The Raven's Nest Newsletter # 2
The Raven's Nest Newsletter (or TRNN!) is truly back and it'll be pretty chill. Also, I talk about TWO stories I want to serialize on my Substack!
Will she be a bi-weekly (every 2 weeks)? Or a monthly newsletter? Either way, I’m doing it, I’m continuing with this Substack as my official Newsletter! Number two, baby! I’m excited since I’ve been actively writing Newsletters. Last year, I’ve only been using Substack as a sort of work-in-progress thing, figuring out if it’s something I could keep sending out, and if it’s the right fit for me and my lifestyle. But I think I’ve liked it so far.
UPDATES on Love and Justice
It’s taking me longer than I thought to work it into publication, but I’ve realized that I can freely decide my writing and publishing pace. I know it’s been years since book 1 came out, but I assure you, dear readers, I am trying my best. ദ്ദി ༎ຶ‿༎ຶ )(꩜ ᯅ ꩜;) Thank you very much for your support and patience! (づ ᴗ _ᴗ)づ♡
I do have a new release date! But I can't announce anything until I’ve finalized the big rewrites in this revision.
🗲🗲🗲
In the meantime, please enjoy these adorable artworks of Andre and Karla that I’ve commissioned from talented artists!
Andre and Karla Art
by _artsy_alice on Instagram
by daywreckoning on Instagram
by meikocheez on Instagram
On Social Media
Meanwhile…
I’m trying to revive my Author account on Instagram. Going in front of a camera has never been my strong suit, but I do my best with aesthetic flatlays. The best way for me to keep at it is to find the fun.
If I’m not attempting a self-promo post, I’m always sharing and boosting books written by fellow authors.
Like this Cover Reveal from my new friend and fellow Midnight Tide Publishing author, Author Samantha J. Won, with her upcoming novel Where Fireflies Dwell!
I’ve also decided to take on this 10-day challenge to share books by Filipino authors, which is timely for Buwan ng Wikang Filipino.
You can find the reels on my IG here!
The first I shared in the challenge is For the Win by Catherine Dellosa
AN IDEA that I’m excited to try
Since the last newsletter, I’ve gotten this itch of an idea playing around in my head. It’s not something new, I’ve considered it before, but lately, it’s feeling more like an exciting thing to do instead of anything that might be pressuring. I wanted to do this thing back when I started my Ko-Fi sometime in 2022, but the months turned into a couple of years, and I hardly ever posted there.
When I started looking into Substack, I figured this may be the place to do it, and it wasn’t until I figured out how to do ‘sections’ in The Raven’s Nest thatI could.
What is that thing? It’s serialized fiction!
I’ve wanted to have a space to share my stories, fiction stories that I maybe want to turn into books someday but I want to try serializing in an online platform first.
The funny thing is, this idea isn’t even new for me. I’ve talked about wanting to do this in the very Ko-Fi account I mentioned before! Two years ago! But back then, my platform didn’t seem to make it easy to distribute or showcase a serialized form of text (or even comics, but that’s for another Substack publication).
I’m still considering someday trying my hand at posting a story or two on sites like Wattpad or Tapastic to (maybe) get a bigger audience for certain stories, but for now, this Substack seems more personal and cozy.
I also think that a lot has changed for independent creatives and reader sites in the past couple of years and that I might still need to do some research before trying them again. The reason I want to try this again is I still enjoy posting, writing, and reading fanfiction in AO3. I get a rush when I post something new! This spark that ignited my love of writing years ago comes back with each new attempt.
What I Want to Write
Back in 2021, I was having a burst of Superhero genre inspiration. I’ve always loved superheroes and I think that there’s so much one could write about, but especially in the romance department. This was the year Heart and Hero, my debut novel, came out. But two other stories were developed at the back-burner. They were also about the Superhero genre but, what I believed to be, different takes.
I want to explore that creatively in this Substack, a place where I could freely geek out without feeling the pressure and anxiety of sharing on Social Media. At least not yet. I do intend to share these for publication.
Let me pitch it for you real quick.
Story 1 is my ‘love letter’ to the idea of a dysfunctional-found family of heroes who weren’t born with powers but were given the mantle. I keep dubbing it my Batman-Family meets Sailor Moon and Magical Girls with a weapons-inspired story, but with a Romance novel treatment. Meaning each ‘novel’ is a story about a different pairing and they’re in the same universe. I’ve always been inspired by the battle between inner light and darkness in the Batman superhero stories, meanwhile also noting that behind all the whimsy and glamor of magical girl anime, they’re superheroes too. It’s the same formula when you think about it.
Here is a Concept art I made that same year about this story.
Another good thing about having my blog to share this story is that I could experiment on illustrating the novel before it gets finished as well!
Story 2 is another Superhero school story, but different from the New Hero Series. This isn’t a New Hero story, it’s about a girl who slowly turns into a villain and an evil man’s son who turns into an antihero. This is my homage to stories like the X-Men and Umbrella Academy. On one hand in the Superhero genre, you have this superhero team that amazes and garners the support of the people they save, and on the other, there are stories of those who are deemed too different. I’ve always been curious about the inner lives of such characters, those with powers. Whoever said they have to be heroes? What does it take to tip someone over to the dark side?
I can’t help it. I think this one is heavily inspired by Magical Girls too, because of the moonlit drama, star-crossed lovers, time travel, and mystical creatures that bestow upon you your title.
There are also color-coordinated uniforms based on which magical bird chose you for its ‘class’.
I’ve already been soft-posting about this story on my Instagram Stories, but I doubted a lot of people noticed ꉂ(≧▽≦).
Slowly building this up on Substack, sharing my creative process in my newsletter, and finding sheer enjoyment in posting, might just help turn these stories into novels.
If you read this far, wow, talk about dedication. Thank you! Let me know what you think about the project! You can send me a DM on Instagram. Remember, I’ll be building this story up in my Substack as sections. I might have a separate newsletter subscription for that.
Speaking of novels! Heart and Hero is on Sale for the whole Month of August!
So be sure to grab a copy if you haven’t already!
