Christiane Knight's Blog, page 11
August 16, 2021
New: Membership Tiers on Ko-fi
I’ve been using Ko-fi for a while now as a place where readers, fans, and friends can pick up a signed copy of In Sleep You Know & related merch, as well as support me and my writing through donations, AKA “buying me a coffee.” It’s a great platform, where I actually receive all of the funds donated outside of Paypal’s cut. But until recently, I couldn’t differentiate between updates for fans and knowledge that other writers might have an interest in following.
Ko-fi has changed this, and I’m happy to announce that I’ve created membership tiers for my regular supporters, including one for current and/or aspiring writers!
What does this mean? Well, if you are only interested in getting those current work snippets, exclusive poems/short stories/preview pages, and other behind the scenes updates, then the first membership tier – YOU are the Magic – is for you. Basically, if you’re a fan, you’ll get access to all kinds of exclusive content, all for five bucks a month. And if you’d like to contribute more [thank you] then I’ll create tiers for that as well. Just let me know.
If you are a writer or aspiring writer who is looking for tips about writing, as well as backstage access to the process of what the self-publishing process is like and how I manage being a publishing author, A Writer’s Life and Craft is your membership tier! Some of the topics I’ll cover include finding your voice and style, being authentic as a writer, refining your craft… and also things like how I decided to self-publish instead of going the Trad route, what kind of help I’ve enlisted along the way, what tools I recommend, the struggle to get seen, and much more.
Along with access to all the posts in the first tier, you’ll get an extremely honest glimpse into my life and processes as an author. I’ll be open to questions as well, which is pretty great access for only seven bucks a month.
Supporting my work in this way is just one way to ensure that I keep your bookshelf or e-reader filled with stories about the Eleriannan and their friends Merrick and Lucee. It also allows me to plan for future events like book signings and convention appearances.
To learn more and sign up for membership, click the cute button below!kofiwidget2.init('Support Me on Ko-fi', '#29abe0', 'P5P6IE47');kofiwidget2.draw();
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August 9, 2021
August Is For Book Shopping – and Winning
I am participating in not one but two different events happening throughout August! I’m inviting you to sign up and not only discover an amazing amount of talented writers across multiple genres, but also get many opportunities to win some great prizes.
C.L. Cannon’s Urban & Paranormal Fantasy Giveaway
Follow some amazing authors across the web and enter to win Blood Heir by Ilona Andrews,
Zodiac Academy: Awakening by Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti, and Million Dollar Demon by Kim Harrison, and Dead Things by Stephen Blackmoore –
plus a Lucifer candle, Buffy spiral notebook, Dean and Castiel Supernatural plushies,
a fated mates magnet, a Harry Dresden pin, and a wolfy bookmark.
Go here to enter: https://clcannon.net/2021/08/05/urbanparanormal/
Discover over 100+ free, discounted, and Kindle Unlimited Fantasy and Sci-fi books
and enter for your chance to win a Kindle Fire, a one-month gift subscription to Owlcrate,
and a $10 Starbucks gift card!
Check it out here: https://clcannon.net/bookfair/
I definitely recommend checking out all the authors that are participating in these events, signing up for their newsletters, and following them on all their social media – and of course, filling up your device with all their books!
The post August Is For Book Shopping – and Winning appeared first on Christiane Knight.
August 2, 2021
Monthly Update: Word Count August 2021
Hello, dear magic seekers! I’ve started a new feature, the monthly update post. This is where you can read about the progress and word count on my current novel, plus any other interesting updates about my work and life as an author.
I’ve noticed that people really enjoy seeing my incremental progress with my writing! I post regular word count updates, but if you want to see the current word output, I’ve made it very easy to check in at any time. If you look at the sidebar, you’ll see a widget that shows my last reported word count, including percentage complete. As of this post, I’m almost halfway! [58,230 words!]
Obviously, this has me extremely excited – especially because I’m exactly where I want to be, in terms of plot lining up with word count and story beats. Outlining is to thank for that, as well as my copious notes and near-obsessive word count tracking.
What does tracking word count have to do with maintaining proper pace? Basically, it helps me keep track of where I know certain events should be happening as I write. If I hit the midpoint and there isn’t a big event happening, I know that my pacing is off, and people will lose interest in the story, no matter how great I think the characters are. [If you’d like to learn more about the mechanics of plot pacing, I suggest looking up the “three act structure” or wait until later this year, when I’ll be offering deep discussions about the craft of writing on my ko-fi.]
A few other things to mention: keep your eyes peeled for some new events that will be added in a few days!
I should have a title to announce SOON.
Once there’s a title, you’ll get a link to the working SOUNDTRACK! Or…. you can support me on my ko-fi and you’ll get early access to that link!
Did you catch the last excerpt I included from the manuscript?
What else are you dying to know? Hit me up in the comments here or on Facebook!
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July 13, 2021
Unexpected Visitors – a Sequel Excerpt
Just a little sequel-writing update, with word count and little peek behind the curtains for you!
Still struggling with a title; the right one will reveal itself when the time is right, but the time could be right sooner rather than later, if you want my opinion.
35,662 words so far, out of a general goal of 120,000. That’s not bad progress! And it doesn’t include my copious notes and my new, updated outline.
Some details about the plot that I haven’t mentioned anywhere else yet: this takes place a few months after the events of In Sleep You Know, and focuses more on Lucee Fearney and Vali Dawe and their stories. Of course, expect the rest of the Eleriannan, Gwyliannan, and Mortals you’ve come to know and love, because they always have opinions! And of course there will be music, magic, graffiti, and even more glimpses of Baltimore.
And of course, there will be some unexpected visitors…
“Will you let me be by her side when we tell our tale?” His tone was stoic, but his eyes were pleading with her to grant his request. “Let me lend her some of my energy, as meager as it is now. I can help her. If you fear my interference – she can ask me if I am dabbling, and I cannot lie to her.”
He looked ill when he confessed this to Vali, and the thought occurred to her that he meant something much more concrete than a basic declaration of respect.
“You swore an oath.”
He looked trapped, but he nodded in the affirmative.
“You gave her that much power over you.”
He glanced over at Emmaline, then back to Vali. He straightened up a bit, and looked Vali in the eyes as he explained.
“She has never, not once, expected me to be anything more or less than what I’ve presented to her. She has never demanded anything of me other than to be myself, and to be utterly and completely honest. This was the way I could assure her that I would deliver on that request. I wanted to level the field between us. I have so much power, and she had very little. At least this way, we could be equals.”
Like what you’re hearing so far? Excited for the sequel? Let me know! Comment below, or on Facebook or Instagram! Can you guess who is speaking in the excerpt above? I want to know!
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July 6, 2021
Word Counts, Accountability, and Tools
Quite a bit has happened since last I posted!
I have been working hard on the sequel to In Sleep You Know, and the manuscript has reached 27,000 words. Of course, that doesn’t count the outline and copious notes I’ve also got, because are you even writing if you don’t have twenty-seven pages of notes and outlines? [I am only exaggerating a little, I love amassing notes on my projects]
This Trello board contains a ton of the behind the scenes work that went into keeping In Sleep You Know organizedAs a writer, it is important for me to stay organized, and to be accountable to myself and my readers. I am self-published, so I don’t have publisher deadlines to keep me on track. Technically, I can do whatever I want, whenever I like. That’s fantastic for my mental state, because I abhor the idea of having to answer to someone “above” me – hence why I have worked for myself for so long. Freedom is important, but I still require structure in order to be effective at what I do, and setting my own deadlines helps to keep me focused. Producing within a reasonable amount of time keeps readers happy, as well!
One of the ways that I create structure is by setting word count goals as I write my manuscript. Those turn into editing goals once the first draft is complete. For In Sleep You Know, I used NaNoWriMo [National Novel Writing Month] to motivate myself to keep on track with word count and production. For those who are unfamiliar, you join a community that is aligned to one purpose: writing 50,000 words in the month of November. There are trackers on your page where you can update your daily word count, and the page creates a graph that shows you your progress. It’s a great visual reminder, and for a rewards-driven person like me, it gamifies things just enough by awarding writers various cute virtual badges on your user page.
NaNo was the push I needed to get inspired, and I finished the first manuscript for ISYK in record time. It was a real breakthrough for me as a writer! This time around, I am using a variety of cobbled together resources to keep me focused and motivated, including my Facebook group for writers, online writing sprints with Caveday and via the Clarion West Write-A-Thon, and using the daily word count goal option in Scrivener.
I invested in Scrivener towards the end of working on In Sleep You Know, and it was one of the best purchases I’ve made for my writing career. Highly recommended!Scrivener and Trello are the backbone of my process. I also use Evernote to take notes on the fly, which get automagically uploaded to Trello. I tend to dump a lot of the research that I do [names, lore, lyrics, concepts] into Evernote as I gather it. Once it gets uploaded to Trello – I use Zapier for that – I can sort it into the proper cards.
Trello holds everything from my outlines to character sheets to the piddly but important details like “what was everything in Merrick’s pouch?” and “What does each House look like?” I can add photos, links, and even task lists of every point I want to hit in a character’s arc, for example. As I am a very visual person, I find it to be really helpful in this regard!
Scrivener does have a lot of the same functionality, but I prefer to use it for words over images. The current project – “Unnamed Sequel With Working Title: The Immutable Truth” which I know just trips lightly off the tongue – is mostly chapter folders with scenes broken down in each chapter, plus some notes with character goals and motivations, a rough outline, and a few character sheets. Nothing fancy, but wow does it work for me!
Previously, I used Google Docs, then another writing program that was free, and messed up my manuscript when it was time to save it. You get what you pay for, folks.
You might see a few clues for what’s to come in the new book if you look carefully at my Scrivener screenshot, la la la. You’ll note that some chapters already have their band and track assigned to them, and others have not. That’s a laborious process that, I won’t lie, I love doing so much. I have an entire playlist already going for the book with songs that fit the mood and the plot, with more to come. Others probably won’t make the final cut, but they are still definitely mood and might end up in an extended mix at some point. Want a sneak peek at what’s on there beyond what I’ve captured in that screenshot? Supporters on Ko-Fi have the link! [hint hint!]
I will be compiling a list with ALL the links to tools, books, and other helpful things that I use and recommend as an author – if that is of interest to you, comment below!
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May 26, 2021
In Sleep You Know Merch For Sale
I’ve been hard at work coming up with interesting and fun goodies for you that are related to In Sleep You Know: A Story of the Eleriannan! When a story touches you and makes a connection, it makes sense that you might want things that remind you of the tale and the unforgettable characters.
One of the things I managed to find, after much searching and negotiations with the local Fae, was a special version of Lucee’s Book. It isn’t quite like hers, because each Fae object is unique, but it is beautiful and magical the same.
https://ko-fi.com/s/005652da73There are also beautiful bookmarks to go along with your paperback, or any other book, of course! They feature an image with Merrick, Lucee, and Aisling on the front, and a quote about the book on the back superimposed over a raven in flight.
If you purchase a signed paperback from me, you’ll get one of these included, while supplies last.
https://ko-fi.com/s/be395a8533What other sort of merch would you love to see and own? Let me know in the comments!
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May 25, 2021
See me this weekend at [virtual] Balticon!
It’s happening THIS WEEKEND!
Join us online, May 28-31st (Memorial Day weekend), for the 55th Annual BALTICON.
By fans. For fans.
A Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention featuring:
Science & Literary Panels, Music, a Film Festival, Art Show,
Gaming, Anime, Vendors, and MORE!
Admission to Balticon 55 will be free
Balticon is being run on multiple platforms. I will be in the Dealer Room all weekend at Balticon! You can visit me in either the Gather version of the Dealer Room [pass: BookClub], or you can join the BSFS Discord server and chat with me there, or BOTH!
In Discord, you can find me by chatting in my space in the B55 Dealer Room section. [#christiane-knight-three-ravens-press]
This is a pretty easy interface to use, but I thought I’d give you a few pointers to help you feel comfortable!
When you click the link, the first thing you’ll do is create an avatar. It takes just a moment, and there are plenty of visual choices for you! Once you enter the Con space, take a few moments to wander around and get a feel for movement. Use X to enter spaces, and G will make you into a “ghost” so that you can move around without accidentally starting conversations with other attendees or bumping into them.
You’ll note that as you get near people, you’ll be able to see them on video if they have their cameras on, or hear their conversations if their mics are on.
To find a specific person, click on their name in the participants tab on the left, then click “follow” to have your avatar automatically run up to them. Once you find them, you can unfollow. It’s a great way to locate friends!
I’m going to recommend that you do that to my avatar to find my booth. Just find Christiane Knight in the participants, and click follow, and you’ll travel right to where I am. Easy-peasy!
To come inside the Three Ravens Press booth, just walk up to the table and press X and you’ll enter right in! There, you’ll find my website, and if I’m there you can talk to me. I will be there all weekend except when I am attending panels or doing tech support in a panel.
Any questions, just comment below or shoot me a message via Facebook and I’ll help you out! I hope to see you there.
https://www.balticon.org/wp55/The post See me this weekend at [virtual] Balticon! appeared first on Christiane Knight.
May 14, 2021
About the Soundtrack
I’m definitely not the first person to create a playlist that goes along with their book, or even to promote that fact. But I can tell you that anyone who knows me was not only not surprised that I did, but chances are good they would have been flabbergasted if I hadn’t!
Music infuses every part of my life, so it’s no wonder that I have songs connected to each part of the story of In Sleep You Know. Not only does each track that heads a chapter give a bit of the mood for that chapter, but some of the tracks are connected to specific characters and their personality or story arc. There are also some tunes that aren’t chapter headers, but are part of the action, like songs that The Drawback covers, or that get spun at Club Marcada.
You might note that the songs span timelines from the 80s to current time, and are all Alternative/Goth/Darkwave acts. That’s also informed by my personal tastes, but these characters are all people I would have known at the concerts and shows and clubs I’ve gone to over the years, and this is the music they listen to and identify with.
When I hear “What We All Want” by Gang Of Four, I see Sousa striding down the street, full of drive [and possibly beer], headed off somewhere to solve problems and talk sense.
Merrick’s got the Joy Division in his personal soundtrack, of course – I mean, he’s the one who named the band The Drawback. And he does a mean cover of “Heart And Soul” too.
When I hear Siouxsie and The Banshee’s “Love In A Void” my mind immediately pictures Lucee doing those yelps and jumping around on stage.
“Wild World” by Love Is Colder Than Death is very much the state of Genaine’s mind, and everything she’s been through, especially in that chapter.
Severed Heads “Heart Of The Party” isn’t so much a track that would get played at an Eleriannan party, but it sure does describe what Merrick’s feeling like while he’s there!
And you might notice the preponderance of songs about dreams or dreaming – which you might expect from a book entitled In Sleep You Know. Merrick and Aisling’s relationship and how she triggers prophetic dreams for him are referenced in many of the tracks.
If you’re interested in hearing some of the other playlists that I put together as part of my Radio Xiane project that also are representative of the music favored by the characters in the Eleriannan stories, you can search “Radio Xiane” on Spotify and listen to my collection of playlists there.
What other books with a playlist are your favorites? I’d love to hear about them! Please leave a comment below on on the Facebook page!
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May 4, 2021
Meet The Characters: Sousa
Joseph Sousa, aka Souz, is a good friend to Merrick and Lucee, and the drummer for their band The Drawback. He’s known to characterize himself as a “dirty punk dude” who loves a sleeveless shirt and drinking copious amounts of beer.
He also, inexplicably, is the owner of The Maithe, a giant brick building in the heart of Baltimore City. The Drawback practices there, and he lives in the practice space with all their equipment and scooters that he loves to repair for fun. He is raucous and funny and stands up for what he believes in loudly and steadfastly.
“To these folks, the city is a wasteland of negativity and should just be abandoned to the Gwyliannan. Which is ridiculous. There’s so much good in the city. The fight is there, the real reason we should be gathering together.”
Meet the rest of the characters in this ongoing series, then order the book now!
note: photo is a composite created by me and containing some of the excellent photography work of Karey Nation [graffiti photo]The post Meet The Characters: Sousa appeared first on Christiane Knight.
May 1, 2021
Launch Day Replay!
Today was Launch Day, the day that my book In Sleep You Know became available to purchase in paperback form and downloadable to Kindle and other ebook formats! To celebrate, I held a Facebook Live party where I talked about the book and how it came to be, answered questions about being an author and my processes, and did some live reading from the book as well as some poetry. If you missed that, here’s the recording!
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