Hi Hive! Have you read anything good lately?
It's been a while since I posted, so I wanted to pop in with a quick update on my writing and to share some new books I'm adding to my library.
Writing News: Ink and Intrigue
The title for my upcoming interactive fiction game with Heart's Choice is official! Ink and Intrigue
Sail to a lush island of warrior-mages where dragon runes grant immortality and love runs deep. When mystery tempts, how do you answer?
Written under my fantasy pen name, Leia Talon, Ink an Intrigue is a standalone Heart’s Choice interactive fiction novel.
You can play the three-chapter demo as an entry in Spring Thing, an annual online festival for interactive fiction.
Ink and Intrigue description:
Plunge into a world where magic calls the passion in your soul and immortal warrior-mages train and live on a lush island. Will you bond with a tattoo artist, a feisty initiate, a playful sage, or a maverick with an unfulfilled quest?
You’ve been a spy for the kingdom of Minare since you were ten, when the king deemed you too clever and sent you off for training. Now a seasoned spy, you’re sent to infiltrate the Kitherin warrior-mages, whose tattoos give them supernatural abilities and whose blood rites bond them to powerful creatures from another world. When the call of the Kitherin sounds in your soul, do you befriend a dragon, griffin, or phoenix? What paths will you take as an initiate?
Befriend or romance the soft spoken artist who paints dragon ink on your skin, the master warrior who plots to sabotage a corrupt regime, the feisty initiate on her third round through the challenges, or the playful sage who teaches you what reciprocity truly means.
Shop from the finest market in the nine seas, surf azure waves, and dance at a full moon celebration where you might indulge in magical elixirs and intimate moments. Get dragon rune tattoos and learn to wield their power, show your prowess on the sparring field, and soar in the skies of the otherworld. Arrange a marriage alliance, meddle in the affairs of the mage council, incite a lawful rebellion, or resort to poison to get what you want.
Will you confess the clandestine role you’ve played for your king, or keep your secrets and let the past die? No matter what you’ve done, your lover will stay by your side. When you pass your initiations and bond with your kindred, you will be joining the ranks of the Kitherin warrior-mages who bring balance to the interconnected worlds.
Uncover the mysteries of the Kitherin and discover the soul-deep love that awaits!
New Books!
In other news, I got book mail today!
I finally bought Fourth Wing. With dragon riding and romance, it comes highly recommended. I want to see what the hype is about.
I also one-clicked a kindle copy of Inked by Rachel Rener, which is at the top of my TBR list. I follow the author and have had her books on my wishlist for a while but haven’t gotten to actually reading them yet.
Like my game and many other stories (Shadowhunters jumps to mind), Rachel Rener’s Guilded Blood series includes magic tattoos. The premise, setting, and nature of her series appears to be vastly different than Ink and Intrigue, but I’m really curious to see what her approach to magic tattoos is about. This series is advertised as hot fantasy romance with a comedic twist. The art for Rener’s books is gorgeous and the cover on my kindle doesn’t do it justice, so here’s a screenshot of the author’s FB page:
I love the art! Rener has an amazing omnibus of her Guilded Blood series available for preorder. I figured I’d read the first book on kindle to make sure it’s as good as the reviews say before I commit to a box set or that glorious omnibus.
Reading these pretty new books will be my reward once I’ve finished drafting Ink and Intrigue. I’m just starting a new chapter now, which will be a complex one which will require a lot more words (and brain power).
I’m in the thick of the game now, and I’m determined to keep making progress.
I find the hardest part of writing IF is when there’s a branch where something massive has happened on one path of the game, while that ground-breaking event has not happened on another path. It can be hard to wrap my brain around and can get overwhelming if I look too far ahead.
Then I remind myself that writing is simply putting one word after another. As long as I keep doing that, any forward progress is worthwhile. I know there will be days where I’m able to get a lot of words in, and days where a few hundred words is all I can manage. Life is busy, but I keep carving out time to work on this game. It’s a wholly satisfying endeavor.
TL;DR — I got some cool books! Also, I’m starting chapter 7 of Ink. Wish me luck!
I hope you have an excellent weekend!
Bonus question: What book or game is next on your TBR list?
Peace @Katrina-Ariel / @LeiaTalon
Ink & Intrigue. I like it! Look forward to playing.
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Thank you! I hope you enjoy it! 💞
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I just finished the three chapter Ink demo.
Holy heck, I made some excellent choices to get where I got to, and get the outcome I got. ;) There were a few surprises I didn't see coming, till I saw them coming.
Rae is going to leave a mark. I'd have to play it several more times to find out about the other options, but I think I made very wise choices that suited me well, to end up with her as my accompaniment for the pre and after party festivities.
I'm just going to let that be my entire publicly published reaction for now.
Fun, and spicy stuff, crazy how complex it must be getting all that organized in a way that can make sense no matter what you choose at each juncture.