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Ellen Starsmore

@ellenstarsmore.bsky.social

You probably don’t want/need social media tips from me, so here’s my book in its natural environment:

Beyond the Humming Downs opens under big, blue skies. There are horses… wild grasses… and riders who have empathic connections with the world and each other.

#FantasyIndiesJanuary — 9
📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

January 9, 2026 at 8:49 PM

Ellen Starsmore

@ellenstarsmore.bsky.social

Today’s snippet is from chapter 33 of my fantasy novel, Beyond the Humming Downs. It’s the moment when the proverbial $hit hits the fan… the beginning of the end.

Which makes it ironic I’ve chosen this for the #FridaySpark prompt of “safe”. 😆

#FantasyIndiesJanuary — 10
#indiefantasy 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

Snippet from Beyond the Humming Downs by Ellen Starsmore

Now that Sorah was safe, the severity of her own situation crashed upon Adehl. Frahto had brought hooters to the Wild Colt, and Roh had still not returned. She scrambled off the bed to the window. Seven horses milled in the plaza below, most with zehla at their heads. Chanti held the reins of a large moonskin. Adehl stared, reached out with a thread of ellir through the walls of the building. A bolt of joy made her skin tingle, and her hands became fists. Sensing her presence, Cloud tossed his head and whinnied. “Stars and sun,” she breathed.
“He’s a beautiful animal,” Frahto said. Rising, he smirked. “Up to my weight.”
She was going to cut him into tiny pieces.

January 9, 2026 at 8:23 PM

Ellen Starsmore

@ellenstarsmore.bsky.social

My writing strengths? Tricky question!

My editor says it’s my characters, worldbuilding and setting. Reader reviews of Beyond the Humming Downs seem to support this.

Reviews also cite “lyrical writing”, which I did not expect! 😊

#FantasyIndiesJanuary — 8
#indiefantasy 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

Ellen Starsmore @ellenstarsmore.bsky.social · 9d

Hello and happy new year… It’s time for #FantasyIndiesJanuary

I’m an Australian author of fantasy with love, hope and adventure.

My novel, Beyond the Humming Downs, is character-driven, hope-filled fantasy about love, transformation and doing the right thing.

#indiefantasy 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

"A lyrical adventure full of humanity."
Beyond the Humming Downs by Ellen Starsmore
a fresh take on fantasy with a dash of hopepunk, adventure and quiet rebellion.
forbidden love * clashing loyalties self-discovery * earth magic

January 8, 2026 at 10:25 PM

Ellen Starsmore

@ellenstarsmore.bsky.social

First line.

My fantasy novel, Beyond the Humming Downs, opens:

“A pair of riders surged towards Adehl across the wild grasses of the Humming Downs.”

Thus follows the meeting between the MCs and a forbidden soul bond…

#FantasyIndiesJanuary — 7
#indiefantasy 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

This image shows the first page of an open book. The book is Beyond the Humming Downs by Ellen Starsmore.
The first chapter title is "Rattled her bones".
The first sentence is highlighted; it reads: “A pair of riders surged towards Adehl across the wild grasses of the Humming Downs.”

Also present is a promotional bookmark showing part of the book cover and the words: "Sparks fly and secrets unravel when the heartstorm binds two souls..."

January 7, 2026 at 10:33 PM

Ellen Starsmore

@ellenstarsmore.bsky.social

Tropes: I’d love to read more quest fantasy — a ragtag group of ‘adventurers’ thrown together on a quest, meeting friends and foes along the way, banter between comrades, romance, travelling through a fantasy world…

That's my ideal fantasy adventure.

#FantasyIndiesJanuary — 6
#indiefantasy 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

Ellen Starsmore @ellenstarsmore.bsky.social · 9d

Hello and happy new year… It’s time for #FantasyIndiesJanuary

I’m an Australian author of fantasy with love, hope and adventure.

My novel, Beyond the Humming Downs, is character-driven, hope-filled fantasy about love, transformation and doing the right thing.

#indiefantasy 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

January 6, 2026 at 10:20 AM

Ellen Starsmore

@ellenstarsmore.bsky.social

Writing habits: During the week, I like to write every day for min 2 hours. Usually in a cafe for part of it.

I find regular 2-3h stints more effective than whole days put aside.

I’ll usually take weekends off from working directly on the WIP.

#FantasyIndiesJanuary — 5
#indiefantasy 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

Ellen Starsmore @ellenstarsmore.bsky.social · 9d

Hello and happy new year… It’s time for #FantasyIndiesJanuary

I’m an Australian author of fantasy with love, hope and adventure.

My novel, Beyond the Humming Downs, is character-driven, hope-filled fantasy about love, transformation and doing the right thing.

#indiefantasy 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

January 5, 2026 at 9:11 PM

Ellen Starsmore

@ellenstarsmore.bsky.social

In my fantasy novel, Beyond the Humming Downs, the goal of the MC is to keep the secret of her bloodline... then survive the wrath of her leaders when they inevitably discover it.

Basically, she wants to keep her magic. 😳

#FantasyIndiesJanuary — 4
#indiefantasy 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

Ellen Starsmore @ellenstarsmore.bsky.social · 9d

Hello and happy new year… It’s time for #FantasyIndiesJanuary

I’m an Australian author of fantasy with love, hope and adventure.

My novel, Beyond the Humming Downs, is character-driven, hope-filled fantasy about love, transformation and doing the right thing.

#indiefantasy 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

January 4, 2026 at 11:34 AM

Ellen Starsmore

@ellenstarsmore.bsky.social

Today’s snippet is from chapter 14 of my fantasy novel, Beyond the Humming Downs. It’s a moment of some… consternation for Adehl, the MC.

Prompt inspired by #Fridayspark: “year”.

#FantasyIndiesJanuary — 3
#indiefantasy 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

From Beyond the Humming Downs by Ellen Starsmore

Adehl breathed.

Pain bloomed under the hands gripping her arms. They dragged her away from her father. Chained to the resonator, he watched her; his head moved in small jerks of denial, the movement obviously painful from the pounding someone - Frahto? - had inflicted. The anguish in her father's rhythm reached her through the heartrock, and she did her best to soothe him. While she still could.

Dear world. She breathed. From below came the crash of waves.

She'd always known this day might come. But, over the years, the danger had receded like the horizon on the Humming Downs. Then she'd delivered horses to Fortune Spring... and now she was about to fall off the edge of the world.

January 3, 2026 at 11:46 AM

Ellen Starsmore

@ellenstarsmore.bsky.social

After launching my debut novel in 2025, I’m looking forward to working on a new WIP this year.

I started writing this other novel a while back but put it aside for a few years. I’m extremely excited to be getting back into it!

#FantasyIndiesJanuary — 2
#indiefantasy 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

Ellen Starsmore @ellenstarsmore.bsky.social · 9d

Hello and happy new year… It’s time for #FantasyIndiesJanuary

I’m an Australian author of fantasy with love, hope and adventure.

My novel, Beyond the Humming Downs, is character-driven, hope-filled fantasy about love, transformation and doing the right thing.

#indiefantasy 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

January 2, 2026 at 12:24 PM

Ellen Starsmore

@ellenstarsmore.bsky.social

Hello and happy new year… It’s time for #FantasyIndiesJanuary

I’m an Australian author of fantasy with love, hope and adventure.

My novel, Beyond the Humming Downs, is character-driven, hope-filled fantasy about love, transformation and doing the right thing.

#indiefantasy 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

January 1, 2026 at 10:34 AM

Ellen Starsmore

@ellenstarsmore.bsky.social

2025 reading highlights, final post

Jaran by Kate Elliott — First published 1992, technically science fiction about a woman who gets stranded on a non-tech world among a nomadic plains people.

Incredible worldbuilding and characters.

A re-read (listen) of an old favourite.

📚🪐💙

January 1, 2026 at 1:34 AM

Ellen Starsmore

@ellenstarsmore.bsky.social

2025 reading highlights cont...

Blyd and Pearce by Kim Fielding — A romantic fantasy mystery featuring a fatalistic, former city guard and a musician trying to unravel plots within plots.

There’s sneaking and fighting, twists and turns, assassins, necromancers and more.

#indiefantasy 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️🌈

January 1, 2026 at 12:49 AM

Ellen Starsmore

@ellenstarsmore.bsky.social

2025 reading highlights cont...

Of Tides and Treason by Constance Lopez — A romantic high fantasy about love of country, healing and enlightenment.

It features a hunted mage, magical creatures, a land where magic is failing and a prince seeking redemption.

#indiefantasy 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

December 31, 2025 at 11:59 PM

Ellen Starsmore

@ellenstarsmore.bsky.social

2025 reading highlights cont...

Ghost of Lies by Alice Winters — Romantic paranormal crime series (Medium Trouble) featuring a sunshiny ghost whisperer and a grumpy cop, snarky ghost sidekicks.

I loved the audiobooks of these so much, I listened them ALL twice in the year. 🤭

#mmromance 🌈📚💙

December 31, 2025 at 10:38 PM

Ellen Starsmore

@ellenstarsmore.bsky.social

The Transcendent Green by Mati Ocha — #Hopepunk #LitRPG series with an apocalypse, monsters, Scottish folklore and wild nature magic. These books have so much heart, as well as a lovely main character who’s just an ordinary guy doing the right thing.

My surprise of the year!

📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

December 31, 2025 at 11:11 AM

Ellen Starsmore

@ellenstarsmore.bsky.social

2025 reading highlights: Blood and Steel by Helen Scheuerer — Epic romantasy series (Legends of Thezmarr) with monsters, wonderful sibling relationships, found family and legendary warriors. Spice aside, the plot and characters are awesome.

📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

December 31, 2025 at 9:31 AM

Ellen Starsmore

@ellenstarsmore.bsky.social

Here are my 2025 reading highlights (mostly fantasy), in no particular order.

Will follow up with some brief thoughts on each one/series. ☺️

📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

December 31, 2025 at 9:25 AM

Ellen Starsmore

@ellenstarsmore.bsky.social

Ways to make heart expand 🙏

#indiefantasy 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

erinzarro.bsky.social @erinzarro.bsky.social · 20d

I juust finished reading Beyond the Humming Downs by @ellenstarsmore.bsky.social. What an amazing, unique fantasy novel. Review coming. Just breathtaking. Get yourself a copy for Solstice!
www.amazon.com/Beyond-Hummi...

Beyond the Humming Downs

Beyond the Humming Downs - Kindle edition by Starsmore, Ellen. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading Beyond the Humming Downs.

www.amazon.com

December 22, 2025 at 5:15 AM

Ellen Starsmore

@ellenstarsmore.bsky.social

Fantasy books to cheer you up: The Transcendent Green series by Mati Ocha...

I LOVE these books! They have so much heart + monsters, magic, a terrifying apocalypse, an adorable wildcat kitten, and humans looking after each other.

More in the Alt Text.

#LitRPG #indiefantasy #hopepunk 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

Book Love
3 book covers: The Transcendent Green, The Ascendent Sky, Terra Incognita by Mati Ocha

ApocoLitRPG
Hopepunk
Monsters
Wild nature magic
Fantasy with heart
LOVE LOVE LOVE

If you want some fantasy books to cheer you up… I’ve been reading The Transcendent Green series by Mati Ocha — my first experience of LitRPG fantasy — and I LOVE these books. They have so much heart, as well as monsters, magic, a terrifying apocalypse, an adorable wildcat kitten, and humans looking after each other.

Earth has been hit with a magical spirit wave that destroys all electricity and appliances. Humans find themselves at “level 1” on their journey to “ascension”, and must form communities working together to survive the machinations of an opportunistic local lord and myriad wandering monsters.

I love the emphasis on community and wild nature magic. And I adore the main character, Calum, who is incredibly caring, brave, resourceful, innovative… but just an ordinary guy who ends up a leader through being kind and doing the right thing.

My gosh, these books are gripping my attention and my heart. Fairly sure they’re the very definition of #hopepunk.

The main series is set in western Scotland and imbued with the Gaelic language, culture and mythology. After reading the first two of these, I headed to the concurrent “prequel” (Terra Incognita), which is set in the UK Peak District. It ripped out my heart. 😭

Highly recommended as adventure fantasy brimming with heart and soul.

(#LitRPG is a genre which reads a little like one is experiencing a computer role-playing game — complete with head-up displays detailing stat points, class skills, health levels, crafting, levelling up… and magic!)

December 18, 2025 at 11:51 PM

Ellen Starsmore

@ellenstarsmore.bsky.social

Don't know what to read next?

Feel like fantasy that's heartfelt (not cozy) and a bit different?

A book founded on a love story that's not "romance"-centric?

Why not try Beyond the Humming Downs? The ebook is free on Amazon until December 9.

books2read.com/hummingdowns

#indiefantasy 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

Ellen Starsmore @ellenstarsmore.bsky.social · Dec 5

The ebook of Beyond the Humming Downs is free on Amazon right now.

A forbidden soulbond catalyses a fight for survival and the freedom to wield earth magic.

Forbidden love. On the run. Immersive world. Social reform undercurrents.

Get it here: books2read.com/hummingdowns

#indiefantasy 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

December 7, 2025 at 2:26 AM

Ellen Starsmore

@ellenstarsmore.bsky.social

The ebook of Beyond the Humming Downs is free on Amazon right now.

A forbidden soulbond catalyses a fight for survival and the freedom to wield earth magic.

Forbidden love. On the run. Immersive world. Social reform undercurrents.

Get it here: books2read.com/hummingdowns

#indiefantasy 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

December 5, 2025 at 9:39 PM

Ellen Starsmore

@ellenstarsmore.bsky.social

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 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

Background image: a hand holding open page 174 of Beyond the Humming Downs by Ellen Starsmore
Overlaid text:
You’ve fled to a foreign city.
You don’t know who to trust.
Then the magic overwhelms you in the middle of a busy street…

Detail of page 174 of Beyond the Humming Downs by Ellen Starsmore, with the following text highlighted:
Adehl wasn't sure she could speak with the barrage of ellir rattling her rib cage. She took Roh's hand, bringing their threaded fingers up between them. They grinned stupidly at each other as their lirah melded and danced in the tempest.

November 21, 2025 at 8:50 PM

Ellen Starsmore

@ellenstarsmore.bsky.social

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 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

November 19, 2025 at 10:22 PM

Ellen Starsmore

@ellenstarsmore.bsky.social

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 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

October 30, 2025 at 4:00 PM

Ellen Starsmore

@ellenstarsmore.bsky.social

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 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

Helen Stubbs @hkstubbs.bsky.social · Oct 13

To celebrate the arrival of the paperback version of Beyond the Humming Downs, I’m delighted to host the fabulous Ellen Starsmore on my blog, to talk about the launch of her debut novel. She talks about process, world building and more!

Debut novellist Ellen Starsmore Interview

To celebrate the arrival of the paperback version of Beyond the Humming Downs, I’m delighted to host the fabulous Ellen Starsmore on my blog, to talk about the launch of her debut novel. I had the pleasure of reading an ARC (advance reader copy) of this novel, and I really enjoyed it, and posted the review to Goodreads and on this very blog.

helenstubbs.wordpress.com

October 13, 2025 at 9:11 AM

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