Kellyn Roth's Blog: Kellyn Roth, Author, page 67

Interview with H.L. Burke

Today I’ll be interviewing author H. L. Burke, author of The Dragon and the Scholar series, Beggar Magic, Lands of Ash, Thaddeus Whiskers and the Dragon, and Cora and the Nurse Dragon, to name a few. But her real claim to fame is that she is my big sister!

Heidi, how does it feel to be the sibling of the most amazing person on earth? ;)

Hello, Heidi. So, I bet you’re pretty busy getting ready to publish Nyssa Glass and the House of Mirrors on the 20th. What do you have to do in these last few days before you publish?

I’ve had the book done for about a week now, but I decided to jump right into writing the sequel so I’ve been typing away at that. Other than that, I drink a lot of coffee and take pictures of dragons, but that’s always. I like to give myself enough of a window before publishing that if something goes wrong I have time to fix it. If nothing does go wrong, though, then I can just move onto the next project.

What is Nyssa Glass and the House of Mirrors about?

It’s about a young former thief who is trying to get her life together but finds herself forced to use her “skills” for one last job. Nyssa ends up taking on a supposedly abandoned mansion with an automated security system, booby traps, and killer robots. There’s also a mystery regarding the mansion’s former inhabitants and a sarcastic computer.

I’m really looking forward to reading that! :) So, what’s Nyssa like?

She’s practical, analytical, and perceptive. In other words, not much like me. She’s also curious, and doesn’t like to leave problems unsolved. She also talks to herself and is emotionally attached to both her lockpicks and her goggles.

Of all the books you’ve written, which is your favorite?

I have a soft spot for Beggar Magic. There’s just something about the world I keep going back to. I think it is the idea of hearing magic in the air around me. I want to move into that book sometimes.

Yes, that idea appeals to me, too. The cover is amazing, by the way. :D Do your readers have a favorite?

 Based on sales, Dragon’s Curse (or the Dragon and the Scholar Saga as a whole) is the most appealing to the most readers. However, Cora and the Nurse Dragon has so far gotten the most enthusiastic praise. Either way, I’ve learned it is hard to go wrong with dragons.

Well, that’s a quote for you.

Do you have a favorite thing somebody  has said about one of your books in a review?

I like it when readers say I made them cry. I cackle evilly and savor my power.

Have you wanted to be a writer all your life? Or have you had other aspirations?

I wanted to be a cat at one point. They tell me this isn’t possible, though. Dang it. However, I’ve been writing since before I could write, dictating short stories to my mom, so I always come back to that.

​What was the first full-length novel you wrote?

I wrote a couple of fantasy series and some Star Wars fanfics that were probably novel length in high school. I think the Star Wars fanfic was technically first … and then the epic fantasy series … and then another epic fantasy … but they were all undeniable messes of teen clichés and melodramas. I still have them, though, in a stash of folders in a box I bring with me every time I move. I may revisit some of the ideas in them at some point. The first thing that deserved to see the light of day was Dragon’s Curse, my 2013 novel.

How much time do you spend writing every day?

It varies widely. I like to sneak in at least an hour. That’s about what it takes to get me to my daily goal of a thousand words. However, some days I’ll need to do serious editing or promoting or just be on a roll, so I’ll disappear for hours … as long as I can.

What is your biggest goal as an author?

To be able to make enough off my books to hire a maid. I hate cleaning.

Now THAT’S A worthy goal! ;) Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

Just keep writing … and reading. It often surprises me how many writers don’t want to read. That’s kind of like a chef not eating food. Also, make sure you get input. It’s really hard to be impartial about your own work. Writers tend to vacillate between being totally in love with every word and completely loathing the exact same words. Neither approach really is helpful when you’re trying to improve. One doesn’t feel it needs improvement. The other just tends to wallow.

Well, thanks for letting me interview you! Any closing thoughts?

Just remember: everything is better with dragons!

Thanks for reading and have a nice week! :)

Born in a small town in north central Oregon, H. L. Burke spent most of her childhood around trees and farm animals and was always accompanied by a book. Growing up with epic heroes from Middle Earth and Narnia keeping her company, she also became an incurable romantic.

An addictive personality, she jumped from one fandom to another, being at times completely obsessed with various books, movies, or television series (Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and Star Trek all took their turns), but she has grown to be what she considers a well-rounded connoisseur of geek culture.

Married to her high school crush who is now a US Marine, she has moved multiple times in her adult life but believes that home is wherever her husband, two daughters, and pets are.

She is the author of a four part fantasy/romance series entitled “The Scholar and the Dragon,” YA/Fantasy “Beggar Magic,” and MG/Fantasy “Thaddeus Whiskers and the Dragon,” among others. Her current projects are a young adult Steampunk fantasy and an epic fantasy trilogy.

Sign up for her monthly newsletter at www.hlburkeauthor.com

Updates on The Chronicles of Alice and Ivy

You walked slowly down the darkened hall, slinking in the shadows, keeping close to the wall. You come to the door at the end of the corridor. It opens with a slow, annoying creak as you turn the handle. You step in and walk through the file cabinets. You sort through the papers … A, B, C, D … here it is, K! K for Kellyn Roth, that sinister authoress who has, it is rumored, murdered at least one character and put thousands more into terrible situations!  You pull out the folder and open it ….

Sorry, I couldn’t resist. ;)

Today I’ll be giving you an update on my progress with the historical fiction series I’m currently working on, The Chronicles of Alice and Ivy. :)

The Dressmaker’s Secret

The Dressmaker’s Secret is, as you may know, going through one last draft. It wasn’t, um, exactly perfect when I originally published it. Though I was under the impression that it was ….

I’m on page 160 of 221 in typing up the edits on the computer. I also want to add a couple scenes in, including one about a minor character, Nettie. I won’t say about what, but hopefully it will all work out. :)

I hope to have the new version re-published in a week or so … but I refuse to set any definite dates this time. Not until I’m absolutely sure I can get it done (and done to the best of my ability).

When I’m rich and famous (hahaha…), the originally published manuscript will be a collector’s item (as I told my friend who bought a copy). ;) :D

Meanwhile, if you’ve read The Dressmaker’s Secret, I’d love to hear your feedback on it! What did you think? Anything you’d like to see changed?

Note: The Dressmaker’s Secret is currently not available in paperback, and if you’re wise, you won’t waste money on the Kindle version, either. XD

Ivy Inquisitive

Ivy Inquisitive has ever been quite right. I have difficulty organizing the plot in my head. That’s probably because there are so many little things left over from The Dressmaker’s Secret which I was trying to tie up.

Now I’ve decided to let all those ends be “tied up” by the time Ivy Inquisitive starts, leaving me to focus on the actual plot.

What is the plot? I know that’s been foggy at times … but I’m pretty sure I’ve got it organized now. Then, I’ve said that before (and will likely say it again)! XD

At any rate, this draft has got to be better than the first one!

So, when I’m not working on The Dressmaker’s Secret, I’m working Ivy Inquisitive. Or I should be … I keep getting distracted by other things.

My goal is to have Ivy Inquisitive rewritten and ready for minor revisions and edits by the end of this summer. So, this will be my summer project. Hopefully, I’ll be able to do that. I don’t know about a publishing date, exactly. I think it’s ambitious to try for anything before 2017, though, unless I suddenly become a speed editor. ;)

At Her Fingertips

I want to write At Her Fingertips this summer, probably in July. Originally, I was going for April (possibly for Camp NaNo), but I’ve decided that I want to concentrate all my The-Chronicles-of-Alice-and-Ivy-thoughts on Ivy Inquisitive for now. ;)

However, I’m really looking forward to writing about a grown up (well, mostly) Alice and can’t wait to get going on it! Alice is awesome. I don’t know what I’ll do when I can’t write about her any more. XD

At Her Fingertips is constantly on my mind, and thousands of ideas are spinning around my head for it. I’m not sure which ones I’m going to use, but I’ll probably be organizing my thoughts on the subject later on.

Hopefully the first draft won’t be as messy as Ivy Inquisitive’s, but far be it from me to learn from my mistakes. ;)

There’s also another book in this series (and I’m contemplating a fifth), but there’s not much to say about Beyond the Wall besides the fact that I’m still trying to figure out all the plot details, but I have a pretty good idea about the beginning and end, which is a start at least. :)

Well, have a nice rest-of-Sunday, everyone!

Au revoir!

~Kellyn Roth

 

Poetry Teatime, the 2nd Week of March

Hello! Welcome to Poetry Teatime, March 11th 2016! :) Today, I wrote another poem. Don’t worry, I won’t be endlessly dishing out my lazy rhymes to you every Friday! I intend to do something different next week, but today I haven’t time for more than just the usual. ;)

My brother helped me write this one. He’s not much of a poet, but he has some common sense, and is good at finding rhymes.

Well, I offered to credit him on the post (under a pen name) and he wants to be known to y’all as Dumas Duck. *sighs* Yep. That’s my brother ….

Getting him to pose is very hard, not because his narcissism is lacking, but because he wouldn’t stop making funny faces and giving me bunny ears.

The Fairies from the Cherry Tree
by Kellyn Roth and Dumas Duck

The fairies from the cherry tree

Threw moondust in my eye,

So now I see what they can see

I know when they are by.

*

The fairies from the cherry tree

Tossed stardust down my ear,

So now I hear their laughter

I know when they are near.

*

The fairies from the cherry tree

Put magic on my tongue,

So now I speak of happy things

All sad things are now done.

*

The fairies from the cherry tree

They took me for their own.

I live within their palace now

I’m never all alone.

Well, ol’ Dumas and I had fun writing this poem. Do you like it?

~Kellyn Roth

How to Write Three-Dimensional Characters

The most important thing you can put in your book is well-rounded, three-dimensional characters.

According to Google, the definition of three-dimensional (in literature) is sufficiently full in characterization and representation of events to be believable.

So a three-dimensional character is a character that is, well, human.

And now … illustrations. :D

That’s the Great Character Pyramid of Kellyn Roth. ;) And here’s what that looks like unfolded:

As you can see, I’ve made some notes. :)

The foundation of any character is, obviously, their basic personality. I use the Myers-Brigg personalities to give me a basis for my characters.

There are sixteen different personalities to be had, and everyone has one of them. I think I’m an INTJ or ISTP. But … I’m too mysterious to know for sure. ;) I’ve already talked about this a bit here if you want to know more.

One of my characters, Mr. Knight, is not very well-developed. So I’ve been working on developing him for the new draft of The Dressmaker’s Secret.

So let’s develop him.

~ Step One: The Base ~

Out of all sixteen Myers-Briggs personality types, I’ve decided to make Mr. Knight an ESFJ.

A quick summary of the ESFJ personality type:

Warm-hearted, popular, and conscientious. Tend to put the needs of others over their own needs. Feel strong sense of responsibility and duty. Value traditions and security. Interested in serving others. Need positive reinforcement to feel good about themselves. Well-developed sense of space and function.

Which is, essentially, Mr. Knight. Knowing that he is an ESFJ gives me a basic idea of what he will do in any given situation.

Of course, you may not want to bother figuring out what Myers-Briggs personality suits your character. You may just want to write down a list of his/her most dominant traits. Introversion or extraversion? Rule-keeper or rule-bender? Tough-minded or tenderhearted? Realist or dreamer?

~ Step Two: Personality Preferences ~

 As no two people in this world are completely alike, there are bound to be things about your character (or there should be) that set him/her apart from the crowd.

What things give Mr. Knight his individualism? What things give any character his/her individualism?

Special talents. Or ordinary talents, for that matter. Mr. Knight is an excellent equestrian, an excellent shot, and has a way with people.
Hobbies. Not necessarily hobbies your character is good at; simply what he/she likes to do in his/her free time. Mr. Knight likes to hunt, breed horses and dogs, and combine his three favorite interests by chasing foxes all over the country. ;)
Things your character is bad at. Of the three, this is probably the most important. Seriously. Mr. Knight becomes awkward and stressed when people are sad and isn’t very good at comforting a grieving friend. Also … he’s not very good at pursuing … anything. He kind of needs a nudge to get going.

There are other things, of course, that can give a person individualism. Many other things help, like gestures, ways of speaking (such as a lisp or wordiness), etc.

~ Step Three: Past Experiences ~

As you know, one of the big driving forces for many characters is past experiences. A thirst for revenge. A feeling of bitterness. A secret kept. All very wonderful devices that can give a character not only depth, but story.

As Dr. Doofensmirtz would say, “Backstory, backstory, backstory!” Everyone has one! It isn’t always traumatic, contrary to popular belief. Backstory can be happy. But, whatever that backstory is, it has shaped your character as it has shaped you and me and everybody!

Of course, the same backstory will probably shape each individual in his/her own individual way. From the Civil War, Mr. Knight gleamed a need to forget the past, ignore the future, and think only of the present. Others might have taken it other ways (see Gone with the Wind ;) ), but that was how a guy with his personality took it.

~ Step Four: Present Experiences ~

Obviously, what’s happening right now can give your character depth, too! How does he/she respond to each individual circumstance you’re putting him/her in? How are they shaping him/her RIGHT NOW? Growth in a character right in front of the reader’s eyes in very important.

~ Step Five: Personal Choices ~

You can choose to be the best version of yourself … or the worst version. And your character may not be revealing everything to the reader, either. Your character may be pretending to be something they’re not to further their own purposes, to hide that they’re hurt, to impress their friends, or whatever other reason you can dream up.

Thanks for reading and sorry about the lateness of the post! :)

~Kellyn Roth

The Elsie Dinsmore Series by Martha Finley

Hello, Readers! Today I’ll be reviewing, or rather discussing, the Elsie Dinsmore series by Martha Finley.

Martha Finley was born in 1828. She wrote numerous books, the most popular being the twenty-eight “Elsie books.” She died January 30, 1909.

The Elsie Dinsmore series is, essentially, a devotional (and, meanwhile, an interesting story) for Victorian children. I have read most of the books and enjoyed all of them.

True, modern readers can’t always identify with the strict morals of the 19th century. For instance, Elsie’s Sabbath-keeping (which is an important plot point, by the way) may seem ludicrous.

Elsie Dinsmore (Book 1) begins in the mid-1840s on a Southern plantation, Roselands.

Elsie’s mother died soon after giving birth to her, leaving her in the care of her paternal grandfather. Elsie’s aunts and uncles, who are about her age, mistreat her, as does the cross governess. Though supported by her strong Christian faith, Elsie longs for the love and companionship of her only remaining parent, Horace Dinsmore, who has been away in Europe for Elsie’s entire life.

When Mr. Dinsmore returns, Elsie is sadly disappointed to find that her father doesn’t love her at all. He is very strict and cold, only speaking to her if he wishes to reprimand her. Can Elsie win her father’s love? Even if she does, can she stand firm in her faith against her non-Christian father’s influence?

I often use these novels as a historical reference. It’s also a very interesting story, and the Christian content is inspirational. On the other hand, Elsie’s perfection can be a bit annoying at times.

There is also, a rewritten Elsie Dinsmore series, “A Life of Faith.” I’ve read those, too. For a modern audience, it is definitely improved. I believe there are eight Elsie books and eight Violet books (Elsie’s daughter).

The new books are definitely worth reading; they make it easy to understand the complicated plot and remove some of Martha Finley’s flowery, oftentimes superfluous, prose.

Thank you for your time! Be sure to comment; I’d love to hear from you!

~Kellyn Roth

Reveries’s New Schedule

Friends, Romans, Countrymen! Lend me your ears!

(Do you like my introductory line? I made it up myself! ;) )

Starting today, there will be a new organizational system on Reveries. I will be posting four times a week whenever possible. The post days will be Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and one on the Weekend.

What will be happening on those days?

Monday Musings

Every Monday (barring unforeseen circumstances), I will be posting an interview with an author (or other prestigious person, though I can’t think who) or a review of a book, movie, etc. I also may occasionally do a guest post, if I have a proper candidate. ;)

If you’re interested in being interviewed, having your book reviewed, or doing a guest post, don’t hesitate to contact me. Or if you’d like to tell me about a book you think I’d enjoy, let me know in the comments. :)

(Note: there are some genres of books I won’t read, such as horror, and some I don’t prefer, such as science fiction. I also like books to be reasonably clean. I don’t want to read anything with much bad language, sexual content, etc.)

The Opinionated Author

This will essentially be my “opinion” day. I’ll be writing posts such as Love Triangles, The Evil Subplot of Doom, or Character Plotting on Wednesdays. I may vary off writing “advice” on Wednesdays occasionally … well, whenever I don’t have any writing “advice” to give.

And, no. The pinecone in the above graphic has no purpose. Neither does the stick. Unless I have a sudden yearning to write a post about evergreens. But I don’t think I will.

And you can’t expect my posts to actually be witty, either. But, honestly, how many “w” words are there? Not. That. Many.

Poetry Teatime

Poetry Teatime is something Mom, the boys, and me do every Friday morning. We sit down around the kitchen table, and Mom reads us poetry (and occasionally catches us up on history or whatever book we’re reading for enjoyment purposes) while we have a special treat (usually some form of cake) and drink tea.

Well, Mom drinks tea. Tad and I drink milk and James juice (or kool-aid if we have it). Unless the special treat includes a drink. Or I happen to feel like hot cocoa. I usually only feel like hot cocoa when we have marshmallows, though.

Nevertheless, it’s called Poetry Teatime, and every Friday I’ll be posting a poem, either penned by yours truly or by an actual poet. ;)

Note: I may also use Friday as a time to show off some of my photography … so be warned! ;)

From the Mixed-Up Files of Kellyn Roth

A weekendly report from Kellyn Roth. This will essentially be author updates or just random stuff (hence the “mixed-up). A gentle warning for the orderly reader: I can be very arbitrary if I choose to be. ;)

This one may not be as consistent as the other three, being as it is a weekend posts and weekends can be alternatively super boring or super busy for me.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

This schedule will help me not be so stressed. This way I can actually know WHAT I’m supposed to be posting. Or have a general idea. Instead of floundering wildly for a idea for something to post about.

 ~Kellyn Roth

Poetry Teatime, 3/4/16: Ode to a Plateful of Peas

As a child, I could be a really picky eater. Actually, I still am a picky eater. And this is my five-year-old self sitting pouting at the table while my parents clean up dinner ….

Ode to a Plateful of Peas

When I am grown, I’ll do as I please;

I’ll never eat your icky peas.

I’ll never, ever go to bed;

I’ll never do as anyone says.

***

I’ll never, ever read a bit,

Or do some math, less I see fit,

And as for dull geometry,

I shan’t know of the word! You’ll see!

***

I’ll live on sugar and on cream;

I’ll eat exactly when I deem,

And if someone says, “Time to wash!”

I’ll just say, “What a lot of bosh!”

***

When I am grown, I’ll do as I please;

I’ll never eat your icky peas.

I do realize that the rhythm is pretty off at times … but what do you think about it, other than that?

~Kellyn Roth

p.s. What do you think of the new look for the blog? What do you think of the “Poetry Teatime” banner?

The Evil Subplot of Doom

Subplots are, essentially, smaller stories that interweave with the main plot of a novel to add to it.

A subplot in my novel The Dressmaker’s Secret is … um … come to think of it, The Dressmaker’s Secret doesn’t really have subplots, does it? Or maybe it does and I’ve forgotten.

New example! :P

In The Hunger Games, the main plot was Katniss Everdeen winning the Games and not getting killed. A subplot was the romance between her and Peeta Mellark.

In Pride and Prejudice, the main plot was Elizabeth Bennet’s romance with Mr. Darcy. A subplot was Jane’s romance with Mr. Bingley.

In To Kill a Mockingbird, the main plot was the trial of a wrongly accused African-American man. A subplot was Jem and Scout’s mysterious neighbor, Boo Radley.

I think you get the point. :)

Subplots are very important to many – most – books.

What should a subplot do?

It should connect to the main plot. A subplot that has nothing to do with the main plot is meaningless and will only serve to make you lose readers. If you’re running off on rabbits trails, your reader is setting the book down.

It should move the story forward. As every chapter, every paragraph, every sentence, every word in your book should! :)

It should keep your reader interested, not only in the subplot, but in the main plot as well. Otherwise, your reader is going to put the book down … or write an unfavorable review … or both. ;)

It should be resolved. If your book is a first in a series, an unresolved subplot may be all right, though.

A few Do’s and Don’ts

Do create subplots that involve secondary characters. Don’t create subplots that involve characters that have nothing to do with the main character.

Do use characters, settings, and events that overlap. Don’t use characters, settings, and events completely unrelated to the main plot’s characters, settings, and events.

Do use the subplot to create anticipation and foreshadowing. Don’t pull the reader away from the main plot for too long.

Do make subplots interesting, creative, and three-dimensional. Don’t make subplots too complicated so that your readers will get lost in them.

Remember, the plot that really matters is the main plot. Remember that, though subplots can be very useful device’s for an author, they are also, after all, only subplots.

I used to put way to many subplots into my novels (and still do sometimes).

One example is a novel I wrote several years ago, The Heirs of the Trunk. I was recently going over it, and I realized that the main plot had become completely buried in subplot after subplot after subplot! It wasn’t a very good plot to begin with … but it was completely ruined by the many rabbit trails I surrounded it with.

Oftentimes a subplot should be made into its own novel … not included in another, suffocating both that plot and the one it’s trying support.

To sum up, subplots can be a blessing or a curse, depending on how you use them. So use them correctly! :D

Until next time,

~Kellyn Roth, Infamous Subplotting Author

Sunshine by Kellyn Roth

I know … I’ve been posting a lot of poems recently. :) But it’s easy and fun and, honestly, I’m really excited to share them with you! They may not be masterpieces … but it takes me an average of fifteen minutes to dash one up, and I really haven’t time for a longer post this today. ;)

Joy is like the sunshine

Dancing on the wind

It brings us warmth and laughter

And then it’s gone again.

~*~*~*~*~

And though the clouds may cover

And keep the light from view

We know above the tempest

The sky behind is blue.

Thanks for reading! Don’t forget to let me know what you think … I love comments! :D

~Kellyn Roth

Books That Should be Made into Movies

When one of our favorite books gets made into a movie, we’re both excited and scared.

Excited because we, well, our favorite book has been made into a movie.

Scared because it almost certainly will be spoiled.

But today we live in a Utopian world and every book that gets made into a movie turns out exactly as you have always dreamed it would.

If I lived in that society, these are a few books that I would be asking for movies of.

Mandy by Julie Andrews Edwards

A magical story of a little orphaned girl who climbs the wall and finds an abandoned cottage in the woods that she begins to fix up, making a home of her own.

Mandy is one of the first books I read. I have also skimmed over it several times more recently … and I still found it entertaining, heartbreaking, and healing. It is beautiful and would make a sensational movie … if it could be done right.

 

 

The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

I don’t think anyone who has read The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale could disagree that this story of a misplaced princess could be anything but a hit!

It would be very hard to turn into a good movie, but if the moviemakers aren’t willing to put in extra effort for quality, I don’t want to see the movie.

This book is an adventure, a romance, and one of the best fantasy novels out there.

The Keeper of the Bees by Gene Stratton Porter

I believe there’s already been a rendition of this one, but I heard it wasn’t very good … and this book deserves a good rendition.

This is again a story of healing, though on a much deeper level than Mandy.

You can see my book review of The Keeper of the Bees here.

If you could choose a book that you’d like to be made into a movie (in an Utopian society) what would that book be?

~Kellyn Roth