A day in the life of Lisa Swallow
Posted: February 12, 2014 Filed under: On Books | Tags: guest post, writing 3 Comments
Today’s guest post is part of the From Australia With Love blog tour, and is by urban fantasy and romance author, Lisa Swallow! Lisa sent me this post ages ago and due to internet woes and my general inability to find my way out of a wet paper bag, I have failed to post it till now. I’M SORRY AGAIN, LISA! (On the bright side, it’s a day in her life from several weeks ago–it’s practically like travelling in a TARDIS. Right? Right?)
There’s also a giveaway as part of the tour, which you can enter HERE!
Today is: Monday
I woke up at: Eight am
What I ate for breakfast: Yoghurt.
Most interesting thing I did today: Organised a cover for my new book!
Least interesting thing I did today: Grocery shopping
No one knows…: I wrote part of Soul Ties without realising there was a bush fire nearby. I didn’t realise how close it was getting until I was told to evacuate. I thought I could smell burning!
My pets are: Tilly, the Weimaraner who never barks, and Twinkle, the cat who thinks she has a magic never-emptying food bowl, thanks to my daughter.
When I’m bored, I tend to: Wonder how I found time to get bored.
For lunch, I had: Tuna salad
My current mood is: Tired but happy
I worked on/for: Summer Sky (Blue Phoenix #1), my new contemporary romance.
My biggest pet peeve is: Lost apostrophes! I have opened a Home for Lost Apostrophes. I rescue them from apple’s and sometimes boy’s.
When I drive, people think: Why has that woman got a family of zombie stickers on her back windscreen?
I get easily distracted by: The internet. I have to disconnect from our wifi when I’m writing.
Dinner was: Vegetable curry and rice
My favourite movie so far this year: Catching Fire
In my spare time, I like to: Read!!
When I need to get into the writing mood, and I’m struggling to, I: Start cleaning. Funny how the need to write suddenly appears then…
I decided to be an author because: The voices wouldn’t stop 🙂
About Lisa:
Lisa is an author of new adult romance and writes both paranormal and contemporary, often with a side of snark. In between running a business, looking after her family and writing, Lisa sometimes finds spare time to do other things. This often involves swapping her book worlds for gaming worlds. She even leaves the house occasionally. Lisa is originally from the UK but moved to Australia in 2001 and now lives in Perth in Western Australia with her husband, three children and dog.
Her latest release is Finding Evan, the sequel to new adult contemporary romance Because of Lucy. Fated Souls, the prequel to the urban fantasy series Soul Ties, is due for release soon. She is currently working on Summer Sky, a contemporary romance.
You can find her on Facebook, Twitter, her website or Goodreads.
Researching your setting
Posted: February 11, 2014 Filed under: On writing | Tags: guest post, research, self-publishing, writing Leave a comment
Today’s guest post is part of the From Australia With Love blog tour, and is by YA urban fantasy and fantasy author, K. A. Last! There’s also a giveaway as part of the tour, which you can enter HERE!
Fall For Me, the first book in the Tate Chronicles, is set in Australia. It’s all fictional, but the places are based on real towns. Writing about them was easy, because I’d been there, and seen what they were like with my own eyes. When it came to writing Sacrifice, I was a little out of my comfort zone. I wanted to tell the story of how Grace and Seth got to where they are in Fall For Me, but to do that I had to go back to England in the 1600s. Yikes! I’ve never been to England, and obviously not in the 1600s.
That is where the research came in.
My knowledge of England was limited to what little I soaked up in school, what I’ve seen on TV, and perhaps what people have told me during social discussions. In short, it didn’t add up to much. So, I devoured everything I could about the English countryside, the people, the castles, events of 1642 and so on. My eyes went blurry from scouring through web article after article, until I was confident I knew enough to sound like I knew what I was talking about. I even learnt a few things along the way.
Nothing can beat visiting a place and seeing it with your own eyes, but just because you haven’t been somewhere doesn’t mean you can’t write about it. Even though I have never been to England, I thought I did a pretty good job of building a convincing setting based on the research I’d done. At the end of the day, I write fiction. My stories are my interpretation of all sorts of factors melded together, and they draw from all different types of resources and research.
A great example of writing about somewhere you’ve never been is Heaven. Things such as religious beliefs, what we’ve seen in movies, or read in books, will influence our own personal depiction of the afterlife. In Sacrifice, my two MCs are angels, so Heaven plays a pretty big role in their lives. My Heaven research consisted mainly of staring at paintings and artworks for a long time. This made me happy, and really excited to write about Heaven. I love art, and I found so many pieces inspirational.
When Sacrifice was close to release, I had someone tell me that my depiction of Heaven was the most ridiculous she’d ever read. I took it with a grain of salt, because who is to say I’m wrong? Then I had three other people tell me it was fresh, and new, and one even said it was “the best description of the great above I’ve ever read”.
Research is an important step in the writing of any book, but we have to remember that some things can’t be researched as thoroughly as others. In the end, when we build the worlds within out stories, we have to go with what we think works best.
SACRIFICE IS FREE AT iBOOKS UNTIL FEBRUARY 19th
Title: Sacrifice – A Fall For Me Prequel (The Tate Chronicles #0.5)
Author: K. A. Last
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Date of Publication: May 24th 2013
Number of pages: Paperback – 114
Word Count: 23,000
Formats available: eBook and paperback
Cover Artist: KILA Designs
Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/jBk-qTPc91c
Purchase Link Amazon eBook: http://amzn.to/11ipsxG
Purchase Link Amazon Paperback: http://amzn.to/13k7QG3
Purchase Link iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sacrifice-fall-for-me-prequel/id694910275?mt=11
Book Blurb:
Seth’s heart is breaking. He knows his decision will hurt the one person he keeps breathing for, but he can’t take it anymore. He can’t be near Grace knowing she will always be just out of reach.
Grace is oblivious to Seth’s turmoil. She loves him unconditionally, but not in the way he wants. They both know that in Heaven physical love is forbidden, and to break the rules is to defy everything they’ve ever been taught.
When Grace and Seth are sent on a mission to save a young mother and her unborn child, Grace must face the fact that Seth won’t be returning home. She doesn’t understand Seth’s decision and hates him for it. But what neither of them realise is how big a part that single decision will play in shaping their entire future.
What would you sacrifice for the one you love?
About the author:
K. A. Last was born in Subiaco, Western Australia, and moved to Sydney with her parents and older brother when she was eight. Artistic and creative by nature, she studied Graphic Design and graduated with an Advanced Diploma. After marrying her high school sweetheart, she concentrated on her career before settling into family life. Blessed with a vivid imagination, she began writing to let off creative steam, and fell in love with it. K. A. Last is currently studying her Bachelor of Arts at Charles Sturt University, with a major in English, and minors in Children’s Literature, Art History, and Visual Culture. She resides in a peaceful, leafy suburb north of Sydney with her husband, their two children, a rabbit named Twitch, and a guinea pig called Squeak.
You can find her at her website, or on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads or Amazon.
Cover reveal and excerpt – ‘Evolution: ANGEL’ by S. A. Huchton
Posted: February 6, 2014 Filed under: On Books | Tags: book covers, new adult 3 CommentsTitle: Evolution: ANGEL
Author: S. A. Huchton
Release Date: 6 March 2014
Genre: NA, superhero romance
Candace Bristol has always been obsessed with comic books, but in a world where the nightly news often mirrors these inked stories, her dreams of becoming a real superhero could actually come true. After being rescued by members of the government’s AdvaNced Genetic EvoLution (ANGEL) Project four years ago, getting recruited for this elite team is all she’s wanted.
Now 18, she’s finally reached her goal after years of study and physical training, but little could have prepared her for life as a genetic experiment. As though coming to terms with her new ability to manipulate water isn’t tough enough, she never expected to be swept off her feet by one of her fellow recruits.
With genetic alteration, the threat of physical and mental instability hangs over every superhero like a shadow. When one of their own tumbles over the edge of madness, Candace will have to choose between protecting the world, and saving the one who holds her heart.
Add Evolution: ANGEL on Goodreads!
Excerpt — Prologue
She jumped, trying to see over the crowd in front of her. This was so stupid. Why would they stick her in the back? Wasn’t showing off to as many people as possible the whole point of this?
“Calm down, Candace,” Gabe said. “You keep stepping on my foot.”
She shot him her best “drop dead” look. “Calm down? I’ve been dying to see these guys since they made the announcement last year. Do you have any idea how many chores I had to promise my mom I’d do before she’d sign my permission slip to come to this thing?” She pinched her face and did her best impression of her mother. “Candace, I don’t want you filling up your head with any more garbage than those comic books already put in there.”
Gabe sighed and patted her head. Even at fifteen, only a year older than her, her cousin was already six inches taller. It wasn’t fair. Gabe had no problem seeing past the Neanderthals in front of them. “Don’t worry, Princess. Maybe you can sit on my shoulders or something when they come around.”
She rolled her eyes. “Not funny. And don’t call me Princess.”
“Sure thing, Candy Cane.”
“Ugh. Again with that nickname. Can you knock that off? We’re not kids anymore.”
He thought carefully. “Hmm, would you prefer Cupcake?”
Before she could reply, or punch him, music blared through the loudspeakers on the steps of the capital building. Her heart leapt. They were here! She was actually going to see honest-to-God superheroes in the flesh!
Candace looked in either direction, trying to find an opening where she might be able to push through and get a better vantage point. She went left. Nothing. She went right. Still nothing.
No, wait. Definitely something.
The large fountain wasn’t working. It was roped off and marked as under construction, and no one gave it a second look. The crowd was riveted to the top of the stairs, staring at the guests she couldn’t see.
Yet.
She took a last peek at Gabe, who was completely engrossed in the spectacle, and sunk low as she crept toward the fountain. She wasn’t going to have endured a crowded, eight-hour bus ride to Des Moines with a bunch of smelly dudes for nothing. She came here to see superheroes, and damned if she wasn’t going to do exactly that.
The street police were lined up on the other side of the fountain with their backs to her, as captivated as the rest of the onlookers. Candace ducked between the strips of caution tape and threw her legs over the metal rail. After soaking her shoes in the remnants of the drained water, she clambered up two of the five tiers of the centerpiece and leaned around.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” the Governor said. “Today we mark a new era in the fight against crime, terrorism, and even natural disaster. With the founding of the US Government’s ANGEL Project, we hope to usher in a new time of peace and security for every last one of us. These brave individuals have given over their lives and their very bodies in pursuit of this goal, and it is my extreme pleasure to present to you two representatives of the ultimate first responder unit, the Aquila Team: Marissa Hayden and Christian Markov!”
The applause was thunderous and immediate, but Candace tuned it out. The ANGELs were amazing. Two people, not much older than her, and here they were.
Real life superheroes.
The pair stepped up to the microphone, ready to give a joint speech. Candace couldn’t take her eyes off of them. They moved with a smooth, preternatural grace, as though they were intentionally slowing themselves for the benefit of the onlookers. Marissa’s smile was radiant as she waved to the crowd. Her caramel-colored skin was flawless. Her thick, black hair hung in the most beautiful waves across her shoulders. Candace wished she had half of the curves this woman displayed in her black, form-fitted skinsuit.
Christian was no less impressive physically, but in a different way. He tossed a little nod of acknowledgment down the steps to a group of squealing high school girls. He was the ultimate definition of an All-American guy: clean cut, blond, blue-eyed, the works. The man had it all and then some. It was no wonder he’d become the ANGEL Project’s poster child. Candace snorted. Yay diversity.
A hush passed over the crowd when he held his hand up, indicating they were ready for the speech. Candace leaned forward even more, her fingers digging into the slippery slime around the fountain ledge.
Christian opened his mouth.
Before so much as a word was spoken, the ground rumbled. Candace didn’t notice it at first, but the nervous shifting of the crowd caught her attention.
It caught the ANGELs’ attention as well.
“Everyone get out of here!” Christian yelled into the microphone.
The police surged forward, doing their best to herd the confused mass of people away from the steps. Someone screamed, soon accompanied by more shouts of alarm. The fountain shook violently and Candace slipped. She scrambled to get a better hold, but it crumbled away, splitting up the middle, followed by an explosion of water that blasted her backwards into the concrete pool. Her back hit the bottom, knocking the air from her lungs, and her skull cracked against the ledge, filling her vision with sparkling lights.
When she could see clearly again, someone stood over her.
He was a massive man, shirtless, shaking, and staring at her with wild eyes. When he sucked in a ragged breath, foamy spittle oozed from the corners of his mouth.
“Tasty…” he hissed at her, bending lower, hands outstretched.
The scream stuck in her throat as terror wrapped its icy talons around her neck.
Another body slammed into the man’s torso, blasting him through the caution tape and onto the sidewalk below.
Christian Markov glanced her way briefly before before launching himself at the strange man again. Who was this invader? Was he one of the back alley genetic evolutions they talked about on the news?
Christian didn’t let up, sending a barrage of punches into the man’s face and body faster than her eyes could track them.
Someone scooped her up and ran, leaping over the fountain railing as though it were a mere speed bump, rather than a three-foot vertical leap. Candace looked up into the face of Marissa Hayden, the sunlight shining a halo around her hair.
Transfixed by the sight, Candace barely registered it when they stopped and Marissa set her down beside an ambulance half a block away. Not wasting a moment, Marissa winked at her, then flew back up the street to help her teammate.
Someone wrapped a blanket around her shoulders and another pushed around in her hair at the back of her head.
“What’s your name, Miss?”
She blinked, only now seeing the paramedic in front of her.
“What?”
“Your name? You hit your head and we need to take you to the hospital. Can you give me a phone number to call?”
“Candace,” she replied, still staring back up the street. “Candace Bristol.”
“We have to get you out of here, sweetie. Can you stand?”
“I didn’t say thank you,” she whispered.
“What was that?”
“I…” She pinched her eyes shut. “My head hurts. I need to call my cousin. I was with him before…”
She winced as she pulled her phone from her pocket. Gabe was going to kill her for sneaking off.
And if he didn’t, she was sure her mother would.
A geek of all trades, Starla Huchton has been crafting stories in various genres since 2007. Her first novel, THE DREAMER’S THREAD was released as a full cast audiobook podcast, becoming a double-nominee and finalist for the 2010 Parsec Awards. After releasing short fiction of steampunk, noir fantasy, and other varieties, she released the first three books of the Sci-Fi Romance ENDURE series in 2013. All three books of the EVOLUTION series will be released in 2014, as well as a Steampunk Fantasy novel, MASTER OF MYTH (the Antigone’s Wrath series, book 1), which was the first place winner of the Crested Butte Writers’ contest, The Sandy, in 2012.
Review: ‘Sleeper’ by S. M. Johnston
Posted: February 4, 2014 Filed under: Reviews | Tags: aussie-owned, AWW, reviews, small presses, young adult 5 Comments
“Sleeper” by S. M. Johnston
A new heart should mean new life, not a living nightmare.
Mishca Richardson’s life is at an all-time high after her heart transplant. With new boyfriend, Ryder, the two of them have the perfect summer romance. Even the nightmares that have been plaguing her sleep since her operation can’t dull the high she’s on.
Things start to unravel as Mishca develops superhuman abilities. She does her best to hide them so as not to end up a science experiment in a lab. But she can’t ignore the instant attraction she experiences when she meets her university professor, Colin Reed.
Torn between the blossoming love and the obsession, Mishca must decide if she wants Ryder or Colin. But the organization responsible for her changes and her connection to Colin, is moving to secure Mishca so that she can be the weapon she was always intended to be. If Mishca can’t resist her programming she’ll have a lot more to worry about than romance
I don’t know why I never used to read independent fiction by small presses. Actually, I do—because I was mostly hearing about books by seeing them on the shelves at my local chain bookstore. But I was missing out on a lot of good Australian fiction.
Sleeper is one of those books. By Queensland author S. M. Johnston, it sits somewhere between YA and NA; the main character, Mischa, is eighteen and about to start university, but the themes sit closer to the more-typical YA fare of self-discovery. And while there’s a lot of kissing there’s no graphic detail in here that might make some teens (or parents of teens) uncomfortable.
After her heart transplant, Mischa finds that she’s traded being a “freak” with an illness that means she can’t do the things her peers can to being a freak in the truer sense. Although the doctors warned her she’d feel different, she’s pretty sure superhuman speed and strength weren’t want they meant. (Watch out for the scene on the beach where Mischa explores the full extent of her powers—it made me giggle. Poor girl!) She’s determined to fit in, though, and just wants to enjoy her new lease of life and being able to do things without worrying her heart may give out.
Mischa is easy to relate to and the romance between her and Ryder develops in a natural and realistic way that I enjoyed. He’s a likeable character, and when Mischa starts having eyes for another man, Colin, I got a bit grumpy with her—because Ryder. But it was obvious from the start that there was something weird going on in Mischa’s attraction to Colin, so her love at first sight didn’t irritate me the way it usually does in fiction. In fact, the attraction kept me guessing and made the plot more interesting. (For the record, I didn’t guess correctly either. The plot twist is a good one.)
Another thing I liked about Sleeper that you often don’t see in YA fiction is that her parents are not only present in her life but are responsible adults who actually take an active interest in their daughter’s behaviour and activities. I think it’s easier for Johnston in this case because, at eighteen, Mischa is an adult with her own drivers license—if she was fifteen it would be harder for her to get away with the things she does, which is often why YA writers have their characters’ parents either dead or chronically negligent.
My absolute favourite part of the book was the epilogue. Beautiful stuff.
The only thing I found a bit jarring about the story was that the book is set over the course of a full year. I found a couple of the time jumps a little surprising. But this was only a tiny niggle, especially as it would’ve been unrealistic if the story had played out over a shorter timeframe.
I’m giving Sleeper four and a half stars.
The (Publishing) Secret
Posted: February 2, 2014 Filed under: On writing | Tags: inspiration, writing 1 CommentThis is a guest post by Mary Elizabeth Summer, YA author.
Meet Mary
As an aspiring writer, I always wanted authors who had battled their way into the temple of traditional publishing and come back out the other side to tell me what the secret formula was, what diamond of creative wisdom they wrenched from the stone jaws of the mummy’s tomb. I wanted a guaranteed, proven path from point A to point Z so that I could unlock the same treasures.
Having now gone in myself and come out knowing that the more I learn, the more I find I don’t know, I can honestly tell you that the secret to unlocking traditional publishing is this:
There is no secret.
It’s not about who you know. It’s not about your age or experience. It’s not about how long you’ve been fighting to get there. It’s not about your platform. It’s not about the market. It’s not about the numbers. It’s not about the words, even. It’s not about any one particular thing. There are as many exceptions as there are rules.
For example, I got my dream agent through a query contest at Cupid’s Literary Connection. I actually hardly queried at all. But my editorial submission process was fairly normal. It took months of anxious nail chewing and several rejections before I got my book deal. On the other hand, one of my friends took many agonizing months getting an agent to turn around and sell her book in less than a month on submission. Another one of my friends got a book deal through an e-book first imprint without any agent help at all. Every story is different.
But even as I write this, I realize I’m lying to you. There is one thing all of us have in common:
We don’t give up.
Even when we get there and discover that the treasure is going to take an enormous amount of work to haul out. We still get discouraged, we still rejected, we still worry that we’re not good enough, not committed enough, not savvy enough to navigate the capricious market. We get scathing reviews, we get passed up for awards, we get bad news, and we still have to paste on a smile when our well-meaning friends ask us how it’s going.
But we don’t give up. So maybe that’s the secret. Sheer stubborn will power to make the dream come true. Hold onto that, and no matter what your path, you’ll get there.
Author Bio:
Mary Elizabeth Summer contributes to the delinquency of minors by writing books about unruly teenagers with criminal leanings. She has a BA in creative writing from Wells College, and her philosophy on life is “you can never go wrong with sriracha sauce”. She lives in Portland Oregon with her partner, their daughter, and their evil overlor—er, cat. TRUST ME, I’M LYING is her debut novel. Website | Twitter | Facebook | Tumblr
Book launch and giveaway: ‘Immagica’ by K. A. Last
Posted: February 1, 2014 Filed under: On Books | Tags: aussie-owned, book launch, contests, self-publishing, young adult 3 Comments
Title: Immagica
Author: K. A. Last
Genre: YA Fantasy/Adventure
Word Count: Approximately 68,000
Cover Illustration: Lawrence Mann
Cover Designer: KILA Designs
Map Illustration: Lawrence Mann
Available from Amazon (eBook) | Amazon (paperback) | Smashwords | iBooks | Barnes & Noble
Immagica…
Where anything is possible.
Enter at your own risk.The night before her fifteenth birthday, Rosaline Clayton uncovers a deep family secret. She receives an amulet from her deranged father, and he tells her she must find the book in order to save him. Rosaline is used to her dad not making any sense, so she dismisses their conversation as another of his crazy rants.
When Rosaline’s brother, Elliot, drags her to their nana’s attic to explore, they find the old leather-bound book tucked away in a chest. It sucks them into its pages, transporting them to a magical world. Along the way, Rosaline and Elliot are separated, and the only thing she wants is to find her brother and go home.
The creatures of Immagica have other ideas. After years of war, their land lies in ruin. Using the amulet’s power, they want Rosaline to defeat the dragon and restore Immagica to its former glory. But Rosaline is bound to Immagica in ways she doesn’t understand, and when she discovers the truth about her family, she must follow her heart to save them all.
You can win some signed Immagica swag here!
And to win an eBook of Immagica, leave a comment telling me which fantasy creature you’d most like to meet.
Excerpt:
The machine was close enough for me to reach out and touch. It wasn’t actually hanging like I’d first thought; it was supported by a pole that went down the centre of the Eye. In the distance, at the very bottom, there was something red—a light, pulsing softly in the darkness.
All the parts of the machine were shiny, and it was well looked after. I reached out a hesitant hand to touch one of the cogs.
“Please, don’t do that,” a nervous voice said from the other side. “You shouldn’t touch the pupil, it’s very fragile.”
Through the gaps in the mass of parts, I caught a glimpse of a boy. “Pupil?” I asked.
“Yes.” He moved to where I could see him, and scratched his head. “Fragile. It’s fragile.”
The boy looked around seventeen. His white-blond hair fell across his forehead. Behind his thick-rimmed glasses were the most unusual eyes. They looked hazel, but a second later they were green, or hazel with green flecks. As quickly as I decided what colour they were, they changed again. He was tall and lanky, and wore a faded red T-shirt, jeans and rubber thongs. I thought he was cute, in a geeky kind of way.
“Who are you?” I asked, tentatively.
“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” the boy said, eyeing me sceptically. “How did you get in?”
I held up the amulet. “Key?” I said.
His eyes widened. “Oh. Oh!”
“Hi, Lex.” Brynn gave a small wave.
“Brynn. Um … hi,” Lex said. He turned back to me. “You’re—”
“Here to save you. Yes, I know.” I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. “So, your name is Lex?”
“Um … yes. I’m keeper and protector of the Eye. I get to oil the cogs and stuff.” He waved his hand towards the machine.
“What does it do?”
“What does it do …?” He scratched his head again, clearly flustered. He reminded me of my dad when he got excited. Lex darted back behind the big contraption and stared at me through the gaps. “What does it do?” he repeated. “It’s the pupil, the life of the Eye, the heart of Immagica. It counts time, and records memories.” His arms flapped, and he stepped back to where I could see him. “If the rose dies, the pendulum stops and … what did you say your name was?”
“I didn’t. I’m Rosaline.” I tried to smile, but this guy was seriously weird. Cute, I reminded myself, but weird.
About the author:
K. A. Last was born in Subiaco, Western Australia, and moved to Sydney with her parents and older brother when she was eight. Artistic and creative by nature, she studied Graphic Design and graduated with an Advanced Diploma. After marrying her high school sweetheart, she concentrated on her career before settling into family life. Blessed with a vivid imagination, she began writing to let off creative steam, and fell in love with it. She now resides in a peaceful, leafy suburb north of Sydney with her husband, their two children, and a rabbit named Twitch.
You can find her at her website, or on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads or on Amazon.
What not to say to your editor
Posted: January 31, 2014 Filed under: On writing | Tags: editing, writing 16 CommentsBefore I start ranting here — because this is a ranty post — yesterday I appeared as a guest at Stacey Nash’s blog as part of the From Australia With Love tour. There’s a (rather tongue-in-cheek) interview with Isla from Isla’s Inheritance and an excerpt too. You know, if you’re curious.
Yesterday when I got in to work a colleague greeted me very loudly. My boss immediately appeared from her office and started making small talk. Then she asked me if I could pop into her office before I read my emails.
Uh oh.
For those of you that aren’t aware, in my day job I edit technical documents. They are often long and very boring, written by subject matter experts whose areas of expertise seldom include more than passing English language skills. Mostly I love it, but sometimes writers are, quite frankly, a pain in the ass. And I say this as a writer who loves writers.
Well, most of them.
My supervisor wanted to warn me out about a passive aggressive email that came in yesterday while I was on leave, before I saw it and started screeching profanities. To paraphrase, the author of a document I edited last week had observed that he’d “gone through the laborious process of going through the enormous number of suggested edits” before going on to tell me he hadn’t done a bunch of them.
This same writer has previously told me that anyone “with an adult level of reading” would understand what he meant by a certain phrase, after I explained that I’d misread it.
Never mind the fact that some of my edits were basic things like turning fragments into full sentences and pointing out missing information, or that some of the missing information would have been damaging to the organisation I work for if it hadn’t been added.
Needless to say, he didn’t say thank you either.
Excuse me while I put my ranty pants on. (And note that when I say “you” below I don’t mean you you … unless you’d also send the above sort of email. In which case I totally mean you.)
At the risk of stating the obvious, taking this tone with your editor is not helpful. It comes across as prima donna-ish, like you think you’re above the editing process. If you do think this, here’s a newsflash: no one is above the editing process. I’m a professional editor who draws a pretty good salary for what I do. I have what I like to think are very high levels of English grammar skills (although now I’ve said that I’m just waiting for someone to spot a typo in this post!), and I am not above the editing process.
This is why I bend over backwards to do what my editor asks me. Because I figure if she’s asking me a question then I haven’t made myself clear enough, and if she misreads something so will readers. The same goes for the questions my beta readers ask.
Not to mention the fact that everyone makes typos, and it’s almost impossible to proofread your own work.
If you get rage-inducing feedback from an editor, agent, crit partner or your mother, WALK AWAY FROM THE KEYBOARD. Take a breath. Think about it. Don’t drive angry, and above all when you reply thank them for their time even if you want to strangle them. (If you have an agent and the editor’s suggestions are unacceptable, let them go back and be the bad guy.)
To do anything else is unprofessional. And, as agent Laura Zats blogged last week, “There’s always another author. There’s always another book.”
Memory in Fiction
Posted: January 30, 2014 Filed under: On writing | Tags: aussie-owned, contests, guest post, small presses, writing, young adult 5 Comments
Today’s guest post is part of the From Australia With Love blog tour, and is by the FANTABULOUS YA sci-fi author, Stacey Nash! There’s also a giveaway as part of the tour, which you can enter HERE!
Memory is an important part of life. It shapes who were are, where we came from, and even where we are headed in life. Losing one’s memory is probably one of the most horrifying things that can happen to a person as it strips them of all sense of identity. Actually it’s probably more horrifying for their loved ones than the actual person in question.
My upcoming YA release FORGET ME NOT centers around memory loss. The theme of memory is one that runs through the whole four-book series; it’s even featured in all of the titles. For me as a writer, memory was a tricky thing to deal with, but I made use of a few writing techniques.
Flashbacks
A flashback is a memory. You know when you’re sitting in class / at work chewing on you pen and staring not at what’s in front of you but at the image in your mind of that cute guy you had a date with last night, while you play over all the details. That’s a flashback.
Flashbacks are a useful tool for writers, whether there are memory loss issues in the story or not. It’s something that can be used to show an event that happened in the past. (Read: backstory.) I think it’s important to be careful though, because flashbacks can turn into info dumps if not written well and, hence, slow the story down. My general rule is keep it short. A 200 word excerpt is enough; otherwise the reader will get bored and the flashback loses its impact. Some flashbacks are written like the character is watching them happen, and other are written as if the character is remembering them.
Here’s an example of a flashback.
The sight of it brings back so many memories. The only time I ever saw my parents fight… Mom shouted so loud I covered my ears, and Dad responded in a low emotionless voice. Young and scared, I hid in the curtains while she screamed. Her last words were punctuated by her yanking the pendant off and tossing it across the room. Dad scooped it up, crossed the room in long strides and pulled her to him. His fingers traced the edge of her face before he kissed her. He lowered the pendant over her head, and the angry lines on her face melted into a smile. It’s not exactly a good memory, but it was her.
(©2014, Stacey Nash, Forget Me Not)
Dreams
I think we all know what dreams are, so I’m just going to jump right in. I used dream sequences on several occasions throughout the books, with the character either having a flashback through a dream or having a dream that had an obvious meaning of something that did happen in the past. They’re a little trickier to use than flashbacks, but boy they read well when they’re done right. I think the big thing to remember is the dream needs to fit the character and the story. If you plop a dream in that is too abstract you’ll wind up confusing readers. It needs to be simple, short, and reflect what’s already happened in the story. Basically, the dream needs to feel like a dream.
Here’s an example of a dream combined with a flashback, so that the dream was like a memory but it wasn’t quite right. That’s because there’s some foreshadowing there too. 😉
A soft rap sounds on my door, but I ignore it. I need to finish Mom’s letter. My gaze burns into the last sheet of paper, but for the life of me I can’t remember what’s happened this past year to tell her.
The rap sounds again, only this time it’s louder, more insistent.
“Not now, Dad.”
He doesn’t stop, just knocks and knocks and knocks.
Dear Mom
My concentration pounds, then shatters. Argh. I can’t do this.
I can’t even think.
My pen, poised over the paper, refuses to move. I push against it, trying to guide the nib into an M, but it’s like the nib is glued to the page.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Heart pounding, ears ringing, the dampness of sweat cakes my whole body.
Knock.
My eyes spring open. It’s dark.
Knock, knock.
My heart beats in time with the knocks, a rapid, thudding beat.
Knock, knock, knock.
(©2014, Stacey Nash, Forget Me Not)
Other ways of dealing with memory
There are lots of other ways to deal with memory in fiction. Déjàvu is probably the method I used the most. It’s also the most subtle. Then there’s inner dialogue; almost like flashbacks but shorter, just a sentence here, a thought there. Reminiscing through dialogue is another method; multiple characters having a conversation about the past.
No matter which writing technique is used for dealing with memory, I think the trick is not to overuse any one. For me, that was really tricky when there were multiple characters…ah, no. I won’t spoil it – read the book and you’ll see. 😉
About Forget Me Not
Since her mother vanished nine years ago, Anamae and her father have shared a quiet life. But when Anamae discovers a brooch identical to her mother’s favorite pendant, she unknowingly invites a slew of trouble into their world. When the brooch and the pendant are worn together they’re no longer pretty pieces of jewelry — they’re part of a highly developed technology capable of cloaking the human form. Triggering the jewelry’s power attracts the attention of a secret society determined to confiscate the device — and silence everyone who is aware of its existence. Anamae knows too much, and now she’s Enemy Number One.
She’s forced to leave her father behind when she’s taken in by a group determined to keep her safe. Here Anamae searches for answers about this hidden world. With her father kidnapped and her own life on the line, Anamae must decide if saving her dad is worth risking her new friends’ lives. No matter what she does, somebody is going to get hurt.
Releasing February 17th from Entranced Publishing. Add it to your Goodreads TBR now!
About Stacey
Stacey Nash writes adventure filled stories for Young Adults in the Science Fiction and Fantasy genres. When her head isn’t stuck in a fictional world, she calls the Hunter Valley of New South Wales home. It is an area nestled between mountains and vineyards, full of history and culture that all comes together to create an abundance of writing inspiration. Stacey loves nothing more than spending her days writing when inspiration strikes.
Her debut novel, Forget Me Not releases 17 February 2014 from Entranced Publishing and its sequel Remember Me releases in August 2014.
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From Australia With Love
Posted: January 27, 2014 Filed under: On Books | Tags: blog hop, contests 3 Comments
Australian writers rock. We know it, and we love them. But it’s not always easy to discover the Australian talent that is right under our noses.
The From Australia With LoveBlog Hop introduces you to 18 Aussie authors across a variety of categories and genres. Each author is hosting three of their fellow blog hop participants between now and Valentine’s Day to let you find out more about them. So follow them on Twitter, like their Facebook page and visit their blogs during the blog hop period to discover more great Australian writers.
And to show how much these Aussie authors love their readers, they’ve donated some great prizes for you to win!
*Also visit YAtopia for additional MG posts.
Enter to win HERE!
If you want to do something right…
Posted: January 26, 2014 Filed under: On the Isla's Inheritance trilogy, On the Lucid Dreaming duology, On writing | Tags: aussie-owned, Australia, blog hop, contests 6 Comments
(Okay, that may not be the most inspirational title for an Australia Day blog post, but I think it sums up what I am about to say pretty well.)
I love urban fantasy. Love it! I’ve felt that way since I didn’t know what the genre was called—back when Interview With the Vampire was filed in the sci-fi and fantasy section of the bookstore and the paranormal shelves didn’t exist. (Say what you will about it, we have Twilight to thank for their creation.) I thoroughly enjoyed Anita Blake’s early adventures, and loved Sookie Stackhouse when she came along too.
When I started thinking about the sort of novel I might write, I toyed with fantasy, but urban fantasy drew me back like a lodestone.
Then I’d think about where to set the book, and come unstuck. Because all the urban fantasy novels I read were set in America or, less usually, England. Wouldn’t Americans (who, lets be honest, are the biggest market of English-speaking readers in the world) prefer to read books set in their own country? The streets of New Orleans, Chicago, New York—those were the places haunted and hunted by the supernatural. Not sunny Australia.
I could’ve tried to write a book set in the States—I did think about it—but I felt like a fraud. I knew my Australian slang would reveal the lie. I’ve never even been to America. How could I pull that off?
So I didn’t write the book. Because “write what you know”, right?
Over the past few years, urban fantasies—and their kissing cousin, the paranormal romance—have started to appear, set in Australia. Maybe they’ve been around for longer and I only just began to notice them through the blanket coverage of foreign authors in Australian chain bookstores.
Okay, I thought, I can do this. Only… those books were all set in Sydney or Melbourne. Could Canberra, with its population of 360,000, be a viable setting for an urban fantasy? It may be the nation’s capital, but almost no one outside Australia has heard of it. Two out of three tourists think Sydney is the capital. (I just made that stat up, but I’d bet it’s true!)
And then it hit me like a boomerang in the face: if someone needs to do it to test the water, to see whether it’s a viable location for an urban fantasy, why shouldn’t that be me? I’ve lived here all my life so it definitely ticks the “write what you know” box. I love this city, with its wide open spaces, bush corridors, national monuments and occasionally dubious public art*.
Of course my books are set here.
*If you want to see what I’m talking about, do a Google image search for “Belconnen owl” and tell me what you think it looks like from behind. Then search for “Skywhale”, because LOL.
This post is part of Aussie Owned and Read’s Australia Day/Blogaversary blog hop. You can find other participating blogs or register your own here. And there is a GIANT GIVEAWAY too, which you can enter here.
Cassandra Page 