S.L. Viehl's Blog, page 127

Fourteen

Back in 1999 I outlined a dark fantasy novel series about a secret society of vampires who lived among us. While at the time there wasn't much vampire fiction on the market, I had faith in the idea. Unfortunately I was also a rookie writer and had almost no confidence in myself or my work. The first rejection I received for that proposal was so harsh that I became convinced it was a terrible idea and couldn't work up the nerve to send it out again. I packed up all my outlines and notes, cried over it a little, and then put it away and moved on.

I couldn't let go of the terrible idea entirely, so I wrote some short stories about my vampires for my own amusement. They came out so well that I decided to post a couple on my web site. My readers then went crazy over them, which confused me. If this was a terrible idea, why were they begging me to write more?

I respect my readers' opinions, but the old rejection still haunted me, so I hauled out on my old files, took a hard look at the idea and began tinkering. The only major change I made with the idea concerned the vampires, who had originally been former poets called Darklings. I thought I could do better, so I consulted history, found new inspiration, made my vampires former Templars, renamed them the Darkyn and ran with it from there.

When I submitted my not-so-terrible idea again, I sold it to the first editor who looked at it (after she had a tussle with the second editor who saw it and also wanted to acquire the series.) The series got published, the books began appearing on the Times list and suddenly I had a big hit on my hands.

Nightbound, my fourteenth Darkyn universe novel, in print debuts next week. It's the final book in the third series for this universe, and fourteen years ago I could never have imagined being here. Thanks to my readers I am, and that's part of the magic of the writing life. So is this:



To celebrate this lovely moment I'm giving away a signed set* of all fourteen Darkyn universe novels in print. If you'd like a chance to own them, in comments to this post name your favorite character from the series (or if you don't have one, toss your name in the hat) by midnight EST on Thursday, May 9th, 2013. I'll choose one name at random from everyone who participates and send the winner all fourteen signed novels and a surprise**. This giveaway is open to everyone on the planet, even if you've won something here at PBW in the past.

*Unless the winner would like the books personalized I'm going to flat-sign the set, which should increase their value as collectors prefer books with signatures only, and I rarely flat-sign anything.

**No, I won't tell you what the surprise is -- that would spoil it -- but my surprises are always good ones.

Elsewhere with Answers

Today I'm being interviewed over at Typing with Wet Nails, author Anna C. Bowling's weblog (and is that not like the best blog title ever? I have so done that too many times to confess.)

I'm also giving away an elegant keepsake box from The Book Whisperer on Etsy, a signed set of the Lords of the Darkyn trilogy, tea, cookies and more. Come over if you get a chance, enter the giveaway and it could all be yours.

Elsewhere with Backpack

Today I'm over at Robin Connelly's blog talking about what it takes to sustain a novel series (a lot of work is only the beginning!) I also have more goodies to give away:



Stop by if you get a chance, join the discussion, enter the giveaway and you could win this lovely backpack filled with a complete signed set of the Lords of the Darkyn trilogy (Nightborn, Nightbred and Nightbound), a custom-made journal and matching memo book from one of my favorite Etsy journal makers, and a nifty sword pen.

Elsewhere Keeping Things Balanced

To celebrate the May 7th release of Nightbound, the third and final novel in my Lords of the Darkyn trilogy, I'll be guest blogging elsewhere for the next couple of weeks. This is the fun part of promoting a new novel for me, because I get to hang out with pals, chat with their readers and talk books and writing. It also gives me an excuse to put together some fun things for the giveaways to go along with my guest posts.

I'm delighted to get this party started by first visiting B.E. Sanderson's The Unpublished Writers' Guide to Survival today to talk about finding the right balance in the writing life. Please stop by if you get a chance, join in the discussion, enter the giveaway and you may win this Spring patchwork tote handquilted by me, a signed set of the trilogy, a pair of mini gardening kits and some delicious goodies.

Affordable Fountains

I was surprised to read that Twilight flick heartthrob Robert Pattison generously gave his waffling leading-lady love Kristen Stewart this 18k white gold Tibaldi Bentley Crewe fountain pen (personally inscribed, no less.) Dropping $46K on a single writing instrument as a birthday gift is probably the definition of extravagance, I guess. I keep thinking how hard she'll kick herself if anything happens to it. How many times have you lent someone a pen only to realize an hour later they never gave it back? I learned my lesson when a kid at a football game borrowed my favorite purse fountain, a Pilot Plumix, from me to jot down someone's phone number -- swearing he'd return it in a minute -- and never did.

I'm also not sure how you'd dare write with a pen that costs as much as a Cadillac. I'm guessing you don't; you lock it up in a cabinet with a glass front so everyone can look at it and envy you (although I'm not sure why; all that does is turn it into a pretty pricey knick-knack.) The minute you ding or scratch the clip or barrel the pen loses value, so you'd probably have to wear gloves and use it only to sign your next zillion dollar contract. Maybe that's all it's supposed to be use for?

As some of you know I'm also a fountain pen fanatic, but I admit, I don't own anything even remotely in the Tibaldi price ballpark. Nor do I think you have to invest thousands to own a lovely writing instrument that will serve you faithfully. Fountains are initially more expensive that the cheapie disposable variety of pen, but in the long term they work out to be a good investment because you can keep using them for years; all you need to buy are replacement ink cartridges or a converter to fill them with bottled ink. If you happen to lose one you won't feel like half your retirement fund just vanished, either.

Here are three of my current favorite fountains, beneath samples of how they write:



Starting at the top, The Ultra Violet True Writer by Levenger is my most recent acquisition, and I'm still kicking myself for waiting twenty years to buy one. This is a smooth, beautiful pen with nice, balanced weight (not too flimsy, not too heavy) and a nib that seems to fly across any kind of paper. The barrel colors are gorgeous, and when you hold it in the sunlight you'll notice they have a subtle sparkle, too. I got mine on sale from Levenger for $44.95, and the only complaint I'd make about it is that the cartridges are on the small side. It comes with a converter, though, so if you write a lot you can knock down the price of replacement ink by using bottled.

My favorite and most frequently used fountain is the red and white fountain in the middle; my Platinum Koi. This pen retails for about $450.00 but you can find it in the $300.00 range if you shop around; I got mine on sale at a Levenger store for $110.00. That still sounds like a lot to spend on a pen, and it is the most expensive fountain I own, but I've also been using it almost daily for ten years and it has yet to quit. Most Japanese fountains are exception, excellent pens and my Koi has proven to be practically indestructible; I've done everything to it except throw it against a brick wall and it still writes as beautifully as it did the day I brought it home. One thing to note about most Japanese fountains: their nibs tend to be one size finer than they're graded, so if you buy one with a medium nib it will write like a fine nib, fine writes like extra-fine, etc.

Platinum also makes the Preppy, which is the third pen there at the bottom of the pic, and an excellent all-use everyday fountain. Made from recycled materials and sporting a steel nib, the Preppy is very lightweight and has decent flow. I like the transparent barrel because I can see how much ink I have left in my cartridge, too. I think if you want to go cheap you can still be stylish, and the Preppy is a fun option. Extremely affordable at $3.00, too.

As for what Rob might get Kristen for her next birthday, it's anyone's guess. Maybe he'll bid on the circa-1640 Hymnal about to hit the auction block. Touted as the first book ever printed in the United States, the expected price tag: $30,000,000.00

No Cost Ten

Ten Things You Can Have for Free

Freeware caution: always scan free downloads of anything for bugs and other threats before dumping the programs into your hard drive.

The free trial version of Action Outline is a "simple yet useful organizer, ActionOutline consists of an Explorer-like interface where you can store and arrange all your information in a tree outline form. Arrange items using your keyboard or mouse, cut and paste branches, place checks or tags next to listed items, search information, print data, export to the external file, or link to web or local files" (OS: Windows 2000, 2003, 2008, XP, Vista, 7 and 8. 32-bit and 64-bit.)

Avance Paint is a "complete paint program designed with an intuitive user interface that makes AvancePaint easy to learn and use. It’s powerful enough to suit the advanced user and yet simple enough to please the beginner. Open unlimited number photo´s or pictures and unleash your artistic talents as you will discover the advanced and powerful but easy to use graphical options! A complete set of 20 photo-realistic filters and more then 40 textures are included" (OS: Win 9x/ME/NT/2000/XP/2003/Vista/7/8)

FreeText is a "simple and easy-to-use notebook for making notes, keeping to-do lists, storing information on accounts and contacts, etc. It can be helpful when you need to save a link, interesting citation, phone number or to simply insert text from a clipboard for a short time" (OS: Windows XP/Vista/7/8 [32-Bit/64-Bit])

Mikogo is a "free remote desktop app full of features to assist you in conducting the perfect web conference or remote support session. Share any screen content or application in true color quality across the world with up to 25 participants simultaneously, while still sitting at your desk. Mikogo can be employed for many desktop sharing use cases, including web conferencing, online meetings, sales demos, web presentations, remote support, group collaboration, and more. Provide online technical support via remote control. Conduct product and sales demos for customers. Use Mikogo to discuss and edit a current team project. Or on a personal level, share your recent holiday photos with friends" (OS: "Mikogo is cross-platform so you can start and join meetings from Windows, Mac or Linux computers")

PDFCreator "easily creates PDFs from any Windows program. Use it like a printer in Word, StarCalc or any other Windows application" (OS: Win 9x/ME/2K/XP/2K3/Vista/7)

QText is a "handy, simple note-taking program similar to notepad. The program includes an auto-save function and features a tabbed interface to organize your notes. QText resides in the system tray for quick and easy access which is ideal for taking quick notes" (OS: Windows XP/Vista/7, designer also notes requires Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0.)

To-Do DeskList "automatically arranges to-do notes on your desktop. Synchronize your tasks between computers and users. To-Do DeskList has beautiful minimalistic design and multiple themes to choose from. Supports reminders, notes, and more. It is very lightweight, easy and simple to use, and much more efficient than complex task management packages" (OS: Windows 2000/XP/Vista/7)

Web Link Collection is a "handy, free multi-tool to enhance your internet experience. This easy to use utility allows you to organize and manage a collection of internet links which provides quick access to your favorite websites. Additionally, this free utility features a password manager to encrypt and store your sensitive data. Web Link Collection also includes a convenient form filler and several tools to facilitate the navigation and operation of the Internet" (OS: Windows XP/Vista/7/8)

XnSketch allows you to "convert your photos into cartoon or sketch images. This easy to use program features 18 different image effects to enhance your images. Simply click the desired effect and it will be applied to your image immediately. XnSketch also allows users to share their results using email or by Flickr, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, etc. XnSketch does not require installation. Just unzip the archive and run the executable file" (OS: Windows XP/Vista/7/8 [32-Bit/64-Bit])

The free version of YeahWrite ia an "easy to use fill-in-the-blank word processor for the computer illiterate or for those business professionals that want to create a document quickly and easily, without having to worry about formatting. You can create journals, keep addresses, take notes, and write simple letters and memos. A memo can become a letter with just a few clicks of the mouse" (OS: Win XP/Vista/7)

Comments Catchup Day

See you in comments.

Five from Target

On a recent trip to Target I found some very nifty stuff for readers and writers:



Starting clockwise from the left:

Hardcover edition of Taking Eve by Iris Johansen -- this novel was not only nicely discounted, it was signed by the author, something I've never before found at Target ($19.59)

Rifle Paper Co.'s Botanicals Notebook Collection, published by Chronicle Books, features three 32-page notebooks with gorgeous soft covers and ruled pages with a vintage floral header design ($12.95)

Neil Pasricha's The Journal of Awesome, published by Chronicle Books, is filled with fun writing prompts and reminders of all of life's especially wonderful moments ($12.95)

Green-Inspired.com's grid journal is printed on FSC-certified paper with soy inks and has a colorful cover design that reminded me of quilt blocks ($7.99)

Green-Inspired.com's set of five mini 32-page journals are the perfect size for a purse or pocket ($4.99)

I also got an additional 5% off everything because I used my Target REDcard to buy the lot.



This Botanical Notebooks trio would work great as gardening journals, to use for short writing projects, outlines, research notes etc. I really like this mini-journal set too, as they come with a variety of pages: two ruled, one grid, one dotted and one blank -- I can use one set to sketch, draw maps and keep notes and keep them all stowed away in the neat little holder.



The Journal of Awesome (interior pages shown at the bottom here) will make a nice gift for a friend who needs to remember life doesn't always suck. The Green-Inspired.com journal with the quilty design on the brown cover not only opens flat but also has grid-lined pages that are excellent for map-making; since the cover design invokes quilting for me I'll probably use mine for working out new patchwork designs.

Have you found any neat things for readers or writers out there recently? Let us know in comments.

San Diego Rocks

See the city of San Diego, California in less than four minutes, thanks to Michael Shainblum's gorgeous timelapse film (background music, for those of you at work):

WELCOME HOME TIMELAPSE from Michael Shainblum on Vimeo.

750 Words

750words.com is an online writing site that challenges the user to write 750 words per day. You register to create an account, which then takes you to a page where you simply write. Everything you write on 750words is counted and saved, and when you reach your daily goal you're awarded two points and an X in that day's box. Here's a screen shot of one day's page from my account:



You can print whatever you write on 750words.com, and since it's saved online you can either leave it on your account or copy it to a file on your hard drive (I did this by highlighting, copying the text and pasting it in Word.) Writers who collaborate can easily share an account and use it to pass their day's writing back and forth; all you have to do is coordinate when either of you will log on. This is also a nice site to use for online writing challenges like word wars or group daily goal drives with other writer pals.

At present registering for an account is free (donations are much appreciated), but that will be changing shortly:

On May 1st, all existing users of the site will be given lifetime free accounts (we hope you'll continue to donate when you can). New accounts created after May 1st, 2013 will be required to become members within 30 days after signing up in order to keep writing. Everyone will always have access to previous writings, stats, etc, even if they choose not to become members.

The site owners do note that after May 1st they will be giving out free accounts monthly, and are always willing to hear from someone who might not be able to afford the new usage fee and possibly give them a free account on a case by case basis. In the meantime, you still have a week to snag a free account, so if you're interested do check it out soon.