Still - it's progress nonetheless. Can't wait to see it unfold.
Monday, December 30, 2019
Status Update - Book 3 - Two Thirds Through First Draft
I've fallen a little behind my planned schedule for the third installment of the Stormfall Chronicles. I'm currently about two-thirds of the way through the first draft of the third book, with much more to go.
Still - it's progress nonetheless. Can't wait to see it unfold.
Still - it's progress nonetheless. Can't wait to see it unfold.
Friday, December 27, 2019
What Does "YA Fantasy" Really Mean?
I'm a writer of Young Adult (YA) Epic Fantasy. But the question might be asked, what does that mean? What makes the fantasy which I right Young Adult or New Adult, rather than simply Epic Fantasy?
There are a couple of key elements which I can point to. First, it should be pointed out that my teenage daughters have been and remain the first audience for whom I write. Their tastes and the kind of fiction which they read have left an indelible mark on the things I write.
As a writer of YA or NA fantasy, I tend to leave out some of the more sexually charged or violent scenes which appear to have become a core staple for many other writers. It's not that such things have no place in literature. It's just that they are unnecessary and distracting from the stories which I write. I therefore attempt to keep certain events "off-screen" or "off-page".
Writing YA Fantasy, however, does not mean that I intend to shield my audience from all the harsh lessons of the world in which they live. My novels are not aimed at an elementary school audience by any stretch of the imagination. Characters do die in my novels. Evil is real, and it isn't banished by hope or charm.
As YA Fantasy, my characters are also grappling with some very real world questions and doubts which are a part of YA or NA fiction. As emerging adults, they must face some of the same questions which my own daughters struggled with. It's not as simple as turning that magical age and suddenly everything makes sense. It doesn't make sense, which is why emerging adults have always struggled to understand who they are, and what their place in the world might be.
Facing the world as an emerging adult, means coming to terms with the good, and the bad in it. The reality that some people are mostly good with a little bit of bad, and others are mostly bad with a little bit of good. It's seldom black-and-white. Bigotry is real, and racism is real. As young adults they will be confronted with that - it's unavoidable. It's my hope that art and literature can help them come to terms with these realities, not avoid them. It also means coming to terms with their own identity, including their own sexual identity, in a world where many are still ignorant or unaccepting of those who are different from themselves - or from their own definition of what "normal" should be.
The world I write about, the questions which my characters must struggle with and face, are the same questions which I saw my own daughters struggle to understand and come to terms with. So if people wonder why my novels reflect some of the diverse issues which they do - that is why. The setting might be a world of fantasy. But the questions which these stories raise are ones which our emerging adults have been struggling to cope with for generations - some more openly than others.
There are a couple of key elements which I can point to. First, it should be pointed out that my teenage daughters have been and remain the first audience for whom I write. Their tastes and the kind of fiction which they read have left an indelible mark on the things I write.
As a writer of YA or NA fantasy, I tend to leave out some of the more sexually charged or violent scenes which appear to have become a core staple for many other writers. It's not that such things have no place in literature. It's just that they are unnecessary and distracting from the stories which I write. I therefore attempt to keep certain events "off-screen" or "off-page".
Writing YA Fantasy, however, does not mean that I intend to shield my audience from all the harsh lessons of the world in which they live. My novels are not aimed at an elementary school audience by any stretch of the imagination. Characters do die in my novels. Evil is real, and it isn't banished by hope or charm.
As YA Fantasy, my characters are also grappling with some very real world questions and doubts which are a part of YA or NA fiction. As emerging adults, they must face some of the same questions which my own daughters struggled with. It's not as simple as turning that magical age and suddenly everything makes sense. It doesn't make sense, which is why emerging adults have always struggled to understand who they are, and what their place in the world might be.
Facing the world as an emerging adult, means coming to terms with the good, and the bad in it. The reality that some people are mostly good with a little bit of bad, and others are mostly bad with a little bit of good. It's seldom black-and-white. Bigotry is real, and racism is real. As young adults they will be confronted with that - it's unavoidable. It's my hope that art and literature can help them come to terms with these realities, not avoid them. It also means coming to terms with their own identity, including their own sexual identity, in a world where many are still ignorant or unaccepting of those who are different from themselves - or from their own definition of what "normal" should be.
The world I write about, the questions which my characters must struggle with and face, are the same questions which I saw my own daughters struggle to understand and come to terms with. So if people wonder why my novels reflect some of the diverse issues which they do - that is why. The setting might be a world of fantasy. But the questions which these stories raise are ones which our emerging adults have been struggling to cope with for generations - some more openly than others.
Thursday, December 19, 2019
Storm's Clouds: Blog Tour Blitz
Today Indie Blog Hop will be sponsoring a one-day promotional blitz for the second title in the Stormfall Chronicles, "Storm's Clouds"
https://indiebloghop.wordpress.comMany thanks again to Paige and everyone else who has helped support the Indie Blog Hop.
A dragon: the most powerful, destructive and malevolent force known. The last thing Lynette ever wanted to get closer to – and the one thing she’s been tasked to go find.
For the first time in centuries, a dragon has been reported on the edge of the Feyfell. Homes, cities, and forests are all threatened with fiery destruction. The news has plunged the Fae Kingdom into a panic.
Desperate to know the truth behind the reports, and unable to discretely dispatch his own fae soldiers to investigate, King Elyan tasks Lynette, Baxter and Eirlon with tracking down the whereabouts and intentions of the fiery beast.
But Lynette is still only a second-year student at the Fae Academy. She has come far – but she knows she’s no Arche-Mage. Baxter is still struggling to prove his worth, hoping Lynette might see him as something more than the boy-squire she first met two years before. And Eirlon – he still hordes secrets Lynette can only suspect. A girl, a boy, and a gnome – on the hunt for a fire-breathing dragon.
The threats facing the Fae Kingdom, however, are multiplying. A traitor has set his sights on King Elyan, while the Arche-Fae Council continues to treat the Princess Elise as an outsider – an adopted daughter rather than a noblefae by birth. Hostile armies are gathering on the kingdom’s northern frontier, while the mage-turned-swordsman Garth must balance between rescuing a boy on a quest and averting a larger war.
With sightings of dragons, rumors of war, and trained assassins stalking the land, will there even be a Feyfell for Lynette to return to?
Wednesday, December 18, 2019
Author Interview on The Cozy Dragon
Thanks again Rose.
Tuesday, December 17, 2019
First Review of Book 2 on Goodreads
Just two days away from the release of Book 2 of the "Stormfall Chronicles", and I have my first review (four stars out of five) posted by one of my ARC readers on Goodreads.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3081210268?book_show_action=true
To quote from a segment of the review:
https://popthebutterfly.wordpress.com/
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3081210268?book_show_action=true
To quote from a segment of the review:
I felt like this book was much better than the first. We got a lot more content to the overarching story and the settings were a lot more fleshed out. The dangers are more imminent now. The book is also well written and it has good pacing. . . . The action was just non-stop.Thanks again to Paige Green for agreeing to read and review the book :-) Her website can be found below:
https://popthebutterfly.wordpress.com/
Sunday, December 15, 2019
Countdown to Book 2 Release - And Half-Way Through First Draft to Book 3
I am now only four days away from the release of Storm's Clouds, the second book in the Stormfall Chronicles. Time to update my Blog, Facebook and other social media sites accordingly.
Concurrently, I am now roughly half way through my first draft for the third book in the series. All around a reason to celebrate.
Concurrently, I am now roughly half way through my first draft for the third book in the series. All around a reason to celebrate.
Thursday, December 12, 2019
Storm's Herald: Blog Tour Blitz
Today Indie Blog Hop will be sponsoring a one-day promotional blitz for the first title in the Stormfall Chronicles, "Storm's Herald"
https://indiebloghop.wordpress.comMany thanks again to Paige and everyone else who has helped support the Indie Blog Hop.
A peasant girl who dreams of becoming a sorceress, a boy who imagines himself a knight – trailed by a ruthless mercenary armed with an ancient sword.
All Lynette wanted was to leave her boring village life – to attend the Fae Academy and become a Druid priestess like her teacher before her. Her clumsy attempts at magic are a reminder of how much she has yet to learn. But if they would only accept her, if the Fae Kingdom – closed to human visitors for centuries now – would only just open its doors, she is certain she could become a master of the magical arts.
Yet her journey puts her on a collision course with a reawakened evil – offering a king’s ransom for the recovery of a long-lost relic. Treasure hunters of every variety – werewolves, mercenaries, common thieves and undead alike – are soon locked in pursuit of its promised riches. Together with Baxter, a young squire who fled his own kingdom, and Eirlon, a gnome who trades in rare antiquities, Lynette is drawn unwillingly into the hunt for the elusive relic.
Hounded by goblins, ogres – and darker things – Baxter carries his own burdens: secrets that have made him the enemy of the crown. And then there is Garth, the mysterious mercenary who both frightens and intrigues Lynette: the weapons-master armed with an ancient blade – snatched from the hand of a long-vanished fae prince.
Willingly or not, Lynette, Baxter and Eirlon must together solve the riddles behind the relic – and stay one step ahead of the ruthless killers that pursue them.
Monday, December 9, 2019
A Marathon, Not a Sprint
As many authors no doubt also do, I follow a number of online author communities. Reading descriptions of the trepidation and struggles of other authors, preparing to publish their first novel, reminds me of some of my own experiences.
It also reminds me that writing a novel (or any other book) is a marathon undertaking, not a sprint. It’s a lot of hard work, with hours upon hours spent polishing and fretting over the manuscript. Persistence, and a willingness to push past the frustration or pain, is an essential ingredient.
It also reminds me, however, that writing is, much like life itself, a journey, not a destination. Each chapter, each novel, is only a way-station on this journey. If you cut yourself off after the first chapter, or after the first novel, you’ll never have the opportunity to grow - or to see what other way-stations this journey might bring to you. Always take the time to appreciate the chapter in life you’re on right now.
It also reminds me that writing a novel (or any other book) is a marathon undertaking, not a sprint. It’s a lot of hard work, with hours upon hours spent polishing and fretting over the manuscript. Persistence, and a willingness to push past the frustration or pain, is an essential ingredient.
It also reminds me, however, that writing is, much like life itself, a journey, not a destination. Each chapter, each novel, is only a way-station on this journey. If you cut yourself off after the first chapter, or after the first novel, you’ll never have the opportunity to grow - or to see what other way-stations this journey might bring to you. Always take the time to appreciate the chapter in life you’re on right now.
Thursday, December 5, 2019
Some Scenes
As a writer there are some scenes, some events in the story, that elicit such a strong emotional response, that they cannot be ignored. They pound at the doorways to the mind, demanding to be written down, insisting that they be set free.
I find myself being drawn into these scenes, their emotive impact growing rather than waning as I set them to paper, as their details become more clear. These are some of the first scenes that I write down in any book - and in Book 3 of the Stormfall Chronicles, there are a lot of them.
I find myself being drawn into these scenes, their emotive impact growing rather than waning as I set them to paper, as their details become more clear. These are some of the first scenes that I write down in any book - and in Book 3 of the Stormfall Chronicles, there are a lot of them.
Monday, December 2, 2019
Status Update - Book 3 - One Third Through the First Draft
I'm currently a little over a third of the way through my first draft for Book 3 in the Stormfall Chronicles. I'm hoping to have the first, very rough draft complete by the end of December.
Coming into the third novel in the series, I have had a number of key moments or scenes that have dominated my thoughts. So much so, that I have had to jump ahead throughout the various chapters to capture these events which were clamoring to be put onto the page. I'm excited to see how the story takes shape and unfolds, even as I look forward to the eBook release for Book 2 on December 19th.
Coming into the third novel in the series, I have had a number of key moments or scenes that have dominated my thoughts. So much so, that I have had to jump ahead throughout the various chapters to capture these events which were clamoring to be put onto the page. I'm excited to see how the story takes shape and unfolds, even as I look forward to the eBook release for Book 2 on December 19th.
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