S.W. Raine

SOME CHARACTERS GROW INTO HEROES. KEENAN GROWS INTO SOMETHING ELSE⁠
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When I wrote RISE OF THE SKY PIRATE, I thought I understood Captain Keenan, the charming man who survives on instinct, wit, and just enough chaos to stay one step ahead of the world.⁠
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But the deeper I got into his story, the more I remembered:⁠
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RISE OF THE SKY PIRATE isn't the story of a rising hero...⁠
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…it's the beginning of how a man slowly becomes the infamous captain readers eventually meet in THE TECHNO MAGE.⁠
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Because every adventure leaves marks.⁠
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Every loss changes the way someone sees the world.⁠
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And every choice—good, bad, or somewhere in between—pushes a character a little further down the path they're walking.⁠
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I'm currently deep in early revisions for the next adventure in the Adventures of Captain Keenan series.⁠
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And this next chapter leans further into the gray.⁠
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If you haven't read RISE OF THE SKY PIRATE yet, THE TECHNO MAGE and RISE OF THE SKY PIRATE are available together as a Steampunk E-Bundle for just $6.99 USD for International Steampunk Day, June 14 through June 30. You'll find it here:
https://swraine.com/steampunksale
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THE TECHNO MAGE⁠
⚙️ alchemy⁠
⚙️ German setting⁠
⚙️ plot twists⁠
⚙️ a mythical airship⁠
⁠
RISE OF THE SKY PIRATE⁠
⚙️ sky pirates⁠
⚙️ found family⁠
⚙️ action and adventure⁠
⚙️ the Great Lakes

MY FIRST MISTAKE WAS GIVING THE SKY PIRATE CAPTAIN A NAME⁠
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When I was writing THE TECHNO MAGE, my main trio got captured by sky pirates.⁠
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Because you know… you can't have steampunk without sky pirates.⁠
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At first, he was just “the captain.”⁠
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But repeating “the captain” over and over is poor writing, so I gave him a name.⁠
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That was mistake number one.⁠
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Mistake number two was letting him have a slightly bigger role.⁠
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Because the moment he had a name, he developed a personality. Suddenly he had opinions. Wanted more dialogue. More scenes.⁠
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At one point I had to metaphorically grab him by the collar and say: “Listen, Keenan. This is not your book!” 😆⁠
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Eventually, his part in THE TECHNO MAGE was finished… and I was weirdly sad to let him go.⁠
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Because by then I'd realized morally gray captains with chaotic charm are very much my weakness. ❤️⁠
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A friend suggested I give him his own story, and immediately my brain went to the question that started everything:⁠
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How did he become that infamous sky pirate captain from THE TECHNO MAGE?⁠
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That question turned into RISE OF THE SKY PIRATE, the first book in the Adventures of Captain Keenan series, set 15 years prior to the events of THE TECHNO MAGE.⁠
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If you enjoy morally gray captains, chaotic airship adventures, and found-family trouble, Keenan finally got the story he kept trying to steal.⁠ It's called RISE OF THE SKY PIRATE.⁠

And right now, to celebrate International Steampunk Day on June 14, THE TECHNO MAGE and RISE OF THE SKY PIRATE are available together as a Steampunk E-Bundle for just $6.99 USD through June 30. You'll find it here:
https://swraine.com/steampunksale
⁠
THE TECHNO MAGE⁠
⚙️ alchemy⁠
⚙️ German setting⁠
⚙️ plot twists⁠
⚙️ a mythical airship⁠
⁠
RISE OF THE SKY PIRATE⁠
⚙️ sky pirates⁠
⚙️ found family⁠
⚙️ action and adventure⁠
⚙️ the Great Lakes

IT STARTED WITH A PAIR OF GOGGLES AND A CORSET

New blog post alert!

Yesterday was International Steampunk Day. I've already made a post explaining what steampunk is, so I thought this time would be fun to tell you how I discovered it.

The short version? It started with a pair of goggles and a corset.

To read the rest of my blog post, click here: https://swraine.com/2026/06/15/international-steampunk-day-2026/

I LOVE THAT STEAMPUNK CAN BE ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS

One of the things I love most about steampunk is that it can be almost anything.

Airships. Mad science. Alchemy. Clockwork creations. Daring adventures.

For me, though, it's always been the adventure that comes first.

Give me sky pirates.
Crazy airships.
Give me dangerous journeys, found family, and characters making increasingly questionable decisions.

Those are exactly the kind of stories I love to write.

So to celebrate International Steampunk Day, THE TECHNO MAGE and RISE OF THE SKY PIRATE are available together as a Steampunk E-Bundle for just $6.99 USD through June 30. Click here: https://swraine.com/steampunksale

THE TECHNO MAGE
⚙️ alchemy
⚙️ German setting
⚙️ plot twists
⚙️ a mythical airship

RISE OF THE SKY PIRATE
⚙️ sky pirates
⚙️ found family
⚙️ action and adventure
⚙️ the Great Lakes

So now I have to ask: What's your favorite thing about steampunk? Let me know in the comments!

I LOVE THAT STEAMPUNK CAN BE ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS

One of the things I love most about steampunk is that it can be almost anything.

Airships. Mad science. Alchemy. Clockwork creations. Daring adventures.

For me, though, it's always been the adventure that comes first.

Give me sky pirates.
Crazy airships.
Give me dangerous journeys, found family, and characters making increasingly questionable decisions.

Those are exactly the kind of stories I love to write.

So to celebrate International Steampunk Day, THE TECHNO MAGE and RISE OF THE SKY PIRATE are available together as a Steampunk E-Bundle for just $6.99 USD through June 30. Click here: https://swraine.com/steampunksale

THE TECHNO MAGE
⚙️ alchemy
⚙️ German setting
⚙️ plot twists
⚙️ a mythical airship

RISE OF THE SKY PIRATE
⚙️ sky pirates
⚙️ found family
⚙️ action and adventure
⚙️ the Great Lakes

So now I have to ask: What's your favorite thing about steampunk? Let me know in the comments!

_____

DUE TO UNEXPECTED PERSONAL EMERGENCY, I WON'T BE ABLE TO ATTEND 6/13. 😢

I still fully intend to attend my August and October market dates though. See you then!

JOIN ME AT THE JFK LADIES AUX. FARMER'S MARKET⁠

This one's a little different from my usual adventures… but that's part of the fun.

I'll be spending a few Saturdays this year at the JFK Ladies Auxiliary Farmer's Market surrounded by books, local vendors, flowers, fresh sourdough, tasty treats, and more.

📅 Saturday, June 13, 2026⁠
📅 Saturday, August 8, 2026⁠
📅 Saturday, October 10, 2026⁠
⏰ 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.⁠
📍 Clinton Twp., MI⁠

If you're in the area, come wander the market, support local businesses, and stop by to say hello while you're there.

I'll have signed copies of my books, steampunk chaos, and probably strong opinions about fictional characters as usual.

And a farmer's market with books sounds like a pretty solid way to spend a Saturday.

Hope to see you there. I'll be the one in the steampunk gear trying very hard not to buy every baked good in sight. 😈

YOU'LL NEVER GUESS WHAT'S AT THE CENTER OF THE MYTHICAL AIRSHIP...

Sometimes there are scenes that stick with you long after you've written them. This is the start of one of mine.

The mythical airship Faugregir is important in THE TECHNO MAGE, and this moment leads to why.

I'm obviously not gonna spoil what's waiting inside though. 😈 But I thought it would be fun to share a small excerpt and let you wonder about it for a moment.

So... What's your guess?

📚 THE TECHNO MAGE and RISE OF THE SKY PIRATE will be available as a Steampunk e-bundle for $6.99 USD from June 14–30 in celebration of International Steampunk Day. Keep an eye out!

JOIN ME AT AUTHOR ALLEY

I have a new author event to add to the calendar—and this one's a first for me.

I've never been to Canterbury Village before, but on Saturday, June 20, I'll be heading there for Author Alley, a bookish event featuring Michigan authors from a variety of genres.

📅 Saturday, June 20, 2026
⏰ 11 a.m.–5 p.m.
📍 Canterbury Village, MI
🎟️ FREE ADMISSION

If you enjoy meeting authors, discovering new books, and getting your books signed, come spend part of your Saturday with us.

I'll be signing books, talking adventures, answering questions, and probably discussing fictional characters with far more enthusiasm than is strictly necessary. 😈 Especially the morally gray ones and villains.

And while many of the authors will be outside, you'll find me inside@aninkwellspent if you'd like to stop by and say hello.

See you there!

ADVENTURER'S LOG: JUNE QUESTS

June has arrived, which means summer's peeking over the horizon, event season is well underway, and my son's entering his final week of school before our schedules open up for a few months.

May was one of those months where progress happened... but not in the way I wanted. Some projects moved forward at a snail’s pace. Some patiently waited their turn. And one steampunk manuscript in particular is still sitting there like, "You thought you were done with me?"

(I'm not, obvs.)

So this month's Adventurer's Log looks like:

✨ Survive my son’s last week of school and prepare for summer mode
✨ Finish rereading PROJECT SPIN-OFF 2 and capture the rest of its notes (for real this time)
✨ Finish polishing the bonus chapters for THE ELEMENTAL'S GUARDIAN and THE GATEKEEPER'S PORTAL hardcovers

Will all of this happen exactly according to plan? Absolutely not. But my schedule's about to open up for the summer, so the odds are at least slightly better than they were in May. 😅

What's one quest you're taking on this month?

I ONCE LET TRAFFIC LIGHTS CHOOSE MY DESTINATION AND ENDED UP AT A BOTANICAL GARDEN

New blog post alert!

Years ago, before I was using GPS on my phone, my husband's cousin and I got in the car and let traffic lights choose our destination. Every time we reached a light, we'd randomly pick left, right, or straight and see where it led.

To read the rest of my blog post, click here:
https://swraine.com/2026/05/31/summer-side-quest-log/