L.L. Stephens
LightNews LightNews
banner
triempery.bsky.social
L.L. Stephens
@triempery.bsky.social
1.8K followers 570 following 2K posts
L.L. Stephens, author of epic fantasy Triempery Revelations series and other SF&F fiction. SFWA member. Player of board games and painter of minis!
Posts Replies Media Videos
triempery.bsky.social
#WIPSnips The word for November 14 is WEEK

The Triemperal "week" is roughly the same as our world's. This snip presents an interlude between the battles behind our gang and the battle still to come. Hans enjoys a lighter moment with his friends.
#WritingCommunity #WriteSky #Triempery
Screenshot of a text excerpt from the first chapter of THE RILL LORD, sixth and final book (April 2026) of the Triempery Revelations series by L.L. Stephens. Snip shows some of the characters enjoying a bit of peace and fun between the battles behind them and the battles yet to be fought. Aubrey laughed as Hans swung her down, her skirt swirling off the fence. Someone hailed them, and they looked around to see Arne and Fran hurrying down the road from the stables and barracks. Both wore the gear of men ready to ride out. For the first time in weeks, Arne looked rested and unharried. The war they’d waged across Dazunor had taken away some of the weight the young man had put on in Amallar and the beard he’d let grow out since Rainill lent a new maturity to his face. Hans noted the confidence in his young friend’s approach and approved. If Khelds were ever to be lords, they would have to look as though they had earned and deserved it. “The rest of them are coming, your armies, marching up the road from Trulo,” Arne relayed as he came to a stop alongside them. “But I don’t think you want them camping here.” He pointed to a distant line of apple trees. “That orchard would be the second thing to go, for firewood, right after some of the royal sheep.”
November 14, 2025 at 12:58 PM
triempery.bsky.social
#FantasyIndiesNovember 14: Post your pets

I have one pet: Penny the Poodle. She lays beside me as I write, edit, or watch TV. She's intelligent and barks to alert us to threats or noises.

She's also a one man dog. If my husband is in the room, I might as well be a throw pillow. #authorpets
Three photos of Penny the Poodle, dog of L.L. Stephens (really of her husband). Upper left is Penny giving a side eye; this is her favorite expression. Lower left is Penny wearing rabbit ear glasses, which give her a somewhat intellectual look, like a demented librarian. On the right is Penny reading one of her Mom's books. Penny lives with lawyers and writers, so is well-educated.
November 14, 2025 at 12:29 PM
triempery.bsky.social
#WIPSnips The word for November 13 is BUILD

The whole Triempery series has been about "building" things--coalitions, friendships, futures--and it's been building toward a few things also. This snip shows Emyli thinking of her late father's powerful legacy.
#WritingCommunity #WriteSky #Triempery
Screenshot of text excerpt from THE RILL LORD, sixth and final book (April 2026) of the Triempery Revelations series by L.L. Stephens. This snip shows the thoughts of Emyli Stauberg-Randolph, Marc Frederick's daughter, as she reflects on her father's powerful legacy... and where it might lead. Emyli wished her father could have lived to see this day. Marc Frederick had spent the last years of his reign striving to heal the rift his ascension to the throne had created between Essera and Sordan—and to eradicate the animosity between the Khelds and the Sordaneons, an enmity from which Emyli had ignited a decade of war and death. She had not thought Marc Frederick could do it. She hadn’t thought anyone could. Neither had Stefan… and the poison had lingered. Only now did she see the extent to which Marc Frederick had succeeded, that he had laid a groundwork upon which others could build. Upon which Hans had built, and Dorilian too. To save a kingdom. To save themselves. In their hands, Marenthro had said. Neither Aubrey nor Hans yet grasped the magnitude of the change they’d wrought. But Dorilian did. And oh how the fortunes of the mighty had turned! The Seven Houses had prospered and grown fat on corpses and secrets, dictating the lives of the Sordaneons. Once before, they had been willing to kill a Sordaneon prince in the womb to achieve their ends and now, through Aubrey, they had demonstrated their determination to do it again. This time, however, they were not dealing with weak-willed Deben or pragmatic Marc Frederick—or even complicit Stefan. Emyli resisted a cold impulse to smile.
November 13, 2025 at 12:23 PM
triempery.bsky.social
#FantasyIndiesNovember 13: Where do I write?

I have an office in my house. However while my husband was still working and pacing and talking, also in an office upstairs, I began writing downstairs in my living room and discovered I like that. Nearer to coffee!☕️
Meme with list of daily writing prompts for November.
November 13, 2025 at 12:07 PM
triempery.bsky.social
It's Book Quote Wednesday and the word is GIRL.

Staubaun society is a patriarchy. This snip from THE WALLED CITY shows that patriarchy in place as Aubrey, a Kheld woman, confronts the notion that "men will be men."

#WritingCommunity #WriteSky #bookqw
Left side of image is the book cover of THE WALLED CITY, Book 5 of the Triempery Revelations series by L.L. Stephens. Cover is silver and gray and shows a lone man standing to face a distant fantasy city. Right side of image is a text excerpt from THE WALLED CITY. Excerpt is of a scene with two young women: Laavi, a servant, and Aubrey, a Kheld visitor to the castle. Laavi pulled the wardrobe door open and helped Aubrey emerge from behind racks of heavy velvet gowns and ancient silk dresses once favored by Bas Hebron’s grandmother. Aubrey herself wore only the chemise from beneath her gown—that, and the sword in her hand. “Thank you,” she said. Laavi stared round-eyed at the blade. “Well, I know how they are. Bas Hebron claims his rights with all the girls.” When Aubrey looked at her in surprise, Laavi ducked her head and lifted her shoulders. “He isn’t so bad. He’s clean and quick, and gentle enough while he’s about it. It’s just not fun is all.” “I’d kill him first.” “Is that what Kheld women do? Slay a man for being a man and not thinking between the ears?” “No. We slay men who behave as beasts and think it sport to mount helpless women.” Aubrey looked around for something to wear. “I can’t believe you took all my clothes!” “I had to wash them!”
November 12, 2025 at 1:57 PM
triempery.bsky.social
#NovemberWorldbuilders 12: Villain's ethics

Nammuor believes the Second Creation has lost sight of its purpose. Instead of being a refuge for the high culture and bloodlines of the lost First Creation, it has become a realm of lesser men and petty goals.

Nammuor is a Purist.
November 12, 2025 at 12:40 PM
triempery.bsky.social
#WIPSnips The word for November 12 is SHIRT

An ordinary word but one that fits into any surrounding. Like this battle scene (well, more of a post-battle scene) from THE RILL LORD, in which Robdan's shirt comes in handy.
#WritingCommunity #WriteSky #Triempery
Screenshot of text excerpt from THE RILL LORD, sixth and final book (April 2026) of the Triempery Revelations series by L.L. Stephens. Snip shows a scene of post-battle chaos. Sobbing, searching the carnage for any cloak or banner, Robdan tripped over something and stumbled, falling to his hands and knees. Before him lay a dead soldier, his head crushed by some flying thing that had hit him. Everything around the battered survivors seemed to howl of death and dying things. Even the heavens themselves were erupting now, some other battle being lost. The great livid spot overhead had grown monstrous and looked as though it were opening like an abscess. Mother help us! Robdan pleaded, though in his heart he knew the horror was not of this World’s spawning. This was some Aryati thing, from a time before the Mother, before Khelds had ever walked into this broken Creation. Mother, what have they done? They have unmoored the sky! He parted some bushes and found a horse that had fallen in its struggles, its back and neck mangled and saddle twisted. The animal no longer breathed. Its saddle pack had fallen free. Buckles broken by the fall had opened to spill the contents into the snow and mud. Robdan stopped, riveted by the shape of books. My journals! He had not recognized his horse. But his journals! Hurriedly, hardly knowing what he did, he grabbed up the two thin volumes and stuffed them as best he could under his shirt, against his skin where they would be protected from moisture and dirt. Thinking there would be useful things in it, he grabbed the pack and a few nearby items. Shouts from the other men made him hurry back to Tutto with his strips of cloth.
November 12, 2025 at 12:11 PM
triempery.bsky.social
#FantasyIndiesNovember 12: Good / bad writing advice

Good: Read effective writing. Study how it does what it does. Don't worry about making your prose "correct" until you know how to make it vital.

Bad: Give up. You'll never make money anyway. (That last part is probably true but not helpful.)
White text on a pink background bordered by books and flowers; text offers a list of daily writing prompts for authors of fantasy fiction.
November 12, 2025 at 11:50 AM
triempery.bsky.social
#WIPSnips The word for November 11 is BURGER

Seriously? The Triempery has yet to hear of "burgers" (though Hans might make a fortune should he start up chain).

Instead, people rave about meat pies! This bit is from THE RILL LORD (2026).
#WritingCommunity #WriteSky #Triempery
Screenshot of text excerpt from THE RILL LORD, sixth and final book (April 2026) of the Triempery Revelations series by L.L. Stephens. This snip shows giant Tiflan, an affable man, taking care of an ill character and craving some delicious meat pies. “Let me take him now.” The big man rose and wrapped the thin blankets about Robdan’s unresisting form. “Now that we’ve tended the worst of his ills, we can move him—and the both of you—to the comforts of the Manor proper. This man should not sleep in a beggar’s bed, and he never will again if I have anything to say of it. You too, Master Ralfson.” Tiflan nodded to the cook. Having gathered the sleeping Robdan in his arms, he hunched and made his way back down the narrow stair. “You’re being assigned the kitchen and given full reign, including over the Manor’s cook. Dorilian has claimed to me in letters that you make the best meat pies in all the known domains—and I have a mind to eat one!”
November 11, 2025 at 12:25 PM
triempery.bsky.social
#NovemberWorldbuilders 11: MC's ethics

For all his hard reputation, Dorilian has a code of honor. He respects integrity when he encounters it and rewards loyalty and competence. He also always tells the truth (though he may attempt to avoid telling it on occasion).

He is also loyal himself.
November 11, 2025 at 12:13 PM
triempery.bsky.social
#FantasyIndiesNovember 11: What genres do I write and read?

I read EVERYTHING. Literary. Genre. Nonfiction. Indie and trad. News. Cereal boxes. 🤷‍♀️

I write fantasy and science fiction with the rare contemporary. Some M/M. Some erotic romance. Medical articles and interviews.
White lettering on a pink background bordered by books and flowers; text offers a list of daily writing prompts for authors of fantasy fiction.
November 11, 2025 at 12:05 PM
triempery.bsky.social
#WIPSnips The word for November 10 is LOCAL

Hans and Dorilian talk about military forces in THE RILL LORD. Hans draws a lot of his from local lords and militias, and Khelds of course. Dorilian has some thoughts about that.
#WritingCommunity #WriteSky #Triempery
Screenshot of text excerpt from THE RILL LORD, sixth and final book (April 2026) of the Triempery Revelations by L.L. Stephens. Snip is of a conversation between Hans and Dorilian, who has a few thoughts about Hans's Kheld troops. “We’ve got good armies. Yours and mine,” Hans pointed out. Maybe he had started out with a ragtag army, but the forces Hans commanded now were battle-hardened and sharp. “My Staubaun divisions are growing daily with the influx of local lords and their men. And the Khelds have become fierce fighters. Their victories at Dazunor-Rannuli and Trulo have given them confidence like they’ve never had before.” “They’ve never had military success on this scale. Nor have they ever had so much at stake.” “They want a Kheld King. And they see that goal in reach.” “They may prove as monstrous as Nammuor.”
November 10, 2025 at 12:36 PM
triempery.bsky.social
#NovemberWorldbuilders 10: Morally grey

Most of the events and people of my worlds are morally grey. Good for some; not good at all for others.

Marc Frederick is a good person who does many bad things toward a goal not all would celebrate.
Awakening and using the Rill is grey for many.
Meme with dark gray background. Red banner at top holds the words #NovemberWorldbuilders -- hosted by Kira of the Wind Red field below has the words: Week 2: Good and Evil 10: A morally grey act/event/historical figure that people in your world debate about
November 10, 2025 at 12:23 PM
triempery.bsky.social
#FantasyIndiesNovember 10: Favorite line I've written

“Shall I tell you about gods?” the Leur said to Amynas. “Vllyr turned a civilization to dust because it flickered in its consciousness. If a man would set a fire, a god would douse it with an avalanche.”

From THE RILL LORD, Book 6
Meme with white lettering on a pink background bordered by books and flowers; text offers a list of daily writing prompts for authors of fantasy fiction.
November 10, 2025 at 12:16 PM
triempery.bsky.social
#FantasyIndiesNovember 9: Show off your bookshelf

I have bookcases in half the rooms of my house. Here is the one with my books and, me being cluttered, some favorite books I've been reading and sharing and which have made themselves at home in my living room. 🤷‍♀️

Yes, I mix genres. And cookbooks.
November 9, 2025 at 1:05 PM
triempery.bsky.social
#WIPSnips The word for November 9 is PICTURE

Hans came to a World breaking apart into pieces; he's been putting those pieces together again ever since. Here in THE RILL LORD Hans talks with Levyathan at a crucial juncture--about a song yet to be written.
#WritingCommuniy #WriteSky #Triempery
Screenshot of text excerpt from THE RILL LORD, sixth and final book (April 2026) of the Triempery Revelations series by L.L. Stephens. This snip shows conversation between Hans and Levyathan about music and a bigger picture: “Dorilian sings when he feels like it.” Levyathan smiled. “He has a fine voice and great command of it. He and Fahme sing together sometimes. But he usually leaves the singing to me and her. I think he likes listening too.” He strummed a few notes on the instrument in his lap. The melody had a familiar cadence. Hans recognized one of the songs he had heard a year ago on his journey to Sordan, sung by bargemen upon the river. “Did you write that?” Levyathan laughed. “Me? No. This song precedes me by several years. Tutto once told me that Tiflan wrote it.” Tiflan. Hans settled back upon his cushion. The room was warmer now, as was the company. Perhaps it was Levyathan and his determination to be cheerful on the eve of all their fates. But Hans’s mind turned over and rearranged a thousand pieces, the picture within changing as crisply as a kaleidoscope image. Tiflan Morevyen. Every time Hans turned around now, it seemed, he discovered the big man ever more deeply woven into the Sordaneon fabric. That song has yet to be written, Tiflan had said once when asked about his kinsman.
November 9, 2025 at 12:56 PM
triempery.bsky.social
#NovemberWorldbuilders 9: Villains in the World's past

Vllyr is an entity opposing Leur (Life/Time/Change). Vllyr wants nothing anywhere in the Universe to change. Ever. Evil? Maybe not. But a problem.

The Deus Aryati sought to become a god. It took gods to thwart/kill him.

Vllyr's still around.
Meme with red banner with words #NovemberWorldbuilders -- hosted by Kira of the Wind Below that banner is a red box with the words: Week 2: Good and Evil 9. Villains in the world's past
November 9, 2025 at 12:14 PM
triempery.bsky.social
#WIPSnips The word for November 8 is LITTLE

This word is small but mighty. In this snip from THE RILL LORD, the conversation is momentous. Marenthro, Hans and a room full of officers and nobles prepared for war. For Hans, a "little" thing puts it in context.
#WritingCommunity #WriteSky #Triempery
Screenshot of text excerpt from THE RILL LORD, sixth and final book (April 2026) of the Triempery Revelations series by L.L. Stephens. Snip is of a pre-battle talk between Hans and Marenthro, a wizard who has been his mentor: Marenthro appraised warmly the gathered men, then turned to Hans. He looked as though he wished to say more and now would not be able to. “I see the time has come for me to go. Today you do battle against a great evil. What you have learned, and the friends you have made, will now serve you well.” “They will. I know this.” But Hans hoped would he serve them well also—or had he led them into a battle too great for them? “If we have enough time.” “Time, Handurin? You will always have enough of that. You have all that is needed to prevail.” Marenthro gave him a quick clasp on the shoulder. Upon that hand all could see the cool glow of the Leur’s Ring, colors shifting in the dim light of morning. But Hans felt something more, deep and approving, the weight of things unspoken. “All things happen in the same moment. You have but to choose.” And then Marenthro was gone. A blink would have missed it. Hans stared at the space where the wizard had stood and felt his heart pounding in his throat. The men who had bowed remained in that posture, completely awed. Arne, however, picked up the little bear from the campaign table and wiggled it at him as if to say, Just a little magic, eh? That shot of normalcy helped. Hans drew a breath as the captains, recovering their wits, now looked to him.
November 8, 2025 at 12:56 PM
triempery.bsky.social
#NovemberWorldbuilders 8: Famous heroes in a world's past

The most famous heroes are Amynas and Leur -- the man and the god who together defeated the Aryati tyrants, liberated the Exiles, and also fathered the Three (the founding gods of the Triempery) and the Highborn race. 🔥
Red highlighted text on a stormy background; text offers a list of daily worldbuilding prompts for writers of fantasy fiction. Dramatic illustration of stormy heavens around a fiery event. Two human figures in silhouette stand on rocky shore looking at the sight.
November 8, 2025 at 12:46 PM
triempery.bsky.social
#FantasyIndiesNovember 8: Saturday Snippet

Dorilian is a bit of a drama king, but if anyone has a right to be it's him. In this snip from THE SECOND STONE he reminds his Entity's "guardians" that he's the one with a connection to their god. 🤔
Left side of image is a meme with white lettering on a pink background bordered by books and flowers. The lettering presents of list of daily writing prompts for authors of fantasy fiction. Right side is a text excerpt from THE SECOND STONE, Book 3 of the Triempery Revelations series by L.L. Stephens. Snip is of Dorilian Sordaneon raging against the Epopte Quirin over who, exactly, "owns" the Rill god: “You are good for words, Hierarch of Sordan.” Quirin’s mouth played with a smile, as though he held triumph itself between his lips. “You are Highborn, yes—but what does that mean anymore? Without the Rill, what would you be but yet another petty tyrant, tied to a trade-dependent island?” The storm that had been mounting broke. “By Arya’s mighty Fall!” Dorilian thundered, full-blooded now in anger. “Without the Rill, I would be no less than that which stands before you now! Hierarch of Sordan, Derlon’s Heir, and heir by right to everything you cherish and serve. I do not need your thrice-cursed Order to make me what I am. For I, too, am an Entity, Epopte, such as you have never seen before. Let me remind you, then, that without the Rill, you—you and your entire Brotherhood—are nothing! Nothing! And because of it—I am everything.”
November 8, 2025 at 12:31 PM
triempery.bsky.social
#WIPSnips The word for November 7th is MOVEMENT

There's lots of "movement" in THE RILL LORD! I particularly like this bit in a conversation between Hans and the Dog Man Cortogh, which makes its point simply and sharply.

#WritingCommunity #WriteSky #Triempery
Screenshot of text excerpt from THE RILL LORD, sixth and final book (April 2026) of the Triempery Revelations series by L.L. Stephens. This snip shows a conversation between Hans and the Dog Man Cortogh, in which Hans probes the Dog Man's unique understanding of the enemy. “I knew before I ever asked for your service that I could trust you,” he assured Cortogh. “What I need to know now is the lore of your kind. Is there some means we can use to defend ourselves against this man and the artifact he wields?” Understanding, Cortogh grunted, then leaned his weight on the table. His lips parted to display curved ivory teeth, clean and polished, that so unnerved other men. Hans noted them, but what he saw most was the somber expression of intelligence being lent to his cause. “The Aryati device will shield his flesh. It hunted long to find that host and it will not readily yield the advantages it possesses through him.” “Advantages?” Hans sought clarity. Arne pulled up a chair and sat, looking up at them, drinking in every word. “Movement. It is not itself an animal.” Yes, of course. Nammuor was the Diadem’s vehicle, an interface through which the vestigial core of Vllyr could access the physical world. Hans had known all along, however, that to destroy the Diadem he must destroy Nammuor. Dorilian had known it too.
November 7, 2025 at 12:22 PM
triempery.bsky.social
#FantasyIndiesNovember 7: What helps me relax?

Forget doing housework. (No way is that relaxing.) And though I like taking long beautiful walks, doing so can leave me sweaty or winded.

So mostly I relax by painting board game miniatures. Creative, non-sweaty, and fun. #miniaturepainting
Montage of painted board game miniatures from Massive Darkness 2. Across the top are the Four Horsemen: Famine, Death, War, and Plague. Across the bottom are the Undead Queen (with her iron halo, red robes, and bow/arrow); the corrupted Archangel Michael (white wings, red halo and a goose on his head); and the demon Andra (gray winger and raised sword).
November 7, 2025 at 12:04 PM
triempery.bsky.social
#WIPSnips The word for November 6 is PENULTIMATE

Yet another word that doesn't appear in the series, but I think this use of "final" suits the meaning. After all, the next to last thing to the end of the World would be the means that leads to it. 🤷‍♀️

#WritingCommunity #WriteSky
Screenshot of text excerpt from THE RILL LORD, sixth and final book (April 2026) of the Triempery Revelations series by L.L. Stephens. Snip is of a conversation between Hans and Levyathan, Dorilian's twice-born brother, about possible futures seen through the Wall Stone: “I shall fail,” Levyathan confided. “The Wall Stone showed me.” “You used it?” “I tried when I was a child. I wanted to help Dor. But I was too young and saw only myself.” “That’s more than most of us will ever see.” Hans was rather happy now that he had not grown up knowing such things as had shaped Dorilian and this child. “The Wall showed me the Diadem’s final form, what it would become… what it would do. I am that form. If I am taken, the Undying Crown will be forced upon me and the Vllyr godhead will assume its ultimate, immortal state. I am the greatest danger of all.”
November 6, 2025 at 12:10 PM
triempery.bsky.social
#FantasyIndiesNovember 6: Helpful writing tools

1. Notebooks. Wonderful for scribbling notes, drawings, ideas, bits of dialogue I think of when taking a shower.

2. A good dictionary. I use the Oxford English Dictionary. Gives not only definitions of words but useful etymology. #WritingCommunity
Four spiral bound notebooks with plain pastel covers. Photo of the Oxford English dictionary in 14 volumes. One volume lies opened on the green tabletop.
November 6, 2025 at 11:52 AM
triempery.bsky.social
It's Book Quote Wednesday and the word is COLOR.

Today's quote is from THE RILL LORD, my WIP, that does not yet have a cover. It will be published in April. Because of the scene's setting I'm using an image of Sordan.

Things are... not going well.
#WritingCommunity #WriteSky #bookqw
Image on left side of meme is an illustration of the City of Sordan from the Triempery series by L.L. Stephens. This snip takes place in Sordan. Text on the right is a snip from a scene of what is happening in Sordan during a great battle being fought far away, in Essera. The Rill had faltered. Frozen, silent, it loomed over Sordan like a wraith. A dead thing. But Levyathan sensed, in the unerring way a Sordaneon could, that the Entity—like Dorilian—remained alive. Tiflan ran up, his tall shape emerging from the Serat to approach along the Viridian River. He knelt before them, his golden gaze piercing. He laid a hand on each of their shoulders. “What do you feel?” he asked Levyathan. “Disaster.” Fahme rocked back on her heels and pointed overhead. “Look at the sky.” Above the City and its implausibly suspended Entity the cloudless sky had turned strange. Yellow. The color of ripe lemons.
November 5, 2025 at 1:04 PM