Auryn Hadley's Blog, page 9

Growing as an author

In 2013, I wrote the first three books of the Rise of the Iliri series. Since thing, I’ve managed to churn out a few more in various states of completion. It helped me grow as an author, and I’ve learned a lot. Going back to edit some of my early work (Like the third iliri book) I can clearly see just how much!

I think this book only has a handful of sentences that haven’t been improved. Words were cut, words were added, and characters were made more realistic. For me, writing romances allow...

I should be blogging…

Instead, I’m writing. Word count for the weekend is HIGH! Sorry, my friends. I’m assuming you’d rather I release the next book, like, yesterday. I figure the blog is good for when I’m at a stopping point.

Ok. Now to start shooting people, get the couple together, and kick the jerk of an ex to the curb. (And so you know, the picture has nothing at all to do with this post. I just thought it was kinda cool.)

My (minor) obsession with Star Wars

This is Jango Fett. Yeah, he doesn’t look much like the guy in the Star Wars movies, but he’s smart, tough, and willing to die for what he believes in. Jango was adopted as a puppy from a rescue along with his brother Boba Fett. Like good little bounty hunters, the boys promptly picked their targets and claimed their person. Jango is my constant companion. Boba is my husband’s.

Lucky for us, my job is dog-friendly. Jango comes to work a few times a week (I only work part time) and hangs out...

The secret to my success…

Yes, that is a keyboard. It’s a very pretty version of what I use, and while I don’t get any kickbacks (I really should with as much as I hype this thing) I think every author should know that this pricey keyboard DOUBLED my typing speed. Yes. Doubled.

I type fast anyway. On a typical laptop, I hit around 90 – 120 words per minute. On my Corsair keyboard, I can hit 210 without straining. I can finally type as fast as I think! Why? Because the mechanical keys with brown cherry mx switches (te...

Rape as a plot device – Don’t do it!

That tragic past. That wound that can’t ever be explained. We all read stories in the news (like the Stanford rape case recently) that make us want to dive into the potential for character angst, suffering, and personal recovery. On the surface, it’s the perfect tragedy to write about, because it comes with few physical disabilities to keep track of. The pain is all internal. She (or he, because plenty of men get raped) can still be beautiful, alluring, yet damaged so badly in their psyche th...

Back to the Editor

Some books have a wonderful story but atrocious writing. It takes a good editor to find the diamond in the manure pile. Needless to say, that’s where I’m at right now. Because the books I’m releasing were written quite a while ago, they are “early” writing, and have a few mistakes I now can’t stand.

In other words, Rise of the Iliri 3 needs help. A lot more of it than I expected. Flawed, my joint-project with Kitty Cox, is still on schedule for the end of June (Hopefully, there will be a big...

World Building

What makes world building? Is it a verbal vomit from the author about this new universe the reader has just dropped into? Would it be the nuances that make fantasy life different from reality? Does it have to be spelled out, or should it season the story like a gourmet chef?

If you can’t tell, I have a rather strong bias about this. Every time someone talks about world building, I twitch a little. I have no interest in writing (and I’m sure you have no interest in reading) a prologue that la...

Working with a co-author (and who is Kitty Cox?)

There aren’t many people I could write with. The list basically consists of Kitty Cox. For years, she’s been the yin to my yang. Our lives are intertwined so much that our husbands think of us more like sisters than just friends. She’s my supervisor at work. I’m her mentor in writing. She has a flair for the number side of things; I excel in making sure it’s noticed. Together, we’re the kind of friends I spent my life wishing for – including the part where I don’t have to worry about what I s...

Turning a beast into a hero

This image was the inspiration for so much of the Rise of the Iliri series. It’s an animal, but not. It’s humanoid, but not. It’s adorable, strange, and intriguing. When I saw this little beasty, questions popped into my head. For me, that means a story is coming – andboy did it!

But readers want to have a hero who they can relate to. I wanted to write a villain’s story without making it clear that’s what it really was. Dozens of classics sprang to mind, all too often with a female “evil quee...

I really like writing series

For me, a story is rarely told in just one book. I love teasing out the details, making the reader go, “Oh!” when another little gem is dropped on them. Unfortunately, this doesn’t seem to be what so many book lovers expect. It seems that modern authors have a tendency to write single layer stories (and there’s nothing wrong with this!) that run straight from point A to point B. I, however, want to take the scenic route.

Sometimes the good guy really isn’t. Other times, the bad guy had respec...