Azriel Hope's Blog, page 4

Why? And it's DONE!!!!

I'm sitting here taking a day before I begin a bunch of other projects...just reflecting. I am thrilled that The Fallen Angel Immortal Romance story has now been TOLD :) and soon you will read it all. :) 
I am Azriel Hope and that is a part of my name :) but I have a name I use every day. I have a traditionally published young adult novel series that will be here in a billion years :) but I didn't want kids getting a hold of my Azriel Hope books so I separated my name to make sure they didn't read them one day. I am also a best-selling novelist for contemporary romances under a pen name I ghostwrite for my boss. Sadly I can't say who I am :( I am also waiting to hear if a television movie I wrote with a friend will get a green-light. We are really close :)
There will be more books by Azriel Hope, in fact, the next book, a stand-alone, is in the works. It has been outlined and I'm getting ready to tease you about it :)
But before I put the Fall of Arcades series to rest (until other stuff happens to it...more on that later after it happens.)  I wanted to share WHY! This series and this story....
I started these books a year ago. A little over a year ago my dear, amazing, loving, almost damn near perfect mother was murdered. I was the one to find her...and I can't say any more about it because of the trial and lawsuits and horrible stuff. 
It was sudden, unexpected and brutal. Nobody should die the way she did, especially someone so beautiful. 
I didn't know where to put my pain....my love...my thoughts, so The Fallen Angel, Immortal Romance Series was born. It was a way to sift through the pain without sifting through the pain. 
Also... it was a coming out of sorts. It is the first book I've written that is published, the YA novel also has sexually fluid characters :) but as I said it's a hundred years away from being published, that speaks to fluidity in sexuality. Growing up I never had a book to read that reflected anything that my relationships looked like..and they still don't really look like them. So I gave the world something I needed growing up, a place to see the love I gave and received ... So much was caught up in not being able to be...and so I hope this romance series gives people a chance to see love as it can be, simply love with all of its complications, turmoil, and passion.
And so now it's done. I feel proud this story is out. Is it my tour de force?...maybe not, but it sure was fun :) I hope it was fun for you too. 
Next up...Desdemona! A contemporary dystopian fantasy....and (shhh a retelling of Adam and Eve..ish). 
JUST ONE MORE WEEK and THE REIGN OF A QUEEN will be here and trust me...it is worth the wait. I'm still spinning and buzzing from the story...and I wrote it :)

EPIC!!!! EPIC!!! EPIC!!!!! The Reign of a Queen

MARCH. 11. 2020

We are nine days away from Reign of a Queen and let me tell you this last book in the Fallen Angel Immortal Romance Series...is EPIC!!!!!

Here are some pictures, lifted from the internet...to give you a hint at the story. (all completely stolen from the internet) ...I don't see my characters as having such severely pointed ears :)

SPOILER!!! There is one scene that I have written that makes me cry...EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. (Even doing mundane things like editing...I cry) so yah, there's that.

Farrow and Rayelyyn
Farrow and his daughter Raven
Farrow's journey....

Naida and Anastasia


Drayden and the ultimate darkness....
Martu Mara

Drayden and Rayelynn

Drayden and Baltane

Farrow and Rayelynn
So....there you have it, just a snippet of stolen pictures from the internet that gives a glimpse of some of the story...
and NINE MORE DAYS..........

Author's Spotlight on Morganhazelwood.com :) WEEE HOOO!

A great big thank you to Morgan Hazelwood @ www.morganhazelwood.com for spotlighting me in her author's spotlight.

https://morganhazelwood.com/2020/02/11/author-spotlight-azriel-hope/?fbclid=IwAR34RXK3Km9Rb9LEuC_xQlnH0rwjzjVZvWrYZ3eHUpwYfl_CT799AiVwQp4


I really appreciate her adding me to her illustrious list of authors, I am very honored. Check it out.

And for those of you waiting, The Reign of a Queen is available for preorder on Amazon here:

https://www.amazon.com/Reign-Queen-Fallen-Immortal-Romance-ebook/dp/B084MF6QP3/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Azriel+Hope&qid=1581449162&s=digital-text&sr=1-1

I am so excited about this final book in the series. :) This will end Rayelynn and Farrow's story, but there may be more in the future. I'll reach out to readers to see if they are interested in reading more about the world of fallen angels, fairies and gods. :)

Doing a Little House Keeping

REMINDER :) THE REIGN OF A QUEEN IS COMING SOON!!!!!! Just a couple of weeks now (Feb. 4, 2020) and Reign of a Queen will be live on Amazon :) I am so excited about this first series of three books being completed and Rayelynn, Farrow and Drayden's stories told.

After that, the next book will be a stand-alone, Desdemona due out in the summer of 2020...more on that later.

So...as I have started writing books under Azriel Hope, I've been learning a lot about self-publishing. As I learn, I adjust. I am so grateful that people are enjoying The Fall of Arcades and The Rise of a King and I'm so excited to publish the Reign of a Queen which I think is the best of all three books. However, with that said, I have gotten a few bad reviews for The Fall of Arcades to accompany the many good ones.

It was the first book in the series and I wrote it with so much passion, my beta readers loved it, my editor loved it and well...I thought the world would love it. But after some very well thought out and lightly scathing reviews from two reviewers, I decided to look at the Fall of Arcades again and address some of their concerns.

While I think reviews are often a matter of taste, and to those reviewers, the book and therefore the series was perhaps not to their taste, they had made some wise observations. One is that the Fall of Arcades was a little overwritten and two had some minor errors and formatting challenges. There was also mention that Rayelynn was too weak in the beginning, but I think she is where she needs to be considering who she becomes in the Reign of a Queen. She was an abused daughter who lived a lifetime of verbal and physical abuse, she wouldn't come out with her dukes up, she'd be who she was to survive the abuse at first until she knew herself better, so that note, I didn't see as being necessary to change.

I did go back into the book and I have made some minor adjustments. I don't think it changed the story at all, but it did make it a little tighter, cleaner and hopefully more accessible to people who are sensitive to minor errors. I can't guarantee they are all gone and I thought my editor got most of them, but there are fewer errors, better formating and not so many words to describe things.

What I learned is you won't please everyone, but you can make compromises and continue to whittle, hone and polish until your masterpiece shines. While The Fall of Arcaders isn't a masterpiece, it sure is a fun, angsty, dark romance that gets your blood pumping....so out with the old and in with the newer. :) Enjoy, the new draft will be up on Amazon this weekend. (January 24)

AND.....HERE COMES THE QUEEN!!!! FEB. 4, 2020 :) I can't wait...I hope you can.

Rise of a King is FREEEEEE

Grab a copy this weekend as The Rise of a King is free until tomorrow (1.11-1.12) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0814XX5M8/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1

And....as you enjoy this book know that THE REIGN OF A QUEEN comes out Tuesday, January 28th, 2020...I'm excited for the last book in this series of three.

It is epic!!!!!! and fun.

Look for my interview on Author's Spotlight on morganhazelwood.com  coming on January 28, 2020

Changing the Cover Art for The Reign of a Queen and Music that Inspired the Story

I just never was that into my book cover for The Reign of a Queen, I thought it was sort of cheesy, but then I didn't, then I did, and then I found this!!!!!! YES! This one tells the story much better.
My fourteen year old agrees this is the one. So...three more weeks and The Reign of a Queen will be here. 
As a tidbit to tempt you I'm including a few songs that are fueling the writing at the moment. 
I Want You to Want MeGary JulesI love this... it's so haunting...Farrow's Song


This is also so sad and beautiful
Jasmine Thompson cover of Everybody Hurts ..Rayelynn's Song




So dark, deep and uplifting...Drayden's song.
Disturbed - Sounds of Silence


and Hallelujah by Pentatonix


and lastly, my daughter's choir :) but seriously this song got me...and it definitely foreshadows the end of this book and the trilogy :)
Sisi ni Moja (One World One People)

Changing the Cover Art for The Reign of a Queen

I just never was that into my book cover for The Reign of a Queen, I thought it was sort of cheesy, but then I didn't, then I did, and then I found this!!!!!! YES! This one tells the story much better.
My fourteen year old agrees this is the one. So...three more weeks and The Reign of a Queen will be here. 
As a tidbit to tempt you I'm including a few songs that are fueling the writing at the moment. 
I Want You to Want MeGary JulesI love this... it's so haunting...Farrow's Song


This is also so sad and beautiful
Jasmine Thompson cover of Everybody Hurts ..Rayelynn's Song




So dark, deep and uplifting...Drayden's song.
Disturbed - Sounds of Silence

This song just gets me...love writing to this. I know Cats bombed at the box office...but the music is so good. Beautiful Ghosts 


and Hallelujah by Pentatonix


and lastly, my daughter's choir :) but seriously this song got me...and it definitely foreshadows the end of this book and the trilogy :)
Sisi ni Moja (One World One People)

The Fall of Arcades is Free for a Few Days

The Fall of Arcades is free for a few days on Amazon...grab it up before it's gone. Woo hoo. From 12/30 to 1/2

https://www.amazon.com/Fall-Arcades-Fallen-Immortal-Romance-ebook/dp/B07NWSYQ1F/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=Azriel+Hope&qid=1577693719&s=books&sr=1-3

And in other news The Reign of the Queen is almost done :) and boy it is a doozy of an end to this trilogy.  Here is some teaser concept art to make you go hmmmmm... (all images totally just lifted from the internet. I'll commission the illustrator I work with for images for the book or further work) hint...one of her pictures is here :)

WARNING: Little itsy bitsy spoilers ahead....nothing that will change the journey only a nugget to make you wonder...


Someone might end up in Martu Mara!

and spoiler...


Rayelynn finally meets her real father and brother
and becomes a powerful Queen, Goddess, and Mother.





and Farrow a good father...

But at what cost?




That's all for now...The Reign of a Queen is coming soon.

The Rise of a King is on Amazon

I am so excited about this book....

THE RISE OF A KING IS FINALLY HERE...



https://www.amazon.com/Rise-King-Fallen-Immortal-Romance-ebook/dp/B0814XX5M8/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=The+Rise+of+a+King&qid=1573662838&sr=8-5

And...I'm already deep into book three which will be even more epic than the first two.

I hope you enjoy Rise of a King and please if you like the book, could you leave a review on Amazon.

Tomorrow I will be showing some concept art for the Reign of a Queen as a teaser...ENJOY...EVERYTHING!!!!!!

Music for The Rise of a King

Music, as well as pictures, is another thing that inspires me to write, often lingering in my head for days and days on end. I always write with music in my mind. This is the music that inspired Rise of a King.



Sometimes there's no rhyme or reason to why I listen to certain songs, but they just bring it out of me...whatever it is I need.

So for the Rise of a King, the story is dark, it's lonely and it's hopeful. So songs that expressed longing were the ones that drew me in. For whatever reason, I was obsessed with the Greatest Showman...so here are the two that stayed with me hard!

Rewrite the Stars. I feel like this is Drayden being romantic. He wants what he wants, even though it might be for the wrong reasons...he still is hopeful about it.


The next one is also from the Greatest Showman.

Never Enough. For this song, the context comes from Rayelynn's point of view. No matter what Drayden offers her and all that he tries to woo her with will never be enough because she loves Farrow. Love is deep and inexplicable and hers runs to the depths of her soul and though she learns to love Drayden...he will never be enough.



So as the story progresses, Drayden darkens...and I, without giving too much away of the story, I see Closer by Nine Inch Nails being kind of the vibe Drayden is working within the end...and it's super dark but still loving....ish.



Another storyline is Anastasia's where she must carry some of the weight that Farrow bears by necessity because Farrow is so lovelorn he is almost ineffective. She herself begins to feel overwhelming love and it overcomes her to the point she's not sure what she is anymore...it's beautiful and transformative and for some reason, this song spoke to me...I love how vulnerable it makes her.




And back to the Greatest Showman....for the end of the book....totally. Can't say why until the book comes out...but yes.it.is!!!!!


Hope you enjoyed this musical journey!!!!!!

And a freebee....this was just in my head. :) And not for any particular part, but it was there so...it's here.