Author | Lightnews

R.E. Bellesmith @rebellesmith.bsky.social · 12h

Day 2: 1707 words

Lithrail spoke. “If she cuts you again, that is a kindness. Should she break a bone, that too is kindness. A cut or a broken bone here is a lessoned learned. One that will keep your life from being cut short elsewhere if you learn it well.”

#NaNoWriMo #RoughDraftChallenge

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R.E. Bellesmith @rebellesmith.bsky.social · 1d

Day 1: 2068 words

"You're not working with Dassin, are you?"
"No," Walter said.
"The last time you were here, he didn't turn you into, like, a sleeper agent?"
"No."
"... You're not lying, are you?"
"I'm not lying."

#NaNoWriMo #RoughDraftChallenge

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R.E. Bellesmith @rebellesmith.bsky.social · 1d

Call it #NaNoWriMo or #RoughDraftChallenge or whatever you want, but this November I'm finishing the sequel to "The Unspoken Prophecy."

I'm starting with 37,227 words and hope to have 90k on Dec. 1

I'll post my progress and a favorite passage here every day!

#Writing #Fantasy #WritingCommunity

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R.E. Bellesmith @rebellesmith.bsky.social · 4d

1 year ago today I spent $4,367 to published my fantasy novel, "The Widlerlands." It's a book with monsters, wizards, gods, and myth inspired by stories like The Odyssey and in the vein of The Witcher

This is how it went.
#WritingCommunity #IndieAuthor #Fantasy
www.rebellesmith.com/blog-1-1/one...

One year—and $4,367— later, “The Wilderlands” — R.E. Bellesmith - Author

One year after “The Wilderlands,” I want to look at the book I wrote a year ago, reflecting on having gotten it out and how I am feeling about it 365 days after the fact.

www.rebellesmith.com

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R.E. Bellesmith @rebellesmith.bsky.social · 6d

I'm proud that, a year ago, I published The Wilderlands

It's a fantasy story with swords and monsters. It's also about how people are weaponized against each other

It's marked down to $12.99 & $5

Physical Book a.co/d/hIVIlM6
Ebook a.co/d/a6yDbdl
Audible Audiobook a.co/d/cwMZLT8
#WritingCommunity

R.E. Bellesmith @rebellesmith.bsky.social · 8d

You're probably right--I just am early enough that I don't really have an "audience," much less an audience focused anywhere. So trying to post across three or four different platforms (even if it's the same thing) tends to take closer to an hour.

But yeah, I should just pick one or two and focus

R.E. Bellesmith @rebellesmith.bsky.social · 11d

Crazy to me that there are writers out there who:

*Go to their day job
*Write books
*Market their books
*Do social media/blogging

Trying to figure out how much sleep I need to cut out to be even MODERATELY good at the social media game

#Writing #IndieAuthor #WritingCommunity

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R.E. Bellesmith @rebellesmith.bsky.social · 18d

If you're looking to write a book over the course of a month this fall, here's some tips for how to prepare to write 50,000 words in 30 days!

www.rebellesmith.com/blog-1-1/5-t...

5 tips to write a book in 30 days — R.E. Bellesmith - Author

Do you want to write a book in just 30 days? On paper, it’s a very appealing and doable notion—right up until it comes time to put things on paper. Let’s break down exactly what it entails.

www.rebellesmith.com

Reposted by R.E. Bellesmith

RaeWitteVO @raewittevo.bsky.social · 19d

New release!

Jenny Block’s Badass Manifesting guides her audience to find their badass confidence and resilience through a series of powerful and passionate mantras.

Badass Manifesting
Written by Jenny Block
Narrated by Rae Witte
Published by Vibrance Press

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R.E. Bellesmith @rebellesmith.bsky.social · 26d

My audiobook is ON SALE FOR $5 on Libro FM as part of its Indie Bookshop Appreciation Sale!

If you don't know about Libro FM, it's like Audible, but it lets you support local, indie bookstores with part of your purchase.

Pick it up here if you haven't listened yet: libro.fm/audiobooks/9...

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R.E. Bellesmith @rebellesmith.bsky.social · 27d

Four years (and three pictures) of doing the Windsor Heights Book Fair. Always a great time and a fun spot to meet new people!

#IndiePublishing #IndieAuthor #WritingCommunity

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R.E. Bellesmith @rebellesmith.bsky.social · Oct 3

30,000 words, ~125 pages, and 14 chapters into Light Keeper Chronicle 2📝

It's slow going writing when I can between day job stuff and generally trying to stay alive, but I feel good about this draft and still think I could have it done by the end of the year!
#Writing #IndieAuthor #WritingFantasy

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R.E. Bellesmith @rebellesmith.bsky.social · Oct 1

My latest blog post, recommending M.R. Carey's "Once Was Willem."

www.rebellesmith.com/blog-1-1/art...

Art I’m Enjoying: “Once Was Willem” by M.R. Carey — R.E. Bellesmith - Author

It’s been a stressful couple of weeks for me, so I wanted to take a moment to do an “Art I’m Enjoying” entry. Prior to this, I’ve sort of more broadly recommended artists ( comedian Josh Johnson and ...

www.rebellesmith.com

R.E. Bellesmith @rebellesmith.bsky.social · Sep 29

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R.E. Bellesmith @rebellesmith.bsky.social · Sep 26

Goodness me, I'm 30 years old, we're not in a pandemic, and I can't get hooked on a game like this again. I don't have the time ...

And yet, here I am, killing time

#HadesII #SuperGiant #Hades #DeathToKronos

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R.E. Bellesmith @rebellesmith.bsky.social · Sep 26

I hadn't heard of The Invincible, I'll have to check it out! ☺️

R.E. Bellesmith @rebellesmith.bsky.social · Sep 26

I think The Witcher games/books are the only quality ones that come to mind for me. Though I haven’t read the Metro books, the bits of the games I’ve played seem great!

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R.E. Bellesmith @rebellesmith.bsky.social · Sep 17

In my latest blog post, I want to cover a topic that probably should have been the first in this series: What can one do to come up with an idea for a novel?

#writingcommunity #writinglife #writing #indieauthor

www.rebellesmith.com/blog-1-1/wha...

Making of Part 3: How do you come up with a story idea for a novel? — R.E. Bellesmith - Author

I want to talk about something that probably should have been the first in this series: How to come up with the idea for a novel? Here’s the four pieces of advice to follow before you begin writing a...

www.rebellesmith.com

R.E. Bellesmith @rebellesmith.bsky.social · Sep 15

I had to have my car towed and repaired--so if you like dark fantasy novels w/ unlikely alliances forged in hostile lands, I've got a book I strongly STRONGLY recommend!

There's even an audiobook edition of "The Wilderlands" if that's your speed (my car's speed is currently 0)

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R.E. Bellesmith @rebellesmith.bsky.social · Sep 6

I did a local first Friday event at Storyhouse Bookpub in Des Moines yesterday. It was a lovely time and I sold 9 books in 3 hours! (Which is the most copies I've moved outside of an event with friends and family)

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R.E. Bellesmith @rebellesmith.bsky.social · Sep 3

My playlist for my novel includes:

#LilliFurfaro
#AnaïsMitchell
#BenCaplan
#Hozier
#TheDecemberists
#TheMountainGoats
#KarenCowley
#Vandaveer
#ShawnJames
#SamLee
#DanielPemberton
#BearMcCreary

If you like these artists, *The Wilderlands* may jive with you!

www.rebellesmith.com/blog-1-1/my-...

My playlist for “The Wilderlands” explained — R.E. Bellesmith - Author

If you haven’t read The Wilderlands , hopefully this music can help you determine if some of the themes and ideas in it will mesh with you. If you have read The Wilderlands , hopefully you find a co...

www.rebellesmith.com

R.E. Bellesmith @rebellesmith.bsky.social · Sep 1

I think I'd go back to The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George

R.E. Bellesmith @rebellesmith.bsky.social · Aug 20

If you're an #IndieAuthor, is it worth doing a #Goodreads and/or #Storygraph giveaway?

Last month I ran two giveaways hoping to drum up interest for my epic fantasy novel "The Wilderlands". This is how it went:

www.rebellesmith.com/blog-1-1/i-r...

I ran a Goodreads giveaway & a Storygraph giveaway — They didn’t go the way I hoped — R.E. Bellesmith - Author

I ran two giveaways for my epic fantasy novel The Wilderlands which published in fall of 2024 and had an audiobook released this past summer. I did this in hopes of getting my book in the hands of ...

www.rebellesmith.com

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Reposted by R.E. Bellesmith

Your Paper Quest @yourpaperquest.bsky.social · Aug 19

Hey world, it's us again, your favorite indie book subscription box. We're trying our best to refrain from shouting into the ether but alas we fear we might soon have to.

Subscribe, support the indie movement, and discover some incredible new stories and authors along the way 🫶

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R.E. Bellesmith @rebellesmith.bsky.social · Aug 13

I had someone ask me over this past weekend how much I get when someone gets my audiobook through Audible.

I said "I don't know." And this is a big reason why:

#audiobook #indieauthors

www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhTm...

Audible Is Broken

YouTube video by Daniel Greene

www.youtube.com

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