Sue Perkins's Blog, page 9

Friday Focus

Cultivating a love of words
The writer has many tools in their box, of these, words surely are the most important. The more you enjoy words, the better you will use them. That’s not to say you have to know the meaning or history of every word you use, but sometimes really understanding a word will add a new dimension to it, which will allow you to use it in a refreshing or different way, and that will lift your writing. Similarly, it might suggest not using it, and that, too, might benefit your writing. Besides all that – words are so much fun.Not all words are created equal, of course, and we all have favourites and least favourites. ‘Moist’, I believe, is among the least favourite of many. Personally, if I can get through life without using the word ‘pulchritudinous’ I will be very happy, especially as this (imo) extremely ugly word means ‘very beautiful’. I suspect that said with an Italian accent ‘pulchritude’ is not so bad.Favourite words. Now, that’s hard. But I do love the word ‘capricious’. I could write a whole article on this word. It sort of comes from the word for ‘goat’ (think ‘Capricorn’) and the way they move and behave. This is one of the reasons I love the word – I have a huge fondness for goats! I think it’s a good thing to know what influences your love (or dislike of words too – often they have personal associations). But ‘capricious’ also comes from an Italian word for a lively piece of ‘free’ music, and that comes from the term for the hairs standing up on the back of your neck … and that comes from a combination of two words meaning ‘head’ and ‘hedgehog’!!!! So it can have rather spooky connotations (a word that itself has an interesting history, coming from ‘con’ – together with, and ‘nota’ – to mark/note, so it means ‘an additional meaning’).

Random Friday facts: *The word ‘jot’ and the word ‘iota’ are, in fact, the same word. The letter ‘j’ did not exist in the classical world and was, instead, written ‘ie’ (which, to confuse things more, looks like IH in Greek). Iota is the name of the ninth letter of the Greek alphabet and is the smallest - simply a ‘jot’ (the Ancient Greeks didn’t dot their ‘I’s).*Speaking of which, the word Alphabet is from the first two letters of the Greek, well, Alphabet – Alpha and Beta.*Did you know that the word ‘Conversation’ shares a root with ‘convert’ and has to do with the fact that a good conversation should change both the participants’ mind sets?*The word ‘conspire’comes from the same root as ‘inspire’ and ‘expire’. It literally means ‘to breathe together’.*Similar to the word ‘inspire’, the word ‘enthuse’ (enthusiasm) also means to be filled with the breath of the divine. It comes initially from religious fervour associated with the worship of Apollo.*Finally: the word for a lover of words is ‘logophile’.

So, there you are. Collect words, understand words, fall in love with words, use words to maximum effect and watch your writing come alive.
Belinda Mellor
 

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NaNoWriMo is almost here!

Years ago I did NaNoWriMo – for those who don't know what this means it's National Novel Writing Month – and found it very helpful. Over the intervening years I lapsed a bit with my writing but this year I'm going to give it another try as I have an epic fantasy I want to get moving. 

NaNoWriMo are very helpful and have decided to put some articles on their site to help first time writers, but the article will also be halpful to people like me who haven't done NaNo for several years. Here's the link.

http://blog.nanowrimo.org/

Happy Writing.

Friday Focus

Pantser or Plotter?

New creative writers may not recognise the question pantser or plotter but I’m sure they will have heard the phrase – by the seat of your pants. Some authors prefer to plot their stories, either working out every scene from start to finish, or as a brief description to give their muse a nudge when they sit down to write.

Others – myself included – prefer to write – by the seat of their pants – or get the idea for the story, but when the author starts writing they have no true idea how the story is going to pan out. I like the uncertainty of what will happen next and find the story guides me the way it wants to go. Friends who are plotters prefer to be in control of most aspects of their story.

 Ready to write? Don’t know what to write? It’s Halloween next week, how about a ghost, horror or vampire story? Or a romance that starts with trick or treat? The choice is yours.





So which way is right? Both. It depends on the individual. What works for one person doesn’t necessarily work for another. This is the same when it comes to work schedules. Some authors prefer to sit down at a certain time each day and work for a number of hours, while others prefer to write whenever the mood takes them. Again, it’s really up to the individual.

One of the most important things to do when you get ready to write is to find somewhere comfortable, preferably where you won’t be disturbed. Try and decide what you want to write several hours before the actual deed and always leave off when you know what’s going to happen next. This way you won’t sit staring at the computer screen for minutes or hours before you carry on writing.


Happy Writing.

Dragons Galore!

I am pleased to announce my Dragon World books are now available in online bookshops.

The three original ones, Dragon Flames, Dragon Clans and Dragon Ice follow Talei and her family through their meeting and interaction with the dragons. Adri's Journey reveals Adri's story. These books are available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo and various other online outlets.




At a special price Dragon Flames, Dragon Clans and Dragon Ice are available in a box set under the name of Dragon World.

 

Here We G0

I now have the rights back for all my books previously published and I've started with the re-releases of three contemporary romances an one historical romance. These books are available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, iBooks and many other sites online. Paperback books will be released next moth.

 Blitz is a 20th Century Historical Romance.

Twenty-four-year-old Velma longs to be treated as an adult, but her older sisters insist they know what is best for her future.
Tall, dark, and handsome, Jack is a soldier distantly connected to Velma's family. He sweeps Velma off her feet and asks her to marry him.
War looms on the horizon and Jack must go to face the enemy. Their love now has to survive the family and the war - or will their parting be forever?








Recipe for Romance is a contemporary romance set in New Zealand.

Influenza leaves Kirsty alone in the hotel kitchen to prepare all the food for the day's menus. Her day goes from bad to worse when the new hotel manager appears and demands to know what's going on.

Reeve arrives in the kitchen and looks in disgust at the untidy state of the work surfaces. Things get off to a bad start but when he discovers the reason for the untidiness he strips off his jacket and lends a hand.

Despite their truce, Reeve must discover the cause of the hotel's loss of profits. He feels an attraction for Kirsty but work must come first.


Three Hearts is a contemporary romance set in New Zealand

Darcy refuses to believe Travis is telling the truth when he claims he's Brooke's father, but doubts enter her mind when he proves he married her sister. Would Travis kidnap her beloved niece and disappear with her to America?

Travis is suspicious of Darcy's occupation and believes she is not acting in his daughter's best interest. It can't be that difficult for a father to get custody of his daughter - can it?









Broken Heart is a short prequel to Three Hearts, set in New Zealand

Darcy's older sister has returned home from America. Kelly seems happy and carefree but Darcy is positive her sister is hiding a secret and this is making her unhappy.

 

Not Long Now!

I'm ready to start re-releasing my books, just waiting for the official reversal of rights letters. Half of the covers are redone and tidying up the writing of the current WIP. It's a lot of work but my thoughts go out to Gail and Jenifer. Their workload must be astronomical. Thanks to Gail and Jenifer for their hard work and to the readers for being so patient. First three covers below.

Building a World

Fantasy authors build their own worlds and people them with humans and other unusual species and aspects to make the world unique. What readers and some authors don't realize is all stories partake in world building.A romance writer for instance has the heroine and hero and around them is their world. A contemporary world peopled with friends and adversaries, but how they react and the influences of their world help to build not only who they are, but how their surroundings look to the reader. The author must build the scene they want to get the reactions of their characters and thus the story to play out in the way they anticipate. Many authors will not agree they have to build a world, especially those who write in the pantser style (this means not plotting, just sit down and write with only a general idea of where the story is going). This means the story evolves as you go along rather than planning everything out before you start writing. I am a pantser writer and I find I do very little basic world building before I start and the rest evolves as I write. As I edit the drafts (usually up to three times before sending it to the publisher) the world pulls tighter together, including the influence of the characters on the scenes and people around them.Without my characters there would be no world as they are the center of the story and the hub everything revolves around. From them comes the description and structure of the world and time they live in. Their supporting characters paint the backdrop. The description is not put down as "The land was green" etc. the image comes from the interaction of the characters with their surroundings and peers.Bear in mind every book is like a play on a stage, created not only by the author, but also by the characters, supporting characters and their actions. Together they influence the story to bring the full essence of it to fruition. The stage is the world, the play brings the story to life.Of course fantasy writers have more leeway, but sometimes this can be more challenging. When the imagination takes full reign, it has to be pulled in by reality. Everything has to merge together in a way the reader can understand and empathize with, plus they must fit into the world the author has created. Good luck with your building and I hope to see your world appear on my bookshelf sometime soon.

News re existing books

Unfortunately my publisher, Desert Breeze Publishing, is closing its doors on 30th June. The  books I have published with them will take time to re-release but they will be issued again, some in 2018 but the majority in 2019. The existing books will gradually be removed from sales outlets so if you need to finish a series or have a book you've been meaning to buy and haven't got round to it, you need to act asap.

Amazon contact address for my books is:

Amazon

Thank you for your patience and hope to see you all again soon.

Sue Perkins

New Releases

Not one but TWO new releases over the last few weeks.

Jayden's Innocence the second book of the Village of Shadows series is now available in ebook format from most online booksellers, and also available in paperback from Amazon.

Life is hard when Jayden is released from prison.

No one wants to employ him and his family want nothing to do with an ex-con. He retreats to a quiet village with no amenities to hide from the world.

Jayden decides the only option is to clear his name. He did not embezzle the money from his employers but knows all prisoners swear they are innocent. Will anyone believe him?

Sophie lives in the same village and is willing to help him prove his innocence plus she has the skills to do the investigation.

Their quest draws them closer but danger follows every move they make. Will their search make things worse for Jayden or will they clear his name?

Miri's Inheritance the first book in this series is also available from the same retailers.



For those readers who love fantasy Steam Mountain, the second Rak Shoma series, is also available from on line book retailers including Amazon. This book continues the search for Ash's parents with some surprising results.
ook of the

Maevens Ash and Orm continue their search for Ash's parents by riding on a mechanical carriage to Stavmo, a country based on steam. Stavmo is run by a dictator who ordains everyone must have red hair. Those without this color hair, and anyone else who goes against him, vanish into the mines or are thrown into the volcano.

Steam cars, whirlybirds, and small appliances, even guns, are all powered by steam. A huge factory has toxic smoke billowing into the air, and only the rich are able to escape the smell by living on the opposite side of town.

The magical pair make friends with the rebels and try to help them fight for their rights, but in doing so they get separated and place themselves in danger.

 

Tails

Heart-stopping, tail-dropping adventure from award-winning children’s author WJ Scott.Sometimes loss is the only thing that saves you.

Last summer during the dreaded hunting season, Kywah lost his tail, his magic, and his value as a silvertail. Now the hunters have returned and he's terrified. Especially when he recognizes Samsa, the very hunter that cut off his tail and ruined his life. But when the pack becomes trapped in the foothills with no escape, Kywah realises he’s their only hope. Without a tail, he’s worthless to the hunters and their wizard masters. If he can escape, he can find help for his pack. All he has to do is locate the Wise One and retrieve the Deep Magic.Which would be hard enough even if he still had the magical tail sense his kind are born with. But what choice does he have? If he doesn’t take the risk, his pack will lose everything. And because Kywah knows exactly how that feels, he can’t let it happen.
I woke. Heart beating too fast. Darkness smothering me. The same nightmare.I shifted and felt the familiar throb of pain along my stub, which always ached when I first awakened. For an instant I tried to fool myself that it had only been a dream, but when I was brave enough to peek, I saw the empty space where my tail should be. Almost four seasons had passed, and I was still unaccustomed to its loss.
​ ‘This is an original, well-written story and deserves its gold status, congratulations.’ BooksGoSocial


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‘Will keep young readers glued to the story till the very end.’ Readers’ Favorite 5* Review

Tails Review by Belinda Mellor.‘Tails’ is a classic ‘hero’s journey’ story, a coming of age adventure for Kywah, a young silvertail on the cusp of maturity, whose hopes for taking his place among his pack’s adult community have seemingly been dashed by the loss of his kind’s most prized asset: his tail. A silvertail’s tail is its connection to its environment and its fellow pack members. Sadly, the magic it contains is not only prized by the creatures but by human magicians, whose power is waning but whose ambition is not. When fate intervenes and Kywah sets out on a mission to find the deep magic that will protect his pack from hunters eager to earn the wizard’s bounty he finds help and friendship in the most unlikely places, and danger around every corner.
This is a rich and multi-layered story that will appeal to a wide age-range.  Wendy Scott is an exciting author who has a real gift for storytelling and world building and Kywah is a delightful protagonist who will have readers rooting for his success and redemption every step of his arduous journey. The pastel hued world the silvertails inhabit is one that readers will look forward to revisiting in (hopefully) many books to follow.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Wendy Scott has a New Zealand Certificate in Science (Chemistry), which allows her to dabble with fuming potions and strange substances, satisfying her inner witch.Wendy writes fantasy and children’s novels.One of the creeds she lives by is to always – Live a life less ordinary!Gold Medal Winner: The Wishing Shelf Book Awards UK 2015.Silver Medal Winner: International Readers’ Favorite Book Awards 2016.Finalist: The Wishing Shelf Book Awards UK 2016.Gold Quality Marks: BooksGoSocial 2017.Treat Award Blue: Rave Reviews Book Club KCT International Awards 2017.
Please visit http://www.authorchildrens.com/ to learn more, read Wendy’s blog, sign up for her newsletter, or to leave her a message. She loves hearing from readers.
Pen NamesFantasy ~ Wendy ScottChildren’s ~ WJ Scott
Romance ~ Wendy Jayne