rowyn

I did it! I finished editing A Dragonling’s Family! Before the end of March (barely)! Now I just need to get it to first readers. Blurb:

When Vaiyae’s dying friend, disowned by her family, asked him to raise her offspring, he could not refuse. But he had some misgivings, because Vaiyae is a human/crow-shifter, and his friend—and her unhatched child—are dragons.

Daneah, a new witch in Zendzu-ksto, and her raccoon companion offer Vaiyae their aid, as the difficulties of being a single parent are amplified by his daughter being of a different species. As Vaiyae and Daneah spend more time together, romance stirs between them.

But their fragile family is threatened when the dragonling’s uncle roars into Zendzu-ksto and demands custody of his niece. Can the crow-shifter stop a dragon from taking Vaiyae’s adopted daughter?

And if Vaiyae can—does he have any right to?

This is a polyamorous MFM fantasy romance, with one plot thread being the romance and the other being a custody battle over a baby dragon. Story includes:

• Trans man and crow lord/fren protagonist
• Crow lord brooding (his adopted egg)
• Adorable baby dragon antics
• Adorable murder of crows antics
• Murder of crows vs dragon! (spoiler: it’s fine, the crows are fine, nobody panic)
• Hard-of-hearing sign-language-using witch and her animal companion/interpreter
• Dragon shapeshifter who can’t be arsed to shift into non-winged forms properly because why would you want a body that doesn’t have wings?
• Both friends to lovers and enemies to lovers because polyamory means not having to choose tropes either
• Bisexual protagonists because what is monosexuality? we just don’t know

I have almost finished initial edits for You Thought You Wanted to Be Level 99, But Really You Wanted to Be a Better Person, which means that it’s time once again for the Quest For First Readers!

Blurb! In case the title wasn’t enough of a blurb.

Three Gamers, Two Ex-Lovers, One Comedy of Errors

When Griffin met a gorgeous young woman in a Guardians t-shirt, he shouldn't've led her to believe he was an expert at the Guardians MMO -- which he hasn't played in years. Now he's desperate to make up for lost time and level up before Kalisha returns from her vacation and expects to play it with him.

After Rachel stumbled into a group in Guardians with her ex, she should've told him who she was. But it's wonderful to game with Griffin again, especially since the two of them found the perfect sorcereress to complete their tank-healer pair. How can she tell him now, and ruin the trio’s synergy?

When Kalisha decided to play Guardians on her vacation, she didn't want her friends to tease her about it. But using an unknown alt to group with her housemate wasn't the most ethical plan. Especially not given that Kalisha already has a crush on her. Rachel is bound to find out eventually, and it's only getting more awkward the longer Kalisha waits.

Meanwhile, the three players grow increasingly close as their characters level together ...

You Thought You Wanted to Be Level 99,
But Really You Wanted to Be a Better Person

A queer polyamorous novel of MMOs and romance

Level 99 is both gamelit and romance; much of the book takes place while the three protagonists play together, including a strong subplot about an endgame raid. I’d love to have both MMO players and those who don’t play as first readers, because I want to know (a) if the gamer content works for gamers and (b) if it’s comprehensible to non-gamers.

There is no explicit sex in Level 99 -- it’s all off-camera.

This is also my first-ever book that’s not fantasy. No isekai, no “the game becomes reality”, just three people playing an MMO. I always thought that writing real-world fiction would be boring, but I had a great time writing about gamers like me, living in my world.

If you’d like to be a first reader, please leave a comment with your email (comments are screened), or email (my gmail is ladyrowyn)/DM/etc. I’ll send out a link on Friday or Saturday, when I finish. I’m looking for first readers who’ll be able to finish reading by June 30. Thank you! ♥