In case you missed it, we’ve run our first writing contest in association with Coauthor Labs. The theme and prompt was “Escape to Reality”, which fostered the imagination of many creative authors. We had many wonderful entries and are pleased to announce Raven Diamond as our winner. We will be publishing the finalists in a collection later this year. 

We’re happy to announce we now have an Instagram account! We’re including weekly prompts to get you thinking about your characters and world, and to give you an opportunity to share those thoughts with others in our community.

August marks two years of podcasts for us!

We want to celebrate with those who have published a book in the last two years. We’ve decided to purchase as many books as we can. It will take us a while to get through them, but we’ll do our best to leave reviews as we do. 

There are a couple of conditions here. One, your book must be on Amazon in ePub/Kindle form. We’re purchasing digital versions in order to maximize the number of books we can add to our collections. Two, you must be signed up for our newsletter. If you’re reading this here, then congratulations! Mission accomplished. And three, the book must have been written selfishly. Let us know by commenting with a link on Facebook or Instagram. That’s it! That’s all we need!

If you’re still working on your next masterpiece, but still want to get in the fun with us, not to worry! We’re also offering a discount on all the t-shirts in our Merch Store. Wear yours loud and proud, and let the world know that you write selfishly! Use the code TWOYEARS at checkout in our merch store. Be sure to hurry. This only works for the first ten customers!

We have some new stuff lined up for you for our Fall season. 

NaNoWriMo is coming fast! In order to help people prepare, we’re putting together workbooks to help get your stories and worlds organized before you start writing. These books are based on our notes and include things like character checklists, ideas for maps and magic systems in your worldbuilding, and a fill-in-the-blank outline for a hero’s journey plot. 

On the podcast, we’ll be covering those books throughout the month of October. If you want to purchase those first and follow along, feel free. Or get them later and reference the podcast if you’re interested in making the most of these tools. We’ll post the link on our website, Facebook, and Instagram as soon as they’re available.

In August, we’re covering non-traditional ways to structure your stories. These mostly have to do with how time flows in the outline. Each week we’ll cover a different successful style of story that doesn’t follow the usual hero’s journey structure. 

In September, we’re covering storytelling through the lens of history. What were the first stories like? What did they lean on in order to communicate, and why? Who were the first in their genre and the trendsetters for years to come?

October, we’re looking at the tools you can craft to set yourself up for success. We’ll be looking at the tools in Ley and Leigh’s toolkits, what they’ve found works for them, and how you can use ours or build your own. 

Whether writing or editing, think about the word “it.” Every time you see it on the page or feel compelled to write it, ask yourself if it can be defined. What is “it”? This will add depth to your moment as you write and clarity to your story as you edit.

Ley and Leigh have released their latest books!

Leigh’s novel, K/D Ratio, is the second in her Gamer Files series. Thea Dellis, professional esports gamer and cosplayer, is thrown into the spotlight after the events of Toxic. She soon learns crazy fans know no bounds. When the lives of everyone she cares about get pulled into the mix, she is forced to make a choice: her career, or her love. The book can be found here. 

Ley has released the entire Modakku Anthologies in one go. The three books follow a teacher as he sacrifices more than he ever knew he had to protect his last remaining student. The kidnappers are a ruthless, savage people bent on ensuring his student fulfills their culture’s prophecy. The books can be found here. 

If you want to let our community know what you’re up to, send us an email with links and tell us what’s happening with your writing!

We are pleased to announce that we now have a storefront for local authors in the Redding area. We’re located in the heart of the cultural district of downtown within the Gather Downtown building. We’ll be moving our writing club there and hosting signings with local authors. Both these events will be in the afternoons of the second Saturday of each month. Because we don’t charge a dime to the local authors with their  books on our shelves, we’ve opted to include a “Blind Date with a Book” section and merchandise from our Writing Roots Merch Store. Drop by and support local authors next time you’re in the Redding area!