Erinn Harper's Blog, page 3

I’M NOW ON KO-FI!

Or, more accurately, I’ve relaunched the account I made a couple years back (and never touched)!

Since publishing Stormbringer last year, I’ve been wanting a home for bonus content, exclusives, and other material that I didn’t want to shoehorn into social media or my website.

I experimented with Patreon for about half a year before ultimately deciding it wasn’t for me, and then realized Ko-Fi had made some additions to their platform that didn’t exist when I first launched my account a couple years back. I found their “all-in-one” approach much better suited to my needs and interests, so I’ve decided to wipe off the dust and take Ko-Fi for another proper spin.

WHAT TO EXPECT ON KO-FI

I’ll be posting bonus content on Ko-Fi for free! That way, I won’t feel pressured to keep a strict monthly schedule going (that was my undoing on Patreon), and supporters won’t feel pressured to commit to a membership. When I say “bonus content,” I mean things such as:

Deleted scenes

Behind-the-scenes content

Worldbuilding & character studies

Other odds & ends that need a home

For the foreseeable future, I won’t be utilizing membership tiers. However, I’d like to treat monthly supporters to a shoutout of some kind—maybe here on my website or even in the acknowledgments of my next book!

I will also be using Ko-Fi for a fun little treat…but I’m not quite ready to divulge that just yet, so stay tuned!

In the meantime, I’ve already made several posts, so go check them out! Be sure to give me a follow, too, so you can have future posts right on your feed.

Thank you for taking a peek! ☕

TEA ROOM TALKS: BLACKBIRD

Hello and welcome to my first official Tea Room Talk!

Today I’m delighted to introduce my first Tea Room guest: Blackbird, author of the fantasy web serial Shadows Rise, available to read on her website or over on Royal Road.

Blackbird is a Brazilian author and one side of the coin that is the Shadows Crew, an international writing duo established back in 2010 on a roleplay forum. She serves as the primary writer for five stories that all take place in the fictional country of Valcrest and is currently fleshing out a couple solo projects, as well.

My tea of choice today: Fortnum & Mason’s afternoon blend, which happens to be one of four teas gifted to me from London!

HARPER: First of all, thank you for volunteering to be my first Tea Room guest! I appreciate the interest. I've got myself a nice, mild black tea....so naturally, I have to first ask: what is your tea (or hot beverage) of choice? And do you have any favorites specifically for writing?

BLACKBIRD: I like peppermint tea, or chamomile tea with honey. I'm basic lol. Full disclosure though, my writing beverage is usually Coke, even in winter (or as much winter as you get in Brazil anyway).

HARPER: Hey, those are soothing! Nothing wrong with that. And don't worry, I won't judge on the Coke...

So, ideal writing atmosphere. What's yours? Do you prefer the bustle of the tea house, so to speak, or the quiet solitude of a tea room? Can you write with other people around?

BLACKBIRD: I prefer to retreat to my writer cave by myself, though I don't do too well with silence. I need to have music. I can't focus very well with other people around, even if they're quiet because the thought that they might pay attention to me is enough to throw me off.

HARPER: Yep, I'm the same way. I don't know how other writers manage to write in public places... I do welcome the silence, though. Most times!

What would you say is your primary motivation for writing? Is it purely for fun? Is it more of an escape? Or something else entirely?

BLACKBIRD: I think it's primarily an outlet. I've always had a hyperactive imagination. Even before I could effectively write I was always coming up with stories in my head. I'd play pretend with my friends and I'd always be the one driving the narrative. But it's also definitely an escape and a way to process and explore emotions in a safe environment. And also connect with other people in a way through sharing it; nerve-wracking as that part may be.

HARPER: Oh wow, that's wild. We have a lot in common, it seems! I never played pretend with friends; it was usually with my brother or just by myself with a host of little plastic animals. I definitely feel you on the escape/processing bit. I feel that's very true for a lot of writers these days...

I think I can guess the answer to this next one, but do you see yourself writing for the rest of your life? Or do you potentially see yourself moving on to other passions?

BLACKBIRD: I don't think I know how to stop. The only other things I've been nearly as passionate about were music and archery, but I wouldn't trade writing for either if that was somehow a choice I had to make.

HARPER: Yeah, I don't, either. I've already lost one passion (drawing); I'd hate to have that happen with writing, too. Also, archery is a badass passion.

Are there any pieces of media that have influenced your projects?

BLACKBIRD: Shadows Rise: that world in general, that's existed for so long that I'm not sure I can even pinpoint where the ideas were born. I was very into the Diablo games as a kid (the first two at least) and that was my first contact with a medieval world that was more bleak and gritty. And I think that highly influenced the tone I took when I created Valcrest. For Shadows Rise specifically I drew some inspiration from Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Walking Dead comics for how, you know, how to develop character and how I wanted to pace it because it was my first venture into writing something in a serialized format. As for my other WIP, Chosen? I can easily pinpoint things like Arcane and She-Ra as direct inspirations. But also my love for the traditional “Chosen One” fantasy adventure format, as well as my frustrations with it. Things like Lord of the Rings, the Wizard Books I don't wanna name, the Dungeons and Dragons cartoon, etc.

HARPER: What a fascinating blend of media. I love hearing stuff like this; it really goes to show how important it is to explore all sorts of media for writing—not simply books. Also, you've reminded me that I really need to sink my teeth into Arcane...

So, speaking of inspirations, I understand that Shadows Rise was born out of roleplay? At what point in the roleplay journey did you decide, "Hey, we should serialize this?"

BLACKBIRD: Absolutely do watch the fuck out of Arcane. It's amazing and will destroy you emotionally. And yeah, SR is technically a prequel to the storyline of those RPs. It's the backstory to some of those characters. I'm really not sure how it started; I talked to a couple friends about the roleplay. I was GMing and much like with play-pretend I was responsible for driving the narrative a lot of the time, so I'd often just ramble at them about my characters and plot points. And at one point they started reading it and sharing it around until it happened that we had a readership of about 20 to 30 people for this roleplay that was horribly written and terribly paced because it was supposed to be just a game for us.

But people got invested. And we were also very attached to this world and these characters. So we debated often, extensively, what to do about that. It was mostly just talk, to be honest. We'd say, "Oh, we should make a novelization”, "We should make it into a comic/animated series/audio drama…” We'd daydream, but...I didn't feel like we'd be able to keep the same voice and storytelling style we developed with any of those mediums. Like, I was unhappy with the thought of making it into a traditional novel series. I didn't feel it would work.

It wasn't until we were in the middle of our third RP installment that I decided I wanted to write that backstory on the side and I discovered things like Worm and The Wandering Inn and started reading up on the web serial format and I realized... Yeah, this fits our style perfectly. It allows the same freedom and the same level of reader interaction we were already accustomed to. The RP was dying down at that point. People have lives. We were together for several years; it happens. But Plotstains—my then co-GM—and I weren't prepared to give Valcrest up just yet, so...I decided, it's time, we're gonna do it. And three years later, here we are.

HARPER: That's incredible! For a long time, I thought about doing the same with my current series, but I longed to hold a physical book in my hands, so the craving for novelization won in the end. I, too, stumbled across Worm and The Wandering Inn and marveled at how many people were willing to not only read such a sprawling work, but also spend money to read chapters ahead of others. Truly remarkable stuff.

Are there any sorts of feelings, emotions, motifs, or aesthetics you want readers to associate with you and your work?

BLACKBIRD: It's actually surprising to me how not only are people willing to support Shadows Rise on Patreon, but also there have been people wiling to support my solo projects in development because of how much they want to see them come to fruition. Readers are amazing.

If we're talking my entire body of work, I'd say I'd like to be known as an author who explores the human condition as much as possible. What are the psychological and emotional aspects involved with going on a revenge path? What toll does that realistically take? What are the personal implications of being dubbed the Chosen One, expected to be a savior and having your entire identity built up around a role you didn't have the freedom to choose for yourself? The mental and emotional toll that takes on a young child being brought up this way? What kind of a person do they become really underneath all those expectations? That's the kind of stuff that really gets me going. I like to delve into that side of things with anything I do.

HARPER: I definitely like that approach to the "Chosen One" theme. It's a refreshing take and one I hope to see more of in the fantasy genres.

Just a couple more questions for today! First, do you include any hobbies, interests, or fascinations in your work (like archery)? I love spotting stuff like this; it really adds a bit more personalization to an author's work.

BLACKBIRD: Yes. I like to include music in my work. I write to music a lot. I always have at least one character in my stuff who plays an instrument. In Shadows Rise, it's Gabrielle; in Chosen?, it's Farene (Rae has an ocarina and tries to play it, but...that's debatable lol), and Fae in general, their language is essentially music. My third WIP—which I didn't mention until now because it's very much on the back burner right now—Wasted Youth, revolves around music a lot. It's about my musicians; the chapters are gonna be named after songs… It's gonna be entirely self-indulgent in that way.

The archery thing is funny. Because the protagonist of my first attempted novel was an archer, I started doing research; this was back when I was 17, and I found a course that was pretty inexpensive in my city... And I went and learned it. So kind of a reverse situation there: it became a hobby because I wrote it.

HARPER: Ohh, I love that—the archery bit. The same thing happened to me with language learning. I delved into Finnish to help me plot a future conlang and ended up falling in love with the language to the point where I really want to become fluent someday. That's awesome.

I am so with you on the self-indulgence. I feel like there's no better way to express who you truly are as a human being than to inject those types of elements into your art.

One final question: what is an unexpected element or event that has come up in your writing/publishing journey in the last year? Good or bad, just anything that came as a surprise?

BLACKBIRD: Chosen?… Just having solo projects at all, to be honest, because I've always been a very one-track mind writer. I'd been working on the Shadows Series for a full-on decade and nothing else. Chosen? though, it gripped me in a way that shocked me. Like a random thought of "I want to take the ‘Chosen One’ format and bend it in some way," and usually these ideas come and go, but with this one... It took just a little bit of a nudging from one of my best friends and in the span of one afternoon I had a handful of characters and a whole damn magic system. I wasn't ready to work multiple projects and I'm still adjusting to that notion, but it's been immensely fun to worldbuild an entirely new setting for the first time again.

HARPER: Are you still in the worldbuilding stage or have you started drafting that one?

BLACKBIRD: I did start a bare-bones chapter one for it, but officially right now I'm outlining. I don't usually outline, but at least a loose one for this I feel would be helpful. Worldbuilding never ends because I figure out a lot of stuff as I go, but I've done enough that with enough time and energy available I can start thinking about actually drafting.

HARPER: Wow. Sounds like you've got a lot of pots on the stove, then. I'm so happy you've found a readership eager to sample your solo work!

I appreciate you taking the time to chat with me today! May your projects treat you gently going forward...

For more information on Tea Room Talks, including how to apply, please read this post !

1 YEAR OF STORMBRINGER

It feels absolutely wild to say this, but today, June 1st, marks the 1-year anniversary of Stormbringer’s publication! You’d think after publishing number three in the series, I’d be able to wrap my head around this, but nope. Still can’t.

In the time since publishing this book, I’ve learned a lot: about myself, my process, and the story I’ve been trying to tell since 2015. In retrospect, it was incredibly ambitious of me to debut with a 5-book series, but I honestly don’t know what other project I would have started with because it was Nikkeah who sunk his little well-manicured claws into me. He grabbed my brain and wouldn’t let go, but more than that, he was not satisfied with a standalone. His story, he insisted, was much larger than that, and he deserved all the pomp of a multiple-book series (with all manners of extras).

Dreamwalker is by no means the only project on my plate. In fact, I have two other WIPs marinating on the back burner—one of which existed before Dreamwalker did. But I chose to go with Nikkeah’s story because I had fleshed him out so thoroughly in unrelated roleplays that I had a strong vision of his voice, personality, passions, and everything else that contributed to what you see on page. And after a year of Stormbringer (and Halfsleeper, and Shatterstorm) existing in the world, it’s clear to me that I made the right choice for my debut project. I’ve had multiple readers tell me how much they love Nikkeah despite all his flaws, and I fervently believe it’s because I had spent all those years fleshing out all his details and quirks, even if they don’t take center stage in the novels.

With that said, I know Nikkeah doesn’t click with everyone. That’s how fiction works: not every story is for every reader. And Dreamwalker, I’d say, is a pretty niche story. But in the year since publishing, I’ve encountered a nice handful of readers who have enjoyed it, and for that, I’m immensely grateful. I don’t think it’s really hit me that the books I wrote are sitting on people’s shelves all across the world.

So, thank you, gentle readers, for giving Nikkeah and his story a chance, even if Stormbringer didn’t resonate with you.

And if you haven’t tried it yet, head on over to Amazon because Stormbringer is available for FREE today (for non-KU readers, that is)! Please consider rating/reviewing, too, as reviews are what help me reach more readers!

Happy Pride! 💜

COMING SOON: TEA ROOM TALKS

So, I’m pretty terrible at engaging with the writing community. Social media is pretty crappy for mental health, so I try not to spend too much time on it; Discord servers can quickly get overwhelming, so I often don’t contribute much… It doesn’t leave many options for engaging with or uplifting my fellow authors.

But then I thought: why not author chats?

Author interviews are something I’ve been quietly fond of for a while. I appreciate any opportunity where authors discuss their craft together and support one another, so it was inevitable that I would feel drawn to hosting my own. They’re low-pressure and easy to manage. And readers usually end up discovering something interesting along the way.

With that said, I’m pretty stoked to introduce my new blog series, Tea Room Talks! Named for my love and passion for tea and the cozy, intimate atmosphere of a tea room, Tea Room Talks will feature a different indie/self-pub author every month and explore their process and inspirations.

If you’re an indie/self-pub author and you’d like to apply, you can find the form here! Please note that it may be some time before I contact you, as I already have a handful of applicants ready for the upcoming months. Additionally, application does not guarantee a slot; I reserve the right to accept or reject applicants as I see fit.

Stay tuned for the first talk, coming soon in early June!

MY BOOKSHELF AND RECS

So, confession: I don’t like Goodreads for book organization. It’s slow, clunky, and not visually appealing. I’m the type of reader who values aesthetic, so seeing a list of tiny, low-res covers alongside hyphenated shelf titles does nothing to inspire my love of these books (and of organization).

That said, I’m primarily an ebook reader (I don’t value physical copies any less; I just don’t have the space or money right now to invest in paperbacks and hardcovers of all my favorites), and I’ve always craved a digital place to organize all the books I’ve enjoyed.

My current solution? Pinterest.

I realize most people don’t pay much attention to Pinterest these days beyond gathering material for moodboards, but it’s honestly the best way for me (at present) to organize my books. At a glance, I see not only the mood & vibe of the books, but the stunning covers, as well, and I have them linked straight to Goodreads if I ever need to reference them there. It may not be the perfect solution, but it’s a lot cleaner and more visually appealing than trying to organize them on Goodreads.

You can find my bookshelf HERE. It’s worth saying that this board is a fluid work-in-progress; I’m always adding books and reassigning sections when I think of more fitting categories. Rather than organize by genre, I organize by theme, mood, or vibe. If you check out the collection, you’ll see what I mean. I like to think of books as having flavor profiles, but that would be too much info to cram into a section title.

Consider my bookshelf a recommendation page, too! Every book I’ve added there has a personal rating of 3 stars or higher, so this collection doesn’t represent every book I’ve read—simply every book I thought was decent (or better). It’s also worth noting that I don’t organize my books by trad/indie or by rep, but it’s safe to assume that A) a nice handful of those books are small press/self-pub and B) a lot more of them are queer.

Feel free to follow the board if you’d like!

SHATTERSTORM AVAILABLE NOW

It’s here! Shatterstorm, the third installment of Dreamwalker, is available now on Amazon! Go check it out!

If you’re new to Dreamwalker, more information about the series can be found here. It’s a niche, gritty urban fantasy series similar in vibe to Vicious (Villains), and it features plenty of queer rep.

I can’t believe we’ve reached the halfway point for this series. After Shatterstorm, there will be two more books to wrap up Dreamwalker. In fact, I’ve just finished writing the fourth installment, which will be packed up and sent to my editor in mid-June for some much-needed pampering.

In the meantime, I’m preparing for an imminent move, so I’ve got a lot on my plate!

Until next time! 💜

2021: A YEAR IN BOOKS

In addition to publishing my first two books, 2021 was also my most prolific reading year to date! I managed to read 41 books this year, crushing my goal of 35 and even toppling last year’s 31. To celebrate, I wanted to review my year in books…

MY TOP 5 READS OF 2021

#5: THE BEAR AND THE NIGHTINGALE / KATHERINE ARDEN

It was the worldbuilding, the writing style, and the character development that really grabbed me in this one. Vasilisa is a delightfully feisty, no-nonsense protagonist who defied a lot of the standard female tropes that usually dominate YA fantasy. Her conflict was an intriguing one that felt grounded in reality (for lack of a better term). I look forward to seeing how the sequel holds up.

#4: THE SCORPIO RACES / MAGGIE STIEFVATER

Oh, Maggie. I discovered my love of Maggie last year when tackling The Raven Cycle and Call Down the Hawk, but I wanted to try something outside of that universe, so I went with The Scorpio Races. Maggie’s style resonates so beautifully with me; she has a real knack for injecting soul into her work, and this book was no different.

#3: A LESSON IN VENGEANCE / VICTORIA LEE

Perhaps a bit of a controversial take, but I have a weakness for books that inspire dread and discomfort—books that make me say aloud, “Oh…crap.” And I have to admit, A Lesson in Vengeance was one of those books. The witchy, dark academia vibes were fun, but in the end, it was those feelings of dread that made me enjoy this book.

#2: THE BAYOU / ARDEN POWELL

I discovered Arden’s sampling of queer fantasy this year and read three of their books in a single month, but The Bayou was by far my favorite. The southern horror vibes were delicious, and the narrative was so damn compelling. I definitely want this in print someday soon.

#1: A DOWRY OF BLOOD / S.T. GIBSON

And here we have my #1 read of the year. This was such a beautiful book, from the writing style to the stunning MC. It’s not often I really enjoy female protagonists, but Constanta has my whole heart. This is how I want all my vampire fiction to be.

STATISTICS

MOST-READ GENRE: fantasy (zero surprise there)

AVERAGE RATING: 3.6

SHORTEST BOOK: Opal by Maggie Stiefvater

LONGEST BOOK: Don’t Call the Wolf by Aleksandra Ross

WRAP-UP

Overall, 2021 felt like an exploratory year in books. I tried to dabble in some things I don’t normally read, like poetry and horror, and began venturing further into indie & self-pubs. I even started making use of my local library this year, which has been a rewarding experience.

For 2022, I’m aiming for 40 books. 40 is a comfortable pace for me. I have a lot of interesting and exciting books in my TBR, including books from fellow queer indie authors.

I’m starting 2022 with Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo. Let the reading commence!

ONWARD TO 2022

2021. What a year.

It had its ups and downs, but here at the end, I'‘m moving into 2022 feeling hopeful, even tentatively excited, because I reached a massive milestone in my writing career: I published my first book. Heck, my first two books. I have to keep telling myself that, because it remains a surreal concept…even though I’ve been published since June.

Publishing is a dream I’ve nurtured since I was a preteen. I spent middle school and high school drafting up silly little novels in the hopes that I would finish one of them around graduation and hop straight into a career as an author. That definitely did not happen, and looking back, I’m glad it didn’t, because those really were silly little novels, and even though I was one of the stronger writers in my classes, I had no idea how to tell a compelling story.

In many ways, I still don’t. One does not simply master the art of storytelling after publishing a single book. I’ve revisited Stormbringer and Halfsleeper many times since publishing each of them, and I’m already finding things to fix…but that’s how it goes, right? We’ll always find something to fix. The challenge is learning not to fixate.

At the end of the day, the Dreamwalker series will always hold a special place in my heart, and not just because it’s my debut series. Dreamwalker contains so many pieces and elements of me that I consider the series more of a homage to my 20s. It holds my anger, my frustrations, my discoveries, my fascinations, and even my simple joys. The characters are, in part, representations of me at my best and my worst. At times, they are filled with my love. Other times, my rage and helplessness.

Here at the end of 2021, I’m only just beginning to discover what people think of Dreamwalker. So far, the reception has been positive, but I know there will inevitably come a day when readers start chiming in with the opposite. But that’s all right. I write for myself before anyone else.

As for 2022, I’m looking forward to publishing #3 and #4 in the series, in spring and fall respectively. As of now, #3 is with my precious editor, enjoying a well-earned massage. I’ll also be finishing #5, the final book, toward the end of the year. That, to me, is wildest of all!

I close 2021 with one emotion above all: gratitude. Launching a career as an author with practically no platform is a massive challenge, but thanks to a host of wonderful people, I’m charging into 2022 with excitement and enthusiasm. I could ask for no better way to end a turbulent year.

Thank you, thank you, thank you. Wishing each of us an abundant and peaceful new year!

COVER UPDATES FOR DREAMWALKER

Happy December, witchlings and dreamers!

With NaNoWriMo wrapping up, I wanted to take a moment to talk about some upcoming changes for my Dreamwalker series: specifically, the covers.

You may have noticed that Stormbringer now has two different covers: one for ebook format and another for print/paperback. This wasn’t the plan when I first launched Stormbringer as an ebook back in June. The print cover was intended to be the cover for both ebook and print; however, my darling artist Juimon created such a vibrant side commission of Nikkeah that I felt the need to use it somewhere…and what better place than on a cover?

After I launched the paperbacks for Stormbringer in early October, I planned to continue this trend for the remainder of my series: bright and vibrant covers for ebooks and sleek, black covers for paperbacks. However, due to budget constraints, I’ve had to make a financial decision to stick with only one style of cover for both ebook and print.

So what does this mean?

Well, the last thing I want to do is confuse readers with such conflicting styles, so going forward, I’ll be sticking with the print style of cover only. I’ll also be replacing existing ebook covers (Stormbringer and Halfsleeper) with their print counterparts across sellers when and where I can. If you already own these ebooks, you’ll likely get to keep the old covers. Sites like Goodreads will also have records of the old covers, so with any luck, things won’t get too confusing…

Thanks for bearing with me as I make these changes! Keep your eyes open next week, as I’ll be showcasing the new cover for Halfsleeper!

HALFSLEEPER AVAILABLE NOW

It’s here!

The sequel to Stormbringer launches today in ebook format! Join Nikkeah as he navigates his strange, new existence between the waking world and the Echoes…

Paperbacks will be launching later this year, but ebooks are available now! Pick up your copy on AMAZON or these OTHER RETAILERS.

If you’re new to the series, check it out here!

If you enjoy my work, please consider leaving a review or rating so others can discover it, too! Thank you for your interest & support, and happy October!