INDIE TAKEOVER 01 - JULY 2022
A.S. Etaski
Self published author
Website
From
The US
Social media
A Bit About Me
I was an inquisitive and analytical child, and my family encouraged self-
reliance and critical thinking throughout life. To satisfy this itch, I studied
everything I could (formally and not so formally), searching for a focus and a
passion: paleontology, biology, archaeology, anthropology, theology, comics,
movie making, stage theater, music, languages and culture, history, geography
and politics, gender and sexual behavior.
I kept going. I had no focus, no single passion. Much later, my brother
quoted something that applied to me: “Human knowledge and technology help
determine how we live. Our art helps determine why we live.”
My only outlet which satisfied a long-term focus was creative writing. I
enjoy epic fantasy more an any other genre because the stories I longed to tell
were too large in scope to fit in standalone novels. In an epic fantasy series, I can
weave broad interests into a whole tapestry with a high view alongside the
intricate details build up from the ground. In sharing that work, I might be able to
entertain and communicate at the same time. That’s why I live.
I was never a gifted speaker, but I noticed others could hear my voice when
I write. I also noticed people willing to be entertained by it paid more attention
when I included challenging themes and frank and flexible philosophies about
human sexuality as part of the whole fabric. The characters’ every impulse,
choice, and reflection changed the story. Those choices and situations weren’t
always safe ones.
Without doubt, my work is too dark for some, but it has never been devoid
of hope. After all, knowledge determines how I write, but art determines why I
live.
Watch my interview
with A.S.Etaski here
Writing Career, tips, and advice.
1990s
I began six novels in high school. I finished three of them. They were awful, but I was proud of them. I keep the only existing print-outs in a box as a reminder of where I began. You’ve heard of “first-year mistakes”? Yeah, I made them all but I could only see it later.
2000 - 2005
College and new adult life curtailed creative writing. A chaotic time of pure life experience that could not be analyzed in the moment. I wrote a couple of short stories. They were a struggle. I mourned the possibility I’d peaked in high school and novel-writing would never return.
2005 - 2007
I wrote free sexy stories online, tried a few different genres, and finished a 3-
million-word fantasy epic. I started with lots of fan fiction based in known settings and universes. I learned the value and challenge of sorting through anonymous feedback, of finding and connecting with like-minds, and I learned to understand and maintain my own boundaries as a writer online. I learned how to choose collaborators who lifted me up, and disconnect from those who held me down with a smile. No one writes in a vacuum; all those surrounding a writer make their impact.
2008 - 2017
An online roleplaying game opened an unexpected creative spigot: I turned Player Character backstory turned into a 130-page novella with explicit sex to better explore the world and character. My new husband enjoyed it and was willing to read more! I’m overjoyed! The game fizzled, but I wrote the character’s entire life in 250,000 words. I loved epic scopes and still struggled with “short” stories because the “view” always got too big in my head. I learned to just keep building on what I’d done before and don’t fight the muse.
2018
I am going through the entire epic in a comprehensive rewrite and publishing the Sister Seekers as an independent author. With the support of my Patreon, my first published novel, “No Demons But Us” kicks off the Sister Seekers epic!
2019
Books 2 & 3 published, completing my first trilogy.
2020
Books 4 & 5 published, raising the scope and the stakes higher.
2021
Book 6 published, completing the second trilogy. With the support of my
husband, gain the ability to write full-time for the first time in my life.
2022
Book 7 published, a fantasy of manners, and my longest one yet!
Present day
Book 8 in progress. Going through this journey again with a clear vision
and familiar characters in a fully developed world feels like the rebirth of a better and wiser self.
Let's Get Reading!
THE SISTER SEEKERS SERIES
No Demons But Us (Sister Seekers Book 1) Dark Fantasy Horror
Click the title to buy.
Blurb:
I am too young to be trapped in the most wretched spot of any scheme: accused of killing the Matron's heir. Dark Elves live for intrigue in our underground city of Sivaraus, and justice means nothing to the Sisterhood that enforces the Queen's edict. Yet, I know the rules bend for the cunning and the bold, if only I can seize on the aspirations of those who succeeded before me.
I must confront what lies beneath the ravening eyes of the Sisterhood, for they will give me no choice. I must discover that which is unspoken as they gaze at me. If I would thrive in pervasive webs of conspiracies, I must fight to reweave my place within them.
In No Demons But Us, A.S. Etaski spins the first threads of an intense and epic tale, in which the trials of a young Davrin test her resolve to rise from the depths of the fear and hatred tearing her down.
Sister Seekers is an adult epic fantasy series with an ever-broadening scope, perfect for fans of entwined plots, challenging themes, elements of erotic horror, and immersive worldbuilding. Sexuality and inner conflict play into the character growth with nuance, intrigue, action, and fantastical magic. The series begins underground with an isolated race of Dark Elves whose intricate webs first ensnare then catapult us to places a Red Sister can only imagine in her dreams.
Read With Us!
The Indie Takeover is all about supporting an indie author from the Writing Community. If we all buy into this then we can make an indie authors month. Imagine many of us following their social accounts, buying, reading, and reviewing their books. It could be a significant boost in their writing career. Imagine if the next indie author is you!
Simply follow our Indie Takeover page on Twitter to be in with a chance of being the chosen one.
PLEASE REMEMBER TO SUBMIT A REVIEW AND LEAVE SOCIAL PRAISE/FEEDBACK.
If you would like to donate to our PayPal account, you will be helping this show to support authors. We buy books and promote them socially. With your help, we can help market them!
THE WCCS - TOGETHER AS ONE, WE GET IT DONE.