Rebecca E. Reyes

@rebeccareyeswriting.com

4000 Followers 4925 Following

Usually she/they, but I'll take whatever pronouns you've got. Author & artist fantasy & science fiction, often blurring the line! My books: RebeccaReyesWriting.com Buy direct from the author: https://ko-fi.com/rebeccaevita/shop

A picture of Kofi's throbber on its tab, spinning away.
A picture of me, a 35-year-old woman, with graying black hair, glasses, and earrings, smiling at the camera. I have great cleavage in this blouse.
Kofi's website apologizing for too much traffic with their logo of a cup with a heart on it. Shapes re animated like steam coming out of the top. The page says says: Sorry! Ko-fi is getting a lot of traffic right now. Please try again in a few mins. Follow Our Twitter Support portal
Snippet from Flowers and Entomology: “Yes! One moment.” Whispers slapped the phone down and scuttled across his apartment. He had thick, round legs with barely any knee, so he crossed his rug at the speed of an eager tortoise. On a small side table, next to his current notebook, was a glass jar filled with wiggling blue larvae. Before procuring the object of his desire, Whispers took off his spectacles, purely worn for the scholarly aesthetic, and he pressed one of his black, smooth eyes against the glass to admire the baby Lunaris stagni, observing their blinking bioluminescence. He murmured, “Yes… You’ll have to go to the pond shortly,” while writing down his findings. They would be flying in a few days.
Incomplete colored pencil drawing of a snake woman with red hair and blue scales in her skin.
Snippet from Twisted Ivory: Passion’s Divide was a monstrous river that tore a natural boarder across the top of Southern Omera and the grand gated city of Hyacinthius. The towering stucco walls were surrounded by meticulously maintained flower gardens for miles. Rather than drive to the gates, Edgar followed road signs to a large gravel parking lot outside of the city. A finely dressed police officer guided the car to their spot. This made the end of the drive rather bumpy. Edgar got out and assisted Calliope first. Then Jacoby. Biscuit hopped down on his own. Jacoby followed Edgar and asked, “Where’s Thalia and Mr. Whistler?” Edgar was watching a different uniformed officer of the law when he replied, “Probably waiting within the gates. Victor’s car is over there.” He pointed, still guarding the siblings.
A screenshot of the Singing Woods from my world map. It's a jungle with a tree trunk and vine wall so dense, it's like breaching a fortress to get in. The canopy is like walking on solid ground, pooling lakes full of life on the surface. Unicorns and other bioluminescent life live within its cavernous shelter. Beside the singing woods, to the east, is Basalt Bay and the Gulf of Serpents. Basalt Bay is surrounded by hands drawn pillars of basalt in the hundreds and they took me forever to draw. Art by me, Rebecca Reyes
An orb on a pedestal with a quarter cut out of the sphere. Coming out of the cut are various gears, levers and wheels inspired by a tourbillon.
A maps of Zinnia and Alder University, where Prof. Whispers works. It's incomplete, so the sketch is still visible. So far completed is a fanciful winged gate adorned with snake, garden paths, Building 1 (Admission and Student Records) has a artful quill symbolizing its purpose, there's a large gate to the north, and a large moth with 5 eyes on its wings marks a shrine to Zinnia.
Snippet from Island In the Ink: Tarru couldn’t tell if he was joking, so he smiled with his reply. “I’d like to think I’d be a gentleman without four sisters.” “I had many siblings once too,” Gervis said. “My parents, being farmers, needed many hands.” Tarru chose not to pry. Gervis was from a couple generations ago. The loss of his siblings probably came with time. Tarru said, “I’m going to get back to work. Have a good night Mr. Riverton.” Before he could close his door, Riverton asked, “How do you navigate and what are we navigating towards? All I see is black water ahead.” “I have the stars,” Tarru explained. “Constellations slide in formation across the sky with the seasons, and some stars move on their own. Stars that travel their own path are called wanderers. With them, we’ve charted a loop through unknown waters and a path home when we’re done.”
My business card, where I had to correct my Bluesky user name with Sharpie and he'll pen because it's typed (my bad). I demonstrate with pokes and rubs that it won't smudge. My keyboard needs to be cleaned.
Screenshot of the options in LibreOffice, where I have instructions for turning on dark mode drawn in green.
A black and white digital drawing of a moth. Five eyes are on the wings, with one split between two bottom wings.
Selfie of me, a 35-year-old Apache and white woman in a yellow shirt. I have eyeliner, lipstick, and acne.
Snippet from Twisted Ivory: Edgar put his hand on the child’s shoulder. He said, “Boy, let an adult talk to this man. Don’t spill information on badges.” To the lawman, Edgar asked, “Ya need somethin’?” The officer was unfazed when he said to Edgar, “Yes. Is that unicorn actually this child’s familiar?” “Yeah,” Edgar gruffly replied. The policeman pulled a conjuration enchanted tool from his coat pocket called a detection stone. It was a black crystal within a metal pocket watch like mechanism. The moment Calliope saw the object, she turned away and stood prim with her hands squeezing her fan. When the officer pointed the device at Jacoby, the object’s jewel shined a fiery red for his elementalism, and a pale yellow your Biscuit’s holy magic. The officer then asked, “Why the muzzle?” Edgar answered before Jacoby could speak. “Biscuit only likes the boy. There’s enough impure folk in this city. We don’t want an accident. ‘Sides, the kid is joined at the hip with his familiar. We free to go?”
The title page for Flowers and Entomology in LibreOffice now that I figured out how to set up Dark Mode.
Microsoft refunding me for it's subscription. $129.
Two orange cats cuddling on a bed.
Snippet from a temporarily shelved novella called Jewels of Grace: Calliope’s dress wasn’t her usual Northern Omeran attire. Rather than a corset and underskirt of some kind, the silhouette of this wrap around, tasseled dancing dress was shaped by her skinny figure. She even convinced her big cousin to dress up too. Their body shapes could not have been more different. Thalia was a burly woman who normally wore men’s clothes in a scandalous trend called tomish. Thalia asked, “How little can I get away with before they ticket me?” “Are you not courting a priest?” Calliope asked. “I want Astrid to summon him to the dance!” Thalia tightened the wrap around her chest. Calliope hid her face. “That’s not… He’s a knight! Thalia…”
Snippet from Island in the Ink. Two fanciful compasses decorate the snippet. The text says: Once docked, Tarru found Javal and exhausted Mercius. Also on deck were the four mainlanders. Javal announced to everyone working and awake, “This is our last stop in civilized territory! Come tomorrow night, we sail two days until we’re beyond the Last Island South, and all we’ll have is the open ocean as we push away from the mainland.” Gervis asked, “Why not follow the mainland’s shore?” Javal said, “Rocks and smoke. You should have already been briefed on this before we left. I don’t want to sail above dragon filled active volcanoes.”
Snippet from Twisted Ivory with a picture of a decorated unicorn in a saddle bucking. The text says: While that happened in the background, Edgar stepped through the cage door and slid the parcel like an offering to a shrine. I was not divine, like humans often claimed, but Edgar pleaded on his knees. “Beast, I’m beggin’ ya. I know you’ve only healed children. I know she wasn’t the most pure, but I’ll plead with any pagan spirit right now. Can ya save her?”
The book cover for The Sarcophagus of Lamia Book 1, by Rebecca E Reyes The picture is of an ethereal blonde woman's resting face, laying back upon red velvet. She has a silver implant in her hair. In front of her is a round, gothic window with gold filigree. Leaves, faces and fish are in the filigree's design. Art by Elora Ladd
The book cover for Sigils of Malice, by Rebecca E Reyes The picture is of a magical, horned blue beetle with red eyes sprinkling glittering dust on magical technology lit by a blue gem. Art by Elora Ladd
A black and white picture of a baby island sea turtle with ferns, grass and a palm tree on its back. Art by Rebecca E Reyes
The book, Sigils of Malice, with arrows pointing to all of the awesome stuff in the book. Flawed, Masculine female MC The World's Smallest Unicorn Reluctant partnerships Magitek Science Fantasy Cactus Dryad Entomologist Tested Loyalties Unique 1910's worldbuilding Website is: www.RebeccaReyesWriting.com
The full, inky, black and white map for the Sigils books by Rebecca E. Reyes. It shows dozens of cities and landmarks in the Omeran Empire's five territories: Northern Omera, Southern Omera, Province of Alderia, the Kingdom of Delamar, and the Terralia Islands. Navikula has an unnatural fog of war. Omerans don't know what's over there anymore. Only what's just beyond the wall and on the southern shore. Way south is the Singing Woods, hiding Syneth, with lakes on the canopies where the southern border ends. Otherwise, the west is blocked off by mountains and the ocean seems endless, hence why it's called the Endless Ink. Beasts drawn on the map are a kraken in the water, a dragon among the basalt and volcanoes, a harpy automaton at the Navikulan Border Wall, unicorns in the Singing Woods, a calygreyhound in the Valley of the beasts, and a gloom spider in Navikula's void. There’s a big turtle with a jungle on her back in the corner. Art by me, Rebecca E. Reyes
Snippet from Island In the Ink: Within the icebox, Tarru discovered that his mother had purchased pineapple pie! She couldn’t punish him if he was leaving the next day. Tarru absconded with the dessert to the corner of the kitchen. Just as he procured a fork, the electric light clicked on. In the corner stood Anaida with little Laura in her arms. “I can explain,” Tarru said, placing the fork back into the drawer. “Child, I bought that for you. Take the fork back out,” Anaida said. Laura asked, “May I cake too?” “You may cake too,” Tarru said, lazily cutting his sister a crumbly piece.
My son reading to his great grandmother on a vintage couch. You can see me in the mirror with my uncle, taking the picture.
Snippet from Flowers and Entomology: Whispers interjected, “We should move the mantises into their more comfortable home quickly. Let’s start with the male, since his life is on the line. Dr. Grand, could you please hand me his box.” To his surprise, Whispers received the larger box. “Surely the female isn’t cramped in the little box?” Whispers asked. “Of course not!” Dr. Grant looked insulted. “She’s in the passenger seat. The little box is their food.”
Snippet from Flowers and Entomology: Whisper said, “You’re safe. It’s okay.” Sylvia noted, “There were no wards on your box. You could have escaped at any point. What were you promised for the journey?” Procreation! The insect was very excited about it, if not nervous. Sylvia pulled the homemade collar from her tool bag. She had crafted it from a leather belt, even punching out two small arm dents. Where the toggle buckle closed were two snaps. Separate from the rest of the attire, the hood was nothing more than a leather oval with the opposing snaps. The mantis would be safe if he cooperated.
An old AF Dell laptop with a broken screen. The cat jumped on the upper left, leaving a black circle on the screen and rainbow lines cutting through everything.
Snippet from Flowers & Entomology: “Good morning, Professor! What do you have there?” Zinnian asked. He was a young adult human with long black hair and a touch shorter than the more common variety of his species in the area. Since Zinnian was too smart for his lack of higher education, Whispers would normally of been eager to explain every detail about the juvenile arcane dragonflies, but he was running short on time. “My offspring, off to see the world in larger waters,” Whispers explained. “Please, pardon me, Mr. Driver, but I simply must be off! My colleagues are entrusting me to care for a highly endangered mating pair of mantises, and I need to meet with a contractor.” Zinnian asked, “Don’t mantises eat each other, Professor?” “They’re arriving in separate containers,” he assured him, adding, “It also depends on the species.” “How are they supposed to… mate?” All Whispers said was, “Carefully. In a controlled environment,” before rushing to the stairs.
Snippet from Flowers & Entomology: Whisper said, “You’re safe. It’s okay.” Sylvia noted, “There were no wards on your box. You could have escaped at any point. What were you promised for the journey?” Procreation! The insect was very excited about it, if not nervous. Sylvia pulled the homemade collar from her tool bag. She had crafted it from a leather belt, even punching out two small arm dents. Where the toggle buckle closed were two snaps. Separate from the rest of the attire, the hood was nothing more than a leather oval with the opposing snaps. The mantis would be safe if he cooperated.
The top of my Kofi page with a new banner. It says Sci-fi & Science Fantasy by Rebecca E Reyes The art is of a human skull and a dragon skull on a reed, purple, yellow and blue nebula/rainbow background. It sounds messy, but it's actually fairly minimal.
Snippet from the first draft of Jewels of Grace, a shelved work in progress: Grace, the imperial capital of the Omeran Empire, was falling to pieces because the Paladin Order of Dragon had gone rogue and bombed the capital. The upper districts were evacuated due to toxic mana flooding the grasslands, and the three remaining Orders were struggling to keep peace. It was the perfect time for a romantic holiday! Day of the Roses was every Astridante 28th, and it celebrated Astrid, Saint of Passion, spreading flowers throughout the empire in spring. Of course, Calliope was covered in yellow marigolds to contrast brilliant Lapis. Grace was a vertical, crescent shaped city carved into limestone cliffs, most of it hidden by the sun, but it was unsafe to light a celebratory bonfire within a cave. Since the badges were evacuating the rich dandies in the grasslands, lighting the pyre outside Caverns District Six was perfect! Calliope dress wasn’t her usual Northern Omeran attire. Rather than a corset and underskirt of some kind, the silhouette of this wrap around, tasseled dancing dress was shaped by her skinny figure. She even convinced her big cousin to dress up too. Their body shapes could not have been more different. Thalia was a burly woman who normally wore men’s clothes in a scandalous trend called tomish. Calliope was skinny, petite, and only owned fine dresses. Thalia asked, “How little can I get away with before they ticket me?”
Screenshot of Krita, an art program, with the symmetry tool turned on so I can draw a perfectly symmetrical grey eyed redhead.
Snippet from Sigils of the Abyss: Finally, after the long walk through the empty section of the library, in a hall that seemed to stretch forever, they came to two massive doors. Great in size, they were opened effortlessly by spider shades who only made themselves known for this task. The inner chamber was as dark as the Abyss, and they were greeted by a spirit who did not belong there. Astrid of Passion had changed since Omera burned her way south. The rebellious daughter was still an enormous woman with orchid petal skin and garb, glowing green eyes, many hidden arms, and silken white hair. Her petal-like dress now shined with blue and teal bioluminescence, and her lace was white ferns from the cave-like forest.
Snippet from Sigils of Blight: The lamps lit brighter, and people jumped out from under the tables. Not hearing what they shouted, or fully seeing everyone at first, Thalia pulled her whip and cracked it. Calliope appeared on the stage with Jacoby standing upon Biscuit. Seeing a party illegally after hours, Thalia grabbed her chest and took a deep breath. Once she realized what was going on, she burst into maniacal laughter. From being both tired and relieved, it was the only way she knew how to shake the adrenaline off. “You all right, girly?” Edgar came over to check on her. “I’ve seen that whip in action.” “It’s not my birthday until next month. What is this?” Thalia finally calmed down, flapping her hands. Looking around, she not only saw ex-servants and performers from the Enchanted Extravaganza, but faces, both familiar and new, from the Underground. Malakos was already enjoying the food and seemed the least concerned by the whip crack. He probably didn’t even hide under a table. Thalia became quiet, then repeated, “Ed, what is this?” “An excuse to get sloshed!” her father figure proudly announced. It seemed he meant to call it a ‘thank you’.
A pretty bisexual flag colored ad for my Kofi store which sells my books. Showcased are Sigils of Malice and The Sarcophagus of Lamia. The text says: Support an Indie Author Directly! I sell signed copies and ebooks of all my published work! Sigils of Malice is a THICK magiteck Science fiction fantasy thriller with cool critters The Sarcophagus of Lamia is a short Firefly and Dracula inspired medical sci-fi Both have autistic main characters and no AI. Web address below is ko-fi.com/rebeccaevita/shop
Microsoft Word wants to change the sentence, "Kinky was a concept that dryads didn’t share with animals," to "Kinky was a concept that dried dreads didn’t share with animals." I'm not sure why.
Snippet from Flowers and Enomology: Whispers placed the tray down on his low table. As a polite gentleman would, he poured the drinks, starting with Sylvia, then Zinnian, and finally himself, the host. “Thank you,” Sylvia whispered. Zinnian said, “Thanks, Professor. So, that stuff on the side of the building… Is all that for the mantises?” “Indeed!” Whispers said excitedly. “Sylvia had a wonderful idea for preventing the sexual cannibalism between the mantises, but we will have to work quick and carefully. Another reason to build the enclosure here.” “Sexual cannibalism?” Zinnian made a face. Expressions were a good way to decipher a human’s feelings, and this human was uncomfortable. Whispers said, “The females don’t eat the whole male. Just the head.” “Uhhh…” Zinnian almost spilled his tea. Whispers explained, “We’re going to put a collar on the male.” “Kinky,” remarked the human. Kinky was concept that dryads didn’t share with animals. Despite rumors to the contrary, sharing pollen was better for the plants seed stones bonded to. Dryads actually…
The book, Sigils of Malice, with arrows pointing to all of the awesome stuff in the book. Flawed, Masculine female MC The World's Smallest Unicorn Reluctant partnerships Magitek Science Fantasy Cactus Dryad Entomologist Tested Loyalties Unique 1910's worldbuilding Website is: www.RebeccaReyesWriting.com
Spiraling vines with light blue flowers, a single magenta flower, and little pink bugs on a yellow and orange background. Art my me, Rebecca E Reyes.
Screenshot of the art program Krita showing the portrait I'm working on of Admiral Typhonas from my Sigils books. She's a Terralian woman, meaning black in my books, with scars from a necromancer attack and a prosthetic arm. She's blind in one eye. The picture is incomplete.
Snippet from Sigils of Malice, with decorative background and a golden and lapis pegasus emblem in the corner. Art by Elora Ladd The text says: After Alderius helped her clean up and began leading her to his car, he heard her mumble. It blended in with Astrid’s song of permission. “What did you say?” he asked. Thalia raised her voice a little. “I said it’s not fair.” Alderius was concerned. “What’s not?” Still slightly giggly, Thalia tried composing herself, but she walked a bit tipsy. The whole time, she laughed and teased him. Alderius prepped himself for another immature joke, possibly about equine arcanafauna anatomy. Instead, at the car, Thalia finally said, “You know I can’t keep you.”
The full, inky, black and white map for the Sigils books by Rebecca E. Reyes. It shows dozens of cities and landmarks in the Omeran Empire's five territories: Northern Omera, Southern Omera, Province of Alderia, the Kingdom of Delamar, and the Terralia Islands. Navikula has an unnatural fog of war. Omerans don't know what's over there anymore. Only what's just beyond the wall and on the southern shore. Way south is the Singing Woods, hiding Syneth, with lakes on the canopies where the southern border ends. Otherwise, the west is blocked off by mountains and the ocean seems endless, hence why it's called the Endless Ink. Beasts drawn on the map are a kraken in the water, a dragon among the basalt and volcanoes, a harpy automaton at the Navikulan Border Wall, unicorns in the Singing Woods, a calygreyhound in the Valley of the beasts, and a gloom spider in Navikula's void. There’s a big turtle with a jungle on her back in the corner. Art by me, Rebecca E. Reyes
**Summary for parents** *The Sarcophagus of Lamia* contains graphic sex scenes including oral sex, frequent use of strong curse words, explicate LGBTQ+ romance and sexual relationships, mature themes of death and revenge, and intense graphic violence with bodily harm and death. This book is inappropriate for teens in families with stricter content preferences due to its explicate sexual content, profane language, prominent queer themes, and graphic violence.
Query on BookLens.org from Citizens for Decency regarding my book, Sigils of Malice. There's too much text to quote it perfectly for alt text, but I'll summarize. What BookLens got correct: My book contains profanity. I have a transmasc dryad and other LGBTQ characters. My main character is bi. A topic it covers is sexual assault. What is got sort of correct, and not right at all: There are no graphic sex scenes in the book. I'm fade to black out of anxiety and as a SA survivor. A sexual assault does take place, but the reader never sees it, but any survivor will know what happened. My content warning even tells you how to avoid it. The consensual sex scenes don't describe the act. They're just foreplay before the metaphorical curtains close.
Snippet from Flowers & Entomology: “Why are we capturing them?” she asked. “Preservation. I know. As dryads, we often try to let nature take its course, but so little is known about these stunning creatures. Their loss would be a devastating tragedy! I need an enclosure that gives them as much comfort as possible.” Whispers tapped his fingers together, worried. “How big is the female mantis?” “About the size of a human head.” “Tell me more about them while I start on the frame.” Whispers relaxed. “Certainly!” he shouted, his deep voice cracked back into its natural pitch on accident. He would solve that at home. Before rambling, he warned her, “We need to keep the couple separate. I don’t want the female to eat the male.” (( Small decorative picture of a ladybug on a leaf ))
Snippet from Sigils of Blight: The harpy had been cared for by Typhonas. She wore a gray, linen shirt, and skirt. Over that, Typhonas had fitted the doll with a turquoise and silver coat like her gifts to Thalia and Calliope. A long, black bicorn hid the machine’s bald head and shadowed her ceramic face. “Looking good, Songbells,” said Thalia. “Is Nerii or Typhonas with you?” Her bells rang, but words were not enunciated. To make things clear, Songbells pointed to the distant Leviathan’s Maw, then to the rockface. The massive vessel had to stay many miles out into the ocean, sending smaller ships to shore. Thalia saw boats coming towards land, but they were still a great distance out.
Snippet from Flowers & Entomology: Of course, on a sunny afternoon like this, plenty of people were out enjoying the day. Humans sat under shaded trees and umbrellas. Dryads basked like lizards, soaking in the solar bounty. Today was too humid for Whispers, but it must have been perfect for local plant folk. No heat could truly bother him, but being from the deserts of Delamar, he never needed extra moisture. On the shore to the park’s lake, Whispers carefully popped the lid for the curious eyes swimming around, and he set them free. Dryads didn’t cry, but stressed plant folk sprayed a fine pheromone that smelled like wet, cut grass. Watching each wiggle swim away, Whispers perfumed the area and almost forgot to record further notes in his little book. A dryad crept up beside him and spoke in a whisper. “Are you hurt?” Without looking up from his notes, Whispers clutched his thorned chest and said, “Just my seed stone. They grow so fast!” The scent grew stronger. Thankfully it was pleasant.
A Boston baked bean pot in a YouTube clip, where the lighting reflecting off of the brown and cream ceramic is making an evil grin.
A time lapse sketch of a bored wizard's apprentice slouching, their stave resting against their leg.
Grayscale sketch on a grey background of a slouching wizard's apprentice looking away from their book. Their stave is beneath the book, resting on their leg. Art by me, Rebecca E. Reyes
Content warning for Flowers & Entomology Flowers & Entomology is a prequel to Sigils of Malice. These books are intended for adult readers. Flowers & Entomology contains mild violence, pollination, and racism towards the dryads. Seriously. Of all my books in the Sigils universe, this is the tamest, but I needed a palate cleanser.
The book cover for The Sarcophagus of Lamia Book 1, by Rebecca E Reyes The picture is of an ethereal blonde woman's resting face, laying back upon red velvet. She has a silver implant in her hair. In front of her is a round, gothic window with gold filigree. Leaves, faces and fish are in the filigree's design. Art by Elora Ladd
An illustration of a dryad seed stone: a magical seed that is cyan and green with glowing orange speckles and purple highlights. It looks layered.
An orange cat in loaf mode, chilling on the back of a dusty, dark blue couch. He seems to be plotting.
Snippet from The Sarcophagus of Lamia: Book 1 — Selma made one desperate plea as fast as she could with the armed woman. “I knew nothing! The body is our only bargaining chip. Help me hook her, and we can escape together!” They needed an engineer anyway. May lowered her weapon. Without further words, she assisted Selma while the icy ground began crumbling from approaching vehicles. On her comms, Selma begged, “Reel us in! Reel us in!” Both women clinging to Esme’s escape pod were violently yanked from their abandoned quarantine tent and locked within the slammed shut airlock. While the lights and sprays for decontamination went off, the women clung to whatever they could grab. Loud engines and violent turbulence tossed everything around, except for the tightly hooked escape pod. Then gravity stopped. Soon, all was calm enough for Selma to float over to May and help her buckle into a seat. She then secured herself as well. Outer space’s silence masked the chaos that was probably still chasing them. Selma prayed that Andy’s skilled piloting was enough.
Snippet from Flowers and Entomology: “Yes! Let me grab my pen. One moment.” Whispers slapped the phone down and scuttled across his apartment. He had thick, round legs with barely any knee, so crossing his rug was at the speed of an eager tortoise. On a small side table, next to his current notebook, was a glass jar filled with wiggling blue larvae. Before procuring the object of his desire, Whispers took off his spectacles, purely worn for the scholarly aesthetic, and he pressed one of his black, smooth eyes against the glass to admire the baby Photuris stagni, observing their blinking bioluminescence. “Yes… You’ll have to go to the pond shortly,” he murmured, writing down his findings. They would be flying in a few days. Whispers then scurried back to his phone. Into the receiver, he asked, “Miss Drift, are you still there?”