<?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[leonardjchastain.com]]></title><description><![CDATA[Unexpected Worlds, Boundless Imagination]]></description><link>https://www.leonardjchastain.com/garith-s-first-chapter</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Sat, 13 Jun 2026 07:24:30 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.leonardjchastain.com/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[The Structure of Storm Clouds Gather (and the anchor of Prelude to the Storm)]]></title><description><![CDATA[There's something very special that can happen when your main characters really resonate with your audience. They stop being characters in a book and begin to become people you care about--people who live and breathe in your mind long after you close the novel at the end of the story.]]></description><link>https://www.leonardjchastain.com/post/the-structure-of-storm-clouds-gather-and-the-anchor-of-prelude-to-the-storm</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a1d139261de78e3b2140e5f</guid><pubDate>Mon, 01 Jun 2026 08:07:47 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5e0bca_e1dbad2a200f40d08a44d0062ccaf865~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Leonard Chastain</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Classic (and Current) Fantasy (and Sci-fi) and Why You Should Read It]]></title><description><![CDATA[I think I’ve mentioned before how much I enjoy reading, right? ]]></description><link>https://www.leonardjchastain.com/post/classic-and-current-fantasy-and-sci-fi-and-why-you-should-read-it</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69f8494690b4365cb8675a64</guid><pubDate>Mon, 04 May 2026 07:48:12 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5e0bca_bcd47f8539284c3b8259f1999a449725~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Leonard Chastain</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[A More In-Depth Author Page (Because This Is What the People Want?)]]></title><description><![CDATA[Becoming a successful author requires so much more than just the ability to tell a compelling story in our modern world. You have to consider marketing–not just of the cover of your novel, but the back blurb that’s supposed to grab the unsure audience member in. You have to look at advertising budgets, taxes, reviews, a social media presence, and…you need an About the Author novella, apparently. ]]></description><link>https://www.leonardjchastain.com/post/connect-with-readers-join-leonard-j-chastain-s-mailing-list</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6951a8e882b4264136442bf7</guid><pubDate>Mon, 06 Apr 2026 21:02:16 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5e0bca_b10b86acae614bbaac3ced0afe556090~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Leonard Chastain</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The True Language of Baria–How (and Why) It Happened]]></title><description><![CDATA[[Many potential editors] have /told/ (me) that /writing/ [my debut novel] in [this manner] /is/ (a) [death sentence] for (a) [first-time author]. But at (the) [end] of (the) [day], when (you) get [right down to] (it?) (I) [just] have (a) [lot more faith] in [my readers] than (they) do. ]]></description><link>https://www.leonardjchastain.com/post/the-true-language-of-baria-how-and-why-it-happened</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69ca028856a82e0017f893a8</guid><pubDate>Mon, 30 Mar 2026 05:05:09 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5e0bca_b79f123ad9174a6a837075fee88f829a~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Leonard Chastain</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Welcome to My Website (I Don't Know What I'm Doing!)]]></title><description><![CDATA[You know that feeling when you walk into a roomful of strangers and trip over the carpet so everyone's looking at the klutz who just joined the group before you've even said a word?]]></description><link>https://www.leonardjchastain.com/post/how-to-build-immersive-settings-in-fantasy-novels</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6951a8ef6c6ab50b8de9ac92</guid><pubDate>Mon, 02 Mar 2026 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5e0bca_659bf680306946319dd30b157718f92f~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Leonard Chastain</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>