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The Blog

What Is Love

I have this thing I like to say any time the topic comes up: “I like my men like I like my books—fictional.” Because, really, what avid reader out there hasn’t at one time or another fallen in love with a fictional character? If you’re one of the Lucky People whose minds are able to translate words printed on the page into vivid images and scenes in your mind’s eye, it’s almost a foregone conclusion. And if you’re a writer on top of that, well… infer from that what you will. LOL The joke is meant to be funny, but it speaks to something much deeper: the love I have for books and writing. And I know I’ve talked about… Read More »What Is Love

Coming 2023: Shadow Hawk

I come to you today with an exciting announcement I’ve been keeping under wraps for quite a while: my next book release! It’s probably not one you were expecting. I wasn’t, either. It just kind of snuck up on me while I was too busy watching the horror show the world had become when the pandemic hit. But it’s one that has been at the back of my mind for years. Now that it’s finished, I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. Get ready, because later this year, the Shadows are coming back. SHADOW HAWK will be the 5th installment of the Blood & Shadows series, and will be followed by at least one more full-length novel. This one is a… Read More »Coming 2023: Shadow Hawk

Here’s The Thing… On AI and MidJourney Art

In recent months, I’ve seen a lot of controversy over this new thing called AI generated art. Did you know there’s now a title associated with it? An AI Artist is someone who uses one of these tools to generate art. I have seen cover artists call out someone for using AI-generated artwork for a book cover, and talk about how this would put a lot of people out of business. I am fully aware that what follows might get me into some trouble with the graphic artist community. But, as I’ve never been able to keep my opinionated mouth shut, I will keep going, anyway, because this is worth discussing. So, as I was reading about all this controversy, … Read More »Here’s The Thing… On AI and MidJourney Art

Happy Anniversary, Loser

Today marks the 12th anniversary of my first ever book publication. It comes at a pretty crappy time in my life. You can tell by the lack of activity here that I haven’t done much in recent… couple of years. At least not on the public side of things. I write this while riding the tail end of COVID and taking stock of what the hell I’ve been doing with my time. It’s not an easy answer. It’s also not something I find easy to share. In many ways, it feels like admitting defeat, when I’m still here, fighting the good fight. Just in a different way.  So WTF happened? Short answer: I burned out. Slightly longer answer: I burned… Read More »Happy Anniversary, Loser

person holding string lights photo

“Who are you?” The Concept of Self

In which I pose perhaps the most popular question that’s been puzzling philosophers, therapists, and all of us normal people pretty much since the moment we first saw ourselves in a semi-reflective surface. The question of identity. Read on if you dare…

Origins (or How Alianne Became a Writer)

Hello, hello! *taps mic* Is this thing working? It’s been a while, so…  Okay, first thing: If you didn’t know, production has finished on the Prince of Deceit audiobook and it’s now available wherever you get audiobooks. It’s so amazingly done by the talented Charlie Sanderson, who also narrated Dragonblood. You can check out the sample below. With this, the Dawn of Ragnarok series is well and truly finished. 🙂 It’s been a long journey, and I couldn’t be happier with how it’s turned out and where it ended. <3  Now I suppose it’s time to move on. But before I do that, I wanted to look back for a second. I am a huge proponent of “don’t forget your… Read More »Origins (or How Alianne Became a Writer)

Now Available and Coming Soon

Greetings and salutations! It’s been a while since I have blogged here, or anywhere, for that matter. That’s very much on purpose. I made a conscious decision to slow down this year, stop pushing myself. Why? Because I seem to be experiencing a serious case of burnout. And it’s not so much from writing, or publishing, but all the rest of it. The constant pressure to promotepromotepromote, market a bit, then promote some more. That’s not why I became a writer. It’s a necessary part of the publishing process, but it poisons the joy I get from creating new stories and sharing them with the world, and the more I have to do it, the less I want to write.… Read More »Now Available and Coming Soon

2020: Year in Review

I think we can all agree that this year didn’t turn out the way any of us planned. It’s definitely one for the history books, though. As I look back on the last 12 months, I recognize the darkness that seems to have encompassed the entire world. But I want to focus on the light and, for me, there was a lot of that, too. I have much to be grateful for… 1. I officially took on a new job. After a decade stuck in a dead end position, I finally managed to escape. It wasn’t easy. I’m not exaggerating when I say there were people actively doing everything they could to keep me in my place, but I broke… Read More »2020: Year in Review

Ragnarok is Coming. Soon…

Geez, Aly, way to bury the lead there… Nah, I made you all wait long enough. 😉 In case you missed it in the video, Prince of Deceit has an official release date: December 21, 2020. I hope you’re ready, because the end of this saga is going to get dark, bloody, and intense. And I didn’t realize it when I set the date, but it’s eerily fitting for this particular book. You see, December 21 is the day of the winter solstice, or Midwinter. It marks the longest night of the year, the end of the dark and the beginning of the return of the light. The dawn of a new age, so to speak. If you remember that… Read More »Ragnarok is Coming. Soon…

Authorly Update and Freebies

Greetings fellow Earthlings! I come to you with news and updates on the goings on in realm Donnelly.  First and foremost, I hope you’re all healthy and safe, wherever you happen to be around the globe. My state has issued a “Shelter in Place” order this week. Currently, it’s in place until April 7th, 2020, but I’m already hearing rumors that it may be extended longer. It’s a scary proposition but, given the news coming out of countries who imposed strict quarantines and those who didn’t, I think it’s the right move, and I sincerely hope it helps stop the spread of COVID-19.  My family and I are among the lucky ones. We’re all safe, healthy, and still employed, working… Read More »Authorly Update and Freebies