Heather Kindt's Blog, page 10

The Ender

I wrote page 200 of The Ender, the third book in my Weaver trilogy yesterday. I know I should have a clear ending for my trilogy in my mind, but a conversation with a friend messed with me. I did have a clear ending, but he thinks it should be different. Should I go with my gut, or entertain his alternative ending even if it kills me? What to do . . . what to do . . .

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Interview with M. Dalto, Author of Two Thousand Years (part 2)

In the first part of my interview with M. Dalto we discussed her newly released book, Two Thousand Years. You can read part 1 here. In this post, we get a little more personal and into her writing process.

Who, or what inspired you to be a writer?

I’ve always been an avid reader, so I believe I can thank the authors whose works inspired me to keep reading and imagining people and places other than our own. Melanie Rawn, George R.R. Martin, Diana Gabaldon, Sarah J. Maas, and Cassandra Clare are merely a few who make me strive to be better.

I love Cassandra Clare, too. Her writing is so captivating. Besides inspiration, what helps you most when it comes to writing?

The writing community. Never have I found such a supportive group of like-minded individuals. I’ve gained so many friends who I know will be there to use as a sounding board when I need to make sure a plot point makes sense, and they know, in turn, that I’m there for them as well.

Do you have a writing goal you want to achieve?

Right now I would just love to see my debut novel had a successful release. Becoming a bestseller would be nice. Maybe one day finding an agent to take on one of my projects.

What does writing success look like for you?

I think success is having readers who love your work enough to suggest it to their friends to read. And then there are all the bookish things that really make you feel like you’ve made it – candles, fan art, fanfics… any of that would be great!

How do you feel about critiques?

I think it depends on the person who is doing the critique and the motivation behind it. I will only let people I trust to review my work and adhere to their feedback…too many times  have I come across individuals who were clouded by bitterness towards other writers that they want out of their way to bring them down, regardless of what they had written. Those are the ones I steer away from…

I’m sorry you’ve had to deal with bitter people. It is amazing to find a supportive group of writers. What is the best piece of writing advice that someone you trust has given to you?

Don’t let one person try to bring you down. You’re not going to please everyone so you can’t expect everyone to give a glowing review. That also being said- don’t read your reviews. Have a friend vet them for you. It will save you a lot of heartache in the long run.

My favorite advertising art for Two Thousand Years. It actually inspired me to read the book.

Do you have a favorite review of your book? Can you share why you like it?

My favorite review to date actually came over a few days ago- it was the first 5-star review received from someone I didn’t know. A complete stranger read my book and loved it enough to give it 5-stars… that, right there, meant so much.

I remember getting my first review from a stranger. I had to post it on Facebook. It’s a form of validation. What book have you read that has had the most impact on you and why?

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas. It’s the second book of her ACOTAR series and remains to this day my most favorite book ever. I finished it within 24 hours and just fell in love with so many characters, and the story carried me from beginning to bitter end. It had humor, slow-burning romance, and plot twists that I was not expecting. And it still is one of the only books that I have reread numerous times. SJM’s writing style has also impacted me as a writer, and I wish to one day have the fandom that her works have created.

I’ll have to check her series out. Now, to finish up, a couple of quick personal questions. What is a little known fact about you?

I played the clarinet in school – between fourth grade until my first year of college.

What else do you like to do besides writing?

Other than writing, I love reading fantasy novels, playing video games, and sometimes I practice yoga.

If you haven’t checked out M. Dalto’s new book Two Thousand Years, what are you waiting for? 

M. Dalto is a fiction author of adventurous romantic fantasy and her debut novel, Two Thousand Years, won one of Wattpad’s Watty Awards in 2016. She continues to volunteer her time as an Ambassador, where she hopes to engage and inspire new writers. She spends her days as a full-time residential real estate paralegal, using her evenings to pursue her literary agenda. When she’s not writing, she enjoys reading fantasy novels, playing video games, and drinking coffee. She currently lives in Massachusetts with her husband, their daughter, and their corgi named Loki.

The post Interview with M. Dalto, Author of Two Thousand Years (part 2) appeared first on Heather Kindt.

Ruby Slips and Poker Chips Wins Another Award

This book is so special to me because it got me back into my writing which was a journey that began ten years ago. I’m happy to see that it means something to other people, too. The KCT International Literary Award is it’s most recent prize.

Winning first place in the Dan Alatorre’s Word Weaver Writing Contest enabled me to publish it in the first place. I will always be eternally grateful for that award. If you are a writer and haven’t published yet, what are you waiting for? 

I’m looking forward to entering some of my other works into future contests. The first chapter of my not-yet-to-be-written book, Dreamers won third place in Dan Alatorre’s contest and runner-up in RWISA Target the Talent writing contest. My Weaver trilogy is soon to be released and I have lots of future ideas for projects rumbling around in my head. The future of writing is looking up, but for now, I want to celebrate the book that started it all.

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Interview with M. Dalto, Author of Two Thousand Years (Part 1)

I’m so excited to be sitting down today with author M. Dalto whose debut novel Two Thousand Years was just released on December 11th. It was my pleasure to be an ARC reader for this novel and it deserves five stars. You can read my review here.

What inspired you to write  Two Thousand Years ?

The inspiration for TWO THOUSAND YEARS actually came to me in 1993 when Billy Joel released his album ‘River of Dreams’.  On it was a song called Two Thousand Years. My best friend and I had very active imaginations and we often wrote our own stories, role played, and the like — there was something about Two Thousand Years that called to me, telling me there was a story there and it needed to be written. The melody was moving and the lyrics were inspiring- battles to be won and love that spanned centuries – it begged for a story to be told. But it wasn’t until years later, during NaNoWriMo in 2014 that I had the thought in my head to actually write a story inspired by that song I had heard so long ago. So I sat down, and 30 days later, I had the first draft of TWO THOUSAND YEARS written. 

Wow! That’s amazing. I’ve never written a book that fast, but I’ve never tried NaNoWriMo. When you are spending all that time in your story, do you plot out the entire book, or have the characters drive it?

I am a notorious pantser, in that I never plan out my stories. CUT TO THE BONE, the story I’m currently working on, came to light just by being inspired by a piece of cover art. And TWO THOUSAND YEARS had some of its defining moments come to life by the characters. I feel that by writing this way, even though it can get extremely frustrating, is the best way to keep from feeling restrained. It allows my creativity to flow how it wants and remains unrestrained.

I agree with that. I love to see how my characters react. Which character are you most like? Unlike?

I would love to say I’m most like Alex- independent, headstrong, not easily swayed to make a decision until she reviews all the facts. The person I am least like would be Treyan, who almost blindly follows his beliefs… I am definitely not that type of person.

How long have you been writing? Did you always know you wanted to be a writer?

I feel like I had been writing ever since I could- I remember I had a little purple diary when I was younger, so it must have been 7 or 8 years old when I began keeping a journal. Then it was in school when I realized I might have had an actual talent- I was the kid in class who would wait until the night before an essay was due, put words together to make it sound like I knew what I was talking about, and still get an A on the assignment. I can’t say, though, that I ever considered myself a writer then, or even into my adult years. I liked doing it, but it was a while into my querying TWO THOUSAND YEARS before I accepted that yes- I was a writer- and this was something I wanted to do.

A similar thing happened to me when I worked on my master’s degree. I couldn’t get less than an A. I thought I must be okay at this writing thing. So, tell us about your writing process. What is the journey from idea to a published piece?

My ideas come from all over the place. TWO THOUSAND YEARS started with a song, another project came from a short story writing prompt, and yet another sparked from a cover image alone. I don’t really do much planning when I start to write, which could also lend to why it takes me so long to get projects done when I’m not participating in NaNoWriMo. Usually the most I will do is get general notes down and make sure I know where the story is headed- I will write the ending first so I at least have an ending point. And from there I just always seem to go where the characters want to take more. More often than not a bit of dialogue will come into my head and I’ll write that down and then start to connect the dots and weave the characters and plot into something coherent. Once I have something drafted I will post it to Wattpad- a website where writers and readers come together to exchange ideas and feedback. It’s there that TWO THOUSAND YEARS truly began, and I still use the site to beta my new projects and seek out critiques and feedback before I consider the next steps in the publishing process.

You just gave me two ideas! I’ve never used Wattpad and I love the idea of writing your ending first. Where do you spend time coming up with these great ideas?

Usually it’s on my laptop at my desk in our finished basement, but during November, when NaNoWriMo is happening and/or there’s a strict deadline over my head, I try to change it up by sitting at Panera or Starbucks.

That’s it for today. Come back to read the second half of my interview with M. Dalto. If you are an author and would like to be interviewed, shoot me a message. Please subscribe to find out what’s going on in my writerly world.

M. Dalto is a fiction author of adventurous romantic fantasy and her debut novel, Two Thousand Years, won one of Wattpad’s Watty Awards in 2016. She continues to volunteer her time as an Ambassador, where she hopes to engage and inspire new writers. She spends her days as a full-time residential real estate paralegal, using her evenings to pursue her literary agenda. When she’s not writing, she enjoys reading fantasy novels, playing video games, and drinking coffee. She currently lives in Massachusetts with her husband, their daughter, and their corgi named Loki.

The post Interview with M. Dalto, Author of Two Thousand Years (Part 1) appeared first on Heather Kindt.

Life Lessons

I listen to a podcast on my commute called Max Out with Ed Mylett. One thing that Ed has said a few times on the show has really struck a chord with me. When talking to different guests who have been through trials, he says, “Things don’t happen to you, they happen FOR you.”

Many times in life we go through trials and can throw up our hands and say, “Why is God doing this to me?” I know I’ve said it at least a couple of times with my mother. My mother has had dementia for around 10 years. If you’ve never dealt with the disease, you’re one of the lucky ones.

It would be easy for me to say that this disease happened to her or happened to me. Instead, I have to say it happened FOR me. How is this? Well, I’m still discovering the reasons everyday. One thing it has taught me is to love, even when you might not be loved back. Sure, I know my mom loves me deep down, but it is difficult to remember when I’m bringing her back to the nursing home and she has new choice words to throw at me that she’s never used in her life.

When you are in the throes of something, like I am with my mother’s disease, it is hard to look at things this way. Normally, I discover these things much later. Breaking up with a boyfriend, losing a job, and getting a rejection on a manuscript seem devastating at the time, but have you ever looked back and said, “I’m really glad that didn’t happen.” It’s kind of like Garth Brooks line in his song Unanswered Prayers-“Sometimes I thank God for unanswered prayers.” Not that they’re not answered, He just says no.

I also wonder about things happening for me in my writing career. In ways I feel guilty because I write secular fiction. But how can God create in you a passion for something you’re not meant to be doing? I feel alive when I’m writing. I also think about all the things that happened FOR me with my stories. Ten years ago, when I wrote Ruby Slips and Poker Chips and The Weaver I really don’t think it was my time to publish. My manuscript for The Weaver, which is much different now than it was back then was rejected by an agent in New York. 

The placeholder for my upcoming book The Weaver.

Check out The Weaver on Goodreads.

A year ago this July, I happened to see an ad on Facebook for a writing contest. We were leaving on a trip to Europe, so I decided to quickly enter a chapter from Ruby Slips. On the second to last day of our three week trip, I received an email from author, Dan Alatorre. He raved about my chapter and offered critiques. While I had others read my writing before, it was the first time hearing feedback from someone who was a total stranger to me. I remember praying, “If I can only win this contest, it will make a huge difference in my writing career.”

My friend Scott makes an incredible book model.

Check out Ruby Slips and Poker Chips: The Modern Tale of Dorothy Gale on Amazon.

Things happen FOR you, not to you.

The more I throw myself into my writing, the more things have happened FOR me. It’s amazing how that works. When I write, I create stories where good triumphs over evil and characters have the chance to be redeemed. My beliefs shine through my writing. Now I feel better about what I write and why I write it. It reveals my heart to my readers and lets them go on an incredible journey. 

Others take photographs, perform heart surgeries, or sing beautiful sonatas. I write. It’s one of the things God created me to do. And I believe that everything that happens in my writing career happens FOR me, not to me–the good, the bad, and the ugly. 

Do you believe that things happen for you and not to you? Let me know in the comment section below. I’d also love to have you as a follower! Please subscribe.

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Fun with Dottie and Shay

My two favorite characters in Ruby Slips and Poker Chips are Dottie Gale and Shay Fields. Their chemistry and constant banter is intoxicating. Today I want to share a couple of scenes from their highlight reel.

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“So why am I an orange?” I pushed my hair over my shoulder knowing that unlike the police officer, my female powers worked on Shay.

He reached over and swept a stray strand of my hair over my shoulder. “Because you’re full of life. I can already tell.” The sides of his mouth crept upward into its crooked grin and his eyes swam with mischief. “And I know if you had your choice, you’d truck surf with me.”

“You are so wrong.”  I picked up the drink sequins man brought over, lifted it to my lips and took a swig. The glass almost fell from my hand as the liquid poison ran down my throat. “Aggh! What is this?”

“Your test.” Shay took the drink from my hand and set it on the bar. A stray drop of the prairie fire ran down the side of the glass and onto the napkin below, seeping into the fabric. “To see if you’re an orange. I guess I was wrong about you. It’s been known to happen, as hard as that is to believe.”

“Give me that drink.” I mustered three tons of determination into my eyes.

“I don’t know if you can handle it. You must be a brown or even a gray.” Shay’s eyes were laughing at me now. His hat lay on his lap and somehow the first three buttons of his white collared shirt were now open, revealing the definition of his chest below. He was so cocky.

“Give me that drink!” I piled on another ton of determination, knowing he couldn’t resist.

The man beside me leaned toward Shay. “I’d give her that drink if I were you. And people wonder why I don’t date women. Too emotional.”

Shay handed me the drink and I downed it in ten seconds flat, despite the tears that flowed from my eyes. My throat burned and my vision blurred, but I proved that I was an orange, gosh darn-it—which I knew all along.

Pages 50-51 of Ruby Slips and Poker Chips

“Do you mind if I cut in?” Shay had his hand on my arm, tapping Buck with his finger.

“Actually, I do.” Buck whipped me around so my arm was ripped free from Shay’s hand. “I don’t see your name on her.” With those words, I wrenched myself free from the slave master.

“The tattoo shop a couple of doors down closes at three.” Shay moved around Buck toward me. “So I thought my name would look perfect in some type of flowery script right about here.” He pushed back my hair and kissed me on my neck sending a pleasant chill down my spine.

Buck grabbed my hand and yanked me away from Shay again, clutching me against his chest in a way that had me regretting not taking those self-defense classes offered at the community center last year. Although, I did have one trick up my pant leg. Turning toward Buck, I placed my arms around his neck, luring the fly into my web. When my lips met his, I heard Shay grunt behind me. Buck’s kiss became more forceful, but I had him exactly where I wanted him. With one swift soccer-style knee to the groin, I had him collapsing to the floor in pain.

“Remind me to always stay on your good side.” Shay touched my arm. “When I saw him grab you like that, I was ready to knock him out.”

“That’s why I took matters into my own hands,” I said approaching the Jeep. “You need to use a little more of your brain and a little less of your testosterone.”

“Now about that tattoo.” He brushed my neck with his fingertips again.

“You’re using your testosterone again. Do I need to knee some sense into you, too?” The engine sputtered when I turned the key, but with a couple of revs, it roared to life.

“Tempting, but no.”

Pages 99-100 of Ruby Slips and Poker Chips

To read more of Ruby Slips and Poker Chips: The Modern Tale of Dorothy Gale, click on the link below.

 

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Join Parliament House Authors on Twitter

Join the @parliamentbooks authors on Saturday, December 1st at 9pm EST for our #TPHChat

Thanksgiving Ebook Giveaway!

Parliament House authors want to say thank you to our readers through a big Thanksgiving book giveaway. Simply click on the picture link to Rafflecopter and enter to win.

I’ve entered my book Ruby Slips and Poker Chips: The Modern Tale of Dorothy Gale. Please like my page on Bookbub and let me know you want to read The Weaver on Goodreads. I’m excited to share these book with my readers.

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Guest Post by Dan Alatorre: Compiling an Anthology, Part 1

Some interesting insights on how an anthology like Dark Visions is created.

The Naptime Author

Image courtesy of Jamie Taylor on Unsplash.com

Sometimes I have crazy ideas…but I’ve admitted that before.

When I started teaching a bit of 7th and 8th grade Creative Writing, I had this grand vision of compiling and polishing student stories, and maybe- why not?!- publishing our own little classroom anthology.

Then the school year started, and reality hit. I would have to duplicate myself to have enough time to take on that project.

However, I had already talked with Dan Alatorre, an author and fellow blogger who runs some great contests, (one of which I took part in,) AND compiles anthologies. He was willing to share the process he goes through when putting together an anthology of different authors.

It just happened that as I’m diving into my first NaNoWriMo, Dan got back to me with these great insights, which he was willing to share.

Take it away…

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If It’s in You, Put Aside Your Ego and Write (or whatever you want to do)

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Many times I hear aspiring authors say they are nervous about publishing their book or even trying to write a book because they don’t want to be critiqued. Anyone who ever became anybody has faced critics in their life. You’re too pretty, too ugly, too money-hungry, too bold, too timid and so on.

To be successful, you can’t care what others think of you. I know you’re saying, but Heather, we’re in the business of being critiqued as writers. But if it’s in you, you need to write (or anything else you want to do). Why do I say this? Because if you have the passion for something there’s a reason. God wants you to do it. Now, I’m not going to say I have it all figured out. But I do believe that things happen for you, not to you.

As writers we are often paralyzed by the thought of someone else judging us as a person which leaves us never publishing the writing we feel compelled to produce. This could be judgement of our actual writing style or the content. When I first published Ruby Slips and Poker Chips, my church community group supported me through buying multiple copies. Now by no means do I write erotica, but it was kind of like giving it to your grandmother to read. I chewed my fingernails on a regular basis.

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Once your published, your ego can take a hit, or get a boost from reviews. The sad thing is that no matter how many positive reviews you have, one bad review can really cut you down. I’ve seen author friends get angry when someone leaves a negative review ready to tell them they are wrong. The thing is, not every book is for every person. When I get pushed down, I turn to the positive things people have said:

“Worth more than 5 stars!”

“A well-written book with a fun plot. A must read for sure!”

“This was a great book and I couldn’t put it down. Loved the twists and turns. Can’t wait to read more!”

And from the editor of my next book, The Weaver:

“Where do I even start?! This book had me hooked. I love your descriptive writing. The details you put in the story are amazing. I would sometimes realize I was just reading the book like any other book because I liked it that much and I’d have to go start back over to focus on editing it! I felt all emotions while reading it and I’m actually devastated from some of the events that happened (which is a good thing). I couldn’t stop reading.”

Talk about an ego boost! So, if you haven’t published yet (or shown your art to others, or been a manager before, or taken your first tour group to Mt. Rushmore), don’t be afraid to let others give you constructive criticism. Like Kelly Clarkson says, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” I’ve had mentors, fans, and critics along the way, but by far, I’ve been my toughest critic. To get to where I am today, I had to push through it and put myself out there for others to see. I know it’s scary, but you have to take the first step.

What are you afraid of doing because you think you might be put down? If you have been critiqued, what has been your favorite review? Let me know in the comments.