A Taste of What's To Come

Numerous updates

May 15, 2024

Rena’s Desk

I’ve been rather busy this past week. I’m going to try to pack everything into this issue but something tells me I’m going to forget something.

The Nefarious Ones

I posted Monday about a new adventure I’m embarking on - The Nefarious Ones. I’m not going to repost everything, so do check out the post for complete details. But I’ll be posting new stories as I write them. Stories and poems will still have a home here as well, but there will be more exclusive content over on Ream.

The Timekeeper: Chapter 1

Chapter one of my crime/thriller The Timekeeper has been added to The Nefarious Ones. This first chapter is free for everyone to read. I'll be adding chapter two and subsequent chapters every Saturday.

I haven't decided if this series is going to be a novella or novel. Right now, I'm currently at a little over 46,000 words, which technically puts it in the novella category. I've read through up to chapter 8, so I still have a long way to go before the final word count.

The cover that's displayed on the site is not the final cover. This is book one of a five book series, so I want to make sure that all of the covers flow well together. I'll keep everyone updated on progress with the cover art and of course the final cover reveal when it's available.

Like Shorts?

I've added a new collection to The Nefarious Ones titled Twisted Tales. Here, I'll place any drabble, flash fiction, and short stories that I write.

Drabble - A story that's exactly 100 words
Flash Fiction - A story that's under 1,500 words
Short Story - A story that's under 10,000 words

The first story, Hilma, is free for everyone to read. The rest of the stories I add will be available for anyone who follows me. Some of those stories will also be posted here.

Worldbuilding

Sunday night I had this story idea pop into my head—Dark Fantasy. I don't have a title yet and I'm in the process of fleshing out the main characters. I wrote a rough of the prologue Monday night and then decided I needed to stop for the evening.

Woke up Tuesday and hit everything hard. I fixed up the prologue to make it readable (it was a hot mess when I went to bed). Played around a little with Armoria and created multiple coats of arms for the factions. Finished up with a map. It's going to be Low Fantasy, so it'll take place on Earth but...that's all I can tell you.

What's next? I came across this program Fantasia Archive. Right now, I'm playing around with it so I can get familiar with the software. I'll see how much information I can plug into the program this week.

Normally, I set everything up in WordPerfect, print out the information, and put it in a binder. But for this story, I'm going to need something a little better—or maybe just different—to help me stay organized. I'll still be able to print everything out and tuck it away on my bookshelf. But right now, I think this is the best option. That might change.

I'm a pantser, so I tend to write better when things are chaotic. My main goal is to get the main characters fleshed out and then I'll start moving through a few chapters and see what needs to be adjusted.

Backlist

I’m slowly getting my backlist added to the site. The backlist (previously released books) is available for the following tiers.

The Assimilated
The Deviant
The Shameless
The Unholy
The Irredeemable

Shadows and Mirrors has already been added. I’ll be working on getting Woven Tales and The Devil’s Grave added within the next couple of weeks.

On Repeat

I came across this song a couple of years ago and fell in love with it. It’s currently on repeat, so figured I’d share it with everyone. I hope you enjoy Have Your Love by Uncle Mary.

Visit my official site for more information regarding new releases and forthcoming books. Visit Owl-Raven Books, my official store, for purchasing books and other merchandise. You can also purchase books and merchandise through my official Etsy store.

Alright ya’ll. Time to get back to work.

Enjoy the rest of your week,

Rena Aliston