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Manon Blackbeak Fan Art.

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i believe there's a special place in Heaven, or whatever afterlife you believe in, for people who leave nice comments on fanfics 🙆‍♀️ thank you always for the love.

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The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms (Inheritance trilogy) by N.K. Jemisin

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms is the debut novel in the Inheritance trilogy, a fantasy series written by N.K. Jemisin, and published in 2010. The novel starts off strong as we dive headfirst into the complicated life of Yeine Darr, a half-Arameri, half-Darre woman who seems to be recalling the timeline of her life. In the beginning, Yeine is summoned to the Arameri palace in the city of Sky by her estranged grandfather, who names her the heir to the Arameri throne. However, the position of heir was already being fought over by a pair of siblings, Yeine’s aunt and uncle who were niece and nephew to her grandfather. Yeine is suddenly thrust into this succession war for the Arameri throne, and we follow her on her journey as she adapts and acclimates to palace life, the Arameri, and their harsh ways. She encounters many humans and gods who all seem to want different things surrounding the succession and will do anything to get them - including using her. The pace of the book is set right from the start, as we try to decipher what the other characters want and whether it is in line with what Yeine wants for her own life - which she must figure out soon. Something is always happening to further the story, even during the lulls in action, and the constant twists and turns quickly pull you to the end of the book. To avoid any spoilers and maintain the suspense, I’ve tried to avoid giving too many details!

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms has many well-developed, complex characters that we grow to love and hate and who inspire a broad spectrum of emotions within the reader. Throughout the novel, Jemisin explores many important societal themes including culture, oppression, morality, and sexuality. Many of her characters do not conform to the traditional conventions of gender and sexuality, as for example, the gods that are worshipped in the novel are polyamorous and genderfluid. Jemisin does a wonderful job methodically constructing a vast fantasy universe with great attention to detail, and she includes many developed cultural histories and character backstories, which helps to really immerse the readers in the world she has built. Black female authors are often underrepresented in the fantasy and science fiction genres, and N.K. Jemisin’s works really speak for themselves and are definitely worth the consideration of anyone looking for a new fantasy novel series to throw themselves into. Notably, The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms has won the Locus Award for Best First Novel and several awards for gender expression, including the Sense of Gender award and the Tiptree award.

Personally, I believe that The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms can be read as its own complete stand-alone novel, as the following two novels are no longer written from the perspective of Yeine and instead flesh out the stories of both new characters and old ones from the first book. It is definitely a novel/series that is high up on my list of favorites, and the first book was my favorite. I will likely briefly review the following two novels in the series as well sometime in the future :)

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#got’em

“I MET THE CUTEST GIRL IN THE BAR AND I YELLED DIBS” for any ship lol

"Dibs!" Lorcan spun around, meeting Rowan's humored gaze. "I met....I met the cutest girl in the bar and I yelled dibs."

"I know, buddy," Rowan said, patting Lorcan on the shoulder. "We were sitting right here. Although, you didn't meet her. She's literally on the other side of the room."

"She's perfect," Lorcan said, looking over his shoulder at the girl across the bar. "Look....look how small. I could just hold her in my hand. Put her in my pocket. Carry....Carry her around in my pocket."

"Yeah, I think it's time he's cut off," Fenrys mumbled, nodding toward Lorcan's nearly empty glass.

"Let him keep going," Rowan replied, crossing his arms as he watched Lorcan watch a girl he'd probably never get. "I like drunk Lorcan."

Fenrys just chuckled as he shook his head and raised his hand for another whiskey from the bartender.

It was ladies' night at the local bar on the corner of their block. It's pretty much where the roommates spent all of their Friday nights, and some Saturdays. It was always all fun and games until Lorcan got so drunk that Rowan and Fenrys had to drag his ass - literally - back home.

"We're in love," Lorcan said, raising his emptied glass into the air.

"You know, to do that you actually have to go introduce yourself first," Fenrys said, sipping from the newly filled glass in front of him. He was the roommate known for pacing himself. "And, all you've done is yelled dibs. She doesn't know you exist."

Lorcan slowly looked at Fenrys, his eyes narrowed. "Maybe you should find someone to go home with. Grumpy-ass."

"I made a vow not to, since Ro won't be going home with anyone," Fenrys said.

"The only reason I'm not going home with anyone is because my girlfriend is out of town, and she's the only one I go home with," Rowan argued. "So, poor excuse."

"Leave him alone," Lorcan said, walking to Fenrys and tossing an arm around his shoulder as his words slurred. "He's just sad. Heartbroken. If you're....not ready to make sweet love to someone just yet, Fenny, you don't have to."

Rowan couldn't control his escaping laughter.

"We're not animals," Lorcan went on, apparently on a roll. "We are men, and we are men with feelings, and it's okay, Fenny, to have feelings."

"Fenny?" Fenrys asked, exasperated, looking at Rowan.

Rowan just shrugged, his grin permanently displayed on his lips.

"When you're ready to get out there again, Fenny," Lorcan continued, leaning in close to Fenrys, who nearly gagged from the overwhelming scent of alcohol on Lorcan's breath, "I'm going to be here for you, to help you find someone."

Fenrys opened his mouth to reply, but he didn't get a chance, because a high-pitched voice from behind Lorcan caught their attention.

"Excuse me!"

Lorcan spun around, his drink spilling onto his shirt in the process. He didn't seem to notice, as he came face to face with the girl he'd been admiring from across the bar. He hesitated, then cleared his throat. "Hi."

She suppressed her smile. "Hi. I'm trying to get to the bar."

Lorcan blinked, it taking a minute for her words to process. "Hi."

Her dark brows rose as she laughed, quietly. It was Fenrys who took Lorcan by the sleeve of his shirt and pulled him out of the way, causing his drink to spill further.

The girl stepped up to the counter and, although a solid foot and then some shorter than Lorcan, she had the bartender waved down in a matter of seconds.

The bartender smiled as she approached. "Hey, Elide. Another round?"

"Please," she smiled, and as the bartender scurried away, she looked up at Lorcan, who was watching her, intently. "I've seen you here before."

"I come here often," Lorcan said, leaning his palm against the bartop - which he almost missed. "Do you....Do you come here often?"

"Often enough to recognize you," she said.

Lorcan swallowed, and nodded. "Sure."

She bit her lip, trying to hold in her laughter, but failing. "I hope you're better at conversation when you're sober."

"He's not," Fenrys mumbled. Rowan snorted.

Lorcan didn't notice, though. He continued to look at Elide. "You're...."

She raised her brows, waiting for him to finish his thought, but then Elide was brought a small tray of shots. She waited another minute for Lorcan to say something, anything, else, but when he didn't, she just shook her head, amused. "Well, nice talk."

She picked up her tray and carried it to the other side of the bar, where her group of friends were waiting.

Lorcan watched her the whole time before leaning back against the bar and downing his glass. He set it on the bar with a clank, and looked at his friends with a satisfied, cunning smile. "Crushed it."

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hi hello does anyone have a YA book club (preferably on discord) they are looking for members for 👀

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how it started:

how it's going:

(click for better quality)

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fuck it. be creative even if you never really *make* anything. write out plot synopses of stories and then move on. design OCs you'll never use. make mood boards and concept art and don't do anything with them. life's too short to forget everything that inspired you and creation doesn't have to be "complete" to be worth the time you put into it.

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Choosing between self-publishing and traditional publishing

This is a much-talked-about topic. So, rather than going the traditional pros-and-cons route, I’m going to give you some advice on which factors to consider when making your decision:

1. First thing’s first: what’s the difference?

Self-publishing a book means that you are putting it out there on your own - no publishing house and no literary agent. You will be in charge of every aspect - editing, proofreading, marketing, the book launch, cover design etc.

Traditional publishing means that your book has been purchased by a publishing house and that said house is responsible for getting your book out into the world. This process also usually entails being represented by a literary agent.

2. Factor: Your knowledge base

Few writers are writers only, which means that you might have a particular set of skills or a vast array of knowledge in an area that could assist you in one of these publishing routes.

Knowledge needed for self-publishing: some business knowledge, knowledge of the entire process needed to publish a book, knowledge of self-publishing platforms etc.

Knowledge needed for traditional publishing: knowledge about the publishing industry - about literary agents and publishing houses, about what to look out for in contracts, about querying and going on submission etc.

Keep in mind that this knowledge can be acquired. It doesn’t have to be something you already possess. But the type of studies/research you do will be determined by the route you choose to take.

So, if you majored in an area of business, if you worked for a publisher for years etc., you already have a good foundation for self-publishing.

If you’re like me and you’ve been researching the industry since you were 15 (and have a law student’s knowledge of contracts), your skills may assist you better in traditional publishing.

So, think about the type of knowledge you have/would be able to acquire.

Keep in mind: marketing knowledge is applicable and needed for both routes.

3. Factor: Budgetary concerns

We’re not all in the same financial situation. I know it’s not fun to talk about money, but it does play a significant role in publishing.

With traditional publishing, you will have to spend money on marketing. Furthermore, if you hire an editor/critique service in order to polish your manuscript before you query, that’ll cost you a few bucks too.

However, self-publishing requires a lot more money. You need to pay a cover designer, critique service, editor, proofreader, formatter etc.(there are often packages to this effect) And you will have to pay for marketing as well. If you use platforms like CreateSpace or IngramSpark, you don’t have to pay for the printing itself, since it’s print-on-demand.

This consideration isn’t about whether you have bags of money just waiting to be used. It’s about whether you have the financial and personal capacity to save the money you need (and whether you can budget well). Calculating how much you need to save each month in order to self-publish and sticking to that calculation will be necessary for the self-publishing route (unless you have quite a few dollars lying around).

So, if you are on a VERY tight budget (like me as a student) or know that you are absolutely horrible at sticking to your saving goals, consider trying the traditional publishing avenue.

HOWEVER, the income you receive from the published product must also be kept in mind. With traditional publishing, authors get a (relatively small) advance and then a small percentage of the sales as royalties (12% is generous where I’m from). Since the publisher paid for everything, they also get most of the profit. With self-publishing, you get the biggest percentage of the sales revenue (some of it will go to the printing and distributing platform). 

4: Factor: Your personality/preferences

Are you a very versatile person? Would you like spending your time on various different aspects of the publishing process? Do you need control of every aspect of your book baby’s release into the world? Are you good at managing projects? Can you be difficult to work with? Are you excited by the idea of paving your own way and ignoring industry stigmas? Are you great at sticking to self-imposed deadlines? Then you’re probably more suited to the world of self-publishing.

Do you want to focus on writing (and marketing) and not really the other stuff? Are you okay with relinquishing some control? Do you work well with others? Does prestige matter to you? Does the idea of managing a big project alone give you the jitters? Then your personality might work better for traditional publishing.

Please don’t think that this is set in stone. I’m not trying to place anyone in a box. This is just another factor you can take into account when making your decision.

5. A decision doesn’t bind you for life

You can be a hybrid author. If you’ve decided to pursue traditional publishing, you can always switch to self-publishing later once you’ve made a name for yourself. If you’ve already self-published one (or a few) books, nothing prevents you from querying agents for a different project and going the traditional route. (In fact, having self-published books might count in your favour.)

So, it is an important decision, but it isn’t set in stone.

I hope that this is helpful. If you have any questions, head over to my asks. And if you want to request a writing advice post, don’t be shy.

Reblog if you found these tips useful. Comment with the route you’re thinking of taking. Follow me for similar content.

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i need new writing/reading inspiration

what have people been reading these days??? the last book i read was The Bride Test by Helen Hoang. maybe i should reread the Crooked Kingdom series...?

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guys i have one year left on my graduate degree and i’ve decided i don’t want to work i want to be a writer LOL and my degree is completely unrelated, where do i go from hereeeeeeeeeeee

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if i was having a nice life i would have finished that damn fic lmao

I often wonder what happened to authors of unfinished fanfictions.

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men b like wow I’ve never met a girl who liked music before..

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from october 17, 2019

i keep saying i will write again, but then i don't. i get too scared, and then i can't even finish a single thought.

i can only write about what i know, but thinking about what i know hurts. and then i'm so critical of it all on top of that.

my hands are cold just thinking about it all.

sometimes it feels like the earth just swallows you up whole, like nothing you say or do matters.

it's logical to feel insignificant in the grand scale of the universe, in the counting of atoms or grains of sand on a beach, but when you feel insignificant to humanity, humanity viewed as a collective, ever-changing entity, it really feels like you're lonely. or alone. what's the difference, anyway?

somewhere along the way, i think i lost myself. or maybe i was never really sure of who i was. or maybe i'm still becoming who i am. or maybe i'll never really know for sure how to define who a person is.

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ATTENTION WRITERS

Google BetaBooks. Do it now. It’s the best damn thing EVER.

You just upload your manuscript, write out some questions for your beta readers to answer in each chapter, and invite readers to check out your book!

It’s SO easy!

You can even track your readers! It tells you when they last read, and what chapter they read!

Your beta readers can even highlight and react to the text!!!

There’s also this thing where you can search the website for available readers best suited for YOUR book!

Seriously guys, BetaBooks is the most useful website in the whole world when it comes to beta reading, and… IT’S FREE.

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holy god tumblr is the last sanctuary of social media, i just got out of bed 30 mins ago and WHAT THE FUCK is going on, twitter is an absolute shit show and i’m too afraid to even look at facebook

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damn now i’m sad too wtf

Today is one of those days where it’s rainy outside and it made me think about that part of Empire of Storms. I don’t know why I do this to myself but I did and now I’m sad thinking about how Aelin sacrificed herself to save the others from Maeve and how Rowan didn’t know they were mates🥺 like Idk but that whole ending just broke me when I read the books and now it broke me again

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The Bride Test by Helen Hoang - Book Recc

The Bride Test by Helen Hoang (also author of The Kiss Quotient) was a fun, quick read by an Asian-American author who focused a fair amount on Western and Eastern cultural differences. The main character makes her way to the US from Vietnam after a chance-meeting with a Vietnamese mother, searching for a partner for her son. The main draw for me was that it also features a neuro-divergent male love interest who has autism, although unfortunately the book doesn’t go into too much detail regarding the communication skills necessary to effectively communicate with those who are on the autistic spectrum. It’s oftentimes cheesy and it has got its fair of plot holes and tropes, but it also gives you some warm feelings and gets steamy sometimes. Overall it’s just nice read about some diverse characters written by a POC author who also is on the autistic spectrum herself. Let me know if you end up giving it a chance!