Arriving in new cities can be exciting. It can also be daunting — especially if you have no idea what you’re doing. And you fear being hunted. 😳 In this scene, despite their predicament, Roh and Adehl find something to be excited about… From my book, Beyond the Humming Downs #indiefantasy 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

Book mail! Check out this stunning special hardcover edition of ‘Of Mountains and Seas’ by Emily Renk Hawthorne. It’s urban fantasy with shapeshifters inspired by Chinese mythology. (I haven’t read it yet, but it sounds awesome!) #indiefantasy #urbanfantasy #asianfantasy 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

Brighton, I am in you! I’m here for the World Fantasy Convention, which starts soon. Woo hoo! If you’re here, come say hi! 🤩 #worldfantasy #wfc2025 #worldfantasycon #indiefantasy 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

The amazing Helen Stubbs interviewed me for her blog a short while ago. We're celebrating the launch of Beyond the Humming Downs in paperback! 🌟 High fantasy with a dash of hopepunk, earth magic, forbidden love & all the feels. 🌟 #indiefantasy 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

Hi, I’m an 🇦🇺 indie fantasy author whose debut fantasy novel, Beyond the Humming Downs, is now available in PAPERBACK (wide) and Amazon KU. It’s character-driven fantasy with a dash of adventure and all the feels. Huzzah! Get it here: books2read.com/hummingdowns #indiefantasy 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

#wipsnips - ‘river’ ... it wasn’t a safe pace. The road descended steeply, following the contours of the headland as it dipped towards the river and the town. Adehl concentrated on riding: best not cut this escape short by tumbling headfirst off the cliff. #writesky #indiefantasy 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

🎃 #FantasyIndiesSpooktober 🎃 All genres welcome! You can use the prompts for WIPs or published books. Feel free to ask the hosts questions! Love, Faeries at Fantasy Indies @lvrussell.bsky.social @chesneyinfalt.bsky.social

#wipsnips - ‘paw’ (vibes — claws are near paws, right?) Chanti’s brow wrinkled as the little tortoiseshell cat dug her claws into his bare leg. He sat cross-legged in the straw, knee to knee with Adehl, holding his llirah steady as a shield against the heartstorm. #writesky #indiefantasy 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

This month has been all about wrangling the paperback of my debut fantasy, Beyond the Humming Downs. Back cover design… rookie mistakes… a gazillion interior PDFs… Proofs received… Later today I will hit go. Yesss! #FantasyIndiesSeptember — 30 #indiefantasy 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

#wipsnips - ‘bear’ (alas, no ursines) Muttering under his breath, Frahto pulled out a pouch from the front fold of his mahgan and dug around inside. After withdrawing a tangle of leather and beads, he thrust the mess at Adehl as though he couldn’t bear to touch her. #writesky #indiefantasy 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

#wipsnips - ‘ink’ found the relevant box sandwiched between two others, but the sanded-and-oiled timber helped it slide out. Inside lay a pile of loose parchments, all different thicknesses and sizes, some pinned together. The inked writing on all was thin and faded. #writesky #indiefantasy 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

My debut fantasy book, Beyond the Humming Downs, is available in Amazon KU and will sooooon be out in paperback wide. Received proofs yesterday! My current WIP is a bonus epilogue. Then there’s a part-written novel I’m keen to get back to. #FantasyIndiesSeptember — 28 #indiefantasy 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

All the excitement! Today, I received my first proof copies of the paperback of Beyond the Humming Downs. Squee! It’s pretty surreal having the actual physical copies, even if they do have “not for resale” plastered across them. Not long to go now, folks… #indiefantasy 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

#wipsnips - ‘swift’ It was the fear he tried to hide that seared Adehl. She’d always known the Vuusah must never learn her true lineage. Their retaliation against her would be swift and brutal. To her shame, she hadn’t considered what they might do to her family. #writesky #indiefantasy 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

Happy weekend! Here’s a short snippet from my fantasy book, Beyond the Humming Downs. It’s a moment of retail therapy after they’ve fled their homeland to a foreign city. #FridaySpark ~ “match” #FantasyIndiesSeptember — 27 #indiefantasy 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

#wipsnips - ‘mire’ (vibes) The resonant mesh engulfed Adehl’s llirah, swamping her rhythm. She took a sharp breath. Her sense of self was flattened, overwhelmed by the artificial rhythm enforced by the zehla. It was like drowning without knowing which way was up. #writesky #indiefantasy 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

Something I’m *really* looking forward to is the paperback edition of my debut fantasy novel, Beyond the Humming Downs, being available. Not long to go, now… I’m expecting proofs on Monday. It’s been a journey, that’s for sure! #FantasyIndiesSeptember — 26 #indiefantasy 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

Now available for pre-order: Son of Osivirius, a science-fantasy novella from Cathryn deVries @eclecta-perennial.bsky.social books2read.com/son-of-osivi... Giant flying cats! Avatar vibes. 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

I wrote 1000 years of history (at least 20k words) for the fantasy world I’m writing in. It covers the colonisation of indigenous peoples, the rise and fall of various powers and dozens of named historical figures. #FantasyIndiesSeptember — 24 #indiefantasy 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

#wipsnips - ‘leave’ The tepid welcome and reluctant hospitality made her wonder what was going on. She told herself to ignore it. Best to keep her head down and leave first thing in the morning. She’d betrayed too much of herself already. #writesky #indiefantasy 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

#wipsnips - ‘skill’ Wide, terrified eyes found Roh. “I can’t — I need Sapling!” Roh’s empathiser skills were not as honed as Adehl’s, but he wove ellir and attempted to head off the boy’s panic. “Deep breaths, now. In… out…” #writesky #indiefantasy 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

Depending on where you are in the world, I wish you a joyous Wintersmorn or Summersdawn, aka the Autumn/Spring equinox in my fantasy world. Downunder where I am, it’s Summersdawn today. Our sunlight hours are extending, plants are blooming, weather is warming. It’s wonderful. #indiefantasy 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

#wipsnips - ‘flurry’ She writhed and twisted like a mad thing, rolling into the doyen’s withered leg. Palvemah toppled, cursing, in a pile of bones and braids. There followed a flurry of kicks and blows and bellows. A zehli flung himself across Adehl’s legs… #writesky #indiefantasy 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

#wipsnips - ‘disagree’ “We need the Vuusah precepts to guide behaviour, or people could get hurt. But…” She caught his gaze in hers, challenging him to disagree with her. “But I don’t think it’s fair or valid to exclude me — or anyone — because of lineage.” #writesky #indiefantasy 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

This is my favourite piece of author wisdom. Chris Baty is the founder of NaNoWriMo, and I distilled these words from a pep talk one year, pinned them to my screen. They’ve kept me going through many a dark hour. #FantasyIndiesSeptember — 21 #indiefantasy 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

#FantasyIndiesSeptember 20 Saturday Snippet This is the "hits the fan" moment in Chapter 4 of The Ember's Fall, where the story really gets going. #writing #amwriting #writingcommunity #writesky

#wipsnips - ‘obvious’ “I have responsibilities back home, but I can’t leave her.” “She’s your injaleh.” Sun’s blood, it felt so good to have someone recognise what Adehl was to him. … He didn’t question how Gordoh knew; he felt it must be obvious to everyone. #writesky #indiefantasy 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

Happy weekend! Here’s a short Saturday Snippet from my fantasy book, Beyond the Humming Downs. Since there’s no word/theme prompt anymore, I’m following the #FridaySpark prompt from insta. Prompt is “sleep”. #FantasyIndiesSeptember — 20 #indiefantasy 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

It’s the last day of Bisexual Awareness Week! These are all great books with bi protagonists #bisexual #booksky #biencefiction #scifibooks #sciencefiction

#wipsnips - ‘yard’ He wore riding leathers, his mahgan stained, his long braids frayed. Behind him in the dark courtyard, his horse drank from one of the water troughs, sweaty flanks gleaming in the kitchen light. “What are you doing here?” Adehl asked. #writesky #indiefantasy 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

Pet photo! This is my cuddly boy, Leo. On the sofa, he loves lap time… or, if I have my laptop out, leg time. He also loves visiting me at my desk… arching up in front of the screen or swishing his tail over my keyboard as I’m trying to type. Ahem. #FantasyIndiesSeptember — 19 #indiefantasy 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

#wipsnips - ‘red’ (2) Post 1 was as ‘red’ as it gets. But there are also vast quantities of red wine in my book, so couldn’t resist sharing some of these snips from a recent insta post. 😆 #writesky #indiefantasy 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

#wipsnips - ‘red’ Adehl had never seen the firehead trees in bloom … upthrust boughs decorated with scarlet blossoms, long leaves the colour of flame. It was a dramatic display, made macabre by the blood-red shadows cast over Cloud’s pale coat as they passed beneath. #writesky #indiefantasy 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

My fantasy book, Beyond the Humming Downs, explores power a little bit. One power hungry character is Palvemah, who exceeds the bounds of her authority in ruthless pursuit of an outcome that would see her elevated in status. Or would it? #FantasyIndiesSeptember — 18 #indiefantasy 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

#wipsnips - ‘difference’ “How did you think to get away with it?” “I already got away with it.” She lifted her chin. “For ten years. My lineage has made not a whit of difference.” “But —” “Even you could not tell.” It was true. But he’d been distracted. #writesky #indiefantasy 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

My TBR list comprises a bunch of indie fantasy books I desperately want to read but don’t have the energy for… such as Mistlight by JA Andrews. Instead, I’m re-reading (listening) to my favourite mystery romance novels. #FantasyIndiesSeptember — 17 #indiefantasy 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

#wipsnips - ‘practice’ “Ow,” Chanti murmured as the little cat rearranged herself on his lap. “Keep going,” Adehl said. The small distraction was good practice. Chanti had grasped the gaerah cycle quickly, but the exercise needed to become like breathing. #writesky #indiefantasy 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

I’ve loved many books in recent years. Here’s a shout out for one of them: Of Stormlarks and Silence by Constance Lopez. Feel-good high fantasy that blends a twisty secret vengeance plot with a slow-burn romance. (Review in image alt text.) #FantasyIndiesSeptember — 14 #indiefantasy 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

#wipsnips - ‘pocket’ Grimacing as though he’d bitten into an unripe apple, Lenatoh produced a key from the front pocket of his mahgan. “Go take a look in the basement.” Frahto took the key reluctantly and eyed the basement steps. “Go on,” Lenatoh said grimly. #writesky #indiefantasy 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

Happy weekend! Here’s a short #SaturdaySnippet from my fantasy book, Beyond the Humming Downs. This is one of my fave moments, when the #hopepunk kicks in. Extended snippet in image alt text. #FantasyIndiesSeptember — 13 #indiefantasy 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

#FantasyIndiesSeptember 12 Free Day shout-out to Diela in NICEF, because she has one of the most complete arcs of the whole cast. She starts as a bully, suffers, grows, and ends the story standing on her own feet and appreciating kindness. -Buy: linktr.ee/pjc_cahill #scifi #yafiction #mechapilot

#wipsnips - worst Fleetingly, Roh considered riding with Adehl out of the city into the wilderness. He wished it were a few hours ago, when his worst fear was that Adehl had knocked herself out using a resonator. “I will not let them quell you,” he said, meaning it. #writesky #indiefantasy 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

Behold reader quotes about the magic system in my fantasy novel, Beyond the Humming Downs. Ellir is an “earth magic” that manifests as rhythms people can feel and manipulate in different ways. The book’s on Amazon and KU 🙏 books2read.com/u/mlgWrP #FantasyIndiesSeptember — 12 #indiefantasy 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

According to my editor, I use the word 'half' waaaay too much. So, I weeded out a bunch. Still, I needed to look no further than the opening scene of Beyond the Humming Downs, in which my two star-crossed lovers meet... #wipsnips #writesky #indiefantasy 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

#wipsnips - ‘half’ Sanity returned with a jolt, and she wrenched her hand from his. The motion jerked Roh half out of his saddle and, by the time he’d righted himself, Adehl had moved Cloud to a safe distance. They stared at each other. #writesky #indiefantasy 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

I’m so excited about my next WIP! It’s set in the same world as Beyond the Humming Downs and features two sisters, animal companions, plots and intrigue, a rescue quest, a secret diary, and a past cataclysmic event… #FantasyIndiesSeptember — 11 #indiefantasy 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

#wipsnips - ‘outside’ “Will you just spit it out?” Tohanuh said. “Some of us have animals to tend.” In one of the back fields, a horse whinnied and another replied. Outside, someone was chopping wood. Adehl wished she had thought to boil the kettle. #writesky #indiefantasy 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

One key premise of Beyond the Humming Downs is the MC fighting to stop the PTB from quelling her affinity for the world’s energy. One young side character, sidelined for who she is, yearns to be like Adehl. So, there’s a fair bit of coveting. #FantasyIndiesSeptember — 10 #indiefantasy 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

#wipsnips - ‘pressure’ Face sorrowful, Mikka laid a hand on Adehl’s shoulder as she headed to make the tea. “We knew the risk,” her father said, the pressure on her hands tightening. “You were just a child, and I take full responsibility for my own actions.” #writesky #indiefantasy 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

The MCs in Beyond the Humming Downs all have “magical” powers related to melding with the world’s energy, which manifests as rhythms some people can feel and manipulate in different ways. — empathy, farsensing, reading objects, sensing truth ++ #FantasyIndiesSeptember — 9 #indiefantasy 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️