Lynne Stringer's Blog

Although it’s not why I write, it’s always nice to be shortlisted for an award.

Keeper of the Archives has been shortlisted for the CALEB Awards this year in the young adult fiction section. You can read more about the CALEB Awards here. The winners for published books are selected every two years, which is why Keeper is eligible even though it was released in 2024, which seems so long ago now! I have been writing so many other things, including in other genres, that it can be easy to be distracted by bright, shiny new stories.

Will I win? I don’t know. I have read one of the other books I am up against and I know how good it is. And although it might sound like a trite phrase, it’s an honour just to be nominated. I don’t take these things for granted. And it is nice to think that people other than myself think my story is worth being shortlisted.

The winners will be announced on 17th October at the Omega Writers Conference. I sadly won’t be able to attend, but I’ll watch the live stream. I will be happy if I win, but also happy for all the winners and every nominee, who I am sure feel just as grateful as I do.

It’s definitely a year of new releases for me. In May, The Casting Dilemma was released. It’s my first book in Rhiza Press’s Rhiza Shorts series. These books are designed as quick, easy reads for reluctant readers. I have another one in this series coming out next year.

The Casting Dilemma is my first contemporary book in over a decade. However, this year’s other release is speculative fiction. It’s called Dragons, Doorways and Destiny and is a fantasy short story anthology. It features stories from 15 different authors. I was one of the editors, along with my good friend, award-winning fantasy author, Jeanette O’Hagan.

While I write a lot of speculative fiction, up to this point, it’s been science fiction or dystopian. This is my first foray into writing high fantasy. My story is called ‘The Reluctant Rescuer’ and is about a young girl who’s told she is destined to rescue the prince, who will then marry her. This is something that she’s less than thrilled about.

There are both high fantasy and urban fantasy stories in Dragons, Doorways and Destiny. There are dragons in two different stories. There are doorways and gateways aplenty, as well as a lot of people destined to do amazing things. Working on this anthology was a lot of fun and I’m looking forward to when it becomes available in November this year. While there are a few authors who have been featured in anthologies I’ve been in before, some are new. For some, this is their first story in print, which is really exciting!

The November release date for Dragons, Doorways and Destiny means that I will have stock available at Brisbane Supanova. I can’t wait to hold another new book in my hands and hopefully you’ll be holding your own copy soon too!

It’s been such a busy first half of the year. First of all, I have had a new contemporary story released for the first time in a decade. The Casting Dilemma is available now! It’s in the Rhiza Shorts series. These books are short reads for people who are time poor or reluctant readers.

You can find out more about The Casting Dilemma on my website here. I also recently visited Riverbend Books and Mad Hatters Bookshop (both in Brisbane), which stock it, and signed their copies. If you’re in Brisbane, you can pick up a copy at either of these stores.

I have also been working hard (along with my friend Jeanette O’Hagan) at editing a fantasy anthology. It’s called Dragons, Doorways and Destiny and is scheduled for release in November. It will feature short stories from 15 different authors, including Jeanette and myself. I will post more about that as the time for its release draws closer.

I also recently signed contracts on two other stories. One is my first-ever historical story. It’s also going to be in the Rhiza Shorts series and I’m excited for its release. Called A Letter from Joe, it takes place in Brisbane during World War I. I have also contracted a prequel to Keeper of the Archives. I’m doing some editing on it at the moment and hopefully will be able to reveal a title for you soon.

Well, that’s all the excitement here for now. Please support me by buying a copy of The Casting Dilemma (as well as any of my other books) and remember to leave a review at your favourite site. Authors love reading reviews from people who have enjoyed their stories. It helps us keep going.

This year is turning into an eventful one, and I have been doing loads of writing.

My latest story, The Casting Dilemma, is due out in May, which is just a few weeks away! It’s my first contemporary story in a decade, so that’s exciting. It’s also exciting to be part of the Rhiza Shorts series You can read more about the Rhiza Shorts series here.

I have also been busy writing. I have submitted a full-length manuscript, which is a prequel to my novel, Keeper of the Archives. I am also editing a short story anthology along with my friend and fellow author, Jeanette O’Hagan. Its working title is Dragons, Doorways and Destiny. I hope to have a release date for that confirmed soon.

I have also written my first-ever historical story. It’s not a full-length novel, but I’m pleased with the way it’s come out and I hope to give you good news on that one soon too.

My first event of the year is also less than a month away. I will be at Gold Coast Supanova, where I will be at the Rendered Realms stand with Jeanette O’Hagan and Adele Jones. It will be great to start the ball rolling with such a big event. I hope to see you there!

It seems like the only time I ever update my blog these days is at the end of the year!

This year has been massive, with some personal issues that have made it difficult. It has also been insanely busy with editing. I’ve had so much that it’s been hard to find the time to write! However, I have managed to do some, and as a result, I have a new story coming out next year, but it’s a bit different from my others.

My publisher, Wombat Rhiza, has developed a new series called Rhiza Shorts. They’re books designed to encourage teenagers to read. They’re relatively short, with short chapters and sentences. However, that doesn’t mean that the stories are simple, bland or boring. You can read more about the Rhiza Shorts series here.

I have a story in this series coming out in May 2026 and it’s my first contemporary story in a decade. It’s called The Casting Dilemma and is about a 15-year-old girl who is hoping to get the lead role in the school musical, but she has body image issues and they make it difficult for her to believe in herself. I enjoyed writing this story immensely and I’m hoping it will be welcomed by my readers, even if it’s not speculative fiction this time.

I am trying to find time to work on a prequel to Keeper of the Archives and have a draft that I’m almost happy with. I’m not sure when or if it will be released, though. We’ll have to see. I also have another Rhiza Short in the works, but it’s still in the development phase, so we’ll see how it goes as well. It’s a historical story, something I have never tried before, so it’s been a little daunting to write.

It’s confirmed that Rendered Realms will be at both Gold Coast and Brisbane Supanova in 2026. There will probably be more events coming up, but I’ll talk about those closer to the time.

Merry Christmas and a happy new year to all!

My first event of 2025 will be Gold Coast Supanova and it’s now under a month away. It’s on the weekend of 13-14th April, to be exact. :-)

Events like Supanova are always a lot of fun. I get to dress as one of my characters, sit at a table with two good friends who are also authors, and meet and greet a lot of amazing people who are usually wearing their own sensational costumes. We’ve been so many times now that there are attendees we recognise instantly and love catching up with. It’s always great to see them again.

This will be the first Gold Coast Supanova for my new novel, Keeper of the Archives, and the steam punk/dystopian anthology Stepping Sideways. I’m looking forward to showing them to the Gold Coast crowd and giving them a story set in the new world I’ve created. I’m currently working on another standalone story in the same world as Keeper of the Archives. It will be sort of a prequel and I’m hoping to have the first draft completed in the first half of this year. That means it’s still a while off before there’s any hope of it being released, but I do have some other irons in the fire that I hope I’ll be able to tell you about soon.

So if you live on or near the Gold Coast and you’ve never been to Supanova, check it out. You can find out more on their website here. If you’re a Gold Coast Supanova regular, come and say hello to Adele Jones, Jeanette O’Hagan and me at the Rendered Realms stand. I can’t wait to meet you!

It’s nearly the end of February and I’m busy, busy, busy!

I’m doing lots of editing and have also booked some events for the year. I will be at Gold Coast Supanova, Comicgeddon and Brisbane Supanova. I’ll let you know more events as they come to hand. I hope to see you at one or more of them!

Writing’s been a little trickier, although I did finish a short story for an anthology and a novelette. The prequel to Keeper of the Archives is continuing to plague me, though. Writing it is like pulling teeth. I don’t think a first draft has ever taken this long before.

Never mind. I’ll keep struggling on and hopefully the next time I get a moment to write another blog, I might have made some more progress.

Last year was insanely busy for me. I had two new releases – one a full-length novel (Keeper of the Archives), the other a short story anthology (Stepping Sideways). I also edited a plethora of manuscripts for other authors, wrote as often as I could (which wasn’t very often by the end of the year!) and attended a lot of events.

What’s 2025 looking like so far? There aren’t as many events at this stage, although that can change quickly. I have already been helping a lot of authors get their manuscripts in order and I’m trying to find time to work on a prequel to Keeper of the Archives. I have also written a short story for another anthology that I’ll talk more about later in the year, as well as a contemporary novelette.

So I’ve hit the ground running and am hoping for more big things this year. If you have an event planned that you’d like me to attend, please let me know by sending an email to lynnestringerauthor@gmail.com. If you want to know more about any of my books, click here. If you want me to edit your manuscript, fill out the contact form. I’m hoping to meet lots of challenges and have a great year, and I hope you do too!

It’s been a busy second half of the year, so much so that all the posts I intended to put up about the release of Keeper of the Archives were shelved. I was simply too busy to write them.

So here we are, at the end of the year. Keeper is out and so is the Stepping Sideways anthology. This is an anthology of short stories by different authors set in either steampunk or dystopian worlds. It was a lot of fun to be both a contributing author and an editor in this anthology and I love the different stories that were included. You can read more about it on my website here.

As yet, I only have a few events pencilled in for 2025 but the details will be up soon. I hope the next year holds some good things like a completed manuscript and a lot more opportunities to meet new people who love books like I do. One of the best things about being an author is having the opportunity to meet people who love to explore the worlds in books. It’s one of the best aspects about attending any event.

And Keeper of the Archives is getting a good reception. So far the reviews have all been positive and I’ve had some encouraging sales. It’s been nice to see it doing well. You can read more about the book on my website here. I intend to write another book set in the same world … if I can find the time! I started a draft but was swamped with editing work so as yet haven’t had the chance to get back to it. Hopefully I will over Christmas when I have a much-needed break.

I’m hoping to post again before Christmas, but judging from the last few months, that plan may change. So just in case, I’d like to wish you all the best over the holiday season.

I have been giving my website a facelift for the past couple of months and I think it might finally be working! This is my first blog in the new format and I’m hoping if you’re looking at this on the site that it’s working okay for you. If something’s going wrong, let me know. I’ll grumble but I’ll do my best to fix it.

I am getting excited about Keeper of the Archives, my new book, which will be out in just over a month. You can read more about it here. I can’t wait for everyone to read it. I will be having a face-to-face book launch for the first time since before the pandemic, so if you’re a Brisbane local or live nearby, watch my events page for more details.

I have also started writing a new book called Terror in Twin City. It’s set in the same world as Keeper, but about 30 years earlier. I had been writing a sequel called Father of the Horde, but while doing that, I encountered a wonderful new character who really needs her story told first. I’ll see how I go but it’s fun so far!

So please, look around the website, check out my other posts, my books, my editing page. Bookmark or even pre-order Keeper of the Archives. If you do that, I’ll definitely give you a thumbs up! :-)