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Rachel O'Laughlin

author of the SERENGARD series and other dark meat

Tag: fantasy writing

There’s An Epilogue In This Freaking Book

Posted on February 28, 2018April 21, 2019 by Rachel

When I started writing about Serengard six years ago, I would have laughed if you told me it would lead… Read more There’s An Epilogue In This Freaking Book

A quick summary of my current existence.

I adore strong coffee, The Fray, long drives in the country, and compelling stories about humans. Most of my writings are epic fantasy or historical fiction, but occasionally I get distracted by a thriller or short story project. My most recent novel, Blood of Ashlin (the final installment in the SERENGARD series) is just a little bit gritty with a dose of redemption. I live in Maine with my husband and kids. Together we grow roses and spinach.

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Occasionally I type up deep (or shallow) things and post them. You can be so informed.

The Only Social Media I Update: Insta

I know it's cliche to say, "Don't blink, it goes so fast." But really. Don't. It does.

Fresh Calendula flowers infusing in Sweet Almond Oil. This is the one thing that is blooming in my greenhouse (no, YOUR January is looking pretty!) and it's making me grin every time I walk past it. *Hugs to @_amandaolivieri for reminding me of the meaning of seasons. 💛

"When will I stop being sooo tired and simply be a mom again?" Well, I got my super mom haircut, so. Tired or not, bring it.

Toddler fixed himself this breakfast: a bowl of coffee and a mug of milk.

My foremost writing hack: going analog. (Part 2 of 2) These are a few of my favorite things: a journal and a pen. I abandoned long hand drafting a long time ago because my hand would cramp and I couldn't write as fast as my brain was composing. It wasn't until I splurged on a random pen that I realized I hadn't been using the best tools. Fountain pens are smooth as silk -- water-based ink means I don't have to press down on the page, thus my hand doesn't cramp; it also means the ink flows fast enough to almost catch up to my thoughts. It's been a year and a half since I switched to drafting this way. I had a project I wanted to work on but knew I couldn't afford the dedicated laptop time while editing Coldness of Marek audio and Blood of Ashlin final pass pages. With my pen, I worked on my latest novel in little increments, everywhere. I filled a 152 page Rhodia notebook. I bought more notebooks and nicer pens. I started typing up what I had on my Freewrite (see two posts back) so I could get it into the messy Scrivener doc that had existed for ages. I revise the written draft as I type it, so I'm basically on my second revision by the time I organize it in Scrivener. (It's kind of serendipitous that I planned to post this during #NaNoWriMo and ended up holding off until now -- Faber Castell pens are 25% off on GouletPens, my favorite pen retailer, for Black Friday/Cyber Monday. They have the best reviews, YouTube Q&A, and return policy. Go see them!) Right now, with two babies and a toddler and two older kids, this system is what's allowing me to keep writing. I'm so grateful I stumbled upon fountain pens. #fountainpens #amwriting #goinganalog #gouletpens

Artsy cousin is artsy. #firstorder #starwars

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