rychilla.com
Aussie indie author, writing a series about a fairy detective in a steampunk kingdom. Art by PamonyaArt. Logo by Lee Bradford (He/him.)
My Books: https://rychilla.com/about-the-books/
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/D.T.-Bella/author/B0BQWBRWJY
684 posts
1,093 followers
1,086 following
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I don't aim for a particular length, but they usually average around 4,000-5,000 words. Not intentionally, just happens that way. I like to end them on a cliffhanger.
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Thanks. She'll have a bigger role in one of my later books.
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I have a general idea of how I want my characters to be, then they develop and solidify as I go along.
One of them, Yaetherim, clicked with a line of dialogue: "Aye, I have scars. You can gape at them later."
He's traumatised, but had a job to do. Snarky, too.
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I'm about to introduce 'The Duchess'. She's a prairie elf from a neighbouring ex-kingdom, who lost her status and a fair bit of wealth when their monarchy was toppled in a revolution.
She insists on keeping her title, and these days is seeking to remake her fortune by becoming a shipping magnate.
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To be fair, I write murder mysteries. I kinda have to kill them off.
Although now that you mention it, nobody dies in my current WIP.
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I just write what I want to write. Although to be fair, I did want to put my own spin on the 'private eye detective solving murders' genre.
So I put it in a fantasy setting, and made the detective a fairy. He's the chap in my avatar.
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Here's Yaetherim in a moment of downtime, slicing some fruit.
(Art by ROGunsou.)
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It's a fantasy setting, roughly Victorian-era. It's to do with water filtration. In this world, water has to be filtered before being drunk. It's done with water elemental magic. But it boils down to greed, ultimately.
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This particular WIP (3rd book) was a rework of my original idea for my first book. It's investigating a series of unconnected people who've all fallen ill from the same illness. Turns out it's due to cutting corners in the food supply.
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Usually close third person, but I enjoy reading third and first.
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I can imagine at least one of my characters would take the money and rat out the murderer anyway. What's the killer going to do when he's arrested - demand a refund?
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Thanks! I wanted to do something a bit different.
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My series is a blend of fantasy and whodunnit mysteries. The MC is a fairy turned private eye, who ends up getting involved in murder cases. It's set in a fantasy world.
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For me, it's the beginnings. I write murder mysteries, so I need to grab the reader's attention before the bodies start showing up. Sometimes I'll lean into the fantasy aspect, with fairy politics or the like. Other times, I may fiddle with the story structure.
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Indeed. I'm looking forward to see what I can do in audio.
Thanks for the heads-up on SoundCloud. I'll have to try other platforms.
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I've been considering this approach. Writing some short stories and releasing them as free audiobooks on Soundcloud/Youtube in order to attract readers to my series.
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Yaetherim's brother, Naeviol, is initially wary of Yaetherim doing these private inquiries. But over the course of the third novel, they end up working together. (Naeviol is an apothecary, it's a mass poisoning case.)
During this, they develop a bit more respect and understanding for each other.
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That's what I'm going for. We start with our protagonist (a fairy) in a sack being kidnapped by two humans. They demand to know why she was following them, and we go back to the start from there.
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Thanks. I'll give it a go.
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First time I've tried it in literature, and it covers half the novel.
All I've read on that approach says not to do it for that long.
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It's mainly what seems to fit for the plot I've got worked out. Fairy feels she needs to leave her village and ends up in a murder investigation.
It's mainly to help set up context before going into the mystery itself.
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Thanks. 🙂
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Wokeness.
I have several LGBT characters, including one who's non-binary. There are also multiple female characters in positions of power, and the truth is valued.
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Fair enough. A world of difference, you could say 🙂
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Yaetherim is an 'Inquirer' - the first private detective in the kingdom. He was a forest protector (i.e. fairy cop). After he was nearly killed, he was relieved of duty due to 'scars on his soul'. So he created another purpose for himself.
(Art by Grbaged.)