My Writing Blog

Writer of adult fantasy and contemporary fantasy SOUL-BOUND out May 28, 2024 —harpy quest fantasy, adult fantasy Header image by @oxiente 🌸 https://linktr.ee/hannahyeaman

[hannahyeaman]

Hello,

I'm an adult fiction author—fantasy and contemporary fantasy—and my debut fantasy releases May 28, 2024.

I initially got the idea for SOUL-BOUND in early April 2017, wanting to explore how a winged character would navigate their world without flight. But I didn't truly start writing it until January 2019 and now I'm finally pursuing publishing it!

Here's the gorgeous cover! Illustrated by the wonderful @oxiente, who has drawn Mika and Roshan a lot for me over the past few years. I'm really grateful that she took on this project. She delivered beyond my expectations! There are so many cute details! 🥺

PITCH

When a tsundere princess with healing magic loses her flight during her quest to heal corrupted crystal roots, she must depend on a charming vagabond's aid to help her before their avian world collapses to corruption.

SUMMARY

Avem, a continent inhabited by bird-like humans called Avians, consists of seven territories, each of which contains a crystal root: a treelike sanctuary preserving magic. Avians cannot wield the land’s magic themselves.

Except, Mika, the princess of Passíer. However, her father forbids her to use it out of concern for her safety.

Due to the expanding corruption from Cantio; a fallen territory under Passíer’s jurisdiction because of its damaged root, Zayn the militant king of Nyx, suggests Scorching Cantio. To avoid such a catastrophic outcome, Mika flees from home, determined to heal Cantio’s root herself.

In Cantio, she meets Roshan, a vagabond playing double agent to protect what’s left of his uncorrupted homelands. Upon noticing her pink feathers, unique for her specific species, he cautions her to leave before she’s captured and used as coin. She snubs his warning and is nearly taken captive.

During his efforts to help her, Roshan is wounded. Mika heals him with her magic, unintentionally and unknowingly bonding them together.

When the quest costs Mika’s wing and grounds her, she accepts Roshan’s offer to escort her across Avem to heal the damaged roots before corruption destroys their world.

If you like birb characters, the ship dynamic from Anastasia and Tangled, books like Dance of Thieves and The Girl at Midnight, and prose like Naomi Novik and Margaret Rogerson, then stick around 🩷

eBook pre-order link!

[hannahyeaman]

Made my first animation meme for my book characters. I'm not really used to digital art, so it was a fun challenge. I also haven't drawn Mika and Roshan in a few years from writing other books, so it was nice to draw them again 🩷

[hannahyeaman]

By any chance would any fans of these specific things below want to read a free ebook of my standalone epic fantasy SOUL-BOUND to read in exchange for honest feedback? I'm thinking of giving away ten or so copies depending on interest. I'd really appreciate any kind of feedback (DMs welcome)! 🥺

Due to the nature of the ebook gifting, it's US only for now, but other options may be available in the future! 🩷 Onto some fun stuff...If you like any combination of these below you might like my book.

🪶 XAYAH & RAKAN (birbs, grump x sunshine, power couple, what more can I say, lol)

🪶 TANGLED or ANASTASIA (royal x rogue traveling romance)

🪶 TORADORA (height difference, tsundere FMC—Mika is less abusive though), he's the caretaker and cook)

🪶 CHILUMI (though my birbs are not really enemies to lovers—they've been called that in some reviews but I see them more as strangers to lovers, height difference)

🪶 RANMA 1/2 (the banter and teasing, height difference, tomboyish FMC, the dueling, the denied feelings)

🪶 ELEMENTAL (stressed 24/7 girlie x go-with-the-flow guy, MMC does cry, he gets everyone to like him easily while she finds it difficult to connect, opposites attract)

🪶 RIO (more birbs but add in the chained together "bond" and similar ship dynamic)

🪶 MAYA AND THE THREE (sun and moon coded, their duel, brash FMC that leads to trouble)

🪶 FERNGULLY (lush setting, healing corrupted stuff)

🪶 ZOOTOPIA (quest, charismatic MMC x serious FMC, height difference, banter, the bonding over time into friendship—or more?)

🪶 MIRACULOUS LADYBUG (especially S1/S2 Ladynoir)

✨OTHER TROPES & MICROTROPES✨

🪷 HURT/COMFORT (she DOES lose a wing on page in detail, caretaking and consequences of this reflected on throughout book so it's not just there and done for shock factor. It's literally why I wrote the book lol).

🪷 ANIME INSPIRATIONS (kabedon, tsundere, etc)

🪷 NO SPICE (but lots of swoonworthy romantic tension!) [Mika is demisexual]

🪷 DANCE SCENE (this was both fun and challenging because adding in wings while dancing was interesting to write)

🪷 PLAYFUL LOVERS DUEL (in a ravine that's basically like the salt flats)

🪷 CUDDLING FOR WARMTH (or is it only for warmth???)

🪷 WEARING EACH OTHER'S FEATHERS (he won a bet)

✨SOUL-BOUND QUICK SUMMARY ✨

When a tsundere princess with forbidden magic loses her flight during her quest to heal corrupted crystal roots, she must depend on a charming vagabond's aid to help her before their avian world collapses.

✨BOOK COVER & FULL BLURB✨

Link to the Amazon kindle page since the first couple of chapters are available through the "Read sample."

Amazon.com: Soul-Bound eBook : Yeaman, Hannah: Kindle Store

If you've made it this far into the post, thank you for reading!! 💕

[hannahyeaman]

Some similar vibes and ships like Mika and Roshan ✨

[hannahyeaman]

Birbs are now available through Kindle Unlimited!! 🥳

If you enjoy adventurous books with immersive worlds and reverse sunshine and grump characters, please check it out!

Image text book snippet

Cool fingers deftly brushed my chin.

“You should watch that lingering gaze, Akim,” he said, tilting my head upward until meeting his cautious, but kind eyes. “Or I may mistake it for interest.”

Despite poison tainting him, he had the audacity to cant his head to the side with an entertained grin. Dawn’s darkness had not done his eyes justice. Soft greens and ocean blues glittered from strands of sunlight pooling through cracks in the burrow. A glint of mischief settled in them as his smile broadened.

I decided in that instant that I hated him and his pretty eyes.

SOUL-BOUND is an epic fantasy with a no spice slow-burn romance between harpy characters, featuring dynamics similar to TORADORA, TANGLED, and ANASTASIA.

🪶 Winged characters

🪶 Strangers-to-lovers

🪶 Height difference

🪶 Dance scenes

🪶 Adorable banter

🪶 Tsundere/grumpy FMC x sunshine MMC

🪶 Royal x rogue trope

🪶 Adventure fantasy

🪶 No spice SLOW-burn romance

🪶 Immersive, atmospheric prose

🪶 Lover's duel

🪶 Hurt/comfort

🪶 Dual POV

Soul-Bound [Yeaman, Hannah, Yeaman, Hannah] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Soul-Bound

[hannahyeaman]

What inspired your current book (published or WIP)?

In April 2017, League teased "The Harpy and the Phoenix." A lot of people at the time theorized it as a new Quinn skin, haha, but it ended up being dual released champions.

Lovers.

I was instantly curious as to why they only had one wing, so I started jotting down ideas for a story. I only wrote a very short clip at the time, but I revisited the concept in January 2019. Initially, Roshan was a lackadaisical guard and both he and Mika lost a wing. Opposite wings. But as I wrote and edited, it was no longer necessary for him to lose a wing, so I decided against that. Roshan was also supposed to be corrupted by the end of book one (when it was a duology), but then Riot released (corrupted) Star Guardian Xayah and Rakan in September 2019, so I axed that path too. As much as SOUL-BOUND started from X/R (primarily this particular teaser), it's not a fan fiction.

Mika's not a rebel. She's a sheltered princess like Rapunzel from Tangled. She's brash. Tsundere (thanks to watching Toradora during revisions). She's on a quest to heal her corrupted world and just so happens to meet a very charismatic vagabond. Roshan is largely based off my husband in a lot of ways. He's the golden retriever in our black cat/golden retriever relationship, so I made Roshan the sunny one.

I gave them a sun and moon dynamic to help name them. Their meet cute happens in a tavern because of Taylor Swift’s song "Gorgeous" since Roshan has ocean blue eyes and Zayn was originally Mika's betrothed.

Anyway, they've been my passion project for 5 (technically 7?) years and finally published them! I hope it reaches others and finds its audience. I hope if you're a Xayah and Rakan admirer and give their book a chance, you like them too.

[hannahyeaman]

Considering my book [SOUL-BOUND] being a traveling/quest book, I definitely wanted a map to accompany it. I really wanted something whimsical to match the setting of their world. After quite a bit of research, I found Amy on Etsy, or ae.paperart on Instagram. They were wonderful to work with and added so many details that I wanted. I'm so thankful they took the time to create such a beautiful map! 💕

~The sun and moon compass to illustrate their dynamic.

~The birbs on opposite corners to represent Mika and Roshan's birb species, house finch and kingfisher.

~The bottom left is a collection of items on their person or gathered along their adventure, which I thought would be a neat detail for the map! It's her ribbon, his scarf he always wears, some currency coins, their heart feathers, and an abalone shell he gives her.

~The vine/branch border for the nature aspects of the book (and the purpose of healing corrupted roots)

[hannahyeaman]

What are some things you're tired of seeing in books?

What are some things you want to see more in books?

[hannahyeaman]

What are some of your favorite book reads (old or new)? Recommendations? I read mostly fantasy, but contemporary is nice too (especially contemporary fantasy). Indie certainly welcome!

Cities of Smoke and Starlight has been my favorite indie read this year, along with its sequel Realms of Wrath and Ruin. I binged these within a couple of weeks and I'm super looking forward to book 3. The FMC is a scholar while the MMC is a pilot (of a hover ship!). I highly recommend it if you're a fan of Treasure Planet (MMC gives off major older Jim Hawkins vibes), slow burn and no spice, The Mummy, Atlantis (ensemble cast quest), Anastasia, enemies to lovers, hidden heritages, Star Wars, and steampunk/sci-fi fantasy worlds.

On Wings of Ash and Dust is YA, but I enjoyed it. It's like Hunger Hanes, but with royal fairies. There are different clans where the deadly trials take place. The FMC is a rebel who turned pirate, but is forced into the trials. No spice. Adorable romance. Really cool ensemble cast where the other characters don't feel like cardboard cutouts.

[hannahyeaman]

Looking for a slowburn epic fantasy with unique characters (harpies!), dual POV, no spice, a lush setting, anime inspiration, and more?!

✨ SOUL-BOUND is available now in paperback and ebook ✨

When a tsundere princess with forbidden magic loses her flight during her quest to heal corrupted crystal roots, she must depend on a charming vagabond's aid to help her before their avian world collapses.

Think TANGLED and ANASTASIA's royal x rogue dynamic with the traveling romance like DANCE OF THIEVES meeting the healing, atmospheric setting of FERNGULLY.

🪷 SOUL-BOUND SUMMARY 🪷

Avem, a continent inhabited by bird-like humans called Avians, consists of seven territories, each of which contains a crystal root: a treelike sanctuary preserving magic. Avians cannot wield the land’s magic themselves.

Except, Mika, the princess of Passíer. However, her father forbids her to use it out of concern for her safety.

Due to the expanding corruption from Cantio; a fallen territory under Passíer’s jurisdiction because of its damaged root, Zayn the militant king of Nyx, suggests Scorching Cantio. To avoid such a catastrophic outcome, Mika flees from home, determined to heal Cantio’s root herself.

In Cantio, she meets Roshan, a vagabond playing double agent to protect what’s left of his uncorrupted homelands. Upon noticing her pink feathers, unique for her specific species, he cautions her to leave before she’s captured and used as coin. She snubs his warning and is nearly taken captive.

During his efforts to help her, Roshan is wounded. Mika heals him with her magic, unintentionally and unknowingly bonding them together.

When the quest costs Mika’s wing and grounds her, she accepts Roshan’s offer to escort her across Avem to heal the damaged roots before corruption destroys their world.

✨ Links in bio! ✨

[hannahyeaman]

Read More ⬇️

SOUL-BOUND is an epic fantasy with a no spice slow-burn romance between harpy characters, featuring dynamics similar to TORADORA, TANGLED, and ANASTASIA.

🪶 Winged characters

🪶 Strangers-to-lovers

🪶 Dance scenes

🪶 Adorable banter

🪶 Tsundere/grumpy FMC and sunshine MMC

🪶 Royal and rogue trope

🪶 Adventure fantasy SLOW-burn romance

🪶 No spice

🪶 Immersive, atmospheric prose

🪶 Lover's duel

🪶 Hurt/comfort

🪶 Dual POV

🔗 In bio

[hannahyeaman]

My book is officially out now!

Adventure! Harpies! Touch-starved characters! Sun and moon dynamic! Slow-burn romance! Tsundere princess and sunshine vagabond!

Similar books

Dance of Thieves

Dark Water Daughter

The Bird and the Blade

Cities of Smoke and Starlight

Even the Darkest Stars

Spinning Silver

Song of the Current

The Girl at Midnight

Similar movies/shows

Tangled

Anastasia

Toradora

Elemental

Fern Gully

The Princess and the Frog

Maya and the Three

Amazon.com: Soul-Bound eBook : Yeaman, Hannah: Kindle Store

[hannahyeaman]

My book is finally available! Five plus years drafting, revising, editing, planning and it's finally an actual book now!

If you're looking for an epic fantasy along the lines of Dance of Thieves and Dark Water Daughter with atmospheric prose like Margaret Rogerson and Naomi Novik featuring harpy characters with a royal x rogue dynamic and a no spice slow-burn romance, then possibly check out my book.

SOUL-BOUND may be for you if you like:

Amazon.com: Soul-Bound eBook : Yeaman, Hannah: Kindle Store

[hannahyeaman]

SOUL-BOUND is out tomorrow!!

One of my favorite scenes is the market dance. I enjoy a good dancing scene, but most certainly when it shows the growth in the relationship and falls into the story naturally. I love the gamble that set up the scene too, haha.

For Mika and Roshan, the dancing is also about their trust and comfort with each other. He's flashy and confident, but patient and supportive. He's been wanting to dance with her for a good while by the point it happens.

It's the first time she's danced since the loss of her wing. It's a moment where she finally gives into the present and has fun.

Image quote: "To be fond of dancing was a certain step towards falling in love." —Jane Austen

[hannahyeaman]

Just a little over a week until birbs are released. They've been a part of my life for over five years so it's kind of surreal that they're finally getting published. I recently finally got to hold their book too! 🥺

Stay tuned if you like:

🪶 Birb/humanoid/winged characters

🪶 Strangers-to-lovers

🪶 Dance scenes

🪶 Adorable banter

🪶 Tsundere/grumpy FMC and sunshine MMC

🪶 Royal and rogue trope (Tangled/Anastasia)

🪶 Adventure fantasy SLOW-burn romance

🪶 No spice

🪶 Immersive, atmospheric prose

🪶 Lover's duel

🪶 Hurt/comfort

🪶 Dual POV