Friday, March 27, 2015
Now in Print: Healer
Sunday, March 15, 2015
To be Published: A Broken Race
I'm pleased to announce that my previous not quite announcement post can now be followed with this official one.
A Broken Race will be published by Caffeinated Press and is due out this fall in both print and e-book. I'm very excited to work this this new press focused on Michigan authors and my local community as well as the other important sales avenues.
The contract has been signed and now I await feedback from the content editors. And while I'm waiting...a conversation with my daughter sparked a search through my back burner short story file, and now I'm working on a YA sci-fi novella that I set aside a few years ago. I should say, hoping to work on, because I still have to solve the plot problem of how the MC is going to overcome the antagonist - which is exactly why this story was set aside previously. I have no clue. I suppose that means reading it over from the beginning and then some plotting is in order. At least my daughter liked it so far so that gives me some motivation to figure this one out and finally write the end.
But back to beginnings: The April A to Z challenge is just around the corner. There's still plenty of time to sign up to join me in the blogging frenzy.
And still on topic: Ever wonder why authors began writing? This week on Author's Answer, we cover that very question.
A Broken Race will be published by Caffeinated Press and is due out this fall in both print and e-book. I'm very excited to work this this new press focused on Michigan authors and my local community as well as the other important sales avenues.
The contract has been signed and now I await feedback from the content editors. And while I'm waiting...a conversation with my daughter sparked a search through my back burner short story file, and now I'm working on a YA sci-fi novella that I set aside a few years ago. I should say, hoping to work on, because I still have to solve the plot problem of how the MC is going to overcome the antagonist - which is exactly why this story was set aside previously. I have no clue. I suppose that means reading it over from the beginning and then some plotting is in order. At least my daughter liked it so far so that gives me some motivation to figure this one out and finally write the end.
But back to beginnings: The April A to Z challenge is just around the corner. There's still plenty of time to sign up to join me in the blogging frenzy.
And still on topic: Ever wonder why authors began writing? This week on Author's Answer, we cover that very question.
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
A Moving Post
After much stress, long years of waiting, and an extremely long year of working my butt off (or at least several pounds of it), I'm able to write this post from my new writing room. We're not quite all moved in yet, but the majority of boxes are a cleared away and most of our things have found a new home.
The desk that has been sitting unassembled in my garage for over a year now has finally been assembled and stained. Many of the posters I've been collecting for seven years have been framed and hung. All the little trinkets that used to be piled on or around my previous writing desk have found homes on my new bookshelves.
My TBR pile overflowed from the two stacks beside my bed to a short stack on my writing desk. I suppose that means I need to make more time for reading as well as writing because any further stacks will have to go on the floor down here.
I have a comfy chair for my desk, but not the lounging chair that I've been searching for that will eventually go in the corner. I seem to do better with marathon writing sessions when I can put my feet up and give my back a break.
All my hard cover books now reside on the big hallway bookshelf on the main level, but the paperbacks keep me company down here.
The silver cement floor I worked on late into one evening is nice and warm with our radiant heating. I had a rug down here for a day, but decided I liked the patterns on the floor better.
Now that I have my calming and quiet space all ready to go, it's time for some writing!
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| Bobblehead Scorpius is happily posted at his new station and agreeing away as I type. "Yes, yes, those are good words. Keep typing. Yes, there you go." |
My TBR pile overflowed from the two stacks beside my bed to a short stack on my writing desk. I suppose that means I need to make more time for reading as well as writing because any further stacks will have to go on the floor down here.
I have a comfy chair for my desk, but not the lounging chair that I've been searching for that will eventually go in the corner. I seem to do better with marathon writing sessions when I can put my feet up and give my back a break.
All my hard cover books now reside on the big hallway bookshelf on the main level, but the paperbacks keep me company down here.
The silver cement floor I worked on late into one evening is nice and warm with our radiant heating. I had a rug down here for a day, but decided I liked the patterns on the floor better.
Now that I have my calming and quiet space all ready to go, it's time for some writing!
Sunday, March 1, 2015
Actually End That Sucker
In preparing my responses for March on Author's Answer, we were given a question that I hadn't had much issue with lately: Have you ever wanted to rewrite the ending of another author's published book? I typed up my reply and sent it off thinking that I was quite glad of that particular fact. Then, given that the majority of the household has been unpacked to a functional degree, I decided that I deserved the long-awaited opportunity to attack a book from my towering TBR pile.
I sat down and read a book. It was amazing.
Not the book so much as allowing myself to sit down and just read, to get lost in the words and not worry about all the other things I could (possibly, should) be doing. It was relaxing. It's been a long time since I've done 'relaxing'. Even better, I was able to focus on the book for more than a page at a time and for more than five minutes at a time. I read several chapters in one sitting. This was all wonderful and good. I wasn't up to my usual book devouring read-it-in-a-day-or-two speed, but I did find the time, desire, and focus to sit down with it over the next several days.
Then, yesterday, I hit the end of the story. Hit. Like with a train. Just bam. The words ended.
Now, I thought to preserve my tenuous hold on sanity by picking up one of my favorite paranormal romance authors for this first foray into the return to reading for fun. I trusted this book to get me from point A to point B in an enjoyable fashion. Perhaps my downfall was choosing a book that included two stories, giving me no physical page gauge as to how far into the first story I was before the next one began. Thus, when I hit a page that ended halfway down in white space and the next one didn't contain the words Chapter Fourteen, I was inclined to throw the book at the wall.
I didn't. I was at a science tournament with my daughter and surrounded by students and that would have set a bad example. Had we been at an English tournament, I would have stood up and loudly exclaimed why. But alas, it was not appropriate at the time.
What was the problem? Well, this was a romance story, as I mentioned earlier. Generally they have fairly simple plots and the goal is for the two people (or whatever they happen to technically be) to acknowledge that they are happily in love. This was from an established series I've read much of. I know the world, the types of characters and pretty much what to expect, as these sort of books tend to get a little formulaic after awhile. But they're easy to get lost in, and so I enjoy them from time to time.
In this particular story, boy met girl. Boy is off conquering bad guys and girl joins him. Yay for strong female characters. Girl's siblings are involved in the fighting. There is a lot of focus on girl's siblings, their special linage, and how it may lead to conflict with boy's people. Girl has a job that puts her in danger and boy will have to come to grips with this even though it's against his nature. There is also a lot of build up regarding a conflict with meeting girl's parent's, particularly her mother who we're told will not like the boy at all and there will be major family tension. There is also the matter of the bad guys, one of whom will be after girl's brother with all sorts of promised evil intent until either the bother or the baddie are dead.
Where did we end? Boy and girl kill two of three bad guys, leaving the big bad to slink off and threaten them and girl's brother in perpetuity. The whole subplot regarding the special linage is left hanging. What will happen with her job, we never find out. Boy never meets the parents. All we get out of whole story is the couple in love. All the rest of what made the story interesting beyond the falling in love was left hanging. I could forgive the big bad slinking off knowing that he'll probably turn up later in the series, but the rest? No.
Which brings me to my point. If you're going to start subplots, finish them. Nothing leaves me more disappointed at the end of a book than it ending as if the author got tired of writing that particular story and just shipped it off to print as is.
Would I rewrite the ending of a published novel? Nah, I have my own novels to work on and endings to conquer. Hopefully they are more satisfying than the one I just read.
With that off my chest, check out this week's Author's Answer in which we delve into our writerly influences.
I sat down and read a book. It was amazing.
Not the book so much as allowing myself to sit down and just read, to get lost in the words and not worry about all the other things I could (possibly, should) be doing. It was relaxing. It's been a long time since I've done 'relaxing'. Even better, I was able to focus on the book for more than a page at a time and for more than five minutes at a time. I read several chapters in one sitting. This was all wonderful and good. I wasn't up to my usual book devouring read-it-in-a-day-or-two speed, but I did find the time, desire, and focus to sit down with it over the next several days.
Then, yesterday, I hit the end of the story. Hit. Like with a train. Just bam. The words ended.
Now, I thought to preserve my tenuous hold on sanity by picking up one of my favorite paranormal romance authors for this first foray into the return to reading for fun. I trusted this book to get me from point A to point B in an enjoyable fashion. Perhaps my downfall was choosing a book that included two stories, giving me no physical page gauge as to how far into the first story I was before the next one began. Thus, when I hit a page that ended halfway down in white space and the next one didn't contain the words Chapter Fourteen, I was inclined to throw the book at the wall.
I didn't. I was at a science tournament with my daughter and surrounded by students and that would have set a bad example. Had we been at an English tournament, I would have stood up and loudly exclaimed why. But alas, it was not appropriate at the time.
What was the problem? Well, this was a romance story, as I mentioned earlier. Generally they have fairly simple plots and the goal is for the two people (or whatever they happen to technically be) to acknowledge that they are happily in love. This was from an established series I've read much of. I know the world, the types of characters and pretty much what to expect, as these sort of books tend to get a little formulaic after awhile. But they're easy to get lost in, and so I enjoy them from time to time.
In this particular story, boy met girl. Boy is off conquering bad guys and girl joins him. Yay for strong female characters. Girl's siblings are involved in the fighting. There is a lot of focus on girl's siblings, their special linage, and how it may lead to conflict with boy's people. Girl has a job that puts her in danger and boy will have to come to grips with this even though it's against his nature. There is also a lot of build up regarding a conflict with meeting girl's parent's, particularly her mother who we're told will not like the boy at all and there will be major family tension. There is also the matter of the bad guys, one of whom will be after girl's brother with all sorts of promised evil intent until either the bother or the baddie are dead.
Where did we end? Boy and girl kill two of three bad guys, leaving the big bad to slink off and threaten them and girl's brother in perpetuity. The whole subplot regarding the special linage is left hanging. What will happen with her job, we never find out. Boy never meets the parents. All we get out of whole story is the couple in love. All the rest of what made the story interesting beyond the falling in love was left hanging. I could forgive the big bad slinking off knowing that he'll probably turn up later in the series, but the rest? No.
Which brings me to my point. If you're going to start subplots, finish them. Nothing leaves me more disappointed at the end of a book than it ending as if the author got tired of writing that particular story and just shipped it off to print as is.
Would I rewrite the ending of a published novel? Nah, I have my own novels to work on and endings to conquer. Hopefully they are more satisfying than the one I just read.
With that off my chest, check out this week's Author's Answer in which we delve into our writerly influences.
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
To be Published: Spring 2015 edition
We're finally all moved out of our old house and are busy unpacking into the new one. It's nice to finally be living in the place we've been working on for so long. If it weren't for all the boxes and wondering where stuff is, I'd say it's downright enjoyable.
My writing room has yet to be assembled, but that will come about shortly. We've only officially been here for three days and there are more important (gasp! I know) things to get set up, like our home business, bedrooms, and most importantly after a couple nights without them...curtains.
Now that I finally have a few minutes to breathe (seriously, we're talking minutes), I had time to take stock of what was in my submission inbox.
I'm happy to announce that my novel, A Broken Race has found a publisher. I'm waiting to meet with the editor in a couple weeks before I make any official announcements. However, it is nice to be able to say (albeit vaguely) that it certainly does have a prospective publication home.
Healer, previously published with Acidic Fiction, has been selected to be included in their upcoming anthology: Acidic Fiction #1: Corrosive Chronicles
Taking A Breather, after a long wait, is slated for publication in February/March Stupefying Stories.
Late is slated for publication in April with Bards and Sages.
The Spell is slated for publication in April with Saturday Night Reader.
Beyond the fact that we'll be leaving the -4 degree temperatures behind, I'm quite looking forward to Spring.
My writing room has yet to be assembled, but that will come about shortly. We've only officially been here for three days and there are more important (gasp! I know) things to get set up, like our home business, bedrooms, and most importantly after a couple nights without them...curtains.
Now that I finally have a few minutes to breathe (seriously, we're talking minutes), I had time to take stock of what was in my submission inbox.
I'm happy to announce that my novel, A Broken Race has found a publisher. I'm waiting to meet with the editor in a couple weeks before I make any official announcements. However, it is nice to be able to say (albeit vaguely) that it certainly does have a prospective publication home.
Healer, previously published with Acidic Fiction, has been selected to be included in their upcoming anthology: Acidic Fiction #1: Corrosive Chronicles
Taking A Breather, after a long wait, is slated for publication in February/March Stupefying Stories.
Late is slated for publication in April with Bards and Sages.
The Spell is slated for publication in April with Saturday Night Reader.
Beyond the fact that we'll be leaving the -4 degree temperatures behind, I'm quite looking forward to Spring.
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