Heather Hayden's Blog, page 6

Lieutenant Junior Grade’s Log, Entry 9: October Month Map Final Update!

As Halloween and the siren call of NaNoWriMo fast approaches, it’s time for a final look back at the goals I set for this spookiest of all months.

 

Cooperative Writing Project – COMPLETED GOAL!

I’m working with Kristy Perkins on an amazing fantasy project involving magic and dragons. Although we started out slow this month, we’ve since crushed our timeline goals and are several chapters ahead! I wrote six chapters total this month, beating my scheduled goal of five. In total, we have six chapters left, which means I’ll need to write three next month to complete our first draft. I can’t believe how fast the story has flown by; Kristy’s wordsmithing abilities and writing speed are amazing.

JLA #4 – COMPLETED GOAL!

Solstice Flames, a mash-up retelling of A Christmas Carol and The Little Match Girl

I revised this multiple times this month and now it’s off to the judges. I’m a bit nervous, but hopeful that they’ll enjoy it!

JLA #5 – PROGRESS MADE!

I finished the first draft early in the month but did not have time to revise it. November will be a busy month!

Upgrade – PROGRESS MADE!

I edited one chapter this month, leaving me three to go. Not as great progress as I had hoped, but given that this month turned out to be quite the busy one, I’m not too worried.

Goodreads Challenge – PROGRESS MADE!

I needed to read nine books for my challenge. I read eight, which is pretty good, all things considered! 19 books to go and two months…can I make it? I’ll definitely try my best! My favorite read of the month was The Beast of Talesend–if you enjoy fairy tales, check it out! Halayda was also quite good.

What else have I been up to?

A lot of driving–Cape Cod to Brooklyn, then Brooklyn to Maine. The Brooklyn part was the scariest.

Helped repair a wall. A lot of fun, actually! I forgot how much I enjoyed carpentry work.

Discovered a simple chocolate pudding recipe. I may or may not have eaten the majority of two batches in three days. I also learned that vanilla almond milk works in a pinch, but real milk and heavy cream is WAY better.

And most recently, helped my sister assemble her Tinkerbell costume the night before she needed it to attend several parties. Hurray for relearning how to make buttonholes!

 

How did your plans for October work out?

The post Lieutenant Junior Grade’s Log, Entry 9: October Month Map Final Update! appeared first on Heather Hayden.

Sci-Fi and Fantasy Spookfest — a Spooktacular Giveaway!

Hi, everyone! I’ve teamed up with a number of other awesome authors to offer this amazing giveaway!

From October 21 until October 28, you can enter the raffle for a chance to win ebooks and prizes!

Grand Prize — Massive Ebook Bundle!

One winner will walk away with the Grand Prize — an ebook bundle featuring 19 sci-fi and fantasy titles!

Journal Prize — Beautiful, Handcrafted Leather

One winner will receive a beautiful, handcrafted leather journal, pictured below.

Necklace Prize — Perfect for a Bookwyrm

One winner will receive a lovely book necklace, pictured below.

Individual Prizes — 19 Books, 19 Winners!

You read that right! One ebook of each story in the giveaway will be presented to one winner.

This giveaway ends on October 28! Don’t miss your chance to win one of these amazing prizes!

ENTER RAFFLE!

The post Sci-Fi and Fantasy Spookfest — a Spooktacular Giveaway! appeared first on Heather Hayden.

The Aeonians Blog Tour: An Interview with J. E. Klimov

Welcome to this stop on The Aeonians blog tour! I’m delighted to be hosting my good friend, J. E. Klimov, for an interview about her upcoming release.

Hi, J. E.! It’s so good to have you here today. To begin our interview, how about you share a bit about yourself?

Hi, Heather! It’s an honor to be here–so thanks for having me. I’m a humble author with two short stories under my belt, published in the Just-Us League anthologies. Now, I’m finally happy to say that Silver Leaf Books has accepted my submission, and I will be publishing my first novel, The Aeonians.

Congratulations! I can’t wait to read it. I’d love to hear more about the journey your story has taken you on. How did The Aeonians come to be?

The journey certainly has been an interesting one! My dream was to become an author and illustrator; however, family pressures have steered me towards a career in pharmacy. I first hand wrote this story in my notebook in high school. Fun fact: It was originally a fanfic! Then, it collected dust for the longest time until I participated in NaNoWriMo in 2014. For some reason, maybe nostalgia, this storyline attracted me the most. So, I transformed this fanfic into a novel of my own. I created my own fantasy world with new and unique places and creatures.

Wow! That’s so cool. I participate in NaNo too, though I’ve never tried to transform a fanfic into an original story. That must have taken a lot of work.

As a writer, I know that we are often attached to a particular character in a story. Who is your favorite character in The Aeonians, and why?

To be completely honest, I wrote the protagonist, Isabel, primarily after myself. She had low self-esteem and was constantly living in the shadows of other, more successful people. Other than the obvious storyline, she works to improve her confidence, as I have done in real life. However, there is a twist! The more I worked on the novel, the more I favored the antagonist, Bence. While known as a “cruel” character, he actually has a snarky sense of humor and tends to reflect on his decisions. He does not follow orders mindlessly like his twin, Farid. He became my favorite because he was a “bad guy” that I actually rooted for, and that’s a rare feat.

Neat! I don’t often root for bad guys, either. I’m looking forward to meeting Bence and all the other characters.

Speaking of meeting your characters… If you could spend a day in the world of your story, where would you go and what would you do?

Hands down, I would travel to Pekas Bay. This is the southernmost city in Deran. It has a tropical vibe, but that isn’t the main reason. The Kai, playful “rabbit-like” sea creatures, live there. Princess Isabel would often vacation at Pekas, and the Kai would let her grab onto their ears and take her for a ride out to the open ocean. I would LOVE that. Spending all day in the water? Sign me up!

Oooooh, that sounds amazing! Sign me up, too!

My next question is regarding Isabel Deran, the main character. She wields a sai. That’s an unusual weapon choice–what inspired you to choose that particular weapon?

I chose it for two reasons. First, I purposefully wanted to go less traditional. There will always be the faithful sword, bow, axe, staff, etc. Second, I took martial arts growing up. While I focused more on hand-to-hand combat, the weapon of choice for me was the sai.

That’s awesome! I love the idea of going less traditional (though I do have a soft spot for swords and staffs, my own weapons of choice).

Now that The Aeonians has been published, what is your next stop on your writing journey?

The Aeonians was originally meant to be a standalone novel. However, it was because of my love for one of the characters that I decided to extend this into a trilogy. Book two, tentatively named The Shadow Warrior, has already been drafted. I anticipate this to arrive in Fall 2018. While I finish the series, my next stop will either be a novel based off my short story The Fate of Patient Zero published in the anthology Between Heroes and Villains OR an urban fantasy/thriller. I am very indecisive! Thank goodness I still have time.

Sounds like you’re going to be busy! I’d love to read a novel based on Patient Zero; that was a great short story.

Thank you again for being here today, J.E. I wish you the best with your writing and I’m looking forward to reading The Aeonians!

Heather, thank you again for your time. It was fun to answer your questions, and I hope everyone liked the interview.

The Aeonians can be found on Amazon or Silver Leaf Books’s website.

Isabel Deran only wants to practice archery with the castle guards, and that is the last thing expected from an elegant Princess. Living in the shadow of her late sister, Victoria, she is next in line to receive the royal armlet that is embedded with four stones: an opal, a sapphire, an amber, and a ruby. It is a revered family heirloom with the power of the elements passed down from mother to daughter.

However, an evil, once thought to be sealed away in a prison in which time does not pass, breaks free with an army that swarms the castle and wrecks havoc over the kingdom in search for the magical armlet. They are known as the Aeonians. When they kidnap Isabel and place their hands on it, the precious stones vanish.

Isabel is now trapped in a race against time to locate her stones of power with the head of the Aeonian army, Bence Brechenhad, stalking her like a shadow. With the help of her trusty weapon, the sai, she fights her way through seemingly impossible trials and fearsome monsters in order to restore peace in her kingdom.

 

J. E. Klimov grew up in a small suburb in Massachusetts. After graduating from Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, she obtained her PharmD and became a pharmacist; however, her true passion was writing and illustration.

Ever since J. E. Klimov was little, she dreamed of sharing her stories with the world. From scribbling plotlines instead of taking notes in school, to bringing her characters to life through sketches, J. E. Klimov’s ideas ranged from fantasy to thriller fiction. Her first publication was a short story, The Guardian’s Secret, in From the Stories of Old, an anthology of fairy tale retellings. The Aeonians is her debut novel with Silver Leaf Books.

You can follow J.E. Klimov and stay in tune for news on her sequel among other things on her blog, Twitter, and Facebook.

The post The Aeonians Blog Tour: An Interview with J. E. Klimov appeared first on Heather Hayden.

Lieutenant Junior Grade’s Log, Entry 8: October Month Map Update

It’s the third Monday of the month already? I can’t believe how fast time has flown by!

Here’s my updated Month Map:

Cooperative Writing Project

My writers’ group, the Just-Us League, started a new, three-month project that involved pairing people up with random partners to write a story together.

I have teamed up with Kristy Perkins (who I’ll hopefully drag over to my blog sometime soon for an interview), and we trade chapters for our dual POVs. My character is a self-taught mage named Nydia, and I really love how she and her sister, Tassi, are developing!

So far this month, I’ve written three chapters out of the five I have slated for October. The first chapter I wrote this month was late, breaking our ahead-of-schedule streak, but we both worked hard to get back on track.

JLA #4 — Solstice Flames

This is a fairy tale retelling mash-up of A Christmas Carol and The Little Match Girl. I’ve received positive feedback so far regarding it, though I still have some revision to do. I haven’t touched it yet this month, but I will be revising it at least one more time before it goes to the judges in early November.

JLA #5 — Monsieur Puss

I finished the first draft of this Puss in Boots retelling early this month. Yes, that’s right, Puss in Boots! I really loved how the cat’s perspective came out (there are several scenes from his POV). Now I’m waiting to receive feedback from my awesome critiquers before I dive into revision. This story clocked in at about 10,500 words…a bit too long, but I’ll be trimming it down during the revision process. It’s only a first draft, after all.

Upgrade

I’ve revised one chapter of Upgrade so far. That’s 6/30 critiques done and 24 to go. Intimidating, but achievable.

Goodreads Challenge

I haven’t had a ton of reading time this month, but I have read four books so far, out of my monthly goal of nine. If you love fairy tales, I highly recommend checking out The Beast of Talesend! I’ll be reviewing it for November’s Magic Monday post.

 

How are your October goals progressing?

Release Day: Whispers in the Shadows!

Release day is finally here! And it’s Friday the 13th, which is the perfect time to grab a copy of this creepy horror anthology by the JL League. Whispers in the Dark is an illustrated anthology and features ten chilling tales, including my own short story, “In Her Reflection”.

Even when we think we’re safe, our biggest fears can be revealed, our worst nightmares brought to life.

For some, death is inevitable: a suspended detective and killer play a bloody game of cat and mouse; a girl risks her life to save her friends from an urban legend; a doctor’s daughter works to uncover the curse on their wayward ship; and an old lady’s cats are hungry…very hungry.

For others, death would have been an easier fate: a reflection isn’t meant to talk, let alone free itself; a priestess must renew her people’s magic, but that ritual carries a terrible price; and a famous boy rejects a lovesick girl…and lives to regret it.

Through life and death, the only constant is our fear of the unknown: bloody footprints continue to walk around a lighthouse; Grandma’s warnings of the Autumn People are finally heard loud and clear; and a girl moves into a new house to find a bloodstained carpet…that no one else can see.

Keep the lights on and brace yourself for ten creepy tales of horror and misfortune.

Buy Now!

Magic Monday: Nightmare Stories by Matthew Dewar

As I mentioned in a previous post, I’m bringing Magic Monday back from the dead (again!), just in time for the spookiest month of the year.

The book I’m reviewing today is a horror anthology by Matthew Dewar, a theme I thought fitting given that 1) it is October and 2) my writer’s group is releasing a horror anthology in just a few days (read more about that here).

First, let’s take a look at the cover!

Spooky? Terrifying? Chill-inducing? Pick your adjective…all I know is that if I saw a spider that big on my bookshelf, I’d turn and run screaming in the other direction. Given that Matthew lives Down Under, however, he’s probably dealt with spiders that big. Maybe. They certainly grow them that size in Australia, at any rate. (Probably in the States as well, but not where I live!)

Now for the blurb…

Twelve young teens learn that happily ever afters only exist in fairy tales.

Jessica has heard the rumours about drop bears, but are they real?

What will Connor see on the prison tour?

Whose old boot did Jack catch while fishing with his dad?

Will Jane end up with a lump of coal in her Christmas stocking?

Find out in these twelve creepy Nightmare Stories.

I know the answers to all of these questions now, but I’m not spoiling anything! The blurb is brief, but drew me in. I wanted to know what a drop bear was (now I wish I didn’t know! One more reason to avoid Australia!), and I wanted to see if Connor would be scared by a ghost, or something else, and I wanted to find out why Jane would deserve a lump of coal… Not to mention the nine other teens who were being subjected to their own versions of horror.

The blurb, of course, said nothing about spiders. The cover should have been warning enough, but I dove into the anthology rather innocently. And I handled the scares pretty well, if I do say so myself.

Right up until the point where I was reading the short story titled Arachnophobia…and looked down to find a little spider had started spinning a web from my arm. Apparently, when I read, I’m so buried in the story I barely move.

I’m proud to say I didn’t shriek, but I did jump. A lot.

If you enjoy creepy horror with unexpected twists, definitely check this out. You can find it on Amazon as well as at other retailers.

To connect with Matthew Dewar, visit him on Twitter, Facebook, or his website.

Lieutenant Junior Grade’s Log, Entry 7: October Month Map Reveal

October is here! Fall is in the air. Well, kind of. It’s supposed to get warmer again this week here in Cape Cod, which means I’m not really feeling the autumn spirit yet. But I look forward to seeing the changing leaves! And the promise of snow looming on the horizon! I LOVE snow!

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Here’s my month map for October!

 

Let’s do a quick rundown on each goal I have for this month…

Cooperative Writing Project

My writers’ group, the Just-Us League, started a new, three-month project that involved pairing people up with random partners to write a story together.

I have teamed up with Kristy Perkins (who I’ll hopefully drag over to my blog later this month for an interview), and we’re having a blast so far! We take turns writing chapters from the POV of our characters, passing the electronic quill back and forth as we bring our story to life.

This month, our schedule has me down for five chapters, and I’ll do my best to keep up with that goal as the month progresses!

JLA #4

My goal this month is to revise this short story down to around 9,500 words. 9,000 would be better, but I don’t want to sacrifice story, so we’ll see how it goes. I also need to do a little more character tweaking for the main protag/antag, who has been a lot of fun to write.

As I’ll be handing out hints in my Twitter games (#WIPTruthOrDare and several others), I’m going to reveal now that this fairy tale retelling is a mash-up of A Christmas Carol and The Little Match Girl. Unconventional choices? Yes. Lots of fun to mix together? YES!

JLA #5

I need to finish the first draft of this story by the 7th, and then I want to revise it at least once before the end of the month. This is a second fairy tale retelling (yes, we have two fairy tale anthologies on the way! I’m super excited!) This is a more conventional tale…but I’ll reveal more details in the future. I will say for now that there is a cat in it.

Upgrade

I have four chapters left. If I do one a week, I should be able to avoid burning out. Then I can toss it on my Kindle and read through the entire thing like it was a book… Hopefully, a book close to completion!

Goodreads Challenge

This month, I need to read nine books for my challenge. Ten if I want to be back on track, but with 27 left of my 100-book goal, nine a month will get me there. I can do this!

 

What are your plans for October?

Lieutenant Junior Grade’s Log, Entry 6: September Month Map Final Update!

September disappeared fast! It’s time for a final look at my month map for this crazy month…

Upgrade — Progress made

This was more of a bonus goal this month, but I did manage to edit two chapters, leaving only four to go.

HAVE managed to edit one chapter so far, leaving only five to go. Might get another one or two done if I can find the time.

Cooperative Writing Project — Complete!

My writers’ group, the Just-Us League, started a new, three-month project that involved pairing people up with random partners to write a story together.

My awesome partner and I are deep in the writing process now, which means this goal was met and then some! We’re currently about 15% complete with the first draft, going by the number of chapters we have plotted out… Length-wise, we’re not sure yet, but I estimate the final draft will be around 40-50k.

Another tidbit about this story: the POV character I’m writing can wield magic.

JLA #4 — COMPLETE!

After revising, this short story is now over 10,000 words in length. I’m going to need to trim it a bit to make the word count limit, but I’m loving this project a lot. It’s a fairy tale retelling based on two unconventional tales I’ve read multiple times in the past, one of which I enjoy and the other of which I have less positive feelings toward. So far, the feedback has been positive from my critters, though I still need to do some character development tweaking… Hopefully there’s enough description, though! My first drafts tend to be light on that, but I think the current draft has plenty now, thanks to my revisions.

Within the Ironwood

I didn’t touch the storyboard this month, which is disappointing, but I also was juggling a lot of other things, so I’m not going to be upset with myself about this. In October, I will try to find time to work on it.

Goodreads Challenge

I read four books this month for my challenge. Not quite my goal, but given how busy I was, I’m lucky I got that done!

What else have I been up to?

I met up with some of my college friends in Bar Harbor for a weekend early this month (one of them was kind enough to drive me, so I got to read on the drive!)

I’ve been hard at work with my writer’s group, the Just-Us League, preparing for our next publication, a horror anthology releasing on Friday, October 13th! I posted a cover reveal here. Like all of our anthologies, this one has been a labor of love, a labor that isn’t quite over as of when I’m writing this post. But we’re getting very, very close to being ready!

I also finally got a smartphone. Yes, I’ve been living in the dinosaur era of phones. Now I can play Pokemon Go!–er, I mean, I can practice with Duolingo more easily (learning Japanese and German), I can make long phone calls without worrying about how many minutes I have left, and I can check emails and such when I don’t have my computer (very handy during the reunion weekend). I may also be slightly addicted to it right now, but I’m sure that will fade…with time…

 

How did your September go?

Cover Reveal: Whispers in the Shadows: A Horror Anthology

As I just updated my blog banner (so shiny!) and it now includes my next upcoming release, it’s cover reveal time! Our amazing cover designer, Louis Rakovich of Indigo Forest Designs, has perfectly captured the feel of the Just-Us League‘s next illustrated anthology, a collection of original horror stories!

Just looking at it gives me chills! I can’t wait to hold a paperback copy in my hands.

Here’s the blurb:

Even when we think we’re safe, our biggest fears can be revealed, our worst nightmares brought to life.

For some, death is inevitable: a suspended detective and killer play a bloody game of cat and mouse; a girl risks her life to save her friends from an urban legend; a doctor’s daughter works to uncover the curse on their wayward ship; and an old lady’s cats are hungry…very hungry.

For others, death would have been an easier fate: a reflection isn’t meant to talk, let alone free itself; a priestess must renew her people’s magic, but that ritual carries a terrible price; and a famous boy rejects a lovesick girl…and lives to regret it.

Through life and death, the only constant is our fear of the unknown: bloody footprints continue to walk around a lighthouse; Grandma’s warnings of the Autumn People are finally heard loud and clear; and a girl moves into a new house to find a bloodstained carpet…that no one else can see.

Keep the lights on and brace yourself for ten creepy tales of horror and misfortune.

Whispers in the Shadows will be released in October 2017 on Friday the 13th! It will feature my short story, In Her Reflection, along with nine other awesome, creepy tales.

Lieutenant Junior Grade’s Log, Entry 5: September Month Map Week Three Update!

It’s more than time for an update on my September Month Map!

Upgrade

This is more of a bonus goal this month, but I HAVE managed to edit one chapter so far, leaving only five to go. Might get another one or two done if I can find the time.

Cooperative Writing Project

My writers’ group, the Just-Us League, started a new, three-month project that involved pairing people up with random partners to write a story together.

At this point, my partner and I have finished the basic plot outline and are diving into the writing process. We’re trading chapters because we are each writing one of the two POVs, so once she finishes Chapter One, I’ll be starting Chapter Two!

More details to come in the near future on this… But there will be at least one dragon.

JLA #4 — COMPLETE!

The “short” story wound up being a whopping 9,200 words–a bit over the 8k limit. It’ll be trimmed down with revisions, though, I’m sure. I’m super excited about this project–I love fairy tale retellings, and I took two rather unconventional stories to retell this time in a mash-up of tales.

Within the Ironwood

I haven’t touched the storyboard for this yet, much less started writing. Hopefully I can make some progress on that this week.

Goodreads Challenge

I’ve only read two books so far this month for my challenge. Technically, one of them was an omnibus of three manga volumes, but I’m counting it as one since it only took a couple hours to read. There’s only a week left of the month now, and I still need to read four more books… But I’ve read that many in a day before when I decided to take a rest day, so I’m not concerned yet.

 

Quick Announcement

I’ve decided that starting next month, I’m going to change how I handle posting a bit. I don’t want to flood your inbox with too many blog posts and I also want to stick to a clearer schedule. My plan is one a week, with the occasional other post about an upcoming release or giveaway or something like that. My main posting day will be Monday, with other posts scheduled as necessary.

First Monday of the Month: Month Map Monday. This will feature the new month’s map and the wrap-up of the previous month’s map.

Second Monday of the Month: Magic Monday. My semi-regular book reviews will be returning to a more regular schedule.

Third Monday of the Month: Month Map Update Monday. This will be an update on my progress for the month.

Fourth and Fifth Mondays of the Month: Miscellaneous Mondays. I will feature various posts during these days. Interviews, snippets of my work, a final wrap-up post if it’s the last day of the month, that sort of thing.

 

I can’t believe how fast September has flown by… How are your September goals going?