Isabel Pelech's Blog, page 3

Merry Christmas

It is surprisingly difficult to find a version of “It Came Upon A Midnight Clear” that has all the verses.  Which annoys me, because I like the middle verses.  So I’m just going to post the text of the song.

It came upon the midnight clear,
That glorious song of old,
From angels bending near the earth
To touch their harps of gold;
“Peace on the earth, good will to men
From heaven’s all-gracious King”
The world in solemn stillness lay
To hear the angels sing.

Still through the cloven skies the...

I realize this isn’t strictly about writing

It is, however, somewhat writing-adjacent.  Net neutrality is an issue I’ve been following for a few weeks, with concern.  The idea is that whatever company you use to connect to the internet is not allowed to block sites, make some parts of the internet run slower, etc.  And net neutrality is in danger, because the FCC is run by a man named Ajit Pai, who is entirely loyal to Verizon.

This is a problem on a national level because allowing companies to block information could interfere, in a m...

Uploading “A Normil Day” to Wattpad

I’m currently uploading A Normil Day to wattpad, a chapter or two every Wednesday.  My rule is that if I have a short chapter, less than a thousand words, I upload two.

It occurs to me that I’m probably not getting views on wattpad because people think the title is misspelled, and pass on it automatically.

In the meantime, I’ve been talking a lot about posting the story, and the kids have gotten interested and started asking me to read the story to them.  There’s nothing really inappropriate...

Seems to be my month for finishing things—sort of

This time, it’s a serial-style story I started a long time ago to make myself write on something even if I couldn’t think of ideas for the thing I was supposed to be working on.  The project gradually grew more of an arc, until I think I can say that I’ve finished Book One—and that it’ll take probably another two books before the full story is done.  So you see why this one is only “sort of.”

The next question becomes, “What to do with a serial-style story?”  Jukepop has apparently closed its...

I have finished another thing

This time, it’s the rough draft of a novella that I’ve had in the works for a while, a prequel to The Fire-Moon.  I credit my trial copy of Scrivener for getting it finished, honestly.  It turns out that separating a story out into scenes tied to little virtual notecards actually isn’t one of those attractive distractions that makes you feel like you’re writing when you’re not; it can be key to determining that you have only three scenes left to write, and you might as well do them since they...

As usual, I don’t work on what I told myself I’d be working on

Instead of writing spooky Americana, I ended up writing a fairy tale.  Go figure.

There is a reason why, in my fanfic writing, I make a rule of not promising anyone fic.  I have a tendency not to work on what I think I’m going to be working on.  It may be a peculiar subset of my procrastination habits; I do work, just not on what I’m “supposed to.”

Still, I’m pretty fond of the fairy tale, which uses what I think is a pretty unique magic system.  One thing you notice in traditional fairy tale...

Getting into the Halloween Spirit

Does anyone have any links to some good spooky stories centered around highways or roads?  I’m thinking of writing a little rural fantasy in honor of Halloween, and I need some inspiration.

“Rural fantasy,” of course, is my term for things that use a lot of urban fantasy tropes without being urban.  In this particular case, I’m thinking of working with travel-related spaces that feel transient, like gas stations at three a.m, or rest stops, or roads through wilderness.  So perhaps I should ca...

Kindle Countdown Deal: Last Day at Ninety-nine Cents

This is the last day that Echoes of the Ancients is going to be on sale for ninety-nine cents.  The price goes up to $1.99 in about fourteen hours, which, to be fair, is still half off.  Still, I want as many people as possible to get in at the lowest price, so go here and check out the book before the price raises automatically.

As I just wrote on my tumblr, the plot of the novel actually follows the Doctor Who template in some ways.  “Girl meets Weirdo. Events go rapidly out of control, and...

Second Day of Kindle Countdown Deal

Just a reminder that this is the second day of the Kindle Countdown Deal for Echoes of the Ancients.  You can buy the book for ninety-nine cents.

Something I’ve forgotten to mention in previous posts: there’s a gay relationship in Echoes of the Ancients.  Part of the reason I haven’t mentioned it, I think, is that the story isn’t a romance.  The relationship is already established, and not really dwelt on.  It’s just present.  Still, it may be a point of interest that the relationship exists,...

Kindle Countdown Deal Now Live

Update: The Kindle Countdown Deal seems to be live now.  Why it started at eleven Eastern time is a mystery to me, but at least it started.

Here’s the link.  Echoes of the Ancients is far-future SF dealing with a network of interstellar civilizations and the one thing they all have in common: belief in the Stargods.