Azaria M.J. Durant's Blog, page 3

Author Interview: Azaria Durant

My very first author interview!! A special thanks to Destiny from “From the Book Reviewer’s Desk” for hosting me on her blog!

From the Book Reviewer's Desk

Author of Broken Arrow (Coming Soon)

Greetings! My name is Azaria and I am a passionate writer and artist. I love stories with tons of action and adventure, complex characters, and a plot riddled with unexpected twists and turns. Thus my writing tends to emulate these qualities. I write mainly for myself, but it gives me great pleasure to share my work with others!

I live in Atlantic Canada with my family and my cats. Aside from writing, I enjoy sketching concept art for my characters. When not doing anything story related, I like taking long walks, participating in community theatre, and kicking back with the family.

She has a novel called Broken Arrow coming out July 29th of this year. I will include a link where you can pre-order it at the bottom of this interview. For now I will show you the cover. 

Can you tell us a…

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ANNOUNCEMENT: Broken Arrow eBook now available for pre-order on Amazon Kindle!

Just like it says, peeps! I am so hyped to announce that Broken Arrow is now available for pre-order as an eBook on Amazon Kindle! Prepare for the magic!

In other news, the paperbacks have begun mass production, and are being prepared to be shipped to an FBA warehouse. There was some delay, so with luck, they should be available for sale on the release date, but it is more likely that it will a couple of days late.

It’s been so much fun getting to this point, and a whole lot more work than I ever thought it would be. And I already knew it would be a lot of work. But I’m almost there, and I’m so excited to see the things God will do with me and my story!

GIVEAWAY to be announce sometime in the next two weeks, so stay tuned!

The adventure is just beginning!

On Darker Waters – Uri’s Story

Uri hadn’t seen the sun for days.

It had been a long voyage as it was. They’d been at sea for months, after making that detour to steer clear of the Isle of the Damned. But they were s’posed to have gotten to port at least a week ago. Instead, they were heading into the middle of nowhere, low on food and fresh water. Of all the bad decisions Captain Stavery’d made, this was by far the worst.

A loud screech echoed through the mist that cast a thick veil all the way to the surface of the waters, which were swirling and foaming all strange like. It weren’t the first one; the screeching was becoming more of a constant thing the deeper they got into the mist. But Uri cringed all the same, trying to peer for the source of the sound from the railing of the crow’s nest, where he was leaning. All he could make out was the dark cliffs that loomed to the right of the ship. They were sailing unusually close to them, which even he knew was dangerous. The odd screeching from the top of the cliffs and the occasional falling rocks weren’t helping to ease his nerves.

It weren’t normal; none of it. He just wanted to go back to where the sun was shining and he could watch it glinting off the waves like a bunch of glittering crystals. Or actually feel the breeze. That’d be nice.

There was a sudden commotion down on deck, and Uri peered down the mast. The crew was drawing anchor and preparing to lower one of the row boats. He barely had time to wonder what was going on when there was a shout of, “Captain on deck!”

The crew all clambered to salute, but Uri only scowled. He was up in the crow’s nest anyhow. It weren’t like they’d see him if he didn’t fall over himself to pretend respect he didn’t feel.

“Hurry it up!” Captain Stavery shouted, then took a swig from the bottle that rarely left his hand.  He cast a glance at the cliffs all worried like, and then turned all the sudden, his gaze landing straight on Uri. Uri ducked back, hoping he hadn’t been seen.

“Boy! Get down here!” the captain’s course voice echoed in the still air.

Uri had no choice but to do as he was told. He scrambled down the rigging and approached cautiously, ready to high-tail it back up the moment he saw there was any trouble.

“Get in the boat,” the captain snapped. “You’re comin’ with me.”

Uri moved his bare toe over a knot in the wood of the deck. “Why for?”

“‘Cause I said so! I don’t want no back-talk from you, ya hear? Get in the bloody boat!”

Uri glanced nervously to the cliff. “Where we goin’?”

“It ain’t your concern! Get in the boat before I throw you over the side.”

The boy high-tailed for the rigging, but two of the crew members grabbed him, dragging him to the boat. He struggled against them, but it was no use. They tossed him into the boat. Pain vibrated up his leg, and he swore loudly.

The captain climbed into the boat after him and it was lowered into the churning waters below. Uri glanced down. He didn’t trust this sea.

Captain Stavery shoved an oar into his hands. “Start rowin’,” he ordered, sitting down across from him.

Uri noticed no one else was coming with them, but he didn’t dare ask why not. He took the oars and started rowing. His orange hair stuck to his forehead with sweat. The air was unbearably warm.

Their destination soon materialized from the mist in the form of a dark fortress, which rose above a narrow pass between two cliffs. The pass led to the harbor they were in. There was a strange glow around the fortress, almost like it was on fire. Only there were no flames that he could see.

They reached the docks at the edge of the rocky shore, and Captain Stavery stepped out, the boards creakin’ under his feet. He was greeted by a whole lot of fellows in black outfits. They seemed not to like people lookin’ at them, ’cause their faces were all covered up. After a few words with them that Uri couldn’t make out, Stavery turned back to him.

“Don’t just sit there, boy. Get up!”

Uri quickly scrambled out of the boat, tripping over the edge and falling down. Got a splinter in his hand from the rough wood of the wharf, but the captain grabbed his arm, jerking him to his feet. He shoved him to walk in front of him as they followed the guards up a steep pathway toward the creepy castle. They were led up to the front door, which they reached by climbing up a long flight of stairs and then crossing over this pit filled with this spitting, glowing gold liquid fire stuff. Uri was relieved when the front door was opened for them, until he saw inside. Everything was all black: the walls, the floor, and the ceiling. There seemed to be designs carved on the walls, but he couldn’t make them out because there were hardly any lights in the place neither.

A squad of even more of the guards with covered faces came to meet them. At their head, there was this short girl near Uri’s age. She approached Captain Stavery, folding her hands behind her back, and Uri could swear he saw the captain flinch.

“This way,” she said, all stern like, and the captain followed. Uri trotted after them.

They were led to a large room where there was this red carpet and a throne, and lots of big stone statues of people holding torches on either side of the carpet. Oh, and big metal bowl things that had fire in them up in front of the throne. Uri was too busy looking at it all that he didn’t notice the others had stopped, and ran into the captain from behind. Captain Stavery grabbed his arm and made him stand beside him.

“Stavery,” a soft, chilling voice resonated in the room. “It has been a while.”

“My liege.” Stavery bowed, shoving Uri onto his knees while he was at it. “I’ve come as always to show my loyalty to you, and to make a request. That request bein’ that which I’ve always wanted: a better way to serve you, master.”

“And I have told you,” the controlled voice responded, and Uri thought he saw a person on the throne in the shadows now, “that I cannot give you the fleet of ships you desire unless you give me something valuable in return.”

“Well,” Uri piped up, “if its gold you’re after, the captain’s got tons of it.”

Stavery cuffed him upside the head.

“It is not gold that I require, boy,” the voice said from the shadows. “I need something more precious than that.”

“I have another offer to make,” Stavery said, shoving Uri forward. “My son. You can have ‘im. He’s the most precious thing I got.”

There was a long and dreadful pause. Uri wasn’t sure exactly what was going on, but he didn’t like it.

“You would trade your own son?” the voice said at last.

“Yeah, I would.”

“No he wouldn’t!” Uri cried, starting to panic. “P-pap, I’ve been good! I’ll be better! You can’t-”

“I can do what I want,” his father replied gruffly. Then he turned back to the man on the throne. “Is it a deal?”

“No! I ain’t gonna stay here! Please-”

He was cut off as Stavery struck him, knocking him to the floor. “Is it a deal?”

Again, there was silence. Uri lay still, tears wetting his face. He shoulda known. His pap had never wanted him. Never really…

“If this is a bargain you are willing to make,” the voice said slowly, “than yes. You shall have your ships. But you must know that there will be no going back on this trade.

Stavery glanced at his fourteen year old son for a moment. “I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

Sample Copy of Broken Arrow

Yesterday was one of the most exciting days of my life, because for the first time, I was able to hold years of my blood, sweat, and tears in my hands. In book form!

An author’s dream!

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463 pages long, Broken Arrow is everything I was hoping for! It is so good to see everything I worked so hard for paying off like this!

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It’s beautiful. Simply beautiful!

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Right here along side some of my favourite fantasy novels!

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What do y’all think? Are you ask excited as I am for the release of Broken Arrow? Let me know in the comments!

Everything You Need to Know About Starting Your First Book

I recently became active (that is to say, as active as I can be on social media) on Quora, which is quite interesting to me because I get to see all of the questions that people ask concerning the world of writing. The most common questions that I have seen asked recently have been about the start up process of writing a book. Which has gotten me thinking back to when I decided to start writing. As an eleven year old, I thought I was invincible, so I never really questioned if I was capable or ready to start.  I’d read a lot of books, and I imagined myself a writer, so I just started to write.

No longer being eleven, I understand these questions a lot better. The idea of writing a book is daunting, and it should be. If you are serious about it, you will be devoting months or (more likely) years to this project. While one can easily write a first draft in a month, that’s only the very first step of a long process of rewriting and extensive editing to get it to be readable.

Is there a set guideline to follow?

No. There isn’t.

Believe me, there are times we all wish there was a set book of rules to follow. It can be a struggle having no one there telling you what to do and how to do it. As a writer, you are your own boss. You’re the one that makes yourself sit down and write. You are the one who knows where your story is going. Sure, you will have people around you with whom you can discuss your story, but it is ultimately up to you to get it written.

Which brings us back to the question: what will you need to become a writer and begin your first book? Take notes, people.

Good writing skills.

You don’t need to have a Ph.D. in English, but you will need to be able to string a coherent sentence together in an interesting way if you want anyone to appreciate your writing as much as you do. That doesn’t mean you have to write perfectly to be able to start (don’t forget that I was eleven when I started). If you have a passion to write, I would advise starting to write at whatever age you are. Just hold off on thinking you’re the bee’s knees until your skills have developed a little.

Something to write with/on.

Be it paper and a pen, a tablet, your laptop, your phone, or even a typewriter (if you’re super awesome), this is kinda essential to starting your book. Find what way you write best, and dive right in.

Ideas.

Yup, ideas. You have to have an original idea that’s all you and an idea of where you’re going with it. You may have heard the saying that everything has been written before, and it is true, to a certain extent. However, nothing that has been written before has been written the way you will write it, and that makes all the difference. (Obviously, this doesn’t excuse plagiarism.) With unique ideas and little bit of you, you’re all set to writing the book of your dreams.

Self-discipline.

Now we’re getting into the tough ones. Even as a writer with over nine years of experience, I find this one difficult at times. You have an hour of free time. You can either browse Pinterest, or pull up your document and write that book. Even tougher (and this one gets me every time) you can write that book, or you can sketch that awesome scene you thought up earlier. Nine times out of ten, I choose to sketch first. (Don’t follow my example!) Never wait for yourself to feel like writing. Train yourself to feel like writing whenever you sit down to do so.

Determination.

This one goes hand in hand with self-discipline. There is going to be a lot of discouragement coming your way, and it’s up to you to get through it, my friend.  Keep writing! Writing is an art, which makes every writer an artist. Every artist has their down moments. It’s what happens when doing something driven by that spring of passion within us. Sometimes, it will run out. Sometimes, you will get so discouraged that there doesn’t seem to be a point to carrying on with your darling. The only thing you can do is to keep writing through it. The sun will shine again, and you’ll feel much better about keeping at it.

Remember, it always helps to have people (fellow writers, friends, and family) around you to encourage you, to point out where you go wrong, and to test the impact of your writing! Improving is key!

 

Are you struggling with beginning your very first book? What lessons have you learned? Let me know in the comments! And don’t forget to like and subscribe for more awesome content like this!

Sneak Peak! Broken Arrow, Page 59

I recently discovered this thing called the ‘Page Challenge’, where I select a random page number from my novel and post the contents of that page to see the impact that a single page can make on a potential reader. I have added my own personal touch to the challenge in the form of an illustration, in which I expanded my horizons and sketched a background… it’s up to you whether I succeeded or not.

And who knows? If y’all like it, I may do more of these challenges in the future!

So, here goes!

Illustration:

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Page 59 of Broken Arrow:

“What’s your name, then?” A note of spite is concealed in her falsely pleasant tone.

I blink, my mind suddenly blank.  I was not prepared for such a question.  In my memory, no one has ever asked me that.  “Uh,” I stammer, and I find myself flinching as I look up into her face.

She lifts a mocking eyebrow.  “You don’t know?”

“Yes.  Yes, of course I do.”  I pause, taking a gulp of air to clear my mind. “Ealdred.  My name is Ealdred.”

“I’m surprised that you have a name at all,” she remarks.  “Half-breeds normally don’t, you see.”

She says this as if I wouldn’t already know.

The flames in the incense burners flare slightly, and Bellator stiffens.  Inclining her head once more towards the dais, she starts back down the carpet toward the doors at the opposite end of the hall, telling me to follow her.

I steal one last glance at Zeldek, who is once again fully masked in shadows, before reluctantly turning to follow Bellator. I quickly fall in step with her gait. Each of her steps is quick and sharp, yet there is an uncanny sense of grace to her movements.

As we near the doors, they begin to open for us on their own. Bellator halts suddenly, and putting a rough hand on my shoulder, she jerks me from the carpet.  She draws aside as well, leaving space for the figures outlined in the doorway to step into the room.

*radio announcer voice* Who are the mysterious figures in the doorway, and will they pose a threat to our young hero? Find out next week in-

Ok, so we’re not going to find out next week. But you will if you buy my book when it comes out in three months or whenever I can get the Amazon pre-order page set up (shameless promotion here, don’t mind me.)

What do y’all think? Did I succeed with my background sketch? If I were to do the Page Challenge again, any page suggestions? (Remember, this is a spoiler free environment, so I’ll only choose suggestions that fit that criteria). Let me know in the comments!

COVER REVEAL for Broken Arrow!!!

My design team and I put our heads together and we are very excited to show you what we’ve been working on! The last couple of weeks have been spent lining up a graphic designer on Fivver , looking for fonts, and learning the ins and outs of book cover design. It has been a huge learning curve for the both of us, and I am very pleased with the results!

When I realized the time had come to start thinking of a book cover, I found myself completely stumped and perhaps a tad overwhelmed. Over the course of the writing process, I tried to picture what the book cover might look like, but I thought I might have the help of a publisher and advanced cover design team when the time came to actually design it. After the decision to self-publish, I was stuck creating the cover myself.

The only problem was, I never actually could decide on what I wanted for the cover. Should it be a scene? A symbol? The main character? I looked at as many other fantasy book covers as I could find, and came up with this sketch, which I then sent to the selected digital artist:

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He delivered the product, and then my professional graphic designer worked her magic on it!  Without further ado and with giddy satisfaction, I present the cover for Broken Arrow, Book I in the Darkened Destiny Saga!

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Awesome, am I right? Let me know what y’all think in the comments!

Meet Ealdred (Character Interview)

Every story needs a hero, and every hero needs a story.  The hero or protagonist is the character with whom the reader becomes the most acquainted and preferably also sympathetic with, as the hero is the one they will follow throughout the duration of the story. If done well, the reader will be given a compelling reason to root for your protagonist from the very first sentence where they are introduced.

Which brings us to Ealdred. Hero/protagonist of my upcoming release Broken Arrow, Ealdred is a lovable, gentle soul that anyone can root for. He cares deeply for others, is kind to a fault, and is courageous in the face of crippling fear. As a despised half-breed, he has seen a lot of cruelty, but instead of hating the world, he chooses instead to look for the good in others first.

Since Broken Arrow is written in first person (for the most part), you will be in his head for the majority of the journey.

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(Ealdred as drawn by me.)

But don’t let me have all the fun. I’ll let him speak for himself. Without further ado… *pushes Ealdred into spotlight*

Question: How old are you, Ealdred?

Ealdred squints into light: Um… fifteen. I think? I’m not quite sure…

Question: You aren’t sure? Why not?

Ealdred: Well, I don’t really know when I was born… but people just assume I’m fifteen.

Question: What’s your occupation?

Ealdred: Well… um… I’m a slave…

Question: I see. Well, if you could have a choice with what to do with your life, what would you choose to be?

Ealdred: First I would read everything I could get my hands on, and get as much education as I can. Then I might become a physician. Or an adventurer. Which, I guess, are two very different things…

Question: Do you ever get any free time?

Ealdred: No… but I used to. When I was very little — well, littler than I am now.

Question: And what did you do then?

Ealdred: I would climb up onto the roof of the stables and listen to the crickets chirping.

Question: You like climbing, do you?

Ealdred: Very much. It’s how I clear my head. I just go up somewhere very high and feel the breeze and the altitude. It’s very freeing.

Question: I take it you aren’t afraid of heights?

Ealdred: A little, actually. But its worth it.

Question: Do you have family?

Ealdred shakes his head.

Question: Friends?

Ealdred hesitates: I had a friend. But he’s gone now.

Question: I’m sorry. You seem to have had a rough life. What is it that keeps you going?

Ealdred: The thought that I’ll be free one day. And then I’ll find my family, and everything will be ok.

 

We shall see if that wish comes true. For now, give it up for Ealdred, everyone!

 

Are there any questions you would like to ask Ealdred? Let me know in the comments, and he’ll get to you as soon as he’s finished scrubbing the floor.

Debut Fantasy Novel Coming Soon!

An ancient power long kept dormant stirs in the shadows once more as one boy embarks on a quest to earn his freedom and the freedom of Theara!

Magic has become myth, the Vaelhyreans of old a legend, and the power wielded by the ancients has long been forgotten.  However, with Ealdred, a mere half-breed slave boy, myth becomes real, the forgotten remembered, and the power of legend is reborn within him.

Ealdred is merged into a world of mystery, brimming with deceit, where the remaining Vaelhyreans are in a desperate fight for their very survival. When Ealdred is kidnapped by the power-mongering dark lord Zeldek himself, he must make a choice; to commit his newfound magic to Zeldek’s service or die. But when he meets Bellator, clever yet treacherous servant of Zeldek, an alternative is presented to him: to escape from Zeldek’s stronghold and embark on a quest to find a cursed arrow and free the Vaelhyreans from the spell that keeps their powers at bay.

The official release date is yet to be determined, but I am pleased (ecstatic, jubilant, triumphant) to announce that my debut YA fantasy novel Broken Arrow, Book 1 in the Darkened Destiny Saga, has completed its final editing stage and is ready for self-publishing! This project is something that I have been working on for six years now, writing, rewriting, editing, and polishing extensively, and I can say that I am thoroughly pleased with the results. Broken Arrow is something I have poured my heart and soul into, and I am thrilled to finally be able to share it with others.

There is still some work to be done before the big release (interior and exterior design, ebook formatting, ordering the hard copies, etcetera). An original book cover has been commissioned — there will be an official cover reveal soon! — so it is safe to say that at the latest, Broken Arrow will be released summer 2018!

Broken Arrow is a 105,000+ word YA high fantasy novel set in the captivating and fantastical world of Theara, and follows a fifteen year old half-breed boy named Ealdred as he seeks to escape a life of slavery. A world of magic, myth, dragons, and curses await as he finds his past, present, and future tied into a broken golden arrow and a mysterious destiny that looms over his head. Along the way, he is joined by a group of unlikely would-be allies, including the mysterious and terrifying Bellator, a pirate with anger problems and a trident, a scullery maid, a hated prince, and an adventurous, yet gentle lady. Themes dealt with are friendship, destiny, self-worth, gender-roles, and prejudice.

Join Ealdred on his journey to find himself and his freedom in a world where past, present, and future align, nations collide, and nothing is as it seems!

I’ll be posting updates regularly!

Plot

As promised in my previous post, I will now dive deeper into each of the three story elements; plot, setting, and character. In these next few posts, I will define the three elements of story in detail for you through my own perspective, and hopefully help you feel more at ease when encountering them in the future, wether in your own writing or in stories that you watch/read. Ready? Let’s begin!

The first of the three elements that we will be covering is plot. Plot is most clearly defined by Dictionary.com as ‘the main events of a play, novel, movie, or similar work, devised and presented by the writer as an interrelated sequence’. It is most commonly explained by professionals and creative writing instructers as a mountain with five points. These five points of plot are the basic skeleton of any story in any peice of fiction writing, and they are listed in chronological order; exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and denouement.

Exposition.  This is where the foundation for the plot is set: the beginning of the protagonist’s journey. Here, the protagonist and the story goal are introduced — or at least hinted at. The exposition would include the first chapter (or few chapters, in many cases) where the plot to follow is foreshadowed and set in motion.

Rising Action.  Kicking off from the exposition, the protagonist is caught up in the events following to pursue the story goal. The rising action is where most of the story plays out; from the protagnist deciding which path they will follow to meeting other allies, and fighting minor villains; all the while drawing closer and closer to the confrontation with their biggest obstacle. Both the tension and the action would start out slowly, much like a sled starting down a hill, and quicken the more momentum gathers. This is how your plot should be.

Climax.  The moment when the momentum reaches top speed is called the climax or the showdown. This is when the protagonist must face their biggest challenge yet, and this final conflict will result in the fulfillment or the failure of the story goal.

Falling Action.  Once the outcome of the story goal has been decided, the action begins to decrease again as the story comes to a close. This is when the loose ends and side plots will be tied up and fulfilled, which should only span a few chapters; drawing it out for too long would result in the readers growing bored.  these are the few final chapters where the plots are all tied up and ended.

Denouement.  The denouement and the falling action can technically be counted as one and the same, as they both tend to be short and sweet (or painful, depending on the story) and they work hand in hand to close the plot. The denoument is best explained as the final picture given as the plot comes to a close; the happily ever after, or the barren waistland. That final scene which leaves the reader wanting more.

Despite being far too oversimplified for my liking, the five point diagram is the basic structure for any fictional story that you will be writing, be it romance, action/adventure, sci-fi, or fantasy (among others). For my part, I like to think of plot as a complicated web with many different strings that all come together to form the same whole.  After all, a story has to have more than just one plot to be fully functional. Do not think of your plot as just one story; think of it as multiple different, seperate stories that merge because of a common goal. After all, each character has their own goal. They need a reason to believe in or be against the story goal just as much as the hero and the villain are.

Here are five signs that your plot may be weak, and five ways to fix the problem:

1. Your story does not have a defined beginning, middle, and end. The fix for this would be to start at the beginning and outline your story over again. Ask yourself these questions: what is the beginning (what starts the action)? What is the middle (how the hero goes about accomplishing the goal)? What is the end (the outcome)? Once you have those figured out, use them as a solid foundation to flesh out the rest of your plot around it.

2. Your plot does not hold your interest or the interest of your readers. The problem here is most likely pacing, though it could be a deeper problem with the plot itself.  If it is the former, you will probably need to do extensive outlining or rewriting to repace your plot to a quicker, more interesting level. If it is the latter, get your beta readers to tell you exactly where they lost interest and what needs to be fixed. Once you locate the problem, you will be able to fix it accordingly (this could also potentially involve more outlining and rewriting).

3. Your plot is confusing. As writers, we sometimes forget that the reader doesn’t know as much about the story as we do, so we withold information when we shouldn’t, or we forget to explain the plot as fully as we should. If your reader tells you that they have a hard time following what is going on, listen to them. Pinpoint the area and smooth it over, and then bring it back to them to see if they find it clearer.

4. Your plot isn’t going anywhere. I encounter this a lot while beta reading. You finish a new writer’s novel and you wonder what exactly happened during the story? If you have recieved this feedback for your plot, or if you yourself have pinpointed the issue, turn back to the drawing board and see where things went wrong. Rewrite. A lot of the times things will come to you when you just sit down to rewrite something.

5. There are plot holes. Plot holes are nasty creatures that tend to slip into things and many times are only descovered later in the developmental process. The best thing you can do to fix a minor plot hole is to pinpoint itand then rewrite certain areas of your plot leading up to it. If the plot hole is too severe to fix, you will have to bring it back to the drawing board and rewrite, rewrite, rewrite.

 

 

Let’s discuss this! Why do you think that all stories follow the five point system?  Is there an area in your plot you feel is weak? Let me know in the comments!