Welcome!
One of the greatest blessings I have ever received is the desire and drive to write. Words are like magic to me; they can be intangible as a cloud and as powerful as a sledgehammer. They can be woven into comfort or brandished like a weapon. Words, dear reader. . . words have power.
My writing journey began, like that of many elder millennials, with angsty poetry scrawled in a Lisa Frank notebook, with shamefully awkward fanfic, and an attempted foray into songwriting. All of those efforts are buried in my basement somewhere, and woe to the one who finds and opens that Rubbermaid bin. The ills of the world lie therein. It’s essentially a Pandora’s box of cringe lit.
But I kept going.
And here I am now.
My debut novel is a gorgeous, 100K+ word behemoth, a cozy-and-quirky fantasy romance that takes place in the world of Argodoth, where magic is commonplace, but integrity is rare.
A Sampler Platter of Motifs in My Work
- **Inversion and Subversion of Tropes:** We all love a good “touch her and die” moment, but I enjoy playing with accepted genre tropes, letting my characters experience them in unexpected ways.
- **Relatable, Genuine Characters:** From the scrawny half-orc bard to the mysterious Faerie Queen, you will be able to see friends and family (and maybe a bit of yourself) in the denizens of Argodoth.
- **True-to-Life Dialogue:** Trained in both language and drama, I’ve enjoyed creating conversations that are just as awkward, earnest, and hilarious as the ones you might have with your own co-workers, family, and friends.
Where did The Misfit Guild Come From?
Although I’ve written on and off for over thirty years, several factors (not the least of which is ADHD) have made it almost impossible for me to finish projects I begin. I am, in spirit, a crow – distracted by the next shiny thing and claiming it loudly, with little regard for the last shiny thing I had to have.
In April of 2023, my friend (who would later become my cover artist!) suggested I read A Court of Thorns and Roses. I had the entire series finished in eight days.
Wait! Come back!
I know ACOTAR isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but I will always be grateful to SJM for reawakening my love of reading and for inspiring me to sit my butt down and create my own fantasy word (which, coincidentally, contains no shadow daddies and no moody bat boys, just FYI).
The initial draft of The Misfit Guild was completed in nine months, and, eventually, after serious rewrites, I decided to self-publish. Truth is, I can’t risk an agent or publisher wanting to tweak my story. It’s important to be told exactly as I’ve shared it. I want its readers to experience hope and healing without third-party intervention.
So, after you read it, let me know if I’ve achieved that goal, will you?
Written by R. Linn Curtis