Daley Downing's Blog, page 34

Dreamings and Muses Now On Sale!

Well, it took a little while (don’t we all love formatting issues?!), but my complete short story collection is now available!

If you click on the link below, you’ll find the information towards obtaining your own copy!

Massive thanks to Alea Harper for the wonderful cover (and putting up with all the re-formatting we had to do)!

This is a nice little collection of 4 stories that I penned a while back, and now have compiled for print. I also included author’s notes on my influences and writing process.

The contents are “Just Pretend,” “Me and You,” “Primitive,” and “Tad Fallows and the Quarter Pints.” The first and second are basically romance, with elements of speculative fiction; the third is my only attempt at sci-fi; and for those of you who think the title of the fourth sounds familiar, yes, you’re right. This short story actually sparked one of the clever little plot points in Masters and Beginners.

The sale price is $6.55 (USD), plus shipping in most cases. (Remember, Barnes and Noble has free shipping options sometimes!)

(Okay, awkward self-promotion moving onwards… Still hoping it encourages some of you to place an order — your support is always the best, moths!)

I’m afraid I can’t offer any free review copies this time. I do plan to add this anthology (cool word, huh?) to Goodreads, and if anyone wishes to post a review in the future, that would be lovely!

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dreamings-and-muses-daley-downing/1127168779?ean=9781538036631

The New 5-Star Rating System

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How many of us have been frustrated by the fact that Goodreads and other book review sites do not include the option of half stars in their rating systems? Yup, I see those hands, and I’m raising my own. It’s a constant source of grating on my nerves, because I very rarely have a straightforward, solid number-star view of a book. There are so many factors at play when we review! In the interest of bookdragons everywhere, I have decided to create my own system, which takes half-stars into complete account.

(By the way, if you don’t agree with my new system, Toby will stare at you in his ultimate cuteness until you collapse from the overload of adorbs.)

Half-star: Yes, I actually think less than one star is important to include. Sometimes a book just wrangles you in such a wrong way, and you’d like to express that in your opinion. For example, how many of us had to read a textbook for school/college that was so one-sided, or under-researched, or condescending, and you felt it was necessary to inform the professors of what a bad choice they made? (Not that they’d listen, but that’s a topic for another time.) The half-star can represent the fact you appreciate the proofreaders/editors/printers had to make a living somehow, and you support their struggle.

One star: This would be pretty much what it says on the tin — you thought the book was just so poorly written (either for typos or content, bad characters or lack of plot, or lack of research, or a combination of all these elements) that you just can’t give it a good rating. But, again, you want to recognize the sacrifice made by those who stay employed by publishing.

One-and-a-half stars: It’s not so horrific that you just totally abandon it. Maybe there was a particular character that you actually liked, or the premise was really promising, and you’re hoping the author can learn to grow their creative skills.

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Two stars: It’s pretty bad. You’re not even sure you’d recommend it to others. But there was some redeeming feature. For example, when I tried to read Allegiant (I got through part of it, skipping major chunks until the end), there was so much about the “science” behind the factions that really didn’t make sense and didn’t sit well with me. But the ability of Veronica Roth to imagine intricate worlds and a conspiracy theory that didn’t simply boil down to “the aliens did it” or something so trite made me hopeful that her later novels would/will be more enjoyable and cohesive.

Two-and-a-half stars: It’s definitely not your cup of tea, but you may recommend it to other readers who like the genre/style. (I automatically think of authors like Stephen King and HP Lovecraft, who I cannot touch with a ten-foot pole — even a 10-mile pole — but I have been encouraged to try something by an author whose typical genre, in this case, literally scares the hisbiscus out of me, in order to appreciate the writing style and insights. I did complete “The Eyes of the Dragon” by King, because it’s not his usual fare. While I enjoyed it more than I expected, I still am avoiding pretty much everything else on the man’s bibliography.)

Three stars: It’s fun, there are some minor niggles, you’d suggest it to friends, you might not re-read it, but you don’t feel like, “Good grief, what did I just waste my evening doing?” I think of the first Jackaby novel by William Ritter, which had an easygoing style and fun characters and lots of humor. The historical content was inaccurate in so many ways, but I could put that (mostly) aside for the duration of the (blessedly not too long) novel.

Three-and-a-half stars: It was definitely fun, you really liked most of the characters, the plot generally made sense, and you enjoyed yourself while reading. Maybe there were some flaws in the research, the setting, or the dialogue (like a little too much swearing or flirting, for your taste). (By the way, in this blog, it usually means my taste.) You’d certainly tell fans of the genre, “Try this one!” Maybe you’ll even purchase your own copy. (Remember, I get almost everything from the library.)

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Four stars: It’s just about perfect. You fell in love with the characters. You didn’t think the action was too violent. The setting made you want to be there. You proceed to log onto Barnes & Noble.com and order your copy, because you know you’ll be re-visiting it in the future. The next time somebody puts on Twitter, “What do I read next?”, you type in this title in all caps. (My prime examples are the first Warriors series, the Beaumont and Beasley fantasies by Kyle Shultz, several of the Discworld books, and a few of Neil Gaiman’s short stories and children’s tales.)

Four-and-a-half stars: You believe the only flaw in these selections is that they may not appeal to everybody, yet you shamelessly push them on anybody you encounter. (Some of mine are The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams and Mort, Thud!, and Only You Can Save Mankind by Terry Pratchett.)

Five stars: Pretty much you feel the world will end if not every living soul on the planet read these immediately. You know you’ll not only re-read them several times before you die, but your own copies are like priceless, sacred artifacts. (There are very few titles I reserve this designation for, because I am picky. By the way, for those of you who gave Masters and Beginners 4.5-5 stars, you have my everlasting gratitude.)

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Announcing My Spiraling Into Writerly Madness: NaNo 2017 and Volume 3

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Well, that will probably go down as one of my most creative post titles yet! Anyway, I have officially declared a project for NaNoWriMo (whatiswrongwithme), and if you’re also participating and wish to comiserate  help cheer each other on, you can find me on NaNo’s website as The Invisible Moth. (Fancy that…)

Although I have not yet finished Volume 2, I am going to begin work on Volume 3 as my NaNo project this year. I figure this is a good way to keep the flow going, since I do hope to complete at least drafts for the rest of the series in the very near future. And I needed to do another blog post, to let you all know I’m still alive (more or less, in the midst of drowning in revisions), so I’ll be following the prompts provided by Paper Fury’s “Beautiful Books”…

1. What inspired the idea for your novel, and how long have you had the idea?

Well, I’ve had the idea for quite a while for this series; mostly I was inspired by indulging too much in Warriors, Warehouse 13, Supernatural, Harry Potter, and Terry Pratchett’s Discworld.

2. Describe what your novel is about.

This one will pick up soon after the events of Volume 2 (you’ll just have to wait to find out what those are, mwhahaha), and build more on the character interactions and growth of Flynn, Sophie, Alex, Gwen, their families, and the new characters I introduce in Volume 2. And there will still be mythical creatures, faeries, magic, and of course the talking cat sith!

3. What is your book’s aesthetic?

Toby, naturally. And these clouds/this rainbow were considerations for the cover, way back when (about 8 months ago). (Although that will probably completely change by the time I actually get this document to the pre-printing stage. Sorry, Kyle!)

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4. Introduce us to each of your characters.

Well, since many of you have already met Sophie and Flynn, Alex and Gwen and their families, I think I’ll bring up some of the new folks that you’ll soon meet in Volume 2. There’s Avery McKinnon, who has a past connection to the Annex, and her husband, Crispin, who is the Crown Prince of the Seelie Court. (Go ahead, start drooling now…)

5. How do you prepare to write?

I think way too much about my themes, try to imagine my characters in certain scenes, their reactions, their motivations, and usually glare at the blank page or screen for approximately 2.3 hours.

6. What are you most looking forward to about this novel?

That in Volume 3 there’s going to be a MAJOR secret revealed, and I’m excited to write it.

7. List 3 things about your novel’s setting.

Ohio. London. The faery realm. (Yes, that’s it, keep drooling, I won’t judge you.)

8. What’s your character’s goal, and who or what stands in the way?

Well, if we’re talking about Sophie and Flynn, it’s trying to uncover secrets that they feel are preventing them from being able to help their friends. Their parents and other relatives are actually standing in their way, though it’s not intentionally to stop them from helping; it’s more a case of the adults wanting to protect their kids.

9. How does your protagonist change by the end of the novel?

In terms of Emma (yes, I couldn’t forget about her!), it’s to learn more about her background, her family, and her own magical abilities. This is an ongoing journey for her, and my hope is for her to feel much more confident by the conclusion of Volume 3.

10. What are your book’s themes? What do you want readers to feel?

My themes mostly focus on sacrifice and redemption, on what’s worth fighting for and knowing when to pick your battles. When readers survive the trauma — ahem, finish, I want them to better understand some of the things I’ve only hinted at or kept under wraps, and the motivations of the characters involved. Also I want them to be sobbing uncontrolledly, and demanding that someone get them cheesecake. Or, at least saying they really enjoyed the book.

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The Totally Should’ve Tag

Hello, all! What, another tag, you may say? Well, yes, it is — I’ve been tagged by the lovely The Orangutan Librarian — and, truth be told, I am pouring all my creative energy into Volume 2 and 3, so here’s to having no ideas left over for blog posts!

Totally Should’ve…Gotten a Sequel:

I’m so going with The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater here. It’s interesting, because on the one hand, I appreciate a YA author actually determining to write a standalone and stick to it. However, since I also honestly feel that The Raven Cycle could have been condensed into a duology (no one hurt me!), and that The Wolves of Mercy Falls seriously could’ve been a standalone (just Shiver), it shows that while I like this author, I don’t always agree with her choices. Whereas in her other series I thought she got too long-winded, in The Scorpio Races there was SUCH a rich and vivid worldbuilding that I wanted to know more about. I think a sequel, say, in 10 years or something, maybe with an adult Kate/Puck or with her kids, would be great. It could explore things like, do the Races continue indefinitely or will they eventually get shut down? Did Kate and Sean stay together? Did anybody who intended to leave the island ever come back? All the good stuff.

Totally Should’ve…Had a Spinoff Series:

Definitely Harry Potter! I would happily read anything about Hogwarts, more about secondary characters like the Weasleys, the history of Voldemort’s war on other wizards and the start of the Deatheaters, what happened to people like Neville and Luna after school… (Sorry, Ms. Rowling. I do actually respect her decision to write about other subjects. I know that if I felt ready to wrap up a series, I wouldn’t want folks bugging me for more.)

Totally Should’ve…Ended Differently:

       

All right, John Green fans, don’t throw stuff at me. These are the only two novels of his I’ve read, and I think it’ll stay that way, because I take issue with how he chose to end them. This author apparently has a real talent for twisting the last 50 pages, so that what I anticipate will happen so does not, and not in a good way (in my view).

I know this will be a bit controversial, but I seriously thought it would be Hazel who died in The Fault in Our Stars, and in Paper Towns I really wanted Quentin to tell Margot to go bleep herself after he went through all this stuff to find her and she was just like, “Oh, hey, what the heck are you doing here, go away.” I’m very aware that most people who read John Green think he can do no wrong; but this is just my opinion, so, there you go.

Totally Should’ve…Had a TV Show:

Given alllll the information about the Faction System that’s only hinted at in this trilogy — especially the massive twist on its origins — I think a TV series could’ve done better justice to explaining all the complexities of this than squeezing an action-based plot into 2-hour movies.

Totally Should’ve…Had a Film Franchise:

White Fang and I are of one mind on this — a set of Warriors movies would be awesome.

Totally Should’ve…Had One Point of View:

This is a novel I really struggled with, anyway; the multiple POV did not make it any easier. I don’t think Auggie’s POV should even have been focused on; I would’ve liked to read the whole thing from, say, his sister’s perspective, or one of his classmates.

Totally Should’ve…Had a Cover Change:

Yes, I know I am The Invisible Moth. But the little flitty things on the U.S. cover for Strange the Dreamer just made my skin crawl. Why can’t we have the more elegant and mechanical drawing-ish UK version here, too? That I wouldn’t have felt the need to hide every time I tried to read more of this title.

Totally Should’ve…Stopped Reading:

Yup, this is me, bashing the Shadowhunters series. I simply felt it’s gone on too long. I finished City of Glass and loved the resolution — Jocelyn was awake, she and Luke were finally getting together, Clary and Jace were free to be a couple, Valentine was dead, Simon would’ve been a great nerdy vampire and Izzy was fantastic with him, Alec and Magnus were established — BOOM, perfect, wrap it up. The 4th, 5th and 6th books weren’t necessary at all, in my view, nor the spinoffs. Sorry, fans.

Totally Should’ve…Kept the Cover:

Okay, this is an old book, that I don’t know if it’s even still in print in the USA *sobs*, but this is the original cover on the copy I first read from a library *cough, cough* a long time ago. I like the almost art deco look to it, because it perfectly fits the 1950s setting of the story. But when I tried to order a paperback from Amazon a few years back, this is what arrived:

In my opinion, too cheesy, too modern, too trying to make it a YA Mills and Boone (which this story is not). Big sigh.

Totally Shouldn’t…Have Pre-judged:

After getting about 75 pages into this and returning it to the library (twice!), finally I finished it, and was super glad I did. The first few chapters of this novel are kind of plodding, and a bit depressing, and I really wasn’t hooked. But when I embarked on the re-read-to-the-completion, the style got me going enough to continue (personally, I love Holly Black’s style, even if most of her subject matter isn’t to my taste), and in fact that the dark and dreary setting serves well to set up all the twist-to-positive-character-growth by the end. I’m really glad that I went back to The Darkest Part of the Forest in spite of my earlier misgivings.

And there we have it! As usual, I won’t be tagging anybody specific, but if you’d like to tackle this, go for it!

 

 

Discussion: Presenting What We See Versus What We Hope For In YA Fiction

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So, last night we watched the movie version of “Everything, Everything,” and while I haven’t read the book (and realistically, I wouldn’t, because it’s a contemporary and a romance and I don’t read those), I’m certainly capable of reading reviews and finding out if the book was different from the movie.

Now, after doing some research, I have a bunch of “interesting” thoughts to share. (Cue a big rant.)

Alert: Massive spoilers, so if you haven’t read the book or seen the movie, I will ruin it all for you. Hey, at least I warned you.

Okay, here is the premise of the story: Meet Maddy, nearly 18 and stuck in her house, because she has an autoimmune disorder, meaning that she’s allergic to the world (and, yes, this is a real, complex condition). Her mom is a doctor, she gets all her treatments at home, via a visiting nurse, and she takes online classes. Then one day a lovely young lad moves in next door, and attraction happens, and of course they try to find ways to have a relationship in spite of Maddy’s situation.

(My first thoughts as we watched the early scenes of the film were comparisons to an episode of the TV show “Scorpion,” but we’ll get to that in a minute.)

Maddy’s mom is super overprotective — yet, can you blame her? The mere fact that her daughter will probably get pneumonia just by going outside and being exposed to germs would be enough to make most parents in those circumstances overprotective. However… This is where the spoilers start. As the movie progresses, you begin to get the idea that something is up.

You never see any of the medicines Maddy must have to take. You never see a list of her food restrictions, which there must be. She doesn’t have an oxygen tank or an epi-pen or protective medical gear anywhere in her house. All the nurse has to do, apparently, before examining Maddy, is wash her hands. This does not seem to make much sense.

The episode of “Scorpion” I mentioned earlier had a girl “in a bubble” — the poor thing was so autoimmune that she wasn’t allowed human contact (they had to wear those CDC suits to get close to her), her room had to be temperature controlled, she couldn’t be in direct sunlight, etc. From the criticisms I’ve read of “Everything, Everything” it sounds to me like “Scorpion” has the more accurate portrayal.

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Well, there is a very good reason for this — SPOILERS DON’T GET BIGGER THAN THIS — it turns out Maddy isn’t actually sick at all. Her mother is a complete whacko who has been keeping her daughter trapped in a clean house, because after Maddy’s dad and brother died suddenly, she couldn’t stand the thought of something happening to Maddy.

Now, from a writer’s point of view, this is an incredible twist, and as a viewer/reader, I thought it was such an impactful choice for plotting. And I thought that the ending — Maddy abandoning her mother after she learns the truth, to go live the life she’d never had and deserved — was perfect.

But on the other side of the coin, I was also furious. To say that what Maddy’s mother did was unethical is merely the tip of the iceberg. Not only should she lose her medical license and go to jail, but it would also be fitting for Maddy to never speak to her again. And for someone to start a foundation for kids who really do have the autoimmune condition that crazy witch faked for Maddy. (If I was the author, that’s what would’ve happened.)

I can see why this novel has garnered extreme criticism from people who actually are ill with what Maddy is supposed to have. It’s like this story is trivializing such a serious medical issue because, surprise!, Maddy’s in fact healthy and can just run out of her house to go live a normal life. Although I imagine this was not the author’s intention, I can totally understand how this perspective could be misconstrued. And I get why it would make people mad.

As White Fang and I watched the movie, we kept expecting something to happen to Maddy, basically that she’d quickly pass away, and we were ready for that to be the ending. And the point would be, “Hey, she took a chance and died with no regrets, and hopefully her mother would see that.” (And for anyone who has issues with that, yeah, I get you, too.) But for the big reveal to be what it actually was…

Well, that makes me bring up this: Why is it that the parents in YA fiction always have to be such complete !@#$%^&*. (You can mentally fill in your impolite word of choice there.) This story is a MESS on steroids when it comes to the adults. Maddy’s mother is certified mentally unstable. Olly’s father is drunk and a wife-beater, and his mom is too afraid to leave, so she stays in a situation that threatens her own kids’ safety. Maddy’s nurse — well, the movie didn’t make it clear whether she knew the truth or not, but if she did, OH MY GOD, why didn’t she tell Maddy and turn in Maddy’s mother to the authorities?!?! As a parent myself, I simply cannot imagine what the point is of having such horrific role models presented to the very impressionable audience of teenagers.

Yes, there are some adults in the world who are piss-poor examples of adults. I know that, but I don’t accept it. If we’re really going to teach our kids how to be decent adults, we have to give them good role models to follow.

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When did it become totally okay for fictional parents to be everything from low-key neglectful to downright vile, sub-humans, with none of the other characters calling the police, contacting Social Services, going to teachers or ministers for help? In real life, we tell kids all the time that if they’re being abused to go to a trusted adult. Well, how are they going to do that if they think there are no trustworthy adults?

When did it become the gold standard in publishing for 16-year-olds to have to save the entire world? I’m specifically thinking of dystopias like The Hunger Games and The Maze Runner, in which anyone over the age of 20 is a complete schmuck (or gets killed if they’re not). Compare this to Harry Potter, where the kids are indeed going forth to battle evil — but their parents and teachers are right there beside them.

There are major reasons I don’t read contemporary YA romances — this is one of them.

This is also why I write parents who care, who can be trusted, who make sure the kids finish their chores and homework and eat their greens.

And there is absolutely nothing wrong with this. We need MORE adults like this in YA. Period.

Okay, rant over. Any thoughts, fellow readers and writers?

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Okay, There Is No Way It’s The End Of September…

First, the requisite part of the monthly recap where I scream into the void for approximately 5.6 minutes about how it is possible that time moves so bloody fast.

All right. Now, onto actual things.

So, not a heck of a lot went on here or on social media during the month of September, due to the fact my whole family came down with some horrific cold/virus that did not want to go away. The boys each missed a week of school (luckily not exactly all the same days), and between taking care of my smol ones and being sick myself, I did hardly any editing on Volume 2, housework, or really anything else. I was extremely not pleased with this situation. Yes, I got some reading done, but mostly because that was all I had the energy for. These circumstances are not recommended.

Anyway, other than that, I did manage to get a few posts out there, and provide you all with at least a bit of information on how the revisions were going once I was finally able to tackle them. So, here is the news on Volume 2…

It’s a very slowgoing process, but I have gone over all of the beta-read feedback, and am revising/editing (meaning, delete a lot of words, enter a bunch more, repeat), chapter by chapter. My plan is still to have the final manuscript ready to go to printing before November 1st. There are a couple of reasons for that. Keep reading after the cat to find out specifically what they are.

One is that I may participate in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month, for those of you who are staring at your screen blankly), which takes place the whole month of November. I won it last year, by the skin of my teeth, but it was worth it, as that document turned into the final draft of Masters and Beginners. And realistically, this year I’ll have more time each day to put into NaNo, meaning I could possibly finish earlier. And I certainly have writing projects I could enter. BUT, in the interest of my head not exploding (it already has about 4 times this calendar year), I may bow out gracefully and happily. We’ll see.

The other major reason I want to have Volume 2 ready to bring joy to readers’ lives no later than the commencement of November is that I am itching to move on to other work. For example, finishing the canon series of The Order of the Twelve Tribes. And there will be a prequel! And a field guide! Anticipate both sometime in 2018!

In the meantime, I’m getting ready to release my short story collection for purchase! Some of you may remember that ages ago (like, last spring, I think?) I posted a few short stories I’d written at random points over the last couple years. It was always my intention to put them all together and compile author’s notes on the influences that shaped them, and now I am so doing! Expect a formal announcement about this new project in the very near future!

So, as I was whinging earlier, not a lot of other stuff got accomplished in September. Including, actually, reading. That’s because, while I was lying around trying to get better, I only finished a few books — and they weren’t even on my TBR. That’s right, my brain was so foggy I didn’t even remember to check my TBR before I went to the library.  It’s why it took me a while to get started on A Clash of Kings, and to recall that Maggie Stiefvater’s new novel is out soon, and new Warriors publications are forthcoming. I am a bit of a mess. Hopefully I’ll be all caught up by the holidays.

I’ve also made some decisions regarding further marketing, based on time and what it will not do for me. I shall not attempt a Wattpad account at the moment. Nor a newsletter (maybe next year?). Nor shall I even select a subscription box (that could be my Christmas present to myself?).

Okay, and in the interest of progressing forward, I am going to focus much more now on promoting Volume 2, and the rest of the series. To all of you who have so far read Volume 1 and loved it and helped me promote, THANK YOU. This literally cannot be said loud enough to show how much I appreciate all your support and help in getting this little passion of mine off the ground.

To celebrate, I am hosting a book club on the blog! We’ll go through each of my publications, starting with Masters and Beginners, and on October 30th all you have to do to join in is read the discussion post I’ll put up that day, and comment your thoughts! Obviously you’ll have to have read the book, but that’s the only requirement.

In other, non-writing-non-reading-related news, both my boys are officially in school. White Fang is in 9th grade — that means high school — and apart from the sickness, doing pretty well so far. Muffin is attending a special needs preschool, where he receives all his physical/speech/occupational therapy, as well as the basics of numbers/shapes/colors/letters and working with others. Yesterday his class went to the swimming pool at one of the local colleges, where the kids were paired up with students in Special Education. Muffin is loving every minute of it, including riding the bus and trying new foods at lunch.

I have survived reconciling the fact that I now have a high-schooler and a pre-schooler, and that I’m not as young as I used to be. Trust me, that was the hardest part.

Otherwise, things are finally reaching something resembling normal after the great illness. So I wouldn’t call it exciting, but also feel we’ve had enough excitement lately.

You’ll all be relieved to hear that Toby made it through this trying time completely unscathed.

Here’s to a healthy and productive fall!

The Rise of Aredor/The Wildcat of Braeton Blog Tour

So today I am on the blog tour for the relaunch of this fantasy series by indie author Claire Banschbach. This is a MG-YA duology set in a fictional world of ages gone by (12th-14th centuries or so, I’d reckon).

Summary: 

Lost in a foreign land and separated from his family, Corin does his best to survive as a slave in the household of a Calorin lord. With newfound friends he fights for survival in ambushes and wars. For one act of bravery, he is awarded his freedom and returns to a home that has been invaded and ravaged by the Calorin armies. When Corin sets foot on Aredor’s shores, he has one goal in mind: find his family. He is driven into the forest, where he is reunited with childhood friends. From the shelter of the woods, they begin a spirited rebellion against Corin’s former cruel master, who now holds sway over Aredor. Follow Corin’s path in his quest to free his imprisoned brother, find a father who has vanished, and ultimately free his country in The Rise of Aredor.

My thoughts:

This is a story with a lot going on. The action certainly delivers. My only concern is that the plot seems to be taking center stage over building a character voice that the reader can really get attached to. While there is definitely is character development between the beginning and the end, I didn’t quite feel connected to them. Corin is on quite the quest — I’d classify this as an archetypal coming of age story before any other genre — and the other characters are for sure invested in his choices, and that comes across well.

Summary:

His term of service to Lord Rishdah now complete, Aiden returns to his home in Braeton. As he travels he hears rumors that trouble plagues Braeton. Clan Canich is being attacked from within. He arrives, determined to save his father, his brothers, and his Clan from the treachery of one man.

A year has passed since the Calorins were driven from Aredor and Corin is struggling to rebuild his country. Despite the peace, a fear haunts him that the Calorins aren’t far away. The Hawk Flight takes to the forest again to defend the borders against a possible attack from the neighboring country of Durna and its Calorin ally. 

As Aiden and Corin struggle to adapt to their new lives they know one thing for certain – war is coming to the North! 

My thoughts:

Set at what feels like a more moderate pace, with more flow to the style, and certainly following the growth of the characters, separately and together, the sequel seemed a bit more grounded in achieving a world that the reader cares about. The themes of overcoming your demons and what’s worth fighting for are timeless.

The only thing that was rather different was the epilogue detailing the specifics of each main character’s life after the official end of the story. Honestly, I thought this was a really nice way to tie up any possible loose ends readers may have been wondering about.

About the Author:

Claire M. Banschbach is a native West Texan. She discovered a deep and abiding love for fantasy and science fiction at a young age, prompting her to begin exploring worlds armed only with an overactive imagination and a pen while obtaining degrees in Kinesiology from Texas A&M and Physical Therapy from Texas Tech University.

She talks to fictional characters more than she should while struggling to find time for all their stories. She currently resides in Arlington, TX where she works as a Pediatric Physical Therapist.

The Giveaway:

From September 28th until October 4th, Claire will be running a giveaway.

The prizes: E-books of  The Rise of Aredor and The Wildcat of Braeton, a set of 4 notecards of the series’ artwork, and a paperback set of the books with one notecard of choice.

Here is the link — http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/disp...?

Happy reading, everyone!

 

The Masters and Beginners Book Club!

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So, my apologies for not making the official announcement a little sooner — sickness swarmed in, as some of you may know, and my whole house was down for a week and a half. It was a miracle the cat got fed and the dishes got done, never mind editing and self-marketing.

Anyway, now we are more or less better, and I’m trying to get back to normal in my writerling ventures. One of these is the book club I’ll be hosting for each of my own books here on the blog!

We’re starting with (makes sense) Volume 1 of The Order of the Twelve Tribes. To join, all you need to do is have read or be currently reading the first novel, Masters and Beginners. Either cover/edition works (it’s the same story), and both are available for purchase. The most recent edition (new cover seen below) can be obtained through Barnes & Noble.com (the link is working on my Goodreads author page, or you can email me, per the sidebar/top menu, for details). Or I have copies of the original Toby cover as well (again, contact me by email).

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Okay, the awkward please-buy-my-stuff moment is moving on to what the actual discussion will consist of.

On October 30th (see, plenty of time to join in!), I’ll be posting an open conversation on the following questions:

What were your favorite parts of the story?
Which characters were you drawn to the most, and why?
Did you identify any particular themes?
Who would you like to see cast as who in the movie version?
The Order is a secret organization stretching back about 3,000 years. What historical figures do you think could have belonged to the Order?

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See, easy! Just post your comments on October 30th, engage with your fellow commenters, and get ready for Volume 2!

Happy reading, all!

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Old School Sources of Inspiration

In the current publishing market, there seems to be a big push towards the newest, the latest, the trending. As a writer who honestly can barely keep track of the most recent software available to those in my occupation, trying to develop story ideas that are born of a magazine article from last week or a new hobby invented 72 hours ago feels overwhelming.

Sometimes I go to a restaurant and can’t even figure out what half the menu is, since I don’t get out very often, and apparently they invent new foods every few months now. Trying to make sure my characters — set in a contemporary novel, after all — keep up with all this can be intimidating, too.

Do I live in a reasonably modern environment? Yeah, obviously — here I am, blogging on a computer with interact access, and I fully comprehend all the terminology I just used. But when you’re someone who likes to immerse herself only in what she knows she likes, this means drawing on a diverse, updated wealth of source material to build my characters (and make sure they don’t all seem just like me) is pretty necessary.

Of course, one of the major ways I get around this is to set part of my story in the world of faeries — where technology is, naturally, centered on magic and not electricity or satelites. Also, I confine my employment of slang and post-2010 pop culture references to stuff White Fang brings home, so I have a reliable expert to double check with.

This may make me sound old, but I simply don’t like a lot of the stuff “the kids” are into nowadays.

Place me in front of a fall 2017 TV guide, and I can guarantee I won’t even have heard of 75% of the shows listed. Bring up the new release page on Netflix, and I won’t even have seen trailers for 90% of those films and/or original programming. Whatever was the top of the mainstream music charts last month will have pretty much escaped my notice. Lately Jeopardy! questions about celebrities who are younger than 30 will make me stare blankly at Alex Trebek.

The same goes for books. While some newer authors (Maggie Stiefvater, Marie Lu, Veronica Roth, William Ritter, Robert Beatty, Holly Black, Cassandra Clare) have definitely caught my attention for at least a few of their selections, I’d still much rather devote my money and most of my reading time to concrete favorites (Terry Pratchett, Douglas Adams, Neil Gaiman, JK Rowling), or try indie authors that write in a style now associated with “years gone by.”

Sorry-not-sorry, I don’t see a real reason to change this about myself.

While I do think it’s important to be aware of what’s going on around you (ignorance is not bliss), and I’m not closed down to trying new things, I also feel there shouldn’t be any shame in admitting that I enjoy many things produced before the 21st century.

There are some parts of my youth I have no desire to return to (long-winded, formulaic mystery novels, or ruffled sleeves, for example). But am I better for having a variety of experiences under my belt? Absolutely.

Am I glad I went — and still go — after what interests me, rather than just what’s hot right now? Oh, yes. Do I ever feel like I missed out because of deciding to skip a trend? Not really — but I also got there over time, and by doing some deep soul searching (which is not as immediately hopeful or positive as some may believe).

So I’ll be keeping to my “outdated” writing style, homages, and narrow library selections. I won’t have buyers’ remorse for running to the cinema for yet another mediocre movie, or for wasting time in front of TV shows that only set my nerves on edge.

And I’ll be just fine with that.

 

Either Or?: Bookdragons Weigh In

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Here’s something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately — we’re all told that compromise and being able to negotiate is good. Not willing to bend our possibly strict and unrealistic goals can make life hard. In many ways, I can understand (and even agree with) this. For example, when your 4-year-old is throwing a total tantrum over your insisting they take a bath complete with hair washing, nail clipping, and having the dog jump in for a quick grooming, in the interest of getting the most important stuff accomplished, you’ll probably have to re-think your plan. Start by identifying your major hopes: That the child no longer has spaghetti in his hair or up his nose. That he goes to bed clean-ish. Are any of his nails poking holes in other people? No? Then it can wait until he’s quiet and cooperative. And the dog can stay in his spot and chill.

Anyway, after this kind of long and not-at-all-related-to-the-post opening analogy, let’s approach what I’m really after here. When is it not okay to relax your plans and ultimate goals? I’m not even talking major philosophical or theological matters. I’m simply discussing the idea that authors compromise far too much when it comes to their writing.

(By the way, if you have a 4-year-old who doesn’t like to take baths, and a dog, follow the above advice. I am winning at bargaining with kids and pets.)

Lately, I’ve been reading a lot of selections — by several different authors, and in different genres — that have made me wonder if the publishing market is rife with recent releases (within the last couple of years) that were evidently passed over once by an editor and thrown into the consumer arena to serve their major purpose of making money. At the expense of the readers’ satisfaction.

And, here’s a hint, publishers, since we do pay your bills — our satisfaction should really be considered during the whole preparing-to-print process.

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This is where I get the thought of “either or.” It makes me wonder if the editors feel that they need to choose between plot progression and character development, and that somehow it’s become impossible to include both in the same novel. That an author can have a longer book with more minor, unnecessary characters and tons of irrelevant dialogue — but they can’t have a longer book with more backstory of the world and explanation of the main character’s past.

Apparently, either a YA novel can have dead parents or bad parents, but not living, good parents. (This is beginning to change, thank God.) An adult fantasy novel can have a female lead that’s a complete kick-butt sword-wielder who’s a horribly nasty person to everyone supporting her, or she’s a near half-wit who collapses with a (poorly-depicted) panic attack at the very mention of having to ride the second-best horse in the kingdom. No in-between. Dystopians always feature a revolution and a fight to the death where somebody’s a sacrificial lamb — or there are zombies. The list goes on and on; you get the idea.

As a reader, I’m really getting tired of it.

Recently, I started reading A Song of Fire and Ice by George R.R. Martin. Usually adult fantasy is near the bottom of my recommendations list. But I was driven by a strong curiosity to find out what the big deal was about this series. As someone who did not like the cable show, I thought I’d give the books — the source material, after all — a fair shot, since adaptations are just that, and not always faithful. Yes, Martin’s writing still includes violence and sex and profanity — but I’ve noticed it serves a purpose (which seems to be lacking from the show). Martin uses all these factors to establish his setting, the mindsets of his characters, and the world they live in. While he uses more of it than I personally would find necessary as a writer, I don’t hold it against him.

Especially since his story includes so much more than shock-and-gore tactics.

For one, there actually is a story. A rather complex one, with a huge, varied cast of characters; it’s all plotted out pretty well, and there are no obvious gaping holes that make me squint and yell at the pages. There is tons of worldbuilding — it’s clear from the start of this ambitious series that Martin knew his fictional world’s history and why it is where it is when he brings the reader to it. Most of the characters are two-to-three-dimensional and feel relatable, and therefore we want to know what’s going to happen to them. And we get more details about them in relevant, 3-to-4 page recollections or musings or discussions, not massive infodumps that have us struggling to stay standing after absorbing them.

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This is such a drastic change from 90% of the novels I’ve read in the past two years. And, sadly, no, that’s not an exaggeration.

Martin is an established author with a lot of writing credit and experience. This on its own doesn’t mean he’ll never produce mediocre work. But what encourages me that he won’t fail is the fact that his work ethic is clear. He strives to tick all the boxes: the characters and the plot and the pacing and the worldbuilding. It’s obvious he went for balance, and took care to make it happen.

While I’m not saying no other author does that (I know it just isn’t true), after getting a bunch of disappointing flop my way, this is a refreshing change.

Here’s the major crux of this whole rambling: When did it become acceptable for “either or” to take center stage for authors and editors?

How many authors have said they didn’t like people who claimed what they did “wasn’t real work,” because they indeed worked very hard? How many authors who received awards for their novels had every right to be proud of their efforts? How many kept writing out of the sheer joy of seeing their words come to life on paper? Of hearing readers say, “I loved your book!”

Rather than just to make money?

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This certainly isn’t true of every current New York Times bestseller. Seeing the reviews of many other unsatisfied customers, though, it seems that I’m far from the only one having these thoughts and feelings.

Books are special. We should use them to create characters who teach us something, ideas that help us grow, ponderings and musings that fuel the imagination.

And high numbers on a royalty check wouldn’t change my opinion on that.

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