Blog refresh!

2020.11.18

Apologies if you’ve seen things moving around lately, I was busy working on refreshing the looks of this journal to better match it to the latest freylia.net / rachelrelat.net iterations.

The old look served me well but was becoming dated, being the last remnant of what freylia.net looked like back in… 2016 I think! Overall I didn’t change much of the structure though, it is mostly simply a cosmetic refresh with updated links.

I took the opportunity to rename the blog too. Yes, I like puns. :p

Anyway, this is done, for the time being. Back to writing, passed 32K on my 2020 NaNoWriMo effort, bringing “The Kerguelen Cat” along towards what I think will be a very satisfying conclusion. But I can’t say more for now!

Stay shiny!

Flying Wings

2020.11.12

“The Kerguelen Cat” uses a degree of creative license when it comes to some of its featured aircraft. One in particular is inspired by the futuristic Horten designs of the 1930s and 1940s.

Pioneering the “flying wing” concept with both gliders and powered prototypes, the Horten brothers later scaled up their ambition with the massive H.XVIII pictured here but the project never left the drawing board…

The sequel of “The Dragon Run”, available now in paperback and ebook, “The Kerguelen Cat” is scheduled for release May 1st, 2021. Pre-order now!

Launch Day! Dragon Run and Kerguelen Cat updates

2020.11.01

Calling all passengers for boarding, your flight to the 1930s is ready for take off!

“The Dragon Run” is now LIVE on Amazon, for Kindle, on Kindle Unlimited, and on paperback. Grab it while it’s hot: https://amzn.to/34Ko42l!

There’s more! If you want to know more about the Dragon Rapide and other featured planes, TDR comes with “Planes of Ascalon”, a free companion booklet to satisfy your curiosity. Download it here!

“The Kerguelen Cat” announcement

Today’s other goodie is the unveiling of the cover for “The Kerguelen Cat”, scheduled for release on May 1st, 2021. Part II of the Ascalon Circle series is bound to amp up the stakes so keep your seatbelts on!

Happy reading! 💜

Last minute

2020.10.31

Last finishing touches on the website updates, ahead of “The Dragon Run” launch and “The Kerguelen Cat” reveal… One day to go!

D-3

2020.10.29

D-3 before “The Dragon Run” arrives in your Kindle, barely more to wait for you paperback lovers…! I’m so excited that it’s finally getting in your hands, because it means the next one is also around the corner! Stay tuned for the cover reveal of book #2 of the Ascalon circle series, “The Kerguelen Cat”, next Sunday!!

Introducing… “Planes of Ascalon”

2020.10.27

A glimpse into the companion piece I’ve been working on for “The Dragon Run”: “Planes of Ascalon”, an illustrated booklet with more info on the planes featured or mentioned in the story. A little nugget for all of you aviation geeks!

Available November 1st for free, here on my website!

Goodies

2020.10.25

D-7 and something’s afoot in the design corner…

Vent de sable

2020.10.20

“The Dragon Run” is a love letter to aviation, but it also has a few easter eggs & nods to other works, from “Out of Africa” to “Pulp Fiction”. Among these, one stands out. More than a nod, it’s a tribute to Joseph Kessel’s “Vent de Sable”, published in 1929.

In 1925, Kessel was the first passenger on the Toulouse-Saint-Louis line, traveling among bags of letters (there was no seat!) with only an interpreter (in case they crashed in Tuareg territory) and the pilot, Émile Lécrivain. “Vent de Sable” is a glimpse into the lives of these early mail pilots, their trials and their joys, their pioneering efforts, their tragedies…

A conversation with the pilots one night alludes to a colleague whose legend is only beginning. His name is Jean Mermoz. The mythology of the “Line” is in its infancy, but the players are in place.

My scene is an overt tribute to a passage that I actually heard on the radio, in Kessel’s own voice, before I read it in the book, of a particularly difficult episode of this extraordinary journey. It is a hauntingly emotional tale and I can only hope my feeble efforts gave it justice.

“The Dragon Run” is out November 1st in ebook and paperback. Preorders are open now on Amazon! Download a free sample here.

That feeling when…

2020.10.15

That feeling when you hold your book in print form for the first time..! (proof sticker notwithstanding)

Last stretch!

2020.10.13

19 days to the launch of “The Dragon Run” and things are going very well. The ebook and paperback formatting are completed, I only have to sign off on the proof copy when it arrives later this week, or make minor adjustments.

This is the e-book cover on my iPad’s Kindle app. Looking shiny!

Don’t forget to grab your sample and of course, until the big day comes, you can always pre-order “The Dragon Run” on Amazon! Links below:
Amazon.com: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08BLHDJQV/
Amazon.co.uk:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08BLHDJQV/
Amazon.fr:
https://www.amazon.fr/gp/product/B08BLHDJQV/
Amazon.es:
https://www.amazon.es/gp/product/B08BLHDJQV/