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Rebecca Alasdair
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  • fantasy fridays

    Playing God: Music, art & literature in the world of your WIP

    Rebecca Alasdair / 7 August 2020 / No Comments

    Music, art and literature are three of the “cultural universals” found in every society, so they ought to be considered when world-building for a fantasy WIP. In today’s Playing God post, I explore each of these aspects in some detail, and give a sneak peek at the music, art and literature in my own fantasy world!! →

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  • on writing

    A non-exhaustive list of character terminology

    Rebecca Alasdair / 17 June 2020 / No Comments

    Characters are the lens through which a reader is guided through a narrative. There are many different types of characters that exist within a story, and the terminology of these can be confusing. So here is a summary of the most common character terms and definitions!! →

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  • fantasy fridays

    Playing God: The language of your fantasy world

    Rebecca Alasdair / 12 June 2020 / No Comments

    Language is how we communicate, an inextricable part of our everyday lives, and an important consideration when creating a fantasy world. In today’s Playing God post, I explore the significance of language, how to shape vernacular and new phrases, and give a sneak peek at the language in my own fantasy WIP!! →

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  • fantasy fridays

    Playing God: Shaping race and culture in your fantasy WIP

    Rebecca Alasdair / 24 April 2020 / No Comments

    Race and culture have a vital role in shaping society and human identity, so in turn they deserve careful shaping when world-building for a fantasy WIP. In today’s Playing God post, I explore the definitions and significance of race and culture, some important considerations, and give a sneak peek at these concepts in my own fantasy world! →

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  • on writing

    Conceptualising a story idea with the 5W1H method

    Rebecca Alasdair / 11 March 2020 / No Comments

    There are many different ways in which a writer may conceptualise a story idea, and half the time we don’t even realise we’re doing it. But in this post I share one method of bringing order to the chaos…by asking yourself six key questions about your story concept! →

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  • on reading

    Anticipated book releases of 2020

    Rebecca Alasdair / 14 February 2020 / No Comments

    New year, new book releases, and I couldn’t be more excited! Like bookworms around the world, I have been eagerly scanning the lists of books set to be published in 2020, and today I am sharing the new books I am anticipating most. What books are YOU looking forward to this year? →

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  • on reading

    My top ten reads of 2019

    Rebecca Alasdair / 21 December 2019 / No Comments

    There is still a little over a week left in 2019, but to date I have read a total of 74 books, and the time has come to announce my TOP TEN reads of the year! Bookworms, come forth, and let’s discuss our favourite books that we read in 2019!! →

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  • graceborn

    A call for beta readers!

    Rebecca Alasdair / 12 December 2019 / No Comments

    *NOW CLOSED* I am OFFICIALLY looking for beta readers for the first book in my WIP fantasy series! Blood of Old (Graceborn #1) is a 195,000-word novel about two brothers, one a healer and the other a troublemaker, thrown into an ancient conflict where they both have a role to play. Keep reading for more information and details on how…

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  • excerpts,  graceborn

    GRACEBORN: NaNoWriMo + next steps + book 2 reveal!

    Rebecca Alasdair / 3 December 2019 / No Comments

    Did you participate in NaNoWriMo 2019? I did, and I finally finished the draft of the first book in my fantasy series Graceborn! Woohoo! Come and check out the details, featuring some exciting SNIPPETS from the book, what I plan to do next, and the reveal of the title and mock cover for book two!! →

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  • on reading

    Ten of my favourite opening lines

    Rebecca Alasdair / 10 November 2019 / No Comments

    The first few sentences of a book are arguably the most important. They are the first exposure the reader has to the story, and have to be interesting enough to “hook” them into reading more!! In this post, I share some of my all-time favourite opening lines from fiction novels. What are yours? →

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Welcome! I'm Rebecca Alasdair, an Australian indie author who hoards books, loves dogs and coffee, and has a tendency of staying up all night!

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Line edits are in! Wish me luck as I dive into the Line edits are in! Wish me luck as I dive into them over the next few weeks and polish this book off. 😅

There's still plenty of work to do to get it ready for publication, but it finally feels like I'm creeping closer!

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#amediting #bookedits #writerslife #authorlife #indieauthor #fantasyauthor #fantasyseries #gracebornseries
Happy 1st birthday to the bestest writing buddy a Happy 1st birthday to the bestest writing buddy a girl could ask for 💜🥳

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#birthdaygirl #birthdaydog #dogsofinstagram #minischnauzer #writingbuddy #writerslife #writersofig #indieauthor
Say hello to Tora Kolmarden, a key character in th Say hello to Tora Kolmarden, a key character in the #GracebornSeries...

...or don't. You might want to run and hide, actually. Most people do when they hear Tora's name. She's something of an enforcer for the Council of Eight: cold, ruthless to the point of cruelty, and her tongue is as sharp as her blades.

But this death-wielding warrior has her reasons. She has her secrets, her hidden dreams. And her arc throughout the series is not what you might expect. I can't wait for you to meet her in book 1, "Blood of Old", in (hopefully) 2026!

Another big thank you to the talented @sophielouisedraws for capturing Tora so perfectly!! 🤩

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#characterart #characterartwork #artreveal #digitalart #indieauthor #fantasyauthor #fantasybooks #fantasyseries #epicfantasy
Are you ready? There's only one more sleep until m Are you ready? There's only one more sleep until my next piece of character art is revealed! 😱

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#characterart #characterartwork #artreveal #digitalart #indieauthor #fantasyauthor #fantasybooks #fantasyseries #epicfantasy #gracebornseries
Q is for qava! 👇 In today's post on the A to Q is for qava! 👇 

In today's post on the A to Z of worldbuilding elements in the #GracebornSeries, I wanted to talk about food and drink in fantasy novels.

Do you enjoy seeing new types of food or drink—or even new names for known types of food or drink—in the books you read? I find it adds a certain richness and depth to the worldbuilding in fantasy fiction.

I haven't been all that creative in my own epic fantasy series, but I have come up with a drink called "qava", which you may note bears a striking resemblance to coffee... 🤣☕️

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#worldbuilding #fantasybooks #fantasyseries #epicfantasy #fantasywriter #fantasyauthor #indieauthor #writersofig
I love these two, and we all have my beta readers I love these two, and we all have my beta readers to thank for this particular exchange 😁

Tora and Kael from the #GracebornSeries are like ice and fire personality-wise, but deep down, where it matters most, they have very similar values. Beta reader feedback on book 1 indicated I needed to flesh out their relationship more, which has led to a new scene featuring my favourite interaction between the two.

I can't wait to see what future readers think of these two! In some ways, they had my betas divided 😂

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#fantasybooks #fantasyseries #epicfantasy #fantasywriter #fantasyauthor #indieauthor #bookquote #bookteaser
Do you want to be the first to see my next piece o Do you want to be the first to see my next piece of character art?

I am so excited to share the incredible job @sophielouisedraws has done to bring a key secondary character from the #GracebornSeries to life! But you'll have to wait a few more weeks 😉

If you want to skip the queue, sign up to my author newsletter (link in bio) before next Tuesday because my subscribers will get an exclusive sneak preview!!

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#characterart #characterartwork #artreveal #indieauthor #fantasyauthor #fantasybooks #fantasyseries #epicfantasy
Do you love a hot mess of an MC who is reckless, i Do you love a hot mess of an MC who is reckless, impulsive, and sometimes (often) outright rude?

Kael, the other MC of the #GracebornSeries, was found abandoned as a 10-year-old kid and adopted by Asa's family. He has some issues, and his walls are sky-high, but once you get through them, he'll kill for you. He'll even die for you.

But will anyone risk everything for him?

🎨 Art by @sophielouisedraws

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#indieauthor #fantasyauthor #fantasybooks #fantasyseries #epicfantasy #characterart #characterartwork #digitalart

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