Erinn Harper's Blog

It's here! The Transcendence anthology, collected by Talli L. Morgan, is available in ebook and paperback formats! Check out the available retailers here.

Within this anthology, you will join a dying woman on a trip to the stars; free a rose from the clutches of her garden; embark on a mission to a promising new world; embrace your potential with a young dreamer; learn the truth behind a folk tale; begin life anew with your soulmate; return to the comforts of home with new love; and shed your uncomfortable skin and transform.

Blurring lines between genres, Transcendence is a celebration of the power of change, transition, and transformation.

When my buddies were first floating the idea of an anthology past our writing group, I didn't think I was actually going to participate. I wasn't used to writing short stories and doubted my ability to come up with something interesting enough to write about within the span of several thousand words. But the more I thought about it, the more certain I felt that I had to submit something. I've spent the last few years firmly rooted in my comfort zone and, much like the characters in this anthology, I needed to transcend my limits.

So I grabbed one of my most precious characters from Dreamwalker—Vision—and wrote Phantasmagoria, a collection of vignettes from Vision's childhood.

I am so proud of myself for doing this, and I'm grateful to all the writing friends who helped put this little beauty together. I look forward to the next one! 😉

Happy Pride Month, my darlings! I know it'll probably be tough for a lot of us to muster up enthusiasm for celebrating what with everything going on in the world, both online and offline, but I hope we can at least take a little bit of time this month to uplift ourselves and others. We deserve that much.

Pride Book Fair kicks off today, which I'm really excited for! We're starting off with Spirit Week, celebrating all the different flavors of queer spirit in literature. If you're participating, be sure to share your own queer books or your favorite queer reads, and tag them with #pridebookfair so we can all see! For more info on Pride Book Fair, check out the carrd.

Additionally, today marks the 3-year anniversary of Stormbringer! To celebrate, I'm putting the ebook on a month-long sale at $0.99—or your regional equivalent. Pick up your copy here!

Thanks for being here, friends, and I look forward to seeing all the fun stuff you have planned this month! 💜

Hello, my lovely dreamers!

It’s been a hot minute since I’ve shared anything here (my Patreon is my official update sphere), but I have some fun news!

If you haven’t heard already, I’m hosting an event in June called the Pride Book Fair! This is an idea I’ve been sitting on for about a year; I was waiting for the social media climate to settle down a little before giving it a shot. It seems things have finally smoothed out (somewhat), so I’m launching it this year!

Pride Book Fair is a virtual book fair event taking place primarily on Instagram but also on Bluesky during the month of June (Pride Month). The purpose of the event is to uplift and support queer authors and books—something I feel is more important than ever in the face of book bans, the fight for trans rights, queer censorship, and numerous other issues within the queer community. During the fair, you can participate in weekly activities, talk up your favorite queer books, and enjoy sales and giveaways!

So if you’re a queer creator or even a queer ally with a passion for queer literature, this event is for you! Whether you’re an author promoting your own books, a reviewer or blogger celebrating your favorite reads, or simply a reader on the lookout for more titles to add to your TBR pile, keep an eye on this space—or, better yet, follow me on Instagram or Bluesky, which is where I’ve been posting information and updates.

I also have a Discord server available for organizational and planning purposes. Please DM me on Instagram for an invite!

Stay tuned! 🌈

It’s here! The second edition of my stormy little debut has been unleashed back into the world!

Stormbringer is currently available on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited in ebook and paperback format. Find it HERE!

A big shoutout to everyone who has supported me and this book over the course of the last year. It means the world to me that there are people out there who love Nikkeah and his story as much as I do!

If you’d like to keep up with me and my projects, consider joining my free community over on Patreon! Patreon serves as my news hub and allows y’all to receive updates straight to your inbox. For a few bucks, you can also join my “coven” and gain access to some fun perks such as shoutouts, WIPs, and behind-the-scenes content!

That’s all for now, my lovely dreamers! I’d better get back to work on the next installment 💜

Hello, my lovely dreamers!

I am delighted to announce that ebook preorders for Stormbringer are now available on Amazon! Purchase your copy today and have it delivered straight to your Kindle app or device on the book’s launch date, February 7th.

Stormbringer will also be available in paperback on launch day as well as on Kindle Unlimited!

If you haven’t already, be sure to add Stormbringer over on Goodreads!

Wishing all of you a safe, healthy, and inspiring new year! 🤍

It’s official! The second, refreshed edition of Stormbringer will be making its debut early next year on February 7th after a year of hard work. I’m so excited to be returning this baby to the wild; I hope y’all will enjoy this new take on the story as much as I’ve enjoyed reworking it.

If you’re unfamiliar with Stormbringer, you can read more about it over here! It’s the first installment in my queer urban fantasy series, Dreamwalker, which evokes the vengeful vibes of V.E. Schwab’s Vicious and the gritty undercity/underworld vibes of Arcane and Final Fantasy VII.

Stormbringer will launch as a Kindle Unlimited exclusive. I will let y’all know when preorders are open!

For updates straight to your inbox, be sure to join the Ink & Incense coven: a free community over on Patreon!

Thank you for all your patience and support! Stay tuned for more 💜

Hello, dreamers!

In the era of excessive newsletter spam and unreliable social media platforms, I've been struggling to figure out a way to keep interested readers up-to-date on my projects. Personally, I've never been a fan of newsletters; these days, I'm overwhelmed by promotional emails across all my inboxes. Additionally, platforms like Twitter (sorry, are we "X" now?) and Instagram are proving increasingly frustrating to deal with for reasons I'm sure we're all aware of (and if you're not, consider yourself very lucky).

While I have no intention of abandoning these platforms just yet, I did want to create a more permanent home for my content—and, by extension, my readers. I wanted a place that was part community, part newsletter, part post archive, and part bonus content archive...with the option for readers to offer monetary support, if they'd like. Your typical “author newsletter” doesn’t really offer all of these things, and I can hardly host a community here on my website. But with the recent release of Patreon's free community feature, it seems I can finally check all of those boxes.

So with that said, I’ll be turning Patreon into my official “newsletter”/update sphere. Find it HERE.

What does that mean for you? Well, anyone who's interested in email updates can join my community there free of charge. You'll get all the big stuff—cover reveals, book announcements, launches, etc.—delivered straight to your inbox, with the occasional extra thrown in, such as concept art or snippets. Basically, all the stuff that I'd normally be posting to social media, except this time, it won't get buried by an algorithm.

If you'd like to help support my business, you can also consider a membership: Starting at $3 USD a month, you'll have access to exclusives that can't be found anywhere else. This could be deleted scenes, early access, or any other kind of bonus content I'm in the mood for (or you'd like to see). I may expand my tiers in the near future, but I wanted to test the waters first and not put too much pressure on myself.

I’ll still be making important posts here, all of which are funneled directly to my Goodreads page. So if Patreon doesn’t sound like your jam, consider giving my GR a follow! I have no immediate plans of abandoning my social media, but these days, it’s getting harder and harder to reach readers directly.

Thanks for reading! I can’t wait to hang out with y’all in a much cozier corner.

Hello, dreamers!

Now that I’ve officially returned to writing Dreamwalker, I wanted to take a moment to talk about what you might expect from the updated versions. For those out of the loop: At the end of last year, I decided I would put the Dreamwalker series on hiatus to rework and relaunch the books at a later date. I had felt rather dissatisfied with the work I had previously put out and wanted to give this series some much-needed polish, so I unlisted all published titles (Stormbringer, Halfsleeper, and Shatterstorm) with the intention of rewriting them alongside the remaining titles.

For the sake of clarity and specificity, I’m referring to this rewrite project as a refresh because I’m doing more than simply editing existing text. I wanted to breathe new life into this series and expand upon backstory, worldbuilding, plot, and certain characters. If you’re already familiar with this series, here are the changes you can expect (slight spoilers):

Past tense. Over the months, I’ve become disenchanted with present tense. While I initially wrote this series in present tense to emphasize the story’s punchy action, I no longer resonate with this decision and therefore am rewriting each book in past tense.

Expanded plot. This is especially applicable to Stormbringer. Nikkeah’s Spectrum lifestyle is a big part of his character when we meet him, and so I wanted to expand upon that. Stormbringer will therefore feature more of a Spectrum-centric plotline than it did previously, including new or adjusted scenes that showcase what it means to be a Spectrum superstar. I expect changes for the remaining books, too, but I don’t have specific information on them just yet.

Character adjustments. I’ll be renaming some minor characters, adding new ones, or chopping those who didn’t quite make the cut to better suit changes I’ve made across the world.

World adjustments. I’ll be renaming certain locations or moving them to other places in the setting. This does include a major location (the Underground), but again, this is all to better suit my vision of the story. I’ll also be making some slight edits to worldbuilding, but nothing that should heavily impact the story.

That’s about it! Of course, anything listed here is subject to change the further I get into my rewrites, but I feel confident about the direction of this project. Chances are if you’re familiar with the original story, you may even be able to identify my changes.

A BIG thank you to everyone who has responded so kindly on my decision to rework Dreamwalker. I’ll be sure to let y’all know when the first baby is ready to launch again!

Employing a new series/category here on the blog: Meditations, where I muse about various bookish topics. Most of these will likely be writing-related, but I might muse about other things, like reading and publishing and whatnot.

I was inspired to start this little series because I had recently updated my word count over on the NaNoWriMo website and realized I was in a love-hate relationship with NaNo’s project tracker. Those who are newer to the NaNo website may not remember a time when the only projects you could track were the ones you were writing for NaNo-specific events. In recent years, however, NaNo updated its website so that you could track any number of projects and goals all year long, regardless of whether the official events were live.

For the most part, I adored this update. I enjoy NaNo’s tracking tools (though I’ve come to resent the badges), and there’s something incredibly satisfying about seeing all the progress you’ve made across your projects, as well as the growing list of finished projects represented on your account. It satisfies my little completionist brain in ways other project trackers can’t.

However, something I’ve noticed about tracking word count in this manner is that I’ll often get so hung up on updating my word count that my writing quality begins to suffer. I begin to take shortcuts. I get lazy with my writing, focusing more on quantity rather than the refinement my particular scene or chapter requires. All of this simply to maintain a streak or see my total word count inch closer to the target. Or, old gods forbid, to achieve that pesky badge (which isn’t even permanent! Sheesh).

All of this got me thinking: why do I even track word count at all? At the back of my mind, I know what my ultimate word count goal is. I don’t give myself word count goals during my daily writing sessions, mostly because my brain finds that incredibly restrictive, but I know what I’m working toward and I don’t necessarily need an app to track it. I don’t even need to be held accountable for my work because my writing routine is so deeply ingrained that to go a day without writing feels unusual. Uncomfortable, even.

Writers I’ve spoken to about this often say they derive pleasure from seeing their total word count grow. Watching that total creep ever upward motivates them to keep writing. Others simply need someone (or something) else to hold them accountable.

But me? After much self-assessment, my only conclusion is that I derive pleasure and satisfaction from visible, tangible progress. It’s why I enjoy to-do lists so much. But if that satisfaction comes at the cost of lower quality work, is it worth it?

I’m not so sure.

Since I’m about to begin a new draft of Bloodwinter, I might run an experiment. As tempting as it is to start a new word count goal, I’m going to try and resist. No goals. No tracking. Only writing until I finish the draft. I suspect that for myself, tracking word count is best for the initial drafts, where I care more about getting the story out (perfectionism will often slow me down and keep me distracted).

Let’s see how this goes…

Hello, hello! I’m back with another freshly brewed Tea Room Talk! My guest today is Talli L. Morgan, a fellow queer author currently writing YA, NA, and adult fantasy. Talli is best known for their debut, The Oracle Stone, and is a member of the Queer Indie Awards team. Check out their website for more information on their completed works, as well as their upcoming release, Truthseeker!

HARPER: So...I've gotta start with the obvious: what's your tea (or hot beverage) of choice? Is there something specific you like to have while writing?

MORGAN: I have yet to find a tea that I don't hate (if you have any suggestions, I'm all ears), so my go-to hot beverage for writing is simply coffee, typically with so much cream/sugar/flavoring etc. that it barely tastes like coffee.

HARPER: Oh, my heart! I definitely have suggestions, but I wonder if I might be fighting a losing battle, ahaha... Ah, well. I won't judge your coffee-flavored cream...

SO. You've got another book coming out soon! How are you feeling? Do you have most of your duckies in a row?

MORGAN: Yes, new book SOON! I mean, it's not until May, but with everything I still have to do, May might as well be next month. I've been pretty frazzled about it, but now that the manuscript is with my beta readers and any revisions I'll have to make will be much simpler than the full rewrite I just did, I feel a lot better about it. I'll still be crunched for time as I polish up the book before it goes out to ARC readers, but I do feel good about the story and I'm very, very excited to have this one out! So yes, my duckies are mostly in a row but I am holding them in place for dear life!

HARPER: Yeah, May’s definitely going to sneak up on you...

As some of us already know, Truthseeker introduces another trilogy set in the Windermere universe. How long has this trilogy been planned? Did you know you'd be writing it back when you were writing The Oracle Stone?

MORGAN: I actually had this trilogy planned before The Oracle Stone existed as the version it is now. TOS went through several huge rewrites and I completely changed the story a few times, but the character of the Peacebringer has been a consistent piece of lore across all those versions of TOS. I knew I wanted to write a trilogy about this heroic character and explore who they were before they were a legend, but with Truthseeker being a sort of prequel to TOS, I had to get the plot of TOS figured out first. I started writing Truthseeker as early as 2018, but never got through a full draft. It wasn't until after The Oracle Stone was out and The Savior's Rise was outlined that I went back to Truthseeker and shaped it into the story it is now.

HARPER: Oh, dang, I never would've guessed that, but it makes sense! Smart approach.

Since The Oracle Stone's debut in February 2021, you've published at least four other works. I've always been impressed by how quickly you churn out your words. How do you generally keep yourself motivated to write? Or do you even need motivation?

MORGAN: Ahaha thank you! I definitely went a little nuts in 2022 with so many book releases, and honestly wouldn't do that again simply because of how much work the publishing process is. I sort of got fixated on having an end product—a book I could hold and share with people—and lost sight of how much I enjoy the actual process of writing. This year, I'm trying to remind myself that publishing is not a race and neither, especially, is writing. I want to enjoy the time I spend with my books, because once they're published, that time is done.

As far as motivation goes, it's rarely a struggle for me. There are certainly days when I find it difficult to get the words flowing and writing is like pulling teeth, but even still, there are rarely days when I don't want to write. It's pretty much ingrained in my routine at this point, so going a day without opening a project seems weird. That's probably why I'm so bad at taking writing breaks....

HARPER: I'm with you on both of those points. I feel like that's the "trap" many self-pubbed authors fall into: racing to the end product. I suppose when we have enough books published, we feel less urgency, but I do wish more self-pubbed authors would take the time to enjoy the process of building and polishing their works.

From one fantasy author to another: how in-depth do you get with your worldbuilding?

MORGAN: I definitely agree. Honestly, when you can do everything yourself, it is really hard to make yourself slow down. I'm trying to be more conscious of that.

Aha, worldbuilding. Gonna be real with you, worldbuilding is my least favorite part of the process. I am always insecure about it in my books and I'm convinced it's never interesting, unique, or vivid enough. But that's exactly why I give it extra attention. When I'm starting a new project, the setting/world is a big focus—secondary only to the characters. I spend a lot of time establishing the setting and how the characters are affected by it. I used to go into way more detail than necessary and map out these huge worlds and all their histories and whatnot, but that is just…so much work. And when it never gets woven into the story, there isn't much of a point to it. I think, at this point, I've gotten better at building and developing the smaller settings that the characters do interact with.

HARPER: That's a very honest take, which I appreciate. As much as I love worldbuilding, I don't think I could ever make my own worldbuilding so dense and detailed when I know most of it won't be referenced in the story. You've nailed it, I think: just enough to affect the characters.

In a similar vein, what aspect of your writing do you think has most improved since you started?

MORGAN: Ooh, good question. I think that my narrative voice has gotten stronger with every book I've written, especially since entering the indie circles. I used to think that my books had to sound a certain way or fit a certain mold for tradpub, but now that I know I can write pretty much however and whatever I want as an indie author, I feel like I'm allowed to be much freer with my prose. And finding that narrative voice has also let my characters come across more genuinely, I think.

HARPER: Yes! It's wonderfully freeing, I agree. I'm glad you've noticed some development in your craft!

Coincidentally enough, you've even delved a bit into my next question: Do you think you've discovered your author's voice yet? That your work has a distinct tone or vibe that you enjoy?

MORGAN: It's kinda cool to see how my writing has changed! But it's also like “Oh god, now I can never re-read older stuff…”

And honestly, I don’t know! I couldn't tell you what my writing voice is, although others have told me my writing has a distinctive tone to it. I can't see it myself, so I'll just have to take their word for it. The tone I aim for changes with each book's vibe, of course, but since I write in third person, it's fun to play with that narrator's voice as a sort of character in itself. That voice can be a bit snarky in some cases, which I think comes across as something like an inside joke between the narrator and the reader. I want the books to feel as though you're being told a story around a campfire, or something to that effect.

HARPER: Well that's certainly sweet and cozy. I think it perfectly suits you, to be honest! Very on-brand for a librarian, too. ;)

My final question for today: what are your future writing plans, goals, or ambitions? Anything particularly special you're gunning for?

MORGAN: Oh geez, big question. I mean, we both know how wonky the publishing world is; everything is random and up to luck or chance. I try not to place hopes or ambitions on anything super unlikely to happen, so really my only goal is to pretty much keep doing what I'm doing. I definitely want to get better at the marketing side of things and be more consistent with that, which is exhausting, but y’know, I do want people to read my books! For now, I'm super happy with my little self pub circle, but I do have a couple of books on the backburner that I might consider querying to small presses eventually.

HARPER: Simple and sweet! I dig it.

Thank you so much for spending the morning with me! I hope the publishing journey for Truthseeker goes smoothly, and I look forward to seeing what else you dish up this year (no pressure, of course)!

For more information on Tea Room Talks, please read this post!