Missing OFMD? Want to get your hands on thee funniest book I have read this year, perfect for wherever you do your summer lounging?

Preorder Running Close to the Wind by Alexandra Rowland! Check out a sneak peek here and then preorder here or at your local bookstore!

This is my key takeaway from the sneak peek of the first chapter of Alexandra Rowland’s upcoming queer pirate book Running Close to the Wind 😂 Cannot WAIT to read the rest of it!!

New book announcement: RUNNING CLOSE TO THE WIND!!! It’s a queer comedy-adventure: Our Flag Means Death meets Six Of Crows in the style of Terry Pratchett’s Going Postal. So many people have been asking whether I’ll write another book set in the world of A Taste of Gold and Iron. The answer: Yes! In fact, all my fantasy books take place in the same world-setting, and I’m thrilled to be announcing this one, which features an entirely new cast of characters, such as…

1) Avra Helvaçi, a mangy little gremlin I found in a dumpster behind a Denny’s, where he was being mugged by possums for the collection of used pizza boxes he was eating. He has zero personal dignity. He makes weird mouth noises. If you let him into your house, he will climb into your vents and you will not be able to get rid of him.

2) Teveri az-Ḥaffār, a very cool pirate captain, which means they own a collection of fabulously coats and are constantly Going Through It. Despite never having been married in the first place, Teveri and Avra have been newly divorced for the last fifteen years.

3) Brother Julian, his juicy biceps, his even juicier brain, and his entirely juiceless oath of celibacy, all of which are personally victimising Tev and Avra on a daily basis.

Running Close to the Wind features all the themes pirate books are legally required to have, such as found families and extremely pointed social commentary about how capitalism is the root of all evil and all cops are bastards. It is also a comedy, because as long as you can laugh, there’s still a part of you that’s free—and pirates are all about freedom.

Some alternate titles that we brainstormed:

Avra Helvaçi Quits His Dayjob

The Booty and the Briny Deep

The Pirate Ship’s Pet Poet

Piracy, Poetry, and Perfidy

Avra Helvaçi and that GIF of Oliver Twist And His Little Bowl of Orphan Gruel

Also Featuring:

plot relevant games of jump rope

plot relevant cake competitions

non-plot-relevant invention of short-shorts

everyone’s a little bit queer at sea

also the sea is #problematic for having too many Horrifying Creatures in it

seriously tho fuck the sea

maybe the real treasure was the friends we flirted with along the way

communism

This is the best book I’ve ever written, and I am bursting with excitement for 2024, when I will do my level best to make you laugh until you physically can’t anymore.

Go read the TorDotCom blog post linked above for the full description!!!

Life is wild sometimes. I made a small decision almost a year ago, based on a recommendation of one of the most positive individuals to ever grace my life so far, and I firmly believe that it has changed the course of my life. The decision was to sign up for a class about fantasy writing and publishing that my university was offering, which is the exact genre I so desperately want to have a career in (I want to be a writer you see). That fall I took the 8 week class and it happened to be taught by none other than the absolutely wonderful, utterly amazing fantasy author Alex Rowland (aka @ariaste). If you asked myself or any of my peers, we will happily tell you that this class was one of the comfiest, kindest, most encouraging academic experiences we have ever had and that it has changed our lives. Anyone who has taken at least one creative writing class in their life will tell you of the horrors that ruthlessly plague them and all sorts of traumatic incidents endured. This class was a soothing balm to a disheartened soul with trampled ambitions. You might be wondering where I'm going with this? Well, when you take a class with an author, they tend to gush rather happily about their work. It did not take long for me to know in my heart of hearts that I NEEDED to get my hands on Alex's latest book, A Taste of Gold and Iron (aka ATOGAI). And when I finally got the perfect chance to read it a little over a month ago, when I tell you, it was chapter five when I became undeniably aware that this book had snatched my heart and I would gladly let it have it for the rest of my life. If I hadn't already bought all of Alex's books on a strong hunch that I would absolutely, completely and utterly fall in love with ATOGAI, I would have definitely right after I finished that chapter. This is inarguably one of the best books I have ever read, checking all my boxes (including ones I didn't even know I had). I don't think it's possible to praise it enough because it deserves it all. The wait I endured before I could read it was so worth it and I will be forever grateful for the sheer chance that it and it's author entered into my life. It shattered my high expectations and I will never be the same and couldn't be happier about it. Now, I still have to read the other books that Alex has written (and I will savor them like a piece of the finest of desserts and I haven't the slightest doubt, despite that I tend to be more on the quiet side, I will be absolutely mouthing off about them to anyone who will listen), but I want to specifically highlight their upcoming book, Running Close to the Wind (aka RCW). Because I was in their class and a part of their Discord, I have been treated to several chapters of the book and I can very firmly tell you that you need this in your life. It's terribly funny, utterly vibrant, very queer, full of gremlin chaos and pirate shenanigans, all good and wonderful things, right? I knew I needed it in my life half way through Alex reading chapter two to us. It comes out in June of this year and I so highly recommend you give it a look see. You can read an excerpt in the link below!

And if you too decide that you need this book in your life, go preorder it and then come join a Discord full of awesome queer pocket people that are also terribly excited for this book to be in our hands! I will also be posting fanart of ATOGAI and RCW if you also want to keep an eye on this little habitat of mine. :) Either way, best wishes and happy reading!

hype a f about Running Close to the Wind by @ariaste

A Taste of Gold and Iron was so so so beautiful and such a well done romance and A Conspiracy of Truths has excellent humor and the world they're all in (including the new book!!!) is endlessly fascinating and so lovingly thought out and have i mentioned that there's literally so many queer characters and ugh i'm so ready for another Alexandra Rowland book

anyway there's a preview here

Fic Stat Game

Rules: Give us the links to your fic with the most hits, second most kudos, third most comments, fourth most bookmarks, fifth most words, and fic with the fewest words.

Tagged by @arafinwes, tagging anyone interested in playing.

My fic with the most hits is (unsurprisingly) The Sun Sets Like a Whispered Regret, though I am impressed by the hit count. (MDZS/CQL)

The fic with the second-most kudos is Facing the Dust and Wind (MDZS/CQL)

Third-most comments is Something other than the Desperation, which is wild considering how much bigger my other fandoms are. Nine Worlds really is the best fandom for commenting. (Nine Worlds/G&D)

Fourth-most bookmarks is To Teach a Sorrow to Speak (Good Omens)

Fifth-most words is In the mornings we made promises to ourselves (Nine Worlds/G&D)

and fewest words is The Silver-Sailed Nightingale (Chantiverse)

You know how they say not to judge a book by its cover? Well, this book is as pretty on the inside as it is on the outside! I absolutely adore it to pieces! It has taken its rightful place on my bookshelf alongside my first copy and other related books! And for fellow crow brained individuals who love pretty shiny things like myself, you should definitely keep an eye on June for the upcoming hilarious pirate novel "Running Close to the Wind" by the same fabulous author Alexandra Rowland! As they say, pirates always have a few pretty shiny things. 😉 Read an excerpt of it below!

Along with some art (which will be appearing soon!), now that I have a break, this is what's up on my roster for this week! So excited to finally have a chance to sit down and read Tadek & The Princess (the sequel to A Taste of Gold and Iron). I'm also thrilled to be introduced to some new blorbos in the other two novellas!

Speaking of blorbos, not only should you check out these books, but also keep an eye out for the upcoming book by the same author Running Close to the Wind! It has pirates and shenanigans! Some of the best things! You can read a excerpt of it in the link below!

I just wanted to let you know that I read A Taste of Gold and Iron for the fourth time in a little over a year this week and it was just as delightful and satisfying as every other time. I seriously love everything about it and kind of wish I could always be reading it.

Aw, thank you so much! Have you read TADEK AND THE PRINCESS yet? :) It is a novella prequel/sequel about how Tadek became a kahya and what he's doing after the end of ATOGAI. (You can buy it anywhere books are sold, but getting the ebook from my Patreon shop gives me the most profit) Also, side note, but you may be interested to know that all my books are set in the same fantasy world, and my upcoming novel RUNNING CLOSE TO THE WIND is a tangential spinoff from some of the events that happen in ATOGAI 👀

It started as a joke conversation of what fruits fit the vibes of Kadou, Evemer, and Tadek and quickly evolved into this! I finally got around to coloring them this evening and they have stolen my heart again! For those that don’t know, these three wonderful dorks are from Alexandra Rowland’s fabulous book A Taste of Gold and Iron. It has become one of my all time favorite books and I cannot recommend it enough! It’s a slow burn romance between a very beautiful anxious prince and his equally handsome stoic bodyguard dealing with a high stakes counterfeit investigation as well as learning how to navigate each other (with the help of a sassy, incredibly charming past lover). For those who have read it, there’s several other books of Alex’s (@ariaste) to read too! You can find information on them on their site (which I’ll have linked below!). One that is particularly notable is their upcoming queer pirate comedy novel Running Close to the Wind. I’ve done some fanart of the fantastic chaotic disaster of a main character, Avra! It comes out in June! You can read an excerpt of it in the link below!

this is one of the best gags i’ve seen in a book.  i was reading out loud to colin and we had to step outside for a minute.  we were howling. 

Presenting! Fanart of the one and only super freaky Avra! Inspired by an idea from @kieranfae in the discord server! They mentioned it and I immediately set out to make it a reality, unable to resist. If you don’t already know, this chaotic disaster is the protagonist of Alexandra Rowland’s (@ariaste) upcoming fantasy comedy pirate novel Running Close to the Wind. It’s coming out in June and you should totally keep an eye out for it! You can read an excerpt of it below! I’ll be posting art of him and other characters from their other novel A Taste of Gold and Iron, which you should also read if you haven’t yet as it is absolutely fabulous.

Yet another piece of fanart of the man that needs absolutely no introduction but I’ll give it to him anyway; Tadek Hasira. This sassy wonderful man is one of the three main characters of Alexandra Rowland’s A Taste of Gold and Iron and was the first character I drew from the novel. Closely followed by Kadou and Evemer, who will appear at some point in here too (especially since I tend to draw all three of them together in a piece). And if you enjoyed ATOGAI and are looking for more Alex Rowland books, they have two other big novels and four novellas! One of which focuses on Tadek! It’s called Tadek and The Princess. There’s also another novella potentially coming out this spring that is the sequel to The Lights of Ystrac’s Woods, the first book of The Tale of the Seven Gods series! And big news! There’s a big novel coming out in June called Running Close to the Wind! I’ve done fanart of its main character, Avra, who is a chaotic disaster gremlin who I adore (and Tev most certainly does not and Julian seems to think is interesting😆). You can read an excerpt of it in the link below!!

I just wanted to let you know that a conspiracy of truths might be the best book I’ve read this year and it lives rent free in my head

Oh thank you so much!!! I'm delighted -- I hardly ever get messages about Conspiracy these days, what a special treat 😁

(If you'd like to come hang out with some other fans, here's a link to the official discord server, btw!)

Finally colored what I lovingly call The Page of Avra. I haven’t ever done something like this but Avra compelled me to and who am I to refuse this chaotic disaster? For those who don’t know, Avra is the protagonist of Alexandra Rowland’s (@ariaste) upcoming comedy pirate novel Running Close to the Wind! And I absolutely adore him. The novel comes out in June so keep an eye out for it! You can read an excerpt of it in the link below!

I think your books have ruined me a little bit because at all times, a small but significant part of myself is wondering if Ylfing is doing all right today.

Also, "Six of Crows meets Our Flag Means Death" is a pitch that happens to hit all of my buttons. Consider me sufficiently hyped.

Thank you so much!!! Have you read Over All the Earth? It's got Ylfing in it. And yes, he is doing alright today! Better all the time, in fact.

Also, there is a fandom discord for my books if you'd like to come hang out: https://discord.gg/ftYnk8T42K :D