R.L. Stedman's Blog

Hi there A short notice to say that, due to working full-time, I’m taking a break from all things marketing. That means you won’t see me on social media and there’ll be no updates for when new stories are coming out – until they’re almost ready to be read. I’ll still be writing, of course […]

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A Riveting Fantasy Adventure with a Few Editorial Hiccups Review of “The Fourth Wing” by Rebecca Yarros Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5) Rebecca Yarros embarks on an enchanting departure from her usual writing style in “The Fourth Wing,” a spellbinding fantasy that casts a mesmerizing spell on its readers. Yarros displays her storytelling versatility with dragons, high-stakes, […]

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Book Review – Murderbot Diaries If you’re looking for a great escape, I highly recommend the Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells.   I stumbled onto this series by accident – it was one of those recommendations provided by the Amazon algorithm, but it just goes to show that computers really do know you better than […]

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Get ready for an adrenaline-filled ride with "Born in Blood," a heart-pumping urban fantasy that will leave you on the edge of your seat! Immerse yourself in a world of supernatural beings, thrilling action, and dangerous mysteries as you follow the protagonist on their quest for truth and justice. And the best part? You can read an exclusive excerpt right now to get a taste of the action! Don't miss out on this electrifying adventure - check out "Born in Blood" today.

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Ever feel like relaxing on the couch and turning off the world? Yeah,me too. This is my pick of escapist media-porn from 2021. Okay, so it’s not actually porn, but sometimes there is sex, or good looking bods. And there’s almost always action and adventure, because that’s my jam. Here’s the list (in no particular […]

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Panster – or Reluctant Plotter True confession: I’m a pantser. I discover the plot of my novel by writing it – I am a very, very reluctant plotter. This makes the writing process compelling; I never know what will happen next. However, it can also make the process extremely time-consuming. There’s been a few times […]

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Why do I need to Plot? Writing a novel takes ages. Even seasoned writers, who write full-time and churn out 3000 – 5000 words per day will take at least a month to write an entire book. For new writers, or part-time writers, or writers-who-procrastinate, a novel can take years. This means it’s essential to […]

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How to write authentic characters True confession: I wept myself silly over Beth’s passing in Little Women. (Sorry if that’s a spoiler, but hey, if you’ve not read the book then stop press: BETH DIES) and oh boy, was I ever a wreck by the end of The Fault in Our Stars. Do you know […]

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Pandemic After-Effects I quit my job this week. I’m taking six months off to write, then will see what eventuates. Let’s hope something does 🙂 I reached this point after eighteen months working in Supply Chain, over a global pandemic. It’s called burn-out. For a while, I couldn’t think, could barely interact with folks outside […]

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At the Day Job, all the senior managers look like thumbs. That is, they are white, middle-aged, tall(ish), and bald. Occasionally in the corporate photos, there’s a face that breaks the thumb-crowd: someone Maori, Asian, perhaps, or the odd woman. But mostly, it’s thumbs. It’s weird working with so many thumbs. Not that I have […]

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