iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Florence Chien 🗡️ REVENANT OF SUROLIFIA (07.07.26) @florencechien.com · 07/07/2026

My debut is out in the world today 🥰 To all the friends here who has read an ARC, ordered a copy, requested it at a library: You're not just supporting me, you're also supporting all the creatives who worked on this book, and enabling them to keep doing what they love! revenant.one

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Florence Chien 🗡️ REVENANT OF SUROLIFIA (07.07.26) @florencechien.com · 03/07/2026

The Revenant of Surolifia comes out in 5 days! Here's a sneak peak of the interior art on every chapter page! 👀

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Florence Chien 🗡️ REVENANT OF SUROLIFIA (07.07.26) @florencechien.com · 26/06/2026

Congratulations to me and my debut political fantasy, The Revenant of Surolifia, for winning silver at the 2026 Independent Publishers Book Awards! 🥳🎉 Out July 7, preorders are available at all book retailers now!

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Florence Chien 🗡️ REVENANT OF SUROLIFIA (07.07.26) @florencechien.com · 23/06/2026

Y'all I just bled another 400 Canadian rupees on swag. If you wanna help me feel like I didn't waste my loonies, let me get these into your hands! The postcards are linen-textured, the stickers are soft-touch matte, and the bookplates are acid-free and archival grade! preorder.revenant.one

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Florence Chien 🗡️ REVENANT OF SUROLIFIA (07.07.26) @florencechien.com · 19/06/2026

Join me at 3pm, Sat July 11, at Bakka Phoenix Books to celebrate the launch of my debut political fantasy, The Revenant of Surolifia! I will be there with Bram Stoker and Nebula Award winning author Ai Jiang to chat about the book! bakkaphoenixbooks.com

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Florence Chien 🗡️ REVENANT OF SUROLIFIA (07.07.26) @florencechien.com · 17/06/2026

The Revenant of Surolifia is coming to audiobook with Podium Audio! Stay tuned (hah, pun intended) for the release date! 🤩🔥💙📚🪐 🎩 Intrigue & schemes! 👁️ Inception inspired magic 🔥 Viva la revolution! 🗡️ Enemies that stay as enemies 🎨 Late baroque aesthetics ✨ Standalone 🧡 No romance

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Florence Chien 🗡️ REVENANT OF SUROLIFIA (07.07.26) @florencechien.com · 10/06/2026

I've always loved Andrea's books, and never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that she would say yes to blurbing my debut! The Revenant of Surolifia comes out July 7, 2026! Don't forget to claim your signed bookplate and stickers at preorder.revenant.one 💙📚🪐

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Florence Chien 🗡️ REVENANT OF SUROLIFIA (07.07.26) @florencechien.com · 08/05/2026

📣THE PREORDER CAMPAIGN IS LIVE!📣 When you preorder THE REVENANT OF SUROLIFIA at any retailer, you can upload your proof of purchase to get awesome swag at preorder.revenant.one! I only have a limited number of these, so don't wait! #fantasy #fantasyreaders #writingcommunity 💙📚🪐

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Florence Chien 🗡️ REVENANT OF SUROLIFIA (07.07.26) @florencechien.com · 25/04/2026

🗡️ARC Readers Wanted!🗡️ If you're a fan of political fantasy with a complex intrigue, a nobledark world, and high-angst MMCs, THE REVENANT OF SUROLIFIA might be for you! I'm trying to reach 100 ARC readers! arc.revenant.one #fantasy #fantasyreaders #bookstagram 💙📚🪐

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Florence Chien 🗡️ REVENANT OF SUROLIFIA (07.07.26) @florencechien.com · 18/04/2026

✨ THE REVENANT OF SUROLIFIA ✨ Request an ARC at arc.revenant.one An imperial gendarme will overthrow his empire. A thief wants his throne back. To succeed, they must kill each other. But to save their silver-eyed kin from another genocide, they must find a way to work together. #PosterPit #SO #F #A

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Florence Chien 🗡️ REVENANT OF SUROLIFIA (07.07.26) @florencechien.com · 04/12/2025

The Revenant of Surolifia is nominated for BroMantasy's Community Award! I'd be honored to have your vote for "Most Anticipated 2026 Release" and "Best Emotionally Impactful Characters"! Every vote count because we're up against much better names! #WritingCommunity 📚💙 bromantasy.com/community-bo...

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Florence Chien 🗡️ REVENANT OF SUROLIFIA (07.07.26) @florencechien.com · 26/10/2025

Went to Scriptus, the Toronto pen show, today, and absolutely SPLURGED. Scored myself a Nahvalur Eclipse and a seY Studio maki-e winter sparrow. I have officially achieved grail pen status! So much for no-buy 2025 lol

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Florence Chien 🗡️ REVENANT OF SUROLIFIA (07.07.26) @florencechien.com · 20/10/2025

Goodreads page here! 👇 www.goodreads.com/book/show/24...

The Revenant of Surolifia, by Florence Chien, comes out on July 7, 2026. Add on Goodreads now at www.revenant.one

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Florence Chien 🗡️ REVENANT OF SUROLIFIA (07.07.26) @florencechien.com · 20/10/2025

Can I convince you to add The Revenant of Surolifia to Goodreads in 4 slides? 👀🧵👇 www.goodreads.com/book/show/24... #2026debuts #comingsoon #fantasy #WritingCommunity #amwriting #amreading 🪐📚💙

Can I convince you to add my political fantasy, The Revenant of Surolifia, to Goodreads in 4 slides or less?

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Florence Chien 🗡️ REVENANT OF SUROLIFIA (07.07.26) @florencechien.com · 01/10/2025

✨COVER REVEAL! ✨ The Revenant of Surolifia is coming out July 7, 2026, you can add it on Goodreads now! #2026debuts #comingsoon #fantasy #WritingCommunity #amwriting #amreading #BookSky 🪐📚

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Florence Chien 🗡️ REVENANT OF SUROLIFIA (07.07.26) @florencechien.com · 16/08/2025

✨ THE REVENANT OF SUROLIFIA ✨ A soldier with chronic migraines will overthrow the empire. A thief who often dooms his partners will reclaim his throne. They aim to kill each other, but to liberate their silver-eyed kin, they must work together. 📅 07.07.26 #PosterPit #P #A #F

Mock-up movie poster of the adult political fantasy novel, The Revenant of Surolifia, written by Florence Chien, published by Rising Action. The poster features a photo of an art gallery with marble statues and checkered floor. Overlaid over the photo is an upside-down illustration of a faceless robed scholar holding a sword.

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Florence Chien 🗡️ REVENANT OF SUROLIFIA (07.07.26) @florencechien.com · 06/08/2025

✨ THE REVENANT OF SUROLIFIA ✨ belle époque vibes | so many schemes 🗡️ an imperial officer bent on revenge 🪽 a thief plotting scandals & revolution 🩸 they aim to kill each other 🔥 but must cooperate to stop another war 📅 07.07.26 #questpit #P #A #F

When the Empire of Colours slaughters 17,000 of his silver-eyed kin, Lucas Rhine buries his hatred, hides his eyes behind coloured lenses, and vows to liberate his country through a diplomatic secession.

Usurped prince Faye Phlorik escapes from prison and joins the revolutionaries. They need a silver-eyed champion to rally the people, and Faye needs their resources to reclaim his crown.

Lucas and Faye must eliminate each other to achieve their goals. But when the empire's warships come again, they must unite their forces or there will be nothing left of the people they're both trying to liberate.

The Revenant of Surolifia
A political fantasy
Florence Chien

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Florence Chien 🗡️ REVENANT OF SUROLIFIA (07.07.26) @florencechien.com · 13/07/2025

There are so many one-liners in this book of mine, but I will never not love this one lol 😆🚽 #amediting #amwriting #WritingCommunity

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Florence Chien 🗡️ REVENANT OF SUROLIFIA (07.07.26) @florencechien.com · 26/05/2025

I'm getting way ahead of myself but I just found my dream audiobook narrator for my #HistoricalFiction 👀 So... any editors wanna buy this book so I can cackle at all the times a-Ling abuses Edgar with her sass? 😂 #amwriting #WritingCommunity ⏳📚💙

‘What’s inside of that?’ My eyes cut down on his leather folio.
‘I’m afraid that’s privileged.’
I tilt my head, pretending to contemplate. ‘Is it last quarter’s ledger of Jardine Matheson’s profits from smuggling opium into China?’
‘There’s not been anything of the sort for a hundred years.’
‘Oh, so you’re all saints now. Forgive my insolence.’
He shrugs with a rueful smile.

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Florence Chien 🗡️ REVENANT OF SUROLIFIA (07.07.26) @florencechien.com · 07/05/2025

✨ THE REVENANT OF SUROLIFIA ✨ JULY '26 ✨ 🗡️ An imperial officer with a secret identity 🪽 A thief trying to start a revolution ⚖️ A university student turned diplomat 🩸 They want to kill each other 🔥 But they must cooperate to stop a war #questpit #P #A #F #2026debuts

A quote from the book reading as follows:
"Do you hear that music?" he said in the thunder's wake.
The dissonate countermelody of Horus's determination was juxtaposed with Arletta's mystic prayers in the winding woodwinds. Lucian pulled her close.
"Abandon your thoughts. Listen."
The winding melody swelled to an explosive chorus and he launched her into a feverish dance.
From Chapter 8, The Monolith

The Revenant of Surolifia by Florence Chien
In bookstores summer 2026

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Florence Chien 🗡️ REVENANT OF SUROLIFIA (07.07.26) @florencechien.com · 19/04/2025

1937. 21yo a-Ling's final task in Shanghai is to save her cousin's magazine from censorship. But when the Kempeitai murders her cousin, a mysterious British financier promises to whisk her away to the London of her dreams, if only she spies on her family and country. #PosterPit #PosterPitW #A #HF

Movie poster mock-up of Hollow Whispers of the Wind, a historical fiction written by Florence Chien. Poster depicts a sensual biracial couple of a Chinese woman and a Caucasian man, set against an old and torn up photograph of The Bund, Shanghai, in the 1930's.

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Florence Chien 🗡️ REVENANT OF SUROLIFIA (07.07.26) @florencechien.com · 19/04/2025

✨ THE REVENANT OF SUROLIFIA IS COMING TO BOOKSTORES JULY '26! ✨ 🗡️ An imperial officer with a secret identity 🪽 A thief trying to start a revolution ⚖️ A university student turned diplomat 🩸 They want to kill each other 🔥 But they must cooperate to stop a war #PosterPit #PosterPitP #A #F #2026debut

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Florence Chien 🗡️ REVENANT OF SUROLIFIA (07.07.26) @florencechien.com · 06/04/2025

Had a blast today at @aijiang.bsky.social's book launch for A Palace Near the Wind, hosted by @melisfluous.bsky.social at @littleghostsbooks.bsky.social 🔥❤️🎉 Thank you everyone who put this amazing event together! 🥰 (And congratulations Ai on the Hugo nomination for We Drink Lava!! 🎉)

Photo of the cover of A Palace Near the Wind, a novella by Ai Jiang

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Florence Chien 🗡️ REVENANT OF SUROLIFIA (07.07.26) @florencechien.com · 05/04/2025

#1stLinePit #TP #A #F THE REVENANT OF SUROLIFIA 🗡️ Summer '26 Faye’s nightly routine was simple. Replenish his empty pocket, buy a hearty breakfast, then unburden a few of Azena’s apartments of unnecessary clutter. It was a routine he had repeated for five years. He did not expect to be caught.

Moodboard for the character named Fayrian Phlorik, known as the pickpocket prince, and champion of the revolutionaries. Pictures show a hooded man in a red cloak gazing intently at a magical crystal. Other pictures include a painting of a 1800's battle involving canons. A quote on the moodboard reads as follows: "But where was his place on the tower of society? Between the crown that ought to be his and a death sentence for a murder he didn't commit, he was looking at the entire height of that tower and there was no place for him except for six feet under."

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Florence Chien 🗡️ REVENANT OF SUROLIFIA (07.07.26) @florencechien.com · 31/03/2025

Weirdly specific things that exist in both my #fantasy and #historicalfiction: ⚖️ MMC getting court-martialed 🏦 asshole banker & lawyer 🩸 crimson bedsheet 🌶️ LI says "Can I make it up to you?" then proceeds to kiss & fuck the MC. Case in point, see screenshots below 👇 #amwriting #WritingCommunity

Snippet from my fantasy novel, The Revenant of Surolifia, readinga s follows:

"Can I make it up to you?"
Alex rounded the bar and stopped a breath away. "Can you?"
"I'll try," Faye said, lifting his head.
Alex kissed him deeply, as if fulfilling a desperate thirst.

Snippet from my historical fiction, Hollow Whispers of the Wind, reading as follows:

He glances at me. I glance away. He sighs. 'Can I make it up to you?'
I give him a taste of his favourite treatment.
He kneels down and smooths a messy lock behind my ear. 'You really are beautiful, especially when you're angry,' he says with a small amusement, then leans in to kiss me.

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Florence Chien 🗡️ REVENANT OF SUROLIFIA (07.07.26) @florencechien.com · 30/03/2025

Post the first video game you ever played. Mario & Luigi, MS-DOS (1994). This is so oddly specific I can't even find a gif for it so here's a picture instead I guess 😂

Still image of the game Mario & Luigi from 1994 on the MS-DOS platform. Picture shows Mario dumping on a turtle to get to a pipe.

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Florence Chien 🗡️ REVENANT OF SUROLIFIA (07.07.26) @florencechien.com · 25/03/2025

After 11 months of research & 17 months of drafting, ✨🎉 1ST DRAFT OF HOLLOW WHISPERS IS DONE! 🎉✨ Feat.: ✨ 104k words; 24 chapters ✨ 2 open-door 🥵 scenes ✨ so much angst & slowburn ✨ the ending actually isn't too depressing? 👀 (artwork by @hvmator.bsky.social) ⏳📚💙 #WritingCommunity #amwriting

Character moodboard showing a young Chinese woman who is aged 22 and is a journalist and editor, and a British man who is aged 42 and is a lawyer and financer.

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Florence Chien 🗡️ REVENANT OF SUROLIFIA (07.07.26) @florencechien.com · 19/03/2025

Post an old illustration you still like. I don't actually draw anymore so I actually don't have anything to show that isn't old-as-fuck. This is Isaac and Faye, the twins from my debut novel, The Revenant of Surolifia. IDK why nobody liked this drawing back then. Might be cos it's so simplistic.

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Florence Chien 🗡️ REVENANT OF SUROLIFIA (07.07.26) @florencechien.com · 18/03/2025

Age yourself with a cartoon you watched as a kid. (My god, this one is so old and obscure I can't even find a gif for it lololol)

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Florence Chien 🗡️ REVENANT OF SUROLIFIA (07.07.26) @florencechien.com · 14/03/2025

The is sort of shit that falls out of a discord with a bunch of 🦝🦝🦝s... This glorious quote was uttered by @sarahpagestories.bsky.social and a t-shirt design was requested because what even are we doing with our lives??? (The context, if you must know, is Matthew McConaughey's memoir)

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Florence Chien 🗡️ REVENANT OF SUROLIFIA (07.07.26) @florencechien.com · 06/03/2025

#Writers, what are the tropes/themes in your WIP? In HOLLOW WHISPERS: 🍂 Enemies-to-lovers; age gap; slow burn 🗞️ He falls first; high angst; romantic tragedy 🍂 High society; espionage & tradecraft; historical figures 🗞️ Diaspora; anti-colonialism; freedom of speech #WritingCommunity #amwriting ⏳📚💙

Moodboard showing an image of vintage photo of a man in a suit lighting a cigarette; a picture of the Big Ben of London, a picture of a traditional Chinese alley way with vermillion window frames and red paper lanterns, a photo of a file stamped "top secret", a shelf of fancy law books and two small bronze statues of traditional Chinese styled lions, and a vintage of a Chinese woman in a qipao.

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Florence Chien 🗡️ REVENANT OF SUROLIFIA (07.07.26) @florencechien.com · 26/02/2025

✨ THE REVENANT OF SUROLIFIA, Summer '26 ✨ BARU CORMORANT x LOCKE LAMORA 🗡️ An imperial officer with a secret identity 🪽 A thief trying to start a revolution ⚖️ A university student turned diplomat 🩸 They want to kill each other 🔥 But they must cooperate to stop a war #WSPit #WSPitP #A #F #2026debut

Character moodboard for Lucas Rhine, subtitled "gendarmerie commander, noumenmancer, treasonist". Images include a gloomy-looking soldier, a painting of a naval battle, and a dark gothic corridor.

Character moodboard for Elsa Fontaine, subtitled "daughter of merchants, scholar, diplomatic ambassador". Imagines include a red-haired young woman holding a bouquet of flowers. A vintage library full of books. A scroll of dense legal documents.

Character moodboard for Fayrian Phlorik, subtitled "the pickpocket prince, arcanist, champion of the revolutionaries". Images include a hooded figure in vaguely aristocratic clothing. A sharped crystal, a painting of 1800's artillery on a battlefield, and sunlight filtering through windows on a frescoed ceiling.

Character moodboard for L.R. Vesperin, subtitle "The Revenant of Surolifia". Images include a dapper gentleman sitting on a leather chair, his face scratched out on the photo, an unsettling mirror with vague shapes reflected on the glass, a theatre mask with a glitch texture applied over top, and a church floor with a labyrinth pattern.

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Florence Chien 🗡️ REVENANT OF SUROLIFIA (07.07.26) @florencechien.com · 20/02/2025

Still have 20k words to go for Hollow Whispers and I already double bingo'ed 😂 The "impatient after midpoint" square is positively pulling double duty lol #writingcommunity #amwriting

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Florence Chien 🗡️ REVENANT OF SUROLIFIA (07.07.26) @florencechien.com · 20/02/2025

#FastDraftFeb Update! Day 19: 89250! So... I scrapped everything I wrote two days ago to flip the POV. Now they're fucking again. (Which also means I'm woefully over word count, again. 🫠) #WritingCommunity #amwriting Snippet of the day:

‘You can have it all,’ she breathes in his ear, then tugs him toward her as she reclines back.
His chest tightens. This past season taught him a few things about her. She likes her kisses hot and wet. She enjoys nibbling on his earlobe and daring him with titillating words. She fancies a bit of force on her nipples. She relishes his husky moaning as he enters her. She will always keep him sheathed fully and deeply within her for a while, so that she can flex around him to make him squirm. And when she’s finally satisfied by the measurement of her claim, she likes to take him quick and intense and shallow.
But never once did she let him lie on top of her.

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Florence Chien 🗡️ REVENANT OF SUROLIFIA (07.07.26) @florencechien.com · 18/02/2025

#FastDraftFeb Update! Day 17: 88533! It took me 5 days to finish the 3rd act training montage @#$%@#$% I was gonna make them fuck again, but they were too busy crying and nobody was in the mood, so fucking didn't happen sorry. #WritingCommunity #amwriting Snippet of the day:

I swallow my tears. ‘You know, this war will end, and life will go on. We can have a future then, on the other side of everything.’
He shakes his head again.
It’s a hollow promise, I know, but what else do I have to give?
I sigh. ‘I can come find you once in a while. Park Hotel or wherever you want. I’ll make sure I’m not followed.’
He jerks his head up so abruptly he hits me in the chin. ‘No, don’t,’ he says in a desperate whisper.
I thumb away his tears. ‘Then what do you want me to say?’
His eyes soften, but his furrowed brows don’t relent. ‘I don’t want you to do anything for me. We can’t change fate. Except, maybe let me hold you for a while longer. Just a while longer.’
We say no more after that.
Eventually, he falls asleep with me in his arms. I do too, a little later.
But in the morning, I wake to only emptiness and memories.

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Florence Chien 🗡️ REVENANT OF SUROLIFIA (07.07.26) @florencechien.com · 13/02/2025

#FastDraftFeb Update! Day 12: 86196! Skipped a couple of days to do some planning. Still not feeling super confident about this 3rd act training montage but at least the feelings are feeling again. #WritingCommunity #amwriting Snippet of the day:

It would be nice, wouldn’t it? To go somewhere else with him, alone, to a place away from everything that makes us who we are and what we’re destined to be.
I gaze up at the murky sky. ‘Maybe we can,’ I say. It’s always too bright in the city to see any stars, but why do we always try? Because we know they’re out there, distant and twinkling; because there’s always a glimmer of hope in our hearts that if we strain just a little harder, we might to catch one or two of them winking back at us.
Edgar turns his head, his lips parted slightly, and something halfway between surprise and anticipation twinkles in his sunken eyes. ‘Truly?’
I shrug with nonchalance. ‘If there’s somewhere we can go.’
He turns away and falls into a contemplative silence.
Always a glimmer of hope.
And something to live for.

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Florence Chien 🗡️ REVENANT OF SUROLIFIA (07.07.26) @florencechien.com · 12/02/2025

BARU CORMORANT x LOCKE LAMORA 💂 A gendarme with chronic migraines will overthrow the empire 👑 A thief with a record of dooming his partners will reclaim his throne 🗡️ To succeed, they must kill each other 🔥 To liberate their silver-eyed kin, they must work together COMING 2026! #questpit #P #A #F

The Revenant of Surolifia is coming soon in summer 2026 from Rising Action Publishing. Cover image not final. Artwork commissioned from hajima_7 at https://www.instagram.com/hajima_7/

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Florence Chien 🗡️ REVENANT OF SUROLIFIA (07.07.26) @florencechien.com · 10/02/2025

Authors if you see this, it's a sign to post the first line of your book. #WritingCommunity #WriterSky Paragraph too long to paste so here's a snippet instead from The Revenant of Surolifia (summer 2026!):

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Florence Chien 🗡️ REVENANT OF SUROLIFIA (07.07.26) @florencechien.com · 10/02/2025

#FastDraftFeb Update! Day 9: 84612! Skipped yesterday to recover from the utter exhaustion that is writing the biggest smut scene ever. 🫠 Anyway, chapter 18 is done now & I'm officially in the end game. Gotta to do some plotting though, before I can start stacking words again. Snippet of the day:

I close my eyes and the faces of those who always chose to fight – even after being thrown down and beaten – fills my mind.
Master Tseng.
Father Jacquinot.
Jan.
Hsiao-Chün.
…
Me.
There are still ways to fight.
I rise, breaking from the water like a butterfly from its chrysalis, and the soothing warmth cascades off my body. An invigorating coolness spreads down my back, like wings, and gooseflesh hardens into armour.
There are always more ways to fight.

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Florence Chien 🗡️ REVENANT OF SUROLIFIA (07.07.26) @florencechien.com · 08/02/2025

#FastDraftFeb Update! Day 7: 84266! Alright, they fucked. I have fucked them. The fuckening is complete. I think I'm fucking done for a while too. #WritingCommunity #amwriting Snippet of the day:

"His skin, his bread, they tickle me." Except I misspelled the word "beard".

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Florence Chien 🗡️ REVENANT OF SUROLIFIA (07.07.26) @florencechien.com · 07/02/2025

What even is writing if you're not writing angst? Pearls? That nice shiny jewelry thing? NAH LET'S MAKE IT ANGST. #WIPSnips #WriteSky #AmWriting #WritingCommunity

All at once, the torrent falls. Down on the wharf, men are hurrying into their cars. I spot my father’s taillight, and I trace him into the thick cord of traffic. One by one, the great landmarks The Bund are reduced to tiny toy blocks, and one by one, a great watery beast swallows them whole.
Shanghai is drowning – in war, in refugees and rotting corpses, and in an ever-encroaching threat of invasion. If I leave now, what will be left of this pearl that held my heart and tore it to pieces? The weight of the storm bears down on me like heavy chains, and its coldness crystalizes in my chest as an aching remorse. If I leave now, I will have escaped this sinking city whose only gifts are closed doors and heartbreaks.
And I will have abandoned everything that had been meaningful.
Everything that I cared about.
All the dreams that mattered.
And the people who dreamed them.

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