Raye Steinman's Blog, page 2

March Update

Hello everyone! I hope the spring is treating you well. Here on my side of the world it’s still balmy and warm. For everyone buried under the snow, I hope you’re comfy! This time of year is super hectic for me, so until about May I won’t have a lot to show y’all, but here’s what is going on in the Null world.

Story Progress

I’ve almost finished the Null sequel edits. After this round it will go to beta readers, go for another round of edits, and then head over to the editor. I’m hoping to be close to publishing the sequel by next year.

The Null novella is about halfway finished. This will be a 10 chapter adventure with Ahvram, Dominic, and Tzulie. Here’s a snippet for you hungry souls!

To say that Ahvram had plans this evening was a misnomer. After spending close to ten hours working in the Arcanum with Hector, he was quite looking forward to the solitude he had planned specifically for tonight. Since his room in the barracks could be described, at best, as functional and practical, he had created a plan for his evening that involved inhabiting a more aesthetically pleasing space. Ahvram was far from ungrateful; the room was his, and he was allowed to live in the Prism free of charge, provided he continued to work for the Queen, so he did like the room. It just wasn’t the most conducive of places to read.The Queen’s Garden, however, was. Even in the dead heat of summer, the garden was cool and comfortable. Tall trees, canopies of vines and leaves, and the expertly curated flowerbeds made the garden a shady and refreshing space to relax in. Ahvram even had a favorite spot within the garden—a marble bench tucked into its own verdant alcove. Surrounding the bench was a veil of vines that produced white flowers that had bright blue centers. Butterflies of all colors and shapes frequented the spot, and Ahvram found he quite liked the little creatures. Once or twice he had been sitting still enough for one to sit on the rim of his glasses. It had felt like a blessing.new artA new portrait of Tzulie from Jaclyn Weber AKA MistyTang.

That’s all for now! Don’t forget, if you have fanart or fan-questions, please feel free to send them my way. Send in your question here.

February Update

Hello all! I hope your first few months of 2022 have been treating you well.

Sequels & More Stories

NULL book two has officially entered its first editing draft. For reference, NULL took 7-10 rounds of editing by myself, and then 2-3 with a professional editor. So we’ve just started down a long road with this story. However, I’ll not leave you guys wanting. Here is a snippet from Chapter 2:

From below there was no way to tell if Hector was here or not. It had been hours since the meeting with the queen, and the chance that he had come back was relatively high. Or, he could have gone home early.Sometimes shoes only get in the way. Tzulie said in the back of his head.In a second his shoes were off and tucked under his arm. Sliding his feet carefully over each step, he silently made his way upwards. As soon as he could see the floor of the third level Ahvram looked to Hector’s door. If he weren’t so focused on being stealthy, he would have cursed. There was light emanating from under the door. Hector was in. Ahvram halted his ascent and started weighing his options.He wasn’t here to work on his experiment, which was a bonus.But Hector had told him to go rest, which was a penalty.He needed a book from this floor to help him with the queen’s new mission. Good reason to be here.But he could easily get it in the morning. Another reason to be in bed.In a move that would make both Tzulie and the Hawke smack Ahvram upside the head, he looked away from his target and to the ground. It was just a moment as he tried to think, and he leaned a bit heavier on the railing of the staircase—And it groaned. Loudly. Because metal and wood tended to do that.New Short Story: Little Mina

Click here to read my most recent entry into the NYC Midnight Short Story competition. The competition gives 3 parameters in their prompt: genre – a thriller, setting – a sleepover, and a character who is an exercise fan. I think this story came out more horror than thriller, but I hope you enjoy it!

Ask the Author Questions

Want to learn more about NULL? Have any questions about me and my writing process? Send in your question and you may see it answered in the next update!

“How do Wildlanders get their pledge animals/nicknames? ” from Bon

Most Wildlanders pick their pledge animals, though there are similar animals in families. For instance, the Hawke has a sister named the Sparrow. If a Wildlander doesn’t feel especially connected to one animal, the Elders will have that person meditate and go through rituals to find their pledge animal.

“HECTOR I HAVE A BURNING QUESTION PLS: Pet a dog, pet a cat or pet Ahvram?” from Bon

Author/Artist’s Note: You know I love the question when I draw an answer.

Hector smiles knowingly, but instead says, “A cat is always good company.”

January Update

Welcome to the monthly update. Let’s get going with all the good news!

We’ve officially sold 135 copies of NULL! That doesn’t even begin to count the numbers of people who have read the novel in Kindle Unlimited.

Thank you to everyone who’s read the story. A crazy strong bear hug from Hawke for those who have reviewed and rated the novel on Amazon and/or GoodReads. A sweet and gentle hug from Hector to everyone who’s recommended the book to anyone they know. My undying gratitude for all of the above.

SEQUEL & MORE STORIES

NULL book 2 is officially moving into the second draft. If you’re a fan of the Wildlanders, you’re going to love book 2.

The first NULL NOVELLA is halfway through draft one. Here’s the premise:

Tzulie has a problem: a thief who's able to lift everything from a given shop without disturbing any enchantments. To combat the growing issue, she enlists the help of Ahvram and Dominic in tracking down the thief. The next robbery leaves no evidence, but adds the shopkeeper's body. Now it's a race against time to find the thief before they can do more damage.FANART

Cecily by Patty

I love fanart! If you have any, please send your images to rayewritesstories@gmail.com

Thank you guys for everything. See you soon!

-Raye

Happy Holidays~

I’m now officially on winter break, so I wanted to tell everyone Happy Holidays! I hope all of you get a chance to relax during the holidays, I know I plan to.

Huge thank you to everyone who has read Null. It’s been a passion project since 2019. Anyone who knows me knows I’ve been writing since I was a kid, but this is the first story I’ve ever taken to publishing. It means so much to me that I’ve made something that even a few people enjoy. You all rock.

Now on to some fun stuff. Here’s a sketch of everyone’s favorite Chief Arcanist Hector done by the amazing Misty!

And we’ve got one from Lintetathren!

I legit love fanart and I’ve been so excited to see what my characters look like to readers, so feel free to send me whatever you draw of them! Use rayewritesstories@gmail.com!

Happy holidays to everyone!

-Raye

Null on Sale!

Hello Null fans and To-Be Null fans!

Did you want a copy of Null? Did you want to get your friend a copy of Null? As of today, the eBook is on sale! Starting today, Null is $0.99.

Click the image below to go straight to Amazon.

-Raye

Welcome and News!

Hello Null fans!

To get started, thanks for stopping by. The site still has a bit of work before it is perfect, but now I have something to show off all my work in. Stay tuned for updates and changes during this beginning and learning period.

News

Ask The Author

There is now an Ask the Author tag. Ask me questions about the Nullverse, myself, or your favorite character! Exciting and interesting questions will be posted, giving everyone a chance to enjoy new tidbits of information.

Thank You to everyone who has already stopped by the site and purchased their copy of Null. I can’t wait to get more stories out to you soon!

~Raye