aronlewes

[aronlewes]

Reflecting on my favorites

Now that I've semi-retired from writing (for now, anyway), I thought I'd compile a list of my favorite books & characters I've written. Why? I don't know. to inspire myself? To cheer myself up? Whatever the case, I felt compelled.

Books:

The Darker Ages - Just a damn good time to write, and meaningful too. I'm not sure this will ever be dethroned. I peaked too soon.

School for Spirits - I love all the books in this series, almost equally. I love writing in this universe and would be sad to see it end.

Palace of Maids aka Cowboys & Elves - I stubbornly love this one, despite its mixed reception. It's so vulgar and violent -- I think that's why it wasn't so digestible to people. But I love it anyway.

The Ugly Monster Matchmaker Company - the only Caylen McQueen (my other pen name) book on my list. It's just so wholesome, with such a likeable cast. I adore Becky and Groop.

The Wishing Princess - Again, I just really like this cast... especially mad mode Prince Fared and the shady romantic, King Nils. And the concept is unique, I think.

Favorite Characters:

Alfred du Bois. I made trailer for Darker Ages and almost cried when I "saw" Alfred. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zlna3EAXJk4 (he is based on Alfred Enoch, btw, and his AI trailer self resembles him so much). I love quippy characters, and I love anti-heroes. Alfred's my favorite of them all.

Carol from Belles & Bullets. Again, this is the only Caylen entry on the list. Alas, she doesn't even appear until Sky Pirate, book 3. I just love her for being completely wacky & hilarious.

Crow from A Farm Boy in Oz. I felt randomly compelled to reread some of her lines the other day. She's still TOO hilarious to me. I'm not even that funny in real life, so I don't know where these humorous ladies come from. Reading her lines, I almost felt inspired to write again. Almost.

Vineet from School for Spirits: Pretty Dead Girl. He's my definition of the adorable nerd. I love him so much.

Daniul, the persnickety asexual OCD mage from The Black Knight Chronicles series. I think he probably has Asperger's or something. (I think I probably do too)

I'm almost embarrassed by the number of books I wrote between 2016-2023. I was so desperate to accomplish my dream, to no avail. I'm not famous, or even that successful. I'm living proof that manifestation doesn't always work. Just sayin'. 😅

#aron lewes #caylen mcqueen #writers on tumblr #alfred enoch #diverse fantasy #fantasy author #steampunk #cozy fantasy #romantasy books #romantasy

[aronlewes]

In December of last year, I lost my life... to Baldur's Gate 3. I couldn't stop playing it. I'm still playing it now.

At the same time, I was also editing Heroes & Halflings, a series I wrote 2 years ago.

I was surprised by the similarities between BG3 and H&H. There were half-orcs. There were halflings (although, mine were different). Tieflings are basically demonicas. I wasn't familiar with DnD, but I'm obviously on its wavelength.

Anyway, I tried to make Orca in-game, and it's wild that I could even do that, since she's a half-orc with vitiligo. I was going to have her romance Gale (since he's most like her love interest from the book) but it was too weird, and I quit that playthrough.

Anyway, if you want to read my series that's very BG3 but NOT inspired by BG3, check it out (first book is free):

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CW1G9WNC/

Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=i_T3EAAAQBAJ

Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/3-mercs-and-a-maid/id6478648851

#aron lewes #writers on tumblr #baldur's gate 3 #baldurs gate tav #free book #free ebook #fantasy book #cozy fantasy #romantasy #bg3

[aronlewes]

What happens when burnout never ends?

I've all but officially decided I am 100% done with writing. I've been feeling this way for months, and can no longer deny that deep in the marrow of my bones, I've given up. 12 years is far too long to keep going with little to show for it.

I have a few more books to release in 2024, including a final School for Spirits book, but after that I am well and truly done.

It's been a good ride, but it was past time to admit I don't have the energy and will to stay in the game.

Fare thee well, world. I hope someone out there can appreciate what I put out. (It was quite a lot)

#aron lewes #writers on tumblr

[aronlewes]

Well, I've got a new book out (https://books2read.com/u/mKVMEE ) so it's time to make another ramble post about the book's imagined cast, because I'm crazy, and because I can.

First, the vampires. The trio of royal terror: King Isaak (Jason Isaacs), his son Prince Oskar (Owen Teague) and Prince Wolfsbane (Wolfgang Novogratz).

Next, the girls. Emily Carey for Adeline, a brunette Florence Pugh for Shanda, and Letitia Wright as Melia. Melia's actually my fav. She brings some much-needed levity to an otherwise dark series.

Aaaand then there's Joslun, who existed in my head as Joe Taslim. I gave myself a massive crush on both Joslun and Joe when I was writing this series. I loved Joslun. My beta reader DIDN'T like Joslun. My sister hated Prince Oskar, while I was always a bit bored by Wolfsbane. I guess there's always going to be that one character you just don't like.

And that's it. There's my fancast that literally no one wanted to hear about! 😂 Until next time!

#florence pugh #fancast #writers on tumblr #jason isaacs #emily carey #joe taslim #owen teague #wolfgang novogratz #letitia wright #aron lewes #ebooks #free books #kindle books

[aronlewes]

New character alert! Meet Kendari, hero of my new WIP. And thanks to my friend @thedookuologist for making the art and giving him his name! 😁

#aron lewes #character design #character art #scifiart

[aronlewes]

Imposter Syndrome Activated

One of my lovely readers, Crystal, created a goodreads group for me. https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/1223146-aron-lewes-fanclub While I don't think I'm cool or relevant enough for a fanclub, I am seriously flattered, and I look forward to seeing what it can become.

If you like my books and you're on Goodreads, I'd love for you to join!

In other news, I have a vampire series coming out in October, with a new book to be dropped every month until the year's end. I'm also writing a new School for Spirits spinoff trilogy, which I'm enjoying so far. I had some terrible writer's block in the first half of September, so I'm glad that's resolved!

That's enough rambling for now. Until next month, that is. More rambles to come.

#aron lewes #fantasy author #writers on tumblr #kindle books #free books #young adult books #vampire

[aronlewes]

Love it!!

Lord Damien Brannock and Amanda Rose from @aronlewes / Caylen McQueen's "A Reluctant Bride"

[aronlewes]

Copied from my goodreads post, but with self indulgent pics of Grandmaster Ludi (aka, Ludi Lin) 😅

It's my birthday, folks, which means you're all required to read this (free) book ---> https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B...

Ok, I'm kidding, but... I just booked a promo for that book and wondered why no one ever really read it (aside from a few brave souls on Google https://play.google.com/store/books/d...). Does the cover suck? Description sucks? I suck? Something MUST suck, right? lol

Whatever the case may be, I'm not sad for myself, but for my good friend, Jenni, who wrote a beautiful poem for me for that book. She's an actual cancer survivor, surviving 7 recurring battles with cancer (I shit you not). If you want to skip the book and just read her poem, it's in chapter 7.

Anyway... happy birthday to me! :D I was able to overcome the burnout I mentioned in my previous post here. I'm currently working on a new School for Spirits book. I've signed on one beta reader (hey, Vale!) but if anyone else would be interested in beta-ing that series, hit me with a message. I'm always worried that my new School for Spirits ideas will conflict with the old. Apart from those worries, it's going really well so far.

Because burnout has ended, I will also be releasing a new series next month. (spoiler: it has vampires and naughty princes)

I guess that's it for now. I hope you, my few followers, are doing well!

#fantasy book #free ebook #aron lewes #ludi lin #michael jackson #you will understand why i tagged this with michael jackson if you read the book

[aronlewes]

[aronlewes]

Have been working on plush dolls lately and wanted to share them here 😁

1. My OC Thusura Lhom from Star Wars: Legabeck - finished earlier this month and the pic was taken from a school event

2. Brothers Joairvi and Wintrev Legabeck - also from the Legabeck series; finished Joairvi on Killian Scott's (Wintrev) birthday and worked on him while watching the slog of a third episode of Secret Invasion; I finished the Wintrev plush on Easter

3. Sir Kay from @aronlewes ' novel, King Arthur's Daughter - finished him earlier this morning; I wasn't originally going to make dolls out of Aron's characters but I happened to have the right colors of fabrics for them 😅 (also, Instagram had to crop the photo 😭😭)

[aronlewes]

I struggle to think of a book I've released that's been less successful than Kelly Ann #8, and I've got... nothing. No downloads for two days, no page reads. It's been... sad. Are clones a tired subject? Regardless, I feel compelled to talk about it: https://www.amazon.com/Kelly-Ann-8-Clones-Story-ebook/dp/B0CDPV6VPD/

When I was 16, I wrote a short story called Kelly Ann #8 about a teenage girl stuck in a room because she's a clone, and doctors start harvesting her organs. One doctor (honestly, I forget the original character's name) takes pity on Kelly and attempts a rescue. Back in high school, this little story won me an award. Almost 20 years later, I decided to turn it into a book.

Gus Birney, who I recently watched in Shining Vale, would be my Kelly Ann. Freddie Fox, who I've used as a lead MANY times, is my sympathetic young doctor. There's a small cast in this book because it's kind of a character study/psychological thriller, and Kelly spends a lot of time in isolation with her thoughts.

My original Kelly Ann short story was one of the only things my dad actually read. (To be fair, I was mostly writing Regency romance until he got dementia.. at which time, he could no longer read). Every year or so, he would say, "I really liked your clone story."

So perhaps I wrote this book as a homage to him.

#kindle unlimited #freddie fox #gus birney #face claims #young adult books #psychological thriller #dementia #clones #cloning #ya fiction #writers on tumblr #aron lewes #ebooks

[aronlewes]

neapolitan mice cream cones

[aronlewes]

Chibi Sir Kay and Princess Nathalia from King Arthur's Daughter by @aronlewes (Caylen McQueen)

[aronlewes]

My first attempt at an AI trailer

I made a trailer for my first book series, Belles & Bullets, and I'm not sure how to feel about it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUWyy3Vlrf8

Is it creepy? Is it impressive? Is it both?

The guy at 0:15 is an AI interpretation of Frank Dillane, btw, who was my Francis Doon in that series. It is... eerie. Looks like Frank, but just freaky.

I'm sure AI will improve. I'm looking forward to seeing what the future brings us.

#ai text to video #can ai make movies yet i need to make my tv show #frank dillane #book trailer #ai video maker #ai video #caylen mcqueen #steampunk #writers on tumblr #fantasy author

[aronlewes]

A couple days ago, I quietly released a book called "Sisters, Rivals, Monster Hunters" via my pen name, Caylen McQueen. I MUST post about this book because I had a very strong vision of the cast in this screwball steampunk comedy. (https://www.amazon.com/Sisters-Rivals-Monster-Hunters-Gasbags-ebook/dp/B0C6WLYB9B/ it's free right now fyi)

Sofia Carson... man, I'd love to see her as the main character Kathleen, if only to see her tap into bad girl energy for this role. It would be interesting to see, especially since I was introduced to her via Descendants (and have only seen her in cute romantic comedies since then). She's SO lovely, though. I just adore Sofia.

Owen Teague... I've imagined him in several different roles in several different books, but Wendall is THE character I'd love to see him play. I really think he'd be great as a smart ass, volatile, devilish pyromaniac.

RH Thomson... I love this casting of him as Georg. I'd been bingeing a lot of Anne with an E while writing this book, and he kept popping into my head. I just love Georg as a character, period. He's a strong, "take no bullshit" kind of guy.

Kerry Fox as The Grand Mother... I need this in my life. I watched The Crimson Field like a million times, back in the day. She's got the right "ice queen" (with cracks of vulnerability) energy for this role.

Hiroaki I imagined as Andrew Koji, and I believe "Hiroaki" is actually one of his middle names so it fits. (Warrior is FINALLY coming back this month, thank god!!)

Last, but not least, is Booboo Stewart as Ash. I chose this pic of him on purpose because Ash is a male model who wears a lot of, shall we say, "avante-garde" outfits.

I actually enjoyed this book when I went back to edit it, and I don't always enjoy my stuff. It had strong Princess Bride vibes. It had old Mel Brooks movies kind of energy. I dug it.

This book also has LGBT and disability rep. (Of course, there would have to be some gay boys when you've got 30 young men stuck in a convent...)

I hope someone out there enjoys this bizarre story as much as I did!

#sofia carson #owen teague #booboo stewart #andrew koji #kerry fox #rh thomson #steampunk #writers on tumblr #free ebooks

[aronlewes]

Diversity in my books

I've been reluctant to make this post, because I feel like my intentions could be easily misconstrued. People might think I'm trying to make myself look a certain way or support some kind of agenda, but no. I've just ALWAYS written diverse books. Simply put, I think there should be all types of characters, for all sorts of people to enjoy. So I feature ALL KINDS of characters -- white, black, abled, disabled, straight, LBGT, pretty, plain, old, young, etc, etc. Writing the same character over and over again just isn't fun to me! (I've also had people personally thank me for Asian and disability representation, which is another reason I'm compiling this list)

So, without further ado, here is a (mostly) comprehensive list of my stories that emphasize diversity (these are major characters and plotlines, btw, not unimportant side plots or characters)

(P.S. - this includes a few books written under my other pen name, Caylen McQueen)

Books with diverse lead characters:

The Darker Ages: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077HVG9YW (Alfred du Bois is black and I love him and I will take that love to the grave with me!!! He's my guy for life. I'm putting him first because I think he might be my favorite character of all time.)

School for Spirits: A Dead Girl and a Samurai https://www.amazon.com/School-Spirits-Dead-Samurai-Spirit-ebook/dp/B078YNFD4F/ (Taishi is Japanese)

School for Spirits: Rebel Archangel https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GCXT6WV (Chris Pho is Asian-American)

School for Spirits: Angel of Death https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07K5ZF89N (Luciana is Hispanic)

A Crew of Criminals and Cutthroats: https://www.amazon.com/Crew-Criminals-Cutthroats-Aron-Lewes-ebook/dp/B0BTS5MJLW (Jean-Rene is black... also, I like that Davin is 70+ and kicking ass)

School for Spirits: Almost an Archangel https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07SQW9NN4 (Kaylene is African-American)

The Fourth Dragon: https://www.amazon.com/Fourth-Dragon-Aron-Lewes-ebook/dp/B096QB3MBP (Esmay is black)

An Elven Debutante: https://www.amazon.com/Elven-Debutante-Airships-Dragons-Book-ebook/dp/B0BGJLSMZP/ (Julian is Asian; so is Himiko in book 2)

School for Spirits: Pretty Dead Girl https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09HN5ZYK2 (Vineet is Indian-American... I SUPER love Vineet, he's one of my favorites of all time)

Vixen's Chosen https://www.amazon.com/Vixens-Chosen-Fox-Assassin-Book-ebook/dp/B08ZD63ZXQ/ (Kylin is a kitsune, and it's strongly hinted that she is Japanese)

Angels & Outlaws: https://www.amazon.com/Angels-Outlaws-Aron-Lewes-ebook/dp/B0BDGBK95Y/ (Bo Lightfoot is Native American)

A Family of Wizards: https://www.amazon.com/Wizard-80s-Family-Wizards-Book-ebook/dp/B0B478DMNP/ (the titular magical family is Chinese)

Pride & Prejudice & Airships: https://www.amazon.com/Pride-Prejudice-Airships-Steampunk-Book-ebook/dp/B07G38N7FF/ (Bin Li is Asian)

Whispers of Steam: https://www.amazon.com/Caged-Princess-Whispers-Steam-Book-ebook/dp/B088PF6K36 (leads in this book are a pair of brown-skinned mercenaries, an Asian hero-turned-villain-turned-hero, and a bisexual woman)

Ghost of Redemption: https://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Redemption-School-Spirits-Story-ebook/dp/B096Q9Q5ZY/ (Johnny Wong is biracial)

Little Alien on the Prairie: https://www.amazon.com/Little-Alien-Prairie-First-Contact-ebook/dp/B08PDGS9PC/ (Rain is Native American)

The Wishing Princess: https://www.amazon.com/Wishing-Princess-Magic-Dreams-Book-ebook/dp/B09ZVL578X/ (the MC's eventual love interest, Nils, is a dark-skinned elf)

Palace of Maids: https://www.amazon.com/Palace-Maids-Weird-Portal-Fantasy-ebook/dp/B098TNW5K5 (Dustin is indigenous)

Books with disability representation:

School for Spirits: Rebel Archangel https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GCXT6WV (Anna uses a wheelchair)

The Darker Ages: https://www.amazon.com/Darker-Ages-Aron-Lewes-ebook/dp/B077HVG9YW/ (Alice has quadriplegia)

Vixen's Challenge: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08ZD26H6H (Sara uses a wheelchair)

A Sheriff's Redemption: https://www.amazon.com/Sheriffs-Redemption-Lady-Robin-Hood-ebook/dp/B0784QFSKX (the Sheriff of Nottingham's younger brother, Kinlay, is disabled)

Cinderella & Dragons: https://www.amazon.com/Cinderella-Dragons-Complete-Aron-Lewes-ebook/dp/B07D3GLSPW (Terra uses crutches)

Books with LBGT+ characters:

My Lady Robin Hood series https://www.amazon.com/Lady-Locksley-Robin-Hood-Book-ebook/dp/B077LJ9G8N/ (there are many diverse characters in this series, but my trans Little John is most prominent, imo)

The Darker Ages: https://www.amazon.com/Darker-Ages-Aron-Lewes-ebook/dp/B077HVG9YW/ (Jalen/Jai is trans)(Jonathan is bisexual and ends up in a relationship with a man)

The Darkest Knight: https://www.amazon.com/Darkest-Knight-Black-Chronicles-Book-ebook/dp/B07HFTSNDD (Daniul is asexual... and autistic, for that matter... he's another one of my all-time favorite characters)

The Barefoot Barmaid: https://www.amazon.com/Barefoot-Barmaid-Belles-Bullets-Book-ebook (there are a ton of diverse characters throughout the series, but there is a gay couple, and Vee is a lesbian)

(I could have more LGBT+ characters, imo, but there are other authors do it better... actually, I'm thinking of one author friend in particular, and if she's reading this... DO write that gay historical, please! I want it!!)

I've probably forgotten some, but I'd say this is a pretty decent (and growing!) list. Also, many of my series starters are free, so they should be easy to get into!

Whoever you are out there, I hope you check out my work! <3

#disability representation #pocfiction #diversity #kindle unlimited #inclusion #school for spirits #aron lewes #diverse books #lgbt books #trans characters #poc main character #ebooks #diverse fantasy #gender diverse #asexual characters

[aronlewes]