Renna Ashley's Blog, page 2

It's Release Day!!

Wow, today's the day!! A Shattered Kingdom of Steel is now out in the world for you to read! I know I always say this, but it feels like just yesterday, I started my draft of this book. To see it now, in print, published, is such a dream come true.

Lymseia was such a joy to write. She's your bad*ss, strong FMC, but inside, she's dealing with an internal struggle I think many of us, including myself, can relate to: wondering "Am I enough?" and "Can I really do this?" I think the way she comes into herself and her "power" is a testament to her overall strength.

Plus, Asheros is the best shadow daddy, in my (incredibly biased) opinion. He has everything you love in a shadow daddy--wit, snark, a devilish, sinful charm. But at the same time, beneath the mask he projects, he's struggled to feel accepted and found his own family. Which now, if she'll have him, includes Lymseia.

I hope this story resonates with you as much as it does with me, and you fall in love with these characters. As always, thank you SO much for reading!

Until next time,

Renna :)

Let's Dust Off the Cobwebs, Shall We?

Gosh, it's been a while since I've written here. So much has happened since ABTOB's release day: I've drafted A Shattered Kingdom of Steel, the second book in the Of Metals and Curses series, and I'm waiting on beta reader feedback before I get back into editing; I've made some new author and bookish besties; I've just about finished my second year of law school (which sounds unbelievable when I type it out; and my fiancé and I have started planning our wedding. Needless to say, life has been pretty busy. All good things, though!

Now, I'm in the home stretch with my finals and cannot wait to get back into editing ASKOS. The more I get into this book, the more I can't wait for you all to read it! Lymseia and Asheros will bring you all some top-notch banter, found family, forced proximity, and fated mates deliciousness that I hope you all will love. I know I do!

For those of you that may not know, ASKOS is set to release on September 6th, 2024, and eARC signups will be going out this summer. If you're dying to get your hands on this book ASAP, then be sure to keep an eye out for that! With that being said, I should probably get back to studying (sigh).

Until next time (hopefully not so long again),

Renna

Happy Release Day to ABTOB!

The day is finally here! A Broken Throne of Bronze is now officially live on Amazon and B&N.com! (Excuse me for a minute while I freak out.) I know I sound like a broken record at this point (haha, broken) but I am truly so, so excited for you all to meet Cryssa and Viridian, and be part of their love story.

For those of you that have been following my progress with this book from day one, I can't wait for you to finally hold the finished product in your hands, whether that be the Kindle version, or a print paperback or hardcover edition. And for those of you that are new here, welcome! A Broken Throne of Bronze is the first book in a new, spicy fantasy romance series featuring all your favorite tropes, including: enemies/rivals to lovers, fated mates, one horse, knife to the throat, touch her and die, beauty and the beast vibes, and so much more. Each book in the Of Metals and Curses series will focus on one couple and one of Inatia's five noble Houses/Courts, plus an overarching plot that builds with each installment.

I'm already hard at work drafting Book 2 and have been pulling out my laptop to write whenever I'm not reading cases or studying. Midterm season is coming up in October, which will make it harder to get words down, but I'm hoping to start sharing updates on Book 2 soon!

For now, feel free to tag me on social media if you enjoyed ABTOB, so I can fangirl with you! And to those of you who are artists, I’d love to see your fan art (it’s been a lifelong dream of mine to see my characters brought to life!) I can’t wait to hear your thoughts, and I hope you love it. Happy reading

Until next time,

Renna

It's ABTOB Release Month!

It's September! That means the countdown to A BROKEN THRONE OF BRONZE release day is on! Only 24 days to go! (cue the excited screaming here).

I am so, so excited for you all to finally read this book. Many of you have been here since the beginning, when I posted my first TikTok video, and I am so excited for the wait to finally come to an end. While this isn't my first time publishing a book, this is the first time that I've had people waiting for one of my books to release. Because of that, writing and publishing this book has been so, so exhilarating, but also nerve-wracking. Once ABTOB officially goes out into the world, it becomes its own entity--it won't be just mine anymore, but yours, too.

ARC reviews are really coming in now as we approach release day, and I wanted to thank every ARC reader who has read and reviewed so far! I can't tell you how appreciative I am that you all took aside the time to read and share your honest feedback. Reviews (both positive and negative) help authors like me so, so much, because it lets potential readers know what to expect and gives them information to go off when making the decision to pick up my book. Thank you!

If you're still waiting to get your hands on a copy of this beauty, hang in there! I cannot wait for you to meet Cryssa and Viridian and immerse yourself in the Of Metals and Curses world.

Until next time,

Renna

The Light at the End of the Tunnel...

So I've been radio silent everywhere--Instagram, TikTok...this blog (cue the side eye)--but it's only because I've been busy getting A BROKEN THRONE OF BRONZE ready for release.

As an indie author, writing, editing, and polishing the book itself isn't where the work ends. Then comes the formatting, hiring a cover designer (or designing it yourself, like I did), and more of the housekeeping things that go into publishing a book. If you read my July newsletter (if you haven't signed up for my mailing list yet, stop what you're doing and go do that!!) you probably know that July was a very editing focused month for me. I did all the major story edits and rewrites in July, and wrapped up minor flow edits into the first days of August.

I just finished formatting the eBook, paperback, and hardcover editions of ABTOB, and have made the product pages for those in Amazon and Barnes & Noble. (Yay!) Print copy pre-orders should go live on Barnes & Noble's website very soon! Stay tuned for my August newsletter to be the first to know when those are available ;)

Now, all that's left to do is send out ARC acceptances and get ARCs out into the world! (Eek!) I can't wait to see what you all think, and hope you love Cryssa and Viridian's story as much as I do.

Since I'll be traveling for two weeks the second half of the month (and hitting the ground running with my second year of law school when I get back) the pressure is on to get all book-related tasks done before I leave (hence, the stress). But, all the hard work is so worth it, and letting ABTOB out into the world and into the hands of readers like you will be so, so rewarding. I can't wait!

Hopefully I won't be so radio silent from here on out, but I make no promises

Until next time and happy reading,

Renna

Rough Draft? Check!

After months of drafting, I've finally finished writing the rough draft of A BROKEN THRONE OF BRONZE (cue the excited screaming here).

Whoa. What a ride writing this book has been! I've had such a wonderful time seeing where this story would go, and really feel like I went along for the ride with the two lead characters, Cryssa and Viridian (our kick-ass FMC and dark-haired MMC).

I've sent off my manuscript for feedback, and now, it's time for the dreaded editing stage (sigh.) For me, the drafting stage is the fun part. But I know how important editing is. This is the time to refine the story, make substantial revisions and changes, and all the tweaks (whether big or small) that will make a huge difference in turning this book into the final product you'll ultimately hold in your hands. The journey's not over yet, and I have some exciting news to share with you all on Monday, July 3rd.

Until then, I hope you all have a wonderful day, and I'll catch you next time!

Renna

Get to Know Me!

Hello! My name is Renna!

I'm a bookworm, cookie-monster, life-long fantasy reader and writer. And I'm a soon-to-be published indie author.

My current WIP (work in progress) isn't the first book I've written, but it will be the first book I've published in the fantasy romance genre under this pen name. If you like women with swords, swoon worthy MMC's, and fantasy worlds that will make you forget you're reading, then follow along to be part of my author journey! I'd love to have you along for the ride :)

My WIP is still relatively early on in the drafting progress, but my goal is to publish before the end of this year (2023) or early 2024. I can't wait to get this book into your hands. I know it's going to be a good one, and I hope you love it!

Here's some of the tropes and elements I've already included, and will be featured in the first book of my upcoming series:

Enemies to lovers (um, yes!) Spice Fae Knife to the throat trope Ballroom scene Forced marriage Loose Beauty and the Beast retelling

For updates, subscribe to my blog, or follow me on TikTok or Instagram to see sneak peaks from my WIP.

Hope you all have a wonderful day, and I'll catch you next time!

Renna