Meri Parker

Historian connections (and connections of connections)! I'm compiling resources for a novel on an alternate history of Florence from 1440-1460, focusing on a weakened Medici hold due to a Black Plague resurgence and the attempts of the degli Albizzi family to take control of Florence and turn it into the rebirth of the Roman Empire. I've had fantastic luck pulling sources on the Medicis, of course, but I'm having some difficulty locating usable sources for the degli Albizzis from my usual places (JSTOR, Credo, and EBSCO). I'm looking specifically for Rinaldo, Ormanno, Bartolomeo, and Maria, since they're the four major players in this story. From my searches, Maria has been the easiest to find information on, due to her prolific illumination work as a nun-scribe. If anyone is able to point me in the right direction for resources on the degli Albizzi family, I'd appreciate it! Picture of a portrait of Rinaldo degli Albizzi from his Wikipedia page, for help with the algorithms. #writingcommunity #historicalfiction #alternativehistory #amwritingfiction #renaissance #research #medici #albizzi

Time for the weekly #PrestigeOnline update! This was a slow week. Chapter 4 sits, sadly, unfinished, as I took this week off to reset my mind for writing straight through instead of going in and completing large edits as I go. Instead, I spent this week listening to a fantastic #LitRPG called Village of Noobtown by Ryan Rimmel to learn a bit from a master at the craft. Today did mark a milestone in the story - I hit 10,000 words! My girl Emmara is off on her first big quest, and is definitely in over her head. But it's okay, because she's the healer. Everyone knows that having a healer around makes being under-leveled a joke! /s The writing goal going forward, since this week definitely helped my mindset, is three weeks on, one week off. That still keeps me well on track to complete on schedule for my big round of editing between August-October, then getting some beta readers for October-November for the final detail edits. Remember, you can pre-order Prestige Online on #kindle and #kindleunlimited here!

Time for the weekly #PrestigeOnline update! Chapter 3 is, quite literally, hot off the presses as I write this. I got a bit delayed this week because of some personal life stuff, but still managed to eke out the chapter with only a 1-day delay. I'd say that's pretty good for me! No time to rest on my laurels, though - Chapter 4 is calling, and this one promises to be a doozy. Emmara and Finn have teamed up with Kael and Malin to complete a quest that they are all severely underleveled for. Will this be the end for our adventurers? Remember, #PrestigeOnline will be available on #Kindle and #KindleUnlimited on December 1st, 2025. Pick up your copy here!

It's time for another weekly #PrestigeOnline update! Chapter Two is off with my alpha readers. So far, my goal of a chapter per week is holding up. Let's hope I can keep it going all the way through! This chapter was shorter, but it set up some game mechanics and worldbuilding rules. I'm already working on Chapter Three, which will introduce a couple other major players (pun wholeheartedly intended). It hasn't always been easy to keep up with a daily writing schedule, but it's felt good to get back into the swing of things. Remember, you can pre-order your #Kindle copy of Prestige Online here, and enjoy reading it beginning December 1st, 2025! #writingcommunity

It's time for the weekly update for my debut novel, #PrestigeOnline! Chapter One came in at just under 5,000 words, and has gone off to my alpha readers. This chapter introduced readers to a bit of the world of Prestige Online, with main character Becky Farthing creating her in-game character of Emmara Gates, a half-elf/half-human, and completing her first quest. This chapter also introduced perhaps my favorite character - Finn Willowbrook, a half-orc/half-dwarf, who is intent on petting every animal they can and building the best menagerie possible. In true #LitRPG style, the first chapter of Prestige Online ends on a cliffhanger! Pre-order your copy here. Prestige Online will be available on #Kindle and #KindleUnlimited on December 1st, 2025!

Okay, LinkedIn #writingcommunity! It's time to keep one of your writers accountable. I just scheduled my debut novel - Prestige Online: A LitRPG - for publication on 01 Dec 2025, with the final draft being due to Amazon Kindle Agency on 27 Nov 2025. I'll be posting weekly updates here! Pre-order Prestige Online here: https://lnkd.in/enr3DWy3