Alex C. Vick's Blog, page 581

Writing Research: Fact or Fiction?

I had to research a new—to me—period of history for the last Legacy of Androva book and it got me wondering about how often fiction reimagines the facts of the past. My own books, for example, create a potentially different history for our world, where the present remains unchanged.

But just how reliable is 'real' history? I thought I would illustrate how difficult it is to know for sure with a bit of information about Anne Boleyn. I haven't managed to incorporate the Tudors into my writing yet, but it's one of my favourite periods of history, so I might rectify that in a future book! Anyway, returning to Anne—King Henry VIII of England had six wives, and she was the second.

She was born in 1501, and died in 1536. We can suppose there must have been something special about her, because Henry broke with the Catholic Church in order to make her his wife. And he first started writing love letters to Anne in 1526, but did not marry her until 1533. That's a long time to hold the interest of a King!

Henry had her beheaded for treason. Five men, including her own brother, were also executed. This information, in and of itself, appears to be undisputed. But everything else about what happened, including who was innocent or guilty, is not completely certain.

Here are some extracts from contemporary accounts of Anne's execution.

The Tower of London, early morning on 19th May 1536. Anne, formerly Queen of England, is brought here to die. A French swordsman severed her head from her body. Before he did, she made a speech. But what did she say?

Version 1 The Queen suffered with sword this day within the Tower, upon a new scaffold, and died boldly.
Letter, John Husee to Lord Lisle

Version 2 The said Queen (unjustly called) finally was beheaded upon a scaffold within the Tower with open gates. She was brought by the captain upon the said scaffold, and four young ladies followed her. She looked frequently behind her, and when she got upon the scaffold was very much exhausted and amazed. She begged leave to speak to the people, promising to say nothing but what was good. The captain gave her leave, and she began to raise her eyes to Heaven, and cry mercy to God and to the King for the offence she had done, desiring the people always to pray to God for the King, for he was a good, gentle, gracious, and amiable prince.
The Vienna Chronicles

Version 3
"I here humbly submit me to the law as the law has judged me, and as for my offences I accuse no man … I beseech Jesus save my sovereign and master the King, the most godly, noble and gentle Prince there is, and long to reign over you" … which words were spoken with a goodly smiling countenance.
Wriothesley’s Chronicle
  Version 4 "Do not think, good people, that I am sorry to die, or that I have done anything to deserve this death. My fault has been my great pride, and the great crime I committed in getting the King to leave my mistress Queen Katherine for my sake, and I pray God to pardon me for it. I say to you all that everything they have accused me of is false."
The Spanish Chronicle
Quite a range of different accounts, and all written by people who were around at the time! Of course, it makes things much more interesting for us readers. Any one of the many different retellings could be correct. Our imaginations are incredibly powerful. Which version do you think is most likely to be true? Thank you for visiting my blog today!

Character Development

As I write the seventh and final book in the Legacy of Androva series, I got to thinking about how much the characters have developed over the course of the life-threatening adventures they've experienced. I decided it would be interesting to revisit Jax and Darius as they were, two weeks before Stealing Magic, the first book, just to remind myself! They were both fourteen years old and both kind of clueless, albeit in different ways. I think I'll do another interview at the end of book seven (assuming they both survive 

Being Positive About Writing

There is no escaping the fact that writing can be tough. Most writers (including me!) have to make time for it as best they can, usually fitting it in around their day jobs and family time. And let's not forget the importance of reading! I wouldn't be able to write at all if I weren't, first and foremost, an enthusiastic reader.

This quote sums it up pretty well:



However, there are also lots of reasons to be positive about being a writer, which is what today's blog post is all about. I wanted to remind myself, and anyone reading this, that everyone finds it difficult, and persistence pays off. Most importantly, if you want to write, then write!

Ten More Awesome Openers

Now that the excitement of the New Year is over, I'm back at work, and back into a routine of reading and writing in the evenings and at weekends. I love reading at any time of year, but in January a new book is the perfect way to escape from the colder temperatures and shorter days. Here in the South of England we only get eight hours between sunrise and sunset right now, and that's if the sun dares to show its face at all!

Today's blog post is another ten YA book recommendations, based purely on the awesomeness of their opening lines ☺. Some of these I have read, and some are on my TBR list, but they all have one thing in common: I made the decision to read them before I'd reached the end of the first page.


Kell wore a very peculiar coat.It had neither one side, which would be conventional, nor two, which would be unexpected, but several, which was, of course, impossible.The first thing he did whenever he stepped out of one London and into another was take off the coat and turn it inside out once or twice (or even three times) until he found the side he needed. A Darker Shade of Magic, by V.E. Schwab Mom doesn’t show up.I shouldn’t be surprised—she never shows up—but I can’t get rid of the empty, twisted feeling in my stomach. Emery always says that being alone isn’t the same thing as being lonely, but sometimes it feels like they’re exactly the same thing. Starfish, by Akemi Dawn Bowman It’s a weirdly subtle conversation. I almost don’t notice I’m being blackmailed.We’re sitting in metal folding chairs backstage, and Martin Addison says, “I read your email.”“What?” I look up.“Earlier. In the library. Not on purpose, obviously.”“You read my email?”“Well, I used the computer right after you,” he says, “and when I typed in Gmail, it pulled up your account. You probably should have logged out.” Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda, by Becky Albertalli I’ve read many more books than you. It doesn’t matter how many you’ve read. I’ve read more. Believe me. I’ve had the time.In my white room, against my white walls, on my glistening white bookshelves, book spines provide the only color. The books are all brand-new hardcovers—no germy secondhand softcovers for me. They come to me from Outside, decontaminated and vacuum-sealed in plastic wrap. Everything, Everything, by Nicola Yoon I shouldn’t have come to this party. I’m not even sure I belong at this party. That’s not on some bougie s***, either. There are just some places where it’s not enough to be me. Either version of me. The Hate U Give, by Angie Thomas I’m cursed. I know, I know, you don’t believe me. Well, I didn’t believe it was possible either… until the guy who cursed me came along. So go ahead and think I’m nuts. But one of these days, we might just meet up and then… well, you’d better believe whatever I say to you. Your life will absolutely depend on it. Glimpse, by Steven Whibley You do not enter a race to lose.Diana bounced lightly on her toes at the starting line, her calves taut as bowstrings, her mother’s words reverberating in her ears. A noisy crowd had gathered for the wrestling matches and javelin throws that would mark the start of the Nemeseian Games, but the real event was the footrace, and now the stands were buzzing with word that the queen’s daughter had entered the competition. Wonder Woman: Warbringer, by Leigh Bardugo A sex tape. A pregnancy scare. Two cheating scandals. And that’s just this week’s update. If all you knew of Bayview High was Simon Kelleher’s gossip app, you’d wonder how anyone found time to go to class.“Old news, Bronwyn,” says a voice over my shoulder. “Wait till you see tomorrow’s post.”Damn. I hate getting caught reading About That, especially by its creator. I lower my phone and slam my locker shut. “Whose lives are you ruining next, Simon?” One Of Us Is Lying, by Karen M McManus I’ve never known why Monday gets all the credit for being the worst day of the week. I disagree entirely. Sundays are. There’s just something so quiet and still about Sundays that I’ve really grown to hate. Dare To Fall, by Estelle Maskame Death-Cast is calling with the warning of a life-time—I’m going to die today. Forget that, “warning” is too strong a word since warnings suggest something can be avoided… They Both Die At The End, by Adam Silvera
 



Have you read any of these books? If you haven't, would you choose to read them based on the way they begin? I hope you find lots of great reads in 2018 and thank you for stopping by my blog today!

Reading and Writing Resolutions

The end of December is fast approaching... and today's post is all about the upside of a new calendar year. At this moment anything is possible and your dreams can be whatever you want them to be. Actually, that's true whatever time of year it is, but there's something about a brand new year that feels like starting again with no baggage and no regrets ☺.

I think it's also important to look back and remember the good things about the year that's ending and to postpone any cynicism related to the not-so-good things until another time--indefinitely if you can. New Year, new beginnings. (I'd love to be able to claim this is what I do, but let's just say it's a work-in-progress!)

Here are the ABCs of my New Year's resolutions:

A is for Authors, old and new
To say that I enjoy reading is a bit of an understatement. A good book can force the real world into the background, at least for a while, and that is sometimes a very good thing. Fortunately, reading plays a vital role in writing, and therefore I have a great excuse to make sure I read a lot. Stephen King describes it perfectly:
"You cannot hope to sweep someone else away by the force of your writing until it has been done to you."
Finding a new author, whose writing I love, is like receiving a gift when it's not my birthday. I can't wait to discover some new authors in 2018, though I'm also looking forward to new releases from the authors I already know. In 2017 I think Adam Silvera was the most memorable new (to me) author I tried. In the unlikely event that you haven't already, I'd recommend checking out his books.

B is for Book(s)
I guess this one's obvious--I definitely plan to write at least one more book next year. In 2017 I achieved my goal of writing two books, and it would be great if I could match that in 2018, work/life balance permitting. The extra challenge will be in bringing the Legacy of Androva series to an end. I'm working on the seventh and final book right now, and it's tough to know that I'll be saying goodbye. On the positive side, I have a lot of ideas about what to write next, and it will be fun choosing which one to develop.

C is for Characters
Characters are incredibly important. A story is meaningless unless there is at least one character who takes hold of the reader's hand and brings them along for the ride. Next year I hope to create a few memorable new characters of my own and also to discover some amazing characters created by other authors.

Looking back on 2017, two characters that stayed with me long after I finished their stories (for very different reasons) are Starr, from The Hate U Give, by Angie Thomas and Monty, from The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue, by Mackenzi Lee. I'd recommend taking a look at both books if you haven't already.

Looking ahead to 2018, for the final book in the Legacy of Androva series, most of my characters are already well-established, so I get to do two things. I get to create a new villain, and I also get to force one or more of my characters to discover something different about themselves because of the actions of that villain. I'm still working on it, but she--the villain--is shaping up nicely, with a deadly skillset my characters have never encountered before.
And as for the book after that... I can create some brand new characters and decide everything about them. (Well, that's the theory. What usually happens is that they kind of show up fully formed and resist all attempts to be turned into someone different!).

Finally, I would like to wish everyone reading this the 2018 of their dreams! Are you making any reading or writing-related resolutions? If you are celebrating the New Year, I hope you have a wonderful time, and thank you for stopping by my blog today!

Christmas short story!

Today's blog post is a new short story, set at the end of Seeking Magic, the third book in the series. That book just happened to finish right around Christmas time, so adding a couple of extra scenes seemed like too good an opportunity to miss

Holiday season A to Z

Today's blog post is a light-hearted A to Z for the holiday season with a reading and writing theme and lots of reading recommendations!

A is for Ask ❔If you think people don’t already know that more books, or the means to buy more books, is all you want for Christmas—make sure you drop plenty of hints. Otherwise, if you unwrap a scarf on Christmas morning, you’ve only got yourself to blame.
B is for Books

Holiday season A to Z

Today's blog post is a light-hearted A to Z for the holiday season with a reading and writing theme and lots of reading recommendations!

A is for Ask ❔If you think people don’t already know that more books, or the means to buy more books, is all you want for Christmas—make sure you drop plenty of hints. Otherwise, if you unwrap a scarf on Christmas morning, you’ve only got yourself to blame.
B is for Books

Holiday season A to Z

Today's blog post is a light-hearted A to Z for the holiday season with a reading and writing theme and lots of reading recommendations!

A is for Ask ❔If you think people don’t already know that more books, or the means to buy more books, is all you want for Christmas—make sure you drop plenty of hints. Otherwise, if you unwrap a scarf on Christmas morning, you’ve only got yourself to blame.
B is for Books

Holiday season A to Z

Today's blog post is a light-hearted A to Z for the holiday season with a reading and writing theme and lots of reading recommendations!

A is for Ask ❔If you think people don’t already know that more books, or the means to buy more books, is all you want for Christmas—make sure you drop plenty of hints. Otherwise, if you unwrap a scarf on Christmas morning, you’ve only got yourself to blame.
B is for Books