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Rebecca Alasdair

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Rebecca Alasdair
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  • HOME
  • ABOUT
  • BOOKS
    • HOLDING UP THE SKY
    • GRACEBORN (SERIES)
  • BLOG
  • CONTACT
  • on writing

    Plans & preparation for NaNoWriMo 2019

    Rebecca Alasdair / 24 October 2019 / No Comments

    NaNoWriMo 2019 is just around the corner! I plan to use this challenge to work on the final part of Blood of Old, the first book in my WIP fantasy series Graceborn. Come and learn the details of my goals and preparations, and tell me about your own NaNo project!! →

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  • graceborn

    My characters as Major Arcana tarot cards

    Rebecca Alasdair / 16 October 2019 / No Comments

    There has been a recent trend in the bookish community to make tarot cards with the characters in popular books, so I decided to have some fun and match the key players from my WIP fantasy series Graceborn with the Major Arcana cards! Come and check out my list, and tell me if you’ve ever done something similar! →

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  • fantasy fridays

    Playing God: Making history in your WIP’s world

    Rebecca Alasdair / 20 September 2019 / No Comments

    History is an often-underrated element of world-building, and one which can add incredible depth and detail to a fantasy novel. In today’s Playing God post, I explore the reasons you need to know your world’s history, some important considerations, and give a sneak peek at the world history in my own fantasy WIP! →

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  • on writing

    A look at the questions I asked my beta readers

    Rebecca Alasdair / 12 September 2019 / No Comments

    This year, I made my first foray into beta reading, where I learned the importance of providing questions to help guide your readers’ focus. In this post, I share the list of questions I asked my beta readers, and the reasoning behind my question selection, and I’d love to hear your thoughts. *Includes a FREE downloadable worksheet*! →

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  • on writing

    The writing advice I wilfully ignore

    Rebecca Alasdair / 24 August 2019 / No Comments

    Writing advice can be interpreted in many different ways, and should always be critically assessed before deciding if it’s right for you. In this post, I share four pieces of writing advice I don’t put much stock in, and am eager to discuss what advice YOU wilfully ignore! →

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  • fantasy fridays

    Playing God: Climate & weather in your fantasy world

    Rebecca Alasdair / 17 May 2019 / 3 Comments

    Climate and weather plays a significant part in shaping the world, which is an excellent reason to incorporate it when world-building for a fantasy WIP. In today’s Playing God post, I explore the differences between weather and climate, some important considerations, and give a sneak peek at the system in my own fantasy world! →

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  • on reading

    Ten of my favourite fictional battles

    Rebecca Alasdair / 23 April 2019 / No Comments

    With Anzac Day coming up later this week, I thought I’d take the opportunity to reflect on some of my all-time favourite battles in fiction. I LOVE fight sequences, but the following ten made a particular impression on me. What are your favourite fictional battles? →

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  • fantasy fridays

    Playing God: Establishing your WIP world’s geography

    Rebecca Alasdair / 12 April 2019 / No Comments

    When conducting world-building for your fantasy WIP, it is absolutely essential that you understand the world’s geography. It’s different from ours, after all! In today’s Playing God post, I explore the reasons for establishing geographical features, some important considerations, and give a sneak peek at the geography in my own fantasy world! →

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  • fantasy fridays

    Playing God: Developing a magic system

    Rebecca Alasdair / 22 March 2019 / No Comments

    Magic is one of the key elements in fantasy fiction, and developing an interesting yet consistent system is a vital step in world-building for any fantasy novel involving magic. In today’s Playing God post, I explore the main types of magic, some important considerations, and give a sneak peek at the system in my own WIP! →

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  • on writing

    5 tricks to cutting your WIP’s word count

    Rebecca Alasdair / 12 March 2019 / No Comments

    Cutting words out of a story can be a writer’s worst nightmare, but sometimes you just have to do it. Recently, I managed to cut the manuscript of my WIP from 103k words to 84k, and here I share five of the most useful tricks I discovered along the way! →

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Welcome! I'm Rebecca Alasdair, an Australian indie author whose one true love is fantasy—the more epic, the better.

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The information on this website / blog is authentic to the best of my knowledge, and as such, it may contain errors or be absent some key information. Any opinions expressed are my own. Content is generated for entertainment and informative purposes, and is not to be perceived as professional advice. I am not responsible for the comments made by visitors to this site, and will act quickly to remove any inappropriate comments. Abuse and harassment may be reported and the perpetrator’s personal information disclosed in accordance with my Privacy Policy.

Who is the traitor sowing dissent in the ancient c Who is the traitor sowing dissent in the ancient city-state of Asphodel?

I love a good betrayal arc, so of course I had to include one in my fantasy series! It's a bit of a slow-burn subplot, and I hope to keep people guessing who is pulling the strings behind the scenes.

What is the best betrayal arc you've come across in a fantasy series before?

🗺 Map by @cartographybird 

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#fantasymap #fantasybooks #fantasyauthor #indieauthor #gracebornseries
Is it completely shameless of me to capitalise on Is it completely shameless of me to capitalise on this?? 🤭

Social media has been melting down over the last few days following the title and cover reveals for ACOTAR 6 and 7. I had a chuckle to myself when I saw one of the tag lines is "What was lost will be reclaimed", since that's a key line of a prophecy in my own fantasy series!

Now, the #GracebornSeries is not the same sub-genre as ACOTAR, being epic fantasy rather than romantasy. But it really does go to show how similar themes and elements can occur across a broad variety of fantasy books.

If you're looking for a way to pass the time while waiting for ACOTAR 6, would you like an eARC of "Blood of Old"? See link in my bio for details 😊

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#fantasybooks #fantasyseries #fantasyauthor #indieauthor
Kael O'Dair is not the type of MMC everyone likes Kael O'Dair is not the type of MMC everyone likes to fawn over...

There's no quiet brooding, no cunning plans masterfully executed, no sauve confidence and posse of loyal followers.

This guy is a prickly, whiny risk-taker who would love to kill you if only someone would teach him how. His bark might be worse than his bite, yet chaos always trails in his wake.

Request an eARC of "Blood of Old" now through the link in my bio!!

🎨 Art by @sophielouisedraws

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#indieauthor #fantasyseries #fantasybooks #epicfantasy #gracebornseries
Z is for Zamkhulis! 👇 We have finally made it to Z is for Zamkhulis! 👇

We have finally made it to the very last post of my A to Z of worldbuilding elements in the #GracebornSeries! I can't believe it's been going for YEARS!

To celebrate, I thought I'd talk about...celebrations. There are two main celebrations that mark the calendar in the world of Graceborn:

🎉 Zamkhulis, which occurs at midsummer. The longest day, the shortest night, in the very middle of the year on the full moon of summer’s second lunation. It's a vibrant time for celebrating life and the Maker's blessings.

🎉 Zamtaris, which occurs at midwinter. The shortest day, the longest night, on the full moon of winter's second lunation. It is a quiet, reflective time, marking the end of one year and the beginning of the next.

What is the most interesting type of festival or celebration you've come across in fantasy fiction? 🤔

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#worldbuilding #fantasybooks #fantasyseries #fantasyauthor
Guess what I'm working on at the moment! That's r Guess what I'm working on at the moment!

That's right, formatting of the ebook for "Blood of Old" is well underway! I'd originally planned to use Atticus to produce my ebook this time but found it didn't let me get down to the nitty gritty as much as I wanted. So I'm back to using trusty old Calibre. Kindle Previewer is also great for seeing what it will look like on different screens.

In other ebook-related new, eARCs will be going out in only a few short weeks! If you'd like to register for one, head to the link in my bio for more info and to fill out the form. 😊

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#bookformatting #ebook #indieauthor #fantasybooks #freebooks
I am on the hunt for advance readers!! 😱 𝘉𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘰𝘧 I am on the hunt for advance readers!! 😱

𝘉𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘖𝘭𝘥 is the first book in the 𝘎𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘯 series, a gripping new fantasy epic where the bonds of brotherhood will unite a world in chaos...or see it unravel at the seams.

Members of my Advance Reader Crew will receive:

🔥 A free electronic copy of the book (eARC) from early September 2026

🔥 A hopeful request from me that you will read and review the book before its release on 01 December 2026

For more info or to register your interest, head to the link in my bio. If you have any questions, feel free to DM me or send me an email.

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#arcreaderswanted #arcreader #fantasybooks #fantasyseries #gracebornseries
News alert: I bought a place!! 😭 I am incredibly News alert: I bought a place!! 😭

I am incredibly fortunate and exceptionally excited to now have a cosy little apartment of my very own. I've been moving in over the last few weeks and am pretty settled in by now, though my books are still in boxes and my shelves are yet to be reassembled. My study has so much potential, and I'm still figuring out how I want to set it up.

Things have been a bit slow on the writing front because of the move, but I hope to get back into it all shortly. If you're interested in more details, this is your reminder to sign up to my author newsletter (link in bio) 😉

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#writerslife #firsthomeowner #indieauthor #writersofig #writingroom
Asa is the calm. Kael is the storm. They are broth Asa is the calm. Kael is the storm. They are brothers in all but blood, but when they find themselves at the centre of a prophecy that will shape the course of their world, will they stand together...or will fate tear them apart?

The #GracebornSeries is a six-book fantasy epic featuring multiple POVs, a hard magic system, complex worldbuilding, ancient enemies, and sky-high stakes. Book 1, "Blood of Old", will be out on 01 December 2026.

📚 Add to your TBR on Goodreads now (link in bio)

🎨 Art by @sophielouisedraws

🗺 Map by @cartographybird

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