News from the Dream

For those of you who sometimes read the posts on Substack, this week I finally separated the two. As part of an experiment with my writing, I'll post Quest for the Valkyries to Substack as I write and edit for the next few weeks. So if you love dragons and Valkyries and want to read it early, subscribe to Ophelia Kee's Dream on Substack. It will publish to Payhip when the Valkyrie Riders miniseries stories publish.

I enjoyed some limited success when I published Ruler of the Mind as a serial on my blog. So I want to see if I can replicate that event on Substack with paid subscriptions. The first chapter will be free. I'll let you know how it works out.

Update from publishing Grim Dark to Kindle Vella? The last chapter posted this weekend. I'm sad to say, it appears to have been a dud. Admittedly, I'm not paying for advertising. But it doesn't seem to be worth the effort if you aren't willing to spend advertising dollars. Y'all know I lack funds. I'll leave it for the required days, then publish it widely as I originally intended. 60 days from now, the entire short story will post to the Mystic Dark miniseries on Payhip. Then I'll get started on formatting it for the paperback and ebook.

Easter eggs for Halloween

Halloween Easter Eggs

I know it's almost Halloween, so expecting this post to be dark and creepy or spooky and witchy is obviously not happening. True to my usual quirkiness, the muse prefers to address things which are completely out of season: Easter eggs. Specifically, those story tidbits which remind the reader or viewer of other tales produced by the same creative.

The little surprise parts which make someone enjoying a tale pleased by a reference to a previous story are easy to pull off in fantasy tales. With a long series or a saga, the natural world-building and character cameo appearances surface without effort. The genuine work for the author comes not in referencing previously published stories, but deciding how much to include as an Easter egg for a tale which has yet to be published.

Halloween mixed with Easter

Some of you are scratching your heads. I know. It sounds weird. But I write long, out of order, and with no idea what comes next. The only thing I can say for sure about any scene I'm working on? I'm 90% sure about what world it belongs to. (I've been wrong about a few, but don't let the guys from the Draoithe Saga know that.)

I have many unfinished works in progress. I also have several completed, still unpublished, miniseries set in the dream. As I edit and work with the stories, I've realized I inadvertently create Easter eggs. Recently, I've decided I enjoy them, so I want to ensure the later stories connect with the earlier tales. My readers could enjoy dream Easter eggs as well.

Dreamy Halloween Easter Mashup

So as I edit the ancient stories and ready them to be republish, I'm adding small references to characters and events in the future tales. It's nothing which significantly alters the telling of the tale. Easter eggs are outstanding because they're small and virtually inconsequential. It's only their existence which makes them relevant at all.

If you have only recently stumbled over the Draoithe Saga, I hope you will enjoy the Easter eggs and find those little tidbits as endearing as I do. If you're a long-time supporter of my creative madness, there's no need to read the tales again, unless you want to find the eggs. Either way, I hope you've been enjoying the dream and will continue to do so. I also hope you'll have your eyes open for all the intentional and the unintentional Easter eggs in every new story you read.

Dragon

Wasn't I supposed to Mention Dragons?

I know I said I would discuss dragons this week, but dragons come with complications. First, there are just so many kinds of dragons. Created, born, light, zmey, midnight magic, necromancy. Then differences between male and female. Scaly, furred, smooth-skinned, and patterned-skin along with butterfly winged, leather winged, and suede winged. We must discuss claws, horns, and tail spikes, plus wing bones or no wing bones. Four legged, two legged, and legless. Wyverns, worms, dragons, dragans, zmey, and stone. We haven't even touched on fire and different magical abilities. And then there are those with a fated mate and those who must find a woman who chooses them. Not all dragons have Valkyries as mates.

See what I mean? I started writing the post only to realize one post wasn't enough. I think I need a few more posts, and I might even need to craft videos to go with them. It got seriously out of control in a hurry. So werebeasts next week, and I'll keep working on dragons. They will post as videos from the dream, and some videos will appear as part of the upcoming Valkyrie Riders miniseries. I hope you don't hate me, but the blog posts are just as heavily influenced by the muse as the stories. It's all part of the dream.

Buy the Book Screen Shot

Until next week, allow me to leave you with the impassioned plea for your kind reviews when you read. The little kind things you do for an independent author don't go unnoticed. Thank you for reading and always supporting the dream. Have a great weekend.

Be Careful!

Happy Reading,

Ophelia Kee

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