Blog | Hannah Steenbock | Feel-good Stories. In Any Universe.

Progress Report December 2023

Posted on 13/12/2023 by Hannah Steenbock

December Progress Report 2023 — Snow days in the park.

I have great news in this progress report: I published a new book this month!

But first things first:

I didn’t finish NaNoWriMo. The Wolf story ended before I could reach the 50k words, and that was just fine with me. I wanted a Christmas novella, after all, and that’s what I got. I put the rest of the month into editing and formatting that tale.

Which leads me directly to the…

Wolves Progress Report

A Wolf’s Christmas came out on December 2nd (depending a little on the sales channel).

It was great fun to write, seriously. Thing is, I deliberately set the story in a small town in Germany that I know (not really that well, but Google maps help).

I also used the opportunity to show off some German Christmas traditions, as festive decoration of the story. And of course, Fred and Mark have a problem to solve and get into trouble – like all my Wolves.

They do good work, as always, and yes, there is a romance subplot. How could there not be, considering it’s a Christmas novella?

Here’s the link if you feel like buying the book: A Wolf’s Christmas in all stores.

And yes, I’m still writing the story of Shane and Dylan, A Wolf’s Hacker. I do think I can manage to get it all done and published next year.

And no, I’m not forgetting all the other shifters. I wish I could write faster, because I love all those ideas.

Winds and Pillars Progress Report

Okay, not writing those right now (we’ll get to that soon), but I have plans to edit Sky Falls during my Christmas vacation. It’s basically written, and just needs cleaning up and editing a few bits and bobbles. I have high hopes I can get it published in January (February at the latest).

Sky is also a character I fell in love with (nothing special, I love them all), and I really hope you’ll like him, as well. And I can promise cameos by other beloved characters.

Sun’s story is also almost done, and I already know quite a few things about Moon. So rest assured, I will finish this series.

Lit RPG Progress Report

Yes, that’s one of those series I’ve kept hidden on my backburner. It’s called The Mengarian Conspiracy and it’s pretty much a tale of a party of adventurers having, well, adventures, doing good and eventually (no idea how long or how many books that’ll take) uncovering a conspiracy to murder the current king and queen. I have three finished books, but I’m being held back by the (always rather stressful) search for a cover designer I can actually afford.

In very good news, I have a beta-reader for book 1 (who already told me they like it), so maybe I can figure out the cover problem. There might soon be more progress to report.

New Vampire Series Progress Report

It was bound to happen. I mean, I’ve been reading vampire books for a while now, and Writer Brain does read along. I have a series name already – Penumbra – and I have a few main characters and a few side characters. I also have titles (which might change slightly) for four books. There will probably be more, with the MCs changing in every book, in the Romance series fashion. That also means the books will be stand-alones, but tied in with the other books.

A Lion’s Battle
A Warrior’s Dream
A Breath of Spring
A Librarian’s Wish

It won’t be the classic vampire stuff, instead I thought of a twist. You see, my vampires are actually Children of the Sun and they fight the Hunters of the Night. They were created to defend humanity from evil, and to be reminded of that, they need to feed on blood. They also have some of the classic vampire abilities (strength, speed, fast healing), while their foes have other classic vampire features (can’t stand sunlight, turn into bats, not photos or mirror images). Oh, and Old Souls also matter.

Writing Book 1 now and having much fun with it. At least I’m back to writing every day, even if the word count isn’t entirely impressive.

Life Progress Report

Two words: Daylight Lamp.

As long as I can remember to turn it on in my mornings, it does make a huge difference in how I feel during the day. I definitely battle with SAD, and let me tell you, the days in Northern Germany are DARK in winter. (And right now, we’re having few sunny days. Can’t wait for the Winter Solstice.

I’m definitely looking forward to the Christmas break from the day job. Also seeing family, which is always nice.

November was a dreadful month for sales, but December is coming along nicely so far. And somehow, seeing sales and the occasional review really makes me happy. It is a validation in a way, and a relief that people do like my books.

Ember Progress Report

Well, no. This is just your usual reminder that you can get my news through the newsletter I send out every month on the 13th. It has my book and writing news, it has opportunities to grab other books and it has the Ember Tale. There is no other way to get those.

Posted in Progress Report, Writing | Tagged progress report, Winds and Pillars, Wolves of the South, writing | Leave a comment

Progress Report November 2023

Posted on 13/11/2023 by Hannah Steenbock

I’ll start this progress report with the best news ever: I’m writing again and I’m having a lot of fun with it!

A big part of that is NaNoWriMo. I’ve done it several times, and it usually is enough external motivation to get me writing again. I failed it last year, and I’ll probably fail it this year, but it still is an incentive to write more than I have been.

Because this year has been rather frustrating with writing. I’ve had years like that before, where nothing really drew me into stories. And I still have that now. It’s hard doing it all alone, after all.

I’m trying to find author friends, trying to establish connections here in town. I’ve failing at that, as well. But at least, the ideas are coming again.

More about that below, in the individual progress reports.

Winds and Pillars Progress Report

You probably saw that I finally got Earth Splits published. I’m very much relieved, even though I had to do a quick fix to the epub when a friend told me about an unedited chapter. That was embarrassing. Fortunately, they caught it before I published the print book. Phew.

Sky Burns is next, and his story is mostly done, it just needs some cleaning and possibly filling in some blanks. I’m definitely hoping I can get it published in January next year. And just like all the others, Sky is special and dear to my heart. He even gives West a run for his money.

I’m still in the process of writing Sun (Burns). Sun is… precious in a very different way, and where he ends up was as much a surprise to me as it was for him. I’m learning about a very different aspect of history through him and his adventure, and that’s wonderful. I think I’ll be able to share his story in spring.

Even Moon has already said hi. (Moon Rises). She’s quite a character, cocky, strong, determined and often wrong. It’ll take her a while to learn to temper her arrogance and admit that the world isn’t quite as she thought it was. And I already know she’ll meet someone quite fascinating – and related to a side char in one of the other books. Yes, I’m being mean and won’t tell you anytime soon.

Wolves Progress Report

This is where I have some exciting news. You see, I’m racing to finish A Wolf’s Christmas in time to release it, well, before Christmas. That’s what I’m writing for NaNo, and I’m about halfway done. Mark and Fred have also become dear to me (guess it happens with all my MCs, or I can’t write them. And in this book, you’re getting a taste of Germany.

Shane and Dylan have been pushed back, but I think I’ll be able to finish their story in time for a release in early spring, between Sky and Sun.

Because I have a lot of plans for the world my Wolves live in. LOTS.

Shifter World Progress Report

You see, when I started writing NaNo, Writer Brain took that as a signal to shower me with all the story ideas. And I mean ALL. I’m serious.

I already started the first story in a spin-off series I’ll call Mustangs of the West. Yep, those will be stories about horse shifters. Don’t be surprised, you know West. I couldn’t let him be the only one, okay?

So “A Mustang’s Dream” will be the first, and while I’m still looking for a name for the MMC, I already know where they live – out in Oregon, close to plenty of Herd Management Areas. That gives me plenty of opportunities for them to run in the desert.

But that’s not all. Writer Brain also showed me a Tiger shifter who has been kidnapped and needs to be rescued – and he might be part of the Shifters of the North spin-off. That will feature big creatures from the northern hemisphere, bears, lynxes, maybe moose. Not sure yet, but that is definitely a plot kernel I want to explore.

Even that isn’t all, though.

You see, I finally found an origin myth for my Wolves, and while I won’t spoil more just yet, I already have a name for that third spin-off series: Wolves of the Past. That will be alternate history, and yes, it’ll come with a lot of research. So much fun.

Life Progress Report

Life is not… an area where I’m making a lot of progress.

Loneliness is still getting me, I find it difficult to get everything done that should be done, and right now, it seems that making RL friends here in town is beyond me. I have days when self-care is hard.

And I’m being open about it because authors are real people, and we’re more than just the books we put out. I managed, I’m independent, I’ll carry on, but it can be hard, and that does impact how much I can write on a given day. If my energy goes into holding the big black dog at bay, it’s not going into my stories.

I suppose that’s a roundabout way of apologizing that I haven’t published more this year.

Social Media Progress Report

I’m starting to move more and more into the Fediverse. I’ve been on Mastodon for a year, and it’s quickly become my favorite place on the web. I just added a Lemmy community – partially because the enshittification of Facebook is building and I don’t know for how much longer I can stomach it. I love my fan group there, but I’m building one away from commercial internet.

So now there are Hannah’s Dragonriders in the Fediverse, and you can actually follow that message board thingie (it does look ugly, sorry) from Mastodon, just put this into the search bar: !hannahsdragonriders@sffa.community

Newsletter – Not a Progress Report

And as usual, this is your not-Popup asking you to sign up to my Newsletter, just so you won’t miss any release or other important news. It comes out once a month, on the 13th.

I compile writing news, book recommendations, links to book deals and – some people say this is the best part – an Ember story. Ember is my little red dragon familiar, and she has an adventure in every newsletter. It’s the only way you can read it.

So… sign up below!

Posted in English | Tagged fantasy, progress report, Wolves, writing | Leave a comment

Progress Report October 2023

Posted on 13/10/2023 by Hannah Steenbock

Progress Report decorative image

Image shows a green valley with rocky slopes, under a nice blue sky with white clouds.

Decorative Image created with ArtBreeder

I actually have quite a few nice things to tell you in this Progress Report. I’m feeling better, I’m writing more – and I actually published another book! Yes, I finally got Earth Splits out, more about that in the Winds and Pillars report section. And there is more news about the Wolves.

In addition, I’m letting you in on some deeper thoughts I’m having that are not necessarily writing related. But I’m a human being living in this world, and I do have thoughts and ideas about that. Humor me, and if you have similar thoughts, feel free to share them with me.

Oh, and in even funnier news, it seems that what I write (hopeful stuff, repressed people rising up, the good guys winning, happy or at least good endings) actually has an overarching genre name: Noblebright.

To be honest, I’m not sure it’s really a good fit. That name makes me think of a Prince on a white horse, and well… Zell is not a prince, although West could be. Right? And Dorelle rides a dragon, so she’s close.

Mindset Progress Report

I’m seriously better. I feel excited about writing again, I’m very happy with the new release and I have finally found a way to deal with my exhaustion. It’s so simple that… it feels silly.

You see, I’m just making sure I sleep more.

It’s not really that easy, though. It does mean I need to consciously do my evening posts in social media earlier. It means no last minute writing, and that in turn means planning writing times earlier in the day. I’m not really good with that yet, but I am doing more morning sprints. Which gets me word count, which in turn makes me feel better.

Yes, I’m trying to turn this into an upward spiral. Here’s hoping.

Winds and Pillars Progress Report

It finally happened! I finally published Earth Splits! It went live on October 8th.

I’m still working on the print edition (it’s coming, very soon), but the ebook is out and available in all stores. I even fixed a very stupid mistake today (thanks to a friend pointing it out to me over on Mastodon), and the new version is live practically everywhere already.

So go and grab it: Earth Splits (pick your favorite store)

There’s even a first review up already for Earth, and it’s a lovely 5-star one. (On Amazon COM, if you want to check it out.)

There is more news. Sky Falls is about 90% done, and I really hope I can get it to you in January. I’m also already writing Sun Burns (50% done), and I know who Moon is, who stars in Moon Rises, obviously.

I even got a really sweet idea for the end of Spirit Sings (Book 9) through a post in my reader group on FB (Hannah’s Dragonriders). There might be a dragon in that universe after all. (*smug grin*)

Wolves Progress Report

Yes, I am having fun writing A Wolf’s Christmas, although I really need to push a little and write faster. At least I do have a nice little plot for Mark and Fred to survive. (Mwuahahahah.)

I’m also basing them in a little town I actually know (and which is close to the location of one plot point I definitely have to hit): Duderstadt.

Yes, yes, I know, who cares? But it really tickles my funny bone to use a location that’s close to my childhood home and that I have visited more than a few times. It’ll take a few rounds with Google Maps to pick a home for them. It’s also a beautiful town with a nice town wall and several really old buildings. The old town hall even has a dungeon.

Even so, it’s quite a switch from the Pillars – most of all because the Wolves are written in first person POV, while the Pillars use third person. I really messed that up in the first chapter and had to rewrite it. And then I threw out the second chapter and wrote something else instead… it’s going well, as you can see.

Life Progress Report

Well, life. The world isn’t getting any better these days, and I am thinking a lot about what needs to be done and what I can contribute.

Simply said, a LOT needs to be done, and I cannot contribute much, to be honest. Not a good feeling.

But – just let me throw this out here, I need to put it somewhere – we really need to find a better way to handle things than blatant capitalism. We need to stop using money as the yardstick for success in everything.

Because… we’re human beings living on a planet filled with many other living beings. We need to put the well-being of ourselves and our environment (including all creatures and plants) first. Our very survival depends on it. This is becoming more and more obvious. And more money in fewer hands definitely is NOT the solution.

But I don’t even have a name for that new paradigm, so how can I talk about it?

The name needs to include that care for all living things, a holistic, all-encompassing need for the well-being of everything and everyone around us. Feel free to comment if you have any idea. (Any comment bashing this idea will be deleted, don’t bother.)

The Ember Not-Popup (not a Progress Report, obviously)

Here we are, at the end of the post, where I encourage you to sign up to my newsletter. Once a month – on the 13th – you get news from me (duh, newsletter), but also awesome opportunities to score more books and the Ember Tale (I should trademark that, right?).

Oh, Ember is my little red dragon plushie. She’s quite spunky and has funny or cute little adventures every month. Ember Tales are exclusive to my newsletter, you cannot get them anywhere else.

Want to sign up? Fill in the form below.

Posted in Progress Report | Tagged new book, progress report, Winds and Pillars, Wolves of the South, writing | Leave a comment

Progress Report September 2023

Posted on 13/09/2023 by Hannah Steenbock

Decorative Image created with ArtBreeder

For this progress report it matters that August was a fairly busy month. At least September promises to be a little slower (but I do need to catch up on very important admin stuff these weeks). I have more ideas about my stories, specifically Sun (more about that below) and the Wolves.

I also have a new book out. There will definitely be more about that below, as well.

Mindset Progress Report

Most nights, I’m doing a nice visualization which helps me to sleep and which actually puts me into a good mood prior to falling asleep. IF – and that’s the big thing – I actually do it. I’m also making a better effort to do more walking.

You see, I have a deal with my sister that I walk down to the Aquarium once a week and send her a picture of the seals that live there. It’s a distance that tends to get me 10k steps. I know walking is good for me. I’m really trying to get back to my morning walks in the park, as well.

And I’m getting in more walks after my office days, in an attempt to make those less stressful.

It seems to help somewhat, because Writer Brain is actually giving me ideas again. And when I actually I get into writing, the words that come out are good.

Winds and Pillars Progress Report

For once, I can actually report progress. That does feel good!

I finished Earth (book 5). I finally wrapped my mind around the big reunion at the end of the tale (not saying more, because spoilers). Now I just have to clean up the final chapters, get it formatted, tell my suffering cover designer how many pages it came out to – and then I can publish it!

I really want to get it done before the end of September.

I’m also getting very nice ideas for the climax of Sun (book 7). The poor guy will get traumatized – but it will be so worth it! Yes, I have big plans for Sun and he will become central to the big plot in big ways.

And since Sky (book 6) is pretty much done already, I really hope I can get Sky published before the end of the year. If not, definitely January.

Wolves Progress Report

There is some news about the Wolves, too!

I’ve decided to change the order of writing the new Wolf books. You see, one of them is set to take place in Germany, A Wolf’s Christmas. It’s the story of Mark and Fred, who will get into some nasty trouble over here (not of their making).

But because time is rushing towards the end of the year and I do want to get it published in time for the holidays, I had to push A Wolf’s Hacker back to next year. Much as I love Shane and Dylan, they’ll just have to wait.

In fact, I have started writing A Wolf’s Christmas and I’ll share the first two chapters on Patreon very soon.

Publishing Progress Report

I do have a new book out! I repeat, I have a new book out.

Sadly, for most of you, it’s in German.

You see, my mastermind friend nudged me to actually go and publish all those lovely books that are lounging on my hard drive. I tend to keep them there until a series is mostly finished, but that’s not really a smart idea.

And since the first three books of my old, old Germany epic fantasy tale are basically finished and because I can end the series there if nobody buys it, I decided to just get them out.

They are certainly not my best work. Those stories were the first novels I ever wrote, they meander a bit, they are loooong and they are not as crisp and tight as my English-language ones.

Even so, Andert is very close to my heart, after all he was my first ever main character. Do check out Der Ritter von Lar Elien, if you read German. It’s very much a book of my heart. (And it earned me representation by a literary agency for some years…)

Short Story Progress Report

It’s dead, Jim.

Definitely on the backburner, now that I have Pillars and Wolves to take care of. I love my LitRPG series and really want to get it out, but honestly, that’s something for next year. I even found a cover designer I’d love to use for that series, but I haven’t dared to ask him about his prices yet.

But hey, if you want to see a meandering series of quests and adventures with a lively cast of a Fighter, a Mage, a Goblin, a Bard, an Assassin, a Druid and assorted pets, tell me so. They are fun, I know, but… energy is hard to come by these days.

Life Progress Report

Life is settling down into fall. The Equinox is near, and even though we had a nasty heatwave last week, temperatures are going down, the days are definitely shortening and I have to wrap my mind around going into the dark part of the year.

Usually, I don’t mind that much. I love candles, I love reading in my armchair snuggled in with a blanket, I love hot chocolate – but the loneliness is worse during those long nights. So I’m looking at activities that might actually get me out of the house once or twice a week. (No! Office days don’t count!)

Ember Progress Report

Yep. The inevitable newsletter non-popup.

If you like to get monthly updates without scouring your bookmarks for this page, if you love opportunities for getting book deals and the occasional review, and most especially if you love Ember (my sweet little dragon familiar), you really should sign up to my newsletter.

I only inflict it on people once a month, after all.

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Posted in Progress Report | Tagged fantasy, progress report, Winds and Pillars, writing | Leave a comment

Progress Report August 2023

Posted on 13/08/2023 by Hannah Steenbock

Decorative Image created through ArtBreeder.

In this Progress Report for August, I’m actually a bit more hopeful than last month. I’ve been taking it easy with writing, and I’m having some vacation days with my sister being here and keeping me company (and making me walk more than I usually would).

Mindset Progress Report

I’m doing better. Feeling less lonely and actually a little happier.

There are a few visualizations I do at night before falling asleep, and they seem to help, as well. Of course, as I write this, my sister is visiting (which is a nice break from being alone), and we’re doing a lot of things (which I would not do on my own, either). So additional exercise is probably also adding to the improved mood.

Winds and Pillars Progress Report

While there are still no new words, I’m actually figuring out plot points. I know the epilogue for Earth Splits. (And yes, there will be more anxiety for East). I have more ideas for the final book Spirit Sings, which is rather challenging to set up. It will take PoVs from several if not all of my main characters.

Even more important, thinking of Earth and the others is actually spawning some joy, which means Writer Brain is coming back on board for writing those tales. Now I just have to take it gently and easy in order to avoid slipping back into burnout.

Oh, I have a bit of a gift for you this month: You can grab West Flows for free through a BookFunnel promotion (which does require you to sign up to my newsletter, there’s the catch). Follow this link to a bunch of great magic-themed books:

Witches and Wizards: A Fantasy & SciFi Giveaway Full of Magic

Wolves Progress Report

Shane and Dylan (A Wolf’s Hacker) are still on hold, as are Mark and Fred. However, the plots of both stories are basically clear (of course, they will surprise me, I’m sure). I do hope I can write both fast enough to release Mark and Fred’s story in time for Christmas.

After all, that’s in their title: A Wolf’s Christmas. I honestly can’t wait to write that tale.

Short Story Progress Report

I missed the deadline. *sigh*

Fortunately, it’s not dead. I have the plot down, I have some scenes in mind, I figured out more names – now I just have to write it. It’ll make a nice spin-off and character intro for Besilya.

Besilya is part of the crew of the LitRPG series I’ve been keeping on the back burner, The Mengarian Conspiracy. I’ve finished three novels and one short story already, a prequel and this one are in the works. I even have someone I would love to commission the covers with. (Need to find out how expensive they are – which gives me anxiety. Argh.)

Life Progress Report

I did get my DE-Ticket and that feels wonderful. In case you don’t know what it is all about, it’s a monthly subscription to all regional public transport in Germany, at an extremely reasonable price. That means I can use practically all buses, all regional trains (and incidentally the small ferries on the Kiel Fjord) for free. The sense of utter freedom this gives me is… amazing and almost indescribable. Public transport for the win.

At the end of this month, I’m visiting a friend to celebrate her 60th birthday. This is the friend who encouraged me to be a writer in the first place – so we all owe her thanks. I’m planning to get the very first book I ever wrote (in German) up and ready as an ebook in time for it, and I hope I can get a print version into her hands at her birthday. That would be soooo cool! (But it’ll be a lot of work.) I’ll let you know how it goes.

Ember Progress Report

Okay, not much of a progress report, because this is my newsletter promotion.

Ember is well and her cheeky self, of course. This month, she has an adventure at the farmers’ market we visited today.

If you’d like to read her tales, keep up to date with my writing life and receive opportunities to grab free and reduced books every month – sign up below.

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Posted in Progress Report | Tagged fantasy, Winds and Pillars, Wolves, writing | Leave a comment

August 2023 Review: The Crystal Pawn by Deborah Jarvis – straightforward, fast-paced read

Posted on 13/08/2023 by Hannah Steenbock

Cover of The Crystal Pawn by Deborah Jarvis

A woman stands in an enchanted forest with a white wolf. Her back is turned to the viewer. The whole scene is cut to the outline of a chess pawn.

The Crystal Pawn is the first book in an Epic Fantasy series. It revolves around a young woman from Earth who discovers that her father is actually a Lord from a fantastic realm where magic is real.

In fact, Deidre is the only hope the kingdom of Keyralithsmus has in beating back an evil Empire that’s posed to invade. According to legend, she is one of the few people who might be able to call the dragons and persuade them to help the kingdom.

Soon, intrigue and murder surround Deidre, even as she finds a few allies and makes new friends. Together, they begin the arduous journey south to find the dragons.

What I liked about The Crystal Pawn

I really enjoyed the rich worldbuilding in this book. It has everything fantasy (except Tolkineque races), including minotaurs, centaurs, talking animals and shape shifters. Hints of other, diverse connections to Earth are strewn across the story which I thought was clever because they make Deidre less of a one-time wonder.

My favorite character is actually Vex (Vexatious is his full name), a talking horse. There is also a rather clever talking wolf who is one of Deidre’s best friends and advisors.

What I would have liked to see more in the Crystal Pawn

Set against that rich tapestry of a magical world I would have liked to see more depth to the characters and more actual growth in personality. The villains especially seem rather one-dimensional and sometimes more bloodthirsty than smart.

Even so, the story itself is straightforward, enjoyable and moves at a fast pace. It will be interesting to see how it develops and how Deidre will handle encountering the dragons.

Where to buy The Crystal Pawn

At the moment, The Crystal Pawn is only available through Amazon, as it is in KU (and thus included if you pay for Kindle Unlimited).

The Crystal Pawn: Amazon Link

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Progress Report July 2023

Posted on 13/07/2023 by Hannah Steenbock

The Progress Report for this month is not as hopeful as I wished. Instead of making real progress, I’m sliding back into feeling burned out. Which basically means that I’ve been pushing too hard, rather than let myself recover.

There are reasons for this.

Mindset Progress Report

Yes, I’m still clinging to the “downstream” mantra, and it is helping, I can say that with confidence. My stress and anxiety rates have gone down. Until recently, that is.

Right now, I’m struggling with a lot of admin stuff (both personal and for writing), as well as a deadline for a short story. More about that below.

Winds and Pillars Progress Report

*sigh*

I have managed to put some words into the end of Earth Splits, but I’m not quite done. People are gathering and a familiar (and hopefully well loved) character has arrived after the showdown, but I’m not yet done. Alas.

I’ll publish it as soon as I can.

In very good news, South Breaks (Book 1) is now free in all stores, and I ran a promo early this month that has resulted in a lot of downloads – and even a little sell-through. Just yesterday, I also found a new 5-star review for South, so that does make me very happy.

(Grab South Breaks here.)

Wolves Progress Report

Gods, I want to shift over to Shane and Dylan, my A Wolf’s Hacker characters so badly. And I can’t. Brain is so fried on stuff. Also, I owe it to my readers to push Earth out, so they can continue with the series.

Having said that, it’s very much my intention to revisit the Wolves. And when I contact my cover designer for them, I will ask about print covers. So maybe print will be coming.

Fan Fiction Progress Report

It’s dead, Jim.

Author of the series indicated she’ll write something about one of the characters I snagged, and that’s it. I’m done with it. (Yes, it makes me terribly sad. I had the plot all figured out.)

Short Story Progress Report

I’m part of a project for an anthology of stories about magical artifact. This is a really good way to gain visibility in a large (very large) reader group. I want to be in that one. I WANT THAT.

Problem is that while I finally have a plot skeleton, thanks to one of my friends brainstorming it with me, I actually have to write that thing. And as you know by now, actually writing isn’t easy for me these days. It’s a prequel/side-quest to a LitRPG series that I started writing quite a while ago and where I’m sitting on three finished novels. Getting a good start for it would be awesome.

Deadline is end of the month. I’ll let you know how it goes. As we say in German: Hope dies last.

Life Progress Report

I’m doing my best to enjoy life these days, to fill my well again.

Right now, this often means sitting on my balcony, reading comfort books, sipping watered-down wine. I will admit to absolutely loving the soft breeze and the warm days. (When it’s not too hot.)

I also have a week of vacation lined up soon, and a little later, my sister will come for a visit. Both will be good for me (but bad for my writing).

Getting everything ready is – stressful, I will admit that. I’m in the process of ordering a subsidized version of a General Public Transport ticket for Germany (for those in the know, the Deutschland-Ticket) for August, that’ll let us travel regional trains and all buses for free. It’s an awesome thing, but a bit tricky to actually order. And my sis is riding herd on me with that, because we want to visit places when she gets here.

Oh. I did not visit Kiel Week, btw. Just no brain space for it.

The Newsletter Not a Progress Report

This is the pop-up replacement – I hate them and will not inflict them on you, even if I could. Instead, I’ll just invite you to sign up for my newsletter through the form below.

What will you get?

My writing news, obviously, but also opportunities to score great books by other authors, release news, usually a review (but not for this month), and of course, the Ember tale.

Ember is my little dragon plushie familiar, and she has a funny, cute adventure every month that you can only get in my newsletter. It’s not available anywhere else.

And since you can always unsubscribe (and I won’t badger you with extra emails after you do), why not risk receiving one email per month? Oh, and you’ll get a short story ebook as a welcome gift, too.

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June 2023 Review: Embers, Scales ‘n Spells Book 5 – Awesome Read

Posted on 13/06/2023 by Hannah Steenbock

Embers - Scales 'n Spells Book 5

Cover image

Yes, Embers is book 5 in a series, and I know that’s a silly thing to do when I haven’t reviewed the rest of the books.

However, I have a very good reason to pick this one, especially in Pride Month: Nikki, one of the main characters, is actually non-binary and uses the pronouns they/them.

Yes, this is consistent throughout the entire book. In my eyes, that’s a real feat by the authors. Agreed, it also poses a bit of a challenge for readers – once in a while I stumbled over this, but it’s worth it to me. I’m a firm LGBTQ+ ally, so there’s that.

And yes, well, it is gay romance because let’s face it, I’ve not been reading much else for my comfort. I went into my reasons for this in last month’s (not a) review post.

The Setting of Embers

The entire Scales ‘n Spells series takes place in an alternate reality world where dragon shifters and magic are real, but it’s based on our modern world. To be more precise, all books of this series revolve around the Burkhard Fire Dragon Clan which has its base near Sonthofen in Bavaria. (Yes, their fairy tale castle is based on Neuschwanstein, quite obviously.)

I find it quite amusing to have dragons dress in suits while in human shape, to watch them use cell phones (not always competently) or to have mages be also internet wizards. SUVs also play a large role, but there are also long flights and train travel.

The Worldbuilding of Embers

Most of the dragons in the series are hundreds of years old, and boy, do they remember their history. There has been a great Dragon War about 500 years ago (most of them were around then) which was the single most catastrophic event for dragons and mages, ever. Thousands died. Basically, they disappeared from the face of Earth, and all lore about dragons became myths.

The series starts out with a young man running across a dragon, completely unaware that he’s a mage. By the time we get around to Embers, four dragons have found their mates in various cute ways and more backstory has come to light – an evil clan of mages are the villains. “Embers” actually presents the end of that particular story arc.

My favorite character in Embers

Well, that’s Nikki, of course, hands down. And I bet that the authors intended us readers to feel just that.

Nikki is smart, determined and truly knows what they want. They are also quirky and not afraid to try any kind of fashion and color. (That’s another aspect of the book I so love.) They are not afraid to wear make-up either – and the dragons are totally accepting. While Nikki is not the first character to do so, they are blatantly colorful.

Yet there is a dark, fearful side to Nikki infused by trauma, and I think the authors handled that gently, as well. It takes time for Nikki to build trust and actually feel that the Burkhard castle could be “home” (for very good reasons). This side also meshes with the immense resilience of the character, and so Embers is not just a gay love story, it’s also a tale of overcoming horrible experiences and achieving emotional growth and healing.

What I like best about Embers

With all those different arcs in it, Embers is a great story of hope.

We do see a love arc with one oblivious character. We see personal growth and much bravery in both. We see thoughtfulness and care. (I love that male characters get to be thoughtful and caring!) We see pain and grief. And we get the classic happy ending for a love story, but they have to work for it, both on their own issues and in the fight against their adversaries.

I don’t think I spoil too much when I say that a big, historical issue for the dragons is also resolved at the end and there is much hope for peace and rebuilding – grounded in cooperation and mutual understanding, paired with determination to never give greed and strife another chance.

And honestly – that is what I would love to see in this world.

Where to get Embers

The entire series is in Kindle Unlimited, which means it’s exclusive to Amazon. I’m giving you the COM link, because I believe you all know how to get to your particular store from that, if needed.

Embers, Scales ‘n Spells

Get my Newsletter and Ember stories

The obligatory plug for my newsletter at the end of each post. Quick recap:

Comes out on the 13th of every month
Contains writing news and a review
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Posted in English, Review | Tagged dragons, fantasy, novel, Pride Month, queer, review, romance | Leave a comment

Progress Report June 2023

Posted on 13/06/2023 by Hannah Steenbock

Progress Report Illustration

Landscape by ArtBreeder, showing green hills divided by rivers.

This Progress Report has mostly good news and it has much to do with a shift in mindset that I’m still practicing. Right now, it feels almost life-changing, however, and that is a huge relief.

I also believe it’s the only way to really deal with Burnout. We cannot go back to our old ways even after recovery, simply because the old ways drove us into burnout.

So what am I doing?

Mindset Progress Report

It’s been years since I first stumbled upon the Law of Attraction and the teachings of Abraham. And yes, I’m quite aware of the pitfalls of “positive thinking” and “wishful thinking”. Even so, going back to those words of wisdom is helping me letting go of worrying and struggling.

I’m learning to ease away from stress and to go with the flow, instead. Biggest and current example is my struggle to finish Earth Splits and getting it published. (More on the actual status of the book later.)

I’ve been setting myself deadlines and missing them. I’ve been figuratively banging my head against walls and my sturdy oaken desk, and it hasn’t changed a single thing: Pushing through in a big, epic effort is just not happening. Much as I dreamed about that. Pushing has only done one thing – stressing me out and making me feel guilty.

Just a few days ago, I decided to let go of the struggle. It’s not helping. It seriously is not good for creativity to be in a stressed-out, guilty, worry-mindset.

Right now, I’m doing my best to choose the path of non-resisting. Of self-care, resting, of giving myself the space to feel good, find happiness and write from that. And lo and behold, some gentle writing is happening.

Winds and Pillars Progress Report

Yes, I’m working on Earth Splits as the main focus of my efforts these days. It’s not very fast (around 500 words per day), but I’m in the final chapter or two. The big showdown has happened, now Earth and her friend have to face old fears, jealousy and suspicions as they enter Iceburg and deal.

The book is growing to be the biggest in the series yet – not surprising, since there is a lot of ground to cover.

I also have ideas for a prequel but I’m still not sure who will tell the story. Or rather I know what kind of person will, but they haven’t stepped out of the shadows just yet. There is a delicious, nasty twist waiting for you, however.

And… I had an awesome interview with Melinda Kucsera about South Breaks, for her podcast “Fantasy, Lore and More”. You can watch it here (sadly, I can’t embed it here or YouTube will grab your information), so click on the link:

Author Interview with yours truly on YouTube

Screenshot of the YouTube video with my author interview. It shows the cover of South Breaks and the words Fantasy, Lore, & More featuring Hannah Steenbock.

Part of the Winds and Pillars Progress Report

I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I did. Just be warned, we had great fun rambling about books, fantasy, characters and Tolkien for almost 90 minutes.

Wolves Progress Report

I haven’t done much for the Wolves, at least not in terms of word count.

However, there has been much brainstorming and thinking, and I pretty much know what will happen in “A Wolf’s Hacker”. It definitely involves irc chat, a dreadful forum and some live game streaming. Don’t worry, though, there will be lots of action. I already know of two familiar characters who’ll have a cameo and there will probably be more.

But wait! Writer Brain hasn’t been idle and has come up with yet another Wolf story!

This one will be called “A Wolf’s Holiday” and it’ll be about Mark and Fred (who you might remember from Connor’s tale, mostly). Fred has relatives in Germany, and when she’s invited to spend Christmas with them, Connor refuses to let her go alone. Of course, they get into trouble. This one will be So. Much. Fun. I really, really hope I can finish it in time for Christmas in real life…

Fan Fiction Progress Report

Alas. I’m stalled out.

That’s okay, especially as the author has indicated she has plans for one of the characters I grabbed from her stories (I made up the other main one). Yes, I wish I could share but the last thing I want is create problems for her, so… nope. Won’t happen anytime soon.

Even so, writing this has been very beneficial both to my mind and my writing style. I regret nothing.

(No. Not telling the author. Or… should I?)

Life Progress Report

It’s summer (a very dry and sunny summer for this part of the world), and that means vacation planning. In fact, I’ll be visiting family mid-July for a week, and I’ll be away again end of August for another visit and a birthday party of a dear old friend.

In addition, the dreaded* Kiel Week is raising it’s noisy head – it’ll begin in five days and the town will be filled with madness. It means not venturing downtown or to the fjord. All available space will be taken up by booths and stages. Town expects a million of visitors (over ten days), so you can imagine the bustle.

Bustle is not a good thing for this autistic woman. No, not going there. Maybe I’ll visit the food market and have some nice Newcastle Brown Ale. Maybe. But I will prefer sitting on my balcony and reading romance. Ahem.

*Actually, it’s an awesome festival of sailing competitions, music, dancing, art, fireworks and lots of entertainment as well as awesome international food, visiting sailors and fun. It usually happens during the last full week of June and always ends on a Sunday.

Newsletter – not a Progress Report

This is your usual not-a-pop-up reminder that yes, I do have a newsletter and it goes out every 13th of the month. (I may make an exception and send a special one for the release of Earth Splits once I get there. No promises, but fair warning.)

It has some news, book recommendations, a review and always, always, the exclusive Ember tale – a sweet little story about my fiery red dragon plushie who serves as my familiar.

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Posted in English, Progress Report | Tagged progress report, Winds and Pillars, Wolves of the South, writing | Leave a comment

Progress Report May 2023

Posted on 13/05/2023 by Hannah Steenbock

Progress Report Decoration Image from Artbreeder.

It shows a strange landscape with green plants and round, yellow boulders under a blue sky with some clouds.

In this progress report for May 2023, I’m finally admitting that, yes, I was in Burnout and I’m still climbing out of that pit. Which means I’m not putting (much) pressure on myself to reach specific word counts or even write in specific manuscripts. (Who am I kidding? Of course, I’m putting pressure on myself.)

Burnout Progress Report

What did that Burnout feel like?

Writing has never been harder in April. I had no ideas and no motivation, whatsoever. Mostly, I just wanted to hide from everything. And I did, to a point.

At least I read. A lot. Found another author of M/M romance and have been reading her books ever since, often more than one per day. Why gay romance? I wish I knew. But I think it’s because in gay romance both partners are truly equal. They are not hung up on gender stereotypes.

Yes, they have to overcome misunderstandings, feelings of inadequacy, protectiveness, handling danger and the entire gamut of romance entanglements – but they do not fall into the damsel and hero trope traps.

And I am so, so tired of all those gender stereotypes. I want more than that. I mean, we live in the freaking 21st century, why can’t we have stories that actually… put us there? Where people work together and fall in love regardless of gender?

Thing is, I doubt I’ll get that in any kind of F/M romance, simply because (I’m assuming) most of those readers probably love exactly those gender stereotypes. (If you know of authors who write F/M romances the way M/M romances work, please, please tell me!!)

Anyway, so I’ve been reading a lot, which is good because it helps me reconnect with what I love to read and thus what I love to write. It has opened my eyes to some ways I actually fall short of that in my own writing. Yes, that was a revelation and that takes me to the next block in this report.

Winds and Pillars Progress Report

I’m still trying hard to get Earth Splits published this month. Really. I even bought the cover.

However – *sigh* – the cover needs a bit more work, and my designer is on it, but right now, I can’t even share it, because that’ll be a major change. I’m sorry. It weighs on me because I promised.

Second, I am stressing out over editing the manuscript I have for Earth. I did mention above that I’m noticing places in my writing where I feel I can do better now. Things that my beta reader pointed out for East Roars, already, and things I couldn’t quite see back then. (I did my best to follow her pointers, at least.)

This means I’m not making the progress I want. I’m taking a few days off from work around a public holiday next week, and I want to dedicate those days to getting Earth done and up, at least as an ebook, but print will happen, too.

But… I’m still coming out of Burnout and I do not want to slide back. And it’s so difficult to find the fun in it right now. It’s the kind of fun that induces wailing and gnashing of teeth.

If you want to support me and help with motivation, go and read the Winds series (start with South Breaks). I check sales reports every day, and seeing practically nobody reading those books isn’t helping, either. I’ve given away hundreds of copies of South Breaks through Bookfunnel, but only 11 people ever bought West Flows since I published it. I haven’t even made back the cost of very first cover. And I’m about to publish Book 5 in the series, and I’m very much struggling to write Book 7. It feels rather pointless because clearly, readers do not give a flying rat’s arse. Why should I?

Wolves Progress Report

The Wolves still make me happy. They are basically the one series of my four that actually sells. And they sold better in April than ever. Yay!

In fact, the good sales have motivated me to start Wolves #7, tentatively called “A Wolf’s Hacker”. It features a certain character from Book 6 and how he deals with everything that happened there (spoiler: not well). I have the bare bones of the story worked out, I have the two love interests set up (Shadow and Joker) and I’m starting to get a feel for them. They actually become friends through irc (and yes, I still have my own irc channel). And then they run into trouble, because of course they do.

I’m having fun with them – but the story stands at 3k words, so I have quite a bit to go until 50k.

Fan Fiction Progress Report

Yes, this is a new one. I’m not usually a fan of fan fiction. (Because so much fan fiction is just about dumping characters into bed willy nilly. I hate that. HATE it. Why would anyone take beloved characters, make them do something they won’t EVER do and then hype this up?)

Anyway, Writer Brain has been dumping scenes for a fan fiction tale into my mind without any regard to more pressing stories, and well… I figured any writing is better than none.

So right now, I’m stealing someone else’s characters and playing with them (nicely!) in their world, getting a feel for that writing style and learning a lot about inner dialog and showing a characters thoughts. It’s fun.

I’m calling it research.

And I’m gathering the courage to actually… tell the author. Eeeek!

Life Progress Report

Yup. Because I’m working on actually having, you know, a life.

My sister has challenged me to take a long walk at least once a week, so now I’m doing that on weekends. I walk to the water’s edge and then take an image of one of the seals at the local Aquarium. That’s proof for my sis. (She truly is my best friend.) Did it this morning and then got groceries on my walk home.

Life Progress Report Seal image taken this morning - with an arrow pointing to the seal's head.

And just yesterday, I went to a Creative Writing Class set up at university by the Creative Writing Club. If all goes well, I will join them. This feels big. It means I can connect with other authors in my town even though most meetings are online (which is awesome!).

It also meant I went back to the English Seminar yesterday, a place I haven’t visited for over 20 years. Talk about a walk down memory lane. Some things had changed (new fire-security doors), and some things hadn’t (the mandatory art and the shabby ceiling in the hallway).

Newsletter Progress Report

Well, no. This is not a progress report. This is the non-pop-up that invites you to sign up to my newsletter. I hate pop-ups and that’s why I won’t inflict them on you, even if they do get results.

So if you like getting writing news from me (once a month, on the 13th), great opportunities to snag cheap/good/awesome ebooks, and most of all, an exclusive Ember tale, fill in the form below. You’ll also get to download a gift story from BookFunnel. (I think it’s still the dragon book.)

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