A thank you gift Hello Undines, I truly never know when my brain will decide to finish some stories. For example: at the end of last month, I suddenly finished my rewrite of AW Night and re-uploaded it to all my platforms. Ta-da! So, did I bring it down from 2 peppers to 1? Not really. 1/5 peppers, maybe. The story decided to stay in the midrange of steam levels for the series. But I did add Carina and Trevelyon's meeting at the start of the book, plus a few other updates. And for today, you...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
this could be in a haunted house, right? (Unsplash) Time for the haunted past!! Hello Undines, I don't know about you, but this is my favorite time of year. Halloween, fall colors, cooler/cold weather, moody fog and cloudy skies: this is where I thrive. There's something quiet and cozy about autumn, but also a little unsettling. We might celebrate those who have gone before us and remember our own mortality. We might have to reckon with the past and how it didn't always happen the way we were...
2 months ago • 2 min read
It's not the seaside, but Undercurrent does belong by the water A reintroduction Hello Undines, First of all, thank you so much for signing up for my newsletter. I'm so glad you're here! I’m Riona, a neurospicy author who is obsessed with folklore and fairy tales. I am a proudly-identifying weirdo for a lot of reasons. This is my pen name. I began publishing books for younger readers and adults who aren’t looking for spice under a different name several years ago. ‘Riona’ is just over a year...
3 months ago • 2 min read
Coziness and reading, rewriting, & an enchanted author event Hello Undines, So, I'm on a bit of a rewriting kick. I wasn't happy with Lover's Gift, the short story* which takes place after the events of Crystalline. I typically don't rewrite my books, but this one was super short. A bonus scene of under 3k. And I knew I could make it better, so I did. In fact I went back to the original draft, which had a lot more coziness, including a scene of Ella and Rodan reading together and just...
4 months ago • 2 min read
I haven't told Instagram yet Hello Undines, As you may know, I'm a big fairy tale nerd. Like, let me read academic papers on any related topic kind of nerd. So naturally, last summer I wrote a short romance inspired by an obscure fairy tale featuring roses. And nope, it's not Beauty and the Beast, Snow White and Rose Red, or anything like those. Last month, in an attempt to get myself out of a writing slump (and general slump, honestly), I picked it back up and began revising it. It's been so...
5 months ago • 3 min read
Please forgive the resend, dear Undines! I am trying to make sure this post is also available on my Kit hub, and the only way it looks like I can do this is to resend it. Carry on with your summer. –Riona The fun/frustration of writing Alderwood Wedding Hello Undines, Before I tell you about what went on in my weird little skull while writing the Alderwood Wedding series, I want you to meet the person who helped me with the launch. Daph @bookread.daph created graphics, spread the word, and in...
6 months ago • 2 min read
On not chasing the numbers painting by Eleanor Fortescue-Brickdale Hello Undines, It's been a month since I published the first Alderwood Wedding romance, and I've been off Instagram. Even though I want to sell my books, I don’t want to keep up with trends or live plastered to a screen. In fact I'm tired. I want a water nymph summer. What is a water nymph summer, you ask? Well, according to my highly academic definition, it looks like this... Spending languid days in the water, swimming in...
7 months ago • 3 min read
"What do you find beautiful about it?" Hello Undines, The above line is spoken by the lord of Alderwood Estate to his new bride, Lady Carina, on the night of their wedding feast (and other...festivities, shall we say). Ready to read Carina's story? Here's the blurb for Night: an Arranged Marriage Short Romance: I can hardly believe that the large, dark-haired hulk of a man sitting next to me is my husband. I almost wonder if he has forgotten I exist. The Spring Feast of the Goddess is a night...
8 months ago • 1 min read
Meet the AW couples Hello Undines, The Spring Feast of the Goddess approaches. For one couple, it will be their wedding night...a night full of revelations. Meet Lady Carina and Lord Trevelyon. unlike this picture may suggest, she definitely has a good time. Another couple is looking for a casual fling...but he doesn't know who he's chasing through the Alderwood. Meet Maline and Reginald. this level of flirting? check. Finally, someone has to take care of mischievous magic before it causes...
9 months ago • 1 min read