Anna ZenKen Stephens
@annasmithwrites
AN HONESTY OF THIEVES, Mar 27. Godblind, Songs of the Drowned trilogies, Black Library, Marvel. Runs Magic & Mayhem Author Academy. 1/3 of The Write Advice. Rep @harryillingworth.bsky.social Zen, Shotokan, DnD, antifa, no AI in art, #WorkingClass. She/They
Meet the cast of The Sport of Wings. #dragonbook #dragonracing #hybridauthor #indiedebut
Barring a few tweaks, the cover for The Sport of Wings is almost done. The incredible Jenni Coutts is prettying up the final details, but if you want vibes, I've got vibes. Behold! #dragonbook #fantasyromance #hybridauthor
My developmental edit report came back yesterday. I was worried I hadn't nailed (ha, smut joke) the specifics of the romance genre, but it's not too bad. Some pacing issues, a few relationship tweaks, some worldbuilding work, and more detail in the racing. Let's go! #indieauthor #fantasyromance
If I had to give myself a report card for the year so far: Consistency: B Growth: C Balance: E (whoops!) Creativity: A Balance has been way off so far this year - all work and little play... What grades would you give yourself?
This month's #ObliqueStrategies card is particularly prescient. I have so much work on this month, including finishing a client edit, my dev edits for my indie debut, a short story, obviously a DND session to plan. I need to clear all that ready for another set of edits i have coming next month.
Found out today that my sponsor dog at The Dogs Trust has died. Woody was surrendered to the trust at 2yrs old and lived there for the next 11yrs. He was rehomed twice and each time returned to the Trust. 😭 They've transferred my sponsorship over to a new dog, Hugo, a Shar Pei x Labrador. RIP Woody
Also, my first event for which I was (partially) paid in tea towels!
I'm not saying it's hard to sleep in 30-degree heat while also having hot flushes, but the yellow line is the period I was awake for last night.
Things are moving apace! Once I get edits back, I might be able to firm up a publication date. Definitely this year, hopefully the end of summer. #indieauthor #hybridauthor #dragonbook
Excited that the next step in my self-publishing adventure is here: the manuscript is with my editor, @edcrockerbooks.bsky.social
We paid a ridiculous amount of money for a dog trainer recently because we've taken Bailey as far as we can and just don't have the tools for more. 2 weeks in and we've managed 2 hours in the pub with zero histrionics or overwhelmed behaviour. Worth every fucking penny and still much more to learn.
Look how cute I am. Now make my food faster, human minion. It's safe to say we know who's boss.
Couldn't be bothered to cook in the heat, so gyoza and veggies it is, with a lovely sesame and soy dressing
The garden birds have figured out the new feeder, which is specifically for small birds as the magpies and jackdaws steal from the other types! Slightly blurry, but that Great Tit is having a grand old time on the mealworm mix.
Very much enjoying how much this total arsehole is ruining my players' lives. Head of the Shadowmasters in Telflamm, he's charismatic, menacing, and has plans within plans. Also pretty proud of the paint job I did on him. #forgottenrealms #dnd5e
May's #ObliqueStrategy card may regret its instruction...
Happy 7th birthday to Mr Sniff, AKA The Boy, Colonel Burp, His Majesty, Buddy, Sausage, Sweetpea... oh, and his given name: Bailey. We love you!
Listening to the audiobook of a Spell for Heartsickness by Alistair Reeves and it's adorable and cute and funny and John Joseph is a FANTASTIC voice actor. Big fan!
We love you, buddy. You're as weird as us, you like licking pavements and eyeballs - not at the same time, fortunately - and you love us with every strand of your little body. We'll try to keep doing better.
Breaking out the notebook I bought at fantasycon for eastercon! This one is from Flame Tree Press. Gorgeous.
Unreasonably excited for the amount of fluffy rice in my future.
1500 words this morning following on from the broken heart of yesterday. This isn't advancing the main plot much, but I have thrown in yet another twist my brain thinks is fun. I hope it knows how to resolve them all, as it's beginning to resemble yarn savaged by a kitten called Crabsticks.
My family think my love for DnD is silly, juvenile, a waste of time. But you know what? Anything that's genuinely good for your mental health is never silly. And for what it's worth, playing make-believe with my friends, and watching people do the same, is good for me. I love these guys & mine, too
Further to my rant about perimenopause and menopause last weekend, for those folks entering or within its hellish embrace, I have found this book to be a brilliant resource. Written by a nonbinary person, it's really trans inclusive and avoids heavily gendered terms wherever possible.
1012 words this morning. Snooping has been achieved, and a Grand Revelation, uh, revealed. It may, however, be misdirection. Or it may not! Who knows? Certainly not me, the author. I'm just proceeding on vibes at this point to see where they take me. Structure is for draft 2. Poodle for added aww
People were up in arms over the casting of THIS WOMAN as Helen of Troy because "she wasn't black". You're missing the point. Helen was the most beautiful woman in the world. LOOK AT LUPITA NYONG'O. Who else could play her???