A little more about Calandis…
While I will have a proper map made of Calandis, I wanted to detail the wonderful world I’ve created in writing to you all. Perhaps it’s just your cozy cup of tea.
Calandis, the world in which Wick and the Wandering Barge is set, is a weapons-free world. You may see some billysticks/truncheons/bully clubs, but there will be no guns, no canons, no swords, no flinging fireballs, no cloak and daggers. This is a world that is fundamentally at peace.
Wick And the Wandering Barge Audiobook is Live!
I have some unexpected but delightful news: ACX moved much faster than planned, and the audiobook edition of Wick and the Wandering Barge is officially live on Amazon and Audible today
The In-Between Spaces (My Style of Writing)
Not too long ago, I was introduced to the concept of “In-Between Places,” not to be confused with the books by several authors who detail the progress one’s life can take.
Cozy review of “The Spellshop” by Sarah Beth Durst
When it comes to cozy atmospheres, Sarah Beth Durst takes the cake. What could be wrong with a delightful cliffside cottage, a seascape, and a small hamlet on a remote island complete with spirit bears, talking plants, and the ability of a main character to cast simple spells to make trees and shrubs grow?
What does cozy fantasy mean to me?
When I started out writing my stories in 2016, I landed on Fantasy LitRPG. Finishing the Fjorgyn series taught me a lot. In particular, I wasn’t overly fond of writing stories where the characters weren’t narratively safe.
On Art, Story and Calandis
For the last two weeks, I have been in the throes of rebranding… everything. It is a happy and sad time, as I say farewell to LitRPG/Gamelit under RJ Castiglione, and start my new adventure publishing as RJ Casta, dedicating myself to “The Wandering Hearth Chronicles,” which will, I suppose, occupy the rest of my creative career, gods willing.
Cozy review of S.L Rowland’s “The Halfling’s Harvest.”
The story follows halfling and vineyard owner, Marigold Bramblefoot, a blue-haired visiting gnome named Poppy, and Marigold’s ever-present, often aggressive competition with a neighboring vineyard for the top spot in the annual Harvest Festival Wine Tasting competition.
Cozy Review: You Yeong-Gwang’s The Rainfall Market
I picked this up on Audible, and couldn’t stop listening to it from start to finish (when I was in my car, at least). It’s no wonder it was picked up by a Penguin Random House imprint, and the reviews on it, to me, don’t do it justice.
The Culture of Calandis
In creating Calandis, I wanted to create a realistic escape for myself and my readers.
I wanted it to remain familiar, but the best parts of familiarity. As such, I’ve created a world that is softer in ways beyond what Western civilization offers in 2026
AI Art is Theft.
Before the rise of ChatGPT, Gemini, and so, so many more generative-AI tools, Indie Publishing had a glaring problem that many empathized with: Fledgling writers wanted to get their work out there, but artists, cover designers, and editors were beyond their reach.
I've come a long way, and visual artists have supported me the entire time.
Not so long ago, I was a fledgling novelist with one title to my name. I had planned to quit my day job at the time in preparation for my husband and me having kids. One of us decided to stay at home, and it made sense for it to be me.