Nearly April 2024

Posted on March 31, 2024 by Raye Steinman

Hello all. Happy spring to everyone, I do hope the pollen in your area is better than mine. It’s a sinus nightmare here.

Thank you for being patient. I feel I have a bit of explaining to do, so this update is going to be a bit longer usual. I understand that it’s not exactly groovy to ghost my readers.

BOOK 2 & OTHER WRITINGS

The biggest reason I’ve had nothing to say during these long months has to do with the sequel to Ahvram’s story, Void, book 2, the next installment, another fun term for a second book in a series. I had originally intended to have Void out by November/December of 2023, obviously as we sit well into spring and 1 day before April 2024, that hasn’t happened.

To make a complicated story simple, my editor ended up being in a situation where they consistently could not get to my manuscript but would promise to get to it next. They were supposed to begin towards the end of fall 2023, however as the start date approached I was told they were unable to start just yet, and the date would move. We went back and forth in conversation constantly, and in February, they admitted they didn’t have the capacity for my manuscript and handed it off to another editor. This new one has promised they are working on Void, and hopefully I have it in April/May.

I understand this is a disappointment to those wanting to read Void. Personally, it has been devastating for my creativity. Since fall I have been shying away from writing because I have been far too upset to continue Ahvram’s story. Part of me wants to simply publish Void as it is, but I want it to be polished and for my usual bad writing habits to be corrected before it’s released into the world.

Happily, I have found myself in a better place creatively recently, and I have returned to working on the series.

All that is to say, I am hoping to have Void out sooner versus later, and I will endeavor to keep updating here. Until then, thank you for sticking with me, and thank you to those who have reached out regarding my stories. You have no idea how much you mean to me.

Thank you~

September Update

Posted on September 19, 2022 by Raye Steinman

Hello all! I apologize for the long radio silence. In the real world, quite a lot changed for me this summer. I started a new job! It has been a bit of a challenge to balance my new responsibilities with writing, but now that I’ve been at it for a few months I think I can safely say I now have a handle on my schedule. Now I can return to writing more frequently.

Sequel & other stories

As an apology for making everyone wait so long, here is the official cover reveal for Unbroken Glass & Metal Scraps!

Thank you to Jaclyn Weber for another beautiful cover!

Just a few months after Ahvram is taken from the Syndicate and installed in the Child Queen’s court, an all but untraceable burglar graduates from theft to murder. In order to help her catch the criminal, spy master Tzulie enlists both Ahvram and his brother, junior guard Dominic, to help her.

While investigating the most recent break-in, the brothers realize their enemy is specifically targeting ex-Syndicate businesses. Their murderer is either someone who used to work for their organization or someone with a vendetta against them.

With their target turning violent, it’s a race against the clock for the trio to capture the thief. But a criminal this skilled doesn’t take kindly to being pursued.

Unbroken Glass & Metal Scraps will be available 10/2/2022 for $0.99 on Kindle, and free on Kindle Unlimited. I hope you all enjoy Ahvram, Dominic, and Tzulie’s wild ride.

A huge thank you to Lauren for allowing me to borrow one of her characters for this story. Your input and help has meant the world to me.

favorite character poll

The results are in, and the favorite character poll winner is Cyrus the Hawke! Which means he’ll be getting his own short story that will be up here on the website for free. Congrats to him! (He always knew he was going to win.)

Hawke’s story is still in the works, but be on the look-out for when it hits the website.

As always, thank you all so much for reading and enjoying my stories. I can’t wait to get more out to you in the next few months. If you haven’t already, please rate and review Null on either Amazon, GoodReads, or BookBub.

Questions? Send them my way!

Bring on the fall, pumpkin spice, and comfy sweaters. Ahvram and Hector’s favorite season is autumn, by the way.

June Update

Posted on June 24, 2022 by Raye Steinman

It’s finally summer! I hope you all are enjoying the warm sunshine wherever you are.

Sequel & other stories

For everyone who’s been waiting so patiently, the Null novella is in it’s final form. I hope to have it published in August. Right now we’re waiting on some final tweaks and edits to be completed. I can’t wait for you to get a copy and enjoy this murder mystery with Ahvram, Dominic, and Tzulie!

favorite character poll

Thanks to everyone for participating in that little bit of fun!

Questions? Send them my way!

Enjoy your summer and stay cool everyone~

May Update

Posted on May 6, 2022 by Raye Steinman

It’s officially spring, so by the end of this month I’ll be off on summer vacation. That means I’ll have more time to get some new stories done. For now, we’ve only got a few quick updates.

Sequel & other stories

Exciting news everyone, the Null novella is officially finished! It has already been sent out for beta reads. It’s a short adventure with Ahvram, Tzulie, and Dominic set after the events of Null. I’m hoping to have it up for sale by the end of summer. When I have a date, you’ll be the first ones to know!

favorite character poll

So far I’ve been made to look like a liar for claiming the favorite is tied between Hector and the Hawke. At the moment the Hawke is winning with Ahvram holding on to second place.

I’m ending the poll June 11th, and whichever character wins their own short story! Make sure to cast your vote~

Questions? Send them my way!

Have a fantastic May, see you in June~

February Update

Posted on February 4, 2022 by Raye Steinman

Hello all! I hope your first few months of 2022 have been treating you well.

Sequels & More Stories

NULL book two has officially entered its first editing draft. For reference, NULL took 7-10 rounds of editing by myself, and then 2-3 with a professional editor. So we’ve just started down a long road with this story. However, I’ll not leave you guys wanting. Here is a snippet from Chapter 2:

From below there was no way to tell if Hector was here or not. It had been hours since the meeting with the queen, and the chance that he had come back was relatively high. Or, he could have gone home early.
Sometimes shoes only get in the way. Tzulie said in the back of his head.
In a second his shoes were off and tucked under his arm. Sliding his feet carefully over each step, he silently made his way upwards. As soon as he could see the floor of the third level Ahvram looked to Hector’s door. If he weren’t so focused on being stealthy, he would have cursed. There was light emanating from under the door. Hector was in. Ahvram halted his ascent and started weighing his options.
He wasn’t here to work on his experiment, which was a bonus.
But Hector had told him to go rest, which was a penalty.
He needed a book from this floor to help him with the queen’s new mission. Good reason to be here.
But he could easily get it in the morning. Another reason to be in bed.
In a move that would make both Tzulie and the Hawke smack Ahvram upside the head, he looked away from his target and to the ground. It was just a moment as he tried to think, and he leaned a bit heavier on the railing of the staircase—
And it groaned. Loudly. Because metal and wood tended to do that.

New Short Story: Little Mina

Click here to read my most recent entry into the NYC Midnight Short Story competition. The competition gives 3 parameters in their prompt: genre – a thriller, setting – a sleepover, and a character who is an exercise fan. I think this story came out more horror than thriller, but I hope you enjoy it!

Ask the Author Questions

Want to learn more about NULL? Have any questions about me and my writing process? Send in your question and you may see it answered in the next update!

“How do Wildlanders get their pledge animals/nicknames? 🙂” from Bon

Most Wildlanders pick their pledge animals, though there are similar animals in families. For instance, the Hawke has a sister named the Sparrow. If a Wildlander doesn’t feel especially connected to one animal, the Elders will have that person meditate and go through rituals to find their pledge animal.

“HECTOR I HAVE A BURNING QUESTION PLS: Pet a dog, pet a cat or pet Ahvram?” from Bon

This took at least 4 different attempts. — Author/Artist’s Note: You know I love the question when I draw an answer.

Hector smiles knowingly, but instead says, “A cat is always good company.”

Welcome and News!

Posted on December 13, 2021 by Raye Steinman

Hello Null fans!

To get started, thanks for stopping by. The site still has a bit of work before it is perfect, but now I have something to show off all my work in. Stay tuned for updates and changes during this beginning and learning period.

News

Ask The Author

There is now an Ask the Author tag. Ask me questions about the Nullverse, myself, or your favorite character! Exciting and interesting questions will be posted, giving everyone a chance to enjoy new tidbits of information.

Thank You to everyone who has already stopped by the site and purchased their copy of Null. I can’t wait to get more stories out to you soon!

~Raye