K.J. Chapman's Blog, page 60
October 23, 2016
Indie Interview: KJ Chapman
Thank you to Rebecca over at Read A Lot for interviewing me about my writing processes, and more importantly, the upcoming release of Thrown to The Blue!
The last Indie Interview with Suzanne Rogerson was received so well I thought I’d ask KJ Chapman, whose new book Thrown to the Blue is being released on the 11th of November, to take part. And she agreed.
Hi, Kay. Welcome to Read A Lot. Congratulations on the upcoming release of your book Thrown to the Blue.
Thank you for having me. It’s a pleasure to be invited to join you.
Q: Had you always planned on becoming a published author?
A: I always knew I wanted to write. For years, that was all I did. I wrote short stories, novels, bits of ideas, but I never got as far as publishing. With my first novel, EVO Nation, I knew I would publish whether it be traditional or self-publishing. I had many rejections from literary agents, so I opted for self-publishing and I’m so glad I did.
Q: What…
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October 20, 2016
Fortnightly Picture Prompts
Over on my Instagram account, I post fortnightly picture prompts that I have snapped because they inspire me in my writing. I invite you to have a pop at writing a sentence or paragraph to accompany it. You can find me on Instagram by following this link.
If you do not have an Instagram account, but would like to join in, you can post your sentence/ paragraph in the comments, and I will feature them in the next Picture Prompt post right here on my blog with links back to you.
Picture Prompt:
Here is my paragraph inspired by this picture prompt:
They call it ‘Hangman’s Tree’. I know where it is, but I daren’t venture into the woods to see it first hand. The noose is for those who cannot contribute, and fail to complete the training or the tests. It’s either ‘The Noose’ or ‘The Walk’. No one wants to make that walk, or suffer the separation after. The Elders actually encourage The Noose- they say that The Walk is a great dishonour and those who fail should bring mercy to their families. My brother took The Noose only twelve months ago. I feel no mercy- all I feel is hatred toward the regime; a regime I shall burn to the ground.
Content belongs to K.J. Chapman
October 19, 2016
Review: Stealing Snow by Danielle Paige
Stealing Snow (Stealing Snow #1) by Danielle Paige 3/5
First kisses sometimes wake slumbering princesses, undo spells, and spark happily ever afters.
Mine broke Bale.
Seventeen-year-old Snow has spent her life locked in Whittaker Psychiatric—but she isn’t crazy. And that’s not the worst of it. Her very first kiss proves anything but innocent…when Bale, her only love, turns violent.
Despite Snow knowing that Bale would never truly hurt her, he is taken away—dashing her last hope for any sort of future in the mental ward she calls home. With nowhere else to turn, Snow finds herself drawn to a strange new orderly who whispers secrets in the night about a mysterious past and a kingdom that’s hers for the taking—if only she can find her way past the iron gates to the Tree that has been haunting her dreams.
Beyond the Tree lies Algid, a land far away from the real world, frozen by a ruthless king. And there too await the River Witch, a village boy named Kai, the charming thief Jagger, and a prophecy that Snow will save them all.
Thanks go to Netgalley and Bloomsbury Publishing Ltd for giving me a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Review:
Snow is cooped up in a mental health institute all of her life because everyone thinks she is crazy. She quickly finds that she is not insane, just unique. After Bale disappears and a mysterious man who tells her of another kingdom comes to her in the night, she makes a decision to change her life and everything she knows. Through ‘the tree’ Snow finds a world that makes her seem normal, but she really isn’t, not even in Algid. She is the one they have been waiting for.
There was brilliant world building, magical descriptions, and an intriguing narrative. Paige’s writing style is easy to read, not overly wordy, but still captures the essence of the story.
The characters were distinct, although there were times when the love… square (let’s call it a square) became unbelievable because I couldn’t fully embrace why one corner of the square would have fallen for Snow. When Snow was with another corner it felt natural, and I was screaming ‘Just kiss him- I would!’ Needless to say, I have a favourite from the love square; a favourite who was part of the most interesting group of people from the narrative. I throughly enjoyed the descriptions, the ‘rules’, and the not so nice or trusting personalities. The fianl corner, Bale, was vital to the story, but I wasn’t rooting for Snow and him to be reunited in the ‘happily ever after sense’.
For a YA book, I can see this being well received by teens, and the action, love, and fantasy really draws you in. However, there were just a few unbelievable aspects for me. That being said, I want to keep reading this series because I need to know if Snow finally locks lips with my favourite ‘corner’.
The opinions expressed here are those of K.J.Chapman and no other parties
All books reviewed on this blog have been read by K.J.Chapman
K.J.Chapman has not been paid for this review
October 16, 2016
Capitalisation of Honorifics and Names is the Bane of my Editing Life
What has this edit and my proof-reader shown me? That I am inconsistent in my capitalisation of honorifics and names. Oh my word! As soon as my proof-reader started pointing them out, she just couldn’t stop. I mean, seriously, I’m totally crap and inconsistent to the point of frustration. Titles such as King, Your Majesty, and the more common ‘Father’ (in terms of referring to an actual person by that name), are just a few of my pit falls. This is how I picture my proof-reader’s reaction every time she has to correct me on this issue:
What makes this edit even more exasperating is that my novel is full of honorifics with one of my main protags coming from royalty. Oh well, at least I am now aware of my annoying tendencies, right? Ha!
Do you have any annoying writing habits/ pit falls? What is your biggest editing peeve?
Content belongs to K.J. Chapman
GIF sourced from GIPHY.COM
Thrown to The Blue Novel Aesthetics
I have been Pinteresting the afternoon away, and thought, ‘why don’t I share my completed novel aesthetics board for Thrown to The Blue?’ So, here it is:
I am a big fan of using Pinterest to make novel aesthetic boards, and I thought my beta and ARC readers might appreciate a little glimpse at what was rattling around in my head when writing Thrown to The Blue.
Content belongs to K.J. Chapman
Pictures sourced from Pinterest.com
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Self Belief
I have been inspired to write this post by Al over at Hyperactive Pandemonium. Al’s post about the motivational quotes he relies on to get him through writer’s doubt, got me thinking about my own motivation when it comes to my writing. You can check out Al’s post here: Step Up Saturday.
Other than a love for writing, we must have some motivation, some inkling that we can write a book, edit a book, and publish a book. Mine was a quote: ‘She believed she could, so she did.’ I wrote this quote in the front of my notebook for EVO Nation. For some reason- a reason I still cannot fathom- I knew EVO Nation was the book I was going to complete and self-publish. Before I had even written a word of the first draft, it was the one I had all my determination, motivation and inspiration focussed on.
I did! And I have since done it again and again.
Anytime self-doubt creeps in, I just dig out my original EVO Nation notebook and look at this quote. It’s hard to not find a sliver of self-belief when I know I have succeeded in something I only dreamed I could do.
Do you have a go to quote or practice to beat self-doubt? Can you pin point the moment your dreams started becoming reality?
Content belongs to K.J. Chapman
October 13, 2016
10 Weeks, 10 Prompts, 10 Minutes #9 (Prompt Me Special)
The purpose of these writing exercises is to take a prompt a week for ten weeks and allow myself ten minutes to expand on it. All the prompts are taken from my writing prompt eBook: Prompt Me.
To check out my list of ten prompts, and maybe have a go yourself, follow this link. Go with the flow, take the prompt literally, or just allow elements to inspire a totally different story. It is up to you. Link back to me, so I can have a read of your creations.
The Prompt:
“As soon as I admit that someone is my friend they end up dead. So, for all intents and purposes, I don’t like you.”
“No! You don’t get to push me away.”
“And you don’t get to die because of me.”
She throws me aside, but I grip her forearm, forcing her back to face me. “It won’t be because of you, it’ll be for you… always for you.”
I know that look. It’s the look she had her on her face when she kissed me all those months ago. She can try and push the memory from her mind, but it’s the only real thing I remember of the last year. It’s only there for a second before her eyes shadow over and she coughs away her emotion.
“Okay, I can accept that you don’t like me, but look me in the eyes and tell me that you don’t love me,” I say. She looks to her feet. “Tell me, Erin! Tell me and I will walk away. You’ll never have to see me again.” Still she is quiet. Stepping closer to her, I make her meet my eye. “If you say it, you better mean it, because I will walk away if that’s what you want.”
Her breathing is ragged and her chest heaves in air. “Do you love me?” she asks.
“Don’t reflect the question. Why the hell would I have followed you blindly into this madness if I didn’t love you? I’ve been shot, burnt, buried alive, and she asks me if I love her,” I say, a smile pulling at the edge of my mouth.
She scoffs now. “I thought you were just a bit of an idiot.”
“Yeah, that too.”
She steps away, hands me a gun, and marches on. “Well, if you’re coming, you better get your ass moving.”
“Hey! You can’t leave it like that. Tell me you don’t love me, Erin.”
“You said that if I say it, I better mean it.” She glances back over her shoulder and smiles.
It’s not the declaration of love I was hoping for, but it’ll do for now.
Content belongs to K.J. Chapman
Thrown to The Blue Playlist
I’m reblogging this post because the ARCs of Thrown to The Blue have been sent out, and it felt like a good time to revisit my playlist.
I would add two new ones since completing the first draft: Heathens by Twenty One Pilots and The Emperor’s New Clothes by Panic at the Disco.
It’s that time again- playlist time. I’m at the 3/4 point of my first draft of Thrown to The Blue, and I decided that it’s time to blog about my playlist for this novel. I’ve been listening to a variety of songs of late, but have whittled it down to a select few that have drawn my attention.
Keaton Henson- Sweetheart What Have You Done to Us? Watch Video.
Bastille- Things We Lost to the Fire Watch Video.
Soundgarden- Blow Up the Outside World Watch Video.
Zedd ft Jon Bellion- Beautiful Now Watch Video.
Of Monsters and Men- Yellow Light Watch Video.
Metallica- Until It Sleeps Watch Video.
Urge Overkill- Girl You’ll Be a Woman Soon Watch Video.
Lynyrd Skynyrd- Free Bird Watch Video.
Nick Jonas ft Tove Lo- Close Watch Video.
Ariana Grande- Dangerous Woman Watch Video.
Damien Rice- Colour Me In Watch Video.
Damien Rice- Delicate
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October 11, 2016
Thrown to The Blue Update
What a hectic ten days! I have been listening to the comments from my beta readers, choosing what to apply and what to ignore, and editing my eyeballs right out of my head. This morning, I sent the ARCs to my ARC reviewers and I feel like I can breathe a sigh of relief.
Thrown to The Blue is due for release on Nov 11th, so in just ONE MONTH! Eeekk. You can pre-order copies from Amazon Kindle now. I will probably do one more run through of editing beetween now and then, and my proof-reader will also be proofing my amendments. At least I have two weeks to complete this run through before I have to upload the final copy to Amazon to make good on my pre-orders. I can turn the burners down a little and go snail speed.
Now, what’s on my agenda?
Planning my daughter’s 6th birthday party. Yep, it is the day after release day, and 40 children will be attending. Why do I do these things to myself? It’ll be fine… I think.
Thank you to everyone for your continuing support. If you would like to receive an ARC copy for review, I’m happy to send more out.
Content belongs to K.J. Chapman
GIFs sourced from Giphy.com
October 9, 2016
10 Weeks, 10 Prompts, 10 Minutes #8 (Prompt Me Special)
The purpose of these writing exercises is to take a prompt a week for ten weeks and allow myself ten minutes to expand on it. All the prompts are taken from my writing prompt eBook: Prompt Me.
To check out my list of ten prompts, and maybe have a go yourself, follow this link. Go with the flow, take the prompt literally, or just allow elements to inspire a totally different story. It is up to you. Link back to me, so I can have a read of your creations.
The Prompt:
They said that I was insane and that I never had a sister. They even went as far as to edit her out of my photographs. I know they did because they missed one- the one I keep in my locket.
They hold us in some kind of secure facility with hundreds of others. We aren’t treated badly, but we aren’t free either. Words such as cure, hope, and future are continuously brandished about, as if words can persuade us to cooperate. If you take away a person’s freedom, you take away their basic human right. Once that’s gone, then it’s a one way street- we’re prisoners and they’re our captors. Cure, hope, and future, feel very very far away.
Every day I ask for Georgina. Every day they say the same thing- ‘she is a figmant of your imagination. An imaginary friend you created as a way to get through the fifteen months you spent on the outside without another soul to talk to.’ Georgina is real. She is not my friend. She is my older sister, and they know more than they’re letting on. Why are these people trying to make me believe I’m crazy?
Jenson, the big boss, enters in his full military get-up; combat clothes, black shiny boots, and cap. He glances around us all like we’re nothing more than rats in his elaborate test, and then he waves his hand to beckon someone into our tent. A teenage boy, similar in age to me, steps into the tent. His hair looks filthy, he has cuts on his knuckles, and his eyes are sunken.
“Tent 98, this is your newest occupant- Harry Mave.” Jenson pushes Harry further into the tent, before leaving without so much as a goodbye.
Harry grips his rucksack to his chest and glances around all of our faces. This isn’t the friendliest tent, and the majority of the occupants are middle aged and have an adversion to kids and teenagers. Finally, after eyeing every inch of him, I call him over to me. The bunk above mine is empty, and hell, it’ll be nice to have someone my age to talk to.
“I’m Nell,” I say, holding out my hand. He looks at it, but doesn’t shake it. “You can have the top bunk.”
“I’m not staying,” he mumbles. “Where are the showers?”
I came in with the same fighting spirit, but that was quickly sucked out of me. “The shower tent is directly behind here. If you have anything of value take it with you.”
Gregory, our resident kleptomaniac growls at me. I just glare back, inviting him to say something. Go on, you scummy thief, so I can make a scene and search your collection for my shoelaces and hair scrunchie.
“I’d stay away from ‘Crazy Baby’ if you want to fit in here,” Gregory warns Harry. The tent gave me that nickname because of Georgina. “Sees things. Hears voices. Fucking nutjob.”
I give Gregory the bird in response. Harry grunts in acknowledgement and heads straight out of the tent. Not missing a beat, I follow him.
“This place is a fortress. You won’t get out,” I call after him. Harry doesn’t even turn back. “I should know. I tried…and tried…and tried.”
“I have people on the outside who need me. Staying here isn’t an option.”
“If they left people behind when they picked you up, it’s because they are infected.”
Now, he spins to face me, anger written all over his face. “Bullshit! My sister was not infected, and they still left her behind. We’re here because we have something they need.”
My heart pangs at the mention of his sister. “What do we have?” I ask.
He shrugs. “Something… I don’t know. Something so important that they tell me that Hannah isn’t real. They’re trying to make me think I’m crazy.”
“They said it to you too?” I grasp my locket, stepping away instinctively.
An arm encloses around my shoulders. “Nell, are you pestering the new boy?” asks Jenson. “Harry, you were placed in the wrong tent- clerical error. Bring your stuff and I’ll take you to Tent 23. It’s the other side of the camp.”
“Away from me you mean?” I ask Jenson. His eyes bore into my soul. “Harry, she’s real. Hannah’s real.” Jenson lifts me from my feet, but I fight with every ounce of my being. “She’s real, Harry. Don’t let them make you forget! Never forget!”
Jenson’s hand encloses over my mouth. “You see why her tent call her ‘Crazy Baby’?” He half laughs, squeezing the air out of my lungs as I kick and wiggle against his torso. “Stop this, Nell. Have you been taking your meds?” More military staff race over, helping Jenson to restrain me. I’m pinned to the floor and injected in the neck with a sedative. Instantly, my body feels heavy.
As Harry is escorted away, he looks over his shoulder at me. “Don’t forget,” I mouth before my eyes close.
***
Someone shakes me awake. My mouth is dry, and my limbs feel stuffed with lead weights. From the musky, body odour stench, I know I’m back in my tent. Gregory snores in the bunk beside mine, and someone farts.
“Nell, wake up,” whispers Harry. I jump fully awake in shock. He covers my mouth with his hand and shakes his head. “Stay quiet.”
I can’t move; the sedation hasn’t fully worn off yet. Harry stuffs my few belongings into my tatty rucksack and swings it onto his shoulder with his own. Then, taking me under the thighs and arms, he lifts me.
The air outside is bitterly cold, and it brings me to my senses a little. Harry skims around the side of the tent, coming to a stop behind our shower tent, and lowers me onto the damp ground. It is a dark night without moonlight, and my eyes have to adjust to see his face in front of mine.
“How?” I ask.
“I’m good at what I do.” He pulls me to sitting, and brushes my tangled hair out of my face. “They call you ‘Crazy Baby’ because Jenson has made you look crazy?”
I nod. “And they’ll do the same to you if you’re not careful.”
“How can I be sure that you’re not just crazy?”
“Why’d you come and steal me from my bed if you thought I was making it up?”
He rolls his eyes. “I need something, Nell. Before I risk my life to get us both out of here, you need to give me something to believe in.”
Pulling my pendant from under my t-shirt, I hold it in my clenched fist. “They edited her out of my photographs. They didn’t just destroy them. I suppose that would make it look like they had something to hide. This way, they can make it look like I just made her up. I didn’t make her up, Harry.”
“Who?”
Taking off my necklace, I hold it out to him. “Everyone thinks this is a pendant, but it’s a locket. They never thought to check it.” Harry feels around for the minute clasp, and opens the delicate locket. He shines his torch over the small picture inside of me and Georgina. “That’s my sister. Her name is–”
“Georgina,” he interrupts. My heart skips a beat. “You are the one I’m here for. Can you walk? We have to get to the back fence by 3am.”
“Wait? What? You know my sister?”
He smiles at me. “You could say that. Georgie is my boss- the leader of the resistance- and we’re getting you out of here.”
“What about your sister? Hannah?”
Harry takes my face in his hands. “I’m an only child. I needed to make sure you were who I thought you were. This is all for you, Helena.” My breath catches in my throat at his use of my full name; a name not even Jenson knows. “Georgie says, ‘sorry she took so long.'”
Content belongs to K.J. Chapman
