About the author
Hi everyone, I'm Keene!
As a humble rural Englishman, I grew up amongst the rolling Mendip hills in Somerset. I was a voracious reader when I was younger, often staying up well past my bedtime, reading until I fell asleep with book in hand. I devoured novels, reading constantly. I remember re-reading the Harry Potter series again and again just to get to the point where Harry begins his own Defence Against the Dark Arts lessons in the Room of Requirement. To young Keene, that was awesome!
Despite wanting to be an author growing up, I never seriously tried to write anything beyond half-finished chapters and random ideas. Every time I tried to write, I just couldn’t keep going. Something was stopping me. I grew up and the author-dream faded into the realm of childhood fantasy. I went to university to study Computer Science. However, I was a terrible student and spent more time at the Student Union playing pool than attending lectures. It was during these university years when I rediscovered my love of reading, this time in the form of light novels. I graduated and eventually got a job as a web developer at an e-commerce company. I kept reading, and discovered ScribbleHub and RoyalRoad where I was exposed to a whole new world of chapter-by-chapter serialisation.
It was these serials that kept me sane as I slowly burned out during my job as a programmer. Looking back, I think my creativity and active imagination, borne from countless hours spent with a nose in a book, was the root cause of frustration when programming professionally. My natural creative process was constrained by poorly structured codebases and slow, bureaucratic management that resisted feedback from senior developers. (A common story for many programmers!)
I finally quit when things got too bad. I was at a rather low point mentally and physically. It was a few weeks after my last day at work that I decided to sit down and write something on a whim. It was that afternoon that Amelia Thornheart came to be, seemingly when I needed her the most. Vivid and clear in my mind, I could see her and Serena go through their scenes. It didn’t feel like I was telling them where to go or what to say, rather, I was watching them live their adventures and I was merely along for the ride, doing my best to document the shenanigans.
Through writing Amelia Thornheart, I found out why my previous attempts at writing had all failed. I realised that despite my analytical mind that worked well when writing code, I wasn’t a planner when it came to writing fiction. Every time I had tried to write before, I’d attempted to frame each scene within a well-structured plan, trying to see the whole picture at once. Little did I know that I needed to be a gardener—someone who could nurture his characters, let them grow, and see what happened.
I wrote the first 65 chapters, around 250,000 words, before launching my Patreon and becoming a professional writer. Since then, I’ve continued to follow Amelia and the colourful cast of characters, recently crossing the 700,000-word mark. I’ve recently, with the help of an editor and members of the community, put together Book One, which is doing better than I expected!
I fully expect the series to cross two million words before it’s done!
Being able to write something for thousands of wonderful readers who I regularly interact with through the series Discord or comments is infinitely more satisfying than writing code for a monthly salary. I have full creative control, and just as important, the trust of my readers who are just tremendously supportive in so many ways.
So let’s raise a cup of Jimari coffee, pet the local peeka, and find somewhere cosy to see what shenanigans Amelia is going to get into next!
And, as always,
Til next time!
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Start Here / Reading the Series
The series follows the titular character, Amelia. After spending years with a mysterious illness in a hospital on Earth, Amelia passes the time by levelling her demonic combat mage in a popular online game. The story starts when she wakes up in the body of her game character, seemingly with all the overpowered abilities she’d painstakingly levelled up. Cured of her affliction, Amelia is determined to explore this world with optimism and cheerfulness.
No. Despite the mysterious link between her new body, abilities, and the game she played, the series is not a LitRPG. While there are progression elements, there is no System or levelling in the traditional LitRPG sense. The world Amelia finds herself in is not virtual, but a real, fantastical world of demons and airships.
You can read the series on Scribble Hub, Royal Road, and Patreon.
Yes, the vast majority of chapters (95%+) are free on the above platforms. If you reach the end of the free chapters and want to support my writing while reading Patreon-exclusive chapters, you can become a patron and reap those rewards!
Stubbing is a consequence of an author putting their work on Amazon KU (Kindle Unlimited). Amazon requires the work to be “stubbed” elsewhere: most chapters are removed, leaving only the opening few and directing readers to Amazon to purchase the book. While Amelia is on Amazon, it is not part of KU, so it will not be stubbed and will always be available to read elsewhere.
Not yet! It’s a work in progress!
About once a week, with an average chapter length of 4,000 words. As the series has grown to hundreds of thousands of words, I need to be more careful and thoughtful with each chapter to pay off previous narrative points and remain consistent with what’s already been established. I hope to increase the frequency, but I am notoriously inconsistent! Sorry, dear readers!
Even as we cross the 700,000-word mark, I do not think we are halfway yet. I expect the series to cross 2,000,000 words, to let it all breathe.
Once all is done, I’m expecting there to be at least 15 books in the finished series.
Content, Tone & Reader Expectations
Yes. The series is sapphic. Amelia very quickly finds herself enamoured by the stern female demon captain, Serena.
No, the relationships are monogamous.
The series is fundamentally written to be an enjoyable, happy, and humorous reading experience. That said, it is set in a world of imperial ambitions and budding religious and racial conflicts. It explores themes of war, racism, and sexism in several ways, none of which are gratuitous.
No. The threat of such actions has been implied in the narrative, but I do not intend to include scenes of rape or sexual assault. This theme is intentionally avoided so the series can remain light and entertaining at its core.
There are what I call “light spice” scenes, but these are not gratuitous smut scenes. Of course, everyone’s tolerances and opinions on what qualifies as “light spice” vary. Some readers have found it too much for their taste, and others painfully too little.
Patreon & Early Access
Patreon is seven chapters ahead of the free chapters. This translates to about 28,000 words.
Along with more chapters, supporters get access to wallpapers and my other series in the works: a sapphic vampire LitRPG. Highlords and above get Book One for free, while Greatlords can work with me to name a character—or something else—in the story.
Books, Editions & Publishing
The published books refine the free web serial further. I give the text an additional editing pass, cleaning up inconsistencies and smoothing narrative creases. The manuscript then goes to a professional editor, followed by three proofreaders. The result is the best version of the text so far.
Not particularly. While small changes are made to better foreshadow or set up narrative themes, the broad plot points remain the same.
Nope 🙂
Yes, I plan to offer a print version in the future.
Yes, eventually. Like the published book, I want to put it together myself by finding and hiring an appropriate narrator. It’ll be hard to find the right voice for the series, but I’m sure I can do it!