Isaac X Isaac

“It but delays the extinction of our line by a generation. Edward had no sons. I have only one. And he will live a honourable and happy life, by God, if nothing else I secure with all of mine. And then the last of us dies, the title returns to the Crown, and the world forgets there ever was a Baron Aldridge, one of five men who lived quietly, won no glory, and accomplished nothing of note.”

I do play some tricks in the 1st chapter, such as the people recounting the backstory being deeply confused about what genre they're in, which I've tried to brightly signpost/prime you to see by NOT starting in their PoV.

This line is near the end of chapter 1 and is supposed to land like "OK dad."

#SummerOfStory
I really strove for this on the first page and I'm proud of it (thats why i keep sharing it 🤣). I want to immediately tell you everything you need to know.

Character, setting, themes, vibes, narrator's attitude, prose flavor, main recurring motif, heart of the conflict, etc. +

I'm back at #WIPSnips!!
Touch, sound, sight, even smell if you imagine enough.

This is a call for #betareaders on my WIP! Looking for members of the #writingcommunity who would be available in November. Gaslamp fantasy, expected ~150k words. I can offer money, a read swap, or an art commission as payment.

Leave a comment or DM if you are interested!

Poster like you might find on a telephone pole. In the middle is the illustrated cover for Bridges of Smoke. Purple text at the top reads, "Hey! Have you seen my book? Now you have. :)." Purple text on either side of the cover reads, "Now with illustrated cover!" And "Angst levels unchanged!" Purple text at the bottom reads, "if you like apocalyptic sci-fi, you should check it out." 8 pull-away tabs at the bottom have purple text reading, "Julie March Books dot itch dot IO." There is a large coffee splatter at the top left and a coffee ring in the bottom right corner.

This close to hanging these up about town but I'll settle for the internet for tonight:

juliemarchbooks.itch.io/bridges-of-s...

Wings in the Valley Amazon.com: Wings in the Valley eBook : Connelly, Aud: Kindle Store

WINGS IN THE VALLEY is coming off kindleunlimited on 8/23.

There is still plenty of time to read it for "free".😆

It's high fantasy with romance (low/no spice), which my friend called "enemies-to-parents."

There is a really cute baby in it. She bites.

Reviews are desperately appreciated.

"Identify with" is hard to say…

Though I've written Alexander to be a hero that you (I hope) cheer for and empathize with, I'm more similar to Blackthorne, worryingly🤣, and maybe see the story from closer to his position.

Alexander is more like my son I want to succeed. Like this meme:

Alexander landed behind him, a farther drop than expected, and staggered upright in the centre of the path. To his left and right stretched the thin strips of garden, beds laid out like two long ribbons of intricate embroidered trim, herbs and flowers couched in the squares and curves of squat boxwood; among them loomed topiaries perfectly conical, topped with spheres, standing in the darkness like faceless, impassive spectators. Blossomless shrubs shivered against the border walls, feeling the rumour of winter; among them, the petals of only a single autumn damask still clung to its hips. Alexander did not notice. In the moonlight, what he saw was Lord Blackthorne, lofting his sword in a lazy salute, his long and graceful body bending in a mocking bow. “Come, Alexander!”

I'll share this one for funsies

#QueerPrompts
There are two appearances of cats (physical cats not metaphorical cats) and this is the first!

This is early July 1660.

#SummerOfStory
I'm obsessed with symbols. This whole story is kinda just a scaffold to hang SYMBOLS and THEMES upon. Plot is my last concern😅

Many I decide in advance—I plan the book as a sequence of setpieces—but even more pop out in the writing, usually as natural consequence of the setting.

Friday writerly/readerly question? A question mark on a pink-green gradient background

Happy Friday! Here's a #WritingQ or #ReadingQ to ponder: What's a great friendship (non-romantic) you've written or read about? What made that friendship so memorable?

#WritingCommunity #BookSky #WriteSky #FridayQuestion #indiepub #selfpub #writers #readers

Get Ready for BOOM goes the Bride From Valiant Evermech - Get Ready for BOOM goes the Bride

30 signups already! I'm truly grateful and I can't wait to show you more of Boom goes the Bride. A sneak peek of the cover by @kholbatar.bsky.social is coming your way, plus character profiles and more!

At 50 follows I'll be sending out a TTRPG related gift to the #backerkit followers... #boombride

I'm fine, just bruised! I realized I inadvertently made this incident sound much more serious than it was by failing to specify I was on foot. 😂

abjwriter's comment on "I’m a young, queer person in pre-Stalinist USSR. How did my relationships and social networks change through decriminalization (1917-1933) and re-criminalization (1934+)?" Explore this conversation and more from the AskHistorians community

Wrote on Reddit about some of the research I did for my book - check it out here! #QueerHistory #LGBTQHistory #ussr #russianhistory #soviethistory (hey am I doing these tag things right)

Cicadapocalypse Holo Sticker - Julie March's Ko-fi Shop Broods XIII and XIX are here, and their to-do list is extremely relatable. Hand-painted in Procreate. Printed on holographic weather-resistant vinyl,...

Etsy and Etsy ads are expensive and Kofi is pretty much free, so if y'all can help me out with some art shop exposure, I will be kissing your forehead so sweetly

ko-fi.com/s/59d735c64b

YET

I think I’m okay (no goose eggs or abrasions) but that hurt. Ow.

Every great author writes what he knows, says writer of book mostly about men having pratfalls, as he slams full-speed into a concrete pillar on his way home from Shakespeare

Buy Ame a Coffee Become a supporter of Ame today!

Need a quick sketch of your RP character? Having trouble visualizing the OCs for your new book?
I offer character portraits for all your needs. Come by my ko-fi shop and check out my commissions!

(Examples below ⬇️)

ko-fi.com/autumnchild

#Commissions #CommissionsOpen #CommsOpen

Tonight I’m seeing the Shakespeare play that is referenced in my book 👀

Lord Blackthorne

Say three positive things about your writing!

- Delicious prose
- Nutty, but in a good way
- Rich but not heavy and leaves you feeling satisfied
- I'm hungry

Hi friends! Yesterday’s routine visit to the veterinarian resulted in an unexpected bill — so if you love cats and want to help pay for my Gordon’s X-ray, consider booking a commission.

I offer discounted rates for marginalized & in-need authors! Let’s work together! 💙📚

NO lmao

But I've a little cute addendum.

If in this scenario, I'm the creator of Alexander, he wouldn't be mad at me for what I put him through. He'd be grateful that I vindicated him and made him the hero.

And Blackthorne would be glad he was made the villain.

I think that we should each drill down on what we like, what effects we want, and study specific techniques to produce them. Trite rules, especially those framed around "don't", distract with exegetic conversations and if/when breaking rules is "allowed".

Don't ask permission, just do!!

But a book is a textual medium. Ultimately, EVERYTHING is told. The choice is in what to tell and how.

Authors of the past had no shame "telling" prodigiously; this is a modern hangup that enforces the currently popular style. Not a BAD style, but "show don't tell" is not an objective truth. +

Second hot take is that this is screen advice, not book advice, and reflects TV-ization of popular taste (he says as someone who writes very TV-like🤣).

TV character turning to camera: The enemy is really strong! I am scared.
^ No. Why you do this!? Don't tell, show us and let actors act! +

I got MULTIPLE #SummerOfStory hot takes today, LOL

First hot take is that this advice is for the former group, not the latter. Once someone has vocabulary like "psychic distance", "immediacy", "sensory description", &c., I think this cliche actually confuses people more than it helps. +

#QueerPrompts
Alexander is stealth for the whole book. Nobody knows he's trans!

His parents think concealment is going to be his life's driving drama, but it's not. It does play a role, though, and creates a cold wall around this radiant, warm young man that he can't let friends through.

Debut of the Book Overture 🥹

The Ideal Male Body

(OK but I'm especially fond of this one because step "???" literally is the book.)