Tag: fantasy novels

Why Book Reviews Matter for Readers and Authors

April 5th, 2025

If you’ve spent any time around a self-published author, they have probably begged you to review their book, even if you didn’t really like it. I talk about it obsessively, and I even include a little choosy beggar call-to-action at the end of each book.

But how can a star rating or a few lines of text matter so much? Surely this is just an ego thing for authors, who want to be told nice things about their books.

Of course, being told nice things about your book feels good. That’s not the reason why they’re important, though. Let’s explore the importance of reviews from a reader perspective.

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Reviews are for other readers.

In author circles, writers are encouraged not to read reviews at all. Many of us give into the urge, and some poorly-behaved authors fight with readers in comments to defend themselves.

Some authors even hunt down unhappy customers and assault them, and then their book gets nuked on Goodreads by people who haven’t even read it.

Rest assured I will never do that. I’m too busy writing – and I understand that reviews aren’t for me. I do read and appreciate them, but I will never contest your opinions. You have the right to think whatever you like about a product you purchased, and you have the right to tell others what you thought.

When you write a review, you are informing other consumers what they can expect from a product. You likely read reviews on the regular, provided by helpful fellow consumers who want to warn people or encourage them. It’s kind of you to give back to the community, even if it’s just a sentence or two.

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There’s a huge mismatch between how many consumers want reviews and how many leave them.

95% of consumers read reviews before purchasing a product, even a very cheap one. The more expensive something is, the more reviews they will peruse before purchase.

But only 5-10% of consumers leave a review at all.

Again, 95% of consumers want reviews, but only 5-10% leave them.

I think this is partly because consumers don’t really realize how important reviews are for Search Engine Optimization and advertising purposes. They think it’s just a “nice to have,” a compliment to the author, or a way to warn other people away from a product.

A lot of companies and authors also don’t do a good job of explaining their significance because they, too, don’t know why they need them. Since my day job is search engine optimization, I’ve had it drilled into me, but authors who don’t read up on marketing or SEO have no clue.

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Reviews and ratings determine a book’s visibility on Amazon and other sites, moreso than sales.

Amazon algorithms weight which books should be at the top of a genre category based on sales and ratings. Now, I am not an engineer and can’t tell you exactly how they weight them, but in general, books are organized according to some ratio of sales to ratings, weighted more toward ratings.

This is because Amazon assumes that anyone can buy dozens of their own book and reach the best seller status. Indeed, this has happened many times, both there and in publications like The New York Times.

However, authors who do not want to get their entire account nuked cannot leave dozens of review for themselves, nor can they pay for people to leave reviews. And they also cannot use AI to make hundreds of accounts and generate reviews, because Amazon will take notice and remove them.

Reviews are harder to fake, especially because Amazon flags which ones are verified purchases and which aren’t. They link your review to your purchase, which offers additional authenticity. This isn’t always a big problem for books because people do ARC campaigns, but seeing the “verified purchase” on a review can offer readers a little more reassurance that this is the reviewer’s genuine opinion.

If a reader cares enough about a book to leave a review, good or bad, then this must make the book impactful enough to deserve more visibility. A book with hundreds of sales but no reviews is probably just the author bulk-ordering at full price to boost sales and then throwing them at people in hopes they’ll give the author attention. This does not mean anyone actually wants to read the book, just that the author was very desperate to get noticed.

But, a book with a review ratio of, say, 3 reviews to 10 sales, must be very good or very bad, given that only 10% of readers typically leave a review.

Amazon doesn’t really care if you hate-read a book because you heard it was the worst thing in existence. They care that you bought it and made them money. So, the more reviews, the more engagement, and the more likely that other people will want to purchase it. And thus, the higher it ranks on lists to create a self-perpuating cycle.

The funny thing is that this works for humans, too. The more reviews you have, the more people are compelled to leave their own review. I don’t know why that is – maybe a bit of FOMO or herd mentality? Whatever the reason, these first reviews are crucial because they encourage more.

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You’re not required to leave a review, but it is a great way to support an author you like.

This post is not a demand for reviews. I’m not entitled to reviews, nor is any other author.

You never owe anything to an author other than the money to purchase the book. (Please don’t pirate books, especially self-pubbed ones. We make very little as it is.)

Whatever you do after you purchase a product is your business. If you didn’t like the book, leave a negative review. If you loved it, leave a positive one. If you were ‘meh’ about it, then don’t leave one at all.

But, if you really liked a book and you want to help the author have the funds to write more, then it’s a really great way to support them. It costs you nothing more than about 5 minutes of your time, but it makes a huge difference.

Your words matter and are very appreciated. And who knows? Maybe your review can help the author get a few more sales and inch closer to a full-time career writing the books you love.

Speaking of that, please consider buying my books, 9 Years Yearning and Pride Before a Fall, and then leaving a review, so you can offer me that sweet sweet engagement. You’re not required to, of course, but I’d be very grateful.
Male Emotions in the Eirenic Verses: A Glimpse of a Kinder World

March 26th, 2025

As we inch toward publication of my third book, Funeral of Hopes, on June 23, I wanted to discuss something interesting that readers may have noticed in the first two books.

While I hope that my male characters, like Uileac and Orrinir, always have strong masculine energy, they’re a little different than what one may find in the typical fantasy story. This difference is their unrepentant displays of deep emotional states, something I feel is sorely lacking in most media representations.

When either husband cries, there is no suggestion from the other that they’re being weak or simply need to “man up.” They’re allowed the freedom of expression in any mood, whether that’s angry or grief-stricken. The women in their lives never chastise them for this, nor does anyone seem uncomfortable by the shocking idea that men have feelings too.

This may be because the first half of my series is more low-stakes and character-driven, but I’d hope that other authors can find place for male vulnerability in larger epics, too. I certainly try to retain this in the latter half of the Eirenic Verses, when we shift toward the adventure and thriller subgenres. (You can read more about what to expect from the Eirenic Verses over in this post.)

While I’m virulently opposed to the “men’s rights activists” movement, I do agree with them on one point: men have been forced to deny their emotions for far too long until it ferments into rage.

Of course, misogyny or violence is never okay. Do not think I’m excusing the many terrible things that men do, both to themselves and to women. However, can we truly expect generations of traumatized, repressed, and resentful men to perfectly articulate their feelings?

It may surprise one, given the “man-hating lesbian” stereotype, that I do have many men in my life who I love and cherish. Indeed, some might be baffled that I’d care enough to write so thoughtfully about male characters at all.

But it shouldn’t be that shocking. A good writer can write all genders, and I’d like to think I’m a good writer. Men are humans too, and I grieve the thought that they have been denied the full palette of human emotion through socialization.

Many times I grow frustrated at other women who mock men for showing feelings, who denigrate them for being “weak” or “babyish” for getting upset about things we may not understand. I grow equally frustrated at men who enforce this pinioning of their fellow men.

I wanted to fix that in my fantasy world – Breme specifically.

Breme has a highly matriarchal culture. The all-female High Poet Society is integral to its continued existence, a key player in every element of Bremish life. As such, the machismo present in our world never evolved here, protecting men from these toxic ideologies.

Every Bremish person, no matter their gender, is encouraged to feel and care for one another. Previously, one saw this in Pride Before a Fall, where Orrinir is given leave to care for his husband just as another soldier got time off to tend to his postpartum wife. Relationships are valued, seen as societal glue and precious assets.

This does not mean that Breme is all warm fuzzies.

Many of the same problems in our world still exist there, such as domestic violence, rape, child labor, and capital punishment. After all, the whole reason that the series begins is because of 9 Years Yearning, which revolves around child soldiers.

Uileac Korviridi and Orrinir Relickim are both sent to the War Academy well before the age of majority; in fact, Orrinir becomes a child laborer at just six years old. That absolutely sucks.

Some of the rituals are brutally unthinkable, like ripping out a High Poet’s fingernails to bond her with Poesy. We get to see that ritual up close and personal in the fifth book, Absent All Light, which will be released in Summer 2026.

However, I’d like to think that in this one field – of emotional support and care – Breme is superior to our own society. This difference frees me to explore all the nuances of the male psyche.

I’m tired of the “big tough emotionless guy” stereotype, something I directly challenge through Orrinir. He is many things: fierce, competitive, and a damn good swordsman. However, he’s also gentle, loving, and vulnerable with those he trusts most.

Simultaneously, I’m tired of the idea that being affectionate makes men effeminate, particularly gay men. Uileac and Orrinir are most certainly men; neither takes a passive role or meekly submits. They fight – physically and verbally – and they pride themselves on their martial prowess.

Restrictive ideas, like ignoring male emotion or mimicking heterosexual dynamics, stifle good characterization.

A man can be brave and strong while still holding space for love and affection. Two men can be in a relationship without one being the “woman.”

And, of course, men can love women in entirely platonic ways, as Uileac and Orrinir love Cerie. They can respect women as peers or even superiors, like my characters do with the High Poets. These are not alien concepts, and they should not be treated as such in any fiction, but especially fantasy.

In this amazing genre, we are invited to create unique cultures. To see the same patriarchal views replicated, over and over again, is irksome. Attempting to reverse this, where women are innately dominant over men, also comes across as simplistic.

Why would we churn out the same tired stereotypes and gender imbalances? We have so many opportunities to dream of something better: where men and women are equals, both valued for their separate roles.

And, most importantly, a place where men are encouraged to show everything in their hearts, even if it may be uncomfortable.
“Pride Before a Fall:” A Retrospective

March 12th, 2025

It’s wild to me that Pride Before a Fall has been out for over two months now. Part of the reason that it feels like it was so long ago is because *waves hands* a lot has happened this year already, and because I actually completed the book all the way back in October 2024. In today’s fast-paced world, that’s ancient history.

If you haven’t gotten your copy of Pride Before a Fall yet, here’s the blurb:

Orrinir Relickim received an unusual wedding present from his husband, Uileac Korviridi: Bannain, a disobedient horse who seems determined to end his marriage. One explosive kick from the animal leaves Uileac critically injured just days before the Feast of the Horse, a festival celebrating equines and their country’s magic High Poetry system.

Unable to participate in the festival’s archery competition, Uileac lashes out at Orrinir in a series of tense confrontations that challenge their relationship like never before. Orrinir must balance his insecurities with affection for his prideful husband, whose single-minded focus on success causes deep frustration for both men. Between rousing fight scenes and beautiful poetry, the couple shares moments of deep intimacy that leave them emotionally exposed.

Character-driven and deeply heartfelt, Pride Before a Fall offers a greater glimpse into the world of Breme, whose existence hinges upon power-infused poetry. Luscious prose will whisk you away into a realm melding realism and fantasy for a unique reading experience.

With that, let’s get into the retrospective.

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Pride Before a Fall is my love note to horses.

Beyond anything else, this book is really about how awesome horses are. I started riding again last year after many years away, and it’s one of my greatest pleasures. There are few things more special to me than gaining a horse’s trust.

Those who have read the book will notice that it is dedicated to my favorite horse, Truly:

…. who is nothing like Bannain at all. Truly can be a bit sassy, and she’s definitely got some fire in the tank, but she is much more obedient.

That brings me to one of the most important reasons why I made Bannain the way he is: to show off that horses, just like people, all have their own personalities.

In a lot of fantasy books, horses are just window dressing and convenient transportation. They do not seem to have a will of their own; they never shy or disobey unless it is convenient for the plot.

Certainly they don’t express their opinions like real horses would. Spend enough time with these animals and you’ll learn that they are, in fact, incredibly opinionated. If you’re late to feed them by even a few minutes, they’ll throw a damn tantrum like a 1,200-pound toddler.

So I wanted Bannain to reflect some of the horses I’ve met in real life, who are sweet but mischievous. He’s relatively young in the book, probably only three years old, so he’s still got the mindset of a bratty baby; he’s not even saddlebroke yet.

But despite all that, his people love him anyway (yes, even Orrinir does). Uileac especially recognizes that no matter how one tries to anthropomorphize a horse, they are still an animal, and we cannot communicate perfectly with them.

Bannain doesn’t hurt anyone because he’s evil; he doesn’t understand what they want and is reacting instinctively to stimuli that he doesn’t like. Once one moves beyond this, they can see that he is a precious little guy who wants to be loved by his humans.

Funnily enough, reader feedback has shown that Bannain is one of the most popular characters. Someone even told me they named a Chocobo in Final Fantasy after him! There’s something very endearing about his childlike exuberance and mistakes.

He and Erix remain important characters throughout the entire series, and we meet more equines along the way. In fact, Bannain plays the role of the hero in the very last book, rescuing Orrinir during a nasty skirmish. Stay tuned for that!

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Though the story is low stakes and slow-paced, I’m satisfied with the final result.

I did get some critical feedback on my Amazon listing about Pride Before a Fall; namely, that it is very slow-paced. And it is. That is a completely fair assessment.

But it is also what I wanted to do with the book, and I did not falsely advertise it as anything but a low-stakes fantasy romance. In general, low-stakes stories do not have extremely exciting twists and turns because that’s just not what the genre demands. They can be rolicking and fun, but they don’t necessarily need a breakneck pace.

Still, I did my best to have some more interesting, fast-paced scenes in the book, such as Orrinir’s fight with Sagremor and Uileac’s surreptitious entry into the archery competition.

These were not included in the very first draft, which was only 18,000 words. I added them to provide a bit more excitement and ensure that the story wasn’t a melodramatic glurgefest.

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Pride Before a Fall is not the stereotypical fantasy romance.

LGBTQ fantasy romances, though they may not be the standard, are not groundbreaking anymore. You can read thousands of gay or lesbian fantasy romances nowadays, which is wonderful.

However, most of them are about the falling in love rather than staying in love. Of course, I’m not the first person in the world to write an established relationship gay romance, and there are many that are better than mine, but I still think it’s important to provide representation of the “after” in the “happily ever after.”

It’s easy to fall in love; people do it all the time. You can meet someone off the street and get married a day later if you so choose. The more challenging thing is to stay in love, day after day, when you come to understand your partner better and things aren’t so easy anymore.

This is what I love so much about Pride Before a Fall and the energy that I hope to embody throughout the series. Uileac and Orrinir have such incredible chemistry that never fades, even when they face some terrible circumstances in Books 8-10.

No matter how much Uileac pisses Orrinir off, or how much Uileac tries to pretend he’s unaffected by his husband’s presence, their love sizzles in every moment. I adore how much they adore one another, how they work to better understand one another every single day. It is this staying power that I find compelling rather than the fact that they fell in love.

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I still made some significant mistakes with my second book.

While I was able to ameliorate a lot of the sins I perpetrated when marketing 9 Years Yearning, I still had some mistakes that really nuked my progress. The biggest one was the release date: January 1, 2025.

This was a failure of my imagination that has to do with my unconventional life.

See, I only have two close human relatives: my mom and my brother. I haven’t had contact with any other relative for over a decade now due to circumstances we don’t need to discuss here.

My holidays are incredibly quiet and low-key, so I completely forget that for most people, this is one of the most stressful times of the year. I also don’t drink, so I don’t consider things like raucous New Year’s Eve parties and horrible hangovers.

This was abysmally dumb of me; I should have asked someone whether it would be better to push my publishing date back to Valentine’s Day or something. That would have been a far more suitable time to publish a romance story.

But at the same time, I was pretty dumb with ARCs and preorders too. Because of my New Year’s publishing date, I ran my ARC campaign from October to December, which severely reduced my response rate. Everyone else was busy being a normal person, and they completely forgot to review my book. The ARC campaign was also a bit too long, so people signed up for the campaign before the holidays and then didn’t think about it because life was too stressful.

Lastly, I shouldn’t have run preorders, as this screwed me up with Amazon’s algorithm. The first thirty days are when you get the highest boost, but I wasted all of that through my preorder window, meaning that I didn’t get higher visibility on the release date.

For my next book, Funeral of Hopes, I will only be doing preorders for seven days, a plan I continue to follow throughout the rest of the series. This ensures that the book is ready through all Draft2Digital distribution channels by June 23.

You may think that me admitting to my mistakes means I’m an idiot and you shouldn’t trust anything I say, but that’s not true; it’d be more concerning if I wasn’t willing to self reflect. After all, no one is born knowing how to market and self-publish. There’s no shame in doing things wrong.

I have the most important facets of book writing down, which is actually writing the book. The rest of the process will come in time, and I’ve already learned a lot about self-publishing through 9 Years Yearning and Pride Before a Fall. I will be well set up for success with the next eight parts of the series.

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Like 9 Years Yearning, I intend to release a paperback with bonus stories.

Again, I don’t really have a timeline on this yet, but I do plan to get a different artist to do a full book cover and add some new stories. One of them will be showing how Uileac and Orrinir make Sergeant (spoiler alert), but it won’t be necessary to read that before Funeral of Hopes; the story will be alluded to.

I’m not sure whether there will be other bonus stories and what they will include, but I guarantee that I will make the paperback worth your money.

If you haven’t yet purchased Pride Before a Fall, it’s a short, cozy read that you can complete in just a few hours, filled with plenty of sexual tension and a little bit of spice at the end. Be sure to enjoy Uileac’s heartstopping archery performance – and Orrinir’s begrudging love of Bannain!

Please remember to leave a review on Amazon and Goodreads if you decide to pick up a copy. I’d be so appreciative, especially for Goodreads.
Names in The Eirenic Verses

March 5th, 2025

While some of the names in The Eirenic Verses – particularly place names – are completely made up, many are derived from archaic words or titles, usually of Celtic origin. Others are a synthesis of different names that have been slightly tilted to better fit a fantasy theme.

Let’s take a look at some of the names you’ll encounter throughout the series, including some you may not have seen just yet. I’ll only go over those that have their roots in real words; you can assume most of the others are fabrications, such as Bewerian and Quirnis.

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Aleric the Dog

We don’t meet the second Aleric until the eighth book, Perseity, but Cerie mentions that she had a childhood dog named Aleric in 9 Years Yearning.

While there is technically a meaning behind this name, it does not actually matter. The real reason is that this was my dog Clark’s shelter name. (His current name is an homage to Superman, who was created in Cleveland.)

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Bannain the Horse

Banain is a Scottish name that means “little blond one,” which is perfect for this mischievous, childlike horse! He’s the star of the show in Pride Before a Fall and remains a force to be reckoned with throughout the series.

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Cachaille

This small town near the Rimuk Mountains is mentioned in Pride Before a Fall, as it is named after one of the Five Bremish Saints.

The word “cachaille” comes from Gaelic, where it means “gate.” Later in the series, we see how the town Cachaille serves as a gateway for the events of the story.

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Cerie Korviridi

Cerie means “a delicate bird’s whistle,” and the lucky color is green – how appropriate. I wanted a pretty Gaelic name that wouldn’t sound out of place in the real world, making it more memorable and relatable.

Korviridi is a made up portmanteau of several pieces: Corvid, to continue the bird theme; “virid,” which means green; and an extra “i” to create a better cadence.

Cerie’s name foreshadows some of her actions in the sixth book, Poesy, which is the first one I wrote, and honors one of my favorite fictional characters (more on that later). In Poesy, she works with birds several times.

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Eirenic/Eirenen

British spelling of “irenic,” meaning “favoring, conducive to, or operating toward peace, moderation, or conciliation.”

Derived from the Greek word ειρήνη (eirene), meaning “peace.” Eirene is also the name of the Greek goddess for peace, who is one of the three Horae.

In Christian theology, Irenicism is the attempt to reconcile different Christian denominations and sects in hopes of promoting harmony.

Naming the world Eirenen is a hint at the overarching goal of the series.

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Erix the Horse

If you have not yet read 9 Years Yearning, Erix is Uileac’s beloved palomino mare, known for being very intelligent and loyal.

Erix is actually a male name, the Norse form of the name Erik, which means “eternal ruler.” Not only is Erix shown as an exceptionally well-mannered horse, but she often makes decisions contrary to what Uileac would want. These are always for his benefit, though.

The “eternal” part is in reference to the fact that I simply refuse to kill off any of the horses, even long after they would naturally die in the series.

It is mentioned in the upcoming freebie story, Saint Luridalr and the Peony Phoenix, that Saint Luridalr tamed a wild horse and named it Erix, which is the inspiration for Uileac’s name choice.

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Etymonism

Later in the series, we see High Poetry coalesce into a true religion with lay adherents, similar to Buddhism’s monastic and lay orders.

Etymon means the early or “original” form of a given word. You have probably seen another form of this word quite often: etymology, which is the study of a word’s evolution.

By naming the religion Etymonism, the High Poets are acknowledging that their goddess wrote the first or original word. They are perptually striving to understand her cosmic writings, to uncover the origins of their fates, and to predict what the future might be based on Poesy’s past “writings.”

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Glarus the Bartender

We briefly meet Glarus, proprietor of the Swordsman Society, in Pride Before a Fall; he also mentioned in the third book and returns in the seventh book, Shadow and Sword.

Glarus is named after the New Glarus Brewing Company, a Wisconsin craft brewery. I’m not a big beer drinker, but I am a huge fan of their Moon Man brew.

If you’ve never heard of New Glarus, there’s a good reason: their beers are only available in the state of Wisconsin. Absolutely worth it to visit Mars Cheese Castle and pick yourself up some ale.

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Haniya Aina

Haniya is the princess of Sina, and her name means joyful and happy. As you will come to see starting in the sixth book, Poesy, most of the important Sinan figures have ironic names.

“Aina” is a name used in many different cultures, most of which also have similar meanings to happiness and beauty. However, the closest meaning for Haniya is the Hawaiian word “aina,” meaning land. It’s typically seen in the phrase “aloha aina,” meaning “love of the land.”

We shall see that Haniya has a complicated relationship with her country, another ironic twist.

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Meronym

In the Eirenic Verses, these are the religious centers for the High Poets, often dedicated to a specific poet of old. While it’s a beautiful and poetic term that sounds perfect for fantasy, it is actually a real word.

Meronym means a term that is used to specify a whole, like “giving your hand in marriage.”

Later in the series, High Poets are asked to take refuge in the 9 Syllables: Poesy, the Eytmom, and the meronym. This echoes the three jewels of Buddhism (the Buddha, the dharma, and the sangha). Just like “the sangha” references the entire spiritual community of Buddhism, “meronym” in this pledge references the whole community of High Poets.

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Mordrek Willets

The star of the fourth book, What Is Cannot Be Unwritten, Mordrek is a Sinan spy who often falls prey to his own passions. His name derives from Mordred, a Welsh name meaning discipline and moderation.

Mordred is also a character in Arthurian legend who betrays King Arthur and is later killed by him. So as not to spoil the later books, I will simply say that Mordrek fails to meet this standard, too.

A willet is type of shoebill known for its long legs. This is also a jab at Mordrek, who is canonically very short for a man, and it continues the bird theme. Given that Cerie has an ornithological name, Mordrek’s last name shows us that he’s going to be important to Cerie (though not romantically).

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Nikeeta the Mule

We meet Nikeeta in the sixth book, Poesy. Her name means “not scared,” but Nikeeta is a total nervous wreck. Again, most Sinan characters have ironic names, including the animals.

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Orrinir Relickim

“Orrin” derives from the Old Irish name Odrán, meaning “dun-colored.”

Yes, there is a very good reason why his horse Bannain is a dun gelding. They were meant for each other!

“-ir” is a past infinitive. You can figure out why this would be relevant to Orrinir later on in the series.

“Relickim” is made of the word “relic,” meaning to be a symbol of an older time, and “kim,” a Sanskrit question that can mean “why” or “how” depending on the sentence. Again, you’ll learn more about this meaning in the eighth book, Perseity.

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Perseity

Later in the series, we hear about the Perseity, which is a poem that a Sinan queen must recite to legitimize her rule. The term perseity means the state of being self-sufficient, representing a princess no longer leaning on the queen’s teachings and learning how to be her own ruler.

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Plexity

Plexity means the state of being composed of multiple things; the most common form of this is “duplex,” or two houses in one building.

The last book of the series is named Plexity, and the meaning in this instance is about Sinan society breaking up into multiple factions.

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Poesy

Archaic term for poetry, making it the perfect term for the goddess of poetry. However, it goes a bit deeper than that, as “poesy” comes from the Greek word poiesis, meaning the act of creation. This is an accurate description of a goddess who, throughout the series, is said to have “written the first word” and created the world.

Poesy is perpetually creating a poem that describes all of humanity, like an active form of the Akashic Records. Some people, specifically the High Poets, can suggest revisions or additions to the world-poem, which may not always be accepted. The most powerful of those – the Bremish Saints – can serve as editors or even write their own lines.

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Sagremor Mallae

Sagremor is Orrinir’s best friend, basically demanded by his name. In Arthurian legend, Sagremor was a knight of the round table and Tristan’s closest companion.

In Le Mort D’Arthur, Sagramore le Desirous is depicted as a valiant warrior, but he constantly loses jousts against the other knights. Our own Sagremor is much the same, as seen in Pride Before a Fall.

“Mallae” is made up, but it does bear a strong resemblance to the Nepali last name Malla, which means strongman or wrestler.

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Tshumanu Heian

Tshumanu is a bastardization of Tsurumaru, a character from Touken Ranbu. His last name, Heian, also nods to the real-life Tsurumaru-Kuninaga, a katana forged in the Heian era of Japan by smith Gojou Kuninaga.

The Tsurumaru-Kuninaga is an Imperial Treasure owned by the Emperor of Japan, though there is a replica at the Fujinomori Shrine, a place closely associated with the sword. I learned a lot about Japanese history during my time in the Touken Ranbu fandom, including pretty intensive study about the Tsurumaru-Kuninaga’s history.

Of course, the two have very different backstories, relationships, and plotlines. Though Tshumanu is named in honor of one of my favorite characters, he has evolved into his own character and should not be considered a replica of Tsurumaru. There are enough of those floating around.

In naming him this and giving him a few faint resemblances to the Touken Ranbu character, I wanted to honor my own history as a writer. Before embarking on the Eirenic Verses, I wrote over 1.6 million words of fanfiction, mostly Touken Ranbu. That media empire has had a huge impact on my writing skills and I’m very grateful for the time I spent in the fandom.

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Uileac Korviridi

Uileac has several meanings depending on what etymology you accept. It may derive from the Old Norse name Hugleikr, meaning “spirited play”
or “heart in the game,” or it may be the Irish form of William, meaning “resolute protector.”

All of these fit Uileac in some way. The “spirited play” aspect is seen in retrospective when Uileac writes a poem for Orrinir in Pride Before a Fall, which focuses on them playing together as teens. In that book, we also see how hard he works in any competition, no matter how silly.

“Resolute protector” becomes a stronger aspect of his personality in later parts of the series, especially in the fifth book, Absent All Light.

Uileac is lightly based on the Touken Ranbu character Uguisumaru, though the two are very different in personality and skill; pretty much all they have in common is their green hair. Uguisumaru is from the Kobizen school, so I wanted Uileac to have the same initials as my favorite character.

Like Tshumanu, Uileac is a nod to my time spent in the Touken Ranbu fandom, though he has taken on a life of his own. Those who weren’t aware of this history would struggle to recognize the similarities between the two characters.

The Touken Ranbu character is named after the uguisu bird. Cerie’s bird-themed name also reflects my love of this game, and birds are a recurring theme in the series.

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Vercingetorix

In the book series, Vercingetorix is both a famed High Poet and the name of a small town near the Rimuk Mountains. It’s the primary location of What Is Cannot Be Unwritten, the fourth book in the series (coming winter 2025).

However, this is also the name of an ancient Gallic chieftain who led a rebellion against Julius Caesar. While brave, he was ultimately defeated and executed. The High Poet Vercingetorix was also taken in battle and savaged; her mutilated relics are on display at the meronym that bears her name.

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These are the main ones, though there are quite a few others that you’ll find along the way. As we continue throughout the series, I’ll share more of the stories behind the names you see!
“9 Years Yearning:” A Retrospective

February 19th, 2025

With 9 Years Yearning now having been out for over 8 months, I’d like to share more about the book, including the writing process, what I wish I would have done differently, and my plans for its future!

If you haven’t read 9 Years Yearning yet, here’s the blurb:

Uileac Korviridi, orphaned at age 11 during a raid on the family farm, cherishes the happy memories of living with his late parents. Fond reminiscences are all he has to comfort him in the stern confines of the War Academy, where young boys are trained to protect their besieged nation from a powerful enemy. Even as he forces enthusiasm for his military studies, he must balance his loyalty to his little sister, Cerie, who is training at the High Poetry Society to become a magical wordsmith.

In contrast to Uileac’s bucolic past, Orrinir Relickim is a former Future Boy: one given up to the War Academy by neglectful parents before enrolling in training. His life has been typified by invisibility, making him desperate to gain attention from anyone – especially Uileac.

The two start as resentful quasi-enemies: Uileac despises Orrinir’s success in their studies, while Orrinir resents Uileac’s happy childhood and delicate looks. However, as they understand one another better, they cannot resist this pull they don’t yet understand. What follows is a tale of teenage longing, with all the awkwardness and miscommunication it entails.

Set in a sweeping world with poetry magic, 9 Years Yearning offers a brief glimpse into a beautiful country besieged by its enemies, constricted by a mountain range made with words. With lush descriptions, deep emotion, and lyrical prose, this novella sets the stage for grander conflicts in the 10-part Eirenic Verses series. Dive into a world where poetry makes power, seen through the eyes of two young men preparing for war.

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9 Years Yearning was originally a freebie prequel.

As I’ve mentioned before, 9 Years Yearning was not the first book I wrote for The Eirenic Verses. Instead, I wrote what is now the sixth book, Poesy, before anything else. I intended for the series to only be a trilogy: Poesy (now sixth), Perseity (now eighth), and Plexity (now tenth).

Like many self-published authors, I began the querying process with high hopes that I would be traditionally published; I perfected my query letter, revised Poesy eight times, and solicited the help of professional editors to get it in perfect form.

However, I found that I simply could not leave The Eirenic Verses alone. Instead, I began work on four prequels: 9 Years Yearning, Pride Before a Fall, Funeral of Hopes, and What Is Cannot Be Unwritten, which are now the first four books in the series. Not only was this meant to keep me sane during the querying process, but I found they were great character studies that helped me better understand the world I’d created and how High Poetry works.

These four were briefly available on my Archive Of Our Own page in their rawest form; Pride Before a Fall, now the second book, was over 30,000 words shorter, and Funeral of Hopes was only 18,000 words (now over 60,000).

The goal was to use them to get people invested in my work and, eventually, purchase the trilogy when it became available. As I continued to learn more about traditional publishing, I realized this probably wasn’t the best idea; I couldn’t rely on AO3 readers for social proof to a publisher, and low metrics would imply that my story idea wasn’t good enough.

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I realized that these prequels would never be published traditionally as they are, and I wanted the series written to my own specifications.

I’m proud of 9 Years Yearning. It’s a lovely, short book that introduces people to the important characters before we get into the heavier books in the second part of the series. (You can read more about what to expect from The Eirenic Verses in this post.)

But I know that publishing houses would not agree. It’s very short at only around 31,000 words, which is almost unheard of for a tradpub fantasy novel. The standard metric is over 90,000 words, and I was not going to cram a million more words into this story just to satisfy an agent. As such, it wouldn’t be published in its current form, nor would the next four before Poesy, which are all below 90,000 words.

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The brevity of 9 Years Yearning is part of its charm.

There is a lot more I could have done with 9 Years Yearning if I wanted to. For example, I could have shared more anecdotes from Uileac and Orrinir’s early life together, or I could have traded off perspectives between Uileac and Orrinir.

While I did consider these options before publishing, I decided against it and chose to keep the book less than 130 pages.

I am an unknown indie author, and few people are going to risk a lot of money on a large novel from someone they do not yet trust to tell a great story. Pricing it low and keeping it short means that those who did not like the book did not waste a lot of time or money on it, and those who did like the book will be excited to hear that there will be nine more stories to enjoy.

Additionally, I was aware going in that 9 Years Yearning would probably not gain a lot of traction before I built up my catalogue with more stories. I did not want to spend years picking at it, knowing that I needed to start on the next parts of the series so that those tantalized by the short intro would have something else to jump on.

And yes, I haven’t gained much traction at all quite yet. That’s perfectly okay with me; I still have many years to market and refine my approach. This brings me to some of the mistakes I made while writing and marketing 9 Years Yearning.

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Like many debut self-pub authors, I made a lot of mistakes with my first book.

I think 9 Years Yearning is a wonderful introduction to my world that draws people in but does not bore them with insane amounts of worldbuilding. It’s intriguing enough that people moved on to Pride Before a Fall, just as I hoped they would, and I know I already have some loyal readers who are eager for my next book, too.

But I didn’t show my book the love it deserved by doing my research and preparing more carefully. Most of my mistakes were to do with marketing and presentation. Here are just a few of them:

Not getting a good book cover right off the bat. Katarina did an amazing job with my cover, but originally I had a cheap, lazy one I did on Canva. Then I paid $50 for a really boring cover. Neither of those sold well in the crucial first few weeks.

Not planning my release date. I didn’t talk about my book ahead of time or get people invested; I didn’t run an ARC campaign, set up a website, or even talk about it with my friends and family. This all set me back quite a bit, and while I did work to improve this with Pride Before a Fall, I still made some serious mistakes with my second release that I’ll talk about in another post.

Using Kindle Unlimited. Being kind of dumb, I wasn’t aware of how many people actually use something other than Kindle to download their books, so I figured it was fine to just have it on Kindle. But KU is actually more for romance novels that people expect to read only once, not for fantasy series where people will want to read it again as different parts come out.

Ignoring wide distribution. I probably would have made a lot more money if I had done Draft2Digital immediately.

Paying for Amazon ads. I lost about $100 on Amazon ads before realizing that it wasn’t worthwhile until I had a more solid backlog. I probably will not start using paid advertising until I’m at least to Poesy.

Paying for an influencer review. This review is really nice, and the reviewer did a TikTok video too, but it did not net me any sales whatsoever. Want to note here, though, that I have never paid for any Amazon or Goodreads reviews; all of those are completely unsolicited and unpaid. (Also, pretty please leave reviews if you read my books! I’ll love you forever!)

Not networking enough. Still struggling with this, but I’m getting better. At least more people know of my existence now!

Alas, this is par for the course with selfpub. No one teaches you these things, and frankly, I break out into hives when I think about marketing. I’m still getting over my fear of it and improving.

But I’m also not deeply concerned with sales metrics right now. I write because I love what I do; I have a stable day job that pays my bills. One day, I hope that The Eirenic Verses will break even, perhaps make enough that I can build myself a nest egg.

Don’t get me wrong: every sale is precious, and I really appreciate anyone willing to drop a bit of money on my work. More special to me, though, is the feedback I get from readers. That’s much more important.

So, if you love 9 Years Yearning, please leave a review on Amazon and Goodreads! It’s exceedingly helpful to me.

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I intend to release a paperback with bonus stories later on.

It would be lovely to go to conventions and sign my name, so I will create paperbacks of all the books eventually. However, I don’t think it’s fair to expect readers to pay more for only 125 pages of content; there are large expenses associated with Print on Demand, so I couldn’t possibly charge just $1.99 for a physical version.

As such, the paperback of 9 Years Yearning will have some upgrades, including bonus stories only available in print and an even more beautiful cover. All the bonus stories will take place in between 9 Years Yearning and Pride Before a Fall to ensure continuity, but they will also not be explicitly referenced in the other books so that those who only want the digital version won’t miss out on anything important.

This would be my little thank-you to those who choose to pay a bit more, ensuring that they get value for their money.

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I hope that 9 Years Yearning serves as a tantalizing entry into a larger world.

My readers are important to me; I wouldn’t have said thank you to them in a full post otherwise.

When I write, I think about what you would enjoy and how I can give you a bit of respite from whatever is bothering you. I know exactly how crucial it is to dive into a fantasy world when you’re upset, having done that thousands of times over my life. It’s my hope that you’ll experience that same comfort from my stories.

I am also achingly conscious of the fact that you only have so many hours in the day to read, and you don’t want to waste time slogging through full chapters of backstory and irrelevant details. My stories are concise precisely because your time is valuable; I want you to enjoy every word, not roll your eyes and push your way through it in hopes that things will get better.

In fact, I love my readers so much that I’d consider it the greatest honor if someone ever wrote fanfic about The Eirenic Verses. This would matter so much more to me than fame, fortune, or awards.

So, who knows? I’m hoping that as the years go on, 9 Years Yearning will became your comfort read and pick-me-up. Or at least something you reflect upon fondly, remembering the few minutes you spent enjoying someone else’s life.

Eirenic Verses

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Bannain the Horse

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Cachaille

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Cerie Korviridi

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Not a Paywall, but an Invitation

Start every Monday with poems, reading recommendations, writing tips, and glimpses into a literary fantasy saga.

Tag: fantasy novels

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Reviews are for other readers.

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There’s a huge mismatch between how many consumers want reviews and how many leave them.

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Reviews and ratings determine a book’s visibility on Amazon and other sites, moreso than sales.

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You’re not required to leave a review, but it is a great way to support an author you like.

While I’m virulently opposed to the “men’s rights activists” movement, I do agree with them on one point: men have been forced to deny their emotions for far too long until it ferments into rage.

I wanted to fix that in my fantasy world – Breme specifically.

This does not mean that Breme is all warm fuzzies.

Restrictive ideas, like ignoring male emotion or mimicking heterosexual dynamics, stifle good characterization.

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Pride Before a Fall is my love note to horses.

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Though the story is low stakes and slow-paced, I’m satisfied with the final result.

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Pride Before a Fall is not the stereotypical fantasy romance.

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I still made some significant mistakes with my second book.

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Like 9 Years Yearning, I intend to release a paperback with bonus stories.

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Aleric the Dog

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Bannain the Horse

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Cachaille

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Eirenic/Eirenen

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Erix the Horse

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Etymonism

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Glarus the Bartender

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Haniya Aina

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Meronym

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Mordrek Willets

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Nikeeta the Mule

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Perseity

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Plexity

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Poesy

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Sagremor Mallae

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Tshumanu Heian

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Vercingetorix

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9 Years Yearning was originally a freebie prequel.

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I realized that these prequels would never be published traditionally as they are, and I wanted the series written to my own specifications.

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The brevity of 9 Years Yearning is part of its charm.

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Like many debut self-pub authors, I made a lot of mistakes with my first book.

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I intend to release a paperback with bonus stories later on.

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I hope that 9 Years Yearning serves as a tantalizing entry into a larger world.

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Not a Paywall, but an Invitation

Start every Monday with poems, reading recommendations, writing tips, and glimpses into a literary fantasy saga.

**Like 9 Years Yearning, I intend to release a paperback with bonus stories.**

**The brevity of 9 Years Yearning is part of its charm.**

**I hope that 9 Years Yearning serves as a tantalizing entry into a larger world.**