<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Castellia Dane]]></title><description><![CDATA[Castellia Dane]]></description><link>https://castelliadane.wixsite.com/castelliadane/blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Sun, 26 Apr 2026 09:50:40 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://castelliadane.wixsite.com/castelliadane/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[What Is Gaslamp Fantasy? A Beginner-Friendly Guide for Readers]]></title><description><![CDATA[If you’ve ever finished a book and thought, I want more stories that feel like old buildings, lamplight, and secrets people are trying very hard not to say out loud, then you might already be looking for gaslamp fantasy. 	It’s one of those subgenres people recognize when they feel it, even if they’re not always sure what to call it. In my case, I wrote it before I even knew there was a name for it. So, What Is Gaslamp Fantasy? 	Gaslamp fantasy is fantasy with an old-world feel that usually...]]></description><link>https://castelliadane.wixsite.com/castelliadane/post/what-is-gaslamp-fantasy-a-beginner-friendly-guide-for-readers</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69e4122f66edabdde711feac</guid><pubDate>Sat, 18 Apr 2026 23:36:39 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Castellia Dane</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Now I Wait....]]></title><description><![CDATA[I sent my draft to beta readers today. And I immediately wanted to throw up a little. Not because I think it’s bad. Because it’s mine. This story has lived in my head for years. I know every thread, every quiet setup, every moment where I planted something that won’t pay off until much later. I know why Mrs. Harrow pauses in that hallway. I know why the Ledger slams shut. I know what it costs Elsie to say no when it would be easier to bend. And now other people are going to read it. Not as...]]></description><link>https://castelliadane.wixsite.com/castelliadane/post/now-i-wait</link><guid isPermaLink="false">699b26cb33aebccb4869b819</guid><pubDate>Sun, 22 Feb 2026 16:01:15 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Castellia Dane</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Update on The Soul of the Stacks prequel project.]]></title><description><![CDATA[I am no longer “writing a book.” I am finishing a world. And that’s both thrilling and exhausting in equal measure. The full draft exists.  A complete beginning-to-end arc. From Mrs. Harrow walking that hallway in Chapter 1, to Elsie stepping into her role, to the wartime strain that distorts but does not break it. Now...Edit...Edit...Edit. While this manuscript tightens, something else happened. The Soul of the Stacks  broke into the Top 100 Gaslamp Fantasy in the India Amazon market. That’s...]]></description><link>https://castelliadane.wixsite.com/castelliadane/post/update-on-the-soul-of-the-stacks-prequel-project</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6995bae29910c1b83a69d796</guid><pubDate>Wed, 18 Feb 2026 13:16:33 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Castellia Dane</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Cost of Silence: On Silent Battle by Olivia Paisley Troy]]></title><description><![CDATA[Some books ask you to feel. This one demands that you witness. Reading Silent Battle  felt like sitting in a room where the air grows heavier with each page, not because the writing falters, but because the truth does not look away. What unsettled me most was not simply what happened to Olivia Paisley Troy as a child. It was how many adults stood within reach of the situation and failed to intervene. Teachers. Family. Community. Opportunities appeared like open doors. And one by one, they...]]></description><link>https://castelliadane.wixsite.com/castelliadane/post/the-cost-of-silence-on-silent-battle-by-olivia-paisley-troy</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6995b682658df599f4faf70b</guid><pubDate>Wed, 18 Feb 2026 13:10:55 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a0797c_cbb2c1ece80041c6ac820ac94fdb6c03~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_971,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Castellia Dane</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[I decided to do something fun]]></title><description><![CDATA[Sometimes I stumble upon an idea that I just love, and then my mind won't let go till it's done. That is what happened with the short stories collection that I released around Christmas...I am knee deep in the prequel for The Soul of the Stacks but my brain wanted to write a Waystation Christmas story...so I did...and then I wrote two others because I could. Fast forward, I am still working on the first draft of the prequel.  I have roughly 80% of it done and you would think that would make...]]></description><link>https://castelliadane.wixsite.com/castelliadane/post/i-decided-to-do-something-fun</link><guid isPermaLink="false">696c4097482610fa28958d2a</guid><pubDate>Sun, 18 Jan 2026 02:21:38 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Castellia Dane</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[So...I Am Knee Deep in a Prequel]]></title><description><![CDATA[My original goal for The Soul of the Stacks  was for it to be a full novel. It was a very lofty goal for someone who has never sat down to write anything.  That being said, I am very pleased with how The Soul of the Stacks  turned out, but it became a novella instead of a full novel.  That was okay, it felt right.  I didn't want to add words just for the sake of adding words. When I decided I was pleased a published it though I knew I didn't want to bring this world to a close.  There was so...]]></description><link>https://castelliadane.wixsite.com/castelliadane/post/so-i-am-knee-deep-in-a-prequel</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69260973933da9c9fc5d2553</guid><pubDate>Tue, 25 Nov 2025 20:01:25 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Castellia Dane</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why Sir Chompengton Is Almost The Hero Of The Story]]></title><description><![CDATA[Every story has the obvious heroes—the ones who make the choices, face the fears, and stand in the spotlight whether they like it or not. 	And then… there’s Sir Chompengton. 	Small. Determined. Dressed like a Victorian accountant who wandered into the wrong century. He doesn’t look like the backbone of anything. But if you watch closely, he becomes the quiet thread holding everything steady. 	He’s not the hero because he saves the day with big dramatic gestures. He’s the hero because he’s...]]></description><link>https://castelliadane.wixsite.com/castelliadane/post/why-sir-chompengton-is-almost-the-hero-of-the-story</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6919f548560695af7d2e3eee</guid><pubDate>Sun, 16 Nov 2025 16:03:05 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Castellia Dane</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>