R.J. Anderson's Blog

It feels like a dream, but it's real -- the short story collection I've been promising my readers for years has finally taken flight!



As of today, Tales from the Oakenwyld is available worldwide in e-book and paperback editions. Thanks so much to all my readers who asked for more about Thorn, Rob, Martin, and other characters from the Knife and Swift trilogies. You gave me the courage to finish these stories, and I hope you'll find them worth the wait!

Exciting news! My upcoming collection of short stories (well, one short story, a long story and a novella) called Tales from the Oakenwyld will be published on October 18, 2023. Set in the world of Knife and Swift, this brand-new anthology also includes bonus cut scenes and early drafts from the novels, as well as never before published Author's Notes on the inspirations behind these stories and the faery books as a whole.

If you've been curious about what happened to Knife and Paul after the first book, what really went down between Rob and Martin, or what happened to Thorn (hint: A Lot) between Arrow and Nomad, you can preorder Tales From the Oakenwyld today!

For years, readers of my debut novel Knife have been asking, "What did Paul tell his parents, anyway?" Now at last, the truth is revealed in my new short story "The Unwelcome Guest", now available in MOBI, ePUB and PDF format:

𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐌𝐜𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝, 𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐮𝐥'𝐬 𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐟𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐲. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐚 𝐦𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐢 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐬 𝐮𝐩 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭, 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐜𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐞𝐚 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. 𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞, 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐦𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞? 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐁𝐞𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐚𝐮𝐥'𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞, 𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞?

If that sounds intriguing, you can read “The Unwelcome Guest” today by signing up for my Very Occasional Newsletter right here!

To celebrate the launch of my latest faery book Torch, I'm doing an Instagram Live event on Tuesday February 9th at 7 pm EST -- filled with special guests and fun content including:

- a chat with Kara Swanson, author of my favourite Peter Pan-after-canon novel Dust and its upcoming sequel Shadow (which I just read in manuscript, and it's every bit as good as the first!),

- dramatic readings by some creative and enthusiastic fans, AND

- a special giveaway in the form of a Spriggan Treasure Hunt!

If that sounds like fun, I hope you'll join me at @rjandersonwriter when the time comes, or check out the replay at my IGTV afterward!

It feels like a dream -- even a miracle. But we're just over a week away from the official first-ever publication of the third book in the Flight & Flame trilogy, Torch, on February 9, 2021.

It's taken seven years for me to publish this epic conclusion to the trilogy that began with Swift and Nomad, and I'm deeply grateful to all the loyal readers who wrote me in the meantime, begging to know what would happen to Ivy and their favourite Shakespeare-quoting ex-villain boy next. You kept their story alive in my heart even when it looked as though I might never get a chance to tell it. And now, thanks to Enclave Publishing, I finally have!

This past week I've been hearing from readers in the UK and Australia who've already received their copies of Torch -- but wherever you are, my preorder thank-you package consisting of an exclusive bookmark, signed bookplate, character art, and puzzle magnet is still available until Feb. 8th nonetheless. You can find pictures and full details on my Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CJ9hQmUAj...

Finally, if you're excited about Torch releasing, may I beg you to spread the word to any groups or fellow GR users you know who might be interested? I don't know how to reach all the lovely UK readers who first enjoyed the books in 2012 and 2014, but I know they're out there, and I'm sure at least some are still interested in seeing how Ivy and Martin's story ends! So if you're able to share the news, please do -- and thank you!

Happy reading,
--
Rebecca
(R.J. Anderson)

So the original August launch date for the limited edition hardcover of Swift got pushed into September due to a backlog at the printer, and in the meantime a few people's preorders got cancelled all willy-nilly, much to their and my exasperation. But I'm happy to say that the book is most definitely available at all major online booksellers now!

And as it's an ill wind that blows nobody good, that means my readers have an even shorter time to wait until Book Two, Nomad comes out -- because it's scheduled for November 17, 2020. And just look at this gorgeous new cover by Kirk DouPonce!



After that, the third book Torch will be coming in February 2021 -- and for those of you who read the original UK editions of SWIFT and NOMAD when they first came out, this is the third and final book you've been waiting for! I'm thrilled to be able to finally share the resolution of Ivy's story, and I hope you'll love reading it as much as I loved writing it for you.

Thanks for reading, and talk again soon,
--
RJA

"A soaring tale about the courage needed to question, to trust — and to fly." —Rosamund Hodge, New York Times best-selling author of Cruel Beauty
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I bring good news, friends -- not only is the beautiful new limited edition hardcover of Swift ON SALE for just $14 US right now, but I’m offering an exclusive ✨💎𝕡𝕣𝕖𝕠𝕣𝕕𝕖𝕣 𝕓𝕠𝕟𝕦𝕤 𝕡𝕒𝕔𝕜𝕒𝕘𝕖💎✨ to the FIRST 30 READERS from ANY country who message me with a screenshot or photo of their receipt by no later than AUGUST 15, 2020!
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As shown in the photo above, this gift includes the following items:
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- ONE blank notecard with envelope, featuring either the new Swift cover art by Kirk DouPonce, or the original UK cover illustration by Rory Kurtz
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- ONE specially designed Swift or general bookplate signed by the author (and if you wish, personalized to you or the reader of your choice!)
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- Set of TWO beautiful Ivy and Knife bookmarks with illustrations by @laura.hollingsworth and @scarvenartist
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PLUS the first piece of an exclusive 3-part puzzle magnet, featuring images from all three books in the Flight and Flame trilogy!
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✨💎𝕙𝕠𝕨 𝕕𝕠 𝕀 𝕘𝕖𝕥 𝕚𝕥?💎✨
It’s easy! Send me an IG message or e-mail me at rja [at] rj-anderson [dot] com with the following info:
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1. Your full name and mailing address
2. Your preferred style* of blank notecard (US or UK)
3. Your preferred style* of bookplate (Swift or General) - plus the reader's first name, if you want it personalized
4. A screenshot or photo of the receipt for your preorder of SWIFT
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* If no style preference is given, I'll pick and you can be surprised.
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That's all! I'll send you a confirmation to let you know I got your entry, and your gift will be mailed out to you within 2-3 weeks.
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Questions? Feel free to ask in comments!

Proudly presenting the beautiful new cover of SWIFT, releasing from Enclave Escape in August 2020!



TO SAVE HER PEOPLE, A WINGLESS GIRL MUST LEARN TO FLY...

As a piskey girl born without wings and raised underground, Ivy yearns for flight almost as much as she misses her long-lost mother. But the world outside the Delve is full of danger, and her dreams seem hopeless until she meets a mysterious faery who makes her an enticing offer: If Ivy helps him escape the Delve’s dungeon, he’ll teach her how to fly.

Freeing Richard could cost Ivy her reputation, perhaps even her life. But when her fellow piskeys start to disappear and her beloved little sister goes missing, Ivy has no choice but to take the risk.

Deadly threats and shocking revelations await Ivy as she ventures into a strange new world, uncovers long-buried secrets about her family’s past, and finds that no one—not even herself—is entirely what they seem.

This is Book One in The Flight and Flame Trilogy, and the Limited Edition Hardcover is now available for preorder: http://bit.ly/SwiftRJ

EXCITING NEWS! The beautiful brand new cover for my forthcoming book will be revealed in ONE WEEK! Enclave Publishing has knocked it out of the park with this one, and I'm really excited to share it. Stay tuned!

As my newsletter subscribers and Tumblr/Twitter followers already know, I've been working hard on TORCH (the working title for Book 3 in the trilogy that began with SWIFT and NOMAD) and am very close to finishing the first draft. I've been thoroughly enjoying the writing process despite all the natural ups and downs that come with creative work, and am excited to finally be finishing Ivy and Martin's story for the many readers who've asked about it.

It's still too early yet to say how or when the full Ivy of the Delve trilogy will be released. But I'm looking into various options for getting these books to my readers, and I hope to have more news soon!