Ahoy, me hearties. I’m rebranding.

I’ve had a huge struggle with feeling authentic on my marketing. I’ve felt like I’m trying to fit a mold or expectation. I tried matching my aesthetic in a nice, light color scheme. I did some photo flat lays. It’s all very pretty.

And it’s not me.

So, after months of musing on it, I decided to rebrand. I am now The Writing Pirate.

Yarr

It’s not just because I’m writing a pirate novel. Although, Angélica is teaching me a lot about myself and what I wish I could be. It’s funny how we find truths in our characters as we write, considering we created them. I guess it’s always a part of our subconscious waiting to come out. There’s some philosophy I could muse on there.

But I am a pirate, especially when it comes to writing. First of all, I’m an indie author. I don’t want some publishing house taking the majority of my money when it’s my blood, sweat, and tears in these pages. I don’t want someone to take my creative license from me. I write what I want to write.

It’s not just that. My books don’t fit their genre expectations. My fantasy novels are tiny. They’re quick reads and not full of long exposition. They are really character studies set in the world I wish I lived in. They’re quick reads without too much flowery language.

The Scholars of Elandria series is fantasy for people who hate fantasy.

Hell’s Revenge is turning out much the same. It’s going to be a monster, but it’s not your typical historical fiction. It’s a story about a woman who decides her own fate and who takes power in a world where women have none. I could just as easily have set the book in another era, modernized it, or made it a fantasy book. The history is a backdrop, not the plot.

I also write the characters I crave. So often in these genres, the women are slightly more interesting than Mary Sues. They’re fierce but also naive and inexperienced. They lack confidence and are just so innocent. Their character arcs are finding confidence and falling in love.

I love a good love story. But I want stories about women who are empowered from page one. I want sexual empowerment, too. I want women who have agency over every aspect of their life. I don’t want brooding men that they have to fix. I want women who have real shit that they won’t deal with until it breaks them. I want healthy relationships, and I want realistic sex.

There are very few authors who give me what I want. That’s why I write.

I know my books aren’t for everyone, and I’m okay with that. I am steering my own fate as an author. I am done trying to fit a certain mold.

That’s why I’m the Writing Pirate.

Check out my awesome new logo from Rosalind Wulf