The AEltians have a holy book called The Teuchos, which tells of the chief god Tithendion, his son Durandios, and his discarded daughter Telamenos, as well as the creation of the ninatat, among many other things. mpepperlanglinais.com/ddurandios-t... #MythAugust

Formal schooling in AElit is for: 1. The elite 2. Those who are deemed to have some kind of aptitude 3. The occasional orphan taken in by one of the temples The average person will take over parents' lands and/or learn a trade. #AugustWorldbuilders

#FantasyIndiesAugust Intro I'm M 👋 and I'm still working on the second Changers book, THE GREAT DIVIDE. Go read MANIFESTING DESTINY so you'll be ready for the sequel! Changers is a YA fantasy trilogy... Well, it will be. 😜 Planning to have the second book out by the end of the year!

My life in three images.

I think almost all stories I write are mostly for me. They're characters I love and weird blends of genres that seem to appeal only to me. I feel lucky whenever anyone else likes something I've written; that feels like a bonus. I know I should be thinking of my audience but... #SummerofStories

I'm not doing any research for AElit. Most of the research I'm doing for my Changers series is about zoology and geography. #JulyWorldbuilders

#FantasyIndiesJuly This month I traveled a lot. I got bronchitis (still recovering). I went no contact with most of my biological family. And I lost someone--a "chosen" family member, my "other mom"--unexpectedly. 💔 I read, I wrote, I sold some books, I made semifinals in BBNYA. Been a wild month.

10. The most wholesome thing I've written depends on your definition of "wholesome," I suppose. BRYNNDE is a classic Regency romance, very chaste. But I think the relationship between Drew and Rayze in that series is actually the most wholesome. (Start with "One Night in Wildcat Woods.")

Every time I do one of these, no one likes the post, but here goes...

I don't know if it's my favorite piece of writing I've *ever* done, but this snippet from my "Sherlock" series of fics is one I still think about now and then. I write in metaphors a lot, and this is possibly one of my best samples of that. #SummerofStories

AElit's setting is mostly inspired by ancient Greece and Tudor England. The ninatat in general and Seladion in particular was probably influenced by Yue from Cardcaptor Sakura. And Durandios is somewhat rooted in the character of Methos from the Highlander TV series. #JulyWorldbuilders

#FantasyIndiesJuly MC's comfort food? Bread. There is a character whose mother is known for her amazing bread/rolls, so that's a thing that gets referenced periodically. Though in the book they mostly eat sandwiches.

I'll usually listen to film scores. I can't listen to music with words when I'm writing/concentrating; I love to sing too much for that. So I only do rock music when I'm formulating character interactions/feelings. Otherwise, always instrumentals. #JulyWorldbuilders

#FantasyIndiesJuly 2026 Goals Check-In Uh... I had hoped to be done, or closer to done, with THE GREAT DIVIDE (Changers: Book 2). But I still believe it will be done by the end of the year, and I will be satisfied with that.

Well, as mentioned, Durandios keeps a house on the forested NE peninsula of the island. No one else ventures in there. In other forests of AElit, people do live--not in deep woods, but in woody areas. #JulyWorldbuilders

My favorite book so far this year has been GOOD PEOPLE by Patmeena Sabit. I also enjoyed THE CHILDREN by Melissa Albert but I can only really recommend that with caveats because of the way it's written and the pacing, which won't be for everyone. #SummerofStories

Well, my world of AElit has not yet made it onto paper in any kind of cohesive fashion at least. I've written bits and pieces and a short "encyclopedia," plus some of the holy book, but I do hope to actually write stories eventually. (I wanted to do a manga, actually, but...) #SummerofStories

#FantasyIndiesJuly Songs that remind me of my WIP 🤔 Maybe "If I Could" by October Project? Actually, I once participated in one of those "make an album for your book" type things. I'll post the result below.

Me too, Bonnie. Me too.

When I hit a wall with writing I will often: 🎨 pull out a canvas and paint 🧩 do a jigsaw puzzle 🧱 work on a big LEGO project or just read, listen to some music, do some tarot... #SummerofStories

The forest where Durandios lives on AElit is peaceful. And because he is Life Incarnate, it's always green and alive. (Other forests in AElit go through the regular seasons.) #JulyWorldbuilders

#FantasyIndiesJuly Day 24 I almost always come up with characters first, or at least an idea of people in a situation. It might only be a scene, a moment... and then I build out from there. Who are these people? How did they end up here? Etc.

Durandios, when living in the mortal world, has a house on a forest peninsula. The AElitians don't venture into this forest, but they do bring gifts and offerings to altars built along the periphery of the forest. #JulyWorldbuilders

#FantasyIndiesJuly Is my MC a good friend? She's probably *too* good a friend, always putting Marcus ahead of herself and taking anything he says as gospel truth.

"Bela d'Miknost" means "place of trees" and tends to preface any forest name. Bela d'Miknost Bak d'El is "the place of trees near good water." But most AElitians will shorten it to either "Miknost Bak d'El" or even just "Bak d'El" if it's clear where they mean in context. #JulyWorldbuilders

#FantasyIndiesJuly What types of book covers draw my attention? Good or bad attention? A lot of covers look very similar now (and the titles also sound the same) so anything unique looking or sounding will usually grab me. I like interesting typefaces but also want other art, not just words.

I love attending (and presenting at!) conferences & I've been to many. While large conferences are fun because of all the people & info, they can be overwhelming to fresh writers. Still, a great way to keep up with industry trends & changes. And I've met many writing buds this way. #SummerofStories