Rachel Rener's Blog, page 8

Presenting ALL 13 Gilded BIood illustrations (plus, the amulets have arrived!!)

Now that the Gilded Blood deluxe series omnibus is completely finished, bonus epilogue and all, I could not be more excited to share ALL 13 full-page, full-color illustrations, created by the brilliant Uwe Jarling! Are you ready for this???

Presenting them in order, beginning with - what else? - Butt Cobras!

And now for the brand-new illustrations...

(As always, beware of series spoilers!)

I honestly can't pick a favorite picture, as every single one of these came out even better than I had imagined, but I'd love to hear your favorites!

Now that all 13 illustrations are complete, the time has come to send the manuscript to the printer so we can prepare for next steps - i.e., formatting and getting proofs! I'll be sure to keep you all appraised every step of the way! In the meantime, here's a no-context spoiler from the never-before-seen Dee Dee and Biscuit short story!

Adorbsies, right?

Last but not least, the collectible pendants are finally finished and let me tell you, they look SO GOOD!!!

I wanted to commemorate the most important rune of the series in the most stunning, memorable way, and if you ask me, we nailed it! While these won't officially be available to the rest of the world until next year, those who supported the Kickstarter are more than welcome to order their pendants now as a small, gilded token of my thanks. As with most items in my shop, they include free next-day shipping!

Thank you so much again for your incredible support!❤️

PS: If you haven't already, I would appreciate it so much if you would consider voting for Inked in the 2023 Indie Ink Awards, where it was nominated for FIVE categories!

- Best book cover and cover artist

- Best light read

- Best use of tropes

- Prettiest book interior, &

- Side Character MVP

Even if Inked doesn't make it into the finals, simply being nominated means the world to me! Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the love you've shown the Gilded Blood series this year!❤️

Wild Times Square Exposure (the good kind! ) and the Ink Awards!

First and foremost - Happy Friday!!! It's been a full 48 hours but I am still glowing from Wednesday's awesome news! In case you missed it, Inked was featured in New York Time's Square on Wednesday for winning the gold medal for Women's Fantasy Fiction in the 2023 BookFest awards!

Seeing my book featured in Time's Square was truly a dream come true and I couldn't have done it without all of your incredible support this past year. Thank you not just from the bottom, but from the top and both sides of my heart as well!

[image error]

Speaking of awards, Inked was recently nominated for the 2023 Indie Ink Awards for not just one but FIVE categories:

Best book cover and cover artist Best light read Best use of tropes Prettiest book interior, AND(!!!) Side Character MVP

Now that voting is officially open, it would mean the world to me if you would consider ,voting for , Inked in any or all of the above categories!

Lastly, keep an eye on your inboxes in the next few days, since we're finishing up the final illustration of the Gilded Blood Complete Series Omnibus and will be showcasing all 13 of them before sending the project over to our printer. I know I might be biased, but these last two paintings might just be my favorite to date!

Thanks again for all you do and have a wonderful weekend ahead!

Free Book Alert!

Long ago I accepted that I was different, and that the fae would never see me as their equal because of the tainted blood running through my veins.

What I didn’t expect? That when my brother and his friends went to the Royal Fae Academy, they’d abandon me too.

Except when my brother’s friends return years later, we’ve all changed, as have our feelings for each other. But if they think I’m going to suddenly start acting like the innocent girl they left behind, they have another thing coming.

My powers are dark and sexy, and if they have a problem with it, they can go screw themselves!

Only, what if it’s me they want to screw?

REVERE is a short prequel to the Royal Fae Academy. Our heroine is tough, uses her dark powers shamelessly, and her guys have eyes for her and only her. ,Read now!

I'm a ghost whisperer, not a catacomb crawler. But when you live in Paris, sometimes you end up being both.

Hi, I’m Alix. During the day, I’m a history student at the time-honoured Sorbonne University. After class, I hang out with the ghosts of the revolution, the many undead misunderstood Parisian artists, and adventurous scientists that glow in the dark. None of them are alive, but they come to me to solve their problems with the living.

When a recently deceased catacomb tour guide asks me to retrieve a mysterious personal item from the underground, things take a turn for the weird. Suddenly, I find myself in a city of ghosts, hunted by murderous cave crawlers, and stumbling across haunting secrets.

If I’m not careful now, I might end up a ghost myself.

Urban Fantasy with a French twist. If you like cave-crawling adventures, hopeless romantics, and ghosts, you'll enjoy Ghosts of the Catacomb, the first instalment of the Parisian Ghosts series. Travel to Paris today to embark on your catacomb adventure.

,Read now!

Sand serpents and gold dragons and Ink Awards... Oh my!



Happy Friday, everyone!

I have a couple of exciting announcements for you today, including two more stunning Gilded Blood Omnibus illustrations (bringing us up to 11 out of 13 total!!!)

Announcement #1: Awards!

I just found out that Inked was nominated for the ,2023 Indie Ink Awards for not just one but FIVE categories:

Best book cover and cover artist Best light read Best use of tropes Prettiest book interior, AND Side Character MVP!!!

The Indie Ink Awards is trope- and diversity- focused rather than focused on genre, and designed to showcase all the amazing indie books out there. The reader-nominations phase has apparently just ended, and they're about to go into the next phase of the contest, the voting phase. It would mean the world to me if you would consider voting for ,Inked in any or all of the above categories!

Voting opens December 15 so I'll be sure to send out another reminder then!

Thank you so much in advance for your time and support!

Announcement #2: Brand-new omnibus artwork!!

Illustration #10: Talia, Zayn, and "Sandy" the Sand Serpent

“You spit out that elf right now, you hear me?” I yelled.

The sand serpent stiffened.

“I mean it! Because if you don’t, you are going to be gutted right down the middle, and I think we can agree that nobody here wants that. So, I’m going to give you ‘til the count of three to spit her out, or else!”

The serpent – Sandy, we’ll call him – froze, his three sets of eyes moving between me and the gleaming stabby objects the elves were wielding.

“One...!”

 He made a petulant grunt.

“Two…!” I crossed my arms impatiently. “If I get to three, you are going to be in so much trouble, buster! Two and a half…”

Sandy’s head reared back as though he might argue, all six of his eyes narrowing…and then abruptly started bobbing like a cat retching up a hairball. After making a series of unappetizing gags and retches, he finally horked up a curled-up, slime-covered elf, who toppled onto the sand with a breathless thud.

Illustration #11: A Dragon Reborn

 Snatching Biscuit away from the strengthening blaze, I staggered to my feet alongside Zayn. The three of us backed away as the obsidian fire exploded into dazzling gold flames that were so hot and bright, we had to shield our faces from the intensity. The flames grew higher and higher, towering above our heads like a coruscating tractor beam that melted every last drop of snow within a twenty-foot radius. A bowel-shaking roar erupted from behind the curtain of golden fire, ricocheting through the snowy trees and sending a tremor through the earth itself. My hand reached out instinctively, clutching Zayn’s cloak.

And then, all at once, the flames disappeared.

In their place, a colossal gold dragon loomed above us, with shimmering waves of heat radiating off its metallic body. Ribbons of fire and smoke curled from its glittering jowls, while its gilded scales gleamed like polished bullion.

With 11 illustrations done, we are just 2 illustrations away from sending this baby off to production! In the meantime, I'm just putting the finishing touches on the Dee Dee and Bisskiss short story that will be published at the back of the omnibus. Which obviously means I HAVE to share an early snippet! (Minor spoiler: the story is told not from Talia's POV but from Dee Dee's!! )

If you've got omnibus FOMO, never fear! You can still secure a copy of the Gilded Blood Omnibus by heading over to PledgeBox today!

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful week ahead!❤️

Gilded Blood Omnibus Illustrations 8 AND 9! (Plus some awesome holiday goodies!)

Happy Monday, everyone! I am SO excited to share not one but TWO more Gilded Blood Omnibus illustrations with you today! TBH, I'm still struggling to pick my jaw up off the floor!

Illustration #8: The Great Phoenix Tree

(or, as Biscuit calls it, the "Biiiiiiiig Pen*s Tree" )

“With a trunk as tall and wide as a New York City skyscraper, the colossal tree towered hundreds of feet above the tallest evergreens, its highest branches practically caressing the underside of low-hanging clouds. But what made it even more magnificent is that every single one of its leaves twinkled and glowed, as though the branches were covered in hundreds of thousands of green fireflies.”

Illustration #9: The Ancient Crystal Caverns



"The narrow tunnel we’d been walking through abruptly ended, dumping us into an enormous cavern that was as wide as it was tall, at least three football fields on all sides. Colossal, water-clear crystals, some nearly scraping the thousand-foot-high ceiling, towered above us like redwood trees. They sprouted from the ground, the walls, and the ceiling at every angle, crisscrossing over one another and throwing prismatic rainbow reflections all over the cave."



If you haven't ordered a Gilded Blood Complete Series Omnibus and still want one, we've got you! Head on over to PledgeBox where you'll be able to late pledge for a limited time!

Cheap Smut!

I was so lucky to have been invited on SmutCo Industries' Cheap Smut Podcast earlier this month, where we talked about smut, sexy incubi, and snarts. Yes, snarts. You can check out the full episode here!



If you're looking for something slightly more edifying, I also joined authors Megan Haskell and Greta Boris on their podcast, The Author Wheel, to chat about publishing, Kickstarters, the pros and cons of Kindle Unlimited, and more. That educational episode can be found here :)

Fancy Embossers and Holiday Deals!

I just got the fanciest, most wonderful embossing tool, which means, moving forward, all signed books purchased from my shop will now come with this beautiful new insignia embossed inside the title page:

The Latin reads: THE WRITTEN WORD REMAINS

Don't forget, you can get 25% off ALL signed books (minus special editions) now through Christmas with promo code WINTER25.

Have a wonderful week ahead!❤️

Rachel

Illustration #7 Reveal: DEE DEE!!! (Plus: 1-Day Freebie Alert!)

The seventh (of 13 total) Gilded Blood Omnibus illustrations is finished, in all of Dee Dee's stunning, hilarious, Jewish mother triumph and glory. Are you ready for this??

Isn't she absolutely glorious?

By the way, everyone who ordered JUST a Gilded Blood art pack (sans omnibus or anything else that's 3D) should have received theirs by now. If you are in the U.S. and have not received yours, let me know! For everyone outside the U.S., they might take a few weeks to get to you, so please bear with the postal service during this crazy holiday season!

If you haven't ordered an art pack and/or omnibus and still want one, we've got you! Just head on over to PledgeBox, where you'll be able to late pledge for a limited time.

FREEBIE ALERT (Today only)!!

If you (and/or a book-loving friend) haven't already, today's the day to ,nab the steamy, laugh-out-loud romantasy book that's been causing readers to run to the restroom (not just for sullied pants but for long, coooold showers as well )!

Upcoming Appearances

I'll be signing books at ,GalactiCon this upcoming weekend. If you're planning on being there, stop by and say hello! I promise not to bite.

Sweet Holiday Promos and Discounts!

I've added the brand-new option of nabbing ,all 4 paperback books of the Gilded Blood series for 15% off, which includes free next-day shipping! If you've been thinking about getting the complete series for yourself or a fantasy and/or tattoo-loving friend, now's the perfect time!

You can also get ,the complete Lightning Conjurer series (think Captain Marvel meets Avatar: The Last Airbender) for 20% off the list price (and yep, that includes free shipping!)

Last but not least, you can get 25% off ALL signed books (minus special editions) now through Christmas with promo code WINTER25. Which means, technically, you could get ALL of the aforementioned books for 25% off.

Errr....

*runs to calculator to make sure I'm still making some vague semblance of a profit*

....Meh, close enough.

Happy Thanksgiving and Black Friday, everyone!

❤️Rachel

When Zayn, your smoking hot boss, tells you never to touch the cache of deluxe tattoo ink locked away in his office, you listen to him… until the day you run out of your own ink, your squirming client is on the verge of peeing his pants, and your boss is nowhere to be found. Desperate times call for desperate measures... Right?

,~ READ FOR FREE ON KINDLE UNLIMITED ~



When an amnesiac rediscovers her latent powers, she'll shake the entire world... literally.

⚡️

Captain Marvel meets Avatar: The Last Airbender in this thrilling saga of empowerment, found family, and a sizzling, slow-burn romance

,~ READ FOR FREE ON KINDLE UNLIMITED ~

Dr. Who Meets Nancy Drew with a dash of The Ghost Whisperer and A Wrinkle in Time

As an infant, Lilah's terrifying form of epilepsy drove her family to abandon her. Years later, when her quest to find answers leads to her teenage mother's cold case, she must learn to control her "gift" before she kills someone. Again.

,~ READ FOR FREE ON KINDLE UNLIMITED ~

When a tiny human shows up at an old, grumpy dragon's front boulder, the two of them embark on a journey for applesauce that ends with each of them saving the other’s life – in more ways than one.

~ READ NOW FOR 99 CENTS ~

And, as always, signed books are available through my shop!

Lightning Conjurer Books, LLC

Follow us:  ,Facebook | ,Instagram | ,TikTok | ,Twitter  |, ,Goodreads

Omnibus Illustration #7 and New Shop Update (plus some stupidly good Black Friday book deals!)

Happy Thanksgiving Week! I hope the holiday provides you a chance to snuggle up with a warm drink and cozy blanket and catch up on some reading!

...Unlike me, for I am physically unable to do so with a clingy velcro birb.

Discounts, Promos, and Awesome new Box Set options!

Over the weekend, I spent WAY TOO MUCH TIME updating my shop with some cool new options (while also making it easier to navigate). For example, I've added the brand-new option of nabbing all 4 paperback books of the Gilded Blood series for 15% off, which includes free next-day shipping! If you've been thinking about getting the complete series for yourself or a fantasy/tattoo-loving friend, now's the perfect time!

You can also get the complete Lightning Conjurer series for 20% off the list price (and yes, free shipping!)

And, for those of you who stuck around 'til the end (thank you!!), don't forget you can get 25% off ALL signed books (minus special editions) now through Christmas with promo code WINTER25. Which means, technically, you could get ALL of the aforementioned books for 25% off. (Yeah, I know, I've never been particularly good at making gobs of money )

Happy Thanksgiving and Black Friday, everyone!

❤️Rachel

PS - The 7th new illustration in the ,Gilded Blood Omnibus will be finished this week, and for those of you who guessed it would feature Dee Dee - you were right!! Keep a close eye out for the upcoming hilarious update!

New Release Alert!

FROM THE ARCANE: Relics of Legend and Lore

14 stories, chock-full of machinations and magic, available now for 99 cents!

I am SO excited to share the third installment of the Indie Fantasy Addicts Anthology Collection, which includes 14 highly-curated stories, including the brand-new short story author David Green and I co-wrote! THE PILFERERD QUILL is a satirical comedy story starring Chet Williams - an underappreciated and misunderstood fantasy writer who is madly in love with himself. Here's a small snippet:

Here's what we, the illustrious and not-at-all-biased authors of Chet's story, have to say for ourselves:

"Utterly brilliant and captivating. If you don't like this book, you clearly don't appreciate superior intelligence, unparalleled talent, and staggering 'genius-ness.'" ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ David Green, co-author of THE PILFERED QUILL

"Probably one of best stories I've ever read - not including my numerous other literary masterpieces, that is." - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rachel Rener, co-author of THE PILFERED QUILL

Read THE PILFERED QUILL, along with 13 other brilliant tales, for just 99 cents!

FREE BOOK ALERT!

She's got a tail and a secret that could kill her.

Shifter Alysa Lapina runs a coffee shop in rural Utah, has tea with cougars (the cats, not the ladies) and fishes in her ferret form. Her human persona hides a secret - she was once a lab animal of Koschei the Deathless himself. Upon her escape, she took a priceless artifact - an interworld portal that lets the user travel to Vyraj, the realm where beasts of legends are trapped. Few know that Alysa herself is the portal that everyone and their ghoul is searching for. She would like to keep it that way.

Things don't go as planned when dragons break out of Vyraj. They decide to find the last living portal to their prison and make her dead. What's a shifter to do? Especially when one dragon in particular has real fire on his mind.

,,Read now!

I'm in trouble. Again.

***Be sure to read to the bottom where you might just find a surprise new release!***

Well, it's official. I'm on TikTok's shit list. (Again.)Apparently, they don't like words like "incubuᶊ," "[Gilded] Blood," or "twát-muffin."

(Just kidding about that last one. Though I do think some of the higher-ups at TikTok deserve that moniker.)*ahem*If you haven't seen the recent video series of me re-enacting key scenes of the Gilded Blood series, would you consider popping on TikTok to let the algorithm know (a.k.a. leave a comment) that I'm not, in fact, a twisted, evil villain deserving of censorship?

While you're lurking on my profile (and believe me, I actually love it when readers stalk me!!), I'd be so appreciative if you'd give me a follow! I'm not great at growing my social media followings and rarely bother people for likes, follows, shares, or reviews, but it's my goal to grow my brand so I can get even more books out in 2024 and 2025 (and apparently - or so I'm lectured by prospective publishers - every like and follow counts...sigh).

But it's not all about numbers - if you'd like to be among the first to hear about new books, special announcements, deluxe editions, awesome collaborations & giveaways (and so on), these platforms are THE best way to be in the know. (And it also lets potential large publishers *cough* know that people want to read more stories by that one chick by the name of Rachel Rener who routinely gets shadow banned on TikTok).

TikTok

Instagram

Facebook

Amazon - this one is super helpful for new releases, like the one that just showed up yesterday!

Goodreads

Bookbub

Twitter

(And more I'm probably forgetting but can't think of at the moment.)

(CAN YOU SEE WHY I'M NOT VERY GOOD AT THIS? Just look at that massive list I have to keep up with!! )

Anyway, thank you all so, so, so much for helping me with this. I'm tired and all I want to do is nap, eat cheese, and write books.

(If anyone has any brilliant ideas for how to make this happen, like, yesterday, please let me know!)XOXO

Rachel

More BISS-KISS!

Look at this beautiful new Inked logo that my cover designer created, featuring the goodest boi BISS-KISS! After asking my Facebook and Instagram followers what kind of merch we should feature this new design on, the clear winner was a vinyl sticker/decal!

[image error][image error]

Thanks to Sticker Mule and their super fast proof turnaround, we already have a concept!

Get your gorgeous INKED/BISSKISS sticker* here!

What kind of swag/merch would you like to see this design on next? Let me know in the comments or on my contact form!

*I expect to have the stickers by next week and will ship all pre-orders within 24 hours! ^_^

Upcoming international appearances, holiday coupon codes, and general awesomeness!

Happy (almost) Friday! I have several updates, discounts, and exciting announcements to share with you, so please stick around 'til the end!

UPCOMING EVENTS/APPEARANCES I've included preorder links for all international events, which will ensure I bring enough stock while also guaranteeing you'll receive the books you're most excited about!

,GalactiCon Denver 2023

◈ When: Nov 24-26, 2023 ◈ Where: 4900 S Syracuse St, Denver, CO

,Readers Take Denver 2024

◈ When: Saturday, April 20th, 2024 ◈ Where: Gaylord Rockies, Aurora, CO

◈ RTD pre-order form can be found here.

,Denver FanExpo 2024

◈ When: July 4-7, 2024 ◈ Where: Colorado Convention Center, Denver, CO

,Fort Collins Comic Con 2024

◈ When: August 16-18, 2024 ◈ Where: Fort Collins Senior Center, Fort Collins, CO

,Romance Authors and Readers Event - Londo n 2025

◈ When: July 5, 2025 ◈ Where: London, England (exact location TBD)

◈ RARE London pre-order form can be found here.

,Ballgowns and Books Event - Sydney 2025

◈ When: May 21st, 2025 ◈ Where: Sydney Australia (exact location TBD)

◈ BABE pre-order form can be found here.

I'm always adding more appearances to my calendar, but these are the big ones for now!I hope to see you at one (or more) of these fabulous events! ❤️

☃️HOLIDAY DISCOUNTS ☃️As usual, won't be able to keep up with the major publishing houses this Christmas (or any other Christmas ) in terms of marketing, but I'm always happy to offer big discounts this time of year! If you would like to gift signed books to someone you love (or even better, to yourself!), please enjoy 25% off all* autographed books with coupon code, WINTER25. Plus, I offer free next-day shipping so I can all but guarantee your order will be there in time for the holidays!

Redeem it at ,www.RachelRener.com/shop

Thank you so much in advance for supporting small businesses like mine!

*Excluding the Lightning Conjurer and Gilded Blood series omnibuses, which cost me an arm and a leg and then some

MISCELLANEOUS AND SUNDRY

If you weren't able to participate in the Gilded Blood Complete Series Omnibus last month, we're still accepting late pledges! You can order your omnibus directly through ,me or via ,Pledgebox! These deluxe editions won't be here in time for the holidays, but they'll make for some serious shelf candy this spring!

Have a wonderful weekend ahead, everyone!!!