A Mark-Your-Calendar Book: THE LAST STORED

All right, friends. This is my time to GUSH! 
Sonia Poynter, another from my wonderful online writer's group, is getting published. Her book, THE LAST STORED, is due for release January 6, 2015. 
I am so doggone excited! Here's why:

After the sudden death of her parents, making it through the day is a struggle for Amber Megan Peel. In the midst of her grief, an exquisite bird perches on her garden fence and shows her visions of a vivid landscape and a dark lord slouching upon a throne. [Ooohh I'm such a sucker for this imagery!] She thinks the visions are tied to her sorrow. But when a boy flies through her kitchen window to tell her she’s the Last Stored, she wonders if she’s just lost her mind.

Cree of Din [Do you not just love that name? Heavens! I think I'm already in book-love with him.] is tasked with one job: Bring Amber home. For seven years, Cree has trained as her protector and it is the ultimate responsibility. Failure means Amber’s certain death, and that’s not an option for Cree – especially since he’s falling in love with her. [I'm telling you. Book-love. Serious book-love.]

The Returning has begun. Now all Amber and Cree have to do is enter Tali, a world of unimaginable splendor and equally unimaginable horror, and defeat Lorthis. If they can’t, not only will Tali plunge into darkness, but so will Earth. [Oh my crocodile tears! THESE STAKES ARE SO INTENSE!]

I am a sucker for fantasy and this has every element of fantasy-goodness that inevitably makes me fall head over heels into a story. 
An empathy-worthy protagonist. 
A dark lord. 
A protector. 
Romance. 
Lots of mysterious titles and names that relate to exotic places of adventure. 
And SUPER high stakes.  

Mark your calendars! January isn't far off. :)

         

Sonia Poynter is a homeschooling teacher, an active youth volunteer, and a writer. For Sonia every day is an adventure, providing her with an endless parade of eccentric characters and vivid worlds. Currently, she lives in the sleepy community of Pittsboro, Indiana, with the love of her life and God has blessed them both with three amazing kids.

          

Website: http://twowillowswriter.blogspot.com/

Twitter: www.twitter.com/SoniaPoy

Facebook: www.facebook.com/SoniaPoynterAuthor

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/user/show/8009965-sonia-poynter

The Writer's 777 Challenge

I have been tagged by the talented Maria Ann Green, author of IN THE REARVIEW, to participate in the 777 challenge!

The challenge is quite simple, really: open manuscript, scroll to 7th page, read until the 7th line, paste the following 7 sentences onto your blog for the world to see!

My 7 sentences are from my YA fantasy novel, THE THIRD QUIVER.

Why hide in the shadows?

The king peered past me toward the square I had just left, his expression shifting in a way that turned my blood to ice. It was the way that a father might look as he punished his son in hopes of guiding the child toward better behavior. It was the grim look of hard-dispensed justice. 

“You probably think me a harsh man,” the king said. 

Harsh? To call the king harsh would be a disservice to the word.

And that's all you get. Challenge completed. :)

Meet My Character!

I've been tagged by the oh, so talented Laura Brown Teckman to participate in the Writerly Meme blog tour. And so, I present a glimpse at the protagonist of my current WIP. The above picture, well ... it ain't too far off of a picture of what she looks like most of the time. Humid climate + curly hair = crazy!

1. What is the name of your character? Is he/she fictional or a historic person?

Zephania (Zeph, for short) is fictional.

2. When and where is the story set?

The story is set in Alamea, an East Asian type of island in a fantasy world. The island is one massive jungle with suspension bridges, tree houses, volcanoes, wild animals. Most importantly, it is precariously close to invasion by a pair of magical tyrants.

3. What should we know about him/her?

One of the tyrant rulers of the enemy land used Zeph as an experiment that left her not dead, as supposed, but gifted with a stronger form of the same magic the tyrant possessed. Her friends in Alamea know that much, but Zeph has a secret that could turn the entire island against her if ever anyone found out.

4. What is the main conflict? What messes up his/her life?

Alamea is content to defend its borders against inevitable attack -- as it should be. The enemy would be at a serious disadvantage trying to traverse the jungles of Alamea. But Zeph needs Alamea to attack on enemy soil (for reasons relating to that nice, big secret of hers).
Of course, when a volcano erupts, every option goes wrong!

5. What is the personal goal of the character?

Zeph has several. But the main goal is to get Alamea to attack the enemy land and join with the revolutionaries there. It's not easy to incite a nation to war - I'll tell you that!

6. Is there a working title for this novel, and can we read more about it?

THE THIRD BORN is the working title. And I've really only just begun writing it!

7. When can we expect the book to be published?

Oh, you know. Sometime. ;)


Now, I tag two extremely talented writer friends of mine: Julie Dao and Melody Marshall! Both of these ladies are fantasy writers who, like myself, occasionally dabble in other genres.
Their blogs speak to the heart of every issue a writer faces and on one or the other of their sites you can find inspirational Pinterest boards, music lists, and more information on their projects!

Writer's Block: Real or Hoax?

At a recent conference I attended, one of the authors who spoke made the bold claim, 
           

"I DO NOT BELIEVE IN WRITER'S BLOCK! YOU WRITE, OR YOU DON'T."

                                              (maybe not verbose but pretty close, by my recollection)

And it truly was a powerful moment. There were great cheers and much celebration because, in this light, writer's block was something writers created as an excuse not to write and so the solution was simple: just push through it.

At first, I thought that this idea was as good as they come. But as I slowly sunk into a writing funk (not giving myself permission to call it writer's block since that myth had been firmly debunked), I began to rethink my hasty disdain for the concept of writer's block.

And today, I am reclaiming that nefarious Block! Why?

Because I need something by which to label those times when the act of putting words to page is akin to sewing through rhinoceros hide.

Because I need to define those moments when the muse is screaming for space and inspiration. Let's face it, writers, we have a tendency to suffocate our creativity by hammering "habit" into our lives so ruthlessly (i.e. write for X hours/day, write X words/day, write X scenes/day, etc.).

Because sometimes I need to diagnose myself with a bit of Block to give myself permission to do something else.

Of course, it's up to each writer to determine for his/her own self whether writer's block is real or hoax. For me, it's real. For you?

Cover Reveal for IN THE REARVIEW

Yesterday, Miss Maria Ann Green revealed the cover for her YA Contemporary novel, IN THE REARVIEW. And just feast your eyes on this beautiful cover!

The typography is hauntingly gorgeous with the flipped "R" and the faded red hue and the colors fit the tone of the book so well! 

So now you're probably wondering what IN THE REARVIEW is all about. Let me tell you:

When Meagan’s secret is found out, and she realizes there is no way to outrun her habit of cutting, she tries to work through it, and her depression, before she cuts too deep, making a mistake that can never be undone.

Meagan's problems aren't like every other adolescent's no matter how much she wishes they could be. Hers are worse. They've pulled her down into the depths of a depression that is anything but normal. She begins her pattern of self-harm as her depression threatens to drown her. She starts with one cut that leads to the next, and the next. After starting, it's apparent that there's no stopping, and Meagan spirals into a dark and cruel world she doesn't understand. Meagan cuts to feel better, but that comfort doesn't last long enough, and soon life is worse than it ever was before.

While learning to quit cutting Meagan faces life-altering obstacles and grows up in the process. IN THE REARVIEW is a story of pain, loss, confusion, and hope told through Meagan’s poems, journal entries, and a splash of narrative.

The release day for the book is August 19th and I'm on pins and needles for that day to arrive! PLUS, there will be a giveaway package on August 15th! Visit her blog or website for more details: www.mariaanngreen.com and www.mariaanngreen.com/blog.

Maria Green currently lives in Minnesota, despite its bitter winters (a fact that both she and I commiserate over!), with her husband. She graduated with a degree in Psychology and a minor in English. When she isn’t writing, Maria loves to read with a cup of strong coffee or a glass of sweet wine, craft, and spend time with her family. This is her first published novel.

My Writing Process Blog Tour

The lovely Melody Marshall tagged me on The Writing Process Blog Tour! We met through an online writing contest and subsequently had the privilege of meeting in person at the latest NE-SCBWI Conference. Check out her blog for book reviews, author interviews, and general thoughts on writing!

Now to the questions at hand:

1) What am I working on?

My current focus is zeroed in on my YA High Fantasy Novel. After having written it once, with 16 different edited versions, I decided to rewrite the entire thing this past spring. Now, I am editing the new manuscript!
For a hint as to what it is about--the story stemmed from a couple of "what if" questions: What if cupids weren't the fluffy, lovey cherubs we have preconceived them to be? What if something bad happened when a cupid fell in love?

2) How does my work differ from others in its genre?

My first instinct with this question was to quick find all the extraordinary aspects of my novel that make it unique, because, hey, who doesn't wan to be special? The honest truth of the matter is that I think I've simply taken a bunch of tried and true tropes and reassembled them in my own voice. There's romance. There's action. There's grief and laughter. So what makes it differ? Well ... to sound perfectly egocentric ... ME. The author. I write with a perspective and voice that no other writer has and that is what makes my story separate from others in its genre. 

3) Why do I write what I write?

Fantasy is powerful. It stirs imaginations to life and colors our perspectives, if just for a little while. That is enough reason for me.

4) How does my writing process work?

I'll give you the most universal of my writing processes since every manuscript is different:

Become seized by brilliant idea.
Toss the idea into Scrivener and pound out somewhere between 50-90k.
Read the first draft and cringe.
Edit. Edit more. Edit 'til I bleed.
Rewrite loads.
Tear out hair over need for more internals (my unfailing weakness).
Employ liberal use of thesaurus and edit again while looking for overused words and phrases.
Have CPs and Betas read.
EDIT.
Repeat.

Now, I am passing the pen to Miss Kathryn Trattner, a writer from my fantastic online writing group! Her blog is full of beautifully written musings about life and writing. I look forward to reading about her writing process!

Getting Rid of Over-Used Words in Your Manuscript

I recently searched for the word "stomach" in my manuscript and discovered I was using it as a scapegoat for emotion.

In fact, I am fairly certain my main-character's stomach was a more active character in the story than my main character herself. There were FIFTY-SIX instances of the word in my manuscript!

Her stomach really is quite remarkable for all that it does. It curdles, curls, clenches, reels, growls, churns, turns, drops, rolls, hollows, knots, dives, swoops, tumbles, heaves, caves, ... and the list goes on, my friends! Oh, but the list goes on!

I realized as I went through the "stomachs," that I was missing a grand opportunity for internals.

At first, I was simply seeking substitute words for "stomach" (erm ... "gut?"), but that only cheapened the emotion I was trying to convey. Get rid of the easy physical ways of demonstrating feeling (i.e. "dread pooled in her stomach") and you find yourself relying far more on the thoughts of the character. These thoughts, in turn, influence the thoughts of the reader and bring about a natural shift in emotion for both the character and the reader. 

(Note: I did not say parallel shift. The reader and character may feel very differently about something that has happened, but if you give the thoughts that propel those emotions, you will get something genuine.)

Now, I did not get rid of all "stomach"s because I believe that there is a time and place for everything. But as someone who frequently struggles with including enough internals, this has been vastly beneficial.

HINT: This practice also gives you a chance to deepen your voice--that ever-ambiguous voice that we writers seek to shine!

 

Scrivener: It's really not that complicated

For those who do not know, Scrivener is a super awesome writing software that many writers use for plotting, writing, and revising their manuscripts.

Before I got Scrivener, I had heard a lot about it. Conferences I attended had entire workshops on how to use Scrivener. Major published authors were tweeting about how amazing it was. I had heard it all and still could not be convinced. I was doing just fine with Miscrosoft word and I was afraid that I would spend gobs of time orienting myself to the software program only to find that I didn't like it. 

What finally convinced me? The tipping point for me was when I found out about two particular features:

1) Snapshots
Anytime I go back and edit a scene (even as I am writing it), I can take a snapshot of the original and then dive right into my edits without worrying about saving the edited version as an entirely different document. Should I decide I want to go back to what I had before, I simply click on the original snapshot and I'm back to square one. This eliminates the need for me to have sixteen different versions of one manuscript in my documents. CLUTTER FREE!!

2) Research, Character Sketches, and Manuscript all in ONE place
Everything I need to write my novel is opened with one click of a button. I no longer have to rifle through the folders on my computer looking for the various documents where I catalog my research and write out my character sketches. With Scrivener, I simply pull up what I need using the handy sidebar to the left of the screen. It even catalogs web pages for you right within the software program!

I'm no Scrivener expert, but I learned the aspects of it that really work for me and my style of writing. I highly recommend Scrivener to pantsers and plotters alike. Don't be scared. Just watch a tutorial or two. It's worth a couple hours of your time.

Wait to Send. Write a Sequel.

Guys. GUYS. Writing a sequel changes everything!

I have been hemming and hawing on writing the sequel to QUIVER for quite some time. I was ready to query it before writing the sequel, thinking that I had a general enough direction of where the story was going so I didn't need to actually write it yet.  My mindset was to get the first book repped by an agent first, then work on the sequel.

Wow, was I wrong!

The instant I sat down to write the second book, I found at least a dozen holes in the world-building I had done in the first book. 

I revamped entire scenes in QUIVER in order to achieve proper foreshadowing. I expanded the map of my world and came up with new, exciting places that had entirely different cultures and landscapes. 

Basically, I had quite a bit of tinkering to do with QUIVER.

Sounds like a lot of work, and it is, but it's so fun!! QUIVER has been revitalized by these changes. The characters have a foreseeable future and a more intricate past. The world is a more fascinating place. 

I've actually started dreaming in this world I've created ... something that never happened when I originally wrote QUIVER.

My suggestion to other writers? Write a sequel - or a prequel! Even if your plan is to publish a stand-alone novel, write a novella that happens either before or after your novel. It will allow you to give more depth to every part of your story and it will help you to recognize what needs to change. 

It reminds me of a technique I use in acting. With every script I receive, I ask for back-story. If there is none, or not enough for me to understand the motives and quirks of my character, I make one up.

Has anyone else experienced massive need for change upon writing a sequel?

Writing Tip of the Month: Find a Writing Trigger

Writing triggers are extraordinarily useful things. It is so easy to get distracted by the piling list of chores to do or the mindless distractions of the internet when what you really set out to do was write. 

What is a writing trigger? Anything that sends a signal to your brain that it is time to get serious about writing. 
Does it actually work? Absolutely.

A trigger can be a location, an item, a scent, a song, a dance - anything at all, really!

My personal writing trigger is to sit down at my desk with a cup of tea and a lit candle. When I do those three things, my brain zeroes in on writing. It is also immensely helpful to turn off the internet. :)

 Anyone else have a particularly useful or unique writing trigger? One author I know found her trigger was to cram her bathtub with pillows and hunker down inside its porcelain walls. Hey, whatever works! I'd love to hear your triggers.

Research Tip for Difficult Topics

Pinterest.

There.

That's it. That's my research tip for difficult topics. Now, let me explain.

I have recently begun work on a novel that is set in a time period that I am completely unfamiliar with. Of course, this requires quite a bit of research. Specifically, I need to know a great deal about railroads and the design of rail cars in the 1890s.

I began in the traditional manner - GOOGLE!! Yes, I love Google. And usually, I can find a great deal of information through a simple search. However, the results I kept getting - no matter how I changed my keywords - were never quite right. It would be the right topic or the wrong time period or the right time period but the wrong topic. 

I was getting desperate. So, one day I sat down and decided to type the same keywords I had been putting into Google into Pinterest. That's when things changed for the better. 

A picture is worth a thousand words. Well, it's true. Scrolling stacks of images popped up on Pinterest as a result of my search and all I had to do was click on one to be redirected to the originating site. The images led me to the research. 

Now I have my own growing board of actual pins that has commandeered my living space. I needed to see all my research at once - not crowded onto various windows of my computer screen - so I went to Home Depot, bought a giant piece of foam board, and created my ginormous "bulletin board."

It's cheep and effective. Good luck researchers!
 

Writing Playlist

I'm not sure if other writers have come across this, but I find that my writing playlist changes based on what genre I am writing. I suppose there's not much logic that goes into why some songs fall more into one category for me and not another, it's just a feeling. :) And most, if not all, can cross over depending on the scene you're working on.

Since I am working on both my fantasy novel and my dystopian novel this week, I thought I'd share a few songs from my playlist in each genre. 
If anyone has a recommendation for either of these genres or for an entirely different genre, please leave a comment! 

FANTASY WRITING  PLAYLIST:

Nathan Lanier: SAND and TORN

Hans Zimmer: Oh take your pick!

Lindsey Sterling: MOON TRANCE

Florence and The Machine: OVER THE LOVE and BREATH OF LIFE

The Piano Guys: Again, take your pick. Here's a good one for a sadder scene: ARWEN'S VIGIL


DYSTOPIAN WRITING PLAYLIST:

Florence and The Machine: SWIMMING and HEAVY IN YOUR ARMS

The National: ENGLAND

Lindsey Stirling: ELEMENTS

Lux Aeterna: REQUIEM FOR A DREAM


These are just a few ... anyone have any other recommendations?

World-building - Marchetta Shows Us How It's Done

The Lumatere Chronicles is a fantasy series written by Melinda Marchetta that I have continually heard good things about. Well, I finally broke down and decided to give FINNIKIN OF THE ROCK, the first book in the series, a try.

Now, as much as it pains me to admit it, I was not drawn into that first book the way I wanted to be. I was hoping to get sucked in so suddenly and completely that I could not put the book down. That didn't happen. The book starts slow and gives you a lot of information and characters to get to know. I was slightly overwhelmed. It wasn't until I cracked open the second book and started reading about familiar characters and places, that I realized I had fallen in love with the world Marchetta had built.

I didn't understand it at first. Why did I feel such a strong connection to THE LUMATERE CHORNICLES in the second book, when I was lukewarm about the first book? By the time I finished QUINTANA OF CHARYN, the third and final book in the series, I figured it out - Marchetta is a master at world-building.

Yes, the series started slow, but it was because she devoted time to building characters and places. I guess I would say that a lot of YA novels that I read cause me to fall into this "infatuation" phase. I feel an instant connection with the character and the storyline but by the time the next book comes out a year later, I no longer feel compelled to spend time with the story. Infatuation over.

With Marchetta's books, I fell in love. No really, hear me out. The characters in her books are flawed - every one of them - but I know them. They are redeemable. They are real. And while her characters are well done, I'm here to advise all fantasy writers to learn from Marchetta's world-building. She created complex lands - each with their own way of speaking, their own reputations, their own landscapes. 

 Lumatere is a small kingdom made up of hardworking people who love each other and are devoted wholly to their queen. Yutland is swampy and tribal. Charyn is rocky and cavernous and the people's loyalties are divided and confused. I could go on and on, but you get the idea. 

The point of all this is to say that I highly recommend Marchetta's LUMATERE CHRONICLES - particularly for those who are looking for writings that will serve as a role model for world-building. 

 Happy writing and happy reading!