Daley Downing's Blog, page 29

Guest Post: Azelyn Klein on Her Favorite Tropes

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For the avid reader, the word cliché might cause a shiver to run down their spine. (No more love triangles, I’m begging you!) The word trope, on the other hand, may be borderline. Unlike clichés, which rely on predictable structures that make readers cringe, tropes may take an approach to a familiar concept and put a unique twist on it.

Typically, I try to avoid clichés and common tropes. For each major project I take on, I’ll make a list of clichés and tropes I dislike so I can avoid them or turn them on their heads (e.g. cliché: pure evil villains or trope: romance in general). Yet there are still plenty of tropes that I enjoy reading, and if I haven’t already included them in my writing, I may consider doing so in the future.

Because I tend to write young adult fantasy, a lot of my examples will come from this genre.

Here are just a few examples of my favorite tropes in fiction:

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Trope #1: The Best Friend Trio

Most books have friends who come in groups of two, which often reflects real life. But not always. Sometimes, best friends come in groups of three or more. That and the number three happens to be so ingrained in fictional culture that groups of three stand out.

While two best friends tend to banter and go off on adventures, three best friends tend to contradict and complement one another. It’s a strange but wonderful paradox. After all, a third person adds dynamics that you wouldn’t get with just two people. There’s the opportunity for one person to be silent or for another to be the constant interrupter and so forth.

Where would fiction be without The Three Musketeers or the elf, the dwarf, and the man?

I just so happened to use this particular trope in my novelette series, Last of the Memory Keepers. There’s the point of view characters, Rhona Farlane and Ellard Coburn, and their friend and constant companion Finley Craig. When it comes to their escapades, Finley’s the instigator, Ronah’s the historian, and Ellard’s the socially awkward voice of reason.

Other examples of books featuring the best friend trio include The Giver by Lois Lowry (YA sci-fi/fantasy), the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling (YA fantasy), and York: The Shadow Cipher by Laura Ruby (MG sci-fi).

Trope #2: Mental and/or Physical Illness

We reside in a hurting world. As a writer, one of the best ways to express myself is through my writing, and as a reader, I like picking up stories that I can relate with. While I may not struggle with a physical illness, sometimes I wrestle with social anxiety or depression. I have an older brother who has high functioning autism (not an illness).

Life’s struggles are nothing new for me.

I particularly enjoy stories with characters who are not defined by their struggles. Yes, illnesses shape people and sometimes make them who they are, but it doesn’t have to be their defining feature.

One reason I pick up such books featuring characters with various illnesses or struggles is to increase my knowledge and my empathy. I don’t want to be callous because I haven’t taken the time to understand somebody else’s point of view. Of course, not all fiction is one-hundred percent accurate, so it’s important to do external research as well before readers can claim to know all about a particular illness. Good representation can be hard to find, but when it’s done well, it speaks to those with such struggles.

The only thing is that mental illnesses don’t often show up in fantasy, so finding a good example is hard. As a result, my current novel, Just Breathe, is a contemporary fantasy that addresses social anxiety and how it might manifest in a dimension where magic is possible.

A couple good novels that deal with mental and/or physical illness include Tell Me Something Real by Calla Devlin (YA contemporary), A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness (MG magical realism), Goodbye Days by Jeff Zentner (YA contemporary).

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Trope #3: Girl Saves Guy

I grew up a tomboy. Rather than playing with dolls or whatever stereotypical girls play with as kids, my brother and I would romp through the forest and the mud. One of my fondest memories was reenacting a tournament with my brother and the neighbor boy. My brother may have been the champion of the joust, but I was the champion of the sword. (Yes, we used sticks instead of actual weapons.)

As such, I could easily relate with strong female characters who could save the guy as often as guy could save the girl. I admired Lucy Pevensie (The Chronicles of Narnia) for her ability as an archer and healer and for having the grace of a queen. And I could relate with Scout Finch (To Kill a Mockingbird) for her rowdiness and her empathy.

That being said, I’m not for the only hero to be the girl. That’s just a reversal of the guy saves girl trope and achieves nothing for readers who are anti-sexism. If the girl should be allowed the save the guy, the guy can save the girl too.

The most recent book I read with a great female character who saved the guy—twice—is J. R. R. Tolkien’s Beren and Lúthien. Just a couple great examples of the girl saving the guy include Where the Woods Grow Wild by Nate Philbrick (YA fantasy), Bone Gap by Laura Ruby (YA magical realism), and This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab (YA dystopian fantasy).

Trope #4: Character-Like Settings

A lot of times, when readers think back on their favorite stories, they don’t just remember the plot—they remember the characters. Some settings are so unique that they become as memorable as the characters.

After all, the characters in such stories don’t just live in the setting, they interact with it. Sometimes, the setting appears to have a personality of its own and feels so real that readers can find elements in the real world that remind them of the story. As a child, I tried to visit Narnia by going into our wardrobe, which turned out to be non-magical.

My hope in writing is to create not just memorable characters but also memorable settings. In my novel Just Breathe, the characters are trapped in the Labyrinth, a sentient landscape intent on thwarting the characters at every possible turn, literally and figuratively.

Some good examples of character-like settings include the isle of Thisby in The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater (YA fantasy), Fantasia in The Neverending Story by Michael Ende (MG fantasy), and the Inkworld trilogy by Cornelia Funke (YA fantasy).

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So there you have it—just a couple of tropes that I enjoy reading and writing about. Thank you, Daley, for allowing me the opportunity to write for your blog. Happy reading to all!

Let’s chat! What are some of your favorite tropes? Do you like any of the ones listed above? Which books in your preferred genre feature your favorite tropes?

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Azelyn Klein is a nomadic blogger who enjoys visiting ruined castles and growing cacti. In 2016, she graduated from the University of Nottingham with an M.A. in English Literature. Last year, she self-published Last of the Memory Keepers, a fantasy series with six sequential stories and one poem. When she’s not curled up with a good book, she can be found exploring the great outdoors or debating whether to have a cup of coffee or a cup of tea. Visit her on Word Storm for more bookish news and story updates.

You can find Azelyn at:

Word Storm: http://www.azelynklein.com

Last of the Memory Keepers
·         Website: http://www.azelynklein.com/p/enter-fantasyland-of-five-races-loosely.html
·         Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36295417-last-of-the-memory-keepers

Just Breathe: http://www.azelynklein.com/2017/09/just-breathe-novel-announcement-and.html

The Blade Runner Discussion

Okay, first, I feel the need to apologize to those of you who aren’t sci-fi fans. This will be a sci-fi intense post. But this subject is something near and dear to my heart, and I do want to delve into it. And, after all, this is my blog, so suck it up  just bear with me for the moment.

On the whole, I’m not a massive sci-fi person. I enjoy Star Trek, but not much else when it comes to the genre-heavy stuff. But there are some stories, in any type of medium, that I feel just transcend the “confines” of their genre, and Blade Runner is one of these tales.

The original 1982 movie is based on a novella by acclaimed sci-fi author Phillip K. Dick, entitled “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” This is not a twisty-turny, high-action sort of plot like Star Wars. Rather, Blade Runner asks one of the most important questions posed by civilization: How do we know what makes us human?

Blade Runner is set in a bleak, downtrodden L.A. of approximately 2019…which now does not seem so far away and futuristic. And, unfortunately, Mr. Dick seems to have been closer to the truth than we would’ve liked to believe we’d be in the 21st century when he first penned his tale of Replicants and the special forces police who hunt them. There is plenty of poverty, crime, environmental concerns, and inequality.

Normally, this is the type of film I wouldn’t give a second glance after about 10 minutes; but I am forever grateful that I was initially forced to watch it all the way through. The sad and dark atmosphere actually sets the scene for one of the most beautiful on-screen romances. The soundtrack is by turns melodic, intriguing, haunting, and when it has to be, just a tad sinister. The directing and acting are great, and the script gives you plenty to think about.

The filmmaking technology in 1982 was of course not what it is today; but by the standards back then, Blade Runner really set the bar high. Its use of intricately detailed models, clever lighting, and doing more with less means that the effects are impressive for the time period, but don’t overwhelm the plot or characterizations.

Now, before I just run full-length into waxing poetic about my love for this movie, I’ll quickly get back to the subject at hand: What I adore most is the innocence and tenderness with which the topic of “how human can Replicants be?” is addressed. Replicants are BR‘s version of androids, and while it’s presented early on that they can be capable of extreme violence, it’s also shown that they can also be capable of compassion, empathy, remorse, and love. (As someone who’s known I was human my whole life, but was frequently accused of being either nearly inhuman or even extraterrestial, I completely felt the plight of the Replicants.)

Anyway, while the debate on what really makes us human, how do we know what does and doesn’t have a soul, and other existential questions abound in the film, we are also faced with the equally tough issue of: Because Replicants are androids, although they look and (mostly) act like us, they are still robots, and therefore certain laws must apply.

The 5 Laws of Robotics immediately come to my mind. One states that robots shouldn’t want to harm humans, because they don’t have the emotional capacity to truly understand how damaging that can be (to individuals, society, to the concept of humanity). Which is why Replicants who “go rogue” and have hurt or even killed humans must be “retired” (basically, executed). Another is that robots/androids are designed to help people achieve human-oriented/inspired goals, so the concept of even AI developing its own ulterior motives is just not kosher.

So, when we get to the long-awaited sequel film, Blade Runner 2049 — which my family watched the other night — I am having a LOT of conflicted feelings.

#1: I LOVED the clear references to the original in terms of the premise, setting, music, and history. (I can’t stand it when a film in the same world as a predecesor takes all the rules from that story and throws them over a cliff and then stomps on the ashes.)

#2: While I didn’t personally care for some of the casting choices, I thought the acting was well done, and the directing.

#3: But it begins to fall apart for me about halfway through. The sequel is loooooong, and it feels unnecessarily so. I figure the last hour could’ve been greatly reduced.

#4: The villain gets about 10 minutes’ screen time, nowhere near enough to develop what his actual devious scheme is, why he cares, or why we the audience should care.

#5: The big plot reveal (man, will this one be hard to do without spoilers!) hinges on ignoring a previously impossible notion in hardcore sci-fi. It feels extremely un-canon, and therefore I have ISSUES. Not only does it go against part of the Laws of Robotics, it goes against science, which brought the Replicants into being, and it is science that cannot be ignored, without throwing into chaos the entire system of the universe, and…well… My poor Vulcan brain is tied in knots.

One of my biggest sticking points with movies from the 80s and 90s was that sequels — and then series — became the norm, even when it wasn’t needed. Part of what has continued to draw me to Blade Runner over the years is the way its story seemed so wrapped up in its own neat little package. Yes, there was potential for a sequel, but it didn’t feel like the end of the world if one wasn’t created.

Now this has all changed. And while I don’t hold it against the people who made Blade Runner 2049, I am exercising my First Amendment right to feel rather meh about this state of affairs.

So, tell me — how many of you who are sci-fi fans have seen the original? And the sequel? What are your thoughts? (And if there happens to be a big spoiler in the comments, sorry, folks, I take no responsibility for that. You have been forewarned!)

Interview: Indie Author Aria E. Maher

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Good morning, everyone! Today we have our first guest post, an interview with indie author Aria E. Maher! I’ll let her do the talking, and there will be links at the end of the questions so you can all go stalk, I mean, visit her afterwards!

Tell us a little about your published works.

Currently, I have two published books; a mystery/fantasy novella called Behind Her Mask was Death, and a standalone paranormal suspense novel called The Tangle, which was published just last year.

You’re a blogger, student, self-published author. How do you make all of this come together?

It can definitely be tough! When you’ve spent a lot of your day trying to focus on linear algebra and American history and all that stuff, sometimes you don’t have a ton of brainpower left over to actually work on other things. I’m always trying to push myself; trying to get up earlier or stay up later or work harder or focus more or not procrastinate so much when I might actually have time to work on stuff. It can be a little crazy sometimes, and sometimes I don’t end up meeting my deadlines, but the good thing about being an indie author is that you set the deadlines, and you can work at your own pace, which is amazing for me, because sometimes my own pace seems to be about as slow as molasses, as they say.

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What are your hopes for writing in 2018?

I would definitely like to finish and possibly publish at least one book this year. I am a notoriously slow first drafter, so it all depends on how long it takes me to finish the first draft. The book I’m working on right now is a prequel to Behind Her Mask was Death. I’m planning for it to be a full-length novel of at least 50,000 words, and currently I’m about half way there, which is quite exciting! I’m also trying to work a bit on my super-secret sci-fi project. I actually knocked off a few hundred words of the first draft the other day, which is amazing considering I haven’t even touched the thing in months!

Where did your inspiration to write come from? (Favorite books, movies, family support, etc.)

My favorite author of all time is N. D. Wilson. I love all of his books so much, and he is a huge inspiration to me always! I also love Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series, which is where I got some of the inspiration for the world of Behind Her Mask was Death. My original inspiration to write, however, was actually video games! When I was a little kid, I loved writing and illustrating (terrible) fan fiction about Super Mario and Zelda and other games my dad and I would play. I think that I liked using other people’s characters and worlds because I thought making up my own would be way too hard! (In some ways, I might have been right…) I went on to write my own original ‘crazy stories’, as I called them, but I was writing fan fiction way before I even knew what fan fiction was, and was definitely the thing that got me into writing in the first place.

How else do you spend your time when you’re not writing, student-ing, or family-ing?

You will probably find me spiraling ever deeper into the hole that is YouTube. Some of my favorite types of YouTube videos to watch are gameplay videos (with humorous commentary, of course), science-y theory type videos (mostly the Game Theorists/Film Theorists), makeup tutorials (I find them very relaxing?) and those funny ‘storytime’ kind of videos, where the YouTuber tells about crazy things that happened to them.

Besides YouTube, I also like to draw, listen to audio books, and read (of course), and I love going outside, although the weather hasn’t really been the best for that recently…

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Are there any topics/themes you’re currently not writing about that you would like to, and why are you drawn to them?

As I said earlier, I do have a sci-fi project on the back burner. I keep getting tons of new ideas for topics I could cover in it, like automation and self-driving cars and government surveillance, but I haven’t actually written a lot about them yet! They’re still just ideas floating in the back of my mind, but they are all things I really want to write about. They’re pretty hot topics right now, but I’ve always kind of been drawn to the idea of some kind of interconnected hyperweb full of information, that people could use to spy on or manipulate others. That’s basically what my super-secret sci-fi project is all about, but I’m always adding new ideas that I could try exploring in it.

What are the parts of the writing process you find easiest, and hardest?

First drafting is extremely hard for me, which is kind of annoying because in order to actually rewrite or edit a book you have to have a first draft to start with!  I’m kind of envious of the people who can whack out 30,000 words in a day. It could take me anywhere from a month to half a year to write that much! As soon as I have a finished first draft I can usually sort the story out and edit it fairly quickly, but it’s getting that first draft that’s the hard part. My favorite part of the indie authoring process is actually doing the formatting for the books! I know that sounds crazy, but it’s true (as long as I don’t have to reformat the entire thing twice because of a stupid margin-width error! *cough, cough* this may or may not have happened with The Tangle *cough, cough*)

What can readers expect to see from you in the near future?

I actually have a finished novelette set in the world of Behind Her Mask was Death, which should hopefully be out sometime in February, if everything goes according to plan. Other than that, I’m not sure. Like I said, I’d really like to try to publish another book this year, but we’ll see what happens! I’m also hoping to do more movie and TV show reviews on my blog this year, as well as book recommendations and other cool stuff. I really enjoy blogging; I just need to sit down and think of some good topics and actually write them out every so often!

The Bibliophile Sweater Tag

Hello all! I’ve been tagged by Jameson @ LovelyWhatsoevers to give my take on “The Bibliophile Sweater Tag” — which, yes, equates reading to different types of sweaters. Personally, I love sweaters (although I like the snow I do not like the cold), so this will be fun.

Fuzzy Sweater (a book that is the epitome of comfort)

This may seem like a slightly odd choice, considering the subject matter (magical killer sea horses), but re-reading this title always feels comfortable. Even the first time I read it, I never felt like the tension turned to actual peril, and I was always confident everyone who needed to survive would (Maggie Stiefvater is really good about not gratitiously killing off her characters), and I knew a satisfying ending was coming. This novel just plain makes me happy.

Striped Sweater (you devoured every line of this book)

Honestly, sometimes I re-read whole sentences or even entire paragraphs in this early Discworld title, because it is just THAT GOOD. Pratchett was the master of subtle foreshadowing and wry, droll, and spot-on poignant (rather, tearjerking) comments about life and love. After reading it all the way through about 4 times over the past dozen or so years, I still get all choked up at particular scenes.

Ugly Christmas Sweater (book with a weird cover)

My apologies to anyone who gets scared by this bizarre little creature. This was one I had a really hard time looking at (my ex-husband owned it). I am not a fan of horror, so I never was able to read anything by HP Lovecraft, though for some reason the depictions of Cthulhu don’t scare me (whereas this cover did).

Cashmere Sweater (most expensive book you’ve bought)

Cheating slightly, because this is the most expensive edition I own, but it was a gift. The art is just astounding, beautiful and graceful, sometimes haunting and quite otherworldly. The stories within are definitely more for adults (not the Disney-ized stuff), but they carry so much Old World charm and just a bit of sadness. Truly captivating.

Hoodie (favorite classic)

Not a huge fan of classics to start with, but I will always give Dickens a chance. A Tale of Two Cities is positively my favorite; the intense and ultimately beautiful arc of compassion and redemption in spite of human failings and suffering does me in every time.

Cardigan (book you bought on impulse)

Complete impulse — I was pre-ordering the latest Warriors title for White Fang and saw that Stiefvater’s newest had just been released. I knew it was coming out in 2017, but I was going to wait until my local library had it. However, with one click, that was changed forever…

Turtleneck (book from your childhood)

Although this was published even before I was born, I read it for the first time around the age of 9 or 10. It’s a great, realistic adventure that ordinary kids find themselves in the middle of, totally by accident, so there are no “chosen one” tropes or too much danger or unnecessarily harrowing moments. It’s appropriate for MG readers in any decade, and the main characters are normal, truly likable kids.

Homemade Knitted Sweater (an indie-published title)

Since I can’t do my own (but many, many thanks to Jameson for the gorgeous shot of Rulers and Mages on her blog!!!)… Kyle Shultz has created such a fun and engaging series set in an alternate history/universe, full of mythical creatures and magic and a unique twist on fairytales. If you haven’t started reading these novels yet, get going!

V-neck (a book that didn’t meet your expectations)

I had such high hopes for this one. I wrote a full review on Goodreads and highlighted it in my February mini-reviews. To say it certainly didn’t meet my expectations is an understatement.

Argyle Sweater (book with a unique format)

Usually I just read text-only books (apart from some MG choices with illustrations, like The Familiars), so The Illuminae Files is definitely one of the most uniquely-formatted titles I’ve encountered.

Polka-dot Sweater (a book with well-rounded characters)

One of the things that drew me in right away about this series was the characters. They always felt so real — and yes, these are talking cats. Among my favorites in the very early tales are Firestar, Bluestar, Yellowfang, and Spottedleaf.

February Mini-Reviews

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Yes, it is February! (Cue the tortured screaming in the background.)

(Actually, at the time I’m writing this post, it isn’t in fact February yet. But when you’re reading it, that’s what the calendar will say. Ooh, look, I can travel through time!)

Ahem. Anyway, here we are with another round of mini-reviews!

January was a slightly slower reading month for me — hey, life happened, and there is nothing wrong with this. All it means is that there will be a few less books mentioned in this review. Deal with it, folks. (I know you all will, as you love me and want me to be my tip-top self more than a critiquing machine.)

Girl Online #2: On Tour by Zoe Suggs

Okay, I am a BIG bundle of disappointed on this one. “Girl Online” was one of my top picks for 2017, and this is SAYING something, because it was a contemporary, it was a romance, and when you combine those two, you very rarely have The Invisible Moth declaring, “Read this, it’s great!” (Honestly, I’m usually walking away from it in the library.) So, the fact that I’m gushing over the mental health rep and the friendships and family relationships and sweetness in “Girl Online” is a MAJOR deal… And then I found out there was a sequel, and against my better judgement, I picked it up.

Here’s why I disclaim with “against my better judgement.” In my experience, most contemporaries in YA (particularly romances) can be — should be, in my view — standalones. I truly feel that when an author gets sucked into the marketing side of creating a series, they can easily lose the heart of their story/characters/intentions (as I believe those murder mystery series with 20+ installments that all become the same plot with different methods of death after book 5 can attest).

When I got to the final chapter of “Girl Online,” I thought it was a very nice, neat wrap-up — there had been a lot of character growth, it was a fun and poignant story, with an important but not in-your-face message. AND THEN. Then I got to literally 3 pages from the end (I’m not kidding, the paper stopped after that), and there was a definition of last-minute twist, and the only purpose I could see it serving was to leave room for a sequel. Where a sequel was not needed. SIGH.

But, I decided to give the author the benefit of the doubt. Whoops. “On Tour” was a mega mess from start to finish. Apparently the characters had had brain transplants, because they acted nothing like they did in book 1, and the plot was a sloppy, cliche-ridden, dull and uninspiring babble that was — as usual — far too long. Hence, I am once again boycotting contemporaries as I feel they have let me down too many times since 2013.

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black:

Oh, my word, did I want to like this. I diligently avoided spoilers, I waited patiently for the release date, I nabbed the library copy the second it hit the stacks. However, before I even got to page 50, I knew there would be trouble.

“The Cruel Prince” was, for me, extremely disheartening. It reads like Holly Black’s work of 10 years ago (which I didn’t like), full of fairy cruelty towards humans, unnecessary sexuality, uncool bullying, and none of the characters having any clear motives for anything. Why in the world would humans who were treated so badly in the fairy realm be trying so hard to fit in there?? Why would they want to stay? Why was the whole political deception plot even included? It just felt like an excuse to throw in a homage to Game of Thrones, to be perfectly honest. It’s not fun, or intriguing, like The Darkest Part of the Forest was. I couldn’t find any reason to root for the narrator, or even care about her increasingly bad choices. After slogging through pages 1-150, I actually skipped most of the rest of the book until the last few pages, so I could see how it turned out. I was not at all impressed.

The thing I loved about The Darkest Part of the Forest was that it felt that Holly Black had finally nailed the dark fairy story she wanted to tell; the characters felt three-dimensional, the undercurrent of tension and people avoiding plot points they’d ultimately be forced to confront later was very real and pulled the reader in. “The Cruel Prince” reads like a cheap throwback to the “Tithe” trilogy (which I thought was pretty awful), and it feels much more like, rather than being a “new” series, “The Folk of the Air” will be a trilogy that an editor wanted Black to write, glorifying past successes.

Well, I won’t be taking part in it. I’m officially done with this author.

The Familiars books 1-4 by Adam Epstein and Andrew Jacobson:

Hey, to finish on a more pleasant note… This is a cute series (categorized as MG, but I’d honestly recommend it for ages 12 and up), with overall not much violence (and it’s always to prove a point in the story, not just for shock value), very clean language, no physically intimate situations (just a bit of utterly innocent and sweet romance), and lots of good themes like friendship, loyalty, courage, and determination. White Fang loves this series. If you’re looking for a clean, action-packed fantasy romp for your younger readers, I’d suggest looking into The Familiars.

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The Dreamings and Muses Book Club!

Good morning! Welcome to the next Invisible Moth Book Club! Today we’re discussing the short story collection, Dreamings and Muses!

The questions:

Which was your favorite piece, and why?
Do you usually read short fiction? If not, what drew you to this anthology?
Who were your favorite characters, and why?

All right, answer in the comments below! (Note: Please try to avoid spoilers, if you can! Thanks!)

And can we all give Alea Harper a moment of oooohs and aaaahs for her lovely cover styling?

Happy reading, moths!

Stuff, Things, and Random Apricots

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Yes, I just threw in a small fruit to serve as the last part of this post’s title. It works, trust me. Partly because lately I feel like most of my life involves juggling random apricots of random stuff and things.

One: This week was a jumble of doctor’s appointments, midterms for White Fang, Muffin being less than a nice child, and trying to catch up on my draft of Volume 3 after being sick, again.

Two: I have extremely mixed feelings about various threads of this jumble.

Three: You know I hate to go too long without a general update when I’ve been a bit radio silent or MIA when life is happening too much.

So, let’s unpack some of this…

First, as some of you will know if you’ve seen my Tweets, my health has taken center stage in terms of concerns and needing to be addressed. After getting sick for the third time in as many months (and I don’t mean the latest round of cough and sniffles that the rest of my family had — although I did get that, too), I’d had it and proceeded to skip the middle man (of making an appointment with a general practioner to recite my symptoms for the dozenth time and get referred somewhere else, waiting up to several more weeks for them to tell me that they wouldn’t find anything out of the ordinary — see, I’ve been down this road already). I Googled my most troubling symptoms (unexplained pain in my side, nausea, sometimes vomiting, and fever), and the Mayo Clinic website suggested I have uterine fibroids or endometriosis.

Now we’re getting somewhere.

So, I went to the OB/GYN, and right away they were running tests, taking blood, and scheduling follow-ups. The labs came back in a timely manner (for a change), and I do not have anemia, a misbehaving thyroid, or pre-cancerous indications. Everything that really needed to be negative was. Now I’m waiting to go in for a sonogram to tackle the fibroids/endometriosis theory.

But both those conditions are easily treatable in this day and age, and treatment may involve minor surgery, but I’m certainly not going to be kicking the bucket anytime soon.

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This was a real worry. Needless to say, since I’d be leaving behind two children, neither of them able to totally take care of themselves, this is a valid issue.

Late one night, while my body was wracked by fever and chills (with Toby on vigil at my side), I started planning what my final wishes would be, how I’d arrange things for my boys, what aspects of my life I’d absolutely want to have concretely determined before the final curtain went down. Yes, none of this is pleasant or satisfying to think about — but it is fact, and practical, when you have a family. While all of it scared me, I also didn’t want to act scared — especially around my boys.

Of course I am relieved I don’t have to deal with all of that at the moment. Still, here’s what bothers me — too many women my age (I’m not yet 40) probably won’t get tested for stuff like cervical cancer, thinking they’re too young. And stuff like fibroids, ovarian cysts, and endometriosis can happen to any woman of childbearing age, even if they’re not in a physically intimate relationship. So, ladies, go, get your yearly exams — or sooner if you’re having pain or other concerns you can’t nail down.

And too many doctors only look at the immediate symptoms and for the easiest explanation — exercise your patient’s rights, folks, and don’t let them stop there when you’re not getting better. Seek a second, even third opinion. Ask questions about what tests they’re running and why. Research your symptoms and possible diagnoses. Find out the treatment options — don’t say yes to something without knowing all the possible pros and cons. If a doctor gives you an attitude about being a well-informed patient, go somewhere else.

I am quite blessed in that the OB/GYN my insurance covers has a lot of competent and thorough — and caring — staff, and I know they’ll try to get to the bottom of this. When you’re the patient, advocate for yourself — for the sake of your family, too.

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The next major thing was getting back on schedule after missing a week of doing pretty much anything because I wasn’t feeling well. White Fang had midterms (what, he has midterms now?!), and (even though he wouldn’t admit it) he needed me to be strong, full of advice, and ready with the treats afterwards. Muffin’s sniffles and cough made him quite Mummy-centric. Toby had cabin fever. It all meant that carving out time to catch up on chores, write, and plan blog stuff became crucial.

I also put some things on the back burner — I didn’t really care about checking anything for myself out of the library (only the boys), I let the laundry and dishes slide a little (I am a tidying Nazi), and I spent less time on social media and trying to find something new to watch on TV (particularly since the last one I already know is a waste of time for me).

Was it just that I had a sort of epiphany following a health scare? Or was it that having some time when I couldn’t do much at all, besides lie in bed, made me realize how I spend that waking time is important?

Part of what I feel kind of strange about is the idea that, despite how in control of our own lives we seem to be, how fleeting all of this really can be.

Also, I can’t help but wonder how White Fang went from being Muffin’s size to singing in chorus, going to summer camp, winning at Minecraft, and eventually, how he’d survive the zombie apocalypse.

Do I really know what my kids think of me, how they’d cope without me? Am I brave enough to face thoughts like that on an average Tuesday, when I’m perfectly healthy?

My Vulcan side is not doing well with all of this stuff.

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Overall, I’m all right for now, and some things that were stagnant for too long are finally moving forward.

So I’m taking my life from there.

Even though I don’t yet know what awaits in certain areas, it’s not a bad place to be.

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Sharing Your Fandoms With Your Kids

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Okay, very scary topic of discussion today.

The situation: You have successfully spawned a second generation geek. He is big into trying sci-fi, fantasy, books that feature talking animals and traveling through time; when you ask what he wants for his birthday, he says the latest installment of The Illuminae Files or Warriors.

This is all cool — why in the world would I say this is scary?

Here’s the catch: What if, when you introduce him to your favorite fandoms…he doesn’t like them?!

Now that White Fang is of a certain age (old enough to try the above-G-rated stuff), I’ve become very excited to share with him things like Doctor Who, Lord of the Rings, Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman, and Douglas Adams. While he’s not yet shown any interest in reading Discworld or The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, he does know the meaning of 42, and he’s officially hooked on Doctor Who.

A couple weeks ago, I realized White Fang was dangerously close to finishing his TBR — again. Before some of you swoon in utter astonishment and awe, I’d like to remind you that since he’s a rather picky reader, his TBR usually has no more than 10-20 books on it at any one time. He goes through series pretty fast.

The upside is, obviously, all that accomplishment. The downside — what the heck do I give him to read when he’s in between lists?

Knowing I couldn’t get to the library (this was in the middle of the arctic freeze), I scoured my own shelves (spoiler: his are infinitely better than mine, oh my gosh, the unfairness), and set my copy of All the Crooked Saints on his desk.

He started reading it. He got to page 35 and gave me a sideways look. I assured him it starts off really slow and keeps getting better. So he proceeded to page 60 (maybe in sheer defiance at the idea of being beaten by a novel), but was still unsure.

By page 100, he was beginning to grow quite interested in what would happen to the pilgrims. By the midway point of the novel, where things really change for both the pilgrims and the saints, he was hooked. He finished reading with a big grin on his face.

       

Seeing his elation at having glimpsed some of the wonder and beauty that is Maggie Stiefvater’s writing, I showed him The Scorpio Races. The light went on in his eyes, and I knew this would be the next big hit.

Part of the joy of sharing your own passions with your kids comes when you discover something new and are convinced they’ll love it, too (especially when you’re right). This was totally the case for us with Kyle Shultz’s Beaumont and Beasley series. At first, White Fang was rather skeptical when I shoved a copy of The Beast of Talesend in his face and basically shouted, “You have to read this now!” But two days later, he couldn’t put it down.

         

The trick is to know what your kids are really into. Don’t assume they will inherit absolutely all your dispositions — particularly towards entertainment. Finding common ground is so precious, so do take advantage of it when it happens.

And don’t push it when it doesn’t.

We are not yet up to Lord of the Rings. He has watched the movies of The Hobbit (which we all know are fun, but not exactly Tolkien-pure). He wanted to try to read LOTR first, but after seeing how long each book was, he decided to put that on hold. He’s seen the meme of “You shall not pass!”, and regularly uses it on Muffin and Toby. (Yes, just picture that for a minute. Your funny bone will thank me. I’ll wait.)

There are SO many references to LOTR in geekdom that I really, really want to share with him. But we’ll get there. Just this morning, it was 42 degrees at our house, and he said with the absolute sincerity and gravity necessary to make this quote, “42!“, and I was so proud. One day, we’ll reach the next level. But it is not this day.

And that’s okay.

Watching the 9th Doctor save the world through White Fang’s eyes is like seeing it for the first time again. Hearing his cries of excitement and terror when he first meets a Dalek or the Cybermen gives me the same chills. I’m very good at not revealing major spoilers, so he gets to be honestly surprised at so many of the twists I know are coming — and await his reaction with bated breath.

It means the future is going to be full of wonderful things.

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So, You Want to Be an Indie Author…

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You do? Huh, what’s wrong with you? Completely kidding. Total snark. Yes, come back here! Considering that I’ve successfully made it through my first year as a self-published author, I think a post with some advice for those hoping to enter this field is appropriate. And, really, you can approach me on Twitter or something, too, I swear I don’t bite. (Seriously, not ever, because I don’t like close physical contact with people I don’t know, and I am terrified of the zombie virus.)

First — welcome! Go, you! You’ll find we’re generally a very friendly community, and we support each other. Through Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, you should be able to pretty quickly find some other authors who write/publish in your genre, and are more than willing to connect. (In fact, most of us don’t bite.) The readers’ base for indie works is growing, too, so reaching out to people who you hope to interest in reading (yes, even purchasing) your work one day is also important to networking and making new acquaintances.

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Next, here are my major tips for new self-publishers:

1. Do your research.

Not for social media connections or marketing platforms. Yes, do that, too. But in this instance, I’m talking specifically about your book. Is it fiction, or nonfiction? Which age group are you aiming it at (little kids, elementary school, teens, or adults)? What’s your setting (century, real or invented)? Whether you’re writing about real people or characters you made up yourself, you need to have the details of their lives right. Take into consideration slang of the era, the technology, religion, education level, industries, hobbies, cooking, fashion — all of it (even in a fantasy or sci-fi setting!) makes a BIG difference in whether your book really comes alive to readers.

2. Do the other kind of research.

For the marketing stuff. What’s your genre? Check out what other indies in that same genre have recently released. And do not compare yourselves to them. Do not even go there. Be looking for what readers said they liked — for example, do praise for worldbuilding and character growth seem to be major factors in garnering high-star reviews? Listen to them. Use this to your advantage. If an indie author has a big following (say, 5,000 people subscribe to their newsletter), check their site for anything they may have posted about how they developed their winning formula/strategy.

3. Don’t quit your day job.

Sorry, guys, but selling (realistically) a few dozen to a few hundred copies of your work a year won’t pay all the bills. A lot of self-published authors are also teachers, professors, librarians, college students, graphic designers, etc. (And if any of these occupations seem a bit cliche, hey, it happens to be the truth — most writers are people who have a good grasp of language, the entertainment culture, and creative endeavors.)

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4. Be informed of what trends, topics, and genres are currently hot in traditional publishing.

Not just so that you know what to avoid. Being informed is important so that you can decide what you want your own work to reflect. Are there particular tropes in your genre that you really want to turn inside out? Certain authors of the past (or present) that you’d like to pay homage to? Is there a movement or cultural discussion going on right now that you actually want to be part of? For example, as an autistic adult, I belong to a Twitter movement called #ActuallyAutistic, since too many of the books being published with “autism rep” are in fact authored by non-autism-affected individuals.

5. Time is not your friend.

It will not just hand over an extra 4 hours each day to you and you alone. Real life does not stop just because you are writing a book. Beating time into submission and making it your slave is vital. Carve out space in your schedule for writing, research, editing, proofreading, and marketing. Take plenty of breaks. On a daily basis, eat, sleep, exercise, be face-to-face with your family. An awesome perk of being an indie author is the ability to set your own deadlines.

6. Learn about creative writing.

There are many ways to do this. Read books by editors or successful writers (in this case, yes, I do mean lots of sales), watch podcasts, join a group at your local library or on Goodreads. This covers everything from flushing out characters to make them feel more real or writing dialogue that doesn’t read like a 1950s laundry detergent commercial, to tips on hosting giveaways of your new release and not spamming your Twitter feed with “buy my book or my dog will eat your comfy slippers.”

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7. Interact with your readers. 

After all, without them, whether you’re just posting on Wattpad or Tumblr, or you’re actually printing or releasing digital copies and hoping to get paid, you don’t have much going. Writing is meant to be read. So reply to their comments, thank them for their support, respond to their questions about your future plans for the series/next title.

8. Choose your platforms. 

This should probably come earlier in this list, actually. If social media seems terrifying, DON’T DO IT. Yes, it’s a big part of marketing, but you are not required to have an account on every single site under the sun. I limit myself to Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads. I find Goodreads to be especially kind to indies, as they give your books all the stuff trad authors have — the ability for readers to star rate, review, interact with you, share with each other. And it’s free to join.

9. Carefully select your printer/distribution center. 

I tried to work with Amazon, and just creating an account for self-publishing made my head want to explode. I did not find their system helpful or not confusing. Plus I heard they weren’t paying indies as much as they really should be. So, to start with, I found a local printing press that does individually copyrighted books, and for a reasonable cost, they formatted, proofed, put together the cover design, and printed 100 copies of the first edition of Masters and Beginners. It got my baby out into the world, and I was very happy.

The reason I decided to switch to Barnes & Noble’s Nook Press was because the price of shipping all my orders myself became a bit rough on the wallet, and on the socially anxious part of me. (I was becoming slightly paranoid that the post office clerks rolled their eyes every time they saw me walk in the lobby.)

Barnes & Noble has been awesome in helping me through formatting or account concerns, I find their uploading/proofing software very simple to use, and they do the shipping for me.

10. Have fun. 

Writing is also meant to be fun for the writer. Yes, publishing is work. But if it ever becomes a hassle or feels like a struggle, take a step back and remember why you’re trying to craft those words. Recently, I read in a review of Rulers and Mages that the ending was “slightly evil and hurt my heart (in the best way)”. That’s why I do this, folks.

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Call for Guest Posts and Interviews!

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Hello there! So, remember how I said I need to spend more time branching out on blogging stuff and on writing my fiction projects? Well, who here would like to help me out by being a guest poster or interviewee?

If you’re interested, just shoot me an email! (The address in the heading/sidebar works just fine.) I’ll have a questionaire arranged for interviews, and I’m thinking of putting together a guest series on indie author experiences, writing patterns, etc.

Happy writing, moths!