Jane Spavold Tims's Blog, page 51

choosing book covers and titles

I was recently at a writing workshop about independent (or self) publishing. The instructor took us through an interesting exercise … creation of a book title and book cover for a story. Each of us was asked to provide the potential name of a book and a verbal description of the book’s cover. The audience tried to guess the book genre, general plot and story.

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This exercise illustrated how important it is for writers considering independent publication of their work to chose titles and book covers carefully. This would be a great exercise for anyone trying to see if their ideas get a good initial reader response.

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I provided the title for my new fantasy tale: Meniscus

and a verbal description of the following cover sketch:

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Most people guessed correctly that this will be a Science-fiction/Fantasy (I think the alien sky helped). They also thought the book might be about an encounter between alien species.

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Only two people in the audience knew what ‘meniscus’ meant.

Google provides the following definition:

me·nis·cus

noun

Physics
– the curved upper surface of a liquid in a tube.
Optics
– a lens that is convex on one side and concave on the other
Anatomy
– a thin, fibrous cartilage between the surfaces of some joints

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The word is an apt description of the plot of the story since the main character is in the liminal place of passing from one style of life into another, from a life of servitude into one of freedom. A meniscus is also descriptive of water at its interface with air – my setting is a planet (named Meniscus ) where water and air do not behave themselves as they do on Earth.
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Probably Meniscus is not a very good title for a book all by itself since it would only mean something to a few potential readers. So, in the tradition of fantasy novels, I think I will add a sub-title and call my book Meniscus: Crossing The Churn . If I continue to like this cover, I will do a painting for the actual cover of the book. If I publish it, I will use my first name since this is a different genre from my poetry book.
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So what is The Churn? …. stayed tuned!

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Copyright Jane Tims 2016

three fantasy characters

On Friday, I introduced my current writing and drawing project – creation of a short fantasy tale. The story is about a young woman who tries to trade an old life for a new. The setting is an alien planet named Meniscus. I have three main characters:

The young woman is a Human named Odymn. Odymn is in her thirties, living a life of servitude on Meniscus. Every night she escapes confinement to practice her passion of parkour.  Parkour is the discipline of moving through the landscape in the most efficient way possible, running, jumping, vaulting, climbing and rolling. The discipline involves strength, endurance and flexibility and has allowed Odymn to reclaim and have control over at least one part of her life. Odymn has bright red hair which is about to get her into a lot of trouble.
The man she meets during one of her parkour adventures is a genetically enhanced human, a Eu-hominid. He is a rover, moving from place to place to earn his living. He wears a special kind of armour and weaponry which taps into the electrical forces in his body. He has strength and endurance but almost no flexibility. He does not engage in idle chatter, to say the least. So far he has no name, so I just refer to him as Eu-hom. It’s OK if you are thinking names are not my strong point!
After some encounters with other hominids and creatures on the planet, Odymn and Eu-hom set off on some adventures. At one point they encounter Wen-le-gone, a sentient, passive, furry creature known as an Argenop. Wen-le-gone adopts Odymn as his friend but does not warm to the Eu-hom, not at all.

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Now that you have met my characters, I’ll show you what they look like.

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Odymn has a peculiar scar on her forehead. How she got the scar and what it means to her is part of the story.

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The Eu-hom is a rather serious character, not much of a conversationalist and not easy to befriend.

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The Argenop, Wen-le-gone, is the village healer and sage. Looks a little like my cat.

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Next time, I’ll show you drawings of some of the other humanoids and creatures of Planet Meniscus.

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Copyright  Jane Tims  2016

learning curves

In the last two weeks, I’ve taken a detour. Instead of working on my poetry or novels, I’ve had some fun creating a fantasy tale. The story is about a young woman who tries to escape servitude only to find herself back in a similar situation. The story takes place in the future, on a planet far from earth.

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Writing the tale was fun. Creating a simple language to use in the dialogue was interesting. Finding some names for the characters and places was a challenge but very satisfying.

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Making a map to describe the setting was no fun at all. I liked creating the spaces, thinking about where to put the landscape features and towns. But, I had to make a decision:

draw the map by hand and risk wanting to change names or details in the future, or
create the map in a layered digital format where I could make changes anytime I want

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I decided to do the map in GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program), a free on-line app similar to Photoshop Pro. I have never worked with GIMP before, so I have had some frustrating hours coming up the learning curve. But, I have prevailed and I now have a map to suit my story.

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a map to go with the story

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The story is told in poetry and is based on a world where water doesn’t behave as it does here on Earth. Instead it effervesces and tries to flow upward. Hence a water-climb rather than a water-fall. This is just a taste of the story. The main characters are fleeing, pursued by an alien species, the Gel-heads (Gel-heads have transparent skin, like green gelatin).  Windfleers are flocking birds, like large white starlings.

 

Terrain changes. A climb, the way rocky, tangled.

Glimpses of a water-climb.

Shouts in the valley behind them, Gel-heads

sensing the prey is near. Need for stealth and speed.

 

Burst from the forest to a plateau. The En’ast Water-climb

above them. Startle a flock of windfleers. Cacophony

and dithering panic. Two hundred pairs of wings swirl upward,

a tornado of feathers. The Gel-heads alerted.

 

Nowhere to run. The water-climb a bracket at the head of the valley.

A colossal outcrop, sheer walls of stone. Jagged cliffs where water ascends.

Shallow pool at the base, fed by artesian groundwater. The water bubbles

and leaps, each droplet climbs, then falls, net flow upward.

Rocks slick.

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Copyright Jane Tims 2016

 

pick faster

October 21, 2016 ‘blueberries’, Jane Tims

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pick faster

for Dad

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blue ripens as morning, deft fingers

noisy pails, hail on metal gutters

this bush spent, unsatisfactory

berries over there fatter

bluer

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I am certain I see, beside mine

my father’s hands, callused

and quick

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berries roll between

thumb and fingers

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I try to meet

his expectation

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pick faster

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Published in: ‘within easy reach’, Chapel Street Editions, 2016

Copyright Jane Tims 2016

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October 21, 2016 ‘sweet hurts’ Jane Tims

so many kinds of apples

October 24, 2016 ‘yellow transparent’ Jane Tims

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orchard outing

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wooden bushel baskets

of laughter, delirious tumble down

the avenue of trees, shadows ripple

among the dapples, Cortlands tied

with scarlet ribbons

burdened

boughs

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my son grown tall

on his father’s shoulders

stretches to pick the McIntosh

with the reddest shine

small hand

barely able

to grip the apple

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Published: ‘within easy reach’, Chapel Street Editions, 2016

Copyright Jane Tims 2016

next reading of ‘within easy reach’

My fifth reading this month of my book ‘within easy reach’ will take place at 7PM on Wednesday evening (October 26, 2016) at the Holy Trinity Anglican Church, 1224 Highway 101 in Nasonworth, New Brunswick.  This will be the first of the Authors Coffee Hour series being held by our church in the coming months.

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There will be refreshments including apple squares prepared from local ingredients by Real Food Connections in Fredericton. A local musician will be providing music. And $10 from every book sold will be donated to the Fredericton Food Bank.

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If you are in the Fredericton area, please join me at this event! I will be reading poems to help sustain us through the long months ahead – about picking berries, making jelly and spending time in the apple orchard. My poems will also take you to the woodlands and coastal areas of New Brunswick, to sample foods you may never have tasted! And my poems will encourage you to ‘eat local’!

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Hope to see you there!!!!!

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Copyright 2016 Jane Tims

 

more blueberries!

Tomorrow, Saturday October 22, 2016, I am giving a reading of my book ‘within easy reach’ and a short talk about eating local foods, especially wild plants. The reading will be for a regional meeting of local chapters of the New Brunswick Women’s Institute. Their theme this year is ‘pulses’ and the nutritional benefits of eating beans, lentils, chickpeas and split peas – foods harvested dry – affordable, protein-packed and delicious!

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I will be reading poems from my book, taking the Institute members on a tour of local foods – from the forest floor to the field, to the garden and the farmers market, as well as foods grown inside the home kitchen.

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I will also have a door prize for my reading, a painting of wild blueberries. ‘Sweet Hurts’ is 5″ X 7″ with gallery edges, done in acrylics using Ultramarine Blue, Cadmium Yellow, Cadmium Red, Titanium White, Paynes Grey and Burnt Sienna. The name ‘Sweet Hurts’ comes from an alternative name for the Low Sweet Blueberry.

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Looking forward to this reading, my fourth this month!

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Copyright Jane Tims 2016

apples, apples, apples – preparing for public readings

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I associate fall with picking apples and enjoying all those apple-related treats – apple cider, apple squares, apple jelly and, of course, the apples themselves.

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As part of my celebrating of fall and apple picking, I will be giving four public readings of my book over the next couple of weeks. Since my book ‘within easy reach’ is about eating local foods, my readings will focus on my memories of the apple harvest and trips to local orchards.

The readings are:

Oct. 15, 2016 (Saturday) Sussex Regional Library 2:00 PM (also reading will be Beth Powning, Gerard Collins and Janie Simpson)
Oct. 16, 2016 (Sunday) Odd Sundays at Corked, Fredericton 2:00 PM (also reading will be Harris Sullivan and participants in the Open Mike Session)
Oct. 22, 2016 (Saturday) Rusagonis Women’s Institute 2:00 PM (their theme this year is Pulse Foods, so I will be including a poem about sprouts!)
Oct. 26, 2016 (Wednesday evening) Holy Trinity Anglican Church, Nasonworth 7:00 PM (this is the first event in a series called Authors Coffee Hour )

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My preparations for these readings involve a bit of time:


I make a selection of the poems I will read. For the first two readings, I’ll select poems about apple picking – this is the time when New Brunswickers visit local orchards to get the best fall apples! I mark my book with post-it tabs so I can find each passage easily.
I make a few notes about how I want to preface each poem. I put the notes on other post-it tabs right on the page. Some poets don’t like to preface their reading – I like to say something about each poem since I like to prepare the listener.
I practice my readings aloud, including my preface comments. Practicing helps me time the presentation and work out phrasing and emphasis.
I do some promotion for each of the readings – posting on my blog, on Facebook and Twitter. For the Authors Coffee Hour I also have a poster to put in a couple of local places.

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I love to read in public. Sometimes I worry a bit about audience response and the possibility I may stumble on delivery. But, if I am well prepared, I can relax, take three deep breaths and enjoy reading my words aloud.

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Copyright 2016  Jane Tims

yard work – the grape harvest

We had a frost on October 4 and today, I harvested my grapes. You will imagine tubs of ripe fruit, hands stained purple and a row of grape jelly jars on the counter.

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my grapes, wandering about in the birch tree

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But my grape harvest is a bit small. However after ten years, this is the first ‘harvest’ from this vine so I am quite proud! No jelly though. I ate the lot of them, sitting in the yard, admiring the autumn leaves. They were juicy, sweet and delicious.

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the entire harvest!

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Copyright 2016 Jane Tims

a moment of beautiful – autumn leaves

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Like stained glass against the sky!

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Copyright Jane Tims 2016