The Life You Gave Me
by Ren Brenner
After being recruited into a ship of vigilante pirates, street kid Maddy falls deeply in love with noble pirate Araevin, before one day disappearing without a trace. Years later they stumble into each other with new lives and new traumas, trying to fit lost puzzle pieces back into place. More info.
Banner art by Grendel Menz.
This carrd was last updated May 28th, 2025.
About the book;
TLYGM is adult fiction in the romance genre (with a fantasy setting and some relating elements). There's plenty of cursing, as well as a bit of violence and sexual content. Both main characters are trans men, but themes of identity aren't delved into significantly. This book is about the characters, not the labels.
This book has been in development since January 2021, and after completing three drafts it's finally onto the editing phase. For the most accurate, up to date progress tracking, this spreadsheet is updated every writing session. There will be two rounds of editing - one solo, and then one collaborating with my editor - and then after that will be publishing! Yay!
Grendel Menz, the artist who did the art shown on this site's homepage, will be designing the book cover for TLYGM. Check out their portfolio (linked on the homepage) as their artwork is immensely impressive. The homepage art was commissioned based on a scene from draft two of this book, and the entire comic can be viewed in full here.
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