#rk ashwick

[skygemspeaks]

Hello happy pride month, here are some sweet and relatively low-stakes queer reads for you:

Cursed Cocktails by SL Rowland - a blood mage retires after decades of fighting to protect his people, and moves to a small coastal town where the heat will be good for his chronic pain. He opens a cocktail bar and maybe falls in love with his business partner.

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune - case worker has to investigate a group home of very powerful magical orphans. One of them is the antichrist. He tries not to lose his mind. Finds love (platonic and romantic) along the way

Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree - badass orc barbarian decides to retire from her life of fighting and opens a cafe in a town where no one has heard of coffee before. Finds a family along the way.

A Rival Most Vial by RK Ashwick - two rival potion shop owners who hate everything about each other find out they have to work together on a potion for the mayor. Find out that maybe they don't hate each other that much after all. Oh and there's a found family in there somewhere.

[author-a-holmes]

My Preorder Goodies Arrived!

@ashen-crest I think the stamp across the seal is the cutest thing ever, I knew what it was before I even flipped it over to see if it was a letter for me or mum!

As with the preorder lovelies from Stray Spirit, I've stuck the sticker and message on the inside cover to keep them together!

If you'd like to get your hands on these pretties, check out the preorder page on Ashwick's website <3

[artbyeloquent]

Commission for @ashen-crest of Ambrose & Eli. I wasn't sure your preference, so I included solo versions as well as a portrait together. I love their banter in your excerpts and I hope this is accurate to their dynamic. ID in alt <3

[b-a-pigeon]

(Slightly late) Review of The Stray Spirit!

Hi sorry for the surprise hiatus - I'll be back soon - but first, I read @ashen-crest 's debut novel & you should too! I got an ARC (and am sharing this review voluntarily etc) but didn't manage to finish until release day, oops. Still wanted to drop my review w/ the encouragement that y'all go buy it now that it's out!

* * *

TSS was such a charming read!

There’s something so compelling about exploring a fantasy world through characters with relatively mundane lives; the protagonists are a musician and an academic, and they piece together some understanding of the central magical mystery in part through folk songs and books. The worldbuilding is so vivid and the use of stories and songs to convey history helps a lot with that!

It’s just overall very cute (especially everything about forest spirit Aspen, and the romantic subplot) but it’s not twee or cloying at all. There are actual stakes, both in the magical “surges” central to the plot and the fact that the characters have like, realistic adult conflicts and problems that take time and effort to resolve. The tone stays pretty lighthearted throughout, but there are enough moments of tension and emotion to keep it compelling!

There’s also some really nice natural scene-setting and some lovely illustrations. I hadn’t expected the art so it was a pleasant surprise to scroll up to it!

Check this one out if you want to read a fantasy book that’s lighthearted but not without stakes, with likable characters & some really solid worldbuilding :)

* * *

Buy it here!

[ashen-crest]

A Rival Most Vial is out!!

It’s here! It’s here it’s here it’s here!!

[ID: meme of Daisy Ridley pointing at the screen with a paper in her other hand. the text reads “you want to read about gay potion rivals.” end ID]

great yeah me too buddy that’s why I wrote this whole-ass book for you:

[ID: a purple and gold book cover. the text reads: “A Rival Most Vial: Potioneering for Love and Profit by RK Ashwick.” The artwork includes silhouettes of two men with little hearts over their heads, along with filigree and icons of potion bottles, cauldrons, swords, wands, and gems. end ID]

Two potion shops, one heated rivalry…until hate bubbles over into something else.

Any adventurer worth their sword knows about Ambrose Beake. The proud, quiet half-elf sells the best, and only, potions in the city—until a handsome new shopkeeper named Eli opens another potion shop across the street, throwing Ambrose’s peace and ledgers far off balance. 

Within weeks, they’re locked in a war of price tags and products—Ambrose’s expertise against Eli’s effortless charm. Toil leads to trouble, the safety gloves come off, and right as their rivalry reaches a boiling point…

The mayor commissions them to brew a potion together.

The task is as complex as it is lucrative, pushing both men to the limits of their abilities and patience. Yet as the fires burn and cauldrons bubble…they find a different sort of chemistry brewing.

🌟 You can buy it in ebook or paperback here! 🌟

Thanks for all your support over the past few years!! This book wouldn’t be here without you!

[cinnastray]

Hello, happy Sunday!

This is another illustration for RK Ashwick's new book, "The Spirit Well" <3

[soot-and-salt]

A tag? For me?? Thank you @flappingduster

last song listened to: Look, I would love to tell you that I am not still Hazbin Hotel OST trash but that would be a hideous, hideous lie. But when I'm not currently in a hell of my own making, my current music obsessions have been the new album from synthwave darlings, Gunship, and the latest from Hozier.

currently reading: I'm between books at the moment. I finished everything from RK Ashwick and had a blast (Rivals Most Vial was a delight). I might start the new KJ Charles. I am woefully only 48 pages in the first Lord of the Rings book. That reread is NOT going well.

currently watching: I don't really watch TV so nothing at all. I am enjoying the new season of Game Changer on DropOut that just started. And yes, okay, fine, Hazbin Hotel, whatever, I KNOW I'M SORRY. I'm also waiting for Delicious in Dungeon to finish so I can watch it all the way through. I've heard good things.

currently obsessed with:

Alastor, the Radio Demon, because my rule for characters I get obsessive over is just them wearing a red fucking coat apparently

Baldur's Gate 3, a game I am not even playing

medieval stuff in general. Knights, etc. The aesthetic is top notch

I will never not be obsessed with Caleb and Essek, but I do miss them a lot

Holo Taco nail polish. It's been fun spending time doing my nails. The rest of me is in haggard, collapsing, aging decay but at least my nails look good

The art of dovegraveyard, ramlightly, and canisalbus

serotonin is hard to find lately, please help, my brain cells are dying

I'm not tagging anyone. Good luck and godspeed.

[ambiguouspuzuma]

I realise I'm a little late to the party on this, but I recently finished reading @ashen-crest's wonderful A Rival Most Vial and I have been struggling to put the words together for my review. I signed up for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest thoughts, but I have to say that my feelings have rather taken over.

Those who have heard me speak on it before will know that I'm no great reader of romances. There are some who hear terms like "slow burn" or "enemies to lovers" and come flocking to the shelves, but I've never been a particular fan of the format or its various tropes. Still, reading page after page of RK Ashwick's heartfelt novel, I couldn't help but fall in love with it, despite my initial preconceptions, which... well, I suppose that's the trope, isn't it?

You may have also seen me talk about the superficial reasons to find this book beautiful. Ashwick is clearly a master of the finishing touches, which reach beyond the professional cover to a word-perfect blurb, the way chapter headings are cleverly replaced with steps in a recipe, the way point-of-view characters are identified with their idiosyncratic vials, and even some hand-drawn inserts to tie a bow on the top.

I am now pleased to confirm that this story tastes as good as it looks. The narrative is all heart, and you don't need to be a fan of other tropes like "found family" or "hurt/comfort" to find yourself falling in love with the inhabitants of Rosemond Street, who combine for a perfectly cosy read that might have kept me warm throughout February, if I hadn't found myself racing through the pages in half the time.

Although the core of the tale is a comforting one, Ashwick sprinkles enough conflict and subplot to keep the plot moving at a healthy pace, and enough jeopardy to leave you genuinely invested in a happy ending. I found myself tearing up with the characters, and wishing I could visit the Scar to share some cookies and tea and much-needed hugs. If Ambrose wasn't relatable enough, his story is scarily similar to that of my own current protagonist, Nathan Warner of Going Quietly, which left me especially susceptible to his charms, but I dare anyone to defy them.

The Scar itself is a wonderful piece of worldbuilding, and there are some other innovations, from the messaging system to Tom the automaton, and flourishes in things like potion ingredients. By-and-large, however, Rosemond Street is a setting which will be familiar to any reader with a passing awareness of genre staples, from the fantasy races to their trades catering to Dungeons & Dragons style adventurers (albeit with a contemporary American blend, with some clever references to college campuses, organised sports and trade journals which makes it feel much closer to home).

This is not a bug, but a feature. In leaning on those existing archetypes, Ashwick is free to tell this character-driven story without being bogged down by the sort of gibberish and exposition that has hamstrung many other fantasy tales. Without it, A Rival Most Vial is deliciously readable, its prose perfectly weighted, accessible with just enough flavour and texture to satisfy all tastes at once. It melted the heart of this crusty old cynic. If you're in need of a little warm honey to soothe your soul, I have the perfect potion to recommend.

[authorlaurawinter]

9 and 20!

9. Can you name a book that kept you up at night? 

Oh, it’s been a while since I am now a responsible adult(TM) and I legit put myself to bed at 8pm. I used to stay up reading all the time, but I guess nowadays it’s mostly: what book kept me from doing normal activities during the day and finding excuses to read. So here’s my list:

Daughter of No Worlds by Carissa Broadbent

Beneath Black Sails by Clare Sager

Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston

Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson

Heartstopper by Alice oseman

Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

Pucking Around by Emily Rath

The right Move by Liz Tomforde

20. Who’s your favorite author?

I don’t have a singular favorite, but I do have authors that I will either “auto buy” or give their new books a shot even if it doesn’t sound like my cup of tea

Clare Sager

Ali Hazelwood

Sarah J Maas

Jennifer L Armentrout

RK Ashwick ( @ashen-crest )

[ettawritesnstudies]

Indie Author Interview: R.K. Ashwick

Indie Author Interview: R.K. Ashwick

Today I’m pleased to introduce you to R.K. Ashwick, one of my long-time friends on writeblr and the author of The Stray Spirit which I reviewed last week, thanks to an advanced reader copy. RK writes character-focused fantasy books with a cozy feel. I’m thrilled to have her on my blog today to talk about her upcoming release and publishing journey! This was such a fun interview and I hope you…

[skygemspeaks]

Hey anyone want a cute gay enemies to lovers book about two rival potion store owners falling in love? Please go read "A Rival Most Vial" by RK Ashwick

It's so fucking sweet i'm gonna get cavities i stg

[ashen-crest]

where in the world is rk ashwick?

short answer: playing too much Baldur's Gate 3

long answer:

I listened to the Rival Most Vial audiobook this past week and it was absolutely magical (pun intended). Keep an eye out for a sneak peek video this week!! There are a few technical revisions to make, but as soon as I have the final files, I'll upload them for distro so I can get the audiobook to you this December.

and

I am fear-procrastinating on editing The Spirit Well, but I will be brave and I will get there.

also

I am playing too much Baldur's Gate 3. Send help.

[ashen-crest]

a stats report on the rk ashwick books (as of April 2023)

some folks responded positively to the idea of seeing data on how my books have done (for indie author research and benchmark purposes), so here you go!

I'll put everything under the cut:

📚 What do I write?

Cozy fantasy romance under the pen name R.K. Ashwick.

📚 Why do I write?

Because I love it. I have a full-time job that isn't related to writing, so I write in my spare time. I should also note that I do not have dependents, am not a caregiver, and I do have anxiety and ADHD. I am not certain that I want to be a full-time writer, given the financial instability and the joy it could take away from writing. However, I want my books to be and perform the best they can, so I try to be professional about my product and methods.

(To me, this is all important context to be up-front about. Finances, family size, and health all have a huge impact on an author's goals and strategies.)

📚 How many books do I have out?

The Stray Spirit: released August 2022. First in a planned trilogy.

A Rival Most Vial: released March 2023. First in a planned trilogy.

📚 Online Visibility

Here's what I have going on:

Paid:

Website (requires $ for hosting)

BookFunnel for newsletter promos, sales promos, and ARC distribution (site requires $ to join)

Unpaid:

Newsletter (currently managing on free version of Mailerlite, since I'm under 1000 followers)

Facebook page (not consistently maintained, mostly for SEO)

Instagram, posting 5x/wk

TikTok, posting 5k/wk

Tumblr- hi!

using things like LibraryThing, GoodReads forums, Reddit, and FB pages to find more ARC readers

I was doing Amazon ads, but recently nixed them, as I didn't feel they were really getting me anything. I'll likely return to them once I have more books out.

A Note on Follower Count: I have, like 10 FB followers, 400-ish Insta followers, 1500 TikTok folders, and almost 1600 Tumblr followers. I've been on Tumblr the longest and TikTok second longest. TikTok had the fastest growth, Insta the slowest. However, general advice is that engagement rate is more important than follower count. I'll be real, I'm not doing that hot on that front. I'll consistently get around 20 likes on Insta posts and TikTok often caps my video views at around 200 or 300. The videos that do the best on TT often aren't the ones related to my books. Fun times.

A Note on Newsletter Stats: I have a pretty consistent open rate of 25-30%, which I think is okay. I'd like for it to be closer to 40%. (It's also hard to actually track open rates, so that number isn't entirely reliable.)

A Note on ARC Reader Stats: I got 100 readers for TSS and almost 200 for ARMV. This resulted in a ballpark count of 20 reviews for TSS and 30 reviews for ARMV around release time.

📚 Other Marketing Strategies

What you see above under Visibility is my ongoing work. I also do more limited-run strategies, like:

occasional free book giveaways on social media

pre-order gifts for my book

I sent out around 20 pre-order gift envelopes for TSS and 45 for ARMV. I operate the pre-order gifts at a loss, but I really enjoy doing it, so I'm okay with it. I also have lots of leftover stickers and bookmarks that I can bundle with giveaways.

📚 Distribution

I distribute wide through:

Amazon: both ebook and paperback

IngramSpark: paperback only

Draft2Digital: ebook only

📚 Orders & Royalties

So, what did all this work and shennanery get me?

From July 2022-April 2023 (10 months):

Books Sold: 575

Total Royalties, paid and unpaid: $1543.49 ($2.68 per book)

📚 Is that good or bad?

I have no idea!! And I think in the end, it all depends on your goals.

If my goal was to make a living: welp, it's def not enough.

If my goal was to break even: between website set up, DBA set up, cover cost, editing cost, illustrator cost: nah. I'd have to make about $4,000 more to safely say I've broken even.

If my goal was to get strangers, and not just family and friends, to read my books: oh hey, I did that!!

I hope this information helps you set a goal, so you're not mentally wandering around like I am.

📚 Other Notes

A big factor in having a financially successful indie book is fitting genre conventions in your chosen subgenre, or 'writing to market.' I will say that A Rival Most Vial is more written to market than The Stray Spirit is. The Stray Spirit sort of straddles cozy, historical, and academic fantasy without actually leaning in to any of those things, so it's a little harder to market.

I also spent a lot on cover, editing, and illustration. That makes it harder to be a financially viable business, but it's what I wanted to do to have a strong finished product. I am lucky in that my full-time job can cover these expenses.

I'm not very good at social media. I've never had anything go viral on any of the sites.

The most rewarding part of all this is seeing how people react to the book: reviews, videos where they're almost crying over the book, podcast invitations, and [something a bit bigger than I'll announce in the summer.] At the end of the day, if I have a small group of buyers who are vocal in engaging with my books, that's far more rewarding than a large group of buyers who don't engage.

📚 Parting Thoughts

I'm happy to talk about any and all aspects of my self-publishing experience. If you have more questions or want more details, feel free to reply, send an ask, or DM me!

[ashen-crest]

Saw a Rival Most Vial ARC review that said my book was better than Legends & Lattes

?? !!!!

Between that and the Goodreads review that said “RK Ashwick, you’re the author I’ve been looking for my whole life” I feel like I need to get those two things framed.

Then put them on the wall and stare at them for hours.

[ashen-crest]

[ID: a temporary book cover made on Canva. It has a dark brown background and light brown border with decorative yellow and turquoise corners. At the top and bottom, there are two lines of gray potion bottles, with one turquoise at the top and one yellow at the bottom. The text in white reads “A Rival Most Vial: Potioneering for Love and Profit,” and the author name is RK Ashwick. end ID]

A Rival Most Vial: Coming Out Next March!

A rivalry brews on Rosemond Street.

Any adventurer worth their sword knows about Ambrose Beake. The proud, quiet half-elf of The Griffin’s Claw sells the best—and only— potions in the city. 

Until a handsome new shopkeeper opens Eli’s Elixirs across the street, throwing Ambrose’s peace and ledgers far off balance. 

Ambrose resolves to stay calm. He’ll trust his talents and wait for the obnoxiously charming man to fail. But Eli Valenz is determined to make his new shop solvent, and soon, not even that icy, snobbish potion master at The Griffin’s Claw can beat his prices. Toil leads to trouble, the safety gloves come off…and they come to blows in the middle of the street.

Rosemond Street’s close-knit merchant community is a flurry of gossip and concern, urging the rival potioneers to make peace. But just as Ambrose and Eli resolve never to speak to each other again, the mayor forces their doors back open.

He commissions them to brew a potion together.

The task is a birthday brew for the mayor’s daughter, as complex as it is lucrative, pushing both men to the limits of their abilities and patience. Yet as the fires burn and cauldrons bubble…they find a different sort of chemistry brewing.

A Rival Most Vial: Potioneering for Love and Profit is a dual-POV fantasy romance where You’ve Got Mail meets Dungeons & Dragons, all in the cozy vein of Legends & Lattes.

Want a taste test?

Check out my short story about Ambrose’s first potion convention or this drabble compilation about the characters & setting.

[ashen-crest]

[ID: a photo of a book set on a black, spider-patterned cloth, surrounded by a pumpkin and glowing white candles. The book cover shows a red and orange lute surrounded by blue flowers, with the text The Stray Spirit, Lutesong Book One, by RK Ashwick. End ID]

Happy Halloween Month!!

If you want to read a cozy, not-so-spooky book about an anxious bard, a possessed lute, and an ex-girlfriend holding the brain cell, The Stray Spirit pairs well with apple cider and hot cocoa. 🎃🌿🍁🍂

You can buy it here!