Rachel Rener's Blog, page 9
November 20, 2023
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!
November 14, 2023
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.
November 12, 2023
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).
Amazon - this one is super helpful for new releases, like the one that just showed up yesterday!
(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
November 6, 2023
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! ^_^
November 2, 2023
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!
◈ When: Nov 24-26, 2023 ◈ Where: 4900 S Syracuse St, Denver, CO
◈ 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
◈ 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!!!
October 31, 2023
Gilded Blood illustrations #5 AND 6!
Hello friends! Today I am thrilled to unveil not just one but TWO new illustrations from the upcoming Gilded Blood omnibus, including my favorite illustration to date! The latest additions include:
This brings us up to 6 illustrations, with 7 more still to come! Uwe and I will be tackling Linked (Gilded Blood #3) next. Which key scene(s) from that book would you like to see illustrated? Any guesses as to what illustration #7 will be? (Hint - it's something that takes place very early on in the book!)
[image error][image error][image error][image error][image error][image error]By the way, if you haven't had a chance to order your copy, or are hoping to upgrade, we are accepting late pledges through ,Pledgebox! Thank you all so much again for making this stunning omnibus a reality!!!
October 23, 2023
⋆✦ UPCOMING RELEASE ALERT ✦⋆
I'm so excited to announce that David Green and I co-wrote a humorous short story that will be featured in this upcoming anthology! There will be 14 stories total, all for the yummy, yummy price of .99 cents! Coming November 14th - Preorder your copy now and/or add it to your TBR on Goodreads!
,FROM THE ARCANE: RELICS OF LEGEND AND LORE
Legends told of it. Lore warned of it. Thousands searched for it.
Now this powerful relic is in the hero's(?) hands, whether they want it or not.
From the Arcane: Relics of Legend and Lore is a collection of 14 stories brought to you by the authors of Indie Fantasy Addicts. From necklaces to daggers to enchanted flowers, these arcane objects will take each hero on an adventure they never imagined - for better or for worse.
October 21, 2023
Gilded Blood takes the gold!!!
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH *takes deep breath * HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have ALWAYS wanted a shiny gold foil sticker on the front of one of my books!!!Thank you so, SO much, The BookFest!
October 19, 2023
Illustration #4...BABY BISCUIT!!!
Hi, everyone!!
Quick note, for those of you who weren't able to afford the omnibus the first time around - Andrew and I have set up a PledgeBox site, which will let you to make a pledge even now. We also just sent out the official survey, which will collect your mailing information so we can get you your goodies ASAP! Have I mentioned that we're publishing all of my backers' names in the omnibus? Because we are!! :) Thank you so, so much again for helping to make this gorgeous book a reality!
And now, for the REAL reason you've probably opened up this update....BABY BISCUT!
You asked, and we delivered! Behold, the 4th of 13 full-page, full-color illustrations!! Baby Biscuit is so stinking cute I don't even know where to begin!
Up next, illustration #5: Talia and Zayn embracing in cobalt-blue grass with a turquoise sunset in the distance! I'm so excited about this illustration because it's one of my favorite scenes in the entire series! After that, I'm thinking we'll illustrate a scene from Jinxed, where Talia and Korinne (one of my favorite side-characters!) are walking inside of a crystal cavern with glowing water and dramatic stalactites. Is there anything you'd like to see included in that illustration? Maybe the shadowy silhouette of a certain mischievous tommyknocker's clawed, outstretched hand stretching alongside the cave walls?
Lastly, here is a glimpse of the stunning postcards we'll be including with the art pack and deluxe tiers (and also as an add-on!) Aren't they beautiful?
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If you're looking for more stunning deluxe fantasy goodness, check out these incredible campaigns, which are all happening right now (or very soon)!
Riders of Fire: Omnibus Deluxe Edition Dragon Rider Fantasy
Bestselling, award-winning, dragon rider epic fantasy in a deluxe, illustrated collector's edition. Faux leather, foil, sprayed edges!
Chains of a Broken God: Illustrated Hardcover Edition
This special, Kickstarter-only edition, will have full-color, full-page illustrations and images hand-drawn by Aaron Moschner.
The Shadow Watch - A Deluxe Illustrated Epic Fantasy Novel
Limited, faux-leather collector's edition of Book One in the bestselling epic fantasy series, The Shadow Watch Saga.
October 17, 2023
⌛Shadows are coming...⌛
The day has finally arrived!
I have never worked so hard or lost so much sleep over a single manuscript; nor have I ever been so proud of a finished book. This story REALLY pushed my limits, both as a writer and as an empath. There were days I had to push hard just to get ANY words on paper, not because I had writer's block, but because I was so far out of my usual comfort zone.
That said, while SHADOWS is unlike anything I've ever written before, you'll find quite a few of my call signs: found family, science-based magic, (mild) romance, redemption, and yes, a happy ending! So if spooky fantasy isn't your usual go-to, be sure to check the trigger warnings, but rest assured: this story is well worth it.
If you haven't already preordered your copy, the ebook is available on Amazon, FREE on Kindle Unlimited, and signed copies are available in my shop along with some cool swag!
And now, without further ado, I present to you....
⌛ THE BOY WHO LURKS IN SHADOWS⌛
.....The thrilling sequel prequel to The Girl Who Talks to Ashes!
SYNOPSIS
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.
***
ADVANCED REVIEWS
"Honestly, I admit, I had a little trepidation…a little uncertainty…a little bit of anxiety…that The Boy Who Lurks in Shadows would not live up to the awesomeness of The Girl Who Talks to Ashes, which is one of my absolute favorite standalone novels ever. BUUUUUUUUT…NOT ONLY DID IT MEET THOSE LOFTY EXPECTATIONS BUT IT COMPLETELY BLEW THEM OUT OF THE WATER!" - Melinda Cater
"Well now. WELL. NOW." - David Green, Author
"By the end of this book, not only was I smiling but the tears were streaming down my face, tears of the sheer beauty of this dazzlingly splendacious freaking awesome story! Thank you Rachel! THANK YOU for your brilliance!" - Beba Andric
"This book grabbed me and wouldn’t let go. I put it down to sleep and that’s about it. It’s dark in places, beautiful in several others and got me thinking about the themes a lot deeper than I meant to." - Chris Matthews
"Rachel Rener! Woman, you’re scary smart. This book took a lot of planning and research to make it believable. The Boy is a great follow up to Lilah’s story[;] complex with a rich world(s) that will make you think." - Suzy Ostapower
"Wowwwwwww, this book! I was kind of worried because I loved the first book SO MUCH, but Rachel absolutely outdid herself on this one. I think this one might even be better than the first! I teared up so many times.. both happy tears and sad." - Phi Pilgrim
"Read this in four hours. Devoured it, I should say. A fantastic mystery which unravels on the page, tragic, touching and delving right into the heart of love, loss, longing and belonging." - Becky James, Author
"I love how the lives of the characters are interwoven, it makes for a very intriguing book. Set yourself some quiet time when you pick this book up because you aren’t going to want to put it down until you have finished." - Terry Steinke
"I am obsessed with this book! Rener's ability to write both a prequel and sequel in the same book is masterful! Buckle up, there are so many twists and turns, and surprises you won't see coming!" - Linda Mundorff, biased-yet-brilliant Jewish mother
Will you be reading TBWLIS? If so, what are you looking forward to most?
