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S. M. Radjy | YA fantasy author

@smradjyauthor

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πŸ—‘ YA fantasy author
πŸ’« Song of Ayla series (Dungeons&Dragons inspired): Book 1 out, Book 2 Sept '26
πŸ’₯ Writer Within retreats (☠️ imposter syndrome)
POSTS STORIES REELS
Go get your copy of "An Orphan's Shifting Fate" TODAY for just $0.99! And a Happy Halloween to you! πŸ¦‡πŸŽƒπŸ‘» #booksale #YAfantasy #SongofAyla by @smradjyauthor
Quotes from "An Orphan's Shifting Fate", part 1: πŸ¦‡ p. 6 for @juliettelockwood ✨️ p. 73 asked for by @littleacorns.earth πŸ¦‡ p. 97 as requested by lauraprudencioc And can we talk about this gorgeous mask for a second? New favorite accessory (shamelessly ordered off Temu on a whim). The earrings, too. (You're definitely going to see more of them 😬) Because TIS THE SPOOKY (and dress up) SEASON! πŸ¦‡πŸ‘»πŸŽƒ That's why "An Orphan's Shifting Fate" will be on sale on Halloween for just $0.99! Yes, I'll remind you. And yes, I love Halloween, but that's not the only reason - there's a bat link in the story, too. If you know, you know. #bookquotes #SongofAyla #Book2 #dressup by @smradjyauthor
It's working! So far, I've written every day since I started my made-up 30 day writing challenge. Not every day was great - my lowest word count was 143 (the highest, 1672). But I showed up, and that's my KPI. And today, I passed the 5k mark. Woohoooo! Am I aiming for 100k? No idea. I am making this up as I go along. But... maybe. If it's less, that's fine. If it's more? Also fine (I suspect more, and that it'll end up as two books - but who knows!). This is what fit on this visual, so I went with it. Sometimes, I have a masterplan. Other times, I'm flying by the seat of my pants. Either way, this story is getting written, and I will keep on working at this author and marketing thing because I love it and want to find and connect with my readers. Looking for your next fantasy read? Pick me! πŸ™‹πŸ½β€β™€οΈ The Song of Ayla books 1 & 2 are out and available on the Zon, with tropes including βš”οΈ Found family πŸ¦‡ Adventure & intrigue πŸ₯§ Second chances ✨️ Strong, flawed, relatable female characters πŸ”₯ Dungeons & Dragons inspired πŸŒ™ Shapeshifters Book 1: Flight of an Orphan Thief Book 2: An Orphan's Shifting Fate #YAfantasy #SongofAyla #sequelintheworks #amwriting #bookstagram by @smradjyauthor
Time to rip off the bandaid and just do the thing, ie dive into the writing of Books 3 & 4 (yep, I want to do it in one go) of the Song of Ayla. Starting today, my goal is to write every day for 30 days. Then I'll reassess to see where things stand and what I need to do to hopefully have a full if messy first draft before the end of the year. Is this crazy? Maybe. Is there a reason for the end of year deadline? Sort of, but it's definitely a soft one. Am I excited to do this, warts and all (because it WILL be imperfect and flawed - the process as well as the outcome 🫠)? Absofrigginlutely. If you want in, join me! And if you don't... stay tuned for updates and bloopers and mild chaos hopefully in the best possible way. πŸ“Έs by the amazing @gintafreiberga.photography #writingchallenge #messyfirstdraft #behindthescenes #authorlife #SongofAyla by @smradjyauthor
Let's not even pretend you can resist that face OR a game of pick a page number and I'll give you a quote! So... let's go! Over to you. #SongofAyla #bookquotes #thisisnotagameofwhothefIam (you get a bonus point if you know where that quote is from) by @smradjyauthor
Here we go! Time to dive in and write the end of Song of Ayla, as crazy as that sounds. πŸ‘€ 155 pages of potential words βš”οΈ characters with a tendency to go rogue 🧡 quite a few loose ends to tie together ⏰️ a self-imposed target of 31 Dec 2026 πŸ€ΈπŸ½β€β™€οΈ unfettered excitement to discover the rest of Ayla's story Ah yes, because I'm still more of a pantser, so there's no outline. Just a general sense of direction with specific scenes that live rent free in my head. I'd say place your bets, but I myself wouldn't know whether to bet for our against me, so... πŸ€·πŸ½β€β™€οΈ On a scale of fuhgedaboudid to hells yes, where do you think I stand in terms of potentially having a full first draft done before ringing in the new year? #Authorlife #SongofAyla #amwriting #crazygoals #rearingtogo by @smradjyauthor
I'm tired. Scratch that, I'm angry! Furious. This isn't a man eats man world, it's a world where women are constantly under attack, and I am just over it. Yes, not all men, but too f* many men, alright? And even the good ones sometimes have the emotional bandwidth of a doorknob. So, as I navigate this insane year full of personal challenges, I need stories of women, female friendship, badass ladies, pirate women, and the like. Have any recs? I loved The Lioness by Gigi Griffis, and The Red Tent by Anita Diamant. Somehow those are the only two that come to mind. See? I need more more more of this in my life. I'm counting on you! And yes, if you've written a book like this, self-recs are most welcome πŸ’ͺ🏾 #womenstories #bookrecs #raging by @smradjyauthor
✨️ Happy (belated) Autumn Equinox! πŸπŸ‚ And just like that, the end of the year is looming! There's still so much I want to do before 2027 comes around, including dive into my next WIP, doing more regular sword yoga, and planning some fun weekend activities ranging from mushroom hunting to a Halloween party and birthday festivities (Scorpio over here!). I really want to have a draft of Book 3-4 done by end of year, even though right now that task seems inconceivable. What's on your docket, writing or life wise, for the next few months? There's no goal too big or too small (or too delulu πŸ‘€ sometimes that's just what it takes!) to share! #authorlife #autumngoals #busybee by @smradjyauthor
What's in a dedication? Layers of meaning, that's what. My father passed away earlier this year, but I printed a version of my book so he could see it (and the dedication). He loved me in his own way, I know that, but it took me a long time to appreciate it. πŸ’œ As for my daughters, they won't read this for years yet, but will hopefully get this message on most days because that's one of my ways of preparing them for the world. ✨️ We don't need to smile more. We need to embrace all our feelings, and harness them to catalyse change. πŸ’ͺ🏾 And that's part of what Ayla is learning, too. So her anger no longer controls her, because giving away her power doesn't serve her (or us, it doesn't serve us either 😬). Do you notice book dedications? If so, do you have a favorite? Tell me in the comments below! #bookdedication #SongofAyla #YAfantasy by @smradjyauthor
✨️Book launch brunch!✨️ I made name cards for everyone, not because I cared about where people sat but because on the back, I wrote which animal I thought they'd shapeshift into and a one word attribute. Then, I asked everyone which animal they'd pick for themselves, and after they answered, they flipped the card to see what I had chosen for them. Such fun - and unexpected - answers! πŸΊπŸ˜πŸŽπŸ¦ŒπŸ¦žπŸ¦‰πŸ¬πŸ‹πŸ» As for the food, it was delightful if I do say so myself, and the lyme tart which is Ayla's favorite? An absolute showstopper (I didn't get a good photo; the last image was one of the last bites left because most people took seconds!). My brain wanted me to ignore my book 2 launch and treat it as a day like any other, so I nodded and then celebrated anyway. And I'm so glad I did! πŸ’ͺ🏾✨️ Happy Sunday & here's to writing Book 3 πŸ˜‚ #booklaunch #sundayfunday #SongofAyla #bookfood #authorlife by @smradjyauthor
Out TODAY, "An Orphan's Shifting Fate", Book 2 of the Song of Ayla series. [Book 1 is recommended, not required reading.] This book might be for you if you like... βš”οΈ Adventure & intrigue πŸ’œ Found family ⚑️Second chances πŸ€• Trauma (mostly emotional) 🐍 Healers (supporting characters) πŸ’« Magical artefacts πŸ’₯ Shapeshifting πŸ—― Banter πŸ’ͺ🏾 Strong, relatable female characters πŸ”₯ Coming of (r)age ✨️ Available on Amazon ✨️ Gorgeous cover by @mcdamon.coverdesign Art of Gudrun by @seaborn.studios Art of Kazaren by @ambgrrrdesign #itsout #releaseday #YAfantasy by @smradjyauthor
As an author, one of my favorite experiences is when my characters go rogue and take charge of the story. In Book 2, however, that got taken to a whole new level: an unexpected character turned up out of nowhere, and they are here to stay! Meet Moosh, brought to life by the oh so patient and talented @bjoyce_design. Moosh seems quiet and introverted, but they aren't really. They become friends with Ayla despite Ayla's best efforts to go solo, and they bring some love and levity to a tough situation. TOMORROW is the release day for "An Orphan's Shifting Fate," Book 2 of the Song of Ayla series. It's available for pre-order, and tomorrow of course you can also get the paperback. This story is for you if you enjoy... βš”οΈ Adventure & intrigue πŸ’œ Found family ⚑️Second chances πŸ€• Trauma (mostly emotional) 🐍 Healers (supporting characters) πŸ’« Magical artefacts πŸ’₯ Shapeshifting πŸ—― Banter πŸ’ͺ🏾 Strong, relatable female characters πŸ”₯ Coming of (r)age It's a story of love and loss, of anger, of friendship, and of what happens when you stop trying to figure out where you came from and start thinking about where you want to go. #YAfantasy #SongofAyla #countdown #ONEDAYTOGO #preorderislive by @smradjyauthor

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