#urban fantasy author

[whatsuptyler]

Super quick WIP update today even though I haven’t done an update in a few days, but my Hot Wet Queer Summer Jam project has now reached 6.2K!!

Not a bad start for the first ~week of the jam, and not unhappy with that I’ve written so far 😎 progress on this weird swampy (sub)urban fantasy continues

[bornangelauthor]

#Newsletter 127: The One Where I Graduated Physical Therapy...

But graduating doesn't mean my thumb is better. Quite frankly, it means the opposite.

Highlights: Lots of words Awesome Art Hardcover show off and Reminder that PREORDERS for Chaos Theory are available on KU, Kobo, Smashwords, Apple, and Barnes N Noble! You can also sign up to ARC read it too! (Click the pic to read the Newsletter!)

[twbmagazine]

From Felines to Fables: Inside the Mind of Urban Fantasy Author Mark J. Engels

“Considering media portrayals featuring the unpredictable and deadly nature of shapeshifters, werewolves especially, was the origin of my werecat family saga series. However, rather than succumbing to their feral natures as commonly depicted in such portrayals, I had in mind for my characters to come to grips with them.”Mark J. Engels Mark J. Engels creates enticing worlds in the genre of urban…

[selenekallanwriter]

Me, reviewing the half-assed outline I wrote a while ago for my next WIP:

[anim-ttrpgs]

If you’re wanting to support some LGBT creators during pride month, consider supporting us.

75% of our team is LGBT in one way or another, and we need your support to stay afloat this month (and well every month but y’know).

Not only is most of our team queer, our games are too, and no not just because queer people made them and play them. (No, D&D isn’t queer, D&D culture treats queerness like a coat of paint.) An author or an audience doesn’t make something queer purely by association, a piece of art is queer if it engages in themes and experiences of people who are queer, and each of our TTRPGs do.

Our games engage meaningfully, mechanically, with the experiences of the abnormal, the discriminated against, and the marginalized. Each of our RPGs engage with mechanical reflection of gender and sexual norms, a prerequisite to enable mechanical reflection of transgressing those norms. You don’t have to take my word for it, you can download, read them, and play them here at this link (payment is optional but dearly appreciated and sorely needed), or wait and see the separate posts I’m going to make about this subject later that really delve into this. (Also accepting testimonials from fans either reblogged on this post or tagging us on your own post.)

In the meantime, we need to make an income of $2,898.83 before the end of the month, and at the time of writing this we only have $581.68. If you want to support queer artists, please consider checking out our itch.io, patreon, or ko-fi at these links.

[coffeetank]

Opposing Qualities for your Characters!

I always advocate the concept of Traits and their Inverses when making characters. If you're familiar with my blog, you'll know that in one of my posts, I've told you to use opposing qualities when you make a character to make them real. Here's a link to that post if you haven't come across it yet so you can understand this better: https://www.tumblr.com/coffeetank/747126821111447552/build-characters?source=share ~ List of more opposing qualities to give your characters: persuasive :: manipulative (your character has a way with words and sometimes uses this to get away with things)

humble :: underconfident (your character does not have an ego at all, but they are in actuality always underconfident - show how this can affect their surroundings especially in a situation where others depend on them)

independent :: alienated (your character can do everything on their own and quite literally does not need anyone around, show how this can crossover over with alienation - dig into the emotional background of this supposed crossover)

curious :: invasive (your character has an appetite for knowledge, but they forget boundaries - show how this can get them into trouble)

daring :: reckless (your character has a strong spirit and isn't scared of taking risks, but this can always incline to the bad side and cause them harm - use this to especially add event and conflict in the story)

neutral :: retracted (your character prefers to see both sides before coming to a conclusion and stays neutral 99% of the times, but then when one side needs them more than the other they refuse to acknowledge that need and pull themselves out of that situation - show how this this can affect their relationships with other people especially on a moral ground)

emotional :: irrational (it's always good for your character to have emotional capacity, but it can hinder with their practical side for sure - show how this plays out)

unique :: aberrant (your character has a very solid personality but then some their quirks are too odd to be normal - this is good for revealing an undercover villain/agent/supernatural being later in the story as a twist)

optimistic :: unserious (your character is a positive person, but they take life too lightly sometimes - play with it!)

appealing :: deceptive (your character is absolute delight to be around and wins hearts in an instant - show how they use this power of their to deceive people for their own benefit)

hopeful :: expectant (your character wishes for the bright side - show how this can transverse into having unfulfilled expectations thus making them act out wrongly due to disappointment)

clever :: cunning (as obvious as it sounds, your character uses their intelligence for the wrong - bonus if you mix this with another set of opposing qualities to add depth and layers to your characters)

short-tempered :: violent (easy, simple and impactful; your character loses temper quickly but they damage things around them with every small/big outburst)

Feel free to use these as you'd like! I'll bring you more soon.

-ashlee

[writingwithfolklore]

How to expand a one-shot into a full-length novel

I get this question in my inbox a lot, and I haven’t answered it yet because I think my answer is a bit more difficult than maybe people are hoping.

My first instinct is to say: you can’t.

Okay, I don’t mean like, give up here, do not pass go. But it’s important to note that a one-shot isn’t just a chapter of a novel, it’s an entirely different form of writing. It’d be like asking how to turn a two-sentence poem into a novel. There’s going to be a lot of things that need to change before we’re able to achieve that goal. Not impossible—but not an easy 5-step guide.

A one-shot has a beginning, middle and end, wrapped up in stakes and a breadth of story that is only meant to be written in this shorter form. To turn it into the novel, the least we need to do is up the stakes, but we’d probably end up changing the entire premise to fit the breadth of a novel. A story you can tell in 1500 words just can’t be the same story you’d need to tell in 50,000—there’s not enough substance to fill that many extra words.

So what we’ll do is we’re going to take inspiration from your one-shot to turn it into a novel. I would start with your protagonist. If the one-shot is about, say, them getting through opening day of their bakery, we can delve into that concept to learn more about them.

What background led them to this place, why did they want to achieve this, what does it mean to them to achieve this, where do they want to go next, and what’s holding them back from what they want? These are all good starting points to start thinking about how this character will fit into a larger narrative. See my post, “Character is Plot” for a more in-depth discussion on character development.

Once you have a goal and something keeping your character from their goal, and what they really need to realize, we have the beginnings of arc. This is where we start thinking about the A to B, or plot—where do they want to go, what conflict is keeping them from it (both internal and external), what they need to learn. You’ll probably want to create an antagonist here, or if you already have one, do the same thing with them as we just did with your protagonist.

Your antagonist (again, both internal and external) should have stakes worthy of a full-length novel. That means, the conflict and consequences are high enough to sustain multiple encounters, and these conflicts will drive your character towards their B.

You will likely find as you start writing that your one-shot won’t fit into your novel. That’s because the illusion of story before and after in a one-shot isn’t the same as how a novel needs to fit together—when putting the before and after on the page, it becomes clearer what demands the narrative have.

And to be very clear, one-shots are not a “lesser” form of writing, and novels are not superior in any way. Do not feel like you need to expand your one-shot, unless you just genuinely want to write a novel. Just be prepared that it’s going to look a lot different, as different forms require different things.

Make sense?

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(Psst... Did you know I launched a website?)

Head on over to www.gatesannai.com (or click here!) for exclusive blog posts, updates on my work, and pictures of my dog.

While you're there, consider signing up for my newsletter too :-)

[lucyslenses]

Get lost in a good book.

Shot with Pentax K-r.

[junos-office-drama]

Exciting news: My publisher is letting me pick my cover.

Extra exciting news: My publisher is letting YOU pick my cover.

Catalyst is a new, 18+ urban fantasy romance about Severine, an individual with the rare ability to multiply another's magic. Unfortunately for her, three powerful mages want her — but by the end of things, one of them will end up dead, one will be unmasked as a murderer, and one might be her salvation. But which one is which, and will she be able to figure out the truth before she's captured, killed, or worse?

Have more than one favorite? Vote for your top choice, then let me know your other picks in your tags or comments. Reblogs appreciated!

[rs-hawk]

Beauty and the Beast but the Beast doesn't return to full human when the curse is broken, because it was almost too late to break it when it happens

So instead of seemlessly regaining the throne and getting married with Beauty, the people of the town are still uneasy, even though they remember him now, and don't understand why Beauty stays by his side when they're free to return to the village

Likewise some of the humans-turned-objects-turned-humans still have characteristics of their former objects, like the candlestick's hair will sometimes catch fire when they're upset (harmless to them but still scary), or the alarm clock will get ringing migraines in a more literal way

I just think it could be a really neat story, fluff or smut or whathaveyou

I know that this is an o bylder ask but I have been thinking about it for awhile. I might do another part if y'all like it but I had a hard time narrowing it down to which characters to focus on.

Belle was surprised when Beast, Adam?, didn't return to fully human. Though to say that she was displeased wouldn't be true either. Her smile was always warm and genuine when she looked at him. He would smile back at her with his teeth that were a little too long, set on a face that almost, if you squinted, still looked like he was a beast. His horns had nearly disappeared, but when Belle would run her fingers through his thick, luscious hair, she could still feel just a prick of them.

Of course the town people remembered him, though they struggled with the fact that they too had been cursed. How could they have possibly been cursed for so long and no one had been the wiser? Belle tried to get more people to come to the palace to meet him, to participate in his welcome back ball, but very few came back.

"Maybe you should go home," one day Adam sighed, putting his head in her lap.

"I am home," Belle insisted, once again running her fingers through his hair.

"You know that's not what I meant. The townspeople... they are afraid of me. Your father still is cross with me, and how could I blame him? I kidnapped him and then you. I'm sorry," he muttered, nuzzling her leg and grabbing her thighs with his paw like hands, his long nails lightly scrapping her delicate skin there.

"Wherever you are is home to me," she purred, kissing the top of his head.

In the next room, Cogsworth was getting annoyed with Lumiere for once again flirting with the maids. It always caused such a mess. The large man grabbed Lumiere by the tie, tugging him closer to him.

"If you don't stop with this nonsense at once, I'm going to have to insist to the Master that you have a leave of absence, and where would you go if not here?" Cogsworth hisses, his mustache twitching as if they were hands on a clock ticking.

"Oh Cogsworth, my dear friend, are you jealous, mm? Do you miss us being, how would you say, stored together?" Lumiere smirked, looking up at the little man with a twinkle in his eyes.

Cogsworth blushed, letting go of the former candle. "I have no idea what you're talking about!"

"Mm, don't be so quick to sweep, my dear friend. We could be stored together tonight if you like," he continued to smirk, the start of a flame sparking off the tip of a lock of hair, dying as the ember wafered between them.

Like this story? Support me on Ko-fi ☕❤️

[kythewriter]

LOVE IN THE CAPITOL

This is Just the prologue to my new story starring Aaron Pierre as the main character. I do not condone any translation replications or plagiarism of my original work. Please do not repost as your own. Reblogs and comments are welcomed.

Warnings: MDNI•Explicit Language/ Scenes• Teasing• Masturbation• Oral & fingering (fem receiving)• Sex (MXM)

Summary: Princess Kyomi is being forced to marry Warrior Prince Asael by her mother Queen Kylotta to bring both kingdoms together for the greater good. The only problem is neither of them are ready for marriage, one night Kyomi is staying overnight in the castle with Prince Asael, she finds Prince Asael with his mate and is shocked at what she sees the only thing is, she is not swayed by it but in fact intrigued and wanting.

Word count:1.9k

OMNISCIENT POV

Kyomi walked through the hallways of the Luxx castle feeling nothing but frustration that she was being forced by her mother; the vampire queen, to stay in the Capitol away from the only home she knew. She was being forced to marry the warrior prince Asael because in her mothers words it was what was best for the world if two of the major influential kingdoms were as one but, for her it was complete torture.She had met Asael yesterday during the family gathering where all of her siblings and his siblings introduced the idea of a marriage. Kyomi was upset that she was the only sibling not married. Her six other siblings all had wives and husbands along with kids.

She didn't want to stay somewhere she wasn't wanted and around a bunch of strangers she would rather be in her castle with people who adored her. Here in this castle she may have been royalty but she was still considered a nobody. Her mothers goal was for her to get to know her soon to be husband.

Her soon to be husband; Warrior Prince Asael Luxx, wanted nothing to do with her, he didn't want a wife nor did he want the crown. It was obvious he loved war, he loved fighting for his people. He wasn't ready to just give that up not for his family and not for a female he barely knew, she wasn't sure what his parents had said to him yesterday to make him agree with allowing her to stay but she knew it couldn't have been anything good. Kyomi walked further down the hallway unaware of where she was. She tried to use her nose to pick up a scent but nothing was working.. It was late at night and not even the servants were up. She only wanted to get a late night snack but couldn't remember the way to the kitchen. “Uhh hmm fuck” someone screamed from further down the hallway, Kyomi stopped in her tracks she wasnt sure what she was hearing but she was curious and wanted to know what was going on.

Slowing her steps she walked in the direction of the noise now only hearing muffled voices. She walked towards a door that was slightly open peeking her head into the little slit of light, she could hear the moaning more clearly and see what was happening fully. She gasped low seeing her soon to be husband with another person, from the side profile she could tell it was Asael the scars from being in the war were littered all over his body. “fuck you take me so good baby” he moaned stroking in and out of the hidden person below him. Kyomi could see Asael’s long thick dick sliding in and out of the person beneath him, she watched as Asael’s hand went around the person's waist and began to move back and forth. She bit her lip feeling her nipples hardened, she pinched her hardened nipples feeling needy. She knew she shouldn't keep watching but she couldn't help it because she was curious.

The person moaned beneath him “fuck me back Jonah” Asael groaned gripping Jonah hips plowing into him as if he had a point to prove. She pinched her legs together rubbing them back and forth trying to get some friction. “ fuck, yes, yes yes please dont stop im so close.” Jonah moaned under him rolling his hips as Asael continuously hit his prostate. Asael gripped Jonah’s hair lifting his head up he pulled him into a sloppy tongue kiss, sucking on Jonah’s tongue. They moaned into eachothers mouths as Jonah whimpered, feeling his nut approaching. Kyomi was rooted to her spot at the crack in the door she couldnt move she was shocked but to her now it all made sense, it made sense why Asael didn't want to marry her. He was gay. She wasnt his type, for some reason that made her feel better that it wasn't her that he was giving dirty looks to, it was the thought of being with a female.

Kyomi eyes widened as they connected with Asael, he smirked picking up his pace. “fuck you love this dick dont you” Asael groaned as Jonah threw his ass back moaning loud he came hard all over the pillows, but Asael didnt stop he kept going keeping eye contact with Kyomi.

Kyomi was leaking she regretted not wearing any panties under her nightgown, she boldly leaned against the door keeping eye contact with Asael as she slid her hand in between her own legs, she spread her legs to get better access to her clit, she rubbed it in circles slowly as she softly panted wishing she was jonah.

His mouth opened as he tilted Jonah's neck near his mating mark, shocking Kyomi she was unaware he already had a mate, it only confused her more as to why she was there. Asael sunk his teeth into Jonah's neck causing him to moan even louder making him cum again. Asael's eyes turned bright red as he sucked the blood out of Jonah's neck feeling nothing but warmth, feeling them connect more. Once Asael pulled away Kyomi turned on her heels and used her vamp speed and her sense of smell to find her room. The moment she got to her room she was pinned down to the bed by Asael as her nightgown flew up revealing her ass. “ahh” she screamed in shock. “you like watching huh, naughty one hmm?” he tsked in her ear. “I can smell you Princess Kyomi” he kissed the side of her neck where his mark would be. Even if he didn't want to marry her he couldn't let her tell his secrets to the entire kingdom plus he knew he didn't really have a choice his father said he could have Kyomi and his mate jonah and jonah understood completely. “Please” Kyomi pleaded as Asael pressed against her, letting her feel all of him. She gasped feeling his dick slid in between her ass cheeks.“ please what? I like begging, beg some more pretty” he smirked grinding into her, his senses were taking over by her mouth watering smell, he could smell how turned on she was the desire to to fuck her was growing stronger, he knew he couldnt because she was a virgin he didnt want to make her first time be like this. He moved her hair to the side, gliding his tongue up and down her neck before sucking on the skin behind her ear tasting chocolate and something else he couldn't pinpoint. A moan slipped out “Asael…” she trailed lost for words as he lifted off of her flipping her around so they were face to face. Kyomi searched his face for an answer. She was feeling a lot of things and Asael's body rubbing against hers the way it was, was no help either. As his right hand held both her wrist he used his left hand to lift her leg up pulling her into him. “Wait” she whimpered, feeling his dick press up against her pussy.

Kyomi wore a black bow front lace trim satin babydoll lingerie nightgown with a slit on the side. Asael can see how hard her nipples were through the lace he dipped his head pulling the right nipple into his mouth through the lace ignoring her words as she squirmed and whimpered itching to feel something, she could feel her own juices sliding slowly down her leg intensifying the lust she was feeling. Asael flicked his tongue around her nipple slightly biting the hard bud causing a gasp to leave her lips as she arched her back. Asael slid his hand slowly down in between Kyomi’s legs feeling how wet she was causing a groan to slip from his lips. “ fuck youre so wet, let me taste you Kyomi” Asael begged using his thumb to roll circles on to her clit sliding his finger in and out of her. “Ahh” Kyomi moaned, feeling her pleasure build. “We– we have to talk about– Ahh” she moaned again as he slipped another finger into her pussy, she immediately clenched around his fingers.

“you're so tight, we can talk later. There's no escaping it. Neither of us have a choice in this. By the end of the day tomorrow you'll be my wife.” Asael confirmed her fears, seeing how frightened Kyomi was he leaned down pulling her into a kiss, letting her know he had her, that even though he didn't want marriage he knew neither of them had a choice in this matter that both of their parents wanted them together and they would be together. Once they pulled away from the kiss Kyomi eyes rolled to the back of her head as Asael continued to finger her, picking up his pace hitting her G-spot. While applying just enough pressure to her clit to put her over the edge. “I know what you saw, I know it made you horny and I plan to do everything you desire of me as your husband” Kyomi moaned at Asael words knowing they were a promise. She didn't know how they ended up here but she didnt care she wanted this from the moment she saw him. “Okay” Kyomi responded breathlessly, feeling the knot form in her stomach as his pace quickened. Asael let her wrist go and extended his claws, tearing the fabric off of Kyomis body wanting to see all of her.

She was the most beautiful woman he had ever laid his eyes on, he was used to seeing skinny females but being in this beautiful curvy female presence he couldn't contain himself, he licked and sucked all over Kyomis body until he got to her pussy where he flicked his tongue back and forth on her cit removing his thumb and pinching her nipples with his other hand. “ahhh” Kyomi moaned louder as he settled between her legs hungry to taste her. Kyomi never cursed a day in her life it wasnt lady-like but she had nothing but curse words ready to fly out of her mouth from the way Asael was feasting on her. “Look at me” he demanded, coming back up, whimpering as she nodded, lifting her head to gaze into his hazel green eyes that held a tint of red around the rim. Just from his eyes alone she could tell he wasn't just a vampire that something else was inside of him. She didn't care though as he brought her to he peek, her body raised off the bed as she had her first earth shattering orgasm, she screamed as she finally let go of the knot, Asael licked her up as her body shook, her clit was sensitive but Asael didnt care he wanted every drop.

“I need to see that again” he grumbled diving back in between her legs making Kyomi cry out from pleasure.

[theaawalker]

⋆.˚☆

[bornangelauthor]

Newsletter 126: The One Where I was Productive!

Happy New Year!!

    The word for 2025 is Productivity… at least for me. ARC Signups for Chaos Theory have opened and a few have already signed up! Thank you to those who have already signed up! The year is off to a good start, at least productivity wise. 😅 Health wise, not so much, but last year didn’t end on a great note for that either. Find out how it’s going by reading this week’s Newsletter!  

(Tapping here or the pic will send you straight to the Newsletter)

[franklyn-newt]

It's basically pride month so my novel Synthetic Sea and two of my shorts are bundled on itch io for 5 bucks, so grab it if you fancy reading about some gloomy trans cyborgs, lesbian werewolves, or tattoo succubi ❤️❤️❤️

[selenekallanwriter]

The Muse during the week while I'm at work: I am ripe with ideas you must write RIGHT NOW.

Me: I can't. Wait until the weekend.

The Muse: You are suffocating my creativity, you lazy heathen!

Me on the weekend: Okay. Now I'm ready for all your brilliant ideas.

The Muse:

[alinacapellabooks]

NIGHT OF THE BLUE MOON IS ON SALE NOW!

That's right folks, my sapphic urban fantasy novel about magical girls who get their powers from the Greek gods is on sale on Amazon now, and you can read the first few chapters for free! If you're in the market for an urban fantasy novel featuring a sun/moon ship, and a friends to lovers romance, be sure to grab a copy! Synopsis below:

Some people live double lives. Ariel Gianapoulou lives a triple life.

By day, she’s a meek, unassuming nobody who lives alone in a messy apartment. On the internet, she’s SeleneDev, the smash-hit indie game developer whose RPGs about magical girls have taken the world by storm. By night, she’s Blue Moon, a magical girl chosen by the titan Phoebe to retrieve Hades’s bracelet from Orpheus and Eurydice, supervillains who are killing people in the hopes of buying their son, Brooklyn, back from the dead. Aided by her partner, Red Sun, Ariel will stop at nothing to defeat the villainous duo. Ariel knows better than anyone that Brooklyn doesn’t deserve a second chance at life—Three years ago, he raped her at a party, and crushed her dreams of becoming a police officer.

There are a lot of people on Orpheus’s hit-list, and things get especially complicated when Ariel’s crush, Solana, turns out to be one of the people he wants dead. Will Ariel be able to stop Orpheus and Eurydice, win Solana’s heart, and keep her triple life secret?

Oh, and if that hasn’t sold you, here’s some other things about it that might appeal to you. My book features:

-An asexual protagonist, and a graysexual love interest. That’s right, we have a sapphic ace4ace romance! -Sun/Moon ship

-Friends to lovers

-Slow burn romance

-Adult magical girls dealing with adult problems

-An Easter egg for those of you who read my previous book, The Tengu And The Angel in chapter one! (BTW that one’s a gay friends to lovers romance featuring two troubled nerds falling in love, with vignettes inspired by Japanese mythology at the end of each chapter. You can find it on the pinned link in my profile!)

NOTBM Taglist! Thank you all so much for coming on the journey to publication with me!:

@the-golden-comet @mundanemoongirl @inkshine @wyked-original-writing @mauannacreates @gioiaalbanoart @estellamiraiauthor @mysticstarlightduck @bone-and-butterflies @herecomesthementalmeltdown @willtheweaver