Kylie Fennell

What I’m Reading: The Devouring Gray By Christine Lynn Herman

August 20, 2021 Kylie Fennell

I was a little late to the party when it came to The Devouring Gray by Christine Lynn Herman having picked it up at my local bookshop because of its comparisons to Stranger Things and Riverdale. But I’m glad I did.

The story follows Violet Saunders who moves to the small town, Four Paths – a place with dark secrets in the form of a beast that haunts the woods – trapped in in the Gray.

Violet faces all of the usual challenges of being the new girl in town. She struggles to find friends and soon discovers that the students who do take an interest in her have their own motives. They are children of the founding families and it’s their job to protect the town from the Gray – something they are failing dismally at.

When it is discovered that Violet is also descended from one of the town’s founders and has inherited deadly powers, she is called on to confront the Gray in a heart-stopping showdown.

There’s so much to love about this book. Violet has just the right amount of teenage snark and wit to engage the reader. Her tragic back story also endears her to you. The love-hate dynamics between the other characters offer interesting sub plots and add depth to the overall story.

The real star is the moody, dark setting of the town and the woods – the Gray feels terrifyingly real. I wasn’t 100% satisfied with how the book left off, and the lead in to Book 2 felt a little forced, but overall it’s a great read. And the pink-edged pages of the edition I have are gorgeous! 4 out of 5. 🌟

You can buy Devouring Gray in eBook form here or a print copy via Booktopia here.

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What I’m Reading: Pachinko By Min Jin Lee

August 6, 2021August 6, 2021 Kylie Fennell

I’ve been catching up on my “to be read” list lately and finally got to Pachinko by Min Jin Lee. I’m just sorry I didn’t read it sooner.

Pachinko is a multi-generational spanning most of the 20th century in Korea and Japan.

An exquisitely told saga that mainly follows Sunja who falls pregnant to a yakuza boss. She must find salvation in a hostile land where she faces everything from poverty and racism to war.

I was hooked from the beginning and fully invested in each of the characters.

Having lived in Japan I loved getting a new insight into the country and I’m also a sucker for historical fiction.

Not a short read but worth every word. Just make sure you have the tissues handy. 5 stars 🌟

You can buy Pachinko in ebook form here or a print copy via Booktopia here.

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Beginnings: The Kyprian Prophecy – An Origins Novella – FREE Book

July 21, 2021July 16, 2021 Kylie Fennell

To celebrate the upcoming launch of The Firemaster’s Legacy: The Kyprian Prophecy Book 1 I have released a FREE novella, Beginnings, which sets the scene for the world of Kypria and its prophecy.

Beginnings is a standalone book and you don’t need to read it before any of the others in the Kyprian Prophecy series, but if YA fantasy (and books like the Shadow and Bone series and anything by Sarah J. Maas) is your jam than I think you’ll like this.

The best news is that you can access the book on all major eBook retailer sites for FREE right now – no email address required! Get your copy via the links below. If you enjoy it, a review would be appreciated particularly on Amazon or Goodreads.

If you want to stay informed about special offers and my book news, sign up here. You will get a free copy of my book Seeds from the Story Tree – a collection of my awarding-winning speculative fiction stories and other short works, which is exclusive to my subscribers.

Beginnings: The Kyprian Prophecy – An Origins Novella – FREE BOOK

$0eBook: $0

Author: Kylie Fennell
Series: The Kyprian Prophecy
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Tags: Beginnings, Free books

As a silver-eyes Laha has an extraordinary ability to harness the power within nature. She is also a royal companion to the Kengian Princess Mary, and with all of Kypria finally at peace Laha should be content…but she is far from it.

This book is available for free on all major online retailers including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, Google Play, and more. Download for FREE now – NO Email address required.

Firemaster's Legacy book in front of castle and book review

The Firemaster’s Legacy – New Book – Release Dates

July 16, 2021July 16, 2021 Kylie Fennell

I’m beyond excited to officially announce the upcoming release of The Firemaster’s Legacy: The Kyprian Prophecy Book 1 – an epic fantasy and YA adventure series perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas, and Leigh Bardugo’s Shadow & Bone series. It’s already getting some great reviews from early readers on Goodreads.

The Firemaster’s Legacy Release Dates

The Firemaster’s Legacy is available for pre-order in eBook form via Amazon as we speak. It becomes publicly available on Wednesday 18 August 2021.

It will be available in paperback via all major online book retailers on Wednesday 15 September 2021. If you want to stay informed about special offers and how to pre-order signed copies of my book, sign up here.

The Firemaster’s Legacy – The Kyprian Prophecy Book 1

$32.99eBook: $2.79

Author: Kylie Fennell
Series: The Kyprian Prophecy, Book 1
Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult
Tags: About The Firemaster's Legacy, Firemaster

Firesky is the ultimate weapon. It will either obliterate or liberate all of Kypria. One silver-eyed girl has the power to determine their fate – if she dares to question everything she believes in.

More info →

Buy A Paperback Direct from Author

Amazon Paperback

Kindle eBook (also KU)

Buy from Other Stores

PS Thanks to the amazing host at Crosby Castle in Brisbane for letting me visit and take some photos.

What I’m Loving Right Now: Loki

July 16, 2021July 16, 2021 Kylie Fennell

What’s better than one Loki? The answer is simple…infinite Lokis and that’s exactly what you get – as well as a load of mischief – in the Loki TV series.

Loki happens to be my favourite Marvel character and who doesn’t love Tom Hiddleston’s portrayal of this anti-hero in the Avengers movies? I have to say this series was a relief to me after what happened to Loki in Avengers: Infinity War. ***Avengers spoiler alert*** for anyone who hasn’t seen Infinity War – and if you haven’t, do it now! – in the opening minutes of that film, super villain, Thanos, crushes Loki’s neck and kills him. Needless to say there was much fist shaking from me at the screen. I barely made it through the rest of the movie.

Anyway it seems that there’s a lot of love out there for the God of Mischief so a storyline was developed to give Loki a reprieve – spawning the Disney+ TV series.

Loki takes place after the events of Avengers: Endgame when Loki steals the Tesseract. Loki is detained by the officious and mysterious Time Variance Authority (TVA), a bureaucratic institution that exists outside of time and space and must monitor the timeline for any “variants”. Loki it seems has upset the timeline and is given a choice by TVA agent Mobius M. Mobius (Owen Wilson) to be executed or help them stop a greater threat to the timeline – another Loki variant, Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino).

Loki travels through time encountering even more of his variants and inevitably finds himself at the centre of chaos and a mission to find out who really is behind the TVA.

Loki is loads of fun with a stellar cast, I was just disappointed there weren’t more episodes. Then good news is that there will be a season 2. Watch Loki now on Disney+.

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You Had Me at… Flash Fiction

July 6, 2021July 6, 2021 Kylie Fennell

The following flash fiction story was shortlisted in the Australian Writers’ Centre’s Furious Fiction contest a little while ago. We were given half a dozen descriptive prompts to include, such as, ‘cold and greasy’. I hope you enjoy it.

‘Sweet and pungent,’ he says with authority before sloshing the wine around his mouth. In fervent concentration, his eyebrows dart around like hungry caterpillars trying to escape. ‘Be free little guys,’ I think to myself, ‘Save yourself’. Or did I say it out loud? It was hard to tell. Unlike my sipping and swilling date, I prefer the gulp and guzzle school of wine-tasting.

I down my glass. The disapproving look he casts me is reminiscent of being summoned to the school principal’s office. Was he a school principal? I can’t recall, but a review of his heavily slicked-back hair, his blue Wall Street shirt with white collar and shiny, silver cufflinks, confirms that he’s a professional twat.

After dating a string of kale-eating, teetotalling, wannabe ninja warriors, I’d been attracted to the part of his profile that said he enjoyed a good wine.

He suggested wine tasting for our first date, bringing me along to his wine appreciation club, which is nowhere near as much fun as it sounds. It involves hours of painstakingly detailed analysis of wines with little of the ‘enjoyment’ you’d expect from drinking said wine.

As I procure myself another glass of wine he excuses himself to go to the bathroom.

‘Cold and greasy with a bitter aftertaste.’ I’m startled by the deep voice behind me.

I spin around to be greeted by a jeans and T-shirt wearing man who could easily pass as a Hemsworth brother.

‘Sorry? Which wine are you describing?’

‘I’m describing your date.’

I choke on my wine.

He flashes a dimpled grin. ‘I don’t know crap about wine…or more accurately, I don’t give a crap, as long as it tastes all right. So I’m describing the wine club members instead.’

I can’t resist a smile.

‘Why don’t you try?’ He indicates his date, a petite woman gesticulating and loudly disagreeing with one of her fellow members about something to do with tannins.

‘Okay then. Light-bodied and acidic with a shrill, piercing finish.’

‘Ohhh, that’s harsh.’

I’m about to apologise when he laughs. ‘No that was a good one. Go again.’ He looks in the direction of an older man whose tanned face speaks to a lifetime working outside. His navy blazer appears to be covered in white cat hair.

‘A great vintage, but a little scratched and weather-worn.’

He counters by describing a man, wearing a tweed jacket with elbow patches and an ink-stained tartan tie, as ‘crisp and dry with nutty undertones’.

We succumb to a fit of giggles ignoring the collective shushing and stares from around the room. Eventually, we recover. ‘We’re going straight to hell,’ I say.

‘I thought we were already there. Say, do you want to get out of here?’

‘It depends.’

He raises a questioning brow.

‘On your description of me.’

He strokes his chin in mock thought.

‘Unapologetically complex and exuberant with just the right amount of spice.’ His eyes twinkle. ‘Did I pass?’

‘You had me at cold and greasy.’

This Month’s Writing Tip: Enjoying the “Process”

June 4, 2021June 4, 2021 Kylie Fennell

I recently saw an interview with the cast of a Quentin Tarantino movie with the actors saying they celebrated regularly throughout the whole filmmaking process, and not just at the end. Apparently Tarantino subscribes to the belief that if you are involved in a creative pursuit, you should enjoy all of the process not just the “red carpet” bit at the end.

This resonated with me because as an author the “process” can be exhausting at times. Writing a book can take a long time. Editing a book can take a long time. And publishing a book can take…you guessed it, a long time. So, if you don’t enjoy the whole (or most of the) process, what’s the point?

I’ve found that there’s always some aspect or several aspects of writing that an author doesn’t enjoy. For some this may be marketing themselves. For others it might be asking for feedback. For me, I find structural edits a hard slog – some days it feels like you’ll never get the damn book finished, right?

While I think it should be expected that you won’t like everything about the job of writing, there are definitely some things you can do to make the hard parts, less hard.

Here are a few ideas:

Break big tasks into smaller achievable chunks.
Do the stuff you like the least, first up in the day – get it out of the way so you can move on to the things you do like.
Remind yourself that there will be an end to whatever stage or task you’re working on.
Focus on your end goal and how that will feel.
Talk to other writers who understand the “process” and can commiserate, cheer you on and even offer helpful advice.
Ask for help – if it’s something you don’t know how to do, then ask someone who does know.
Outsource to a professional – if it’s something that make sense to outsource, and you can afford to do so, delegate the task to a professional.
Have other projects on the go. If, for example, you don’t like the editing process and you know it will go for a while, have a side project where you’re working on something you do like. Perhaps, have a short story on the go, or start planning a new novel. Just be careful, though, not to fall victim to “shiny new object” syndrome.
Work to a favourite playlist. I have a bunch of playlists that I go to when I need extra motivation. I’ve found for instance it’s very difficult to hate what I’m doing if Salt ‘N’ Pepa is playing in the background – but maybe that’s just me : )
And most importantly, celebrate every step of the way! Share with your (writing) friends and family when you have completed a stage or task. Choose something meaningful to you to mark your achievement, whether it’s taking a long bath, reading a book – or treating yourself in some other way.

Writing, in my opinion, is the best job in the world, so why waste your time hating on the “process”?

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What I’m Loving Right Now: Shadow and Bone

May 10, 2021May 10, 2021 Kylie Fennell

The Shadow and Bone series, based on the best-selling novels by author Leigh Bardugo, may feature the typical ‘chosen one’ fantasy trope, but it’s refreshing enough to get you hooked. With some fabulous CGI, a talented cast and a band of misfit criminals, there’s plenty to keep you watching.

Alina Starkov (Jessie Mei Li) is an orphaned mapmaker in a fantastical world divided by the Fold – a place of darkness inhabited by terrifying shadow beasts. When it’s discovered that Alina has extraordinary powers she is recruited by a supernatural force known as Grisha and their commander, General Kirigan (Ben Barnes) – also known as The Darkling. Kirigan initially poses as Alina’s ally but it soon becomes clear he has a more sinister agenda.

All the while, Alina’s best friend, soldier, Malyen Oretsev (Archie Renaux) tries to track down his friend, but must fight his own share of evil forces.

While a second season hasn’t been announced yet, I’m sure there is much else to explore in the Grishaverse.

You can watch Shadow and Bone on Netflix.
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This Month’s Writing Tip: Pushing Through Writer’s Block

April 28, 2021April 28, 2021 Kylie Fennell

There comes a time in nearly every project when a writer encounters writer’s block. Writer’s block can feel crippling but the most important thing to know is that it is only a temporary state – unless of course you stop writing.

The other good news is that it is possible to conquer this dreaded condition. In fact there are loads of techniques you can use to push through writer’s block, here are just a few of my tips.

Write Your Way Through It

Easier said than done, I hear you say. The very nature of writer’s block is that you don’t know what to write next, but this doesn’t mean you have to stop writing.

You can write your way through a block without knowing what’s next. This often happens to me when I’m only a few chapters in on a new novel. I know what my big picture story is and what I’m aiming for but I can’t figure out how to get there.

After experiencing this on nearly every manuscript I discovered the best thing I can do is write through it. I write nonsensical partial sentences and random notes, such as, ‘big reveal’, ‘he says something witty’, ‘big fight scene’. I continue like this as long as it takes for some actual concrete ideas to form.

Get Yourself Some Prompts

A lot of the time I’ll find inspiration somewhere else – it might be a picture, a song, a movie, a news article or a Pinterest board – anything that prompts your imagination. If you haven’t even started your book or story yet, this is often a great way to get started.

Another idea is using actual ‘prompts’. Look online for writing prompts. Ask writer friends or even family to name some random items, settings or words that you have to use in a story. The more prompts (within reason) the better because we’re hard-wired to be more creative when we’re given more boundaries to deal with. As they say, necessity is the mother of invention. Even if you don’t end up using all the prompts, it’s often enough to get you started with an idea and help you push through writer’s block.

Pause.

Sometimes the best thing you can do when you get writer’s block is to take a break. I find going for a walk or even having a bath is enough to reset my brain. I’ve done some of my best thinking in the shower!

You may find you need even longer to let ideas manifest, which is fine. Pause your current project and try something else, or if you’re stuck on one particular section but have an idea how to tackle a different section, then move onto that. If there is a future chapter you can see clearly or you’re excited about, write that!

So what are you waiting for? Write through that block.

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What I’m Loving Right Now: Snowpiercer

April 14, 2021April 14, 2021 Kylie Fennell

It’s no accident that trains are a central feature in many great stories. From Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express to the Hogwarts Express in Harry Potter, trains are much more than a form of transport. They conjure up feelings of romance, mystery, a journey into the unknown or in the case of Snowpiercer, the train represents humankind’s only chance of survival in a post-apocalyptic future where Earth is a frozen wasteland.

In this TV series (based on a film of the same name and several literary works) the perpetually-moving train, Snowpiercer, circles the globe, with its passengers divided by class, politics and power struggles.

At more than 1000 carriages long the train houses entire ecosystems and infrastructure you would find in everyday life. There are agriculture carriages, bar and entertainment lounges and medical facilities…if you’re lucky enough to be a ticketed passenger.

Unticketed passengers or ‘Tailies’ who fought their way onto the train in Earth’s darkest days are confined to the end of the train, living in famine-like conditions. Each time they resist or challenge the ‘order’ on Snowpiercer, punishment is swift.

Series one follows Tailie leader Andre Layton (Hamilton star Daveed Diggs) who goes up against head of hospitality Melanie Cavill (Jennifer Connelly), who is pretending to be the mysterious Mr Wilford – Snowpiercer’s brainchild and powerful figurehead.

By the end of the season, the hard fought and new found world order comes under threat when the real Mr Wilford (played by the magnificent Sean Bean) turns up, bringing his own brand of megalomania and eccentric cruelty to season two.

Simply put, Snowpiercer is jam packed with track-stopping action, heartbreak, thought provoking themes and some stand-out characters…all on a train!!! I for one loved the whole Snowpiercer journey.

You can watch Snowpiercer seasons 1 and 2 on Netflix and the best news is that a third season is on its way.

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