Publishing
L.J. Stanton
READERS WANTED

Advance Review (or sometimes called Reader) Copies are books released to reviewers ahead of publication. These reviewers then post their honest opinions about the book on release day across multiple platforms (like Amazon and GoodReads). Whether it’s a 5 or a 1 star, an honest review is worth it’s weight in gold—which is one of the reasons ARC editions are free to the reviewer.

READERS WANTED
Book Club
L.J. Stanton
Book Club: FOURTH WING by Rebecca Yarros

Our first read is FOURTH WING, by Rebecca Yarros! Book club starts today, but if you're seeing this after Sept. 1 2023 don't worry: you have until the end of October to join and finish the book!

Book Club: FOURTH WING by Rebecca Yarros
Other, Patreon, Book Club
L.J. Stanton
Introducing: The Sword & Board Book Club

Life has been a little all over the place for the past couple months. I had surgery, my sister had surgery, my husband was let go from Twitch, and now we're in the middle of moving! So with all that excitement, the newsletter and Book of the Month went to the wayside. 

I want a way to continue Book of the Month, but in a way that lets me get to know you all better, and lets you see what an author looks for when analyzing and learning from a novel. That means, Book Club Time!

HOW TO JOIN

1. Sign up for a Fable.co Account
2. Join the Sword & Board Discord  
3. Click on the Fable Link pinned in #Book-Club
4. Follow the Fable instructions on how to pick up the book. 

Introducing: The Sword & Board Book Club
Media Critiques, Writing Advice, World Building
L.J. Stanton
Sexual Violence in Speculative Fiction

As an author, my mantra is to tell challenging stories and minimize harm. The major failing I see with sexual violence in many media forms is where the point of view and gaze fall. Particularly in western media, that gaze is often heterosexual masculine. That means sexual violence comes from that same perspective, and makes grotesque GoT Sansa scenes where her rape is all about the men (either perpetrator or witness). The violence is there to horrify and titillate the viewer. We should be horrified. We should never be titillated. Respect for the survivor is missing in these situations. I could break down where this failing is in a lot of media, but I don’t think that is the most important conversation to have. I think the more important questions are: 1) should sexual violence be included in stories for shock value, and 2) how can sexual violence be written.

Sexual Violence in Speculative Fiction
MoA Short Stories, Patreon
L.J. Stanton
The Gods Chronicle Anthology eBook Sampler

If you’re looking at this before May 1, 2022, we’re currently running a special promotion on our Patreon where when you sign up at any tier, you receive the patron-only Gods Chronicle Anthology, volume 1. It is an alpha read edition that gives a great deal of backstory for characters within The Dying Sun, such as Merikh, Loralee, and Nikias. It also gives perspective to oft talked about characters Mansur and Rajiya.

Below are snippets from each of the shorts within the anthology. If you’d like to read them in full, please consider becoming a patron. Tiers start at $5/month. Thank you!

The Gods Chronicle Anthology eBook Sampler

Introducing THE STUMBLING BLOCK Volume 1

Introducing THE STUMBLING BLOCK Volume 1

I’ve dipped my toes into the zine world only a teeny handful of times, and certainly hadn’t considered making one of my own. But with a newsletter, an ongoing blog, and the twitterverse, it was easy for Gideon Marcus to convince me to do so. All it needed was a name, and that too was something they easily convinced me of.

“You could call it ‘The Stumbling Block’” he said, and while I’m not sure he was being completely serious about it, I honestly can’t think of a better name. I want to point out stumbling blocks in fantasy, both in published works and pre-published drafts. I want this to both create stumbling blocks in authors, and show them how to clear away those blocks. Without further ado, let’s create some discomfort.

Writing Advice: How to Write Death & A Personal Anecdote

Death is messy and inconsistent. If you read any books on death (I recommend Stiff by Mary Roach, and Unnatural Causes by Dr. Richard Shepherd) what you’ll come to learn quickly is that sometimes it’s smelly, sometimes it’s messy, sometimes it’s quick and sometimes it’s excruciatingly slow.

As a fantasy author, death is a recurring theme. I write necromancers, after all, and death comes with the territory. While I don’t believe that every detail in a book must be accurate in fiction, some things should be close to reality. There are many myths and mysteries about death. I think that in the U.S. and Canada in particular, we hide from it too much. It is inevitable, and we should be prepared for it. Fiction can help us do just that.

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Out with the Old, In with the New. Also, Lets Travel to the Stars.

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Out with the Old, In with the New. Also, Lets Travel to the Stars.

I apologize, it had been a minute! Let’s dive right into the updates.

Scribe's Journey Podcast Launch!

Scribe's Journey Podcast Launch!

Scribe’s Journey: Where Stories Begin.

The Scribe's Journey, created and hosted by authors Travis Croken, L.J. Stanton, and T.R. Albe, is a writing podcast to help you along your literary journey.

Diversity: It's About More Than Race and Gender

Diversity: It's About More Than Race and Gender

“Your medical record isn’t proof of your condition.”

I’m paraphrasing and summarizing the response I received after four hours of trying to resurrect a dead “Ask Me Anything” on r/IAMA on Reddit. The AMA had gone fantastically, with plenty of engagement from other people with my condition asking questions that the answers might help them make their days (or in one case, the life of their 4-year-old daughter) a little easier. But then, in one fell swoop, a comment appeared from the mods and the post removed. Why?

Writing Advice: When Do I Hire Professionals?

Writing Advice: When Do I Hire Professionals?

You’ve done it! Your first draft is complete, the whole story has been written down from beginning to end. After that initial sense of awestruck wonder that holy crap I’ve actually finished it, then comes the daunting sense of foreboding: What the heck comes next?

How I Make Money As A Writer Part 3: Non-writing Formats

How I Make Money As A Writer Part 3: Non-writing Formats

In this day and age, as I am sure I have complained about before, simply writing is not always enough to get by on. Sure, there are some individuals who do that and tend to be just fine, but simply put, I am not one of those individuals. I am amongst the individuals who have long since accepted that we need to market ourselves on top of simply marketing our books, and in this case, we may need writing- adjacent side hustles. I know there are far more options than the ones I will discuss here, but for now, I will tell you about a few different methods I have done myself. We will discuss streaming, YouTube, and merch shops for now. I know some people may profit off of conversational podcasts or writing Instagrams that turn a profit, but I am simply not one of those types. As with the other two articles I wrote, I will try and stick to what I know.

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The Gods Chronicle Anthology eBook Sampler

,
The Gods Chronicle Anthology eBook Sampler

If you’re looking at this before May 1, 2022, we’re currently running a special promotion on our Patreon where when you sign up at any tier, you receive the patron-only Gods Chronicle Anthology, volume 1. It is an alpha read edition that gives a great deal of backstory for characters within The Dying Sun, such as Merikh, Loralee, and Nikias. It also gives perspective to oft talked about characters Mansur and Rajiya.

Below are snippets from each of the shorts within the anthology. If you’d like to read them in full, please consider becoming a patron. Tiers start at $5/month. Thank you!