Unless it's hate mail, in which case you're welcome to reach me at FootFetishesRUs@aol.com.

That's One Sexy Map!

Remember when I said the third book of the Gilded Blood series had transformed from urban/contemporary into full-scale epic fantasy? Well, to underscore that, here's the map that I made of the main continent, where Talia and Zayn will continue their treacherous foray into the Fae Realm!

(By the way, the deluxe color edition of Linked will have this 2-page illustration printed in full color!)

What do you think of my first ever fantasy map? Please don't reply to this email as it won't make it to my inbox! For all direct replies, please email me at RRener13@gmail.com!

LINKED Developments

Happy Monday (and a Happy Hanukkah to all who celebrate)!

The pre-order link for the Deluxe Color Edition of LINKED (Gilded Blood #3) is up! Pre-orders are wonderful because they not only let me know how many books to order in advance, but they also allow you, the reader, to receive them before the official publication date! So if you know that you'll be hankering for a beautiful, full-color, signed edition of Linked come February, please consider placing your order sooner than later! And don't forget to enter WINTER20 at checkout for 20% off!

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For those of you who wish to be on my Advance Reader team next month, please fill out this form as soon as possible. I'll provide follow ups to those selected by the end of December!Thank you so much and have a wonderful week ahead!Please do not reply to this message as it won't make it to my inbox! For all direct replies, you can write me at RRener13@gmail.com :)

Big, Wonderful, Exciting Happenings

Happy Friday, everyone!

Fair warning: this update is long and a bit of a rollercoaster - there is good news, bad news, mixed news, and generally awesome news. But please stick with me 'til the end; I promise it's worth it!

Okay. Let's rip off the Band-Aid and start with the ,bad, news.

I'm just gonna give it to you straight: I won't be able to finish Talia and Zayn's story in time for the current release date for Linked, February 13th. In fact, because the scale of this series has exploded into full-on epic fantasy (with maps and fully-developed elvish languages and fae battles and ALL that juicy Tolkienesque stuff) I won't be able to finish their story in one book, period.

Which brings us to the ,mixed, news...

Yup, you guessed it.

There will be one more deliciously steamy, hilarious, multidimensional installment in the Gilded Blood series in order to give Zayn and Talia the proper send-off that they, and you, deserve. Perhaps if I’d removed the steamy sex scenes, inappropriate jokes, snarky banter, Hollandaise sauce, and bad-mannered dungeon trolls from ,Linked, we could have reached a final – albeit hasty – conclusion within the confines of Book 3's beautiful front and back covers.

Alas, you and I have put too much time and emotional investment into these books to settle for a rushed ending. And Talia and Zayn deserve a fully fleshed-out story…including a few moremoments in the flesh, amiright? Hence the "mixed" news.

The Good News: you won't have to say goodbye to our favorite Miami tattoo artist as soon or as abruptly as you previously thought.

The Bad News: you will have to wait until the spring (May 16th, to be exact) for ,Synced, the final, glorious, epic conclusion to the Gilded Blood series. But I promise it will be worth the wait. (And the lack of sleep, on my part.)

Which brings me to my next piece of news: the ,good, kind.

Linked, the epic, sweeping, penultimate installment of the Gilded Blood series, is FINISHED!!! It still needs to go through editing and proofreading and beta-reading, but the story itself is done, and I am very, very happy with it. Plus, because we're now ahead of schedule, the SUPER GOOD NEWS is that you'll get to read it one week early, On February 7th! And for those of you on my exclusive ARC team, you can expect your advanced copies in mid-January. Isn't that exciting??? That's, like, A MONTH AWAY. (Holy CRAP, where did the year go?!?!)

Okay, okay... Last, but certainly not least, here is that ,generally awesome, news I promised:

The release date for the Jinxed audiobook has been set: February 14th, exactly one week after Linked's release! (Happy Valentine's Day to us!!! ❤️❤️❤️)

As soon as I have a pre-order link from my publisher, you'll be the first to have it! In the meantime, if you haven't listened to the, Inked audiobook, I cannot recommend it enough - even if you've read the book already. Tara Novie absolutely NAILS Talia's voice, and breathes life into her and all the other characters in a way no one else possibly could.

(By the way, if you have listened to the Inked audiobook, it would mean a LOT if you'd consider ,leaving a review . They help the algorithm, they help me score brownie points with my Publisher, and heck, they always make me smile, (particularly as I've been suffering from a smidge of seasonal affective disorder and burnout.))

So there you have it! The good, the bad, the mixed, and the generally awesome! And now, for those of you wonderful saints who have made it this far, here's a special treat: FAVORITE. After perusing my signed book shop, type that into the promo code field to enjoy $10 off any signed book of your choice.

Because I love you.

Yes, you.

Now what are you waiting for? Go get yourself some books. I hear they make you smarter and up to 11x better in bed.

XO

Rachel,Please don't reply to this email, as it won't make it to my inbox! For all direct replies, you can email me at ,RRener13@gmail.com :)

It's almost ready!

The Lightning Conjurer Complete Series Omnibus is in its final stages of production! 776 pages. Fully revamped and colorized interior. Gorgeous, jaw-dropping new cover art. I am SO excited to mail these out in the next couple of weeks!!

Just look at this cover!

With a stunning interior to match!

Each of the four books will feature differently-colored chapter headings. This is from the first book, The Awakening.

And this is a glimpse of the 4th book, The Reckoning!

If you missed out on the Kickstarter, never fear - you can pre-order your signed and numbered limited edition here. But I will only be printing 100 copies total, and slots are filling up FAST. If you'd like to secure your copy, please place your order as soon as you're able to!Thank you SO MUCH again to everyone who helped make this Kickstarter a reality! ❤️

Obsidian Saturday Eve Special

I won't be able to keep up with the big boys of publishing (or their hefty advertising budgets) this holiday season, but I'd still like to give back however I can! So instead of pouring tons of money into ads, I'm just doing a quiet sale with the biggest discount I can afford. Please feel free to pop on over to my shop or pass the news along to a fantasy-philic friend!

By the way, everyone who places an order this week will also be included in a drawing for an INKED audiobook - for you or your favorite audio-loving pal!

Happy "Obsidian Saturday-Eve" Bargain-Hunting! And remember to be nice to retail workers, especially this week ❤️

INKED is now available at Audible!

Whether you've read this book, not read this book, added this book to your TBR, or actively avoided it due to FOFILWAFC*, believe me when I say, you will NOT be disappointed with Tara Novie's brilliant. soulful, and hilarious performance.

Find it here, and then come back and let me know how far you made it before spitting your drink all over the place.** (I personally made it about...half a chapter.)

* ℎ ℎ**,Podium Audio , ℎ, ℎ- ℎ ℎ ℎ .

We're funded!!!!

Now that the Lightning Conjurer special edition omnibus is ONE HUNDRED PERCENT BACKED (with 8 days to go!!!), it's time for me to start loading up on gorgeous swag!!! Especially since I'll be able to get these stunning hardcovers out before the holidays!

For anyone else who'd like to get in on this project, there's still one week left!

I'll be working my tush off to get everything ready and shipped before Christmas. In the meantime, let's all take a moment to admire the rough concept art for the dust jacket!

Thank you so, so, so much to everyone who has supported the project so far!

,-Rachel