Lena Brassard

Society of Unlikable Heroines

Lena Brassard September 4, 2021 September 4, 2021

Inspired by the millionth “heroines aren’t allowed to possess any of the less savory qualities people swoon over in heroes” discussion, I bashed my head against Photoshop for a while until a logo fell out.

Photoshop window featuring an angry cartoon woman inside a ring with the text "Society of Unlikable Heroines"

And then I put it on pretty much every item Redbubble has to offer, from acrylic blocks to zipper pouches.

So if you’re fond of heroines deemed too proud, too cold, too tormented, too angry, too promiscuous, too cynical, too mercenary, too scary, too weird, too uncivil, or too otherwise “unrelatable,” check out the store for a dizzying array of apparel, beverage containers, home décor, and stationery products.

Introducing My Serial: Grave Oversight

Lena Brassard July 13, 2021 July 14, 2021

Today marks the launch of Kindle Vella, a serial fiction platform for stories delivered in “episodes” that readers unlock with tokens.

I had a partially written serial going to waste, so when Amazon announced this was on the horizon, I dusted off that story, revised what I had, and finished drafting to the end of the first arc (the equivalent of Book One in a series of novels). I’m typically far too cautious to be an early adopter, but “going to waste” makes this particular leap a low-risk venture.

Grave Oversight

Categories: Paranormal, Mystery

Tags: ghost, amnesia, murder investigation, urban fantasy

Content Warning: Child death

Tess has no memory of her murder, but her record for helping other restless spirits in need of justice is flawless—until the homicide detective she works with delivers a ghostly boy who refuses to provide any clues that might lead to his killer. The investigation draws Tess into a web of evil that extends back half a century to her own death. With the true motivations of a gorgeous man who claims he’s an old friend and an ageless enemy who shares Tess’s face locked in the vault of her missing memories, only the dead can be trusted.

Available now here or search in the Kindle for iOS app.

This story was originally conceived as a serial. When that deal fell through, doing a gut-and-rewrite to make it structurally more like a novel didn’t appeal to me, so into the Vault of Abandoned Projects it went. I’m glad it’s getting another chance at life (oh, the irony) in its intended form.

So check it out if you’re curious. The first three episodes (approximately 8,500 words total) are free to try, and the 200 free introductory tokens Amazon offers near the top of the page will get you through episode 10. If you like what you see, hit that thumbs-up button at the bottom of each episode and consider bestowing your weekly “fave” crown upon the story. Those small, easily forgotten gestures make a huge difference in which stories are visible and which sink into the abyss like lead bricks.

Trailer: Grave Oversight

Lena Brassard July 8, 2021 July 8, 2021

As a reader, I’m unmoved by book trailers, but they’re kinda fun to make and free with Lumen5, so it’s a relatively painless promotional attempt, regardless of efficacy. Here’s one for my serial Grave Oversight, coming next week.

(Music only; in-image text captioned for screen readers.)

I will, of course, share more information when I have it. There’s a blog-to-email option in the right sidebar/bottom of your screen on mobile, I endure on Twitter, and the shiny new newsletter quivers in anticipation of its maiden voyage.

We Interrupt Your Scheduled Program with This Unimportant Announcement

Lena Brassard April 28, 2021 May 2, 2021

The fantasy romance is on hold for a minute while I play the “no, really, a serial is a viable option” game again. I don’t quite have to start from scratch with that story, but it’s also not what you could call “finished” with a straight face, so I have some work to do before the platform opens up. Even if I can’t get the whole first arc of the story reader-ready by opening day, I’d like at least half of it immediately available and the rest needing just a prose polish so it can roll out in a timely fashion. My typical “realize on the last page I need to add something crucial to the first page to make the ending work” process isn’t going to serve me well in a scenario where the first page is already out in the world, so I need to exist at all points in time and know everything all at once to pull this off. 😬

So I’m off to hyperfocus on ghosts for a bit.

More information as I get it.

KotSQ: Revision Update #4

Lena Brassard March 17, 2021 May 2, 2021

Progress bar showing 39 of 240 pages revised I wanted to be here 10 days ago, but I’m in a high-stress situation that vacuums up most of the mental energy this job requires. Nevertheless, the first act is done (for this round of revision). Between cuts and additions, 39 pages of Old Draft is now 48 pages of New Draft.

I talked a little about my typical naming process last time (“pinch of column A, pinch of column B, smoosh ’em together”). When that yields inadequate results, I use a trick from my merch tie-in gig: take a pinch of various words that apply to what’s being named and smoosh ’em together. Thus, we have the Thoulo Ring (the outer lower ring of a terraced city), the Eashotin Temple (on the eastern shore on a mount[a]in), Thanlarek (a person with thin lips and angular cheeks), and Saupi (the theater troupe that fed Heroine a sausage pie for breakfast). The results aren’t pretty, but they get me over naming hurdles that would otherwise bring me to a dead stop.Read more“KotSQ: Revision Update #4”