Auryn Hadley's Blog, page 4

Why she forgives his wrongs

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How many romances are written about falling for the man with money, fame, an impressive job, or some other trait that basically gives him social power?  How many of you noticed that the image above is Salryc Luxx?  And last, but not least, who thinks those two questions might go together?

One of the biggest complaints I’ve seen about BloodLust is that Sal forgives one man too easily.  It always makes me smile – because that’s what the reader is SUPPOSED to hate about it.  It was very intenti...

The trick to being a good author

There’s only one thing that writers need to know to become a great author: your writing sucks.
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No matter what you do, how hard you try, or how many times you check it yourself, it will still suck.  Know why?  Because you, dear author, know what you MEANT to say.  You have a mental image of what should be happening.  The problem is that you didn’t necessarily make that image appear on the page.

This is why we need editors.  Those poor souls read our crap, tell us when we miss the mark, and th...

Diversity in Fantasy

[image error]You know, the diversity in my genre is growing – and fast!  When I was a kid, the hero of the story was always a little boy or a successful man.  Now, we have countless women taking center stage, from Young Adult to Urban Fantasy.  Back then, it used to be white, caucasian, or, um, white.  Now?  I see Latinos, blacks, Asians, and dozens of people with mixed ancestry.

That doesn’t mean it’s good enough.  And you know what?  I’m as much to blame as anyone else.  When casting a story, I often im...

Building a Fantasy World

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The fantasy genre is, by its very nature, a speculative view on our daily life.  Almost every one of these books started with a question that began “What if…”  That one question shapes the world, the culture, and the reactions of people.

As an author, it’s my job to follow that line of thinking all the way down the rabbit hole.  As an example: what if humans colonized a planet that had a native sentient species on it?  Well, humans being like they are, we’d assume we are superior (technologi...

Where do I get my ideas?

[image error]I know that I don’t write the typical stories.  It’s one of the most common things people tell me (thankfully, right after “this is so good!”).  But, it seems people want to know how I come up with these ideas.  Well, the answer is rather simple: art.

The picture at the top was the initial inspiration for Rise of the Iliri.  I stumbled across it somewhere, and it just moved me.  The carrion birds, the military that doesn’t quite fit into any classification, and the demeanor of the riders… It...

It’s spring! And that means play time.

[image error]Slowly but surely, I’m getting ahead of my release schedule.  Granted, I’ve also slowed down my release schedule to something more closely resembling human abilities.  I figure a book every 3 months (give or take) is still pretty good.

Instead, I’m working on getting back in shape.  A couple of years spending every spare second in front of the computer typing away doesn’t do good things for the waistline.  A new puppy, however, has the opposite effect!  Granted, Revan’s almost a year old now,...

My dogs have imposed work limits

[image error]Two of my dogs are conspiring against my super amazing workflow today.  I am getting the last few corrections done, and it’s moving a LOT faster than I expected.  The problem?  Revan says I have to take a break every two hours to love on him.

Clearly, smacking at a keyboard and staring intently at a monitor are not the puppy’s idea of “fun”.  He has been cussing at me, nosing me, and whimpering for me to pay attention to HIM all afternoon.  Once I actually stop, toss the ball a few times, scr...

Spring Cleaning, Author Style

[image error]Every spring, I try to take stock of where I’m at with my writing, how I’m marketing the books, and what daily tasks I have to get done.  This year, the list is massive.

First, and most importantly, the staff at SHP Publishing has been working on moving ALL of my books to print editions as well as digital.  Woo Hoo!  The downside?  I’ve found a shameful number of corrections that need to be made.  Yeah, I’m going to chalk this up to maturing as an author, but the truth us that a few too many...

What makes a story great?

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Of all the movies we’ve watched, of all the books we’ve read, why do some stand out and others are forgotten as quickly as they were picked up?  What is that thing that makes us live in the story, long for it, and embellish on the world created by another?  For centuries, people have been trying to put their finger on that spark of amazement so that others can finally understand, but so far, no one has managed.

And if you think I have the answer, you’re wrong.

I wonder about this every singl...

I had to give up on a book

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Every so often, a writer has a brilliant idea that gets spoiled by current events.  This is mine.  It’s only the first few paragraphs of a novel that I’d put on the back burner due to time constraints, but even those touch on some subjects that are a little too sensitive now.

And I don’t think politics makes for very good writing – at least not the kind that gets an audience before the author dies!  What I tried to do was take both liberal and conservative ideas and show just how easy it is...